Avis

• Incantation: Avis
• Pronunciation: AH-viss
• Wand Movement: Unknown
• Light: None described; produces a flock of birds
• Effect: Conjures a flock of small birds from the tip of the caster's wand.
• Type: Charm (Conjuration)

The Avis Charm is used several times throughout the series, both for practical wand-testing and as an expression of powerful emotion. The first documented use of this spell occurs during the Wand Weighing ceremony for the Triwizard Tournament. To test the wand of the Durmstrang Champion, Viktor Krum, the wandmaker Mr Ollivander cast the spell, producing a flock of birds that flew out of the tip and through the open window. In their sixth year, Hermione Granger used this Charm in a moment of intense anger and jealousy. After seeing Ron Weasley kissing Lavender Brown, she fled with Harry Potter to an empty classroom. There, she cast `Avis`, causing a “cloud of twittering yellow birds” to erupt from her wand. Immediately after, she directed the conjured birds to attack Ron using the Oppugno Jinx. Later that same year, Harry Potter practiced the spell in the Room of Requirement while looking for a place to hide the Half-Blood Prince's copy of `Advanced Potion-Making`. He successfully conjured a small flock of birds to mark the hiding place of the book inside a cabinet.

Avis is part of the standard Charms curriculum at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It is expected to be mastered by the fifth year, as it is one of the spells tested on the Ordinary Wizarding Level (O.W.L.) practical Charms exam. Harry Potter successfully performed the Charm during his O.W.L.s. There is no direct counter-spell mentioned for Avis. However, as the spell conjures real birds, they can be dealt with in a number of ways. They can be vanished using a Vanishing Spell like `Evanesco`, dismissed, or physically repelled. When Hermione's conjured birds attacked Ron, he was able to fight them off physically.

The incantation “Avis” is the Latin word for “bird,” directly reflecting the spell's effect.

• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, a scene is included where Hermione Granger uses the spell on Ron Weasley out of jealousy after the Yule Ball. This event was moved from the sixth book and altered for the film. The scene from the book, where she attacks Ron after he kisses Lavender Brown, is depicted more faithfully in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. (film)
• The Avis Charm appears in numerous Harry Potter video games, often as a spell the player can learn and use. (video game)