Brackium Emendo

• Incantation: Brackium Emendo
• Pronunciation: BRA-kee-um ee-MEN-doh
• Wand Movement: Unknown
• Light: A flash of bright white light (film)
• Effect: When cast improperly, this spell removes the bones from the targeted limb, leaving it flexible and rubbery. Its intended effect is presumably to mend broken bones.
• Type: Healing Spell (intended); Charm

The spell Brackium Emendo is known from a single, infamous incident involving Professor Gilderoy Lockhart. This event occurs only in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. After a tumultuous Quidditch match against Slytherin in 1992, Harry Potter's right arm was broken by a rogue Bludger. As Harry lay on the pitch, Gilderoy Lockhart rushed to his side, dismissing the concerns of the Gryffindor team. Confidently declaring he could fix Harry's arm, Lockhart performed the spell. Instead of mending the bone, the spell backfired spectacularly, removing all the bones from Harry's arm entirely. The limb was left limp and boneless, horrifying the onlookers. Harry was subsequently taken to the Hospital Wing, where Madam Pomfrey expressed her dismay, stating that regrowing bones was a nasty business. She administered a dose of Skele-Gro, a potion that forced Harry to endure a painful night as the 33 bones in his arm slowly and agonizingly reformed. It is important to note that in the original novel, Lockhart's attempt to heal Harry is interrupted before he can cast a spell. The incantation Brackium Emendo does not appear in the seven-book canon.

There is no information on how this spell is learned. Given that it was cast by the notoriously incompetent Gilderoy Lockhart, it is highly probable that he either misremembered the incantation for a proper bone-mending spell (like Episkey), botched the casting entirely, or used a spell of his own flawed invention. No direct counter-spell is known. The magical damage of bone removal is not reversed with another spell but rather treated with a potent regenerative potion, namely Skele-Gro, which regrows the vanished bones over several hours.

The incantation is derived from Latin:

• Brackium: A variant of bracchium, Latin for “arm,” specifically the forearm from the hand to the elbow.
• Emendo: Latin for “I correct,” “I amend,” or “I free from fault.”

Together, the phrase literally translates to “I correct the arm,” reflecting the spell's intended, if not actual, purpose.

Brackium Emendo is a spell created exclusively for the screenplay of the film Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. It does not appear in the novel by J.K. Rowling. Its inclusion in the film provides a more direct and visual demonstration of Gilderoy Lockhart's fraudulent magical abilities, creating a memorable and comedic scene that underscores his character's incompetence.