Disillusionment Charms

• Incantation: Unknown. The spell can likely be cast non-verbally.
• Pronunciation: Not applicable.
• Wand Movement: A tap on the head with a wand is one known method of casting.
• Light: No light is produced. The sensation for the target is described as cold liquid trickling down their body, as if a raw egg has been broken over their head.
• Effect: The Disillusionment Charm does not grant true invisibility. Instead, it functions as a form of magical camouflage, causing the target to blend seamlessly with their surroundings by taking on the exact color and texture of whatever is behind them. This makes the target exceptionally difficult to see with the naked eye, though they may still be detected by their distorted outline.
• Type: Charm

The Disillusionment Charm is an advanced piece of concealment magic, used by wizards and witches to avoid detection.

• In 1995, Alastor Moody cast a Disillusionment Charm on Harry Potter so he could fly from Number Four, Privet Drive to Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place without being seen by Muggles. This was Harry's first known experience with the spell, and he described himself as looking like a human chameleon.
• It is standard procedure for Ministry of Magic employees to use Disillusionment Charms on themselves when traveling by means that are visible to Muggles, such as on the backs of Thestrals.
• Albus Dumbledore was exceptionally skilled at concealment magic and stated he did not need a cloak to become invisible, suggesting mastery of a powerful version of the Disillusionment Charm or a related spell, likely cast non-verbally.
• The sign on the gate of Xenophilius Lovegood's home was Disillusioned, making the words “The Quibbler. Editor: X. Lovegood” difficult to read until one was very close to it.
• During their hunt for the Horcruxes, Harry Potter cast Disillusionment Charms on himself, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger for added protection, even when they were already concealed by his Invisibility Cloak.

The Disillusionment Charm is considered to be difficult magic appropriate for advanced students.

• Learning: The ability to perform a Disillusionment Charm is tested in the Defence Against the Dark Arts Ordinary Wizarding Level (O.W.L.) practical examination, indicating it is typically taught to fifth-year students at Hogwarts. Harry Potter learned the spell sometime before 1997 and was able to cast it successfully on himself and two other people simultaneously, though he felt his own charm was not as effective as the one Moody had cast on him.
• Counter-Spells: While no specific counter-charm is named, a person hidden by a Disillusionment Charm can be detected by spells that reveal human presence. The Human-Presence-Revealing Spell (`Homenum Revelio`) is effective for this purpose. A particularly powerful wizard might also be able to see through a weaker Disillusionment Charm without the aid of a spell.

The name of the charm is derived from the word “disillusion,” which means to free from a false impression or belief (an illusion). The spell works by creating a deceptive appearance, or an illusion, that fools an observer into not seeing the target. The prefix “dis-” means “apart” or “away.” Therefore, the charm effectively takes “away” the user's true appearance, replacing it with an “illusion” of their background.

• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the Disillusionment Charm is depicted as a ripple of energy that washes over Harry Potter, making his form translucent and distorted, actively blending him with the background behind him (film).
• The effect of a Disillusionment Charm is distinctly different from that of an Invisibility Cloak. As Moody explains, a good Disillusionment Charm makes one blend in like a chameleon, whereas a true Invisibility Cloak, like the one Harry owns, renders its wearer completely invisible, a much more powerful form of concealment.