Engorgement Charm
Spell Information
History and Known Uses
The Engorgement Charm is a spell that enlarges its target. It is known to students at Hogwarts from a young age and has been used or mentioned several times throughout the series.
- In Harry Potter's second year, Ron Weasley recalled that his older brothers, Fred and George Weasley, once used the charm on his teddy bear, causing it to grow to a large size.
- While escaping Aragog's colony in the Forbidden Forest, Ron Weasley attempted to use the spell on an attacking Acromantula. Due to his broken wand, the spell backfired, causing the spider to swell up grotesquely for a moment before shrinking back to its original size.
- In 1994, Barty Crouch Jr., disguised as Professor Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, performed the Engorgement Charm on a spider during a fourth-year Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson. He enlarged the creature so that the entire class could clearly observe the effects of the Unforgivable Curses.
- Rubeus Hagrid expressed suspicion in 1995 that someone might have performed an Engorgement Charm on his giant pumpkins as a form of sabotage.
Learning and Counter-Spells
The Engorgement Charm is part of the standard Hogwarts curriculum. As Ron Weasley was familiar with it in his second year, it is likely taught in early Charms classes. The direct counter-spell is the Shrinking Charm, for which the incantation is Reducio. This was stated by Barty Crouch Jr. (as Moody) immediately after he demonstrated the Engorgement Charm on the spider in his classroom.
Etymology
The incantation Engorgio is derived from the English verb “engorge,” which means “to cause to swell or fill with an excess of something.” The “-io” suffix is a common Latin conjugation ending for first-person singular verbs, a frequent pattern for spells in the Wizarding World.
Behind the Scenes
- The incantation Engorgio is never explicitly stated in the seven original novels. It was established in the film adaptations and has since been used in official supplementary materials and video games.
- In the video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter learns the Engorgement Charm and uses it for puzzle-solving, such as inflating Flobberworms to act as platforms. (video game)
