Mobiliarbus

• Incantation: Mobiliarbus
• Pronunciation: moh-bil-ee-AR-bus
• Wand Movement: Unknown. Hermione Granger performed it with a “jerk of her wand”.
• Light: None described.
• Effect: Levitates and moves a tree or large plant.
• Type: Charm

The Mobiliarbus charm is used on only one occasion in the entire series, during Harry Potter's third year at Hogwarts. In December 1993, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger were in The Three Broomsticks pub in Hogsmeade. Harry, concealed under his Invisibility Cloak, was eavesdropping on a conversation between Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge, Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, and Madam Rosmerta. To provide Harry with better cover, Hermione non-verbally cast the Mobiliarbus charm on a small, potted Christmas tree, causing it to float through the air and land on their table, effectively shielding Harry from view. The charm worked silently and precisely, demonstrating Hermione's growing proficiency with advanced and subtle magic. This allowed Harry to overhear the crucial, and at the time devastating, revelation that Sirius Black was his godfather and was believed to have betrayed his parents, James Potter and Lily Potter, to Lord Voldemort.

The difficulty of learning this charm is not explicitly stated. However, the fact that a third-year student, albeit a highly gifted one like Hermione Granger, could cast it non-verbally suggests it is likely not of an advanced difficulty level. It requires concentration and precise control, similar to other levitation charms. No specific counter-spell or method to stop Mobiliarbus is mentioned in the novels. It is probable that general-purpose counter-charms or simply overpowering the caster's will would be effective.

The incantation is a compound of two Latin words:

• Mobilis, meaning “movable,” “mobile,” or “easy to be moved.”
• Arbor, meaning “tree.”

When combined, Mobiliarbus literally translates to “move the tree,” accurately reflecting the spell's function. This naming convention is consistent with the related charm, Mobilicorpus, which is used to move a body (corpus).

• This spell's only appearance is in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Hermione is shown whispering the incantation aloud when she moves the Christmas tree, whereas in the novel, she performs the spell non-verbally. (film)