Diffindo

Spell Name: Severing Charm

Incantation: Diffindo

Pronunciation: /dɪˈfɪndoʊ/ di-FIN-doh

Spell Branch: Charms

Magical Discipline(s): Curses

Appearance: Light green, pink or red

Description: Cuts or rips objects. The Severing Charm (Diffindo) is a charm used to precisely and accurately cut something.

It is taught in second-year and fourth-year Charms classes, and if used inappropriately could cause death or injury.

Regulations: Legal

Skill Level: Beginner

Etymology: The incantation is the Latin first person active indicative for "to split, cleave or open".

References:

• In Goblet of Fire when Ron wants to get rid of the lace on his dress robes. In Goblet of Fire when Harry urgently wants to talk to Cedric he casts this spell to rip his bag, delaying him for class.Template:GF
• In Half-Blood Prince when Harry swaps the cover of the Half-Blood Prince's copy of Advanced Potion-Making with the cover of a new copy, allowing him to keep the Prince's notes under the guise of a new book.
• Naomi Foley uses it in her exam[1]
• Alvis Norling uses it[2]
• Lovella Stone uses it on a cage[3]
• Adrianna Xin uses it to rescue people from the Leaky Cauldron explosion[4]
• Elysia Hughes uses it in the Tetrawizard Tournament[5]
• Addison Rockwell cuts an apple in half[6]
• Taryn Dickenson uses it in Transfiguration[7]
• Zoe Torret uses it[8]
• Waker Nolan uses it at the festival[9]

Notes: "With the Severing Charm, cutting or tearing objects is a simple matter of wand control. The spell can be quite precise in skilled hands, and the Severing Charm is widely used in a variety of wizarding trades. Useful as it is, this charm should be practised with caution, as a careless swipe of the wand can cause injury." — Miranda Goshawk