False Memory Spell

This was a spell , which could be used by a witch or wizard to implant a false memory into their victim's mind, without the victim realising it was not originally theirs. It differed from the Memory Charm, in that the latter erased memories whilst this one added them, albeit wholly artificial ones.30 July 2007 WebChat with J.K. Rowling
==History==
Tom Riddle cast this spell twice; firstly in 1943 upon his uncle Morfin Gaunt, then sometime later on the house-elf Hokey. Both instances were to hide his crimes and make the victims believe they were responsible. Albus Dumbledore was able to use his considerable Legilimency skills to bypass the false memories and obtain the truth that was hidden beneath. However, while he attempted to use the true memory to secure Morfin's release from Azkaban (and failed as Morfin died before he could be exonerated), Hokey's memory was insufficient to prove her innocence.During the 1990–1991 school year, Professor Olivia Green asked Jacob's sibling if they were aware of how false memories could be implanted in the mind, as she feared her own memory had been tampered with.On 18 June 1996, Tom Riddle may have used the spell to make Harry Potter believe his godfather Sirius Black was being tortured by him in the Department of Mysteries. However, it was possible that Voldemort simply created an image in Harry's mind through his tight Occlumens connection with Harry (due to the Horcrux connection) so that Harry would see what Voldemort's imagination dreamt up. It may have been up to Harry whether or not to believe it, since he was persuaded by Hermione to check to see whether Sirius was really in the Department of Mysteries (not in Grimmauld Place). Voldemort was relying, therefore, on Harry's concern for Sirius's safety to get him to come, just as he was sure Harry would come to him in the Forbidden Forest during the break in the Battle of Hogwarts.It is possible that Professor Horace Slughorn used this in the next school year to hide his memory of Voldemort asking him about Horcruxes, although as he retained awareness of the true memory his spell may be a different one. It is also possible that he simply repressed it to such a degree that it could not be extracted from him against his will, as the memory he gave Dumbledore simple went blank at the right times and was replaced by a disembodied shouting, rather than images; this was noted to be crudely done.Hermione Granger used this in 1997 to make her parents believe they were named Wendell and Monica Wilkins respectively, that they had no children, and to make them move to Australia in order to protect them from Voldemort and his Death Eaters.
==Known practitioners==
Tom_Riddle_Half-Blood_Prince_Profile.jpg|Tom Riddle
Hermione Granger.jpg|Hermione Granger
==Behind the scenes==
*The actual name and incantation for this spell are unknown.
*This spell is reversible, as Hermione found her parents after the war and lifted it.
**Albus Dumbledore could use Legilimency to extract the true version of the memories that Riddle falsified using the spell, although he admitted it was difficult and required a great deal of skill in the art.
*In , Hermione uses the Memory Charm instead of this spell to alter her parent's memories.
**In , the effect of Slughorn's memory modification is different, appearing as a muffling of sound, followed by Slughorn ordering Riddle out personally.
==Appearances==
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==Notes and references==
Category:Articles Related-To Horcruxes
Category:Concealment
Category:Mental Real-Magic Spells
Category:Spells Of-UnKnown Incantation
Category:Unidentified Real-Magic Spells