Confundus C Charm

> The guard was confused. He stared down at the thin, golden ***Probe*** and then at his companion, who said in a slightly dazed voice, "*Yeah, you've just checked them,* **Marius''***.*
>
> *Harry Potter casting the Confundus Charm on a Gringotts guard, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows*

*The **Confundus Charm** (*Confundo*) was a charm which confused and misdirected the target. It worked on living and inanimate things, as long as the target had a mind to be confused. Template:Real Magical SpellThere were varying degrees of confusion that could be caused by the spell, ranging from becoming unaware of the current situation, forgetting important information, or becoming particularly impressionable.*

## History

 File:ConfundusHM.png  During the ***1989–1990 school year*** at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Professor Filius Flitwick taught this charm to ***fifth-year*** students in Charms class, in preparation for their upcoming Ordinary Wizarding Levels.
In ***1994***, after the ***encounter*** at the ***Shrieking Shack*** in Hogsmeade, Severus Snape expressed his belief that Sirius Black had used the charm to bewitch Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger after the three of them attacked Snape with the Disarming Charm in the shack. As such, he refused to believe their pleas that Sirius Black was in fact an innocent man in the Hospital Wing.

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## Effects

> I was better than that McLaggen anyway. Did you see him lumbering off in the wrong direction on his fifth? Looked like he’d been Confunded...
>
> Ron Weasley describing Cormac McLaggen's poor Quidditch performance due to this charm, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Someone who had been affected by this charm was said to have been "Confunded". Immediately after the spell had been cast; the Confunded person would shudder when the spell hit them. It would cause any of varying degrees of confusion, from a simple trick to making a person believe that they had come up with a complex plan when said plan was given to them by the caster.

## Casting

The spell took a degree of skill to cast, and became increasingly difficult the more complicated the misdirection was. For instance, when ***Newt Scamander*** and Harry Potter used it to bypass wizarding security officers (though both of whom were notably skilled with charms), be it in order to pass by unnoticed or by making them think they had already gone through the security check, it was typically a simple matter of quickly pointing their wands at the target and cast it quickly and discreetly.
When, however, Severus Snape sought to imprint an elaborate plan onto ***Mundungus Fletcher*** and trick him into thinking that not only was the plan of his making, but to give him the idea of proposing it to the Order of the Phoenix, he had to give such considerable focus to the task that he had to "*frown in concentration*".

## Known uses

### Successful uses

 Ron Weasley | ***2017*** | Used it on a Muggle driving instructor so that he would pass his driving test.

## Known practitioners

Severus Snape.jpgSeverus SnapeFilius Flitwick profile.jpgFilius FlitwickHermione Granger.jpgHermione GrangerHarry Potter.jpgHarry PotterRon Weasley.jpgRonald Weasley
## Etymology

*Confundus*, as well as the incantation *Confundo*, are derived from the Latin verb *cōnfundere (cōnfundō - cōnfundere - cōnfūdī - cōnfūsum)*, meaning "to confuse, to perplex."

## Behind the scenes

 File:ConfundoPAS.png
* In the films and ***video games***, the incantation for this charm is *Confundus*, and not *Confundo* as it should be.
* Professor Severus Snape theorised to Minister Cornelius Fudge, and tried unsuccessfully to convince Albus Dumbledore into agreeing, that Sirius Black could have bewitched Harry Potter and Hermione Granger with this charm; however, this was incorrect, as Black was actually telling the truth. This, however, could merely have been a cover-up to attempt to protect Harry due to his lasting love for his mother, and the reason he did the same for Hermione and Ron may have been that it would seem odd if only Harry was supposedly Confunded when all three of them attacked him.
* Ronald Weasley used this spell to trick his Driving Examiner into letting him pass his driving test, which may have constituted a breach of the ***International Statute of Secrecy***, but it is unknown if Ron faced any repercussions about it. It is possible that it was not considered a breach if no one noticed that magic was used.

## Appearances

* Template:GOF Template:1st
* Template:HBP
* Template:CC Template:Mention
* Template:CC Template:Mention
* Template:COG
* Template:COG
* Template:LEGO
* Template:HPS
* Template:TCG
* Template:PM Template:C
* Template:WW Template:Mention
* Template:FBC Template:Mention
* Template:HM
* Template:HL

## Notes and references

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Template:Charms

1. ↑ Template:HM
2. ↑ Template:COG