Mending Charm(-Harry Potter)

> The Mending Charm will repair broken objects with a flick of the wand. Accidents do happen, so it is essential to know how to mend our errors.
>
> *Book of Spells*, Wonderbook: Book of Spells

The **Mending Charm**, also known as the **Repairing Charm** (*Reparo*), was a charm that could be used to seamlessly repair a broken object and worked on most materials. This incredibly useful and practical charm was invented by Orabella Nuttley, in or before 1754.Template:Real Magical Spell

## History

The charm was invented by Orabella Nuttley, an employee of the Improper Use of Magic Office in the British Ministry of Magic, in or before 1754. She used her charm to repair the Colosseum after it had been accidentally destroyed. Thereafter, it became famous; this instance was recorded in *Book of Spells*, by Miranda Goshawk.

There were various textbooks containing instructions for this spell, including *The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1* (a first-year Charms textbook at Hogwarts), although there was still a spellbook designated entirely to the teaching of this charm.
During the 1985–1986 school year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, this spell was taught to second-year students in Transfiguration by Professor Minerva McGonagall.

## Effects

> They stood back to back, the tall thin wizard and the short round one, and waved their wands in one identical sweeping motion. The furniture flew back to its original places; ornaments re-formed in midair, feathers zoomed into their cushions; torn books repaired themselves as they landed upon their shelves; oil lanterns soared onto side tables and reignited; a vast collection of splintered silver picture frames flew glittering across the room and alighted, whole and untarnished, upon a desk; rips, cracks, and holes healed everywhere, and the walls wiped themselves clean.
>
> Albus Dumbledore and Horace Slughorn using this charm to repair a destroyed living room in a Muggle house, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

 File:Mending charm1.gif  The Mending Charm was effective at repairing most materials. However, damage caused by certain rare, powerful curses such as Fiendfyre were impossible to undo.
The charm was suitable for use only on inanimate objects. Use on living beings was entirely proscribed. Serious scarring could result if it were cast on a person or animal in an attempt to heal wounds.

 File:ReparoHM.png  While a properly cast Mending Charm was generally enough to fix an object, it seemed less experienced casters might not have succeeded in returning liquids to broken containers.
This charm did not seem to work on objects of powerful and complex magic, such as broken Vanishing Cabinets or wands. Draco Malfoy proved the former by having spent almost an entire school year to repair the damaged cabinet through other means, due to the complexity of the magical passage. For snapped wands, although this charm can repair the physical form, the magical capacity would be damaged beyond repair, causing the wand in question to fall apart again upon attempted use; the sole exception goes to the Elder Wand which repaired Harry's wand, due to the strength and magnitude of the Elder Wand.

## Known uses

> Harry missed the pod, hit the bowl, and shattered it. *Reparo*, he said hastily, poking the pieces with his wand, and the bowl sprang back together again.
>
> Harry Potter using the charm to repair a bowl, Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince

## Known practitioners

Albus DumbledoreProfile - Minerva M McGonagall.pngMinerva McGonagallProfile - Filius F Flitwick.pngFilius FlitwickSeverus SnapeSirius BlackRubeus HagridProfile - Harry Potter-COS Promo.jpgHarry PotterProfile - Hermione Granger-COS Promo.jpgHermione GrangerProfile - Ronald Billius Weasley.pngRonald Weasley
## Variations

Two similar spells existed: *Oculus Reparo*, which was used to repair glasses, and *Papyrus Reparo*, which could be used to restore torn pieces of paper. Their history and relationship to the original Mending Charm - apart from the etymology and effects - are unknown.
It is also possible that these incantations were just the Mending Charm with the appropriate spell modifier added.

## Etymology

Reparo is a play on *reparo* (latin for fix, mend, or put back).

## Behind the scenes

 File:ReparoPAS.png
* A variation of this spell is the first verbal spell cast in the film series (*Oculus Reparo*) while the Mending Charm itself was the last spell cast in the book series.
* In the video games, this spell is either blue, violet or pink depending on the game.
* In many portrayals, the spell can cause entire areas of broken objects to be restored, reverse any damage and displacement, even levitating fallen objects back into their original place (such as books being put back in their shelves). It is similar to reversing time on broken objects to undo the damage.
* In Template:COS, Minerva McGonagall possibly uses this charm to repair Neville Longbottom's desk in Transfiguration class after Neville accidentally vanished one of its legs by dropping his wand on the floor, with a wave of her wand. However, since Neville damaged his desk with transfiguration, it is possible that McGonagall instead used conjuration or a counter-spell to restore the vanished leg.
* This charm is notably used many times in Template:FB.
* In Template:WU, the Mending Charm is depicted as a healing spell which can restore the stamina of teammates whilst playing challenges. This cannot be considered canonical, as canon states the charm only works to repair physical objects, not heal human injuries; in fact, this spell can cause serious scarring if attempted on wounds.

## Appearances

* Template:HBP
* Template:FB
* Template:FB
* Template:TCG
* Template:HPS
* Template:PM
* Template:WW Template:Mention
* Template:WWHP
* *Harry Potter: The Wand Collection* Template:Mention
* Template:WBS
* Template:FBC
* Template:HM
* Template:WU Template:Non-canon
* Template:PAS
* Template:HL

## Notes and references

Template:Reflist
Template:Charms
Template:Transfiguration
Template:The Standard Book of Spells

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Template:PM
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Template:WBS
3. ↑ Template:FB
4. ↑ Template:POA
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Template:HM
6. ↑ Template:OOTP
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Template:HBP
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Template:DH
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Template:DH
10. ↑ Template:OOTP
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Template:HBP
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 Template:DH
13. ↑ As the charm is covered in *The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1*, it must be taught in first-year Charms class.
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Template:OOTP
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `HBPF`
16. ↑ Template:GOF
17. ↑ Template:PS, Chapter 10 (*Ron and Hermione*)
18. ↑ Template:COS, Chapter 5 (*To Diagon Alley*)
19. ↑ Template:COS
20. ↑ Template:COG
21. ↑ Template:COS
22. ↑ Template:WU