Self-Defensive Spellwork
Introduction: Most wizards take more time concentrating on learning offensive spells, so that they can attack effectively in battles. While that may still make sense to Aurors, whose job is indeed to fight, they still need to find a good balance, and learn defensive spells as well. Otherwise, they can only attack but cannot protect themselves when their enemy retaliates. And getting themselves injured because of this would even prevent them from performing any further harm to their enemies.
Self-defense is very important, especially for the rest of us who don't fight evil for a living. Why would we need offensive spells in our everyday lives? Whereas threats might be out there, the point is simply to protect ourselves. This is why self-defensive spellwork is important. It is not our job to punish, let alone, kill the law breakers. We are, however, more than entitled to defend ourselves against them. Threats can be found anywhere anytime even in your most mundane lives.
Observation is the key: Defensive maneuvers are not just about which spells will help you best while you are in battle. You need to also know your surroundings and know how to make those surroundings work for you in such battle.
Where ever you are right now, look around. Look for items in the room that you can make work for you if you were in a battle. Think; is there a place to take cover at? Are there objects that can be thrown at your opponent? Are there objects that can cause a distraction so that you can escape? How many exits are there in the room? These are just some of the questions and observations that you will need to know before any battle happens.
A good Auror always knows their surroundings, so when examining a room find your cover places first and slowly walk towards it. While walking, remember you are to always have an eye out for dark wizards or objects they have set out for traps. It may take a while to train your mind to think this way, but becoming observant can be a learned behavior, so stick with it. Make it fun, even if you're out and about when entering new areas or surroundings pick out three things that others might not see in a room and make a mental note of it to yourself.
Practicing with a partner could always help. Let a friend organize a room for you with a set number of objects or things out of place. Make sure these out of place items are both big and little things. Then have you walk into the room for a disclosed amount of time and see how many of the displaced items you can find. Sharpening your mind to this is a very special tool. This can be one of the hardest defensive mechanisms to master, but with lots of hard work it is not impossible.
The Shield-charm: The Shield Charm is one of the most well-known defensive spells. This doesn't mean, as many wizards think, that it is also very easy. It requires some training, but then you will be able to protect yourself from some nasty spells and jinxes. The bouncing jinx might even hit back on the enemy.
The incatantion is 'Protego', with the accent on the 'e'.
Concentration is another important aspect of shielding. Like every other spell, jinx or curse, Protego requires concentration. Just flicking your wand won't do. The concentration needed for an effective shield depends on the magic to be blocked. A simple 'Flipendo' charm won't ask much of your will-power, while curses like 'Sectumsempra' or even the cruciatus-curse will ask all of your power to stop them from harming you. Over-forcing your shield-charm might cause damage to the surroundings, while an underpowered shield will, obviously, be no good.
Usually, when a spell is blocked by a shield, it will bounce back in a random direction, potentially causing collateral damage. It is, however, possible to direct a spell back to where it came from. With the right timing and shield power you are capable of turning your opponents spells against them.
The Patronus Charm: The Patronus Charm is very difficult to master and it takes a lot of magic to conjure the guardian. It often leaves more inexperienced wizards and witches completely without energy. Usually, you can replenish it with some chocolate. The Patronus is the only way you can defend yourself from Dementors and you can also use it against Lethifolds. Patronus is a silvery phantom animal shape, which is the embodiment of the positive thoughts of the caster. It is also interesting to know that most wizards and witches have the same forms for both, Animagus and Patronus. But it is not always like that. If a person suffers great emotional trauma, his or her Patronus can change its shape. This also happens with those who love the other person so much, that his or her Patronus change into identical one which a loved one has. The Patronus is almost never a magical creature. There were only two cases in the magical history when that happened. First was Andros the Invincible and his Patronus was a giant. The other was Albus Dumbledore with a phoenix protector.
The incantation for this charm is Expecto Patronum. It is said like this: ex-PEK-toh pa-TROH-num. The words Expecto Patronum come from Latin words "expecto", which means to expect or to look for and medieval Latin "patronus", which symbolizes a patron or assistant.
The Patronus is not only useful for protection, but also for attacking and giving messages.
Powerful Potions: Spell and wand work is the most recognized use of magic in our world, but what about potion making? This art can be underrated but extremely useful in dire situations. Knowing spells and shield charms is a skill no wizard should be without, but when a wizard is going to knowingly enter a serious situation, preparing with a few defensive potions can be the difference between victory and defeat. As they say, the best offense is a good defense.
Veritaserum ~ VEH-RAH-teh-SEE-RUM
the truth serum
Up to 3 drops does the trick.
Properly brewed, the Veritaserum potion can make any foe spill their deepest, darkest secrets. This potion is odorless, colorless and shares almost exact texture and fluidity as water. This potion does have antidotes and can be resisted, but on the average wizard it can open up a world of truths.
Calming Draught
a calming potion
1-2 drops works for most wizards.
This potion is only used after a person has suffered a shock or a particularly traumatizing experience. It's very important to keep a clear head in the heat of battle, so if you find yourself becoming full of anxiety or at a loss for words from shock, pop a few drops of the Calming Draught and your head should be as clear as day.
Polyjuice Potion ~ PAW-LEE-joos
a transforming potion
About half a cup for the transformation to be complete.
Aurors of the Ministry of Magic are all too familiar with this unappetizing potion, but if you can pull it off, it can even prevent a battle from occurring in the first place! Sometimes not all battles need to be fought and one could just sneak behind enemy lines dressed as the enemy!
Felix Felicis ~ FEE-licks FELL-ee-SEES
liquid luck
An entire small vial is needed for up to 3 hours of luckiness.
If you feel your situation is a little more than you can handle, you can always to try get your hands on some Felix Felicis. Don't take this potion lightly; it is VERY powerful and should only be used in the most desperate of times. Felix Felicis helps you make decisions that make situations come out in your favor.
Antidotes and Physical Wounds
It is always good to keep some antidotes on your person when heading into the unknown. As an Auror, you encounter many types of enemies with unknown intentions. A bezoar would be a wise friend in your battle, as it cures most poisons, but since we are talking about potions specifically, a few that might come in handy are:
Burn-Healing Paste
Boil-Cure Potion
Dittany
Mouth-Itching Antidote
Swelling Solution
Stealth and Secrecy: The Polyjuice Potion changes the drinker's form into that of another. As stated, this potion, brewed correctly, can disguise a wizard and entirely prevent a conflict. There are also charms and spells that provide that same benefit without the lengthy brewing time of a potion.
The first charm is the Disillusionment Charm, often referred to as the Chameleon Charm. The incantation for this charm is Velius Humanus (pronounced VEHL-ee-oos hyoo-MAHN-oos), and can be performed either verbally or non-verbally. It comes from the Latin language, meaning "hide human," although it has been tested on non-humans and has been proven to be equally as effective.
To cast this spell, point the wand directly at the top of the head, and recite the incantation. If performed correctly, a rather unusual sensation will occur. The recipient of the spell will feel as though an extremely cold egg has been broken upon their head, and the cold sensation will spread throughout the body until it reaches the toes, at which point the body temperature will return to normal. After repeated use of the spell, this effect becomes quite un-extraordinary, but is quite a shock for inexperienced users.
As this spell is called the Chameleon Charm, it should come as no surprise that its effect reproduces the natural ability of the chameleon; the spelled individual will blend in to the environment completely based on the background. To most wizards, a person or creature under this spell would be completely undetectable; however, if someone is actively looking for a Disillusioned person, a faint shimmer in the room would be detectable, as the spell cannot accommodate for the fact that people have both height and depth, which can "stretch" the background slightly. Despite this, the Disillusionment Charm is extremely helpful, and very simple to use.
An even simpler variation of this spell is the Bedazzling Hex, which provides the same effect, but does not directly place is on a person or creature, but rather on an object (usually a cloak), in which the chameleon-esque powers are instilled. It is thought that this hex is used in combination with Demiguise hair to create invisibility cloaks.
While the Chameleon Charm disguises the recipient to the eye, another way to provide stealth is to muffle noise. In situations were the slightest of noises could mean life or death, Silencio Totus is the spell to use. This variation of the Silencing Charm, taught in any respectable magical school, provides complete silence to anything at which the wizard points.
Pronounced Sil-EHN-see-o TOE-toos, this spell can be used interchangeably from its descendant spell if a silent mouth is desired. However, if one wished to silence only their feet, or to silence an alarm of some sort, this spell would be required, as it targets a specific object and focuses all the power of the spell to that area. To clarify, a typical Silencing Charm, cast at a person, hits the entire body. The brunt of the spell is dissipated as the area hit (the torse, usually) does not require silencing, and thus the charm must travel to an area it can silence; namely, the mouth. With Silencio Totus, a more precise wizard can direct the spell to an area, and receive the benefits much more quickly, and often, time is of the essence.
To perform the spell, simply point the wand carefully at the desired area or object, bring the wand around in a firm swish, flick at the object or area, and recite the incantation, either verbally or non-verbally. The designated object or area will immediately become silent.
This spell, combined with the Chameleon Charm, can give an individual the opportunity for a swift exit from an area, or the ability to sneak around a conflict. Both spells are pivotal to any wizard interested in self-defense and have near limitless uses; learn them well.
The Ultimate Secret - The Fidelius Charm: As discussed earlier, stealth and secrecy are not the sign of a coward - rather, they are the sign of an intellectual. Never be afraid to live to fight another day through the use of stealth spells. The spell to be dissected in this chapter is the ultimate in stealth and secrecy, not to mention the most difficult to perform - The Fidelius Charm.
The incantation for the charm is deceptively simple - Fidelio (Fid-AY-lee-oh). Coming from the Latin word "fidelis," meaning trustworthy or faithful, this spell requires two people at a minimum: the caster or casters and the Secret Keeper. The caster, concentrating entirely on the secret to be kept, performs the spell, and the knowledge of the secret is imparted directly into the soul of the Secret Keeper.
Many claim to understand completely the workings of the Fidelius Charm, and there are many facts known about the spell, indeed. However, the true working of the magic involved are unknown, likely because those who possess knowledge of the spell rarely are found after it is used.
The Fidelius Charm is known to be the ultimate protection of an object, person, or place. However, it requires that person, place, or thing to remain completely hidden through the use of the Secret Keeper. When the secret is imparted to the Secret Keeper, the caster and/or the object they are trying to protect vanishes to the all but the Secret Keeper. As long as the Secret Keeper never tells the secret to anyone, the target of the spell will remain hidden, even if directly under the nose of someone searching for it.
In order for anyone to find the target of the Fidelius Charm, the Secret Keeper must tell another person the secret directly. Even if someone found out by sleuthing or by accident, they would not be able to find the hidden person or object unless the secret was confirmed by the Secret Keeper. While only a theory, it is believed that forcing the Secret Keeper to tell the secret through the use of Veritaserum or the Imperius Curse would be ineffective, because the purity of the secret would be tainted through the use of dark magic or potions.
It is at this point that the details of the spell become shaky. The extent to which the spell is effective is unknown. While not thoroughly tested, it is believed that if a location is protected, the power of Taboos is null and void. Very few true Taboos exist in this world, and thus, the details of this are unknown for certain. However, this author is inclined to believe it true; after all, if a person is hidden, their voice is also hidden, eliminating the dangers of the Taboo.
In order to cast the Fidelius Charm, the caster and Secret Keeper must be strong magically and mentally. It is only meant for the greatest of emergencies, as the hiding of people and objects can cause many lasting complications. However, in the situations where ultimate stealth and secrecy are required, the Fidelius Charm is the most powerful spell for the purpose.
Conclusion: You might think just because your life is never exciting, there's no use to learning self-defense spells. Either way, it's better to be safe than sorry.
So how was that for ROLLS of parchment huh!!!!? 😆
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