PREVENTATIVE & PROTECTIVE CHARMS
This lesson will cover charms for the prevention of other charms or undesirable effects, as well as protection from attack, detection, and so on. Let's get to it!
There are lots of general preventive charms, which vary in their incantations. We have anti-cheating charms, anti-unlocking charms, anti-apparition charms, and even anti-theft charms (this name is a bit misleading - it only prevents the summoning of an object, not the theft of one!) There are also Unbreakable Charms, which render an object unbreakable.
Protective charms are often possible to be cast as large area enchantments. Some examples of this are Cave inimicum, which gives one a strong pulling sensation in the gut when an enemy is near; Fianto Duri, which strengthens large-area protective spells; Protego horribilus, which absorbs and reflects Dark Magic; Protego Totalum, which protects an area from magic and repels all manner of people for a small period of time; Protego Maxima, which absorbs most spells and disintegrate those who cross the boundary; and the Muggle-Repelling Charm, which keeps Muggles away from Wizarding Areas by convincing them they suddenly have important things to do (or simply induces a strong feeling that they should turn around) once they come into contact with it. The incantation for the Muggle-Repelling Charm is repello muggletum. It also helps prevent Muggles from even seeing a place. This charm is very popular and cast over all Quidditch Pitches and large gatherings of witches and wizards. It is also cast over all magical education facilities.
Another type of charm often used over a wider area is the Imperturbable Charm, which creates a magical barrier over things like doors. This barrier not only prevents others from entering the room, but also helps prevent eavesdropping. Similar to this charm, there is a Room-Sealing Charm which prevents anyone who is not a skilled witch or wizard from entering a room by any means. This is a very popular charm among witches and wizards who live in Muggle communities and have Muggle friends; sometimes it's nice to be able to entertain guests and know that all of your magical items are safely sealed away in your bedroom or the like. Former Potions Master and Hogwarts Headmaster Severus Snape was said to have used this charm on his office in an attempt to prevent students and others from stealing his potions ingredients.
Perhaps an Intruder Charm would've been useful as well. Intruder Charms detect unwanted persons and sound an alarm, much like the Muggle Burglar alarm. A very advanced version of this is the Caterwauling Charm, whose alarm sound is a high-pitched scream. Not only does this charm alert you of an intruder's presence, then, but it will also probably stun, scare, or confuse the intruder. We won't discuss much more of this charm in an introductory class, so let's move on.
I would consider stealth a form of protection, so we will briefly cover Invisibility Charms. These make objects or areas invisible - so please remember that they differ from disillusionment charms, which cause an object or thing to basically camouflage itself. As such, it is an advanced level spell - especially if one is looking to extend the effects of the charm outside of the object's boundaries or have the charm last a long time, such as those fun Headless Hats over at the Weasley store.
If you're afraid that an invisible or otherwise hidden person may be in your presence, there is a Human-Revealing Charm. The wand motion is circular above your own head and the incantation is homenum revelio. If there is a person present, there will be a small red glow where they are. However, the person will be alerted of the spell being cast - they will experience a strange wind-like sensation over their heads, as if something is swooping low over them. In addition, there is a Charm-Revealing Charm, whose wand movement is the same. The incantation is specialis revelio. It is said to be a difficult charm for beginners to cast, until they have a thorough understanding of magical theory.
The Water-Repelling Charm is useful when you find yourself out in the rain with no umbrella. The incantation is impervius. It is also possible to use this charm to repel steam. Quidditch players use it often so that they can still play in the rain without their vision being impaired, but it can also be cast on objects.
The Smokescreen Charm is another spell which is a combination between a transfiguration (conjuration) spell and a charm. In one way, it acts by changing what the water in the atmosphere is doing, or how it is acting, and thus it can be considered partially a charm. It creates a smokescreen in the area, which is useful in a duel to allow either escape (if this is a non-professional duel) or to allow someone extra time to recover, as your attacker or opponent is likely to fail at aiming their spells correctly through the mist.
The Flame-Freezing Charm is famous for being the favourite charm used by Wendelin the Weird, who used the spell to help her survive witch-burnings performed at the time. In fact, Wendelin loved the feeling of the charm so much that she allowed herself to be burned at least forty-seven times! The charm makes flames harmless; instead of an intense burning, the flames will feel like a warm summer breeze, with a slight tickling sensation. I, for one, hate being tickled, so I'm not entirely sure what the allure was for Wendelin... but, oh well.
Let's briefly cover two of the more popular and useful protective charms: the Shield Charm and the Disarming Charm. The Shield Charm's incantation is protego, and you must wave your wand in front of you as an offensive spell comes at you in order to deflect it with protego. The shield itself is invisible, but the offensive spell will bounce off of it, causing a flash of light. Since most spells bounce off the shield rather than being absorbed, it is important to be aware of your surroundings. The Shield Charm is incapable of deflecting or blocking the killing curse... so I hope none of you are ever in a situation where someone aims that curse at you.
The Disarming Charm is considered one of the best protective charms there is. After all, the majority of witches and wizards are unable to perform wandless magic, so how much damage can they do to you without a wand in their hand? The incantation for this charm is expelliarmus. It is widely known to have been the favourite spell of the famous wizard, Harry Potter.
Although it is likely too advanced for this class, we will also briefly discuss the Patronus Charm. I believe early education is best when it comes to developing such advanced magic, and I would never want to hear that one of my students was attacked and completely unable to defend themselves. If you are very interested in advanced charm-work such as the Patronus Charm, I suggest taking an advanced course in Charms.
The Patronus Charm was specifically invented to protect witches and wizards from Dementors. The charm conjures a manifestation of your happiest memories and positive feelings into a guardian of sorts. At your level, most (if not all) of you will be casting a shield-like Patronus at best. But advanced-level casters can mold that shield into a corporeal form, often referred to as a "spirit guardian", since it takes the form of an animal you have a strong affinity or link with. The incantation for this spell is expecto patronum.
We will end our lesson here. If you find yourself particularly interested in defensive spells, and find yourself itching for more, I would recommend taking the class we offer here at Hogwarts specifically dedicating to Wizard Duelling.
There are lots of general preventive charms, which vary in their incantations. We have anti-cheating charms, anti-unlocking charms, anti-apparition charms, and even anti-theft charms (this name is a bit misleading - it only prevents the summoning of an object, not the theft of one!) There are also Unbreakable Charms, which render an object unbreakable.
Protective charms are often possible to be cast as large area enchantments. Some examples of this are Cave inimicum, which gives one a strong pulling sensation in the gut when an enemy is near; Fianto Duri, which strengthens large-area protective spells; Protego horribilus, which absorbs and reflects Dark Magic; Protego Totalum, which protects an area from magic and repels all manner of people for a small period of time; Protego Maxima, which absorbs most spells and disintegrate those who cross the boundary; and the Muggle-Repelling Charm, which keeps Muggles away from Wizarding Areas by convincing them they suddenly have important things to do (or simply induces a strong feeling that they should turn around) once they come into contact with it. The incantation for the Muggle-Repelling Charm is repello muggletum. It also helps prevent Muggles from even seeing a place. This charm is very popular and cast over all Quidditch Pitches and large gatherings of witches and wizards. It is also cast over all magical education facilities.
Another type of charm often used over a wider area is the Imperturbable Charm, which creates a magical barrier over things like doors. This barrier not only prevents others from entering the room, but also helps prevent eavesdropping. Similar to this charm, there is a Room-Sealing Charm which prevents anyone who is not a skilled witch or wizard from entering a room by any means. This is a very popular charm among witches and wizards who live in Muggle communities and have Muggle friends; sometimes it's nice to be able to entertain guests and know that all of your magical items are safely sealed away in your bedroom or the like. Former Potions Master and Hogwarts Headmaster Severus Snape was said to have used this charm on his office in an attempt to prevent students and others from stealing his potions ingredients.
Perhaps an Intruder Charm would've been useful as well. Intruder Charms detect unwanted persons and sound an alarm, much like the Muggle Burglar alarm. A very advanced version of this is the Caterwauling Charm, whose alarm sound is a high-pitched scream. Not only does this charm alert you of an intruder's presence, then, but it will also probably stun, scare, or confuse the intruder. We won't discuss much more of this charm in an introductory class, so let's move on.
I would consider stealth a form of protection, so we will briefly cover Invisibility Charms. These make objects or areas invisible - so please remember that they differ from disillusionment charms, which cause an object or thing to basically camouflage itself. As such, it is an advanced level spell - especially if one is looking to extend the effects of the charm outside of the object's boundaries or have the charm last a long time, such as those fun Headless Hats over at the Weasley store.
If you're afraid that an invisible or otherwise hidden person may be in your presence, there is a Human-Revealing Charm. The wand motion is circular above your own head and the incantation is homenum revelio. If there is a person present, there will be a small red glow where they are. However, the person will be alerted of the spell being cast - they will experience a strange wind-like sensation over their heads, as if something is swooping low over them. In addition, there is a Charm-Revealing Charm, whose wand movement is the same. The incantation is specialis revelio. It is said to be a difficult charm for beginners to cast, until they have a thorough understanding of magical theory.
The Water-Repelling Charm is useful when you find yourself out in the rain with no umbrella. The incantation is impervius. It is also possible to use this charm to repel steam. Quidditch players use it often so that they can still play in the rain without their vision being impaired, but it can also be cast on objects.
The Smokescreen Charm is another spell which is a combination between a transfiguration (conjuration) spell and a charm. In one way, it acts by changing what the water in the atmosphere is doing, or how it is acting, and thus it can be considered partially a charm. It creates a smokescreen in the area, which is useful in a duel to allow either escape (if this is a non-professional duel) or to allow someone extra time to recover, as your attacker or opponent is likely to fail at aiming their spells correctly through the mist.
The Flame-Freezing Charm is famous for being the favourite charm used by Wendelin the Weird, who used the spell to help her survive witch-burnings performed at the time. In fact, Wendelin loved the feeling of the charm so much that she allowed herself to be burned at least forty-seven times! The charm makes flames harmless; instead of an intense burning, the flames will feel like a warm summer breeze, with a slight tickling sensation. I, for one, hate being tickled, so I'm not entirely sure what the allure was for Wendelin... but, oh well.
Let's briefly cover two of the more popular and useful protective charms: the Shield Charm and the Disarming Charm. The Shield Charm's incantation is protego, and you must wave your wand in front of you as an offensive spell comes at you in order to deflect it with protego. The shield itself is invisible, but the offensive spell will bounce off of it, causing a flash of light. Since most spells bounce off the shield rather than being absorbed, it is important to be aware of your surroundings. The Shield Charm is incapable of deflecting or blocking the killing curse... so I hope none of you are ever in a situation where someone aims that curse at you.
The Disarming Charm is considered one of the best protective charms there is. After all, the majority of witches and wizards are unable to perform wandless magic, so how much damage can they do to you without a wand in their hand? The incantation for this charm is expelliarmus. It is widely known to have been the favourite spell of the famous wizard, Harry Potter.
Although it is likely too advanced for this class, we will also briefly discuss the Patronus Charm. I believe early education is best when it comes to developing such advanced magic, and I would never want to hear that one of my students was attacked and completely unable to defend themselves. If you are very interested in advanced charm-work such as the Patronus Charm, I suggest taking an advanced course in Charms.
The Patronus Charm was specifically invented to protect witches and wizards from Dementors. The charm conjures a manifestation of your happiest memories and positive feelings into a guardian of sorts. At your level, most (if not all) of you will be casting a shield-like Patronus at best. But advanced-level casters can mold that shield into a corporeal form, often referred to as a "spirit guardian", since it takes the form of an animal you have a strong affinity or link with. The incantation for this spell is expecto patronum.
We will end our lesson here. If you find yourself particularly interested in defensive spells, and find yourself itching for more, I would recommend taking the class we offer here at Hogwarts specifically dedicating to Wizard Duelling.