CHRM-101 Lessons

Welcome to Charms! I am Professor Lavinia Laurel. I am thrilled to be guiding you along your journey to becoming Charms Masters. 

Introduction

Think of Charms class as an introduction to spellcasting in general. Even the most accomplished of witches and wizards had to start somewhere. This year we will cover the basics of spellcasting, including the importance of pronouncing a spell correctly, practising precise wand movements, applying just the right amount of willpower, and maintaining your concentration.

We will touch on the basics of wandlore, such as why we need a wand for proper spellcasting, what wands are typically made of, and the special connection between a wizard and their wand. We will also discuss each of the spellcasting components that may be required to successfully cast certain spells, as well as what may happen if we are unsuccessful in casting them.

Today, after some information about what you can expect from the class and your assignments, we will be discussing the origin of modern-day spellcasting practices as well as the laws you need to be aware of when using magic. I'll be leaving all the juicy historical bits for your History of Magic classes, but it is important for you to understand how modern magic came about and what laws you need to follow at all times.

On the board, you will see a basic outline of the topics and spells we will be covering this year:

First Year Charms - At a Glance

Assignments and Grading Criteria

First Year Charms assignments will include mandatory weekly quizzes, a Midterm Exam after Lesson 5, and a Final Exam after Lesson 9. There will also be many opportunities for extra credit assignments - these assignments are optional and do not affect your grade, but they will help you better understand the content and will earn you extra house points. All extra credit assignments are clearly marked in your Gradebook.

Any scores under 70% qualify for a retake. Some assignments are also marked as resubmittable - if this is the case, it will be written in the assignment description. On these assignments, you can rewrite and resubmit your work as many times as you want until you are satisfied with your score.

All assignments must follow the specific word count requirements stated in the assignment description. Assignments that are too short or too long will be penalised accordingly. Assignments under a specific length will be given a grade of zero with a request to resubmit.

Errors in spelling and grammar will be deducted up to 10% of the total score, unless the student has listed non-native English speaker (NES) or learning disability (LD) at the top of their assignment. In that case, no points will be removed for spelling and grammar errors. However, the student must still make an effort to communicate their ideas clearly and coherently.

Identifying marks, such as name, age, house, location, or anything that could reveal who the student is, will result in a 5% deduction of the total score. The assignments are graded anonymously and fairly by the Charms PAs and Professors.

Effort and believability are also important criteria for grading. If the student is not putting forth more than minimum effort, points will be removed at the discretion of the grader. Unbelievable student feats, such as performing wandless or non-verbal magic before it is taught, will receive a 10% deduction of the total score. 

Extra credit may be awarded for exceptional work that demonstrates a high level of mastery, creativity, and insight. Extra credit is given at the discretion of the grader and Professors, and it does not affect the student's grade, but it does earn them extra house points.

Plagiarism or AI-generated responses are strictly prohibited and will result in an automatic zero with no chance for a retake. The assignments are meant to be original and creative works by the student, not copied or generated by someone or something else. The Charms PAs and Professors have ways to detect plagiarism and AI-generated responses, so do not attempt to cheat or deceive them.

Students that are disrespectful or rude in their assignments, including insulting Charms PAs or Professors or those in other classes, will receive a zero with no chance for a retake. The Charms PAs and Professors have zero tolerance for any form of harassment, bullying, or discrimination.

Inappropriate content, including curse words (outside the creativity of the assignment), drugs, harassment, sexual matters, etc., is also strictly prohibited and will result in a zero with no chance for a retake. The assignments are meant to be suitable and relevant for a school setting, not inappropriate or irrelevant. The Charms PAs and Professors have the right to report any inappropriate content to the Headmistress if necessary.

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Brief History and Essential Laws

^{An Ancient Egyptian Magician}

In ancient times, magic was practiced much more openly and freely than it is today. In ancient Greece and Egypt, witches and wizards were held in high regard. They used magic to protect many ancient tombs, and even today curse-breakers working for Gringotts attempt to retrieve the treasures from within, though not necessarily without loss of limb.

The first instances of dedicated wand making lies with the Ollivander family, who have been making wands since 382 B.C.E. While wands of various design had been crafted before this, the Ollivander family is one of the first, and certainly the longest, to have practiced the craft. Before there was a standard practice and process for wand crafting, there was always a fear that a wand might fail at a critical moment, or worse, explode.

Beginning around 1000 C.E., the Wizarding World began separating from Muggles, and for approximately 400 years (from 1000 C.E. to around 1400 C.E.) was ruled by the Council of Warlocks. In the 1400s, various magical governments were established based on ethnic and cultural values as well as location. We see this even today with a separate Ministry of Magic in most countries.

Witches and Wizards were persecuted throughout the 1600s with such instances as the witch burnings, though these proved ineffective thanks to Flame-Freezing Charms. What is a Flame-Freezing Charm you may ask? Well these handy little charms could be cast on the flames burning a witch to make them do nothing more than tickle the witch in question. She would then writhe in agony, pretending to burn, and voila! She was safe. These problems culminated in the introduction of the International Statute of Secrecy in 1689. This international law completed the separation of the two worlds. The law was created to protect the magical and non-magical communities from each other, for when the witch trials began to wane, witches and wizards were seeking revenge on the Muggles who tried to oppress them. Magic was being used willy nilly to hurt, trick, and confuse Muggles and something had to be done. Each government became responsible for hiding all evidence of magical activity within their borders, including the magical flora and fauna (plants and animals) of the Wizarding World. It's important to note that, while the law was signed in 1689, it took a further three years before it was officially established by all governments internationally. However, many governments did recognize it in the interim.

Over the centuries, magic has become the stuff of legend for Muggles. Documented now only in fairy tale and stories, many of the Muggles’ contemporary literature is full of encounters with witches and wizards, dragons, pixies, and many other kinds of magic that they dismiss as wild dreams or hallucination. You must remember though that the majority of Muggle stories are rooted in fact. Most are eyewitness accounts of Muggles seeing magic done that have been changed over time. Of course, whenever an incident is too big to ignore or there is too much evidence it is true magic and not trickery, the Ministry will send in the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad to sort things out, usually through memory modification.

There is another important law that all of you should remember. Anyone under the age of 17 falls within the guidelines of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery established in 1875. Basically, no student is allowed to practice magic outside of school. Now, there are a few exceptions, such as the case when your life, or the life of a fellow Witch, Wizard or Muggle, is at stake. An example of this would be Harry Potter casting a Patronus in front of his cousin in order to save them from Dementors!

However, I caution you to practice prudence. Attempts to circumvent the law and lie will only result in a greater punishment handed down by the Ministry of Magic. Remember, you are all under the effects of the Trace until you turn 17, and any magic you perform while not at Hogwarts or Hogsmeade, or in an exception zone, will be immediately detected.

Now the Ministry is able to distinguish between Muggle and magical homes where the Trace is concerned. In a Magical home, adults will be casting magic, so casting underage magic will not be detected as easily. The Ministry also relies on the parents of these children to discipline them. However in a Muggle home, no one except the underage party would be using magic. But wait! Why was Harry Potter charged when Dobby cast the Hover Charm? This is because the Ministry can determine where the magic is coming from, but not necessarily who cast it. Therefore, all magic used in this home is considered to be cast by the underage witch or wizard and must be illegal.

The Discovery of Wands

As you can imagine, magic was not always formally taught or controlled. The sort of uncontrolled bursts of magic that young magical folk are prone to were the norm several millennia ago before wizards and witches were able to focus and control their powers. Those with only a weak affinity for magic were able to lead relatively normal lives, but others caused great destruction. Some of their actions were noticeable enough to become Muggle mythology.

^{Ancient wands made of lead and wood
Attached scale denotes centimeters}

Primitive tools like crystals, crude wands made of little more than a hippogriff wing feather wrapped around a stick, and metal rods all allowed some to exert a level of control over their magic. Instead of randomly causing something to vanish when they were angry, they could instead make it happen by using their focusing item. Eventually, the most effective of foci, the modern wand, was created.

A wooden shaft containing a core from a powerful magical creature, the wand allows us to focus and channel our power to achieve the desired result. These wands are much more advanced and focus than their predecessors. Now, witches and wizards can spend less time worrying that their wand will explode and more time experimenting with different spells and gestures.

You will be learning the culmination of centuries of knowledge and experimentation in this class: the ability to turn your will, your desire, into reality, and to shape your magic and send it into the world. Over the next few weeks, I’d like you to think about our history and what led us to where we are today and how it relates to what we are learning here in class.

The Wand-Lighting and Wand-Extinguishing Charms

We will end today with a small talk about a simple but very useful charm: the Wand-Lighting Charm. As the name implies, this simple spell will allow you to illuminate the tip of your wand. It is one of the easiest spells to master, useful whenever you need light, and makes for some good spellcasting practice.

Now, the first known use of the Wand-Lighting Charm was in the 18th century, despite how easy it is to use. Magical historians credit Levina Monkstanley, a Ministry of Magic employee, for its invention. It was first demonstrated in 1772 when Ms. Monkstanley had dropped her quill on the ground and used the spell to find it.

Its uses far exceed simply lighting the tip of your wand. It can provide an easy and endless source of amusement for young witches and wizards who usually enjoy watching the color change. In the Ministry of Magic,  it makes for a safe and easy method for casting a vote. It can even be used to repel incorporeal threats such as the Gytrash (a vicious spectral hound) and other malevolent spirits.

Now! Onto the casting!

The Wand-Lighting Charm
Incantation: Lumos (pronounced ‘LOO-mos’)
Wand Movement: Single counter-clockwise loop
Willpower: Low; determines the color of the light
Concentration: Low; lighting up the top of your wand

You should keep the wand movement in mind and don't put too much willpower, or mental push, into the spell or the tip of your wand will turn scarlet. Too little and it will be a pearly white. You should aim for a nice light yellow, which indicates sufficient effort. Of course, circumstances may call for a weaker or stronger light.

Since the magic for the Wand-Lighting Charm never leaves the tip of your wand, the flow of magical energy does not need to be consciously maintained. However, please keep in mind that if you let go of your wand while this charm is in effect, the light will go out. Very advanced magical practitioners may still be able to see their wand, but this is not an easy task.

No text describing the Wand-Lighting Charm would be complete without its equally-simple counter, the Wand-Extinguishing Charm. This spell has a singular purpose, and that is to counter the Wand-Lighting Charm. It is a personal charm, which means it will only work for your own wand, or the wand you happen to be holding should it be lit.

The Wand-Extinguishing Charm
Incantation: Nox (pronounced ‘NOCK-ss’)
Wand Movement: Flick of the wand
Willpower: None
Concentration: None

The Wand-Extinguishing Charm can be quickly cast and its effect is immediate. There is no harm of backlash, making it as safe as the charm it counters.

Now, on to your assignments for the day! You have a small introductory extra credit assignment as well as a quiz to complete today. Thank you all for your wonderful effort and I look forward to seeing you next class!

Image credit: HP Wiki, Live Science, Experience Ancient Egypt