DADA-201 Lessons

And so we come to the end of our second term together. We have already covered a lot of information, but there is still so much to learn. In this final lesson, before you sit your examination, we will briefly look back and discuss a few minor details about the Trifecta of Fear that will help set us up for future lessons, we will look at what to expect from next term, and even start looking at where we will be going in future terms. Though much of this will be review, it is still important to pay attention, since there will be some new information that may appear on your final.

The Trifecta of Fear
During recent lessons, we have discussed the Trifecta of Fear, focusing on the Fear of the Physical. The Fear of the Physical can be broken up into two categories: Fear of the Internal Physical and Fear of the External Physical. The Fear of the Physical is the only branch of the Trifecta of Fear that will be broken down into internal and external. The other two branches - Fear of the Conscious and Fear of the Subconscious - are the types of fears that we will most often only experience in our head. There may be physical manifestations of these fears, but often times those physical manifestations are simply a symbol for a different fear. We will delve more into this next term when we start discussing the Fear of the Conscious.

The Fear of the Subconscious is an entirely different beast. These fears are the kind that we don’t even know we fear until we’re faced with them; the kind that will appear in our worst nightmares and haunt us to our very cores. The Fear of the Subconscious will not be covered until Year Six, when we begin covering the mind and how the mind can be both attacked and defended.

As a final note, please remember that all things that can be feared will fall somewhere within the Trifecta of Fear. Part of your final this term will be to analyze two creatures previously studied and place them within the Trifecta as we have studied it so far.

Dueling and Combative Spells
Unlike Year One, the spellwork that we learned was primarily focused on spells that would be used in combat. While spells like the Verdimillious Charm and the Knockback Jinx can be used in combat, these spells are not typical and it is best to learn more spells that will more frequently assist you in combat. That also does not mean that the spells learned this year are the only spells that can be used. There are many more spells that you will learn as you gain more control over your magical abilities and can cast with more power - spells such as the Stunning Spell (which we will learn in Year Five) would be too difficult for you to cast because you have not yet developed your control to push enough power into the spell to actually stun a person.

The most important thing to remember about combat is that this class will not prepare you for every situation you will encounter. Sometimes you may find yourself fighting in the dark; other times, you might be fighting on an uneven surface. The most important part of dueling is making sure that you are aware of your surroundings at all times and doing your best to adjust your technique to suit the environment. If it is dark, use that to your advantage and remain as quiet as you possibly can. You would not want to cast spells, such as the Wand-Lighting Charm, as those would reveal your position - the best strategy is to know your surroundings and keep yourself concealed as long as possible; wait for your opponent to make the mistake.

Other spells that would be useful in combat situations for protection (as opposed to going on the offensive) such as the Shielding Charm are also far more advanced. This is because it requires more concentration to cast the standard defensive spell. Where offensive spells are typically static spells that can be moved on from once the cast is successful, defensive spells are frequently dynamic and require an extended concentration to continue protecting you. The Shielding Charm will be taught in your Sixth Year, when we focus on defensive spells and protection of the mind.

Year Three
You may have noticed that for the first two years of your magical education, I have endeavored to keep a balance between spellwork and creatures in order to give you a strong foundation to build upon as we move forward. Next year (Year Three), we will be focusing exclusively on Dark creatures. There will, of course, be spells to learn (since some of the creatures we will be covering will have specific spells to counter them), but the focus will be on the Dark creatures that inhabit our world. Some of the highlights are the vampire and the werewolf, though there are many more.

We also will be looking at the Trifecta of Fear again in the first lesson, covering the Fear of the Conscious and the symbology of some of the more common fears in order to help us delve into the first creature that we will be covering. I hope you all are ready to face your fears right off the bat.

And with that, I release you all to take your final examination for this course. If you have all studied, and paid attention in class today, I am certain that you all will excel on the examination, though do remember that there is no shame in getting questions wrong, as long as you are trying your hardest; mistakes are how we learn, so don’t be afraid to take a guess if you really don’t know the answer. Good luck to you all!

Class dismissed.

Original lesson written by Professor Jericho Penrose