DADA-301 Lessons

And so we have reached the week of your midterm exam. I hope that you all have studied up on your theoretical knowledge of the creatures that have been covered thus far as well as practiced how you would overcome them practically. Both skillsets will be an asset to you in order to complete your examination this term. However, before I set you off to complete your tasks, we have one final creature that must be covered. Where other creatures have taken us abroad, these creatures bring us closer to home; in fact, some can be found out in the Black Lake. Today’s creature is the grindylow.

Grindylows - What Are They?
In contrast to previous creatures we have covered, and creatures that will be covered to close this term out, there is not a lot of external lore surrounding these creatures. The only known folktales that even mention the creatures come out of Yorkshire and Lancashire, though whispers of the creature have been heard in certain parts of Ireland. Grindylows are pale-green creatures with horns on the top of their heads. Their eye color is primarily yellow, but there have been known instances of their eyes being white. From the waist up, a Grindylow is vaguely humanoid; they have two arms with fingers that are brittle but razor sharp, green teeth that are as sharp, if not sharper, than their fingers. From the waist down, they become less humanoid. Their legs are tentacles and each grindylow has approximately six of them, though some have had as few as two and others have had as many as eight; some will have even more, but these are very rare.

They are rated XX by the Ministry of Magic, which means that they are harmless on the whole. Do not let this make you complacent around them. They are still a dangerous creature because they have known violent tendencies that include eating their victims - this is also part of the reason that they are classified as Dark creatures - but also because they have known magical abilities. When a human gets too close to them, they will shoot yellow sparks upward. This is their method of warning and, if ignored, will cause them to attack.

How They Attack and How to Defend Against Them
If you choose to ignore the warning of a Grindylow, you do so at your own risk. When a grindylow attacks, the first thing they will do is attempt to claw at you using their sharp fingers. There is also the added challenge that it is rare for grindylows to attack alone; most will travel in groups when in the wild (that is, not domesticated by a merperson). You must also take into consideration their bite; if they have managed to sink their fingers into you, it is likely that they will attempt to bite you while also dragging you under the surface of the water.

If this happens and a grindylow manages to drag you under the surface of the water, it is important to remain calm and struggle as little as possible. The fact that you were suddenly dragged under means that you likely did not have time to fill your lungs with air for a long duration underwater. Any attempts at struggling will unintentionally use up the limited supply of oxygen you have, a supply that you will want to save for calculated strikes in physical defense against a grindylow or to use in order to say the incantation of the spell I will teach you in order to get the grindylow off of you.

If you find that you are unable to reach your wand in order to cast the spell, you can also attempt to break the grindylows’ fingers. Though they are sharp, they are also quite brittle. This means that it will take little effort to break them if you hit them with your foot or make a very sudden movement. The main challenge is that you are underwater with a limited air supply (unless you have managed to cast other spells that will make breathing underwater easier, but those are much more advanced). If you are not using magic to get the grindylows off of you, it is critical that you make every move count.

The Revulsion Jinx
If you are able to reach your wand, your best bet is to attempt to use magic to get them off you. Fortunately, there is a relatively simple spell that can be cast both above and below water. The spell is called the Revulsion Jinx and, when it is cast correctly, will force the target to release their grip on whatever they are holding. In the case of a grindylow, it will force them to release their grip on your body, wherever they grabbed you, and should allow you to swim to safety or, at least, to resurface momentarily in order to get more oxygen into your lungs.

In order to cast this spell, you must point your wand at the target and say the incantation “Relashio” (ree-LASH-ee-oh). While doing this you must concentrate on the effect, which is to cause the target to release its grip, and push enough willpower into the spell in order to force the target to do what you want it to. The stronger the will of the target, the more willpower you must exert in order to make the spell effective. For grindylows, you only need a low level of willpower, though for most targets you will need a moderate amount of willpower.

Now, the most interesting aspect of the Revulsion Jinx is that the effect can be released from your wand in two different ways, depending on where the spell is cast. If you cast the spell on land or above water, you will see a jet of purple light shoot from you wand and fly towards the target. If, on the other hand, you cast the spell underwater, a much different visible sign of effectiveness will occur. Underwater, the Revulsion Jinx sends a stream of boiling water at the target; you will be able to see this because the water along the path of the spell will begin to bubble as water does when it boils.

Below is the spell block for the Revulsion Jinx in order to defend against a grindylow. You should make your own notes about its usage against other targets.

Spell Block

Spell: The Revulsion Jinx
Incantation: Relashio (ree-LASH-ee-oh)
Wand Movement: Point wand at target
Concentration: Concentrate on making the target release its grip
Willpower: Low

Now, I believe you all have a midterm to take. I hope you all are ready to get some practical experience with the creatures we have studied thus far. Best of luck to you all!

Class dismissed.

Original lesson written by Professor Jericho Penrose

Image Source(s)
Grindylow: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/306596687102287627/?lp=true