DADA-401 Lessons

Welcome to Lesson Two. I hope you all found last week’s assignment enjoyable. I know many of you may have found it unfair for me to throw you into such a difficult situation for your first assignment of the year, but I believe it was necessary. Any given moment can turn into a fight for your life, even a simple stroll around a lake. You needed to realize this sooner rather than later. For those of you who found that you had more difficulty than the average dueler, I would suggest referring back to what you learned in Second Year about meditation. Mental preparedness is half of the battle in a duel.

The Impediment Jinx
Now to move into this week’s lesson. Last week, we added two new spells to your arsenal. This week, we will add a two more. The first spell has had many opportunities to rise in fame and gain the acclaim that it currently has. The most recent use of the spell that is well-known is in the Tri-Wizard Tournament that occurred in the 1994 to1995 school year here at Hogwarts. Mr. Harry Potter is known to have used this spell frequently in order to progress through the third task, navigating the maze by using this spell, amongst others, to help him get past some of the most difficult creatures, including the Blast-Ended Skrewt. While many people question the usefulness of the spell in comparison to other spells, such as the Stunning Spell, I personally have allowed this spell to be one of the most common spells I use. The spell we will be learning today is the Impediment Jinx.

The Impediment Jinx was invented many centuries ago by a man named Ricardo Lento. Ricardo lived in a village with a deadly secret: a werewolf was known to live in the town. The Wolfsbane Potion had not yet been invented, so werewolves did not have many options besides securing themselves and hoping it worked. Whether this one simply did not know how to secure himself or if he chose not to, the werewolf got out every full moon and attacked the village’s inhabitants. Finally, Mr. Lento had had enough and decided that something needed to be done in order to help protect the locals. However, he was also an advocate that beasts, even violent ones like werewolves, should not be harmed. He felt that even a spell such as the Stunning Spell was cruel because it involved knocking the creature unconscious. His goal was to create a spell that would slow the creature down without harming it. The end result was the Impediment Jinx, which spread through his community and the wizarding world at large like wildfire.

And now I get to teach this spell to you. The spell known as the Impediment Jinx has several effects. The primary one, the one that Ricardo created, is to slow the velocity of a creature. The other effects are that it can throw a target backwards or it can levitate the target slightly off the ground.

In order to effectively cast it, you must focus on the desired effect. If you are not completely focused on the effect you want the spell to have, you may not get the desired result, which could be catastrophic, depending on your goal. There is also the potential for the spell to backfire. In this case, the backfire would result in one of the three effects happening to you. The effect would be as unpredictable as if the spell had been cast without enough focus and had gone towards your opponent. When cast properly, with proper concentration, you will have no trouble controlling the effect of the spell. It is only during a backfire that the effects become unpredictable. The incantation for this jinx is “Impedimenta” (im-PED-a-MEN-ta). The wand movement is a horizontal slash that starts on the left and moves to the right. If the spell has worked properly, a turquoise light will shoot out of your wand towards the intended target.

The Smokescreen Spell
Even though the Impediment Jinx has proven useful on many occasions, it is not always enough. Some opponents will always be faster and will be able to catch you, even though they have been impeded by your successful Impediment Jinx. If this proves to be the case, you will want to be able to escape undetected. To help you accomplish this, I will teach you a spell that many Muggle magicians love to imitate. The magician will throw powder at their feet and disappear in a cloud of smoke. While the spell itself does not necessarily work like that, it accomplishes the same goal of allowing you to vanish in a cloud of smoke. The next spell we will discuss is the Smokescreen Spell.

The Smokescreen Spell is an excellent defensive spell that makes it difficult for your opponent to see. When the spell is cast properly, your wand will glow with a yellow light and begin to exude smoke. This obscures your opponent’s vision, making it more difficult for them to aim spells at you, and also offers cover for you should you choose to flee.

This spell requires moderate focus, since you are trying to do is create a defensive smokescreen and keep the smoke flowing as long as necessary. All you have to focus on is the smoke that you want coming out of your wand. This spell also require a minimal amount of willpower. However, more willpower can be useful, since the more willpower you use, the faster the smoke will exude from your wand.

When using these two spells in combination, you will likely want to cast the Impediment Jinx first, so that your opponent is slowed, which gives you more time to cast and create a thick enough smokescreen to be effective.

Combination Spellcasting - A Very Brief Introduction
This brings us to our final topic for the day: combination spellcasting. In its essence, combination spellcasting brings together the effects of two or more spells to create a greater effect. Sometimes this greater effect is a diversion while others create stronger barriers. Some spells naturally work together while others have to be stretched to find ways to make them successful. For example, you would not want to try and pair the Smokescreen Spell with Lumos. The light from your wand would defeat the purpose of the smokescreen. The decisions about these spells are dependent on the creativity of the caster. Some spells naturally go together, but with enough creativity, there can be a variety of combinations that have not even been considered yet.

In today’s lesson, we used both the Impediment Jinx and the Smokescreen Spell. The Impediment Jinx allows the caster to slow down their opponent in a variety of ways and then use that time to cast the Smokescreen Spell to create a smokescreen they can use to escape. This combination allows the caster to effectively vanish into thin air. In an informal duel, this can be a life saving combination, since you now have the element of surprise back in your hands. If you moved silently, your opponent would have lost track of you while they were impeded and couldn’t possibly have kept up with you.

Both spells can also be used in conjunction with many different spells, though. This concept, the idea of Combination Spellcasting, will be covered in more detail during Year Five and Year Six. I have introduced the idea now so you all are aware of it, but playful experimentation with this concept is dangerous and I encourage you to wait until we have studied these further to attempt any spell combining. Many spells will be relatively safe, but some spells combined can have disastrous effects.

Spell Blocks

Spell: The Impediment Jinx
Incantation: Impedimenta (im-PED-a-MEN-ta)
Wand Movement: A horizontal slash from left to right
Concentration: You must focus on the desired effect.
Willpower: Moderate

Spell: The Smokescreen Spell
Incantation: Fumos (FOO-mos)
Wand Movement: An outward spiral
Concentration: Moderate, on the smoke that you want coming out of your wand.
Willpower: Dependent on how fast you want the smoke coming out. More willpower will cause a faster flow of smoke.

Your homework will consist of answering two questions in essay format as well as a short quiz. Make sure to include all aspects of the spell when writing the essay or points will be deducted.

Class dismissed.

Original lesson written by Professor Jericho Penrose