Dynamic Spells

Now I want you to think of a more difficult spell you cast this year. One that required you to continue to think about what you wanted while you were doing it. Some of you may be thinking of the Levitation Charm, which requires that you continue to think about the object that you are levitating and what it looks like when it is in the air. Dynamic spells are defined by Educational Decree Number 13 as “spells wherein the caster may maintain some connection to and/or influence over a target, even long after the casting has been completed.’ This means that dynamic spells are spells ones where you must maintain a flow of concentration with the spell in order to keep the spell going. A loss of concentration before the spell is complete will result in--you guessed it-- an incomplete spell! Some examples of dynamic spells are the Mending Charm, the Severing Charm, and the Fire-Making Charm. 

Wait a second, Professor Virneburg! You just said the Fire-Making Charm is a static spell. What gives?

Good question! There are some spells that can fall into both categories depending on the effect that you want. The Fire-Making Charm is a fantastic example of this. As you learned a few lessons ago, the Fire-Making Charm is able to ignite some target that you concentrate on. This would be a static use of this spell, simply igniting a target. However, we also learned that a jet of flames can be conjured. This would be a dynamic use of this spell, because you are making a continuous effect. There are other spells that work similarly, like the Severing Charm we will be learning about next!

The Severing Charm

Incantation: Diffindo (deef-IN-doe)
Wand Movement: V-Shaped down and up, ending with a swish in the direction to cut.
Willpower: Low
Concentration: Moderate; The place to cut and depth of the slice
Category: Dynamic

The Softening Charm

Incantation: Spongify (SPUHN-jee-fye)
Wand Movement: S-Shape
Willpower: Moderate
Concentration: Moderate;The target object
Category: Static