Now that we've quickly run through the common reasons behind Accidental Self-Maim By Charms Gone Wonky, let's stall no further. Here follows the simple steps to avoid such horrible, self-inflicted fate By Accident.

Step #1: Think Fast

No matter what spell you are trying to cast, it is vital for a sharp-minded witch or wizard to be aware of their surroundings and the subtletry of the charm they are attempting to cast. Do not be fooled by my pretty words: it just means that you gotta have a grip on reality and act quick.

If you notice mid-way through a spellcast that there's something wrong, stop. The worst that can happen is a mild backfire from your wand. You'll survive that with all of your limbs, I assure you (unless you're standing on a broomstick, then I don't assure you anything).

If, however, you only realise too late that the spell went wonky out of your wand, proceed to

Step #2: Duck. Fast.

Nothing else matters, the only way is ducking. Keep that in mind. This will probably save you one hand or two, and in most cases, this step is quite effective, leaving the witch or wizard with only mild scars to tell the tale of yet another failed attempt at spellcasting.

Yet if, however, you're casting a spell way too powerful and you just know, deep in your gut, that ducking won't do you much good, there's still one last resource that you can appeal to -- though, I must warn you, this requires a lot of courage and a sprinkle of desperation.

Step #3: Counter-curse Yourself Using Your Previous Spell

Assuming that you realised that the spell went wrong just as you're supposed to recoil from your spellcasting position, you can use the energy created by the wonky spell to articulate a protection field (or at the very least a blast of magic to either push you away from the danger zone or do the same with the spell itself) that will prevent the wonky spell from hitting you directly.

This tactic, however, is only used on occasion, and is very rarely needed. We'll discuss it with more depth in the next chapter.