Addendum: Magic in Harry Potter

In the Harry Potter series created by J.K. Rowling, magic is depicted as a supernatural force that can be used to override the usual laws of nature. Various fictional magical creatures appear in the series, while ordinary creatures sometimes exhibit new magical properties in the world of the novel. Items can also be enhanced or imbued with magical properties. The small percentage of humans who are capable of magic are referred to as witches and wizards, in contrast to non-magical Muggles.

In humans, magic or the lack thereof is an innate attribute. This is hereditary, carried in "dominant resistant genes." Magic is the norm in the children of magical couples and less common in those of Muggles. There are exceptions: those born to wizarding parents incapable of magic are known as squibs, while a witch or wizard born to Muggle parents is known as a born muggles", or by the pejorative "mudblood". While Muggle-borns are fairly common, squibs are extremely rare.

Use of magic

For a person's ability to perform magic to be of use, a lot of training is needed. When "wild", typically with young and untrained children, magic will continue to manifest unconsciously in times of strong apprehension, fear, or anger. Magic can also manifest in times of sadness. For example, Harry Potter once made his hair grow back after a bad haircut; he put a boa constrictor on his cousin Dudley his at the London Zoo; and, in a rage, he made his aunt Marge inflate herself to enormous size. While this reaction is normally uncontrollable, Tom Marvolo Riddle, later known as Lord Voldemort, was able to "make objects move without touching them... make animals do what [he] asks, without training them....to make unpleasant things happen to those who annoy [him]…to hurt them if he wants to” as a young child, apparently on purpose. Also, Lily Potter was able to guide and control the growth of a flower at ease. Almost all magic is done with the use of a supporting tool or focus, almost always a wand. On the subject of magic without the use of a wand, Rowling says:

"You can do magic without focus and unchecked without a wand (for example, when Harry inflates Aunt Marge) but to really do good spells, yes, you need a wand. »

A witch or wizard is only at her best when using her own wand. Throughout the series, it is apparent that when using another's wand, one's spells are not as strong as they normally would be. Possession of a wand can be transferred from one person to another if the wand's original owner is forcibly disarmed (either magically or manually, as evident in Draco Malfoy's magical disarming of Dumbledore in The Mystery of the prince and Harry's manual disarming of Draco in The Deathly Hallows). On the other hand, if a person has the allegiance of more than one wand, and one of them is forcibly removed, the other wands that respond to this person will also switch allegiances (Harry taking the hawthorn wand from Draco in Malfoy Manor in The Deathly Hallows, the Elder Wand also accepted Harry as its master: "Does the wand in your hand know that its previous master was disarmed? Because if it You know, I am the true owner of the Elder Wand.") In the books, the technical details of magic are unclear. Of Harry's lessons, only those dealing with magical creatures, potions, or divination are given in full detail.

Severus Snape once told Harry that "time and space are factors to be reckoned with when trying to do magic" during Harry's first occlumency lesson in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Albus Dumbledore told Harry after finding the magically hidden pot to get to the locket (a horcrux) that "magic always leaves traces, sometimes very obvious.»

Spellcasting

Spells are the all-purpose tools of witches and wizards; short bursts of magic used to perform individual specialized tasks like picking locks or creating fire. The typical casting requires an incantation, almost always in a modified form of the Latin (see Pseudo Latin), and flicking a wand. However, these seem to be just wizards of what you want to do; wands are required in most cases, but there are indications that sufficiently advanced witches and wizards can cast spells without them. Spells can also be cast non-verbally, but with a wand. This technique is taught in the sixth year of study at Hogwarts and requires the caster to focus on the spell. Some spells (for example, levicorpus) are apparently designed to be used non-verbally. While most of the magic shown in the books requires the caster to use his voice, some do not (and this may depend on the wizard or witch). Dumbledore was known for performing impressive acts of magic without speaking, such as conjuring enough sleeping bags to accommodate all of the students or during his duel with Voldemort near the end of Order of the Phoenix.

Of course, it's also possible to use a wand without holding it. Harry himself does a lumos to illuminate his wand as it lies on the ground somewhere near him. Also, Animagi and Metamorphmaguses do not require wands to transform.

Spells fall into three general categories: "charms", "hexes" or "haunts". Although there are numerous very dangerous curses, only three are used for great evils, which gives them the special classification of Unforgivable Cures.

The limits of magic

Before publishing the first Harry Potter novel, Rowling spent five years establishing the limitations of magic, determining what it could and could not do. "The most important thing to decide when you're creating a fantastic world," she said in 2000, "is what the characters can't do." For example, while it's possible to conjure things out of thin air, it's much more difficult to create something to an exact specification rather than a general one; on the other hand, any item so conjured tends not to last.

Death

The fact that Harry is an orphan from the first book clearly indicates that raising the dead is impossible. While bodies can be transformed into obedient inferi at the command of a living wizard, they are little more than zombies with no soul or will of their own. It is also possible, through the unusual effect of priori incantatem, to converse with "shadows" of ghostly looking people magically murdered. The Resurrection Stone also allows one to speak with the dead, but those brought back by the Stone are not corporeal, nor do they wish to be disturbed in their peaceful rest. Throughout the series, this limit is continually mentioned, and wizards try to exceed it to the point of madness.

Similarly, it is not possible to become immortal unless one uses a mystical object of great power to sustain life (such as the Philosopher's Stone created by Nicolas Flamel or a horcrux, the latter used by Voldemort).. Legend has it that if one possessed the three Deathly Hallows, he would have the tools to become the "master of death." However, it is hinted that to be a true master of death you need to be willing to accept that death is inevitable. Becoming a ghost is also an option for witches and wizards; however, it is said to be "a poor imitation of life." It is not stated if the ghosts have feelings or not. However, Snape says that a ghost is merely "the trace left by a deceased in this world".

Magic is studied in detail in a room (called the Chamber of Death) in the Department of Mysteries that contains the veil of death. Sirius Black falls through this veil after being struck by a hex from Bellatrix Lestrange.

Main exceptions to Gamp's Law of Elementary Transformations

The Major Exceptions to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transformations is a magical theory mentioned by Hermione and later repeated by Ron in the last book. She explains that food is one of them: witches and wizards can cook and prepare food using magic, but not create it out of nothing. There are numerous examples in the series of food that seems to be conjured out of thin air, such as the sudden materialization of ingredients in Molly Weasley's kitchen teapot, and Professor McGonagall creating a self-refilling plate. of sandwiches for Harry and Ron in The Chamber of Secrets. In all cases, these events can reasonably be explained as food being multiplied—which is allowed under Gamp's Law, according to Hermione—or being transported from somewhere else. An example of this is the banquet at Hogwarts—the food is prepared by house-elves in the kitchens and placed on four replica tables, directly below the tables of the real houses in the Great Hall. The food is then magically transported to the tables.

Of the five exceptions, only food is explicitly mentioned in the series. Rowling herself once said in an interview that money is something wizards can't just materialize out of thin air, or the economic system of the wizarding world would be seriously flawed. While the Philosopher's Stone empowers alchemy, it is portrayed as an extremely rare, even unique, item whose owner does not exploit its powers.

Emotions

The emotional state of a witch or wizard can affect their inherent abilities. In Half-Blood Prince , Nymphadora Tonks temporarily loses her power of Metamorphmagus after Remus Lupine began to distance himself from her. The shape of her her patronus changed to reflect her depression. As Dumbledore told Harry, Merope Gaunt only demonstrated any magical ability when she was separated from her father's oppression, but then seemed to lose it again when her husband abandoned her.

Various magical spells require the use of certain emotions to be cast. The patronus charm, for example, requires the caster to focus on a happy memory. Willpower under extenuating circumstances also helps when casting spells. An example of this is when Harry is able to conjure a corporeal patronus when Sirius is in danger of being given the dementor's kiss.

Love (in its broadest sense) is depicted as a particularly powerful form of magic. According to Dumbledore, love is a "force that is both more wonderful and more terrible than death, than human intelligence, than the forces of nature." Lily's willing sacrifice on Harry's behalf saves him from Voldemort when he was a baby, and Harry makes a similar sacrifice to save his friends at the end of The Deathly Hallows. A certain key prophecy in the series describes Harry as possessing a "power the Dark Lord knows not", referencing his ability to love from him.

True love is almost impossible to create through magic, although amortentia, a love potion, can create a powerful crush or obsession.

Magical abilities

The following is a list of special abilities that a wizard or witch in the Harry Potter universe might have.

Animagus Transformation

An Animagus (a portmanteau of animal and wizard) is a witch or wizard who can turn into a particular animal or magical creature at will. This ability is not innate: it must be acquired magically. All Animagi must be registered with a central authority; it is illegal to obtain this ability without registering, although of the five Animagi described as such in the books (Minerva McGonagall, Rita Skeeter, James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew), only McGonagall is registered.

The Animagus transformation is one of the few forms of magic that can be performed deliberately and without a wand. This is exemplified when both Sirius and Peter are wandless for over 10 years, both retaining the ability with supposedly no ill effects. When this transformation occurs, the animal appears to be normal. However, in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, it is noted that Ron's pet rat, Scabbers (later revealed to be Pettigrew's Animagus form), has lived for more than twelve years when he is only supposed to live three. Additionally, an Animagus in animal form retains the ability to think like a human, which is the main difference between being an Animagus and transfiguring into an animal. Characteristics of the human form of an Animagus can manifest in the animal transformation: the general appearance of both Pettigrew and Black, the markings around McGonagall's eyes that resemble her glasses, the lack of Pettigrew's toe to match the toe he cut off, etc.

Each Animagus has a specific animal form and cannot transform into any other animal. The animal cannot be chosen: it is only tied to its individual personality, like the Patronus charm, and in most cases the Animagus will transform into the same animal used in the person's patronus—McGonagall's patronus is a cat, like her animagus form; James Potter's was a stag, which was also his animagus form. Similarly, when an Animagus transforms it is always the same animal (ie same markings, same colors, etc.). When an Animagus registers they must note all the defining physical traits of their animal form so the Ministry can identify them.

There is an explicit emphasis in the books on the differences between Animagi and werewolves. Animagi have full control over their transformations and retain their minds, while werewolves' transformations are involuntary and include various personality changes. After the person has transformed into a werewolf, he no longer remembers who he is; he could kill his very best friend if he got close to him. A werewolf usually only responds to the call of his own. The only way a werewolf can retain his sanity, intelligence, and memory while he is transformed is by using Wolfsbane Potion.

Metamorphomagic

A metamorphmagus (a portmanteau of shapeshifter and wizard) is a witch or wizard born with the innate ability to change part or all of their appearance at will. This talent cannot be acquired; a witch or wizard who has it must be born with it.

Nymphadora Tonks and her son, Teddy Lupine are currently the only known metamorphomagi in the series; it is a very rare ability, possibly hereditary. Tonks is known to change the color and style of her hair according to her mood. Indeed, she still looks like an old woman at times. She can also change the appearance of her nose, as she does when she is eating with the Weasley family to entertain Ginny and Hermione. Her son, Teddy Lupin, also inherited this trait, as it is repeatedly mentioned that her hair changes color.

The exempt of these appearance-changing abilities and the limits of it are not entirely clear. According to Rowling, a metamorphmagus can completely alter her appearance, for example, from white to black, young to old, handsome to ugly, etc... In one example, Tonks changes her facial appearance. "puffing up his nose into a pointed protrusion resembling Snape's, shrinking it down to the size of a small mushroom, and then making a bunch of hair grow out of each nostril", the latter reminded Harry of to his cousin Dudley. The emotional state of a metamorphmagus can affect his abilities.

Parseltongue

Parseltongue, the language of snakes, has associations in the common mind with dark magic (although Dumbledore said it's not necessarily a dark quality). Those who possess the ability to speak it are rare. People apparently acquire the ability through learning or a method of xenoglossy, such as through genetic inheritance (or through the use of dark or dangerous magic). Harry is a parseltongue speaker, he does so for the first time in the first book, when talking to a snake at the zoo, but it isn't until the second he learns that he has said ability, and it's explained that this is because Voldemort passed on some of his abilities to Harry the night he tried to kill him. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows reveals that a part of Voldemort's soul within Harry gave him this ability, which is later destroyed leaving Harry without the ability.

Other parseltongues speakers include Salazar Slytherin and his descendants, including the Gaunts and Voldemort. Dumbledore can also understand parseltongue; however, he learned it and does not naturally have the ability.

Ron uses Parseltongue in the last book to reopen the Chamber of Secrets, but he just imitates a phrase Harry used earlier in the book.

Rowling borrowed the term from "an old word for someone who has a problem with their mouth, like a cleft lip."

Clairvoyance

A seer is a witch or wizard with the clairvoyant ability to predict future events. Predictions given through this ability can sometimes be self-fulfilling prophecies, and Dumbledore says in Order of the Phoenix that not all of them come true, depending on the choices made by those mentioned. This would indicate that a seer predicts possible or probable events, at least in some cases. It is noted that Sybill Trelawney never remembers that she has made a prophecy that is a true one. She speaks with a hoarse voice and only if a magician is present will anyone know about her.

In the Room of Prophecies in the Department of Mysteries, thousands of crystal spheres are imbued with prophecies made by seers. Only a person mentioned in a prophecy can safely hear it; anyone else who tries to do it will go mad.

According to McGonagall, true seers are extremely rare. Sybill Trelawney is the only psychic portrayed in the books, and is considered an "old fraud" by her students, although Sybill's great-great-grandmother, Cassandra Trelawney, is mentioned as being a well-known psychic in her time. Trelawney is finally fired by Dolores Umbridge in the fifth book for her lack of ability, though she later returns when Dumbledore returns to the post of Headmaster. However, she had made two true prophecies of importance to Harry Potter, although without actually recalling them afterwards.

Legilimency and Occlumency

Legilimency or legilimency is the magical ability to extract feelings and memories from the mind of another persona — a form of 'telepathy' magical (although Snape, a professional in the art, dismisses the colloquial term, 'mind reading', as a drastic oversimplification). It also allows one to transmit visions or memories to another person, be they real or imagined. A witch or wizard who possesses this ability is called legeremance, and can, for example, detect another person's lies and deceit, witness another person's past memories, or 'sow' false visions in the mind of another.

The counter ability to Legilimency is Occlumency (and its user, known as an Oclumency b>), by which one can compartmentalize one's emotions, or prevent a legeremant from discovering thoughts or memories that contradict one's actions or words. An advanced form of oclumency is to plant temporary false memories inside the head of the oclumnant itself while blocking out all of their true memories, so if a legeremance, even a very talented one, would try to read his mind would find only false memories and believe that everything was fine.

These abilities are first mentioned in Order of the Phoenix. Legilimency and occlumency are not part of the normal curriculum at Hogwarts, and most students would graduate without learning them.

Voldemort, Snape, and Dumbledore are known to be adept at legilimency and oclumency, albeit with the use of their wands. Snape says that Voldemort is the master of legilimency, since he, in almost all cases, knows immediately during conversations if someone is lying to him. Also, in The Deathly Hallows, Voldemort repeatedly uses legilimency to interrogate his victims. Voldemort practices occlumency throughout the period of Half-Blood Prince to deny Harry access to his thoughts and emotions. However, in The Deathly Hallows, Voldemort repeatedly loses control, resulting in an occasional but very powerful explosion of thoughts, visions and emotions reaching Harry.

Throughout the books, Snape is repeatedly stated to be quite experienced in occlumency, explaining how he was able to fool Voldemort for years. Even before Order of the Phoenix, Harry is under the impression that Snape can read minds.

During Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore instructs Snape to give Harry lessons in occlumency. Due to the antagonism between the two and Harry's secret desire to know Voldemort's thoughts, he makes little progress, only once managing to defeat Snape and enter his mind. In The Deathly Hallows , Harry finally masters occlumency —closing his mind to Voldemort—when Dobby dies. He realizes that his pain—or as Dumbledore calls it, love—is what can block the Dark Lord.

Queenie Goldstein, in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, is revealed to be a competent legeremance, born with such ability, as she is able to read the minds of Jacob Kowalski and others in the film, as well as feeling and hearing them from afar through their thoughts and emotions. Unlike Snape, Voldemort, and Dumbledore, however, she does not require a wand to cast legilimency spells, as the ability to read minds comes naturally to her.

Appearance and disappearance

Apparition is a magical form of teleportation, through which a witch or wizard can disappear (disappear) from a location and reappear (apparate) in another. Sometimes it is accompanied by a distinctive crack or pop, although this is associated with ineptitude rather than success; more skilled wizards may appear "so suddenly and silently that they appear to have risen from the ground"—for example, Dumbledore. The act is also accompanied by an unpleasant squeezing sensation, like being sent through a tight rubber tube, according to Harry.

The Ministry of Magic authorizes the apparition. A witch or wizard must be 17 or older and have a license to appear as a means of transportation in much the same way that real-world governments require people to have a driver's license. Students at Hogwarts can attend Ministry-run apparition lessons during their sixth year to take their exams once they turn 17. It is shown that while it is possible to apparate without a license, it doesn't usually happen (except in lessons) and is illegal.. In Deathly Hallows , Harry does not possess a license, but since his tracker has already been removed, it is likely that the Ministry is unaware of it.

Learning to apparate is difficult, and practitioners risk splitting—being physically torn between origin and destination—requiring the assistance of the Ministry's Magical Accident Reversal Team to undo it properly, though dictam essence can also mend certain wounds. Splintering is quite common during lessons and can be uncomfortable (sometimes rather scary) depending on the splintered body parts, but is ultimately harmless if properly reversed. It is hinted that while Ron can apparate, he is not very talented at it, seeing him snap at least three times (once losing half an eyebrow, two fingernails, and part of his arm); both Harry and Hermione pick up the ability quickly in comparison. As explained in Half-Blood Prince, there is no verbal spell to appear and disappear, but the magician must concentrate on the location in which to appear, he needs to be fully focused on the spell, and also you should feel it through the whole body.

It is considered violent to apparate directly into a private area, such as a home. Dumbledore says in Half-Blood Prince that it would be "as impolite as breaking down the door." For this reason, and for security reasons, many homes also have anti-apparation spells that protect them from uninvited intrusions. The accepted way to travel to a house is to apparate to a nearby location and continue to the final destination on foot. Apparition is considered unreliable over long distances, and even users skilled in the art sometimes prefer other means of transportation, such as brooms. Indeed, even Lord Voldemort chooses to fly back to England after visiting sprawling Nurmengard.

For security reasons, Hogwarts grounds and buildings are protected by ancient anti-apparation and anti-disappearance spells, which prevent humans from apparating onto the school grounds. There is also a spell that prevents individuals from disappearing, which Dumbledore places on the Death Eaters captured at the Ministry in Order of the Phoenix; A sister spell, which allows one to Apparate to a location but prevents them from disappearing from there, is cast by Death Eaters in Hogsmeade in accordance with the Meow Charm. In the movie The Half-Blood Prince it is said that Dumbledore is the only person able to appear and disappear on the school grounds, since he is the headmaster. However, it is made clear in the books that no one, not even Dumbledore, can appear or disappear on the castle grounds.

A witch or wizard can use joint apparition to take others with them during the apparition. Dumbledore successfully transports Harry in this way several times in Half-Blood Prince, and Harry's first lessonless attempt at this ability is his joint appearance with a weakened Dumbledore as they return from the haunted cave..

In the movie The Order of the Phoenix, Death Eaters and members of the Order appear and disappear in clouds of black and white smoke, respectively. In the movie, both parties also seemed to be capable of "half-appearance", thus giving them the ability to fly with their bodies made of smoke. Both times that Fred and George appeared and disappeared, they did so with a noise as described in the books.

Other forms of teleportation

Some creatures have their own forms of instant travel, like a house-elf's ability to teleport or a phoenix's ability to appear and disappear in a burst of flame. Unlike mages, these creatures are not restricted by anti-spawn magic. Dobby, Kreacher, and the rest of the house-elf population can Apparate within Hogwarts grounds, as demonstrated on multiple occasions, most notably when Dobby visits Harry in the hospital wing in The Chamber of Secrets, and when Dobby and Kreacher are called by Harry and assigned to follow Draco Malfoy. Fawkes disappears from the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts along with Dumbledore when the latter manages to evade arrest at the hands of Ministry officials in Order of the Phoenix.

Some magical artifacts such as floo powders, portkeys, and vanishing cabinets also provide forms of magical teleportation.

Veela Enchantment

An ability attributed to a veela and her descendants, such as Fleur Delacour, is to enchant men as the mermaids do in the Odyssey. Men who are exposed to this for a while become more resistant to it, although the charm works more effectively if the veela manages to surprise the man, as Ron noted in The Half-Blood Prince.

As shown in Goblet of Fire, veela hair can be used as the core to create wands. According to famed wandmaker Garrick Ollivander, these wands are a bit "temperamental".

Magic Resist

This "magic resist" refers to a certain degree of immunity against hexes and enchantments found on powerful creatures such as trolls, dragons, and giants. Hagrid is resistant to certain spells, such as the Stunning Charm, due to his Giant's blood. This type of resistance is not insurmountable; if enough Stunning Charms, for example, are cast on a creature with magic resist at once, the creature could eventually become unconscious. Also, witches and wizards can resist certain spells with the power of their own sheer will, as Harry did in The Goblet of Fire, when Barty Crouch, Jr. disguised as Alastor Moody tried to control Harry with the Imperius Curse and Harry resisted.

Hogwarts Subjects

At Hogwarts, students must study a core group of subjects for the first two years, after which they must choose from several electives. During their final two years, students are allowed to take more specialized subjects like alchemy.

Transformations, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Potions, Astronomy, History of Magic, and Botany are required courses for the first five years, as are flying lessons. At the end of their sophomore year, students are mandated to add at least two electives to their curriculum by the start of their junior year. The five possibilities are arithmancy, muggle studies, divination, ancient runes, and care of Magical Creatures. Very specialized subjects like alchemy are sometimes offered in the last two years, if there is sufficient demand. There are a total of twelve appointed professors at Hogwarts, each specializing in one of these subjects.

Transformations

Transformations is the art of changing the properties of an object. Transfiguration is a subject based on theory, including topics such as "shifting spells" (altering only part of an object, such as when Hagrid gave Dudley a pig's tail); vanishing spells (making an object disappear completely); and incantation spells (creating objects out of thin air). It is possible to turn inanimate objects into animates and vice versa: Minerva McGonagall, the class teacher, transfigures her desk into a pig and then back to her original state in The Sorcerer's Stone.

Defense Against the Dark Arts

Defense Against the Dark Arts is the class that teaches students techniques to defend themselves against the Dark Arts, and protect themselves from dark creatures. The subject has an extraordinarily high level of staff turnover—throughout the series no Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher has held the position for more than one school year. Harry is exceptionally talented in this subject. During the period in which the story takes place, the class is taught by Quirinus Quirrell (first book), Gilderoy Lockhart (second book), Remus Lupine (third book), Barty Crouch, Jr. disguised as Alastor Moody (fourth book), Dolores Umbridge (fifth book), Severus Snape (sixth book), and Amycus Carrow (seventh book); each in a different year. Hagrid suggests in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets that "it gives the impression that the subject is under a spell. No one has lasted long." In The Half-Blood Prince, Dumbledore suggests that Voldemort cursed the position since his request for it was refused. The existence of the haunting was finally confirmed by Rowling. The position had also been coveted by Snape, but he was denied it. Snape was eventually appointed Defense Against the Dark Arts professor in Half-Blood Prince. Rowling announced in an interview that once Voldemort had died, the spell he placed on the office was lifted and a permanent professor had been teaching the subject between the end of Deathly Hallows and the epilogue., established nineteen years later. Also, she imagines that Harry Potter sometimes comes to the class to give lectures on a subject.

Enchantments

Charms is the class that teaches how to craft charms for sorcery uses. Rowling described an enchantment as a type of magical spell intended to give an object new and unexpected properties. Several of the exposition sequences in the books are set in the Charms classrooms located on the second floor of Hogwarts. The class is given by Filius Flitwick.

Potions

Potions is described as the art of creating mixtures with magical effects. It requires the right mixing and stirring of ingredients at the right time and temperature. As to the question of whether a muggle could make a potion, given the correct magical ingredients, Rowling said, "Potions seems to be, on the face of it, the easiest subject for Muggles. But there comes a point where you need to do more than rummage." Severus Snape's lessons are described as moments of unhappiness and pressure set in a gloomy dungeon in the castle's basement, while those of Horace Slughorn, who replaces Snape as a potions master, they are shown to be more lighthearted and even fun at times.

Astronomy

The astronomy classes take place in the Astronomy Tower, the tallest tower at Hogwarts, and are taught by Professor Aurora Sinistra. Lessons include observations of the night skies with telescopes. There are no astronomy lessons shown in the books, but they are mentioned frequently. Rowling describes one of Harry's astronomy exams in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Additionally, parts of the Astronomy Tower can be seen throughout the film series, such as the second and third, and it appears in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince as the place where Dumbledore died., and is seen in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Familiar tasks for students include knowing the names of the stars, constellations, and planets, and their location, motion, and environment.

History of Magic

History of Magic is the study of magical history. Cuthbert Binns's lessons are described as some of the most boring at Hogwarts. There are only readings, given without pauses, about the significant events in magical history. Themes include goblin rebellions, giant wars, and the origins of the magical secret. This is the only class at Hogwarts that is taught by a ghost, as the professor never realized that he had died and just continued to teach as if nothing had changed. The only exciting thing that happens in the classroom is the teacher's entrance through the wall.

Herbology

Herbology (called botany in some Spanish versions) is the study of magical plants and how to care for, use and combat them. There are at least three greenhouses described in the books, with a variety of magical plants, and students only have access to the third greenhouse from the second year since there are very dangerous plants there. Herbology is also the only subject in which Neville excels. The epilogue to Deathly Hallows explains that he later replaces Pomona Sprout as the herbology professor.

Arithmancy

Arithmancy is a branch of magic concerned with the magical properties of numbers. As Harry does not take part in this class, nothing of it is ever described in the books. It is, however, a favorite subject of Hermione's. Arithmancy is supposedly difficult, as it requires memorizing or working with various lists. In The Order of the Phoenix it is mentioned that the study of arithmancy is required to become an expert in breaking curses for Gringotts. The subject is taught by Professor Septima Vector.

Study of ancient runes

Study of Ancient Runes is a generally theoretical subject that studies ancient runic writings. Since only Hermione studies it, very little is known about this subject, given by Professor Bathsheba Babbling. In The Deathly Hallows, Dumbledore bequeaths her his copy of Beedle's Tales the Bard, which is written in ancient runes, to Hermione.

Divination

Divination is the art of predicting the future. Various methods are described, including tea leaves, fire omens, crystal balls, palmistry, cartomancy (including reading decks of cards and tarot), astrology, and dream interpretation. Divination is described by Professor McGonagall as "one of the most imprecise branches of magic". Supporters of the subject claim that it is an inexact science that requires innate gifts like the 'Inner Eye'. Those who oppose it claim that the subject is irrelevant and fraudulent. Divination is first taught to Harry by Sybill Trelawney, and later by Firenze, after Trelawney is fired by Dolores Umbridge in Harry's fifth year. In the sixth (and probably seventh) year, Firenze and Trelawney share fortune-telling classes, divided by grade level.

Care of Magical Creatures

Care of Magical Creatures is the class that instructs students on how to care for magical creatures. Classes are given outside the castle. In the first two years, the class is taught by Professor Silvanus Kettleburn, who then retires "so that he may use his remaining limbs in privacy." Dumbledore then recruits the ranger Rubeus Hagrid to accept a teaching position along with his ranger duties. Although Hagrid is obviously an expert, "[his] ideas (...) about what could be dangerous weren't quite normal," one example being Care of Magical Creatures students required to buy a literally ferocious textbook called The Monster Book of Monsters, and consistently miscalculates the risk that the animals he uses in his lessons pose to his students, sometimes ending in chaos. When Hagrid is away, his lessons are given by Wilhelmina Grubbly-Plank, a witch and Dumbledore's acquaintance.

Muggle Studies

Muggle Studies is the class taught by Charity Burbage, which includes the study of Muggle (non-wizard) culture "from the point of view of from the sight of magicians. The only need for witches and wizards to learn about the ways and ways of Muggles, is to make sure they can mix with Muggles when they need to (for example, at the 1994 Quidditch World Championship). Since it is only mentioned that the class will be taken by Hermione, and only for one year, very little is known about her curriculum. In the first chapter of the last book, Voldemort murders Professor Charity Burbage as she describes Muggles in a positive light and opposes limiting wizardry to only people of pure-blood origins. For the remainder of the school year covered by Deathly Hallows, Death Eater Alecto Carrow teaches Muggle Studies. However, his lessons (which are required) mainly depict Muggles and Muggle-borns as subhumans who deserve to be persecuted.

Alchemy

The alchemy classes are not mentioned in the Harry Potter series; however, Rowling has used alchemy as an example of a 'specialist' subject. offered if there is sufficient demand. Alchemy is a philosophical tradition searching for the Philosopher's Stone, which is said to have the power to turn any metal into gold and to contain the elixir of life, which makes or keeps the drinker young and immortal. As mentioned in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Nicolas Flamel created a Philosopher's Stone, but it was destroyed at the end of Harry's first year.

Flight

Flying is the class that teaches the use of brooms made for flying and is taught at Hogwarts only to first years by Rolanda Hooch. The subject is the only one that requires physical effort. The only flying lesson depicted in the Harry Potter series is in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

Appearance

Apparition is an optional class for sixth and seventh years who are interested in learning the magical form of teleportation in the Harry Potter series. The lessons are given by Wilkie Twycross, a Ministry of Magic apparition instructor, in Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts. In the wizarding world, performing the apparition requires a license and must only be legally performed by persons over the age of seventeen. The reason given for the restriction is that spawning is dangerous if done improperly: insufficient concentration could lead to body parts being left behind in an unfortunate side effect known as spawning; Twycross explains that this occurs when a witch or wizard is not determined enough. Magical incantations on the Hogwarts grounds prevent appearance and disappearance within the castle; however it is explained in Half-Blood Prince that these wards are relaxed within the Great Hall for short periods of time in order to allow students to practice. The students are warned, however, that they will not be able to Apparate out of the Great Hall and that it would be unwise to try.

Spell-like Effects

Unbreakable Vow

The Unbreakable Vow is a voluntary agreement made between two witches or wizards. It must be done with a witness nearby, holding their wand in the linked hands of the people participating in the agreement to bind them with magic like a tongue of fire. The Oath is not literally 'unbreakable'; as the person who accepts it can still go back on her word, but doing so will cause instant death. The Unbreakable Vow first appeared in Half-Blood Prince, a book in which Snape made a promise to Narcissa Malfoy to protect Draco (with Bellatrix as a witness) as his son attempted to accomplish the task. of the Dark Lord, and to fulfill said task if anything prevented Draco from doing so. Another example in Half-Blood Prince occurs when Ron tells Harry how Fred and George tried to get him to commit to an Unbreakable Vow when he was a child, but due to his father's intervention, they can't. they were successful.

Priori incantatem

Priori incantatem, or the reverse enchantment effect, is used to detect spells cast by a wand. These spells will emerge as ghostly or smoky aftershocks in reverse order, with the last spell emerging first. It first occurs in The Goblet of Fire when the house-elf Winky is found holding Harry's wand. The spell is used to reveal that it was actually Harry's wand that summoned the Dark Mark. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, it is revealed that the teenaged Voldemort murdered his father and grandparents using his uncle Morfin's wand. Knowing that, when examined, the wand would incriminate Morfin as the murderer. In The Deathly Hallows, Harry feared that a priori incantatem spell was used on Hermione's wand after the Death Eaters grabbed it. This would reveal that she had accidentally broken Harry's wand (with her wand) with a failed hex and that they both almost didn't escape Nagini before. As a result, the protection of the shared cores was lost and, worse still, this would now be known to Voldemort. During the final duel between Harry and Voldemort, the latter mentions that he knows that Harry's wand is destroyed, hinting that they had done the priori incantatem on Hermione's wand, as they feared.

Forcing two wands that share the source of their cores to fight can also cause a more powerful form of priori incantatem. The tips of the two wands will connect, forming a 'thread'. of thick, golden energy, and the masters of the wands face each other in a battle of will. The loser's wand will regurgitate shadows of spells he cast in reverse order. This phenomenon occurred during the duel between Harry and Voldemort at the end of The Goblet of Fire. Their simultaneous spells (Harry cast an expelliarmus, Voldemort an avada kedavra) triggered the threads, and as Voldemort lost the battle of will, his wand regurgitated, in reverse order, the shadows of the spells he had cast with it—screams of pain from various victims, echoes of the people his wand murdered (Cedric Diggory, Frank Bryce, and Bertha Jorkins), as well as Harry's parents). Harry was previously informed by Ollivander that the holly wand he 'chose' a Harry was the 'twin sister' of Harry. from a wand he made years ago that "gave him that scar", though the significance of this was not later discussed. Dumbledore later revealed to Harry that both his and Voldemort's wands contained a tail feather from Dumbledore's pet phoenix, Fawkes.

Dark Arts

The Dark Arts are those spells and practices that are usually used for malicious purposes. The practitioners of the Dark Arts are called dark or dark witches and wizards. The most prominent of these is Voldemort, known to them as the Dark Lord. His followers, known as Death Eaters , practice the Dark Arts while doing his bidding.

The type of spells characteristic of the Dark Arts are known as hexes, which usually deal damage to the target. All, to some degree, are in some circumstances justifiable. The caster's motivation affects the outcome of a hex. This is most notable in the case of the cruciatus : when thrown by Harry, angered by the death of her godfather at the hands of Bellatrix and wanting to punish her, it causes her a brief moment of pain. As Bellatrix herself comments, justified rage doesn't allow the spell to work for long. When thrown by figures like Voldemort, who wish to inflict pain just for fun, it causes intense agony that can last as long as the dark witch or wizard wishes. The use of Dark Magic can corrupt the soul and the body; Voldemort has used such magic in his quest to prolong his life and gain great power. The Dark Arts also caused Voldemort to look misshapen and inhuman, a side effect of splitting his soul into horcruxes.

According to Snape, the Dark Arts "are numerous, varied, changeable, and limitless... versatile, changeable, and indestructible." They also seem to be the most common form of magic used by criminals, while dangerous spells used by others in the books are often called Dark. In magical duels, for example, there are any number of spells that can be used to attack, immobilize, or disarm an opponent without causing pain or lasting damage; however, spells such as the cruciatus hex or the sectumsempra, judged to be Unseelie by trustworthy authorities, injure or cause serious pain to the victim in some way.

In the wizarding world, the use of the Dark Arts is strongly stigmatized and even illegal; however, these spells are so prevalent that even before Voldemort's rise, several schools, including Hogwarts, teach Defense Against the Dark Arts as a required subject. Among the techniques are anti-spells and simple spells to disable or disarm attackers or combat certain creatures. Some schools, like Durmstrang, teach Dark Magic. A Dark Arts class was also taught at Hogwarts while it was under Death Eater control.

Unforgivable Curses

The Unforgivable Curses, also called Unforgivable Curses, are some of the most powerful spells in the Dark Arts. They were first classified as Unforgivable in 1717. Used by the villains of the books, such as Voldemort, the Death Eaters and in some cases the Ministry of Magic, their use inspires terror and great fear among others. Hexes are so named because their use is forbidden and unforgivable in the wizarding world, and their use is punishable by a life sentence in Azkaban. The only exception is if a person is proven to have performed them under the influence of a controlled mind. These spells are thus very rarely used openly.

• The Killer case (clearing): avada kedavra) is manifested as a stream of green light that causes immediate and painless death. The murderous evil has no counter-maldiation and cannot be blocked by most magical means. It can be blocked by love. However, the ray of green energy can be skipped, blocked with solid objects or intercepted with some other powerful fast spells, particularly stunting spells. Harry Potter is the only person who knows that he survived (two times), annulled (one time) and diverted (one time) this curse.
• The Malefici cruciatus (I swear: Cross, Latin for “me torturo”) causes the victim intense pain and is used to torture, but does not hurt them physically. The evil force is determined by the person who threw it. It was regularly used by mortify. The malice can torture a person to the point that he is exhausted to death, or in a more sadistic case, cause permanent amnesia and madness. Effective release requires taumaturgo to have sadistic desires. It is shown as a shiny blue light (although it is usually invisible or even a ray of red light in movies).
• The Malefici imperius (clearing): Empire, false Latin for "I command", cf. imperialism and imperative) is used for mental control or hypnosis and can force the victim to do things that would normally not be willing or could not. The strength and duration of the curse depend on the pitcher, as well as the level of resistance of the victim. The briefcase is shown as a bright fog (while it was a smoke similar to an invisible or green fog in movies).

Bartemius Crouch authorized the use of the Unforgivable Curses against Voldemort and his followers during the First Wizarding War. Shortly after his resurrection, Voldemort names two Death Eaters "killed by aurors". However, in Deathly Hallows, the Unforgivable Curses are used freely by good characters, ranging from McGonagall with the Imperius Curse, to Harry actually using the hex i>cruciatus, as well as the imperius curse on a suspected goblin and Death Eater during their covert raids on Gringotts.

Dark Mark

Tattoo of the mortify.

The Dark Mark is the symbol of Voldemort and the Death Eaters that appears in the sky when cast. It looks like a skull and a snake sticking out of its mouth instead of a tongue. As a spell, it is cast by a Death Eater whenever he has killed someone, as a sign that it was done in Voldemort's name, or simply to cause fear. The spell used by Death Eaters to invoke the Mark is morsmordre. It first appears in The Goblet of Fire and is described as "a colossal-sized skull, made up of what looked like emerald-colored stars, and with a serpentine tongue protruding from its mouth." ». Once in the sky it was "glowing in a haze of greenish smoke." The Dark Marks are also tattooed on the left forearm of Voldemort's closest followers. The mark serves as a connection between Voldemort and everyone who bears it; he can summon them by touching his mark, causing his and his followers' marks to burn and change color. Death Eaters can summon Voldemort in the same way. After Voldemort's final defeat, the Dark Marks on his Death Eaters faded as a 'similar' scar on his body. to what happened to Harry. In the books, the Dark Mark is described as green; however, in the movies, it was only green at the Quidditch World Cup. In all the other movies it appeared to be grey.

Inferius

An inferius (plural: inferi) is a corpse controlled through the spells of a wizard dark. An inferius is not alive, but has been bewitched to act as a puppet to the witch or wizard; this manifests as a white mist in the eyes of the controlled corpse. They cannot think for themselves: they are created to perform a specific duty assigned by the dark wizard who commands them, and as seen in the inferi who guard Voldemort's horcrux in the cave by the sea, they remain dormant until their task can be accomplished. This task is then carried out without thought, whether or not it produces any results. It is difficult to harm inferi with magic; however, they can be repelled by fire or any other form of heat or light, as the inferi in Voldemort's cave were never exposed to some of these elements. When they are defeated, they return to their inactive state.

The inferi are considered dangerous and terrifying enough by the wizarding world that imitating an inferius (as Mundungus Fletcher does in Half-Blood Prince] ) is a punishable offense in Azkaban.

The Ministry of Magic fears that Voldemort is killing enough people to make an army of inferi: since they're dead, it's very hard to stop them. When Voldemort was hiding one of his horcruxes in the past, he filled a lake in a cave with various inferi, who were there to attack and drown anyone except Voldemort who entered the cave. cave and take the locket. When Harry and Dumbledore took the locket, the inferi attacked Harry; Dumbledore repelled them with a beam of fire. It is also revealed that the inferi' Kreacher was nearly killed after he drank from the vessel to help Voldemort hide the horcruxes from him, but after his task with Voldemort was completed, he was able to appear outside the cave.. These inferi then killed Regulus Black when he stole the horcrux and ordered Kreacher to destroy it.

In Latin, the word inferius (plural: inferi) means 'below', commonly referring in the plural to 'the gods of underworld' (di inferi) or the spirits of death. Inferius is a neuter singular form of inferior, a comparative adjective meaning 'lower'.

Horcrux

A horcrux is an object created using dark magic to achieve immortality. The concept first appears in the sixth novel, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, although horcruxes are present in the earlier novels without being described as such.

A horcrux is created when a fragment of a murderer's soul is infused into an object, which is then hidden or otherwise kept safe—when a person commits murder, their soul is left behind. traumatized and splits into more than one piece. A horcrux is nothing more than the fused soul object/fragment created when the split portion of the murderer's soul is infused into some material object. The point of creating a horcrux is to prevent a soul's passage to death by anchoring a portion of the soul in the material world.

Ordinarily, when one's body is killed, the soul goes to the other world. If, however, the body of the owner of a horcrux is killed, that portion of his soul that had remained in his body will not pass into the other world, but will exist in a non-corporeal form capable of being resurrected. by another magician, as in Half-Blood Prince and The Deathly Hallows. If all of one's horcruxes are destroyed, then his soul's only anchor in the material world would be his body, the destruction of which would cause his death.

Portraits

In the Harry Potter series, the subjects of the magical portraits (even those of characters who are dead) can move, interact with living observers, speak and demonstrate apparent emotion and personality. Some may even move on to other portraits to visit each other, convey messages, or (if there is more than one painting on the subject) move between separate locations through their portraits. An example of this is Phineas Nigellus Black, who has a painting in the Headmaster's office and 12 Grimmauld Place. Many of these portraits are on the walls of Hogwarts.

Some portraits are used to hide the entrance to a room or hallway. For example, the Fat Lady's portrait covers the entrance to the Gryffindor common room, and she herself can push the portrait aside when given the correct password, or leave it closed to prevent entry. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows there is a portrait of Ariana Dumbledore in the Room of Requirement that hides a secret passageway to the Hog's Head. There is also a painting of a large fruit bowl in front of the Hogwarts kitchen, which will open if the pear is tickled to reveal a hidden door.

Portraits are enchanted by the artist to be able to move, but the degree to which they can interact with others depends on the power of the subject depicted. Rowling has commented that a portrait is simply a faint imprint of the deceased subject, mimicking their personality. basics and their thought patterns. Thus, "they are not as fully realized as ghosts". In Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the portrait of Albus Dumbledore describes himself as only "painting and memory" and the Professor McGonagall (her successor as Headmistress of Hogwarts) comments that, while Dumbledore is spoken to to help her make decisions, she is careful to remember that "portraits don't represent half of their subjects."

Portraits in the principal's office

The portraits in the Headmaster's office represent all of the former heads of Hogwarts, with the exception of Dolores Umbridge. They advise the Director and are "honor bound to serve the current Director" (according to Armando Dippet). Rowling has explained that portraits of former headmasters tend to be more realistic than most, as the subject in question generally imparts knowledge and teaches them how to behave prior to his death.

The Fat Lady

The portrait of the Fat Lady is the door to Gryffindor Tower, which is hidden behind her painting. She will open it (sometimes reluctantly) when told the correct password. She sometimes gets upset after being woken up, and is sometimes seen drunk with her best friend, Violet. The Fat Lady is not known by any other name, and it may be that she does not represent a real person, but is an invention of the artist who portrayed her. In The Sorcerer's Stone she leaves the portrait of herself in the middle of the night, locking Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville outside of Gryffindor tower, forcing them to run through the school. Luckily for them, when they return, she was back in her portrait, allowing them to escape to Gryffindor tower. In The Prisoner of Azkaban, Sirius Black rips the portrait of the Fat Lady when she won't let him in without the password and it takes a while before she dares to protect Gryffindor tower again. After her portrait is restored, she asks for protection in case someone tries to attack her portrait again. Thus, two security trolleys were hired. In The Half-Blood Prince, she is so annoyed by Harry's late return that she pretends the password changed and tries to call him back when he is on his way to speak with Dumbledore. When Harry later confirms Dumbledore's death, she lets out a sob and, for the only time in the series, she opens the door without the password for Harry.

The Fat Lady is played by Elizabeth Spriggs in the first film of the series, and by Dawn French in the third.

Photographs

Magical photographs of people have properties similar to painted magical portraits: the figures move or sometimes even leave their frame. They appear in wizard newspapers and other print media, as well as on chocolate frog cards. Colin Creevey mentions in The Chamber of Secrets that a boy in his bedroom told him that if he developed the film from his muggle camera 'in the correct potion' 39;, the images would move. Unlike portraits, however, figures in magical images cannot speak and show little feeling. They seem to have some knowledge of the development of events, as in Order of the Phoenix, where the family photograph on Arthur's desk shows everyone except Percy "who seemed to have come out of it." », since he had quarreled with his family during the previous summer.

For more information

• Highfield, Roger (2002). The science of Harry Potter: how magic actually works. New York: Viking. ISBN 978-0-670-03153-5.
• Teare, Elizabeth (2002). "Harry Potter and Magic Technology." In Whited, Lana A., ed. The ivory tower and Harry Potter: prospects for a literary phenomenon. Columbia, Missouri: University of Missouri Press. pp. 29-342. ISBN 978-0-8262-1549-9.
• Black, Sharon (2003). "The magic of Harry Potter: symbols and heroes of fantasy." Children's Literature in Education 34 (3): 237-247. doi:10.1023/A:1025314919836.