Lesson 1: Spells and Enchantments
Hello students! Welcome to your first dueling class! In this lesson we'll be going over all of the basic spells and enchantments necessary for beginner duelists. Now don't get your hopes too high - We aren't going to be covering anything dangerous, or at least not anything illegal. But, as always, there are risks with spells, especially the first few times you try. If you happen to injure yourself, just call for help and we'll be there quickly. But don't worry, we expect everything to go smoothly as long as you follow some simple guidelines. First, while we do encourage practice, you should always have proper supervision while attempting any of these spells outside of class. Also please remember that you are witches and wizards, not baboons brandishing sticks. So don't go waving your wands around without thinking. Understood? Now let's begin with the learning. This lesson is broken down into two categories: Offensive Spells and Defensive Spells.
Offensive Spells
The first category of spells we'd like to go over is offensive spells. Offensive spells are all spells that directly attack the opponent. Obviously, the majority of dueling is made up of these, because, well, a duel consisting of only shield charms wouldn't be much of a duel at all. It should be no surprise, therefore, that this is the largest category of spells. We have chosen eleven that you must define, memorize, and master. Okay that might be a little amitious. Just get familiar with them - even if you can only perfect one of them, that may be the spell that wins your duel!
Stunning Charm- Incantation: Stupefy- This spell spits out a stream of red light that will make the victim unconscious, thus making him unable to move. As it kind of ends his opportunity to attack, it is probably not the best spell for a friendly duel, unless you are using a strategy in which you temporarily stun him, only to release the enchantment yourself at the proper moment.
Disarming Charm- Incantation: Expelliarmus- This spell will make the victim's weapon fly out of his hands. This is considered "disarming" your opponent. It is a great spell to use if you want your opponent to be defenseless for a few seconds, as it gives you a chance for attack while he reclaims his wand. If this spell is cast simultaneously and hits the target, the victim may be made unconscious. This can also be considered a defensive spell as well, because you could use it right before your opponent casts a spell, in order to defend yourself.
Impediment Jinx- Incantation: Impedimenta- This jinx stops, or at least hinders, the motion of your opponent. This is perfect for situations in which there is a large dueling arena, and you and your opponent are chasing after each other. For close range combat, however, it would not achieve very much for you.
Fire Starting Spell- Incantation: Incendio- This spell starts a fire. You can use this spell to accomplish many different things in a duel, such as trying to make a barrier between you and your opponent, causing a distraction, or simply setting your opponent on fire. Therefore, this spell is useful in any duel, whether friendly, competitive, or a fight to the death. The only exception would be duels that take place underwater.
Relashing Charm- Incantation: Relashio- This is an example of a charm that is excellent underwater, where it shoots out a jet of boiling hot water. It does still work on land, where it shoots a jet of sparks, instead of water. This spell therefore, can truly be used in any duel, and is one that every duelist should master.
Dancing Charm- Incantation: Tarantallegra- This charm makes your opponents legs begin to do insane dancing movements. This is one of the most popular charms for friendly duels, because the opponent can still cast spells at you, but is just at a slight, amusing disadvantage.
Tickling Charm- Incantation: Rictumsempra- This charm makes your opponent begin to laugh beyond his control. Like the dancing charm, this is very commonly used in friendly duels, because it allows the opponent to continue using spells, rather than knocking him out, as would occur with something like the stunning charm.
Reductor Curse- Incantation: Reducto- This curse blasts objects out of the casters way. This is most useful in situation where there are obstacles blocking your opponent; using this curse can give you a better chance of accurately hitting him.
Body Bind Hex- Incantation: Petrificus Totalus- This hex makes your opponent's body very rigid making him unable to move. It is very similar to the stunning charm, but in this case, the victim does not become unconscious. Therefore, if the opponent is skilled in nonverbal spells, he might be able to release himself from this enchantment.
Imprisonment Curse- Incantation: Incarcerous- This curse sends out thick ropes which wrap around your opponent, imprisoning them. This is similar to the body bind hex, but perhaps even easier to overcome, as the opponent can still move, he is simply trapped within the ropes.
Lifting Curse- Incantation: Levicorpus- This curse lifts your opponent up by their ankles and leaves them dangling, incapable of movement. Again, this is similar to all of the other spells that limit the opponent's motion (Stunning, body bind, imprisonment, etc.), but may be preferable if you want to raise and drop your opponent annoyingly.
Stunning Charm- Incantation: Stupefy- This spell spits out a stream of red light that will make the victim unconscious, thus making him unable to move. As it kind of ends his opportunity to attack, it is probably not the best spell for a friendly duel, unless you are using a strategy in which you temporarily stun him, only to release the enchantment yourself at the proper moment.
Disarming Charm- Incantation: Expelliarmus- This spell will make the victim's weapon fly out of his hands. This is considered "disarming" your opponent. It is a great spell to use if you want your opponent to be defenseless for a few seconds, as it gives you a chance for attack while he reclaims his wand. If this spell is cast simultaneously and hits the target, the victim may be made unconscious. This can also be considered a defensive spell as well, because you could use it right before your opponent casts a spell, in order to defend yourself.
Impediment Jinx- Incantation: Impedimenta- This jinx stops, or at least hinders, the motion of your opponent. This is perfect for situations in which there is a large dueling arena, and you and your opponent are chasing after each other. For close range combat, however, it would not achieve very much for you.
Fire Starting Spell- Incantation: Incendio- This spell starts a fire. You can use this spell to accomplish many different things in a duel, such as trying to make a barrier between you and your opponent, causing a distraction, or simply setting your opponent on fire. Therefore, this spell is useful in any duel, whether friendly, competitive, or a fight to the death. The only exception would be duels that take place underwater.
Relashing Charm- Incantation: Relashio- This is an example of a charm that is excellent underwater, where it shoots out a jet of boiling hot water. It does still work on land, where it shoots a jet of sparks, instead of water. This spell therefore, can truly be used in any duel, and is one that every duelist should master.
Dancing Charm- Incantation: Tarantallegra- This charm makes your opponents legs begin to do insane dancing movements. This is one of the most popular charms for friendly duels, because the opponent can still cast spells at you, but is just at a slight, amusing disadvantage.
Tickling Charm- Incantation: Rictumsempra- This charm makes your opponent begin to laugh beyond his control. Like the dancing charm, this is very commonly used in friendly duels, because it allows the opponent to continue using spells, rather than knocking him out, as would occur with something like the stunning charm.
Reductor Curse- Incantation: Reducto- This curse blasts objects out of the casters way. This is most useful in situation where there are obstacles blocking your opponent; using this curse can give you a better chance of accurately hitting him.
Body Bind Hex- Incantation: Petrificus Totalus- This hex makes your opponent's body very rigid making him unable to move. It is very similar to the stunning charm, but in this case, the victim does not become unconscious. Therefore, if the opponent is skilled in nonverbal spells, he might be able to release himself from this enchantment.
Imprisonment Curse- Incantation: Incarcerous- This curse sends out thick ropes which wrap around your opponent, imprisoning them. This is similar to the body bind hex, but perhaps even easier to overcome, as the opponent can still move, he is simply trapped within the ropes.
Lifting Curse- Incantation: Levicorpus- This curse lifts your opponent up by their ankles and leaves them dangling, incapable of movement. Again, this is similar to all of the other spells that limit the opponent's motion (Stunning, body bind, imprisonment, etc.), but may be preferable if you want to raise and drop your opponent annoyingly.
Defensive Spells
Since there are offensive spells, there must also be defensive! Like in many sports, defense prevents the opponent from scoring. Each of these spells, therefore, either prevent a curse from reaching you, or counters its effects. First, there are general charms, which can be used to defend against most attacks. These are charms that will most likely be used in every duel.
Shield Charm- Incantation: Protego- This charm produces a magical shield in front of the caster protecting them from hexes being cast against him. This is possibly the most important defensive spell you can learn, because it protects against such a wide variety of spells.
Hex Removal Charm- Incantation: Finite- This little charm removes the effects of a current hex in operation. If it is too late to use the shield charm, and the jinx has already hit you, you can use the Hex Removal Charm to try to get rid of it.
Healing Charm- Incantation: Episkey- This charm heals any damage done to the target the caster is pointing at. As dueling usually leads to injuries, this is a very necessary charm that allows you to heal yourself and others, and continue the duel with as much strength as possible.
In addition to those charms, which are pretty universal, there are also many counter-jinxes, or spells that can be used to undo the effects of specific attacks. As each of them can only be used under one circumstance, they should not be your priority in practicing defensive spells. However, once you have mastered the basics, they are excellent spells to learn, just in case.
Liberacorpus- Incantation: Liberacorpus- This counter-jinx reverses the effects of the spell Levicorpus. It may be hard to perform this spell on yourself, but if you have a partner, or are in an intense battle, you can use this to help others.
Rennervate- Incantation: Rennervate- This is the counter-jinx to the Stunning spell. Of course, if your opponent has just stunned you, it would be kind of difficult to perform this spell on yourself. However, if you were in a situation where you were on a team with someone, or otherwise able to help, this spell would be very useful.
Patronus Charm- Incantation: Expecto Patronum- This is pretty much the ultimate defensive charm against Dementors. In fact its the ONLY charm to protect yourself against these creatures. This charm is extremely difficult to perform and you must have an extremely happy memory for it to conjure. Unless your opponent brings a few dementors to the duel with them, it might not be that useful, but it's good to practice, just in case.
Whew. That's a lot of spells to keep track of! Just keep practicing and we know you'll eventually learn them all!
When you're ready, head over to the homework!
Shield Charm- Incantation: Protego- This charm produces a magical shield in front of the caster protecting them from hexes being cast against him. This is possibly the most important defensive spell you can learn, because it protects against such a wide variety of spells.
Hex Removal Charm- Incantation: Finite- This little charm removes the effects of a current hex in operation. If it is too late to use the shield charm, and the jinx has already hit you, you can use the Hex Removal Charm to try to get rid of it.
Healing Charm- Incantation: Episkey- This charm heals any damage done to the target the caster is pointing at. As dueling usually leads to injuries, this is a very necessary charm that allows you to heal yourself and others, and continue the duel with as much strength as possible.
In addition to those charms, which are pretty universal, there are also many counter-jinxes, or spells that can be used to undo the effects of specific attacks. As each of them can only be used under one circumstance, they should not be your priority in practicing defensive spells. However, once you have mastered the basics, they are excellent spells to learn, just in case.
Liberacorpus- Incantation: Liberacorpus- This counter-jinx reverses the effects of the spell Levicorpus. It may be hard to perform this spell on yourself, but if you have a partner, or are in an intense battle, you can use this to help others.
Rennervate- Incantation: Rennervate- This is the counter-jinx to the Stunning spell. Of course, if your opponent has just stunned you, it would be kind of difficult to perform this spell on yourself. However, if you were in a situation where you were on a team with someone, or otherwise able to help, this spell would be very useful.
Patronus Charm- Incantation: Expecto Patronum- This is pretty much the ultimate defensive charm against Dementors. In fact its the ONLY charm to protect yourself against these creatures. This charm is extremely difficult to perform and you must have an extremely happy memory for it to conjure. Unless your opponent brings a few dementors to the duel with them, it might not be that useful, but it's good to practice, just in case.
Whew. That's a lot of spells to keep track of! Just keep practicing and we know you'll eventually learn them all!
When you're ready, head over to the homework!
All information was taken from the Harry Potter Lexicon's Encyclopedia of Spells
http://www.hp-lexicon.org/magic/spells/spells.html
http://www.hp-lexicon.org/magic/spells/spells.html