CHARMS 101

LESSON ONE

AN INTRODUCTION TO CHARMS
In ancient times, it was discovered that magic was a lot more widely
practiced in the open than it is now. I think it would have been pretty
interesting to live back then and be able to see people practicing
magic in the open, surrounded by Muggles who don't view this magic
as a threat but just as something different and part of their daily lives.
In fact, according to the lesson, magic was used to seal a lot of high
powered tombs. However, as with everything it seems that the good
has to come along with the bad and this open practicing of magic led
to prejudice and misunderstanding on both sides. Muggles began to
persecute the magical community with trials like witch burnings. I
remember going to a Muggle school before getting my letter and
learning about a popular witch trial called the Salem Witch Trials that
happened in the late 1600's in Salem, Massachusetts. During this,
more than 200 people got accused of witchcraft and 19 were killed, but
most of those were innocent anyway. It always saddened me to learn
about what kind of things people can do to other people over fear.
I feel that despite how some students may feel about them, laws like
the International Statute of Secrecy from 1689 and the Restriction of
Underage Sorcery of 1875 are good things. They prevent Muggles from
knowing about the magical community and prevent accidents from
happening and young magical children using magic in Muggle
communities which can help prevent a repeat of the old Witch Trials.

Wand Lighting Charm Wand Extinguishing Charm

Lumos Nox
(LOO-mos) (NOCK-ss)
Single counterclockwise loop Flick of the wrist
 LESSON TWO

SPELLCASTING BASICS

It was interesting learning all about the way we cast spells and make
things happen. It isn't all about just waving your wand around and
saying some funny words. There is a lot to worry about, like getting the
pronunciation just right and making the right wand movements. On top
of that you have to direct your will and concentration at the object you
want to affect, and you need to work on learning how to do that. You
have to concentrate hard and find your inner magic before you can
ever begin to use it. I found this to be a pretty hard experience.

When I was young, my older brothers Jaxion and Jayson attended

Hogwarts. Jaxion was in Hufflepuff, which always seemed to disappoint
my longtime Gryffindor family. He is very good at Charms and
Herbology has gone to make his work dealing with plants. He grows a
lot of herbs to sell for potions from his house. Jayson is his twin brother
and was in Gryffindor and excelled at Defense Against the Dark Arts.
He works as a Junior Assistant in the Ministry now. My father long felt
that they both wasted their talents and instead of showing bravery
they went their own way. He didn't want a third disappointment. But to
not be a disappointment, I HAD to find my inner magic and be the best
I could be. I already got sorted to Slytherin for my ambition, but I won't
let that stop me.

After our lesson, I gave the flight charms a chance, to see what I could
make of them. The hover charm was very easy for me, although I
didn't see much use for it. It lets me hover objects and move them up
and down, but I have to be close enough to touch the object. Next I
tried the Rocket Charm which seemed similar but I didn't have to touch
the object. I found it hard to get the right amount of will power to get
the object to soar to the right heights. The Floating Charm was a bit
easier for me. It let me float an object up and control the height so that
I could bring it back down if it floated to high. I practiced moving it up
and down several times and it seemed to be an effective charm for
lifting objects to look or clean under them. I could really see myself
using this charm to lift objects to keep my room cleaned easier! Then I
tried the Levitation Charm.The first time I ended up sending the
feather I was floating way off course and it somehow sailed down the
hall!! But I tried again and by the end of the day I was able to float it
and move it how I needed. This will take a lot of practice, but this is a
really handy charm to have around.

LESSON THREE

WAND PROPERTIES AND MOVEMENT

It was interesting learning about the wand properties and what that
means for me and my wand that chose me at Ollivander's shop. Did
you know wands are semi-sentient and actually choose their own
wizard? I think that is really cool.

My wand that chose me is 10 and a half inches long and made from the
wood of the Redwood tree. The core inside is dragon heartstring and it
is rigid and unyielding. In this lesson, I learned that means that overall
my wand and I are more likely to be resistant to change and adapting.
It is a pretty average length, fitting in the range of 9 to 14 inches that
most wands fall into. I did some research in the library and found out
that dragon heartstring cores bond strongly with their current owner
but can be won away from them. They learn and adapt quickly and can
be inclined to the darker arts. It can be prone to accidents and
tempermental if not treated right. The wood is from a Redwood tree
and these wands are known as lucky. They tend to favor wizards who
have a habit of landing on their feet and being calm in a crisis. Overall,
I feel I have been chosen by a very peculiar but very fitting wand.
I got a chance to try out the mending charm when I tore the cover of
the notebook I was using for my Charms notes. It was easy once I
figured out how to do the charm. The first time I used the right wand
movement and said the charm correctly, but my concentration slipped
and I stopped visualizing the cover repaired until the end. However,
the second time I kept my focus and my notebook is fine. I have had
my brother send me a small Muggle padlock from a store to practice
the unlocking charm and I find it a little too easy and will probably talk
to my professor about stepping up to using a magical lock that would
pose a little more challenge.