Don't be disillusioned... there's more than meets the eye with these enchantments.

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APPARATE AND DISAPPARATE  * Updated October 29, 2005

Disillusionment Charm  

FELIX FELICIS  * Updated November 8, 2005

FRED AND GEORGE WEASLEYS' MAGICAL INVENTIONS  

HORCRUXES * Updated October18, 2005

Transfiguration

UNBREAKABLE VOW* Updated October10, 2005

APPARATE AND DISAPPARATE

“Now you see ‘em, now you don’t.”

Witches and wizards who are seventeen and have taken apparition lessons can take their Apparition Test.  Underage witches and wizards are not allowed to Apparate on their own but if necessary, they may do “along side” apparition with an adult (seventeen years and up) who has passed their APP test.  It’s kinda like going through driver’s ed. classes and then getting your license.  Learning to Apparate is not part of the Hogwart’s daily curriculum and is not taught by the teachers at Hogwarts, although the head’s of houses to attend and help out during lessons which are taught at Hogwarts and in Hogsmeade by Ministry of Magic officials.  In Harry’s, Hermione’s, and Ron’s sixth year at school, they take Apparating lessons with the ancient and tottering Ministry Apparition Instructor Twycross.  He teaches them to concentrate on the 3 D’s: Destination, Determination, and Deliberation.

Harry does manage to successfully Disapparate and Apparate during the second class; however, since he will not be seventeen before the first examination, he cannot take the test.  Hermione and Ron, both being older than Harry and seventeen before the first test agree to try for it. Hermione, of course, passes with ease.  Ron, however, has a tendency to leave bits of his eyebrows behind, which he does during the test and so fails his first time out.

Harry does side-along apparition three times in HBP with Dumbledore: once at the beginning of the book and twice toward the end.  The third time Dumbledore actually is the side-along Apparater.

So, during the summer before their seventh and last year at Hogwarts, both Harry and Ron will attempt to get their Apparater’s license.  I don’t see it being an issue for Harry, except for the fact that he doesn’t like the feeling of being squished, squeezed, and squashed through a tiny tube.  Regardless, he will pass with no problems.  Ron will be nervously worrying that he will fail again and never get his license.  However, I’m sure he’ll be okay.  It’s like when he plays Quidditch keeper… he just has to relax and feel lucky.  He’s actually very good at it when he’s not thinking how bad he is.  Just as a safety precaution, however, maybe Harry should fake giving Ron some more Felix Felicis.

Ginny has one more year to go before she will be able to take the lessons and the test.  I wonder if she will need to side-along apparition with Harry or be forced to go with somebody… anybody… in the last HP book.

Also, I can’t forget Neville.  His birthday is just a couple of days before Harry’s so he will also be taking his test with Harry and Ron.  Will he pass?  I don’t think he’ll get splinched!  I do have faith in Neville… even if his grandmother doesn’t. 

And last but not least, there’s Draco Malfoy.  I’m sure he’s very good at Apparating, but now that he’s with the Dark Lord, will he bother with his app test?  Hmmm.  Whether he realizes it or not, Draco is in deep, dark waters and he could find himself being pulled down into the icy depths unless he blinks himself far, far away.  I don’t think that even Snape can protect him now, really.  He’d better be practicing his 3 D’s because I have a feeling he’s going to need to do a vanishing act somewhere in the last HP book.

Well, gotta go, myself.  “Determination, Destination, Deliberation.”  “POOF!”

In OotP Mad Eye uses a disillusionment charm on Harry to hide him from prying and spying eyes (other than Moody’s own glass peeper) by blending him into the surroundings.  When J.K.R. introduces a something new in one book we can be sure it will be used again and again in later books.  Look for the disillusionment charm in HBP.  It won’t be hard to spot.  Harry will probably be the one using it.

FELIX FELICIS

Are you feelin' lucky?

Better than a hundred four-leaf clovers, a herd of horses shoes and rabbits feet (I know that group of rabbits are not a herd), the Felix Felicis potion is just waiting to make it your lucky day.  This highly prized, yet apparently carefully Ministry of Magic monitored brew has the happy ability of tweaking a person’s daily routine so that all good things to come his or her way.  Harry gets to experience the effects of Felix Felicis during his sixth year after he was awarded a tiny bottle of the precious liquid during his first Potion’s class with Professor Horace Slughorn, who is thoroughly impressed with Harry’s extraordinary potion-making talent.  Of course, Harry’s newly discovered expertise has to be credited to the Half-Blood Prince’s potions tips and tricks, but since Harry was game enough to follow them, and it paid off in this instance, he actually did display an extraordinary skill in reading unusual potion recipes during class.

Slughorn advises Harry that this lucky potion should be used in moderation… and not by athletes during a sporting event (don’t tell Ron.)  Much to his credit, Harry doesn’t instantly uncork the little bottle and swallow it all in one gulp.  When he does try a little sip it’s just enough to keep him confident, optimistic, safe and successful in his memory quest.

Later in the year, when he gives the last few drops to Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Luna so that they will be lucky in battle against the Death Eaters, it just goes to show that a little goes a long way as curses seem to take right turns to avoid hitting our heroes. 

So now that Harry knows how to make Felix Felicis, will he make himself a new supply?  If I were Harry, I would, because it would definitely come in handy when facing the Death Eaters, Snape, and Voldemort.  I am sure that Harry will be victorious with or without a little extra liquid luck, but why not add a little Felix Insurance policy to his fight? 

And now that I think of it… why hasn’t Voldemort used this handy little good luck charmer himself?  Perhaps he thinks he is so powerful that he doesn’t need any extra luck.  Well, he may be powerful, but this is a perfect example of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named also being too proud to think that a little luck might tip the scales his way.  And that is to Harry’s advantage.  Let’s keep ol’ snake eyes thinking he doesn’t need to drink ‘any stinkin’ potions’… Maybe Harry doesn’t need to drink any Felix Felicis either; a little pail of water may be all he needs to melt the Dark Lord, his broom (if he has one) and all. 

FRED AND GEORGE WEASLEYS' MAGICAL INVENTIONS

Entrepreneurial, magical innovative geniuses, Fred and George Weasley, have invented quite a few amazing items for their new joke shop.  With many more inventions on the way, here is a list of what this dynamic duo has already conjured up (that we know about):

Canary Creams – Candy that temporarily transforms the person who eats it into a giant canary.

Extendible Ears – Listening devices that stretch incredible distances; perfect for eavesdropping.

Fainting Fancies – Candy that causes a person to faint.

Headless Hats – Both hat and head disappear when this hat is worn.

Nosebleed Nugets – Candy with one half that causes nosebleeds while the other half stops nosebleeds.

Puking Pastils – Candy with one half that causes the person who eats it to vomit.  The other half when eaten stops the vomiting.

Skiving Snackboxes – An assortment of candies, including Puking Pastils, for students who want to skip classes.

Ton-Tongue Toffee – Candy that causes a person’s tongue to swell… and grow… bigger and bigger and bigger.  Even works on muggles!

Trick Wands – Wands with tips that turn into various animals and fish heads including chickens, parrots, and haddocks.

Weasleys' Wildfire Whizbangs – Terrifiic fireworks; best on the market.

Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes (I’m not sure if these are the order forms or items on the order forms.)

BACK TO THE TOP  

HORCRUXES

Today’s DADA lesson is about Horcruxes.  Ten points for every correct answer…

Q - What is a Horcrux?   

A - It is an object, inanimate or possibly animate (like an animal) that is enchanted to hold and conceal a portion of a wizard’s soul.  It is very dark magic; so dark in fact that it is not mentioned in any of the accessible library books at Hogwarts except for one and all it said was that it was not going to discuss Horcruxes.  Well, there you go.   

Q - And how does a dark wizard create a Horcrux?   

A - He or she would have to purposely kill someone and then he/she would be able to literally rip a piece of his/her soul away and encase it inside the object or animal where it would lay hidden forever if necessary, ensuring the wizard immortality. 

Q - As of HBP, who knew or knows about Horcruxes?   

A - A few wizards including Harry, Dumbledore, Horace Slughorn, Regulus Black, Ron, Herminie, a nameless dark wizard who had once created just one Horcrux, and Lord Voldemort, created not one but SIX Horcruxes. 

Q – What are the objects He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named used to hide his soul bits? 

A – Confirmed:  Tom Riddle’s Diary, which was destroyed by Harry in the Chamber of Secrets and Marvolo’s Ring, which Dumbledore destroyed in HBP.

Not Confirmed:  Salazar Slytherin’s locket.  Even though we are pretty sure that Regulus Black was able to switch S.S.’s locket for a fake and get it out the inferi-cursed cave where Voldemort had hid it, we are not sure if he was able to destroy the Horcrux or where he then hid it.  That will be a job for Harry in the last HP book, to find the locket and make sure it is Horcrux-free.  It looks like he will have to go back to 12 Grimmauld Place, like it or not. 

Also not confirmed, but probable is Helga Hufflepuff’s gold mug.  Where it is hidden is anybody’s guess, although the Chamber of Secrets and the Room of Requirement are both good starting places to search.

Voldemort probably also found something that had once belonged to Rowena Ravenclaw and used it for another Horcrux.  When Harry hid the half-blood prince’s potions book in the Room of Requirement in HBP he marked where he had put it with a stone bust, old wig and an ancient tiara.  Hmmm, could that tiara have once belonged to Madame Ravenclaw?   

Could Voldemort’s pet snake, Nagini, be the sixth Horcrux?  That is what Dumbledore believes.  We’ll have to wait and see. 

Q – How does one destroy a Horcrux? 

A – Sigh, I’m not really sure.  Harry managed to literally stab the life’s blood (ink) out of Tom Riddle’s diary with a fatally poisonous Basilisk fang. In HPB, Dumbledore destroyed the Horcrux in Marvolo’s ring, but at the cost of his right hand, permanently burned and blackened thereafter.  We don’t get to see how he did it.  (Why couldn't Fawkes heal Dumbledore's hand?  Is it because his hand was dead?  Or because it was "infected" with a evil and deal soul part that was no longer part of Dumbledore?  Seems odd to me that such a powerful magical bird with incredible healing powers could not have healed his own master.)  If Regulus Black managed to destroy S.S.’s locket, what agonies did he suffer? 

Now, here are some things to think about.  Maybe the only person who can destroy, and I mean really eliminate, a Voldemort soul portion is Harry and that is because he has some of the Dark Lord’s essence in him which gives him immunity to the effects of the Horcrux.  He survived just fine when he killed the Diary Tom Riddle.  Yet, Dumbledore was forever scarred, and dare I say it, maybe “infected,” if only his right hand, with the evil soul bit.  I have the feeling that Regulus managed to release the bit of soul from the locket too, but that he was thereafter “infected,” and knowing this he allowed himself to be killed by Death Eaters, finally putting an end to that bit of Voldemort.  So, back to Dumbledore, could it be that he knew the only way to rid the world of the soul bit once hidden in Marvolo’s ring would be to make himself the Horcrux… then he made Snape make the Unbreakable Vow with him so that when all was hopeless, Snape would kill Dumbledore, taking another piece of Voldemort to the grave. 

Harry survived Voldemort’s death curse, but was scarred by it.  Nevertheless, the physical lightning bolt scar is really nothing compared to the emotional scarring that happened when Harry lost his parents.  But with four Horcruxes to go, will he survived to battle and vanquish the Dark Lord? Remember that Harry is the Chosen One, and being that he does have a connection to Voldemort, even though it is unwanted it may have given Harry some natural resistance to the withering effects of his tasks.  And maybe he will heal emotionally as each of Voldemort's souls die.  After all, Lily Potter’s healing and protective love seems to be far more powerful than any or all of Voldemort’s soul could ever be.

Good Work.  50 Points to Everyone!  Class Dismissed.

TRANSFIGURATION

Mandrakes are used to restore someone who has been transfigured back to their original selves.  So it could be used on Wormtail to turn him into a human from a rat at some future time, and anyone else for that matter. 

Harry has used Polyjuice Potion to transfigure himself but in HBP he will be learning to transfigure himself without potions.  Moreover, I think he will be able to transfigure himself not only into different animals but also people.  I think he is a Metamorphagus like Tonks.   

Hermione, Ron, Neville, Ginny, Luna, and Malfoy -- will they be able to transfigure themselves?  Hermione, most definitely.  Ron and Neville?  Maybe, the jury’s still out, but I am leaning towards a ‘yes’ vote.  Ginny and Luna?  They are both a year behind the others so I am not sure if they will be up to speed by HBP.  Still they are both exceptional girls so there’s a strong likelihood. 

According to Hermione there are seven legal animagi registered with the Ministry of Magic.  McGonagall is a cat.  We know Dumbledore taught Transfiguration before McGonagall so what is he?  He’s obviously registered so Hermione knows but hasn’t said.   

Is Snape a registered animagus?  If he is then Hermione would know but she’s not telling.

THE UNBREAKABLE VOW

This spell is used to bind the deed or wish of one person to another.  (Can more than two people share an unbreakable vow?) The point of the Unbreakable Vow is that if one person has a task to perform and fails to complete it then the other person will complete the task. 

Could it also be used between two people, say Dumbledore and Snape, as a pact to perform a certain task to, or carry out a certain deed upon the other person (like Snape to Dumbledore) should the need arise?  For example, did Dumbledore and Snape agree that should something happen to Dumbledore that certainly meant he would die, Snape promised the headmaster that he would put an end to the suffering quickly?  Was Snape forced to kill Dumbledore not only because Draco couldn’t bring himself to do it, but also because he promised Dumbledore he would kill him?  It’s an interesting proposition.

In an effort to try to figure out if Severus Snape is as vile and evil as many of us think he is, I am also looking at the flipside possibility that he promised Dumbledore to do whatever the headmaster asked, even kill him, in order to protect Harry and the other Hogwarts students.

When Snape and Narcissa Malfoy agreed to invoke the Unbreakable Vow they needed Bellatrix to bind the spell.  Does it always require at least three people to properly do this spell?  If so, then who was the third wizard who would have helped Dumbledore and Snape bind their vow?  Could it be Professor McGonagall?  Possibly, but she seemed shocked at the end of HBP that Snape could have done such a thing as use Avada Kredava against the headmaster.  Who else then?  Aberforth?  I think that’s a very good possibility.  Here’s another possibility coming from way out in the outfield… What if Albus and Aberforth swapped places and it was Aberforth who died?  Take it or leave it, it’s another interesting proposition.