The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1

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A handy book of spells that covers relatively easy spells for first and second years. Several copies can always be found in Hogwarts Library.

 

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Table of Contents

Chapters ______________ ➳

❶ Powering Up
❷ Wingardium Leviosa
❸ Lumos/Nox
❹ Reparo
❺ Flipendo
❻ Incendio
❼ Spongify
❽ Scourgify
❾ Rictusempra
❿ Expelliarmus
⓫ Arresto Momentum
⓬ Flame-Freezing Charm
⓭ Diffindo
⓮ Fumos
⓯ Conclusion

 

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Chapter One

Powering Up

A charm is defined as a spell that adds or changes certain properties to an object or creature. Charms focus on altering what the target does, unlike transfiguration spells which focus on altering what the target is. In this textbook, you will explore the endless number of charms that exist. All spells will be described with the finest detail, but how you use them is up to you, the reader. The more you practice these spells, the better your skills become, and soon enough some spells would become a second nature. Here are some tips as to how to cast these charms:

Concentration
If your brain wanders elsewhere, the charm will fail. If you don't focus on a task at hand, the result would be poor. The same deal applies to casting charms. Attention is key.

Wand Movements
Some charms require a little flick of the wand, while others require a complicated swirl. Just like how different dance moves have different names, a specific spell has its own little "dance". If the wand movement is slightly off, so will the outcome of the charm.

Pronunciation
Each charm has its own pronunciation, specific stress to specific syllables. If a caster stresses the wrong syllable, the spell would fail.

Visualization
Although no important to casting the charm, visualizing what should happen is a good habit to have while practicing the spells. It becomes a monorail for your speech and actions, an imaginary template to work off of. Imagine yourself cast it, its process, then its result, and surely, you will get it.

 

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Chapter Two

Levitation Charm

__W I N G A R D I U M . L E V I O S A



Also known as the Levitation Charm, the spell is used to levitate an object. There are other variations to the spell, but Wingardium Leviosa, the original spell, still remains the best.

Effects/Limits
The spell allows the caster to levitate even the heavy objects that he himself would never be able to lift. The charmed object can be easily maneuvered around, and could soar high in the sky as long as the caster can see the floating object. Sadly, the charm cannot levitate human beings; It is actually their clothing that's being levitated. What could be levitated is entirely dependent upon the caster's skills and the object's mass.

History
The Levitation Charm was first developed in the sixteenth centuryby Jarleth Hobart. On 16 July, 1544, Hobart invited a large crowd of wizards, among which was the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, to witness his "maiden flight" — a public demonstration of his own revolutionary charm on himself. He climbed onto the roof of his local church and, after several speeches and a rousing performance of the national anthem he leaped. Having cast the spell, he was left hovering in mid-air.

At first, he seemed to have succeeded but, after having spent nearly three minutes watching him hanging in mid-air, the crowd grew impatient to see him move somewhere, and booed him. In response to the booing, Hobart tried to move in midair, and started performing childish swimming movements, which produced no effect. Mistakenly believing that his clothes were making him heavier and impeding his movement, Hobart stripped thus making him fall several meters onto the ground below, as it were the clothes that were holding him up in the air — they had been charmed by the Levitation Charm, not Hobart himself. He fell completely naked on the ground, breaking 16 bones, and went on the receive a penalty for extraordinary stupidity from the Chief Warlock.

Etymology
Wingardium is a composite word based on: English to wing meaning "to fly"; arduus (meaning "high, tall, lofty, steep, proudly elevated") or arduum (meaning "steep place, the steep"); and the common Latin ending -ium. Leviosa probably derives from Latin levo, meaning to "raise, lift up", or levis, meaning light (of weight). Altogether, therefore, the incantation could best be read as "lift up high".

Pronunciation
wing-GAR-dee-um levi-O-sa

Wand Movements

 

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Chapter Three

Wand-Lighting & Extinguishing Charm

__L U M O S
_____N O X


Otherwise known as the Wand-lighting Charm, it illuminates the tip of the caster's wand. This chapter will also cover it's counter-charm, Nox.

Effects/Limits
Lumos
The charm creates a little spark of warm light able to light up a room for the caster to see. It is simple to cast and easy to learn, and is quite important, as it can repel foes like Gytrashes and malevolent spirits.

Nox
The Wand-Extinguishing Charm is a spell that causes the light at the end of the caster's wand to be extinguished and is the counter-charm for the Wand-Lighting Charm.


History
Lumos
Despite its apparent simplicity, the Wand-Lighting Charm was not invented until the 18th century. It was first used publicly by Levina Monkstanley, its inventor, in the Ministry of Magic in 1772 — to the astonishment of her fellow colleagues — to help her look for a fallen quill on a dusty corner. It can be assumed that the wand-extinguishing charm was also invented during this time as a counter-charm to the original.

Etymology
Lumos
The incantation is derived from the Latin lumen, meaning "light".

Nox
In Latin, "nox" means "night."

Pronunciation
Lumos
LOO-mos

Nox
NOCK-ss

Wand Movements
Lumos


Nox

 

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Chapter Four

Mending Charm

__R E P A R O




Commonly known as the Mending Charm but also known as the Repairing Charm, this spell repairs broken objects.

Effects/Limits
Able to seamlessly repair a broken object to its original form and works on most materials (enchanted and cursed objects typically cannot be repaired with this charm.) The spell is designed for inanimate objects, serious scarring will occur if used on a human being or living creature. While a properly cast Mending Charm is generally enough to fix an object, it seems less experienced casters might not succeed in returning liquids to broken containers.

History
This charm was invented by Orabella Nuttley, an employee of the Improper Use of Magic Office in the British Ministry of Magic, in or before 1754. She used her charm to repair the Colosseum after it had been accidentally destroyed.

Etymology
Latin reparo meaning "to renew" or "repair"

Pronunciation
reh-PAH-roh

Wand Movements

 

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Chapter Five

Knockback-Jinx

__F L I P E N D O




Commonly known as the knockback-jinx, this spell is quite versatile in the hands of a creative witch or wizard.

Effects/Limits
This jinx can physically repel an opponent, push back objects, blast through fragile objects and trigger magical;y charmed switches. To charge up the spell, the caster must hold their power in their wand and release their magic when the blue spell turns a strange purplish-red colour. Past this point, the spell will backfire in mid-cast, or fly back to the caster, mildly damaging them. The Knockback Jinx feels like a blow to the chest, knocking its victim back, along with "a loud bang. The jinx can also be rebounded to its caster by means of a Shield Charm, as many other spells can, or be simply dodged.

History
Despite being found in both this textbook as well as The Dark Forces: A Guide To Self Protection, the creator and origin of this spell remains largely unknown to this day. Evidence of this spell has cropped up often throughout the centuries varying in both incantation and wandwork, however, the effect largely remains the same. It can be assumed that the spell had been passed on largely through word of mouth and has therefore lost any record of its true history.

Etymology
"flip" - turn over + pseudo-Latin ending

Pronunciation
fli-PEN-doh

Wand Movements


 

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Chapter Six

Fire-Making Spell

__I N C E N D I O




The official name for the charm is Fire-Making Spell.

Effects/Limits
As its name suggests, it creates a burst of flames, setting whatever the caster is pointing at ablaze. How big the fire is and how long the fire lasts is somewhat dependent on the caster's energy level (a sleep-deprived caster will create a smaller fire than a healthy caster). Other factors that could impact the fire is the weather, as fire in a tropical rainstorm is hard to conjure up.

History
The history is slightly unclear, but it was hypothesized that it was created sometime in Ancient England to create heat during the winter.

Etymology
In Latin, incendio is the dative singular of incendium, "fire", and can mean "to fire".

Pronunciation
in-SEN-dee-o

Wand Movements

 

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Chapter Seven

Softening Charm

__S P O N G I F Y




Another name for Spongify is the Softening Charm.

Effects/Limits
The spell, once cast on an objects, renders it soft and rubbery. The spell isn't permanent, so the object will eventually harder into its original state. However, this process usually takes at least an hour. How soft and bouncy the charm makes the object is entirely dependent on the caster's skills and concentration.

History
The history is unknown, though sources have said that the charm was created by a couple young kids who simply wanted to play around.

Etymology
English spongy meaning "soft" and -fy meaning "to make".

Pronunciation
SPUHN-jee-fye

Wand Movements


 

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Chapter Eight

Scouring Charm

__S C O U R G I F Y




Not to be confused with the Tergeo charm which siphons away dirts and liquids, the Scouring charm cleans objects.

Effects/Limits
The Scouring Charm is a household charm used to clean an object to a pristine shine. It can also be used to clean out smaller infestations of bundimun.

History
Believed to have been invented in the eighteenth century by a servant of the British Royalty who sought an easier way to perform their duties.

Etymology
English scour, "clean". -ify is a common English suffix meaning "to make ...

Pronunciation
SKUR-ji-fy

Wand Movements

 

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Chapter Nine

Tickling Charm

__R I C T U S E M P R A




The Tickling Charm. It would either make the victim's life hellish or actually enjoyable, depending on the caster's motives.


Effects/Limits
The charm forces the victim to burst into a fit of laughter. The caster must stay concentrated and the wand pointed at the target, or else the effects dissipates. The strength of the tickling depends on how speed at which the wand is moved up and down. This spell only applies to creatures with opposable thumbs. The light cast from this spell is silver.

History
The spell was made by jealous clowns who were unable to make the audience laugh.

Etymology
"Rictusempra" is derived from the Latin "rictus," meaning "The expanse of an open mouth" and Latin "semper," meaning "always."

Pronunciation
ric-tuh-SEM-pra

Wand Movements

 

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Chapter Ten

Disarming Charm

__E X P E L L I A R M U S




Otherwise known as the Disarming Charm, Expelliarmus is an essential technique for beginner duelists to master.


Effects/Limits
Expelliarmus is a defensive charm which forces the victim to release whatever they were holding at the time. It is common to see this spell used in duels, to make an opponent release their wand. The Disarming Charm always appears as a jet of red light; indeed, this is one of the things that makes it recognisable before the effects of the charm are seen. However the intensity of the light appears to correspond to the strength of the spell as a weak/moderate one creates a small flash of white light whereas a more powerful version manifests as a bright jet of scarlet light. Another notable effect of the charm is that if multiple charms are used on the same target, the target will be disarmed, but at the same time will be blasted backwards.

History
It is not known precisely who created the Disarming Charm. Some wizarding historians claim that it may have been invented by Merlin himself, others claim that its first widespread use was in Madagascar in the 11th century. Even if any of this is true, the fact remains that it was not very popular until 1379, when Elizabeth Smudgling — the most likely inventor, in the opinion of Miranda Goshawk — used it in a dueling contest in Dartmoor.

Etymology
English expel, meaning "remove" and armus, derived from the dative of arma, armis means "from the arms".

Pronunciation
ex-PELL-ee-ARE-muss

Wand Movements


 

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Chapter Eleven

Arresto Momentum

__A R R E S T O _ M O M E N T U M




Made famous by Daisy Pennifold, Arresto Momentum slows the velocity of its target.

Effects/Limits
The effects of the spell is to slow or stop the velocity an object in natural motion, such as a wild broom. However, when cast on an animate organism, the spell may stop the animal for a couple seconds before the animal continues on what they were doing. The spell is exceptionally dangerous if cast on a flying creature such as a hippogryff or a dragon, because a side effect of the spell is that it stops the motion of the wings, causing the creature to fall back to Earth. The spell doesn't affect the hovering ability of brooms.

History
Chasers were also becoming increasingly irritated by the necessity of diving continually towards the ground to retrieve the Quaffle and so, shortly after the Quaffle's change of colour, the witch Daisy Pennifold had the idea of bewitching the Quaffle so that if dropped, it would fall slowly earthwards as though sinking through water, meaning that Chasers could grab it in mid-air.

Etymology
The combination of two words; the Anglo-French "arester", meaning "to bring to a stop", and the Latin "Momentum", meaning "the force or strength gained whilst moving". Literal translation: "bring its momentum to a stop".

Pronunciation
ah-REST-oh mo-MEN-tum

Wand Movements
Simply wave your wand.
 

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Chapter Twelve

Flame-Freezing Charm

__F L A M M A _ F R I G U S




Flamma Frigus is officially known as the Flame-Freezing Charm.


Effects/Limits
A charm that changes the effects of a fire so that instead of burning, it felt like a warm summer breeze. The subject would usually feel a gentle tickling sensation. The light cast from the spell is white.

History
It is unknown when or where the Flame-Freezing Charm was created, however, it was widely used during the Medieval times. They used this spell when they were persecuted by Muggles to save themselves from being harmed when they were burned at the stake during witch-hunts. They feigned screaming in pain; some even making a game out of it. In particular, Wendelin the Weird enjoyed the sensation of the charmed flames so much that she allowed herself to get caught and burned at least forty-seven times in varying disguises.

Etymology
Flamma' means "flame" or "fire". Frigus meaning "cold, coldness."

Pronunciation
flam-ah free-jus

Wand Movements
Wave wand over caster's head.
 

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Chapter Thirteen

Severing Charm

__D I F F I N D O




Particularly known as the Severing Charm, this spell is useful in both Herbology and Potions.


Effects/Limits
The Severing Charm is a charm used to precisely and accurately cut something, and if used inappropriately can cause death or injury. The light cast from this spell can either be a light green or hot pink.

History
This spell was invented in the fifteenth century by wizarding seamstress Delfina Crimp. She made the spell because prior to her discovery, cutting spells were apt to burn or shred things. However, a fellow seamster nearly killed her after he raided her shop, having realised that she could do magic, and held her tied up. Nonetheless, upon being released to scratch a wart on her chin the wart brought her wand forth and she disapparated with a sack of gold.

Etymology
The incantation is the Latin first person active indicative for "to split, cleave or open".

Pronunciation
deef-IN-doe

Wand Movements