DADA Lectures w/ Prof. Grimp

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Gutentag. I am Professor Zerod Voltrak Grimp, your Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher. I want to let you know right away, I am not one who likes pretty words, and I am not one to coat harsh truths in chocolate. I am not here to teach you Defense Against The Dark Arts just to earn you credit toward your advancement in this school, I am here to teach you the subject because those who practice the Dark Arts still exist!

What? Mommy and Daddy tell you all the dark wizards just vanished when the Dark Lord was defeated? Hmmm? Wrong! They exist! And when you leave the safety of these walls, you will automatically find yourself in danger of the possibility of crossing a dark wizard or a dark witch! And they will either try to do one of two things to you- recruit you into their ranks or kill you for saying no! You have to be ready to defend yourself at all times and at the spur of the moment! Your enemy will not be kind and allow you time to move... not even time to breath Am I clear? Ausgezeichnet. Now let us proceed with today's lesson.

What are the Dark Arts?

The Dark Arts, also known as Dark Magic, refers to any type of magic that is mainly used to cause harm. The Dark Arts encompass many spells and actions ranging from using the Unforgivable Curses to brewing harmful or poisonous potions to breeding Dark creatures such as Basilisks, and its practise is generally illegal. Practitioners are referred to as Dark Wizards or Witches.

That is the standard definition and I urge you all to remember it and know the difference between that magic which will benefit you and others, and that magic which is an abomination to perform! I will teach you about this dark magic not for the purpose of you learning how to perform because if I catch any of you attempting to do so, I will see to it that you will be expelled from this school. I teach you about the Dark Arts for the purpose of learning how to defend yourself against it. How are you to know what to fight against if you don't know what it is, ja? First you will learn of the Dark Magic, then you will learn how to combat it. And I don't know who well you pay attention in your other courses, but to not do so in this class might very well cost you your very existence one day.

For your homework tonight, students will read Chapter One of the texts and write to me their own thoughts and theoretical approaches to defending oneself against the Dark Arts. I do not ask for perfection as this is the first day, but I do ask for your thoughts and theories to be sound. Any attempt at giving amusing answers on this assignment will result in failure. That goes for any other assignment as well.

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Gutentag, class. Today's lecture will be on Antonin Dolohov's Curse.

Dolohov was one of the original Death Eaters who served under You-Know-Who. Though convicted of his crimes of torture and sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban, he escaped during the mass breakout prior to The Second Wizarding War.

The curse was a fairly simply, but deadly one. With a slashing movement of his wand, Dolohov conjured a deadly purple flame to strike his target. The effects of the curse cause internal damage as opposed to external. It is believed that this curse, and Dolohov himself, were responsible for the death of the great R.J. Lupin during the Battle of Hogwarts. Fortunately, Dolohov was eventually defeated by Filius Flitwick and returned to Azkaban where he now lives out the rest of his days if the poor fool has not died already.

Anyway, on to the important part- how to defend oneself against the Antonin Dolohov Curse. As the famous Harry Potter discovered in fight with Dolohov, the Curse can be countered with a simple Shield Charm. There may be other ways to counter it, but given the simplicity of that charm, i strongly recommend you use that should you ever encounter one who knows it. Unfortunately though, the incantation of the curse is unknown and therefore it is only recognizable by the purple flame, which gives one little time to counter.

Tonight, I want you all to learn more about Antonin Dolohov. You will find his full biography in Chapter Two, along with a number of questions to answer. I expect the questions to be on my desk by the beginning of the next class.

Au revoir, students.

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Gutentag students.

Today's lecture is the first of three on the Three Unforgivable Curses, and that is the Cruciatus Curse. However before I begin, I will give you some general information on these three curses. They are called Unforgivable because to perform them will earn you a life sentence in Azkaban. The only exception to this is if one commits them under the influence of the Imperius Curse, which we will discuss next class. The Three Unforgivable Curses are the most dark and evil spells once can perform, and to do so also almost automatically brands you as a Dark Magic User.

Now then, for today's discussion- The Cruciatus Curse... or Torture Curse. The curse was first used in the Middle Ages and declared unforgivable in 1717. The incantation for the curse is Crucio. It causes the victim intense and unspeakable pain. The curse has been known to cause so much pain that one is driven insane. It has also been known to break Memory Charms.

Regarding defense, there is NO spell that can defend against the Cruciatus Curse. However one can defend themselves by finding refuge behind a solid object. And if one had the strongest of wills, one can withstand the pain until the curse is lifted. If one is lucky enough to do so in time, one can prevent being struck by interrupting the incantation before it is fully said.

For your homework tonight, you are to read about the Imperius Curse, which as I said shall be discussed next time. Please answer all questions at the end of the chapter.

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Today's lecture is the second of three on the Three Unforgivable Curses, and that is the Imperius Curse. However before I begin, I will remind you of some of the general information on these three curses. They are called Unforgivable because to perform them will earn you a life sentence in Azkaban. The only exception to this is if one commits them under the influence of the Imperius Curse, which again we will discuss in this class. The Three Unforgivable Curses are the most dark and evil spells once can perform, and to do so also almost automatically brands you as a Dark Magic User.

Now then, time for today's discussion; The Imperius Curse. When cast successfully, it places the victim completely under the caster's control, though a person with exceptional strength of will is capable of resisting it. This makes it unique among the unforgivable curses, as it is the only one of them with a known, reliable (depending on the victim's will) method of resistance. The curse's incantation is Imperio.

Unlike other Unforgivables, to be cast under the Imperius Curse is a calming and almost pleasant experience. It is not until you have found out what you've done while under it that you feel pain and regret. The Imperius Curse was invented during the early Middle Ages by dark witches or wizards. The curse was created for the coercion and brainwashing of others into slavery. It was made Unforgivable in 1717.

The Curse cannot be defended against, but it can be resisted with a strong will. There is also a theory can the use of Occulmency can help one resist the Curse.

For your homework tonight, you are to read about the Killing Curse, which as I said shall be discussed next time. Please answer all questions at the end of the chapter.

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Today's lecture is the final of three on the Three Unforgivable Curses, and that is the Killing Curse. However before I begin, I will remind you of some of the general information on these three curses. They are called Unforgivable because to perform them will earn you a life sentence in Azkaban. The only exception to this is if one commits them under the influence of the Imperius Curse, which again we will discuss in this class. The Three Unforgivable Curses are the most dark and evil spells once can perform, and to do so also almost automatically brands you as a Dark Magic User.

Now then, time for today's discussion; The Killing Curse. When cast successfully, it causes instant death. The curse's incantation is Avada Kedavra.

The Killing Curse was invented during the early Middle Ages by dark witches or wizards. The curse was created primarily as a means of quickly and efficiently slaying one's opponent in a duel. It was declared Unforgivable in 1717.

The only known counter-spell is sacrificial protection, which uses the magic of love. However, one may dodge the green bolt or block it with a physical barrier. The Killing Curse, as an "unblockable" curse, cannot be stopped by another spell, except in circumstances of Priori Incantatem, where the caster and his opponent's wands and spells are locked together. An explosion or green fire may result if the spell hits something other than a living target.

For your homework tonight, you are to review all three Unforgivable Curses and complete the two essay questions at the end of the chapter.

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Gutentag, students. Now that we have discussed the Three Unforgivable Curses, we will return to some less discomforting topics... in a sense.

Today our lecture will be about Cornish Pixies:

A Pixie is a small, bright blue mischief-maker, and loves tricks and practical jokes. It is able to fly, and enjoys lifting people up by their ears and depositing them on the tops of trees and buildings, showing incredible strength for creatures of their size. Pixies can only communicate with other pixies; their voices are described as "so shrill it was like listening to a lot of arguing budgies". They bear live young.

In Cornwall in the 17th century, Dymphna Furmage, a witch on holiday, was abducted by pixies. This led to a lifelong fear of them, which drove her to request that the British Ministry of Magic humanely eradicate the pixie species. Her request was declined, and she died in 1692.

The most simple way to defend against such Dark Creatures is to use the Freezing Charm. The incantation is Immobulus.

Tonight, you are to read up on other dark creatures as we will be discussing them in the lectures to come. Our next will be on Gargoyles. Gutentag.

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Gutentag Students. Today's lecture is on Gargoyles.

Architecturally, two distinctions are made between gargoyles: functional ones, whose purpose is to direct water away from the sides of a building through their spouts; and aesthetic garoyles, whose appearance is said by the superstitious to add to their ability to ward off evil. The latter ability is what is relevant to this class, as the gargoyles at Hogwarts are one of our strongest sources of defense against evil spirits and other dark forces.

It should be noted that, whilst some gargoyles, like the Lonely Male Gargoyle, do seem to have some degree of sentience, this is not known to be an innate ability and any noted animation is likely due to magic, such as a charm.

Tonight, you are to read up on other dark creatures as we will be discussing them in the lectures to come. Our next will be on Ghosts.

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Gutentag Students. Today's lecture is on Ghosts.

A ghost is the disembodied spirit of a once-living wizard or witch. Only magical beings can become ghosts. Many ghosts take up residence within Hogwarts Castle. These fleshless spirits were either afraid of death or have some extraordinarily strong connection to the locations they haunt.

They tend to be very sensitive concerning the circumstances of their death, often showing great hesitancy when asked by others how they died.

The Ministry of Magic seems to have at least a degree of power and jurisdiction over ghosts.

Each House at Hogwarts has a patron ghost. Each of these ghosts once belonged to their corresponding House. They apparently serve as a representative to their House, as well as serving the role of messenger or guide to those who are still unfamiliar with the House they were sorted into. It is unknown for how long they may retain this title.

Gryffindor- Nearly Headless Nick

Hufflepuff- The Fat Friar

Ravenclaw- Helena Ravenclaw

Slytherin- The Bloody Baron

While most ghosts are of no harm to we of the living, there are of course malevolent ones, and unlike many other dark creatures they cannot be destroyed. So my advice, students, is should you cross an evil spirit, leave it as soon as possible.

Tonight, you are to read up on other dark creatures as we will be discussing them in the lectures to come. Our next will be on Dementors.

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Note: Lessons will resume in IC January.

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Welcome back, students. We resume our lectures with the next in our Dark Creatures series- Dementors.

A Dementor is a non-being and Dark creature, considered one of the foulest to inhabit the world. Dementors feed off human happiness, and thus cause depression and despair to anyone near them. They can also consume a person's soul, leaving their victims in a permanent vegetative state, and thus are often referred to as "soul-sucking fiends" and are known to leave a person as an 'empty-shell'

The Ministry of Magic employed Dementors as the guards of Azkaban prison, until mid-1996, when Lord Voldemort was sighted in the Ministry, and their defection to his side was realised. The Dementors supposedly led the Death Eaters and Voldemort into the Ministry of Magic. After the end of the Second Wizarding War in 1998, the Ministry was reformed, and Minister for Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt ensured that they were not used by the government again.

There are certain defences one can use against Dementors, specifically the Patronus Charm. Dementors hold no true loyalty, except to whomever can provide them with the most people to feed off. They cannot be destroyed, though their numbers can be limited if the conditions in which they multiply are reduced, implying that they do die off eventually.

(Info Courtesy of Harry Potter Wikia)

Tonight, you are to read the chapter on Erklings, the subject of our next lecture.

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Gutentag students. Today's lesson is on Erklings.

Erklings are elfish creatures, three feet tall on average (making them larger than gnomes) with pointed faces, which have a particular affinity for the taste of children. Their high pitch cackles are particularly entrancing to children, and they use this to lure them away from their guardians to eat them. These creatures also enjoy shooting darts at unsuspecting victims. Originating from the Black Forest in Germany, the difference between this creature and many others is that they can speak Human-language. (Harry Potter Wiki)

Most defensive spells can be used to defeat these creatures, and fortunately their attacks have been greatly reduced since 1927.

That is all for today.

(This is the end of the Dark Creatures Series.)