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Saraian

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Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 4:01 am

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection
by Prof. SF. J. Delacour

Working Title: Dark Magic: A Guide to Self-Preservation
Author: Professor Sophie-Fleur Julliette Delacour
Written: Nineteen-thirteen
First Published: Eighth October Nineteen-thirteen
Edition: Eighteenth
Published Title: The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection
Practicality: Excellent - Ninety-three percent (Sept. 1988 - Board For Magical Education - Summerbee Committee)
Theoretical coverage: Excellent - Ninety-eight percent (Sept. 1988 - Board For Magical Education - Summerbee Committee)
Field coverage: Great - Eighty-eight percent (May 1985 - Ministry of Magic - Aurors Office)
Field Application: Good - Seventy-two percent (May 1985 - Ministry of Magic - Aurors Office)

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

"The Dark Arts are many, varied, ever-changing and eternal. Fighting them is like fighting a many-headed monster, which, each time a neck is severed, sprouts a head even fiercer and cleverer than before. You are fighting that which is unfixed, mutating, indestructible.

Your defences must therefore be as flexible and inventive as the Arts you seek to undo."

Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 4:03 am

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection - Prof. SF. J. Delacour
Introduction - 'The Dark Arts'

The Dark Arts
The Dark Arts differ from other forms of magic in the intent of the wizard using it. Most magic is relatively neutral--it can be used for bad or good. Some magic, however, is evil in its intention through and through. Spells of this kind are often called curses. Curses are spells that are often intended to cause harm to another person. This intention to do harm places that spell into the realm of the Dark Arts. However, simply casting a Curse spell doesn't mean that a person is using the Dark Arts. Ultimately, the deep, true intention of the caster is what makes the difference.

The Dark Arts are those magical spells and practices that are usually used for malicious purposes. The Arts themselves stem from the worst impulses in human nature (for example, a sadist would be proficient in the Cruciatus Curse, which involves torturing a victim). Practitioners are referred to as Dark wizards or witches. The most prominent of these is Lord Voldemort, whose followers, known as Death Eaters, practice the Dark Arts while doing his bidding.

They also appear to be the most common form of magic used by criminals, while dangerous spells used by others in the books are frequently labelled Dark. In magical duelling, for example, there are any number of spells that may be used to attack, immobilise, or disarm an opponent without causing pain or lasting harm; however, spells such as the Cruciatus Curse or Sectumsempra, judged to be Dark by reliable authorities, actually wound or seriously distress a victim in some way.

The motivation of the caster affects a spell's result. When cast by figures such as Lord Voldemort, who desire to inflict serious pain and damage, it causes intense agony that can last as long as the Dark wizard desires. Use of Dark Magic can corrupt the soul and body; such magic has been used by Lord Voldemort in his quest to prolong his life and obtain great power.

In the Wizarding world, use of the Dark Arts is strongly stigmatised and even illegal; however, these spells are prevalent enough that even before the rise of Lord Voldemort, many schools, (including Hogwarts), taught Defense Against the Dark Arts as a standard subject. Techniques include anti-curses and simple spells to disable or disarm attackers or fight off certain creatures.

This is a difficult distinction to make in many cases. However, understanding the difference between acceptable and Dark magic is of key importance for witches and wizards in training, which is why Defence Against the Dark Arts is such an important class for students at Hogwarts. Some other schools have a reputation for teaching the Dark Arts, not simply Defence Against the Dark Arts; Durmstrang is such a school.

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Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 5:17 am

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection - Prof. SF. J. Delacour
The Dark Arts - 'Dark Magic'

Dark Magic
Typical Dark Magic spells are called curses. There are offensive spells that shoot out of a wand like a gun; curse energy causes physical damage to things it hits besides the magical effect. Hexes and jinxes are lesser spells that adversely affect the target. As mentioned above, these spells are not necessarily Dark Magic. The intention of the caster is what actually makes the difference.

A jinx is a spell cast to cause damage or other negative effect. A jinx is similar to a curse, but typically not as powerful or cast with such negative intention. Jinxes are part of defensive magic. A jinx is removed or undone by a counter-jinx. Defenses against jinxes are called "anti-jinxes." Some jinxes are also referred to as hexes.

Dark Magic is more than simply curses, however. Magic that involves tampering with the free will of another person (e.g., the Imperius Curse), torturing another person with almost intolerable pain (e.g., the Cruciatus Curse), or which kills another person (e.g., Avada Kedavra) would be considered Dark Magic indeed. Voldemort spent years in magical research into ways of becoming immortal. This pursuit is also an example of Dark Magic, presumably because it tampers with the natural order of things.

Albus Dumbledore refers to Petrification as "Dark Magic of the most advanced kind"

The Unforgivable Curses are the most powerful and sinister spells known to the wizarding world, and are tools of the Dark Arts.

Three curses in particular are known as Unforgivable because using them on another human being can result in a life term in Azkaban. These three curses were used extensively by Voldemort's followers during his rise to power in the 1970s, and their use by Aurors against suspects was in turn authorized by Bartemius Crouch sr. at that time. One, the Killing Curse, was used by Voldemort himself on Harry Potter, but the curse backfired and Voldemort was defeated.

Since the curses are very powerful, their use requires a strong desire and great skill to bring about the effects.

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Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 5:47 am

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection - Prof. SF. J. Delacour
Dark Magic - 'Jinxes, Hexes and Curses'

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Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 6:02 am

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection - Prof. SF. J. Delacour
The Dark Arts - 'Dark Magic Items'

Dark Magic Items
Dark Magic items are magical artifacts that contain sinister, dangerous magical powers. Some, like the Hand of Glory, simply give light, but are obviously created using evil magic; a Hand of Glory actually uses a real human hand, for example. Other Dark Magic items are cursed, like the opal necklace in Borgin and Burkes. Horcruxes are in a category of their own.

Like anything else, books can be enchanted or even cursed with dire results for anyone who reads them. The books kept in the Restricted Section of the Hogwarts Library are dangerous because they contain information about Dark Magic. These books are only read by older students who are studying advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts; a signed permission slip from a teacher is required to read any of those books.

Some way down Knockturn Alley at number 13B lies Borgin & Burkes, the most notorious of the alley's shops, which specializes in "objects with unusual and powerful properties", and particularly items that are both "unusual and ancient". The shop is quite large, dusty, and dimly lit, with a large stone fireplace, and is known to be frequented by families like the Malfoys. Its proprietors, Mr. Borgin and Caractacus Burke, are smooth talkers known to buy magical objects for much less than they're worth, and sell them for far more.

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Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 6:22 am

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection - Prof. SF. J. Delacour
Dark Magic Items - 'Horcruxes and Creating Horcruxes'

Horcruxes
A Horcrux is: 'the receptacle in which a Dark wizard has hidden a fragment of his soul for the purposes of attaining immortality'

Horcruxes are indeed a matter involving very advanced, very Dark magic. Only one book in the Hogwarts library has been found to refer to them even in passing, the subject is banned at Hogwarts, and only two of the most senior professors on the Hogwarts staff are known to have any information on the topic: Albus Dumbledore and Horace Slughorn. Most of our information on Horcruxes comes from them.

The term "Horcrux" is used to refer to any object in which a person has concealed a part of his or her soul. The object need not be inanimate; according to Dumbledore, a living creature can be used as a Horcrux, although it is risky to do so since the Horcrux in such a case is something that can move and think for itself, independently of the implanted fragment of soul.

The purpose of a Horcrux is to protect the given bit of soul from anything that might happen to the body of the person to whom the soul belongs. While the Horcrux is kept safe, the person will continue to exist even if his or her body is damaged or destroyed.

Creating Horcruxes
To create a Horcrux, by definition the spell-caster must have split his or her soul into fragments, so that one fragment can be implanted within the Horcrux while the other is retained in the spell-caster's own body. The act of splitting the soul is accomplished by committing murder, which rips the soul apart.

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Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 6:27 am

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection - Prof. SF. J. Delacour
Dark Magic Items - 'Dark Item Tabulation'

Artifact

[ A ]
-

[ B ]
Blood Quills

Books

Books

[ C ]
-

[ D ]
-

[ E ]
-

[ F ]
Flesh-Eating Slug Repellent

[ G ]
-

[ H ]
Hand of Glory

[ I ]
Items from Borgin & Burkes

Items from Knockturn Alley

[ J ]
-

[ K ]
-

[ L ]
-

[ M ]
-

[ N ]
Necklaces

[ O ]
-

[ P ]
Poisonous Candles

[ Q ]
-

[ R ]
-

[ S ]
'Sonnets of a Sorcerer'

[ T ]
-

[ U ]
-

[ V ]
Vanishing Cabinet

[ W ]
-

[ X ]
-

[ Y ]
-

[ Z ]
-

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Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 6:29 am

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection - Prof. SF. J. Delacour
The Dark Arts - 'Dark Creatures'

Dark Creatures
Dark creatures differ from other animals in several important ways.

* They are magical in nature.
* They often do not have a complete life cycle the way a typical animal would but exist simply as a physical extension of an evil intention.
* They seek actively to harm, often for no other reason than that's what they do (i.e., not for reasons of sustaining their own lives).

Dark creatures are not animals. They are actually another form of magical being. Fantastic Beasts refers to many of them as "demons," not in a religious sense, but because it describes a key aspect of them all: they exist to actively do harm and damage. This harm is different from the harm that, say, a manticore would do, since the manticore would be attacking someone to eat them. In other words, it is a predator and that's what predators do to survive.

Dark creatures, on the other hand, aren't animals. They don't have life cycles in the same sense that normal animals have. They attack for the sake of hurting someone, not simply to eat. The Red Caps are a great example. They bludgeon unususpecting travellers so that they can use their blood to stain their cloth caps red. It doesn't give them food, it doesn't allow them to reproduce, they do it purely out of nastiness. One way of thinking about it is to say that they are a physical embodiment of an evil, harmful intent. And if you think about the essence of magic being intent, Dark creatures are a physical embodiment of Dark Magic.

The lines do get blurry, surely. But even werewolves fit this description. Most of the time they aren't Dark creatures, but when they are, they attack people with the intention of passing the disease on to others or kill them.

As for the pixies, they aren't Dark creatures. They're simply magical creatures with a rude attitude.

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Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 6:39 am

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection - Prof. SF. J. Delacour
Dark Creatures - 'Dark Bestiary'

Beast
(Origin)
[Ministry rating]

[ A ]
-

[ B ]
Banshees
(Ireland and Scotland)
[unknown]

Basilisk
(unknown)
[XXXXX]
Basilisk-breeding has been outlawed since medieval times and in the present day falls under the Ban on Experimental Breeding, but this law has rarely been broken even by Dark wizards, since only a Parselmouth can control a basilisk.
"Of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land, there is none more curious or more deadly than the Basilisk, known also as the King of Serpents. This snake, which may reach gigantic size and live many hundreds of years, is born from a chicken's egg, hatched beneath a toad. Its methods of killing are most wondrous, for aside from its deadly and venomous fangs, the Basilisk has a murderous stare, and all who are fixed with the beam of its eye shall suffer instant death. Spiders flee before the Basilisk, for it is their mortal enemy, and the Basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is fatal to it."
Only the Phoenix is immune to the basilisk's deadly gaze.
Apart from its specific magical powers and long lifespan, many of the characteristics of the basilisk follow naturally from its being a serpent. Like more mundane serpents, the basilisk sheds its skin at intervals, and its varied diet is typical of the larger snakes, which tend to pursue larger and larger prey according to their own size and capabilities. The basilisk's skin has the same armor characteristics as dragon skin, leaving its eyes and the inside of its mouth as its only vulnerable points.>

Boggart
(unknown)
[unknown]
"the monster under the bed".>

[ C ]
-

[ D ]
Dementors
(Azkaban)
[XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX]
<"Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth. They infest the darkest, filthiest places, they glory in decay and despair, they drain peace, hope, and happiness out of the air around them. Even Muggles feel their presence, though they can't see them. Get too near a Dementor and every good feeling, every happy memory will be sucked out of you. If it can, the Dementor will feed on you long enough to reduce you to something like itself...soul-less and evil. You will be left with nothing but the worst experiences of your life".
They feed on positive human emotions; a large crowd is like a feast to them. They drain a wizard of his powers if left with them too long. They are the guards at Azkaban and make that place horrible indeed. There are certain defenses one can use against Dementors, specifically the Patronus Charm. A Dementor's breath sounds rattling and like it's trying to suck more than air out of a room. Its hands are "glistening, grayish, slimy-looking, and scabbed". It seems to exude cold.
A Dementor's last and worst weapon is called the Dementor's Kiss. The Dementor puts back its hood and clamps its jaws on the mouth of the victim and sucks out his soul, leaving him an empty shell, alive but completely, irretrievably "gone".>

[ E ]
-

[ F ]
-

[ G ]
Grindylows
(Britain)
[XX]

[ H ]
Hags
(Worldwide)
[unknown]
"fairy tale witches". Hags are wild in appearance, and they have been known to eat children.>

Hinkypunks
(unknown)
[unknown]

[ I ]
Inferi
(unknown)
[XXXXX]

[ J ]
-

[ K ]
Kappas
(Japan)
[XXXX]

[ L ]
-

[ M ]
-

[ N ]
-

[ O ]
-

[ P ]
Pogrebin
(Russia)
[XXX]

[ Q ]
-

[ R ]
Red Caps
(unknown)
[XXX]

[ S ]
-

[ T ]
-

[ U ]
-

[ V ]
Vampires
(unknown)
[unknown]

[ W ]
Werewolves
(unknown)
[XXXXX]
A werewolf comes into being when a person is bitten by another werewolf. Once this happens, the person must learn to manage the condition. Modern potion-making has come up with a draught called Wolfsbane Potion which controls some of the worst effects of the condition. Wolfsbane Potion is quite difficult to make, even for fully qualified wizards, and is said to have a rather disgusting taste. Nothing will completely cure a werewolf, unfortunately.
A werewolf can be distinguished from a true wolf physically by several small distinguishing characteristics, including the pupils of the eyes, snout shape, and tufted tail.
A werewolf when transformed is a fearsome beast indeed. All trace of human awareness is gone and the werewolf will attack any witch or wizard, including the werewolf's best friends. This transformation is triggered when the moon is full, although there is some evidence that a werewolf who is taking a regular regimen of Wolfsbane Potion will not transform until the moonlight actually strikes him.>

[ X ]
-

[ Y ]
-

[ Z ]
Zombies
(unknown)
[unknown]

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Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 7:02 am

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection - Prof. SF. J. Delacour
The Dark Arts - 'Glossary'

[ A ]
-

[ B ]
-

[ C ]
-

[ D ]
-

[ E ]
-

[ F ]
-

[ G ]
-

[ H ]
-

[ I ]
-

[ J ]
-

[ K ]
-

[ L ]
-

[ M ]
-

[ N ]
-

[ O ]
-

[ P ]
-

[ Q ]
-

[ R ]
-

[ S ]
-

[ T ]
-

[ U ]
-

[ V ]
-

[ W ]
-

[ X ]
-

[ Y ]
-

[ Z ]
-

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