Harry Potter and the Boy Who Lived

Chapter 17: The Rising Storm

Welcome to Warding
Professor Kosarev's Office, Sept 9th

"Come in."

Pushing the door open, Harry Potter walked briskly into his professor's office, a contemplative look on his face.

"Have a seat, Mr. Potter. Would you care for something to drink before we begin?" Kosarev asked, pleasantly.

"No thank you, sir." Taking a seat in front of his professor, Harry withdrew his wand and waited patiently.

Kosarev nodded. "Very well. First, what do you know about warding?"

"Very little," Harry admitted. "I was rather busy studying the magic you suggested over the summer, and you recommended I not look into warding without discussing it with you first."

"Good," Kosarev said, sounding very pleased. "You will find, Mr. Potter, that most books have their own theories and ideas about what warding is and how to accomplish it. If you have read ahead, I might have to beat the wrong assumptions out of your head, and that would take time we really do not posses."

"Warding is a very intricate – some would say delicate – form of magic. It requires a very keen and patient mind to successfully cast a ward. The opposite, of course, is true for curse or ward breaking. Strength of will and brute force can often be the most efficient means to tear down a ward, provided you can muster the power and intent behind the spell to over-power the intent behind the ward."

"But we are drifting away from the main point of the lesson, aren't we?" Kosarev asked rhetorically. "I suppose the first thing you must learn about wards is what they are and what they do. A ward is simply an enchantment that is placed on an object, building, person, area, etc. They have different effects, to redirect, confuse, befuddle, protect..., you get the point. In all likelihood you've already mastered spells that do similar things. Can you think of any such spells, Mr. Potter?"

"The Protego charm," Harry said. "It protects a person for a brief period of time."

"Excellent," Professor Kosarev said, "Yes, the shield charm is remarkably similar to a protective ward. In fact, it might be best if we use another example so that I don't confuse you. The shield charm shares numerous similarities to protective wards. Tell me, Mr. Potter, what is the difference between say a Notice-Me-Not charm and an aversion ward?"

"The way the spells work?" Harry ventured a guess. "A Notice-Me-Not Charm causes someone to avoid noticing an area while an aversion ward makes someone not want to be there.

Kosarev smiled. "True. However, not quite what I was looking for. The primary difference, Mr. Potter, is in the duration and the adaptability of the aversion ward compared to the Notice-Me-Not Charm. You see, Mr. Potter, a ward is a permanent enchantment that must be broken down to cancel its effect. A simple finite can cancel a Notice-Me-Not charm."

"But the shield charm has to be broken down," Harry said. "Does that mean it's a ward?"

"The shield charm is not technically considered a ward since it is not an enchantment. Should you enchant a basic shield charm onto something, then it would become one of the most basic protective wards; however, you'll find that simple Protego wards are very uncommon."

"Why's that, sir?" Harry asked, curiously.

"There are a series of protective wards that are much more effective, and not much more difficult to cast. The most common shield spell to protect buildings or a group of people is Protego Horribilis. Like the standard shield charm it can be cast by someone as both a charm and a ward; however, it requires a bit more force of will to cast than your standard Protego. "