There are four steps to spell creation." I idly remarked, my stolen wand waving around in a random pattern as four words rapidly filled up on the board behind me, my gaze locked onto the steadily growing class of students.
Unlike the previous times, professor Sprout had decided to join Flitwick and McGonagall- What had started off as them monitoring me had quickly settled into genuine interest on their behalf.
More than that however were the newcomers- From former Hogwarts students who recently graduated to someof the research assistants.
Needless to say, the room had been magically expanded.
"The first," I continued on pointing my wand up at the word, the seal at the back of my head twitching uncomfortably, already showing off the signs that I would soon need a slightly more powerful replacement. "Unsurprisingly, is the idea behind it." While the assistants were taking the class seriously, judging by their constant notes throughout them, I could tell there were hints of boredom in some of the older years. "It's not exactly difficult for an idea to come to mind, given I am sure at least some of you have brain cells." I snorted. "But in truth, it's not that simple." My gaze settled on the flock of students passively for a moment.
"See, the idea itself has to have some form of a foundation- By which I mean you have to have a reason for it." My words earned some hints of interest from some of the recent graduates. "You can't just magic up a new spell just because you want to, there are magical rules to it."
I waved an arc above my head and watched as several examples come to life.
"Generally speaking, personal experience, loss, need and overall trauma are all pretty good foundations for your magic to accept whatever idea you want to come to life." I paused for a moment. "Of course, if someone has enough knowledge regarding a specific field, they could forego the need and reason behind it to an extent, but whatever spell they end up with won't be anywhere close to as powerful or useful as intended."
I lowered my wand down for a moment and scoured the multitude of different gazes staring at me- Most of them, from the younger years, we're very interested in what I had to say, while recognition and to my surprise relief seemed to fill the older ones.
"Of course, wizards and witches creating spells isn't the only form of spell creation there is, but I'll get to that one in a bit."
Judging by the irritation flowing through the class, I had a good feeling they wanted me to get into it now.
"The second step, as I am sure you can imagine, is knowledge." I removed and replaced the words up until now with the term. "And no, I don't mean the knowledge you possess- Given you're trying to create a new spell, I am rather hoping you do in fact have some." Chuckles and rolled eyes were their responses. "No, I mean the knowledge your magic gains from what you're trying to do. Or what you want to happen. With every cast of your spell, every change made, your magic slowly but surely condenses it into the target spell you're looking for." Confusion, unsurprisingly, was the majority response. "By that, I am referring to an extra added incantation, perhaps a different word altogether, a new wave of your wand etc- It doesn't matter. Spell creation, at least properly, doesn't happen overnight but is a rather continued process of trying out and adding new little tidbits until the spell you're left with works to your expectations."
Someone raised their hand.
I already knew what they were going to ask.
"Magic does in fact understand the changes you might make." The hand wavered. "So long as you yourself do. If you were to use a different translation of a word, your magic is going to use the same. If you were going to use a different wave of your wand, your magic is going to conceptualize it into your spell- A throwing hex can change direction according to the wand wave, and a transfiguring spell can change the variant of a species according to the origins of the word used. An Australian word will give you an Australian variant of a creature etc." I paused for a moment.
"But in the end, it all comes down to the knowledge you possess, because magic while obscenely flexible in what it can do, can only use what it's offered to work. It's a fail-safe as much as it is a reason for one to expand their knowledge to avoid putting a hole in a town because you wanted a bigger earring."
"...Are you speaking from experience?" James questioned with a pointed look from the front.
I shrugged at him.
"Step number three," I remarked with a grin. "Is conceptualization. Which well, is quite frankly self-explanatory. It's the previous two steps coming to fruition- With the added effect of your magic locking it down into a set unpatented spell." I pointedly looked towards a very curious Snape. "The reason the step's important, however, given it's just the first two combined? Is that once the concept goes through- It sticks. If anyone else decides to use your spell after, the intended result of the casting will almost always favor the one the creator wanted. There are exceptions, however- And most of them surround the fourth step. Belief." I shrugged without a care.
"Which is essentially aging for magical spells. The more someone believes in something, the more... Effective it becomes." I considered my next words for a moment. "Of course, the longer the same belief is held- We're talking yearsbetween a multitude of people- The more powerful it becomes."
Most of the class seemed to notice the sudden change in atmosphere. The younger years looked a tad more intrigued, while worry and wariness settled into the older ones.
The research assistants didn't bat an eyelid.
"Take the Killing Curse for example." Groans, amusement, and sighs were their responses. "Does anyone here know where the incantation for the spell originated from? Which wizard created it?" A single beat passed. "The answer may surprise you."
Unsurprisingly, the students all effectively gave the same answer.
Dark wizards and witches.
They were wrong.
"In the early middle ages," I began, promptly taking a seat on the chair provided beforehand to avoid having me summon one from another classroom. "A certain superstition rose up amongst muggles. That magic and all of its sources and causes were evil, destructive, and all-around terrible to be a part of." A single beat passed. "Of course, the fuckers didn't know what they talking about and just wanted a common enemy but that part's not important."
I snorted at the sheer look of exasperation and irritation that filled the room.
"What is important is the incantation for the Killing Curse." I paused for a moment as I gently laid the wand down on my lap. "Avada Kedavra." The words unsurprisingly earned flinches all around. The three professors themselves looked moments away from objecting or ending the class as it was. "Originated from a muggle superstition called Abracadabra." Unsurprisingly, the muggle-borns in the room were the ones to react to it.
The younger ones found it amusing, while wariness filled the older ones.
"In this day and age, you say that word to any muggle you pass by and they'll immediately link it to the art of magic, to the art of spell casting, wizards, and witches. To fantasy, if you will." I shrugged. "Ask any mudblood here." I shrugged. "They'll tell you the same thing-"
I took in a deep breath.
"The important part is... How is it that a spell known for killing in one end of the world, somehow refers to a harmless non-existent artform meant for show and entertainment in a children's party in another?"
I let the words stew over the classroom for a moment.
The three professors, barring Sprout stopped indicating they wanted to Twitter cancel me out of sheer interest.
"That's actually quite simple- And rather sad in a way." I shrugged. "See, the spell itself did originate in the middle ages... But it wasn't intentional, nor was it likely even created by a wizard or witch. Let alone a dark one."
I idly noted the fact that even the research assistants seemed to have paused as they stared at me with bemusement.
"The original translation or the closest one there is to it is- Avra Kehdabra, it's an Aramaic phrase meaning "I will create as I speak,""
Bemusement filled most of the room.
Wariness left some of the older muggle-borns expressions as a disturbed look took over instead for some reason at my words.
McGonagal specifically was the first one to get it.
"It was a term that held belief in a way. To wizards and witches, it was an easy form of achieving whatever they might've needed in the short term, from food and water, to clothing and resources. But to the muggles, it was a term filled with evil, filled with death and terror given it was as magical as a term could get in their minds."
I let out a sigh.
"It was the most common magical phrase in a time where the belief in it was heavilyleaned towards the muggle side- Because in the end, muggles had their flocks of terrorized mudbloods amongst them whether out of fear or ignorance and in essence accidentally helped that belief along. Essentially, they had both sides on one hand supporting the same belief and notion that it was evil, that it signified terror and death, while on the other side, only one of those holding the belief it was an easy form of magic to deal with your problems."
"Fifty galleons on which one won?" I shrugged. "Either one you choose, you'd still lose, because, in the end, magic chose to compromise and gave us a spell that easily got rid of one's problem. Ie, the killing curse."
I let out another sigh.
"There's a reason it's one of the most powerful spells in the world- It had several centuries' worth of time to develop itself... Ideas sprout, knowledge grows, concepts spread but in the end, it's the belief that settles it." I paused again, looking over the class. "Sometimes the belief that sets isn't the one we're looking for."
I stood up from the seat, my wand flying into my hand.
"It's not the only spell you know? There are so many other kinds that followed down the same path, and in some cases with even more destructive sources and causes."
I waved my wand about, the words propping up not so much as budging the current atmosphere of tense emotions.
"Take Fiendfyre as an example- While it might've avoided the pitfall of having its entire history warped around over a few centuries, it had the misfortune... Or rather I suppose intentional use of two concepts that have existed for a very long time." I paused to let the words simmer. "Fiend. The idea of a demonic being, of monsters, or even freaks of nature and nightmares. Along with the concept of fyre, the oldest concept learned in human history. Use them together... Well, I am sure that spell doesn't need a demonstration." I shook my head. "Whoever did put those two together into a spell, knew exactly what they were doing."
"Mr Black?" One voice echoed out, breaking the sudden silence- Everyone else was still mulling over and, well, freaking out over what I'd just said.
Looking towards one of... Former graduates? I idly gave the wizard a nod.
"You said the Killing curse was one of the most powerful spells in the world..."
I frowned at where he might've been going with this.
Azkaban wasn't going to have a Sirius Black in this timeline, so there was obviously going to be a spot open-
"What's more powerful than instantlykilling someone?" The boy questioned with a frown, genuine fear lacing his voice.
"I dunno, demons sprouting out of fire is a pretty good contender." I snorted before shaking my head. "Truth be told, it's not a matter of how powerful it is but the concept it defines." I waited for a single beat, smiling as the tenseness in the air returned.
"In the end, there is only one concept that humanity as a whole has wholeheartedly believed in, one concept that has effectively survived throughout every age to ever exist." I waved my wand around as the tell-tale word propped up behind me.
"The concept of a secret."
I idly started rearranging some of the dummies I'd had the class use as target practice and put them away, the tell-tale sign of a class ending filtering through to the others.
"in essence, it makes the Fidelius without a doubt the most powerful spell in existence, because without it..." I visibly shuddered. "Oh believe me some of the secrets currently locked away out there, could rip our society apart."
There was a heavy frown on the majority of the class.
McGonagal included.
"Don't get me wrong, the Killing curse is bad, but in the end they only banned it. Mostly as a form to imprison those not willing to conform to society's need not to kill each other... So one can only wonder what they might've considered dangerous enough to hide from the world completely."