Tyche's Notes: Chapter One: Classifications of Magic
Part One: Classifications of Magic
Magic is primarily divided into four basic categorizations: Spells Magic, Ley Magic, Potions Magic and Runic Magic. Most magical people have a particular affinity with one of these four. It is not uncommon to be naturally proficient at two. It is a rare individual that is born with a natural and innate talent at three or four. Those who are inevitably wield more magical strength and power than their peers.
Imagine then, that the magical strength of a witch or wizard is similar to a table. The height of the table (or level of strength) is dependant on not only how high the table legs are, but how balanced they are against each other. A wizard who is extremely proficient at Ley Magic but not the other three will never be magically strong. His body will innately attempt to keep the balance of his "table" by stunting his Ley talent to stay within reach of the other three classes of magic. This phenomena known as Blocking, and it is theorized that it is the body's natural defence mechanism to keep an overbalance of power from mental or physical harm, as it also can occur in direct relation to trauma.
It is important, therefore, when one is attempting to build magical strength to focus efforts upon the classes of magic that one is inot/i talented at. Just as with muscles, a proficiency can be made stronger with calculated practice and use. Blocking is often blamed on puberty as it frequently coincides with that period of life, when children are in school and learning how to use and control their magic.
LEY MAGIC:
Ley Magic is the act of a witch or wizard manipulating the magical conduits of themselves or the world around them directly, rather than altering them with runes, spells, or preparation. Often referred to as "Earth Magic" or "Elemental Magic," Ley Magic is most closely associated with the disciplines of Healing, Herbology and Divination. Ley magic is often used in conjunction with runic magic as well to divert or "create" new magical conduits.
Meridians are the lines of magic found in a being (human or not) that are manipulable. Often very closely related to the nervous system, they can be used to heal or relieve or stimulate physical sensations. They are also often "read" in forms of divination such as when using Crystal Ball implements or Chiromancy. In rune casting magic, the being selecting runes makes their choice unconsciously relying on their Meridians, whilst the "reader" interprets using runic magic.
Unlike any other classification of magic, proficiency in Ley Magic nearly always requires a certain level of physical fitness as well. Because one is often using their own Meridians to influence the Meridians, Chakras or Ley lines around them, their own need to be in good condition to do so correctly.
Chakras are specific points in a being where Meridian lines converge and create points of particular importance and power.
Ley lines, for which the classification is named, are similar lines of magical power and energy running through the earth itself, plants, or sky. Many of the larger ones tend to align with tectonic plates, but not all. It is not known if one caused the other or vice versa. These can be used stimulate or halt growth, read in some forms of divination (such as astrology) and are what implement makers use when they create wands, staves, crystal balls, or magical jewelry. It is extremely common for magical places to be built along or on them. In Britain some obvious examples are Diagon and Knockturn Alleys (Diagonal-Ley and Nocturnal-ley). Paris also boasts a strong magical community along Reve Alley (Reveal or Dream Ley).
Sacred Sites, also called "Places of Power" are like Chakras of Earth ley lines. Often the magic is concentrated so strongly that even Muggles can feel that the place is "Special." Monuments and cities are commonly built on them by both peoples. Famous examples are Stonehedge, Avalon, Luxor, Chichen Itza, Angkor, Temple Mount, Hagia Sophia, and many, many more.
POTIONS MAGIC (AND ALCHEMY):
Potions Magic is the act of a witch or wizard combining a series of components in a particular order and imbuing it with magic to create a substance with magical properties. The substance is unsupported thereafter by the witch or wizard and will work effectively on anyone afterwards-including Muggles and Squibs.
A potion must be imbued with magic by its brewer-it is impossible for a Muggle or a Squib to brew a potion. The magic involved, however, differs from the other three categorizations in that it does not usually require active concentration on the magic itself. While Spells, Runes and Ley magic all require the mage to focus on their magic, Potions Magic requires the mage to focus on the components themselves. The magic is then imbued nearly unconsciously. Due to this, it can be difficult to improve one's "talent" at Potions Magic. It is possible to improve one's timing or attention, but it requires an incredible self-awareness to actually improve imbuement.
Because of the difficulty involved, many consider Potions Magic to be something one is either good at or not. This is not strictly true, as was proven by Chinese Potions Mistress Wei Su Lin. Considered a potions revolutionary, Su Lin hypothesized and proved that by using meditation and studying one's own magical essence (See Ley Magic), one could actually provide more acute focus in one's imbuement. She was, however, also mad and not diligent or clear in her note-taking. It is likely a great deal of her initial discoveries are lost forever to history.
The elements used in potion making are properly called components-never "ingredients." It is generally one of the first lessons taught in first year potions. Components can consist of many different things, both magical and not, and often must be harvested or prepared a specific way to create a working potion.
Potions can be sub classed in two different ways. Either by application or by purpose.
By application:
Droughts are taken orally. Examples of droughts are Pepper-Up or Headache Reliever.
Balms are applied topically. Examples of balms are Sleakeazy's Hair Potion or Burn Salve.
Vapours are inhaled, typically in gaseous form. Examples of vapours are Digglewort's Decongestant or many of the banned poisons and recreational hallucinagins. Vapours are often side effects of more common potions, as well.
By Purpose:
Elixirs effect a being or object physically. Examples of elixirs are Hiccoughing Remedy Polyjuice, Tincture of Pain-Relief, and Draught of the Living Death.
Philters effect a being mentally or magically. Examples of philters are Felix Felicius, "love" potions of any kind, or Dreamless Drought.
ALCHEMY: is considered a subset of Potions Magic, but it is more accurately a mixture of Potions and Ley magic. The general opinion of most potions masters and mistresses is that it should be considered a separate category entirely. It is a separate mastery, and the typical potions master or mistress is not necessarily well versed in it.
Alchemy is the act of combining components and imbuing them with magic like a potion, but instead of creating an altering substance, the substance itself is altered. An alchemical item may still have magical properties (such as the Philosopher's Stone), but it is more commonly a component or non-magical item itself. Subsets of Alchemy are magical metallurgy (the most famous is creating gold from a less valuable substance), and compound components (creating non-magical elements that may be used to create a magical potion).
Nicolas Flamel's Philosopher's Stone is famous for not only its magical metallurgical properties, but also for being a chief component in Elixir Vitae. Perhaps the most famous elixir, Elixir Vitae is unique in that it is also a philter. It is one of the very few potions that affects the drinker both mentally (extending memory life and warding off dementia/senility) and physically (cell regeneration-providing a near-immortal existence).
It has not been proven whether or not a drinker of Elixir Vitae is truly immortal of death by old age or not, as the only known drinkers chose to discontinue the use of the potion and die. The oldest known partaker of Elixir Vitae is Nicolas Flamel himself, who died by choice at age six hundred and sixty-five.
RUNIC MAGIC:
There are three primary ways to use Runic Magic:
Casting: Casting rune stones is a form of divination entailing tossing balanced stones (often semi-precious) engraved on one side with the runes-usually on a marked board called a livet kart (translation: Life Map). Depending on where on the board they fall and whether they are face up or face down can inform the caster of pertinent knowledge to the situation at hand. Another method of Casting Rune Stones is by having a subject chose a pre-selected number blindly themselves. The subject's own personal Ley Magic contributes on their end, making "Rune Casting" a joint discipline. In this case even the stones that land face down have a particular meaning. There is no such thing as a blank rune. If you buy a set of rune stones that includes a "blank" rune stone, throw it out. The whole point of a rune is that it's there. Any Rune Caster who knows what he or she is talking about will tell you the same, whether a muggle fortune teller or a wizard/witch.
Laying/Drawing: More commonly, Runes can be "laid" or "drawn" into rune lines. This would imbue said object or area with the intent and representation of the rune lines. For instance, a baby might be blessed with a rune line drawn on their forehead in oil, or a Rite (see Spells) might include the placement of runes or rune lines to ground them. Rune lines that are continuous around an area or that are connected by lines of power (either spell lines or ley-lines) are called Wards. Wards are thus considered primarily Runic Magic, though like all more powerful forms of magic, they are really a combination of classes.
It should be noted that like all forms of magic, rune lines cannot simply be drawn by anybody. The layer must be a wizard or a witch (preferably one with Runic talent), and they must be consciously imbuing their rune or rune line with magic. It is quite possible (and very common) for a magic user to practice drawing runes and rune lines without the use of magic. Therefore, not all rune lines that one might see are automatically magical. There are two ways to draw a rune:
In Negative: Each rune can also be drawn "in negative" (mirror image) which effectively reverses their meaning. However, it is important to note that drawing a rune in Negative does not make it mean the same thing as the rune that holds balance in opposition. Usually, it will reverse the meaning in a strictly "monkey's paw" and horrifying sort of way. One may draw a rune that means "weakness" or "illness" in negative, but that does not mean that the rune now represents strength or health. It may now mean preservation to the point of stagnation, or it may mean lack of ability to suffer/numbness. To draw health and vitality, it is a much better option to instead draw the actual runes or combination of runes that represent these qualities.
In Minor/Major: It is also possible to draw runes with or without emphasis. A rune drawn in minor, means "in a general sense". For example, if one were to draw a rune representing suffering in minor, it would represent suffering in general as a whole. It might be used as part of a ward to bring general unhappiness to a trespasser, or it may be used in a more complicated line to actively repel unhappiness or suffering.
In contrast, a rune drawn in Major has a very specific meaning or is attached to a specific person. The same rune drawn in Major might be used to specifically bind a trespasser of the ward rather than general ill feeling, or to specifically target only one person. Many older wizarding homes, for example, include protection wards drawn in Major, so that the wards are tied specifically to family members of that bloodline.
Another example would be that some Runic Wizards and Witches will have a grand master tattoo runes in Major on them to imbue them or their magic with traits of that rune. It is illegal to have this done by anyone without a grand mastery, and one must also seek the permission of the Ministry to do so, as such things can go horribly awry and are permanent.
Compound Runes: Compound runes-or collapsed runes as they are sometimes known-is when two or more runes from either the same or separate runic alphabets are combined along common lines to create new runes.
Glyph: A pictograph used to represent something (as a Rune), but not strictly or technically a rune as it is not an official member of a written language. They are used most often in warding. They are typically created by Runic Masters/Mistresses for an express purpose or ward, and should only be used if they are taught specifically by their creator, as they can have esoteric and complex meanings.
Warding: Primarily considered Runic Magic, warding is actually a combination of both Runic and Spells or Ley Magic. A ward is a line of power (usually a spell, but sometimes a ley line) anchored into a solid surface by runes. One would create a ward by drawing two runes or rune lines (or more) and "bridging" the space between with said line.
The weakest point of the ward, where a person would want to attack if trying to break through, is the center of the bridge. Therefore, the closer the runes or rune lines are together, the stronger the ward is. The strongest form of a single ward would be a continuous, unbroken line of runes or rune lines around a room or area. These, however, would take a lot of time to create and are uncommon. The weakest, on the other hand, is a single straight line (perhaps crossing a doorway or window) anchored by a single simple rune on either side.
Hogwarts is rather famous for its wards as it has (unbeknownst to most of its inhabitants) an anchoring rune on every stone it is built with. The entire castle is literally buttressed and encased in protective wards, making it not only the most secure location in the UK, but one of the most secure locations in the world.
Wards can be made more difficult and complicated a number of ways. You can make a more difficult ward by layering two or more on top of each other, placing the anchoring runes in the center of the wards beneath it. This way it can be confusing as to how many wards there really are, and where the true center of each layered ward is. If one does discover the right place, it is more difficult to break since the weakest point of one ward is the strongest point of the other.
Another way to complicate a ward is to use more than one runic alphabet in the anchoring rune line. A person may recognize one alphabet, but not another, thus making the ward unclear to them. It is difficult to inactivate a ward subtly that you do not understand. This is the primary reason behind the field of Curse Breaking requiring a N.E.W.T. In Ancient Runes.
Runic Alphabets: The most common ones are the Elder Futhark (Nordic) and the Ogham (Celtic) Runes, both of which can be googled by muggles. :-) Egyptian hieroglyphs and ancient Chinese Characters also fall into Runic categories, though both "alphabets" are so numerous that it is considerably more difficult to learn to use them correctly.
Arithmancy: Runes and glyphs are also used heavily in Arithmancy alongside numerology to form Arithmantic Matrices. By utilising both numbers and runes, an Arithmancer can depict and quantify for different elements of this form of magical probability than by using numerology alone. Taking Advanced Arithmancy requires an O.W.L. in Ancient Runes.
SPELLS MAGIC:
Spells Magic is when a wizard or witch directly influences something by channelling their magic through a spell. They can be performed verbally or not and implemented or not. Spells are most commonly performed aloud and aided by an implement such as a wand or (more commonly in Eastern culture), a staff. Spells tend to be classified as either "dark" or not in varying levels, depending upon the general intent of the spell. However, it should be noted that the vast majority of spells are actually neutral and can be used for either purpose. Their classification is primary contextual.
Spells typically will fall into one of three general categories:
The Charm: The charm is a superficial and simple spell, temporary to the point where many only exist as long as their caster is paying attention to them. A charm that is set up to last with minimal tending will still dissipate on their own after a time, depending upon the strength of a casting. The charm is by far and large the most common spell to be found. Examples include most household "magicked" chores, charmed quills, chocolate frogs, and cosmetic charms. If the spell is considered of "dark" intention, it is called a Jinx rather than a Charm. Technically, the Cruciatus would be classified as a Jinx, due to the castor's need to concentrate throughout its duration. However, because of its nature, it has gained the misnomer of "Curse."
The Enchantment: An enchantment is officially labeled as "semi-permanent," meaning any spell that has to actually be counter-spelled to undo, rather then eventually just falling apart on their own. This type of spell will also dissipate if the caster dies or experiences extreme trauma. Many spells that fall in this category often start bleeding into other classifications of magic as well. Transfiguration, for example, is a mixture of using an item or creatures ley lines (see Ley Magic), and ensorcelling it into a semi-permanent state of something else.
Summoning and Conjuration also are a mixture of Ley and Spells magic, and thus are often taught in advanced transfiguration classes, despite being an entirely separate subject. Most minor wards are a mixture of enchantment spells and runes (see Runic Magic). An example of a purely Spells enchantment would be the spell laid on chameleon and invisibility cloaks, or on translation amulets. Arthur Weasley's flying automobile, broomsticks, and three out of the four quidditch balls would be ensorcelled items. If the enchantment is considered of "dark" intention, it is then properly classified as a Hex. The Imperious Curse has also been misnamed, as it is technically a Malediction, or Hex.
The Rite: A Rite is a permanent spell-almost always including other classifications of magic-and cannot simply be dispelled or counter-cursed. A Rite must actually be broken down or through. Often the destruction of a Rite or Curse results in the destruction of the original item involved.
Rites are found most commonly as architectural stabilizing spells and major wards. Another good example of a Rite is a Soul Binding (either to another person-almost unheard of since ancient times-or to an animal familiar.) A five year study of Gringotts Bank once revealed that there are over 17,500 Rites (including Curses) on the premises, many of which have been in place since before the building itself was established. If the Rite is considered "dark" intentioned, it is called a Curse. Of the three unforgivable "curses," the only one that actually is a Curse is Avada Kedavra. Another example of a true Curse is the Necromantic spell used on Inferi, or the Obliviate Spell.
A/N: If you found these interesting, I'd love to hear from you. Obviously, these notes are pretty detailed and deviate from canon on several points, so I am not expecting everyone to agree with me and my head-canon. I do not begrudge you that disagreement. However, I do NOT appreciate flaming or yelling because my head-canon is not the same as canon. Especially after I have taken pains to mention several times (including a warning) that I am aware that what I've created here is not canon. It's kind of the fun of fan-fiction that we can build on an existing world to our liking after all, isn't it? Cheers, love, and hope you enjoy-Tyche
Table of Contents To Be Continued...