30 Jun 2020, 18:25
Uncovering the Truth
If Jack had thought the Illegibility Charm was complex in its subtly, the Revealing Charm was somehow even worse in ways he couldn't have predicted.
For one thing, while he thought the General Counter-Spell might have been the 'cure-all' to fix, undo, or stop all others, it turned out this was not the case. Apparently, the Dancing Feet Spell, as a charm, could be stopped with the General Counter-Spell. However, some spells, such as the jinx known as the Jelly-Legs Curse, only seemed possible to stop with a specific counter-jinx to end its effects. Jack would have thought that the Dancing Feet Spell and the Jelly-Legs Curse would have been similar enough in effect, but evidently the fundamental nature of said spells were different which was why one was classified as a charm and the other as a jinx or curse. He would have to look up the difference between the terms 'jinx' and 'curse' later, as that was a whole other can of worms he didn't feel like opening just then.
The reason why this knowledge was pertinent was because although the Slytherin had thought that the Illegibility Charm had no specific counter-spell required to undo it, he had learned that the General Counter-Spell might not have been the best charm to reverse the effects as it could have made it worse instead. This was because, as he read more, Jack discovered that the Illegibility Charm seemed to have at least two counter-spells to properly reverse or undo its effects. Deciding to write things out so as not to get confused, he took a fresh sheet of parchment in order to note down what he had discovered.
The Illegibility Charm was likely one of several charms under the category of Concealing Charms, which were spells that used magical means other than Invisible Ink to hides secret messages in parchement. Though Jack wasn't sure what other charms other than the Illegibility Charm could be found under that category, it seemed there were more, but he only had to worry about the one he'd learned already because that, as far as he knew, was the only one taught to Hogwarts students as part of their Charms cirriculum.
However, the umbrella term of Concealing Charms was not to be confused with the umbrella term of Concealment Charms - charms that were used not only to conceal things from view (presumably more than just messages in parchment) but also to 'obfuscate inherent magical properties of objects'. Jack had no idea if Concealing Charms overlapped with or fit under the category of Concealment Charms, but he assumed the latter. If that was the case, then that made the Illegibility Charm both a Concealing and a Concealment Charm. Perhaps once he reached second year, more light would be shed on the matter, whether with further reading or through more class lectures. He would have to actually pay attention to those once the subject came up. For now, however, there were more urgent charms, terms, and categories to differentiate from each other.
Perhaps most confusing of all to the redhead was the difference between what was called the 'Revelio' Charm and the 'Revealing' Charm. At first he had thought that the spells both meant the same thing, as in the Charms class cirriculum for year 2, the Revealing Charm was said to be 'Revelio'. However, other books that Jack looked into suggested that the Revealing Charm was supposed to be the spell known as 'Aparecium', leading Jack to believe that there were not one, but two revealing charms.
However, this turned out not to be the case either. Jack found himself mentally curisng the wizards and witches who decided to officially name such charms without considering the nuances of the terms they were using, especially because technicalities, details, and nuances in words and the English language were things that Jack took very seriously. He and his idolized Trickster archetype took great joy in taking advantage of what others did not pay attention to, twisting words and meanings depending on the numerous ways they could be taken. For performing spells and magic, however, such flexibility was not as appreciated; at least not by Jack, who believed spell-casting (at least in the way they were learning it as Hogwarts students) to be more of a precise artform.
The problem was this: though both 'Revelio' and 'Aparecium' were considered the Revealing Charm, Revelio was simply called the 'Revelio Charm' to differentiate it from 'Aparecium' because the two spells were used for entirely different purposes. While 'Revelio' was used to reveal 'concealed objects, messages, invisible things, and passages', 'Aparecium' was used to reveal secret messages that were written, whether they were made illegible with invisible ink, hidden markings, or 'other means such as Concealing Charms'.
Therefore, while books that included both 'Revelio' and 'Aparecium' labeled them both as 'Revealing Charms' rather than as a singular title for one or the other, 'Aparecium' seemed to be specifically for undoing magic under the Concealing Charms category (consisting exclusively of charms that affected written messages) whereas 'Revelio' was a broader spell that seemed able to undo a larger variety of spells that could have been found under the Concealment Charms category. Naturally, that made 'Revelio' the more useful Revealing Charm to learn between the two, but as noted in one of the books, it was also likely more considerably difficult even for a second year student at Hogwarts to learn than 'Aparecium' might have been.
Deciding to reveiw what he had learned so far just to remember it better, Jack wrote the following:
With that done, Jack concluded that even though the charm 'Aparecium' seemed more specialized as a spell to undo the effects of 'Illegibilus', 'Revelio' seemed the better option to learn. Even though it would be more difficult, it could not only accomplish what 'Aparecium' could, but more, which made it worth the extra effort of learning. Furthermore, 'Revelio' was the Revealing Charm taught at Hogwarts to second year students as the superior Revealing Charm.
Taking a moment to ponder why there was only one Engorgement Charm and one Shrinking Charm but several different kinds of Concealment, Concealing, and Revealing Charms, the boy soon came to his own conclusion. The wizarding world remained a well-kept secret for good reason. It only made sense they would have to be more adept at concealing their magical secrets from the numerous muggles and the muggle world at large by continuously inventing and perfecting ways to keep evidence of their own world unknown.
Pleased with his research and newfound knowledge, the Slytherin got to work on learning the specifics of how to perform the Revealing Charm known as 'Revelio'. Once he thought he had memorized everything necessary, he turned back to the scrap of parchment that he had previously written his name on and performed the Illegibility Charm on so that he couldn't read it.
"Revelio," he called, pointing his wand at the writing on the parchment before a blue light shot out to engulf it. Once the light faded, no other change appeared to occur. However, upon attempting to read the words on the parchement once again, Jack found that he was actually able to this time. He smiled, happy with his academic accomplishment...right up until he realized he was going to have to try to figure out how to explain the whole thing to Ruka.
Well, Ruka was smart and a second year. Perhaps, if the Gryffindor took notes or recall the lesson from Professor Vernatis' class, he would be able to tell Jack if Concealing Charms were a subclass of Concealment Charms or not.
For one thing, while he thought the General Counter-Spell might have been the 'cure-all' to fix, undo, or stop all others, it turned out this was not the case. Apparently, the Dancing Feet Spell, as a charm, could be stopped with the General Counter-Spell. However, some spells, such as the jinx known as the Jelly-Legs Curse, only seemed possible to stop with a specific counter-jinx to end its effects. Jack would have thought that the Dancing Feet Spell and the Jelly-Legs Curse would have been similar enough in effect, but evidently the fundamental nature of said spells were different which was why one was classified as a charm and the other as a jinx or curse. He would have to look up the difference between the terms 'jinx' and 'curse' later, as that was a whole other can of worms he didn't feel like opening just then.
The reason why this knowledge was pertinent was because although the Slytherin had thought that the Illegibility Charm had no specific counter-spell required to undo it, he had learned that the General Counter-Spell might not have been the best charm to reverse the effects as it could have made it worse instead. This was because, as he read more, Jack discovered that the Illegibility Charm seemed to have at least two counter-spells to properly reverse or undo its effects. Deciding to write things out so as not to get confused, he took a fresh sheet of parchment in order to note down what he had discovered.
The Illegibility Charm was likely one of several charms under the category of Concealing Charms, which were spells that used magical means other than Invisible Ink to hides secret messages in parchement. Though Jack wasn't sure what other charms other than the Illegibility Charm could be found under that category, it seemed there were more, but he only had to worry about the one he'd learned already because that, as far as he knew, was the only one taught to Hogwarts students as part of their Charms cirriculum.
However, the umbrella term of Concealing Charms was not to be confused with the umbrella term of Concealment Charms - charms that were used not only to conceal things from view (presumably more than just messages in parchment) but also to 'obfuscate inherent magical properties of objects'. Jack had no idea if Concealing Charms overlapped with or fit under the category of Concealment Charms, but he assumed the latter. If that was the case, then that made the Illegibility Charm both a Concealing and a Concealment Charm. Perhaps once he reached second year, more light would be shed on the matter, whether with further reading or through more class lectures. He would have to actually pay attention to those once the subject came up. For now, however, there were more urgent charms, terms, and categories to differentiate from each other.
Perhaps most confusing of all to the redhead was the difference between what was called the 'Revelio' Charm and the 'Revealing' Charm. At first he had thought that the spells both meant the same thing, as in the Charms class cirriculum for year 2, the Revealing Charm was said to be 'Revelio'. However, other books that Jack looked into suggested that the Revealing Charm was supposed to be the spell known as 'Aparecium', leading Jack to believe that there were not one, but two revealing charms.
However, this turned out not to be the case either. Jack found himself mentally curisng the wizards and witches who decided to officially name such charms without considering the nuances of the terms they were using, especially because technicalities, details, and nuances in words and the English language were things that Jack took very seriously. He and his idolized Trickster archetype took great joy in taking advantage of what others did not pay attention to, twisting words and meanings depending on the numerous ways they could be taken. For performing spells and magic, however, such flexibility was not as appreciated; at least not by Jack, who believed spell-casting (at least in the way they were learning it as Hogwarts students) to be more of a precise artform.
The problem was this: though both 'Revelio' and 'Aparecium' were considered the Revealing Charm, Revelio was simply called the 'Revelio Charm' to differentiate it from 'Aparecium' because the two spells were used for entirely different purposes. While 'Revelio' was used to reveal 'concealed objects, messages, invisible things, and passages', 'Aparecium' was used to reveal secret messages that were written, whether they were made illegible with invisible ink, hidden markings, or 'other means such as Concealing Charms'.
Therefore, while books that included both 'Revelio' and 'Aparecium' labeled them both as 'Revealing Charms' rather than as a singular title for one or the other, 'Aparecium' seemed to be specifically for undoing magic under the Concealing Charms category (consisting exclusively of charms that affected written messages) whereas 'Revelio' was a broader spell that seemed able to undo a larger variety of spells that could have been found under the Concealment Charms category. Naturally, that made 'Revelio' the more useful Revealing Charm to learn between the two, but as noted in one of the books, it was also likely more considerably difficult even for a second year student at Hogwarts to learn than 'Aparecium' might have been.
Deciding to reveiw what he had learned so far just to remember it better, Jack wrote the following:
Categories:
- Revealing Charms - reveals both Concealing and Concealment Charms
- Concealment Charms - conceals objects and their magical properties
- Concealing Charms (a subclass of Concealment Charms?) - conceals writing
Charms:NOTE: This spell is taught at Hogwarts and presumably more difficult to master than the less useful 'Aparecium' Revealing Charm.
- 'Illegibilus' - a Concealing Charm (and perhaps also considered a Concealment Charm?) which renders writing illegible by making it difficult for the mind to read the charmed writing (without changing the appearance of the writing itself)
- 'Revelio' - a Revealing Charm that reveals concealed, hidden, and invisible objects, messages, and passages as well as the true appearance of someone or something who has had their appearance changed or altered by magical means (such as Concealing Charms, Concealment Charms, Invisible Ink, and more)
NOTE: This spell is not taught at Hogwarts and presumably unnecessary to learn if one is able to master the more difficult 'Revelio' as a Revealing Charm instead.
- 'Aparecium' - a Revealing Charm that reveals writing which has been made unreadable by magical means (such as Concealing Charms, Invisible Ink, and more, though perhaps not all if any Concealment Charms)
With that done, Jack concluded that even though the charm 'Aparecium' seemed more specialized as a spell to undo the effects of 'Illegibilus', 'Revelio' seemed the better option to learn. Even though it would be more difficult, it could not only accomplish what 'Aparecium' could, but more, which made it worth the extra effort of learning. Furthermore, 'Revelio' was the Revealing Charm taught at Hogwarts to second year students as the superior Revealing Charm.
Taking a moment to ponder why there was only one Engorgement Charm and one Shrinking Charm but several different kinds of Concealment, Concealing, and Revealing Charms, the boy soon came to his own conclusion. The wizarding world remained a well-kept secret for good reason. It only made sense they would have to be more adept at concealing their magical secrets from the numerous muggles and the muggle world at large by continuously inventing and perfecting ways to keep evidence of their own world unknown.
Pleased with his research and newfound knowledge, the Slytherin got to work on learning the specifics of how to perform the Revealing Charm known as 'Revelio'. Once he thought he had memorized everything necessary, he turned back to the scrap of parchment that he had previously written his name on and performed the Illegibility Charm on so that he couldn't read it.
"Revelio," he called, pointing his wand at the writing on the parchment before a blue light shot out to engulf it. Once the light faded, no other change appeared to occur. However, upon attempting to read the words on the parchement once again, Jack found that he was actually able to this time. He smiled, happy with his academic accomplishment...right up until he realized he was going to have to try to figure out how to explain the whole thing to Ruka.
Well, Ruka was smart and a second year. Perhaps, if the Gryffindor took notes or recall the lesson from Professor Vernatis' class, he would be able to tell Jack if Concealing Charms were a subclass of Concealment Charms or not.
Word Count: 1464 words
PC: Jack Burnett | iNPC: Ginyami Midorimori
30 Jun 2020, 18:58
Uncovering the Truth
Jack Burnett has successfully learned the Revealing Charm (or Revelio Charm as he so clearly stated many times in his RP) "Revelio".
Artemis Vernatis
Professor of Charms