Duelling (was: What *are* the Dark Arts?

[Steve Vander Ark]

No: HPFGUIDX 7806

--- In HPforGrownups at egroups.com, "Rita Winston" <catlady at w...> wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at egroups.com, "Steve Vander Ark" <vderark at b...> 
> wrote:
> 
> > No, that would be Charms. That's where they teach Hex-Deflection,
> > for example. Flitwick is a former champion Dueler. Defensive 
magic,
> > as opposed to fighting Evil, is part of the sport of Wizard 
> > Dueling, which is taught in Charms classes. 
> 
> Do you have evidence that Dueling is taught in Charms class, or 
> only logic on your side? You might be right, but I suspect that 
> Dueling is taught not in any class of the curriculum, but in 
Dueling 
> Clubs. 

Dueling per se isn't taught in Charms. The statement I was responding 
to suggested that DADA should perhaps be called Defensive Magic. 
Defensive magic, among other things, is taught in Charms. The reason 
I say that is that they DID study Hex-Deflection in that class in 
GF28. The SPORT of Dueling isn't taught in any class, as you point 
out (although it might give Hooch something to do to earn her 
paycheck between Quidditch matches and the occasional first year 
flying class. She doesn't even take care of the Quittich pitch! 
Hagrid did that in SS/PS!). The magic skills needed aren't simply 
Dueling skills, and they are covered not in DADA but in Charms.

Another note: When the Firebolt was suspected of being hexed, who did 
they turn to to examine it? Fliwick. Why didn't that go to the DADA 
teacher? Because DADA involved CURSES, which are intentional, evil 
attacks on another person. Charms deals with hexes and jinxes, which 
are spells which may have negative effect but which don't have their 
source in evil intent. You can hex or jinx an object to do something 
unexpected, but if you want it to actively seek the destruction of 
person, you need to curse it.

And now that I've worked that all out, JKR will write something that 
will toss all my logic out the window, I just know. But in the 
meantime...

Steve Vander Ark
The Harry Potter Lexicon
(which features a WONDERFUL magic section)
http://www.i2k.com/~svderark/lexicon