Uncommon Magical Practices

[Admin Sora]

UNCOMMON MAGICAL PRACTICES

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The magical world is large and ever expanding. While we know there are many branches of magic and practices that aren't common knowledge, we’ve never received much information on just how these practices work, or how many there even are. All we've gotten is little hints and hidden mentions... So, to expand on the Alohomora universe and create new and unique plots for characters we will be expanding on the known magical branches, and even creating some of our own. Characters will have the ability to study these particular magical branches, opening up new careers, and new experiences. These magical practices are here purely to open new doors for our members to explore or help answer some common questions on what something is. You don't have to use them, or even look at this if you don't want to. But for those of us that want to help create a world that is magically diverse and fascinating at every corner this is the place to look.

The staff will be adding more magical pratctices as they are completed or discovered. If you have any ideas please message Admin Sora !

PLEASE KNOW: We are always trying to expand on everything here so we will be adding more skills as the ideas come to us or are shared with us! This isn't meant to restrict you, but to establish just what these things can do so that you can play a character in these fields confidently. This is to take out the questions of "What can I do with this?"

[Admin Sora]

HEALING ARTS

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The art of medicine, and healing, has existed for thousands of years and in every culture. From medicine men, to Hedge witches. In the non-magical world they are known as Doctors, Physicians, surgeons. But in the magical? They are often known as simply ‘Healers’.

Healers use spells, potions/elixirs, and enchanted items.

Head Healer: Head healers are considered the doctors, surgeons, etc, of the Magical world. These are the individuals with the training and experience to run a clinic, St. Mungos floor, etc. They are responsible for final diagnosis, designating treatment plans, etc. To become a Head Healer, you must have two years of extensive training/schooling at St. Mungos, PLUS ten years of on the job Healing experience. 

Healers: To become a healer, prospects must complete two years of extensive training/schooling. At the moment, St. Mungos is the only provider of this secondary education so all Healer prospects must work at St. Mungos for a minimum of two years. Healers are considered 'lesser doctors'. While they have in depth training they are only a step above nurses. Healers follow the direction of the Head Healers they are under. Healers are capable of diagnosing and treating minor cases without their Head Healer's authorization, but not serious/life threatening cases.

Nurses: To become a nurse, prospects must complete six months of training/schooling. At the moment, St. Mungos is the only provider of this secondary education so all Nursing prospects must work at St. Mungos for a minimum of six months. Nurses are the medical assistances. While they themselves are more familiar with healing magic/potions/elixirs/etc than the average person they do not have the same level of knowledge and training as healers or head healers. Nurses are responsible for running tests, and tasks for the Healers, and overall comfort of the patients. In some cases, they can be tasked with the treatment of patients, but only when directed to do so by the Head Healer.

HEALING CAPACITIES

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Healing spells and potions/elixirs are considered to be the most intricate and challenging form of magic in existence. They are able to knit together muscles and flesh, regrow organs, bones, and limbs, cure the most lethal of poisons and illnesses... Magic is able to heal every non-magical ailment known to man in the blink of an eye. Broken bone? Just give them a few seconds and you’ll be good to go! Caught some fatal illness? You’ll be feeling like your old self before you know it! Even regrowing a bone or organ takes only a matter of hours!

Healing Magic Challenges:
While magic can heal all non-magical ailments, that is not always the case for magical ailments. How it is healed, if it can be healed, etc, depends entirely on the cause of the magical ailment.

HEALING NECESSARY SITUATIONS

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Dark/Forbidden Arts:
Magic classified within the Dark Arts can leave lasting, and sometimes irreparable damage. One particular example is Mad-Eye Moody, who lost an eye an a leg due to powerful jinxes. Due to the dark magic used, neither were able to be re-attached or regrown. Whether the Dark Arts can be healed though does depend on the level of the spell. Low level jinxes and curses won’t cause long term damage. Higher level Dark Arts though can be extremely destructive and irreparable. Regardless of level, the dark arts do not prevent alternative healing methods from being used. Please refer to Magical Prosthetics for further information.

Dental:
Yes, dental. Just like in the muggle world, dental work does exist in the magical. Often times, dental magic is considered cosmetic magic, and depends on the individual on if they will seek magical treatment for whatever their dental needs. Magic is able to regrow, repair, shrink, and realign teeth with ease. In fact, it is very common for a Magical Dentist, or a Healer with extensive dental experience, to be onsite at sporting events due to the high chance of teeth being knocked out.

Magical Accidents:
From potion failures to spell backfires, sometime magic just screws up and you get hurt in the process. One great example of this situation is Gilderoy Lockhart and the backfire of his memory charm. When it comes to magical accidents it depends on the strength of the accident. Small scale magical accidents, such as anything you might learn at Hogwarts, is reversible/reparrable. It can take several days, to fully recover, but students are rarely taught anything that could leave lasting damage. High end magic, potions, etc, though, can very much so be irreparable. Again though, alternative methods do exist and are elaborated on under Magical Prosthetics.

Magical Creatures/Plants:
All magical creatures and magical plants contain some semblance of magic, even if they never manifest any magical abilities. Because of this, damage caused by magical creatures and plants requires special healing methods to repair, but is repairable except in a few very rare cases. The more powerful the magical creature or plant, the stronger the magic/elixirs/etc must be to heal. Magical Creatures and plants can, of course, still kill Wizards if magical treatment is not sought within a timely manner.
Exception: Werewolf damage can be irreparable depending on the lunar cycle. Being bitten by a werewolf on the full moon will cause the victim to become a werewolf themselves, and there is no known cure. If you are attacked by a werewolf up to five days before, or after, a full moon there will be permanent scarring, and victims may develop lycan like tendencies (preference for rare meat, anger management problems, and bursts of energy at night).

Magical Illness:
There are magical born illnesses in the world. One of the most common magical illnesses is Dragon Pox. But there are many magic born illnesses in the world. There are known cures for many magical illnesses, and thus entirely treatable. Of course, just as many can be treated there may exist some untreatable Magical illnesses. (If you wish to explore a magical illness, treatable or untreatable, please message Admin Sora .)

Mental Magic Damage:
One of the only forms of magic that has no cure, or alternative healing method. The mind in general is quite delicate, and too much manipulation will leave lasting damage. Memories erased via memory charms are not retrievable/recoverable. Witches and Wizards can also be driven mad a number of ways, of which recovery is impossible Some examples of this situation are Neville’s parents, and Gilderoy Lockhart.

Prosthetics:
Some damage simply isn’t reparrable. So, what can’t be fixed can be replaced! Magic is able to do extraordinary things with magical prosthetics. Not just limbs, but also eyes, ears, etc. These prosthetics are fully capable of passing for whatever they are replacing, and function like the part they are replacing. This means that a magical eye replacement will look exactly like a normal eye, and you will be able to see through it. Some individuals may sacrifice the prosthetic’s ability to blend for special magical capacities. One example of this is Mad-eye Moody, who chose to have a special magical eye instead of a normal prosthetic. These sort of modifications to prosthetics do require a specialist, and are thus uncommon. (If you want to have a magically enhanced prosthetic, please reach out to Admin Sora .)

Vision:
Just like in the muggle world, there are healers who specialize in eye care, examination, and repair. We see many instances where individuals do wear glasses. These cases are due to a natural deterioration of sight, and not external damage. For example, those born with poor eyesight(Harry Potter), or their eyesight deteriorates with age(Minerva McGonagal). Now, this does not mean it is not repairable. It is! Just like how lasik exists, the Magical world has its own version. This is considered more cosmetic healing though, so some individuals may choose not to pursue it and instead wear glasses. Damage caused to the eyes though, causing disfigurement or blindness, is either repairable or replaceable depending on the source for the damage. Please see Prosthetics for information on replacement.

GENERAL POPULATION TRAINING

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Adult knowledge
Adults are, if they did not continue their education, limited to the same knowledge as students. Some though that are not in the medical field have learned a few extra tricks though.They are by no means capable of healing serious or life threatening ailments, but many parents, after years of practice, have learned to many non life threatening ailments due to the antics of their children.

Student knowledge
Students at Hogwarts and other Wizarding school are taught the fundamentals of magical healing through Magical First aid courses. These classes only cover the basics, and simplest forms of healing. Even then, healing can be a very complicated art. In the class, students are taught how to heal minor broken bones, brew lesser healing potions, and taught how to identify and use herbs with healing properties.

[Admin Sora]

Dragonology

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There is something about Dragons. Something thrilling and exciting, but also very dangerous and terrifying. While dragons exist in all parts of the world, they are most famous in Europe due to Europe’s dragon species diversity and multiple dragon reserves. You can learn about all the different Dragon species (put link here).

In school, young witches and wizards are taught about the different Dragon species in Care of Magical Creatures. They use Dragon hide gloves in Herbology. Sometimes they even use Dragon goods in Potions. In the adult world, Dragon goods are expensive, but popular. From protective gear, to clothing, to Quidditch gear, to potion ingredients, and more. Dragons are studied by Dragon keeps, and kept in Gringott vaults as added protection. Whether people realize it or not, Dragons play an important role in Wizarding society.

There are many paths one might take, both legal and illegal, when it comes to working with dragons.

DRAGON RELATED CAREERS

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Dragon Egg Smuggler - ILLEGAL
Dragons are extremely dangerous creatures. Despite that, some people have made a business out of stealing and selling dragon eggs. Dragon eggs have many uses. Some stubborn witches and wizards might wish to try and keep them as pets (terrible idea), other wealthy customers might want them as a sign of their wealth, even Gringotts has been known to blur the legality line by purchasing dragon eggs with the intent of using them to guard some of their vaults. Possessing dragon eggs (without Ministry approval) is a serious offense and could earn someone a stay at Azkaban prison.

Dragon Goods Merchant - LEGAL/ILLEGAL
Dragon goods is a lucrative business. There are an endless amount of uses when it comes to dragons as a whole. From their blood (there are 12 known uses, discovered by Albus Dumbledore), hide (often used as protection), bones (often used in divinations), etc. A Dragon Goods Merchant is the person to visit if you need anything dragon related (legally, of course.). Even the meat is sold in shops such as this. Dragon meat is particularly popular among the more carnivorous races (Giants, part giants, werewolves, individuals with werewolf tendencies, goblins, part goblins, etc.). Selling Dragon goods requires special permits and licenses, which are acquired through the Ministry’s Licenses and Permits office.

Some sellers prefer to work on the black market though, to avoid any Ministry taxes, or to sell products that are not legally sellable such as goods from endangered species or illegally obtained dragon goods. There is quite a market when it comes to illegal Dragon goods.

Dragon Hunter - LEGAL
Dragon hunters are legally permitted to hunt, and kill dragons, with the intent of supplying Merchants with Dragon goods and control dragon populations. Dragon Hunters are contracted by the local Governments of where they work. Dragon’s have no natural predators except other dragons, as such populations would be uncontrollable if it weren’t for Dragon hunters. Some Dragon reserves that are particularly susceptible to overpopulation (such as the MacFusty reserve due to the Hebridean Black’s huge territory.) even contract a full time Dragon Hunter to maintain the reserve’s population restrictions.

Dragon Keeper - LEGAL
Dragon Keepers are individuals trained to maintain the many Dragon reserves. Dragon Keepers are researchers of a sort, observing and recording dragon behavior, but also act as the first line of defense in keeping dragons from hurting wizards or muggles. Dragon Keepers are not trainers though and they do not interfere with the Dragons unless human life is in immediate danger. Instead, Dragon Keepers maintain the Dragons’ natural habitat and territory so that they may live normal dragon lives. If they do their job right, the dragons will never even know of their existence.

There are four main Reserves in Europe that are run by Dragon Keepers. Those reserves are:
Romanian Dragon Sanctuary - Several species of dragons can be found here. This is where Charlie Weasley worked.
MacFusty Dragon Reserve - Located in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The MacFusty clan has maintained this reserve for hundreds of years. Home to the Hebridean Black.
Snowdonia Dragon Reserve - Hidden in mountains of Wales, home to the Common Welsh Green.
Sweden Reserve - This reserve has grown in ‘infamy’ due to its location falling in the path of the annual broom race. Home to the Swedish Short-Snout.

Dragon Poacher - ILLEGAL
Poaching is a notorious business, and quite dangerous in regards to Dragon Poaching. Dragon poachers often get their wares (which they sell to Dragon Goods Merchants, both legal and illegal.) from Dragons outside the safety of Dragon reserves. Since Dragon Keepers can not interfere with the Dragons unless human life is in danger, they cannot force dragons to remain on the reserves, or force dragons onto a reserve. Dragon poaching exists in all regions of the world.

Dragon Trainer - ILLEGAL (special job requiring IC shop purchase.)
Many believe that all species of Dragons are too uncontrollable, and incapable of being trained to any capacity. They are partially right. Most species can’t. But there are two species in existence that are just docile enough that some degree of training is possible. The Antipodean Opaleye (native to New Zealand), and and the Common Welsh Green (native to Wales). Though please note, ‘training’ is a loose term. Dragons can not be fully controlled, no matter how docile its nature. Conditioning is a better term. Through repetition, skilled individuals can teach dragons to react certains ways, depending on a established condition. We see such an example in the Deathly Hallows, in which a Dragon was conditioned to expect pain when it hears a certain sound, thus making it shrink back and permit workers to walk past safely. Most likely it was an individual in this career that conditioned the Gringotts’ Dragon.

Dragon Training is a highly illegal act, and been outlawed for generations. Despite this fact though, entities like Gringotts have managed to avoid Ministry action by a treaty established hundreds of years ago. On this treaty, Goblins agreed to manage Gringott’s Bank for the Ministry, but only on the terms that Ministry law ended at the Bank’s doors. To put it another way, the Ministry can not force Gringott’s bank to do anything, as it is does not fall within the Ministry’s Jurisdiction.

[Admin Sora]

THE DARK ARTS

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The Dark Arts. Highly misunderstood, extremely dangerous in the wrong hands, and socially inappropriate to openly practice in many parts of the world. In the United Kingdom the Dark Arts are heavily persecuted. When it comes to banned magic, most are found somewhere in the Dark Art spectrum. The Dark Arts have become linked with dark witches and wizards, and society has come to believe that only those seeking wrong doing practice these forms of magic.

Despite this strong affiliation with the cruel, the Dark Arts aren’t necessarily ‘evil’. Modern society has come to identify any practice that isn’t socially acceptable as a dark art. Even practices that used to be common place in generations past.

Some of the harshest laws in the Wizarding World are linked with practicing the Dark Arts. Anyone caught practicing dark magic can face hefty fines (if it is minor), or time sentences to Azkaban Prison (if committing a more serious transgression). Despite these severe consequences Dark Magic is a common practice in the magical black market.

TYPES OF DARK ARTS

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JINXES, HEXES, & CURSES
The most common Dark Arts. For simplicity's sake, we will refer to these types of spells in three categories: Minor, Major, and Lethal. Some individuals specialize in dark art spells, and are masters of all three of these categories.

Minors jinxes, hexes and curses are common practice among witches and wizards and even students can learn them. One way to view these types of spells is that they are more nuisances than dangerous. Minor jinxes, hexes, and curses are very easy to counter, reverse, and dispel. While you will get in trouble at school for using these spells(because students shouldn’t be using spells on each other in the first place unless it is part of a lesson), there are no real repercussions to their use.

Major jinxes, hexes and curses are where things get serious. These are spells that can cause some serious damage, but thankfully are healable, though it might take some time and work. Students are taught about some of these spells, and NEWT level DADA students are taught some of these spells as they pertain to the subject of advanced DADA, but otherwise these are not a part of the normal schooling curriculum. There can be fines, and prison time if serious enough(a few years max) linked to using these spells on another individual. Basically these spells can be painful, cause quite a bit of damage, but at least you can recover if forced to endure them.

Lethal jinxes, hexes and curses are what they sound like. Lethal does not necessarily mean deadly, though those spells are included. These spells are the ones that cause irreversible damage. The Unforgiveable curses are included in this category. Basically you might ‘recover’ but you won’t be the same when exposed to these sort of spells. Use of these spells on another person is a serious offense and will include prison time.

NECROMANCY
We see evidence of Necromancy in the Harry Potter books, though we aren’t given much information. We do know that you can not reverse death. So true Necromancy isn’t possible. Instead, Necromancy in the magical world is more of a reanimation. So spelling dead bodies to follow your orders.

SACRIFICIAL
Sacrificial magic exists in many cultures. Even in European history, human and animal sacrifices have been, at one point, culturally acceptable. Some examples would be the Celtic druids, and the Vikings. In Europe though, sacrificial magic has been outlawed for generations, and has fallen out of practice.

EXPERIMENTAL BREEDING
While using breeding to create new animal breeds is a common practice in the muggle world, it is not in the Magical. In fact, intentionally attempting to breed different Magical Creatures is strictly outlawed. Hybrid creatures can be extremely unpredictable, and extremely dangerous. As such, anyone caught practicing experimental breeding can face some of the harshest of punishments. Despite the harsh criminal prosecutions, experimental breeding is a very lucrative market.

DARK POTIONING
The illegal and twisted side of potioning. Poisons, potions of neverending nightmares, elixirs of eternal sleep, and more. Dark Potioners don’t always work in the dark arts alone. They can provide perfectly legal services as well, only offering their more… exotic stock to certain clients. This makes illegal potioning extremely difficult to catch in the act because any potioneer is capable of delving into the Dark Arts.

Curse Enchanting
We all know someone has to make all those cursed items! Cursed items are a common product on the black market, and in shops such as Borgin and Burkes. While many cursed items are from centuries past, unearthed by the unsuspecting, item cursing still exists to this day. These individuals can work off of commision, providing cursed objects upon request, or intentionally sell their work to the unwary victim.

More types of Dark Arts do exist, this is just an overview of a few/the types you are most likely to encounter

EDUCATION

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MOST SCHOOLS:
The training young witches and wizards receive regarding the Dark Arts is Defense against the Dark Arts, minor jinxes, hexes, and curses (refer to the section on jinxes, hexes and curses), and at NEWT level major jinxes, hexes, and curses (only as it pertains to advanced DADA). Some classes may cover some Dark Art material, though only as it pertains to the class (for example, the Dark Arts persistently come up in History of Magic.). Any students caught practicing any Dark Arts (that are not mentioned above as being taught) will face consequences, and potential expulsion if severe enough.

DURMSTRANG:
Durmstrang is notorious for not only teaching it’s defense, but also teaching the Dark Arts to its students. These Durmstrang students are taught that all magic has a use, regardless of its classification. Though, quite surprisingly, Durmstrang also instils a strong sense of responsibility in its students, so there are very few incidents involving illegal Dark Arts use from Durmstrang students.

MAHOUTOKORO:
Mahoutokoro on the other hand is extremely intolerant of the Dark Arts. Any sort of Dark Arts practice (including minor spells) can have serious ramifications. It is actually included in the schools robing system. A student’s robes will turn white if they use any sort of Dark Art magic, and this coloration can not be undone. While you won’t be expelled for minor spells, you are disgraced and shunned if your robes turn white. Repeat offenses, or a more serious offense, will lead to expulsion.

DARK ART USES IN THE WIZARDING WORLD

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LEGAL
Some jobs require a specialized knowledge of the Dark Arts. On the side of the law you have Aurors, Hit Wizards, Magical Interpol, healers, etc. These individuals learn about the Dark Arts because they are tasked with countering, or reversing, these spells and practices. The Ministry can also grant individuals special permission to use the dark arts (of any level) to complete a task. Please refer to the (soon to come!) post on Magical Law Enforcement for more information!

ILLEGAL
There has been quite a bit of confusion surrounding individuals classified as ‘Dark Wizards’. So, to clarify, a Dark Wizard is someone who practices any Dark Art. Dark Wizards have become synonymous with ‘evil’, murderers, etc, but those individuals only make up a very small portion of ‘Dark Wizards’. You have potioneers, curse specialists, experimental breeders, etc. These individuals work in the Magical underworld.

[Admin Sora]

MAGICAL LAW ENFORCEMENT

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So, you want to know how the laws are enforced in the magical world! Want to know more about how it's built/functions. Well, here's the place! For an easy, simple answer. We try to keep the magical law enforcement as close to non magical as possible! So you will see many similarities between magical law, and muggle law.

AURORS

Aurors are one of the most widely recognized law enforcement group within the wizarding world. Aurors are, for lack of better words, the magical police force. They enforce magical laws, arrest criminals, stop crime, etc. Aurors are a universally used term by the magical community, so most magical governments will refer to their main police force as "aurors". Aurors keep the day-to-day peace in the magical world. There can be special divisions in an Auror force, just like a police station, where certan aurors can specialize in certain types of crimes. There are even aurors who specialize in combatting dark wizards. Overall, think of them like police.

In terms of numbers, this will be very similar to regular police forces. There is roughly 2 auror to every 1,000 witches/wizards.

Auror training takes 2 mandatory years, and can be quite difficult to pass. Auror training covers a wide variety of subjects, and skills. The most commonly used skills aurors have and are trained in are: Defence Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Charms, and Potions. But to get into the Auror program you must have five N.E.W.T.s of no less than 'Exceeds Expectations'.

HIT WIZARDS

Hit Wizards function similarly to "special ops" or "SWAT". Basically, they are similar to Aurors in some ways but they do not deal with the day-to-day maintenance of order. Instead, Hit Wizards are highly specialized in high risk situations. You will see Hit wizards used in hostage situations, bombs, raids, and hunting down very dangerous criminals. Hit Wizards often times have more leniency in terms of what they are allowed to do "on the job" as their job often requires them to think quickly on their feet and they rarely have time to seek approval for things from higher ups. In other words, if Hit Wizards are called into a situation they are always given the order to stop the situation at any means necessary.

Hit Wizards are fewer in numbers then Aurors, with only 1 Hit Wizard to every 10 Aurors.

Similar to Auror training, Hit Wizards require 2 years of specialized training. They also have teh same N.E.W.T. requirements as an Auror to get into the training program.

MAGICAL INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL POLICE FORCE (MAGICAL INTERPOL)

Magical Interpol is a world run police organization. Unlike Aurors and Magical governments, Magical interpol's jurisdiction doesn't even if you cross a border (unless it's into a country not part of International Confederation of Wizards. Most countries are a part of it, though). Magical Interpol is not like aurors however, in the sense that they don't enforce day-to-day laws. In stead, Interpol enforces international laws. While they may be called in to assist a local government, it is not their primary job. Interpol often works cases in which criminals have crossed borders and either need to be extradited to a country, or when a criminal is "international" (as in operating and committing crimes in more then one country).

Magical Interpol is very small and elite. They're are only around 500-1000 employees around the globe.

Magical Interpol requires similar N.E.W.Ts as Aurors and Hitwizards, and training takes 2 years. In addition, however, Interpol agents are required to speak more then one language (since they operate in multiple countries), and often will learn more languages as they work.

WIZENGAMOT

The Wizengamot is the judge and jury of the magical world. They create, enforce, and change laws. They are also the ones crimes are brought before for judgement. The Magical world does not use a jury the way the US does, however, and is instead the Wizengamot, as a chamber, is your jury. For a conviction, the Wizengamot requires 2/3 of the Wizengamot's votes. They determine, if convicted, waht the punishment for your crime is as well. THey can give out fines, prison time, and even death sentences.

While the Wizengamot does not require any specialized training, it is most commonly made up of former aurors, hitwizards, lawyers, and obliviators as they are the most familiar with magical law (since it was their job to enforce it).

EXECUTIONER

Ah, the executioners. While most crimes in the magical world do not require this individual, the magical world does still believe in the death penalty. So, the Executioner is an individual that is appointed by the Wizengamot to perform these death sentences. The Executioner isn't limited just to wizards, however. They can be called in to put  down dangerous captured creatures and other magical beings in custody. 

There is usually only 1-3 executioners appointed at a time.

No special training is required to be given this position, but executioners must have nerves of steel and undergo intense psychological testing, as their job is surrounded by so much death.

AZKABAN GUARDS

Thankfully, the death sentence is not a common punishment. More often, you will get a fine or prison sentence. If you are given a prison sentence, that's where these individuals come into play. The individuals are in charge of the prison and all prisoners. As Azkaban no longer utilizes Dementors, they play a vital role in day-to-day prison life. 

WHile no special training is required to be a guard, Azkaban guards are often times former Aurors and Hitwizards. Either that wanted a less dangerous occupation, or due to other circumstances are no longer able to work in the field.