Post by Tina on Aug 28, 2017 19:39:51 GMT -5
Special Abilities
Animagi
An Animagus (pl. Animagi) is a witch or wizard who can morph him or herself into an animal at will. It is a learned, rather than hereditary skill, unlike those of a Metamorphmagus. Information on Animagi is taught to Hogwarts students during their third year Transfiguration class.
Only very powerful and skilled wizards are able to become Animagi. The process of becoming an Animagus is long and arduous, and has the potential to backfire and cause the transformation to go horribly wrong. Once the initial training is over, an Animagus can change at will at any time, with or without a wand.
Animagi can only take on the form of one specific animal. This animal form is not chosen by the wizard, but determined by their personality and inner traits. Thus, one's Animagus form is a reflection of one's inner nature. Each Animagus bears an identifying mark on their animal form that is caused by something on their human body. This may be a physical trait like dental structure, or an acquired trait such as glasses.
In addition, an Animagus will appear to lose their clothing upon morphing. The clothing will reappear upon re-establishing the human form. What physically happens to the clothing is unknown. A strong possibility, however, is that the clothing is enchanted beforehand, and will morph/disappear with the person as they do so. Another explanation is for the Animagus to concentrate upon their clothing, which may or may not have inverse effects upon morphing back to their human form. Women cannot morph while pregnant.
Legilimens
Legilimency is the act of magically navigating through the many layers of a person's mind and correctly interpreting one's findings. A person who practises this art is known as a Legilimens. Laymen sometimes refer to Legilimency as "mind-reading," but practitioners disdain this term as naive. The opposite of Legilimency is Occlumency, which may be used to shield one's mind from the invasion and influence of a Legilimens.
The most advanced Legilimens can perform Legilimency nonverbally and wandlessly, but less talented practitioners must use the incantation Legilimens to enter their victim's mind. If a target is not skilled in Occlumency, a Legilimens will be able to detect if the person is lying, as well as delve into their thoughts, emotions, and memories. Highly skilled Legilimens can also influence a mind that they invade.
Like Occlumency, Legilimency is not taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Metamorphmagi
A Metamorphmagus (pl. Metamorphmagi) is a witch or wizard with the ability to change his or her physical appearance at will, rather than requiring Polyjuice Potion or a spell like the rest of the wizarding population. They are extremely rare.
Unlike Animagi, Metamorphmagi can take a wide variety of forms, changing sex and age, potentially looking like anyone at all, or even just changing a part of their appearances, such as the shape of their noses.
Also, a Metamorphmagus is born, not made; it is not a skill that can be learned. There also seems to be a degree of heritability, though Metamorphmagi can be born to non-Metamorphagi. The ability presents very early in life. Like many other types of magic, a Metamorphmagus' abilities are affected by his or her emotional state. The person's appearance at any moment will often reflect the emotion the person is feeling at the time. Strong emotions, such as shock or depression, can affect their abilities to the point of having trouble using them at all.
Occlumens
Occlumency is the act of magically closing one's mind against Legilimency. It can prevent a Legilimens from accessing one's thoughts and feelings, or influencing them. A person who practises this art is known as an Occlumens.
The most basic form of Occlumency involves clearing one's mind — making it "blank and empty" — in order to prevent a Legilimens from perceiving one's emotions and thoughts. More advanced Occlumency involves suppressing only the thoughts, emotions, and memories that would contradict whatever it is an Occlumens wishes a Legilimens to believe; hence, it is not obvious that Occlumency is being used even if the person is lying. It requires a great deal of will power, as with resisting the Imperius Curse, as well as a high degree of mental and emotional discipline. It is also one method of resisting the influence of Veritaserum.
Occlumency is not part of the normal curriculum taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and appears to be a rare and difficult skill.
Parselmouths
Parseltongue is the language of serpents (as well as other magical serpent-based creatures, like the Runespoor) and those who can converse with them. An individual who can speak Parseltongue is known as a Parselmouth. It is a very uncommon skill, and is typically hereditary.
Parseltongue is, when spoken, a hissing sound, similar to that of a snake; as such, normal people cannot understand it. Aside from serpent-based creatures, Parselmouths can communicate with each other with the language. While inherited, Parseltongue usually requires the speaker to face a snake-based creature or object shaped like a snake.
Part - Veela
Veela have been known to marry wizards, although it is unknown whether any have married Muggles. Children of these unions are half-Veela, and they will inherit magical ability from their fathers and beauty and charm from their mothers. Veela traits seem to persist for at least a few generations.
Part-Veela cannot throw fire or transform into harpy-like creatures as their full-blooded relatives can. From their mother, they gain some Veela traits, such as exceptional beauty and the ability to entrance men supernaturally.
Seers
A Seer is a gifted wizard or witch who has the ability to see into the future with their Inner Eye. Seers predict prophecies, which are then recorded and stored in the Hall of Prophecy in the Ministry of Magic's Department of Mysteries.
Werewolves
A werewolf is a human being who, upon the complete rising of the full moon, turns into a fearsome and deadly near-wolf. Werewolves can be easily distinguished from regular wolves by several small distinguishing characteristics, such as the pupils of the eyes, the snout shape, and the tufted tail. At all other times, they appear as normal humans, though will often seem to be ill as the full moon approaches. This condition is caused by infection with lycanthropy, usually occurring when a human is bitten by a transformed werewolf. A werewolf differs from an Animagus in the fact that he or she does not transform by choice. With each full moon the person transforms and no longer remembers who he or she is, and would kill even their best friend given the opportunity. In spite of that, they seem to be able to recall everything they have experienced during the transformation, upon reverting to human form. There is no known cure for either the bite of a werewolf in his wolf-form or the bite of a werewolf in his human form, though the Wolfsbane potion is the only known potion that can in any way make a werewolf less dangerous by allowing him/her to keep his/her human mind during transformation.
Lycanthropy is a magical illness known to be spread by saliva-blood contact; thus, a human bitten by a werewolf in wolf-form will become a werewolf him- or herself. On Firewhiskey and Coke, the werewolf ability can be inherited if the father is a werewolf.
It seems that werewolves, when in their animal state, pose the danger of biting the nearest human being, but not animals. Though they can live otherwise normal lives, on every full moon a werewolf will go through an incredibly painful transformation from a human into a wolf-like creature. They lose the ability to think in a human way, becoming highly aggressive towards humans- even those to whom they are close. Though werewolves usually only infect their victims through biting, they sometimes take it too far and kill their victims.
However, some of the worst effects can be mitigated by consuming Wolfsbane Potion, which allows a werewolf to retain his or her human mind while transformed, thus freeing him or her from the worry of harming other humans or themselves.
Werewolves are generally regarded with fear and disgust by wizarding society. People seem to think even when in human form, the werewolf may pose danger. It is not uncommon for people known to be werewolves to be shunned by society and discriminated against within the wizarding world.
The Ministry of Magic attempts to regulate werewolves. By 1637, there was a Werewolf Code of Conduct, and according to Newton Scamander, werewolves have been shunted between the Beast and Being divisions of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures for years. At one point, the Werewolf Registry and Werewolf Capture Unit were both in the Beast Division, while at the same time the office for Werewolf Support Services was in the Being Division.
Female werewolves cannot get pregnant. Male werewolves can impregnate human women, but the child runs the risk of inheriting the werewolf gene.
Vampires
A vampire is a magical hominid that is well known for biting people on the neck and sucking their blood. They are part of a family of beings known as the Living Dead. Little is known about them, though they have been widely integrated into Muggle literature.
Female vampires cannot get pregnant. Male vampires can impregnate human women, but the child runs the risk of inheriting the vampire gene.