Spell of the Month
by Elena Black
Greetings fellow Slytherins! Elena Black here once more and I have yet another spell I'd like to talk about. For this month, I have chosen an incantation that isn't often used. What made it stand out, however, is it is technically deemed to be a curse. However, I've thought long and hard if it truly is or not. Personally, I believe the answer is no. Simultaneously, this is another reason I wound up choosing to discuss this spell for the Spell of the Month Article; to shed some light and allow for you all to contemplate and decide for yourselves.
This month's Spell of the Month is the Gemino Curse.
For those of you who can't immediately recall it, this is the same incantation that was used on the goblets that were placed in Bellatrix Lestrange's vault. As the name suggests, Gemino does indeed duplicate an object. Furthermore, it perfectly matches the original item it was copied, making it next to impossible to distinguish which is the genuine or which is a mere duplicate.
Before I go into the discussion on why this spell may not be as much of a curse as the name suggests, let's get into a bit of the background and such.
The Gemino Curse, also known as the Doubling Charm, was invented by a pair of reclusive witches Helixa and Syna Hyslop. They originally created the spell to create duplicates of various items in their own mansion they resided in their entire lives. After they passed away, their relatives learned about this by finding a duplicated set of hand-written instructions for the spell, one left by each sister respectively. The hand movement for this charm is a mere flick of your wand towards whatever you wish to use the spell on. No light will emit from your wand.
Now then, going off how even the creators used this charm, does it honestly sound like a curse to you all? I don't think so. In truth, I believe that when Harry Potter and Hermione Granger discovered the enchanted goblets, the true curse that was meant to be referred to was the Flagrante Curse which had also been placed upon the cups. The Flagarante Curse is a spell that makes items burn when people touch them.
At worst, I believe the Gemino Curse is - well to be frank - mislabeled. It is true that in the hands of a more deviant witch or wizard, this could be used in many devastating ways. But overall? It's not nearly as harmful or deadly as, say, any of the Unforgivable Curses, Blasting Curse, or even Fiendfyre. In fact, this is much more tame than any of the others I just listed if you think about it.
Moreover, it is believed this was used in a more positive manner. Remember when Harry and Ron drove the Ford Anglia to Hogwarts? Do you also remember what wound up happening to them? They got detention on the first day of school. That must have sucked. To keep them from interrupting the Start of Term Feast, they were allowed to eat during their separate detentions. They were each given Endless Sandwiches. Endless Sandwiches is a Transfiguration spell which creates a plate of sandwiches to appear. The plate will always refill itself.
It is believed that the Gemino Curse is somehow included in this spell, since normally food cannot be conjured due to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration.
See what I mean? It hardly sounds like a curse. In fact, it almost feels more and more like a blessing to certain extents. But, I'll let you make your own decisions in the end. I just figured I'd provide some food for thought for you all.
Speaking of food, you can easily use this if you ever need extra food. Like .. on Thanksgiving for example. I'd assume it would save quite a bit of time and effort, especially if you're in a real hurry.
Until next time,
Elena Black