Task Five
Name of Roleplayer-: Amanda
Timezone-: PST
Character-: Lily Evans
Completion Date-:17th February
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Lily Evans--Gryffindor
Fidelius Charm: The Secret Within the Soul--An essay containing anything and everything one needs to know about the Fidelius Charm.
The Fidelius Charm is one of the most difficult to cast and understand theoretically in the history of the study of charms. Like many spells used in various different areas of magic, its title is inspired by the Latin language, with the root 'fides' loosely translating to mean 'faith'. This is appropriate, considering the charm's primary purpose is to conceal a vital secret within the living soul of someone--who will henceforth be known as the "secret keeper". The secret keeper is meant to be someone whom can be completely trusted, as after the spell is cast they become the only person who can reveal the secret.
Fidelius has been described by experts as an immensely complex spell, and is one of the most ancient. It involves exact pronunciation and precise wand technique, and the process of casting it is a rather long and complicated one, with many different steps, stages, and waiting periods. Any mistakes could lead to dire consequences, which vary from case to case and are extremely hard to predict.
There is no known limit to the amount of Secret Keepers that can be selected, though most people choose to play it safe with only one or two. Secret Keepers can pass on information to anyone they choose, but it must be divulged directly, and the people who receive it secondhand cannot pass it on to anyone else. Disclosure must be voluntary, and Secret Keepers are not motivated to share by Veritaserum, Legilimency, the Imperius Curse, or any other extracting methods. The secret can be shared visibly(i.e. showing or writing it down) or verbally, and secondary Keepers have only to think about it to be able to, for example, see a location that has been hidden by the Fidelius Charm.If another person who had not had the secret shared with them stumbled upon the same location, they would not be able to see it no matter how close they were.
The only specific quality a secret keeper must possess is, in fact, the ability to share the secret of their own free will, which means that animals who can never be taught to communicate to humans or house elves, who can be ordered not to tell, are ineligible. If a secret keeper suffers death the people they told could remember the secret, but it's ability to be passed on is not changed, so unless one of the secondary keepers has sinister intentions it cannot be used against the original caster or anyone who is involved in the secret in any way. However, if the original caster dies, the secret can be revealed to the rest of the world, and using the location example once again, a secondary keeper may transport an outsider onto the premises by side-along apparition. Due to these exceptions, the Fidelius Charm is, while suitable for those who feel they have no other option, not always a one hundred percent effective strategy to keep a secret protected.
The Fidelius Charm is an intriguing and mysterious spell. It is most commonly used, as previously mentioned, for protection and security purposes. It takes immense skill and concentration to cast, and can have dire consequences if the secret keeper is not totally trustworthy. It can also be very powerful when used correctly and placed in the right hands, however, and as such most wizards are fascinated by and continue to study it's properties. It remains one of the oldest and most interesting spells still used in modern times, and serves to demonstrate the immense power of ancient forms of love and loyalty, which are the foundation of magic and wizard kind around the world.
