War Water (also called Iron Water) is a powerful tool in witchcraft used for protection, hexing, banishing, and warding off enemies. It originates from Hoodoo, Appalachian folk magic, and other mystical traditions.
Uses of War Water:
⢠Protection â Sprinkle around your home to create a spiritual barrier.
⢠Banishing â Throw it where unwanted people have walked to remove their influence.
⢠Cursing â Toss onto an enemyâs property to bring discord and bad luck.
⢠Warding Off Negativity â Add to floor washes or sprinkle near entrances.
⢠In Spellwork - Use in rituals for breaking curses, creating wards, or calling upon warrior spirits.
Needed:
⢠Rusty nails (or iron shavings or railroad spikes)
⢠Water (preferably storm or river water for extra potency)
⢠Salt (black salt for cursing, sea salt for protection)
⢠Cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes (for aggression and strength)
⢠Vinegar â Used to sour relationships in cursing spells.
⢠Mugwort or Rue â For added spiritual power.
Instructions:
Place the rusty nails or iron in a jar. If your nails arenât rusty, leave them in water for a few weeks to oxidize. Fill the jar with water. Use stormwater for aggressive energy, river water for powerful flow, or tap water if necessary. Add salt and herbs and let it sit for at least a week. The longer it sits, the stronger it becomes. Some witches let it develop for months. Shake or stir when using, the rust, herbs, and salt should be well mixed before application.
Synopsis: After a Slytherin hex shatters James Potterâs glasses, heâs left half-blind and too stubborn to admit he needs help. Sirius wonât stop teasing, Remus tries to keep peace and you step in to repair his glasses. James drops his bravado and hates admiting how much he feels weak around you.
Point of view: Second-person ( â. He saw you .â )
Warnings: Fluff, swearing
a/n: Pretend James canât see without glasses:))
James Potter wasnât blind. Or, well, not usually.
But today? Yeah, sort of.
The hex had come from nowhere â end of Quidditch practice, broom slung over his shoulder, laughing with Sirius about some new âsignatureâ move he was convinced would win them the Cup. Then a flash of green zipped across the pitch, his glasses snapped clean in half, and the world went⌠blurry. Just like that. Heâd caught most of the pieces before they hit the ground (and swore very loudly when one lens bounced away into the grass). The Slytherins responsible were already halfway down the pitch, laughing their stupid asses off.
So now here he was.
Hunched over a table in the common room like an old man reading the Prophet. His hair, which never behaved anyway, was sticking up even worse than usual. His nose was practically touching the parchment, and every time he muttered at it, it looked like he was trying to scare the ink into behaving.
âProngs,â Sirius finally said, after watching for maybe ten minutes, âyou look like somebodyâs granddad. You know the ones who shout about prices going up and how the Cannons used to be good? Thatâs you right now.â
âShut it, Pads,â James muttered without even looking up.
âYou canât even see me to tell me to shut it.â Sirius leaned back, grin stretched wide. âMerlin, I should get you a cane. Or knitting needles. Youâd look good with needles.â
James reached for his quill, missed the table entirely, and slapped the air like he was trying to swat an invisible fly. âI can see just fine.â
âSure,â Sirius said, âabout as well as a troll in a snowstorm.â
The portrait hole creaked, and Remus stepped in with his usual mountain of books. He froze mid-step, blinked at the sight of James squinting hard enough to wrinkle his entire forehead, and sighed like a man twice his age.
âWhat happened?â he asked flatly.
âProngs got hexed. Glasses exploded. Wonât go to Pomfrey,â Sirius said, absolutely delighted.
âI am not refusing,â James protested, sitting up so quickly his knee smacked the underside of the table. âIâm just saying sheâll make it a whole production. Sheâll fuss, keep me overnight and drown me in fucking potions. I donât need all that.â
Remus bent down to rescue the inkpot James had nearly killed. âJames, you canât even see the wall right now. You do need all that.â
âIâll manage,â James said firmly, though he was still squinting vaguely in Remusâs direction.
Sirius grinned like Christmas had come early. âHeâll manage, he says. Moony, he just called me Evans five minutes ago.â
âI did not!â James snapped.
âYou did!â Sirius said, hand pressed dramatically over his heart. âAnd then you asked me out again, which, honestly, was flattering.â
Remus shot Sirius a look that couldâve cut glass. Sirius ignored it, of course.
âYouâre both fucking insufferable,â James muttered, ears red.
âYou love us,â Sirius sing-songed, leaning forward like he couldnât possibly miss Jamesâs scowl (though James couldnât actually see him).
James made another grab for his quill, overreached, and this time properly knocked the inkpot. Black splattered across the parchment. Sirius nearly fell off his chair laughing.
Remus muttered something under his breath â it sounded a lot like âidiotâ â and fixed it with a quick charm. âHonestly, James,â he said, exasperated, âeither let Pomfrey fix it or⌠find someone else to help.â
James slumped back, dragging a hand through his hair until it stuck up in even worse angles. His pride told him to keep insisting he was fine, but Merlin, he hated this. Hated how Siriusâs jokes were funny because they were true, hated feeling like a useless lump. He was James bloody Potter. He wasnât supposed to be the one stumbling around blind.
Siriusâs grin softened a little. âAlright, alright. Weâll sort it. Canât have you walking into walls, mate. Doesnât suit your whole⌠image.â
James didnât answer. Just muttered something like âbrilliantâ under his breath and squinted harder at the fireplace until it blurred into one big orange blob.
And that was the sorry state youâd find him in later: James Potter, Gryffindorâs golden boy, reduced to making messes while Sirius rattled on about monocles and Remus rubbed his temples like a weary dad.
James was still sulking at the table, chin propped in his hand, quill abandoned beside him. Sirius had finally gotten bored of teasing and was now trying to balance a cushion on his head, while Remus buried himself in a book to avoid getting dragged into it.
That was when you came down the staircase from the dorms. Youâd been in the library for hours, arms full of books you didnât strictly need, when you spotted the scene. James Potter, usually the center of every room he walked into, was slouched like a kicked Kneazle. Ink stains dotted the table in front of him, and his glasses â or what was left of them â lay in a sad little pile.
You frowned, slowing your steps. âWhat on earth happened to you lot?â
Sirius immediately perked up, grinning like a cat whoâd found cream. âAh, perfect timing. Our dear James here has gone blind. Utterly, completely, tragically blind.â
âIâm not blind,â James said quickly, sitting up straighter. He aimed a glare at Sirius but overshot it by several inches, scowling at the empty space to Siriusâs left.
You blinked, then bit back a laugh. âRight. And yet youâre glowering at the wall.â
Remus made a small noise that sounded suspiciously like a laugh, though he didnât look up from his book.
Jamesâs ears went pink. âItâs temporary,â he muttered, fumbling for the broken frames. âSomeone hexed my glasses after practice. Iâll fix them later.â
âSure you will,â Sirius said, leaning back with his arms behind his head. âExcept you canât see a thing. He called me Evans earlier, you know. Asked me out and everything.â
You raised an eyebrow, trying not to seem like it didnât trigger jealousy in you. âDid he really?â
James groaned and dropped his head into his hands. âJust go fuck Remus already, Pads.â
You set your books down on the arm of the sofa and crossed the room, ignoring Siriusâs snickering. âGive them here,â you said, holding out a hand.
James hesitated, his pride warring with his common sense. âI canââ
âYou canât,â you cut in gently, soft enough that it didnât sound cruel. âYouâll just stab yourself in the eye with your wand or end up with a monocle. Come on, Potter.â
Remus looked up then, a faint smile tugging at his mouth. Sirius let out a low whistle. âOh, heâs doomed.â
James shot him a half-hearted scowl, then carefully passed the broken glasses to you. His fingers brushed yours, warm and hesitant, and you felt him watching, well, trying to watch ,as you sat down beside him.
Up close, he looked smaller somehow. Still James Potter with his wild hair and crooked grin (though the grin was nowhere in sight), but the bravado had cracked. He was⌠human. Vulnerable. And you doubted he let many people see him like this.
âAlright,â you murmured, turning the frames over in your hands. âThis isnât too bad. A couple of charms should do it. Just⌠donât breathe down my neck while I work.â
James let out a breath he didnât even know he was holding. âOkay.â
Sirius leaned forward like he was about to add something outrageous, but Remus kicked his shin under the table. Sirius yelped and sat back, pouting, but stayed blessedly quiet for once.
You pulled your wand, muttering the first of the repairing charms. The frames wobbled, then clicked back together. A lens followed with a sharp snap, though it was still a little crooked. James leaned in unconsciously, close enough that his shoulder brushed yours.
âBetter than Pomfrey already,â he murmured.
âDonât get ahead of yourself. Iâm not done,â you said, biting your lip in concentration. The second lens trembled, then slid neatly into place. With a final whispered charm, the cracks sealed, leaving the glasses looking almost new. Almost.
You turned to hand them back, but James was already watching you â or at least, aiming in your general direction. His expression was softer than youâd ever seen it, pride set aside for once.
âThanks,â he said quietly, and the way he said it made your chest warm.
Before you could answer, Sirius flung himself dramatically across the couch. âAnd lo! Our hero is saved! By none other thanââ
Remus threw a cushion at his head.
James, still pink around the ears, just slipped his glasses back on. He blinked a few times, the world sharpening around him again, and the first thing he saw clear as day was you.
His breath caught, but he covered it quickly with a grin. âWell. Look at that. Youâre even prettier when I can see properly.â
You rolled your eyes, though you felt the heat rise in your cheeks. Sirius groaned loudly about âtrue loveâ while Remus muttered something about leaving before it got worse.