- "Some of the spooky material in this book should be familiar to you. Some of it will almost certainly be breathtakingly new to you. All of it is essential to obtain a thorough understanding of the Dark Arts and of all the other formidable, scary, creepy things which are out there."
- — Description of the book on its back cover[src]
Dark Arts Defence – Basics for Beginners[2] was an introductory level Defence Against the Dark Arts textbook issued by the Ministry of Magic. The people who wrote this book also wrote Abracadabra: An A-Z of Spooky Spells.
Contents[]
- Dolores Umbridge: "There will be no need to talk."
- Hermione Granger: "No need to think is more like it."
- — Hermione Granger on the textbook's valueless purpose[src]
The book's 68b & 68c pages
The book was presented only a theoretical examination of the topic, and lacked practical information on countering Dark Magic, such as how to use defensive spells.
Favoured Position for a Left-Handed Hex Breaker and Intercepting a Counter Incantation 'On-the-Go' are among the techniques covered by this title, on pages 68b and 68c, respectively.
History[]
- "Your previous instruction in this subject has been, disturbingly, uneven. But you will be pleased to know, from now on, you will be following a carefully structured, Ministry-approved course of defensive magic."
- — Dolores Umbridge as she hands out the textbook[src]
In the 1995–1996 school year, when Dolores Umbridge was the professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts class of Hogwarts school, she supplied her fifth year students with a book each, and had them read from it and understand only the theories for their examinations. Although she claimed it was a "carefully-structured, Ministry-approved" guideline to repair the previously unstable curriculum, it was in truth to prevent the students from being trained in combat and become Albus Dumbledore's soldiers to overthrow the Ministry, a paranoid fear stemming from Cornelius Fudge.[1]
During one of the lectures, Umbridge had the class read the book and copying the "approved text four times to ensure maximum retention".[1]
Behind the scenes[]
- In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, this book is used in Dolores Umbridge's fifth-year Defence Against the Dark Arts class, rather than Wilbert Slinkhard's Defensive Magical Theory.
- Instead of the usual of students buying the textbook before the start of term, Umbridge handed out the books during their first class because, as it is written in the cover, it is a Ministry of Magic issue.
- Also, this book's latter title Basics for Beginners is the title of the first chapter of the book Defensive Magical Theory used in the novel.
- In LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7, Umbridge used a book transfiguring spell to transform defensive books carried by members of Dumbledore's Army into this book. In addition, the books are pink with a cat playing with yarn in the front cover.
- The illustration on the book's front cover contains an infinite regression, an example of the Droste effect.
Appearances[]
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film) (First appearance)
- The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 (Cutscenes)
- The Art of Harry Potter: Mini Book of Graphic Design
- Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery (Mentioned only)
