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Warning!
At least some content in this article is derived from information featured in Harry Potter: Magic Awakened. As such, spoilers will be present within the article. |
- "Mr Slinkhard doesn't like jinxes, does he? But I think they can be very useful when they're used defensively."
- — Hermione Granger criticising Slinkhard's attitude towards defensive magic[src]
Wilbert Slinkhard was a wizard who authored the book Defensive Magical Theory, which was approved by the British Ministry of Magic as a suitable textbook for fifth year Defence Against the Dark Arts classes.[1] Due to the peaceful approaches to confrontation Slinkhard advocated, Dolores Umbridge found his work useful in her classes during the 1995–1996 school year due to the Ministry's paranoid view that the students were being trained in combat.[2][3]
Personality and traits[]
- "He says that counterjinxes are improperly named. He says ‘counterjinx’ is just a name people give their jinxes when they want to make them sound more acceptable."
- — Slinkhard's negative attitude towards defensive spells[src]
If the contents of his masterwork are any indication of his personality or views on the subject, Slinkhard was a pacifist, advocating a passive approach to confrontation and discouraging the use of combative spells for even defensive purposes.[2][3] He deemed "counter-jinx" an inappropriate term to use for the spells, stating that such was only to make them seem more acceptable.[3] However, Slinkhard appeared to have had very little knowledge on how to adequately defend oneself, and his book was of very little education value to students studying Defence Against the Dark Arts, as it failed to teach in any way how to duel or how to defend oneself against the Dark Arts or Dark wizards.[2][3]
Etymology[]
The name "Wilbert" means "bright will", derived from the Germanic elements wil "will, desire" and beraht "bright".
Appearances[]
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (First mentioned)
- Harry Potter: Magic Awakened (Mentioned only)