DADA-301 Lessons

I hope you all enjoyed your experience with redcaps last week and found interesting places near you that a redcap might inhabit. Even though they may not be native to your area, depending on where in the world you come to this class from, it’s always beneficial to explore and discover. Knowledge is always your greatest weapon. And that could not be more true than today with the creature we are going to be talking about. This creature preys on the unaware, luring them away from safety.

Hinkypunks - An Introduction
Hinkypunks are fascinating creatures that, though native to Europe, have tales of being seen all around the world. The name they are referred to varies, being known as hinkypunks in Europe, the “Min Min light” in Australia, and the “brujas” or “fi fillet” in North America, each culture deriving their own folk tales surrounding these creatures. Ultimately, they all come together to the same understanding that hinkypunks are ghostly creatures that attract attention with the light that they carry.

In Europe, the most common hinkypunk has no face, eyes, or nose. In fact, the only defining physical characteristics are its single leg and the two arms that protrude from the side of its body. Beyond that, a hinkypunk appears as nothing more than a white smokey figure, though when being attacked, they can turn shades of grey and even blue. Hinkypunks movement is defined as a hobble or a “hop”. I say hop with quotations because, since they are categorized as spirits, rather than beasts, and technically do not need to physically move a body part in the way that living beings do. Another basic characteristic is that a hinkypunk always carries a lantern or some other form of light source. This light source is their primary way of attacking an unsuspecting victim, as the person will see the light source in the distance and think someone else is lost. They will then wander off the path and follow the light to try and find the person needing help.

Since the hinkypunk has no mouth, it does not speak the way a ghost or poltergeist can. That does not mean that hinkypunks are silent, though. In fact, hinkypunks have the ability to let out low, guttural grunt or a loud hollering sound that can cause a great deal of unease for the wary traveller who is already confused and uncertain. Once they hear the noise, a person is often more likely to move more rapidly and without thinking, since they want to get away from the unusual sound.

Even though hinkypunks do not have a classification with the Ministry, since they are not beasts and, therefore, are not understood the same way, they are extremely dangerous. It is not just confusion that they use as a weapon.

How They Harm You
As previously mentioned, hinkypunks thrive on luring people away from the safe path. They do not differentiate between magical and non-magical people; everyone is equally in danger if they are traveling through a foggy marshland. The dangers of the marshland alone present enough of a threat, but hinkypunks make them even more perilous.

Primarily, they act as shadowy figures just out of your direct sight; they will seem to be just the barest outline of a figure in the fog, far enough away that they look realistically human, but close enough to be seen. Depending on the distance, they can appear in a variety of forms, ranging from a child to an adult. A few hinkypunks have even been known to take the form of toddlers. They will look lost and confused with the goal of eliciting an empathetic reaction from you; they will want you to wander away from your intended path in order to help the “lost individual” find their way; this simply makes you the lost individual.

Another way they cause an empathetic reaction is the screeching cry and the guttural groan they can make. These two pointedly different sounds cause two different reactions from an individual who hears them. If wandering through a fog, a person who hears a hinkypunk scream will assume that they are hearing another, living individual in trouble. The person hearing the hinkypunk, in many cases, will want to assist the troubled individual in any way that they can; they will rush off without paying attention to the direction they are running, their only concern being to find the person in trouble. Unfortunately, by the time they realize nobody is in trouble, it is too late. The second sound, the guttural groan, causes you, the individual, to think that someone nearby is hurt or in pain. You may wander a little more cautiously, thinking that danger is near, but the end result is the same - aimless wandering as you follow the groaning, trying to find the hurt individual while becoming hopelessly lost yourself.

Finally, hinkypunks have one method of attacking that is only used as a last resort. If you manage to ignore their shrieking, their groaning, and their silhouette in the fog, they will become directly aggressive and shoot fireballs at you from the lanterns that they carry. While it is frequently easy to avoid these projectiles, the effects they can have, if they make contact, can be painful. Therefore, it is important to know exactly what fire can do.

Stop, Drop, and Roll
Fire, at its core, is a visible effect of a chemical reaction that occurs when a substance (typically wood, but can be other materials such as paper, cloth, and plants for example) is heated to the extreme that they combine with the oxygen that is in the air. The result, the fire, can vary in color from red (lowest heat) to blue (highest heat). When this chemical reactions comes in contact with human skin, it can cause the skin cells to die due the heat. The severity of the injury, known as a burn, can range from minimal (first degree) to extreme (third degree). Here are the different classifications of burns, their symptoms, and how they can be treated:

As always, being mindful of the situation is important and being equipped with the appropriate materials to treat injuries will ensure and smooth recovery process.

Defending Against a Hinkypunk
Now, let us assume for a moment that the worst has happened and you have been lured off the path by a hinkypunk. Hopefully, you quickly recognize the situation and are able to return to your path. However, once lured away, a hinkypunk will not leave you alone. The only hope you have is to frighten the hinkypunk away by forcing it to disperse. This will require some cunning and a little bit of trickery on your part.

The first challenge is that you must get a hinkypunk backed into a corner; you must turn the tables on it and take the role of the hunter rather than the hunted. Once the hinkypunk is backed into a corner, you can cast the Wand-Lighting Charm, which will cause it to cower - you all should remember how to cast the Wand-Lighting Charm from your first course with me. However, one of the components is changing. Instead of a low level of concentration going into lighting up the tip of the wand, you will have to concentrate much harder and, this time, focus on creating a beam of light rather than just lighting the tip of your wand. Once the beam is shining from your wand, aim the light at the hinkypunk. If kept on the hinkypunk for an extended period of time, it will begin to solidify. This will be clearly visible because its features will become more pronounced, so you will be able to distinguish its leg, arms, and head more easily

Once the creature is solidified enough, which you will be able to recognize when its features become completely distinguishable, you can start casting the Knockback Jinx on it. It will take several hits with the Knockback Jinx, and possibly even several times where you must recast the Wand-Lighting Charm on it, but once it has been hit several times, the creature will dissipate and leave you alone. Once it is gone, all you have to do is find your way back to the path and continue on your way.

And so we come to the end of another lesson. Next class you will be taking your midterm examination. There will be a theoretical portion, but as opposed to previous years, there will also be a practical portion. Please be sure to review all of the creatures we have studied thus far and be aware of how to defeat each of them, for you never know what you will encounter. Until next class, students.

Class dismissed.

Original lesson written by Professor Jericho Penrose

Image Source(s)
Hinkypunk: https://www.deviantart.com/emmanuel7/art/Hinkypunk-387783832