Spell Inventors?

I know somewhere it's mentioned that Luna Lovegood's mother liked to invent spells, and we know of a few wizards and witches who did so.

How do you think spells are invented within the Ministry? Do you think there's a place in the Department Of Mysteries where they are tested, or would there be another department? I kind of want it to be a different department but cannot think where else it would slot in.

How would they "tell" people about new spells? Do you think most new spells would be invented by non-government companies for their product and therefore not reach the wider wizarding public at the basic level of what spells were created for said product?

Any ideas/ theories would be great-

Alex x

There's actually a canonical authority within the Ministry for inventing spells called the Committee on Experimental Charms. It's not said what Department they're attached to, so you'd have to make your best guess. Department of Mysteries? Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes? I'm not sure.

I think new spells might be published like scientific research - there are certainly publications for different branches of magic, like Transfiguration Today. I think people might also publish books of spells they'd invented, if they were particularly prolific, or else new spellbooks might just be collections of other people's research. Possibly new spells would also have to go through some sort of Ministry approval process, maybe through the Committee on Experimental Charms, maybe through the Department of Magical Law Enforcement or Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. I've also always had this idea that you had to be licensed in order to legally create new spells, because of how dangerous it can be (see: Luna's mum).

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Do you think most new spells would be invented by non-government companies for their product and therefore not reach the wider wizarding public at the basic level of what spells were created for said product?

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I quite like this idea. After all, can't have people making their own version of what you're manufacturing. And I think there would certainly have to be new spells developed constantly in order to have innovative product designs, whereas in regular life new spells aren't needed quite so often.

I don't think one would have to be licensed to create spells. Remember that Hermione most likely invented the Four-Point/Compass spell, "Point Me," in GoF. And it was in English, not derived from Latin or another old language. So I think the question is just how can spells be created, which Hermione would have researched the answer to. She wouldn't have invented the spell if it was against the law, and she didn't start feeling "rebellious" until OotP. But it's sketchy; we're not absolutely certain she invented the spell, it just seems that she did.

Hayden

They found the Point Me spell in a book when Harry was practicing for the Triwizard Tournament. I haven't got my books so I can't find the exact quote, but I'm sure that they find it in a book. Hermione also says something about the spells Harry finds in the Half-Blood Prince's potions book being untried and unlisenced or something, which makes me think that they would definitely test certain spells. Perhaps not all, perhaps only ones that make it into textbooks or something.

I doubt it would be the Department of Mysteries doing the testing. From what we saw in OoTP, they've got bigger things on their hands. Maybe they do test and invent some, but they'd be powerful or odd ones for the purpose of research. Nobody seems to know what goes on in the Department of Mysteries, and I think that if they were the ones testing and lisencing new spells, people would know. New spells don't really have to be a secret.

You say something about non-government companies coming up with new spells. I think this is a likely scenario. Perhaps independent inventors come up with the majority of new spells, but I do imagine they'd have to pass some sort of Ministry test before they 'distributed' or whatever, just to check they're safe.

How would they "tell" people about new spells?

Advertising perhaps. Maybe someone invents a new spell that makes sponge cakes go incredibly light and fluffy. After the inventor gets it lisenced, perhaps he goes to Witch Weekly or something with it and people know about it that way. Or some new piece of Transfiguration theory could go in Transfiguration Today. For a more generic spell, like someone comes up with an easier way of Summoning or something, it could be in the newspapers and such. Perhaps there's a book released anually with new spells in it, or some books have updated editions etc.

Sarah x