Shield Charm question

[Inverarity]

Are Shield Charms "fire and forget" spells that are simply erected instantly and sustain themselves, or do you think they require the caster to focus on maintaining the shield's strength? For example, would a wizard assaulted by a constant stream of powerful spells need to concentrate on maintaining his shield, or would he have to constantly cast more and more shields to replace the ones that are overcome by the attacker?

Personally, I write them as spells that require some degree of concentration and focus. You might be able to put up a large shield as an "umbrella" to deflect whatever comes at you, but it's not going to just sit there passively blocking for you while you cast other spells. A skilled wizard might be able to defend and attack simultaneously, but it's not as easy.

[tibi jones]

Normal Shield Charms cannot protect against very powerful curses like Unforgivables. So, what I'm wondering is, what happens to the actual Shield Charm when it hit by something like Avada Kedavra? Does the Killing Curse just pass straight through the shield as if it wasn't there, like some kind of armour-piercing spell? Would the AK punch a hole in it? make the shield explode? Make it dissipate? Turn it into a rubber duck?

Also, Shield Charms don't last forever, and eventually disappear on their own, I suspect. With that in mind, bombardment by hexes and curses would probably hasten the shield's destruction. This leads me to my next question.

Are Shield Charms "fire and forget" spells that are simply erected instantly and sustain themselves, or do you think they require the caster to focus on maintaining the shield's strength? For example, would a wizard assaulted by a constant stream of powerful spells need to concentrate on maintaining his shield, or would he have to constantly cast more and more shields to replace the ones that are overcome by the attacker?

Tim the Enchanter

In regards to a personal protection spell, it is an interesting concept. Though I think they might be more analogous to radiation than sabot rounds. If a spell oscillates at a certain frequency range then the charm is reflected from the barrier. Thus the AK oscillating at a different speed passes though with ease.

As far as fire and forget, I think the wizard or witch has some control on strength and durability. I have always thought of magic as having some dependency on the ability to concentrate and focus it with the mind, thus you will have different people being more powerful using the same spells.

In duels and combat I think the charm is used to parry the immediate threat and then is ended so the caster can concentrate on a repost. Harry keeps a shield charm up for awhile when he is separating Ron and Hermione in DH. I do not think that leaving it up in a fight would work, wouldn't it rebound their own offensive spell if they stayed behind it? How would they know where they can fire safely without having to dodge their own spells on a battlefield littered with lingering protection charms?

Well, in brief, I see it depending on the length of time the wizard wishes to maintain it rather than a given time period.