Week 1 - Task #3 | Obliviator Headquaters

[Amy Smith]

After successfully coming up with excuses, you then went to the last division which was the Obliviator Headquarters. You take in your surroundings and are immediately mesmerized by the place. The whole structure and colors catch your eye. However, you are soon taken out of your thoughts as you find Jason waiting for you all to calm down.

“Before we go into what this division does, I hope that you enjoyed your time here and perhaps also gained some insight into what we do. I’m sure that you all are familiar with the obliviators, they are the ones who modify the memories of those muggles who come across incidents that may have been caused by witches/wizards. However, only professionals are allowed to modify the memories of the muggles as those who do not know the subject may harm not only themselves but also those around them. You can take Professor. Lockhart as an example.”
He then proceeds to tell you a bit more about what the division does and finally at the end gives you a task to do.



Task:
Your task is to write an essay of 250 words on either the memory charm or on any famous obliviator or on an incident where a person had to alter to memory of a muggle

This task is worth 10 beans; you get an additional 10 beans if you submit the week one task by the end of this week. You have until June 30th, 2024 11:59 PM HoL time to submit the task.

[River Fenwick]

One known instance where muggles had to have their memories altered is the Ilfracombe Incident. This incident happened in Ilfracombe, Devon, England, where the name of the incident comes from. It took place in 1932 on a beach in Ilfracombe. Many beach-goers were enjoying their day in the sun when tragedy struck. An unrestrained Common Welsh Green dragon came upon the beach and started attacking many of the Muggles that were sunbathing at the beach. As chance would have it, a wizarding family happened to be at the beach while holidaying at Ilfracombe.

The wizarding family by the name of Toke jumped into action immediately, managing to contain the Common Welsh Green dragon's attack against the muggles. Trying to limit the exposure of magic, dragons, and wizards, the family took it upon themselves to use the memory charm on those who had witnessed the events unfold. They had managed to mostly contain the event, with the memory charm altering the memories of those the family could find. The family was even awarded the Order of Merlin, First Class, for their hard work to prevent the outing of magic. This honor is only given to those who show "acts of outstanding bravery or distinction" in magic.

Unfortunately, it's almost impossible to gather all the muggles who had witnessed the event in an incident like the one that transpired on this fateful day. Despite their best efforts with mass charming, some muggles still escaped with their memory intact. Once s8ch muggle was "Dodgy" Drik, who has said for at least 40 years that a "dirty great flying lizard" had punctured his lilo that day.

[Dibyarup James Potter]

In "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," Hermione Granger shows responsibility, and how much she cares about her parents' well-being by erasing their memories to keep them safe from Voldemort and his Death Eaters. She knew that if she did not make this sacrifice, her parents' life would be in great danger. Harry learns about this after he gets to the Burrow, but he never saw it happen and Hermione doesn't share the details of how she did it.

Hermione changes her parents' memories so that they think their names are Wendell and Monica Wilkins and that they don't have a daughter. This decision shows how brave and selfless she had to be, because she knew she might never see them again. Even though we don't know exactly how she did it, it is quite clear that it was an extremely hard and painful choice. Especially when her parents are alive and just do not remember her.

Harry feels a lot of respect and sympathy for Hermione when he hears about what she did. This moment brings Harry, Hermione, and Ron closer together because they all realize how much they are willing to sacrifice, in order to fight and ensure Voldemort's defeat. It also highlights a main theme in the series, that is, fighting against evil often means making huge personal sacrifices, even if it hurts a lot.

Hermione's actions are a powerful reminder of the emotional costs of war. By not seeing it happen, both Harry and the readers are left to imagine the sadness and difficulty of such a decision, making Hermione's sacrifice even more impactful.