Lesson 5

Invisibility Task Force

The Invisibility Task Force is called by the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad to hide magical creatures and places from Muggle eyes. Sometimes it is only temporary to allow a few days to clean up the site of the accident. Magical creatures usually must be hidden from Muggles forever.

One great success of the Invisibility Task Force is the diricawl on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. The diricawl is a large, flightless bird. It has the ability to disappear and reappear somewhere else when it feels it is in danger. Muggles know the diricawl as the dodo bird and believe that it has been extinct since the 17th century. The Invisibility Task Force makes sure Muggles continue to believe the dodo bird is extinct.

The Disillusionment Charm is one of the charms the Invisibility Task Force uses daily. It causes the target to take on the appearance of its surroundings, like a chameleon. When a Disillusionment Charm is cast, it feels like a raw egg was broken on top of the object. This charm can be used on humans, magical creatures, and inanimate objects. Owners of hippogriffs and winged horses are required to cast Disillusionment Charms on them on a regular basis. A daily charm is recommended. Most magical creatures, such as unicorns, are too fast to be caught. Other creatures do not respond well to the raw egg sensation on any part of their bodies. Therefore, it is impossible to perform the Disillusionment Charm on certain creatures.

Witches and wizards also like to be able to see their hippogriffs and winged horses, so they also use the Muggle-Repelling Charm to hide their pets. The Invisibility Task Force ensures that the natural habitats of magical creatures have a strong Muggle-Repelling Charm around the border. Dragon reserves call on the Invisibility Task Force at least twice a year. The incantation for the Muggle-Repelling Charm is Repello Muggletum. The charm is effective in multiples of 50 yards. Usually 100 yards is adequate for a home. For a Muggle, the effects of the charm include suddenly remembering an urgent appointment, being distracted, or seeing something undesirable, such as a ruin.

The Invisibility Task Force is also responsible for making places Unplottable. In addition to using the Muggle-Repelling Charm, Unplottable locations are concealed magically and removed from maps. Reasons for making places Unplottable range from safety to protection of secrets, but it is always a legitimate reason. Azkaban is on an Unplottable island in the middle of the North Sea to keep it isolated from the rest of the world. The Isle of Drear was also made Unplottable due to the dangerous Quintapeds that live there. Years ago, the Burkina Faso Ministry of Magic decided to make some forests Unplottable to protect the dwindling population of Runespoors. Quidditch fans spent years trying to make Queerditch Marsh Unplottable. Finally, the Ministry of Magic agreed that Queerditch Marsh is a site of great historical significance. Magical schools - Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, The Durmstrang Institute, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry - are made Unplottable to protect students. Certain rooms within buildings are also Unplottable, most notably the Room of Requirement in Hogwarts.

As you can see, the list of Unplottable areas continues to grow, so it is becoming much harder for the Ministry of Magic to agree to Unplottability. It is also a tedious process. In theory, a member of the Invisibility Task Force can extend their magic out to the horizon and cover an area of 3 square miles at a time. However, most witches and wizards on the Invisibility Task Force are more conservative and only make 1 square mile Unplottable at a time. This way, they are less likely to miss even one square inch of the location.

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