The Lighting Charm is a very simple and common charm, used by wizards throughout the world. The incantation is very simple, all you must do is look at the tip of your wand and say, "Lumos," (Loo-mose) and a small light appears from the end of the wand.
The Exintguishing Charm, or sometimes called the counter-charm, is also very simple. You stare at the light at the end of the wand and say, "Nox!" (Knocks). The light will then immediately go out.
The Lighting Charm and Extinguishing Charm were discovered by an unknown Neolithic wizard. The history of it is not very well known, at least not until a time traveling charm is invented so we can go back and observe the invention of the charms.
Chapter 2: The Sliding Charm
The Sliding Charm is one of the more difficult charms, with a few things that must be done correctly as you're casting the charm, or it will fail miserably.
The Sliding Charm was first invented by a young English wizard in the year 1915. He was quite the wealthy man, and had a daughter who was as spoiled as he was rich. She pleaded and cried and kicked and screamed to be
able to ice skate on her birthday. Not seeing what the problem would be of her ice skating on her birthday, he promised her she would. Unfortunately for him, he did not know her birthday fell right in the middle of August.
The man hired his best scholars to research a new spell that would allow ice skating to be done in the summertime. Unable to procure a solution, he settled with a spell that simply removed all friction from an area. Having sucessfully created this spell, he tested it on a street nearby with great results.
Unfortunately, he performed the spell on one of the main streets of London, causing the biggest catastrophe ever known to the Ministry of Magic, as he didn't perform it quite right. The city of London had
moved 25 miles from it's original location in the space of a day.
To cast the charm, you must make an 'S' motion with your wand, and then say the incantation, "Slikarious." (Sli-car-ee-us).
The object you cast it on will have all friction removed from it, allowing it to slide freely and for things to slide off of it very easily.
To remove the charm, you must make an 'F' motion with your wand, and then say the incantation, "Frictarious." (Frik-tar-ee-us). The object you cast it on will have it's friction returned to it, and the charm will be completely removed.
Chapter Three: The Four Point Spell and Other Magical Means of Navigation
The Four Point Spell, one of the simplest yet most useful charms a wizard or witch can learn, was created by a young British seafaring wizard.
Around the year 1345, when Britain's fleet was just becoming large, Hilda Hymph decided she no longer wanted her young husband to go out to see without a means of finding his way back. The sextant, an instrument Muggles commonly use for navigational purposes, was also used at that time by the Magical Community. However, Hilda Hymph decided there needed to be another way to navigate the seas more accurately. She asked her husband to create a spell to help him find his way home.
Hector Hymph, Hilda's wife, then created the Compass Charm, or, as we know it today, the Four Point Spell. It is very unusual as far as charms go in a couple of ways.
First, it is one of very few charms (or spells, for that matter) that are not performed by speaking in Latin. The Four Point Spell also is commonly used by Muggles today--without their knowing, of course! Their compasses are used by seafarers, surveyors, and Boy Scouts alike to help find their way home. They believe the "needle" in their compasses is attracted by the magnetic attraction of the north pole, pointing it northward. In fact, the Four Point Spell, which immediately points the owner's wand due north, was performed many years ago by a number of nymphs who had mimicked wizarding sailors, and the Misuse of Magic Office was created in the Ministry of Magic due to these wild nymphs.
Nymphs, unlike most magical creatures, create their own wands, and that is what actually lies inside a Muggle compass. A tiny nymph wand always points due north. Nymph magic lasts much longer than wizarding magic, and that is why many compasses still work to this day; however, many are failing recently, much to the confusion of Muggles everywhere.
The Four Point Spell is performed by saying "Point Me!" Other magical means of navigation include stargazing (Astronomy) and plant studying (Botany/Herbology)