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Expelliarmus became all the rage after Harry Potter defeated Voldemort. All though spells go in and out of vogue, nobody could have quite anticipated the unique and versatile uses spellcasters came up with.
It started out small, with wizarding children using Expelliarmus when they played the new game “Phoenixes and Death Eaters.” They’d chase each other around the courtyards of Hogwarts - whoever cast the first successful disarming charm won the game. Older students discovered they could redirect objects with the charm, and before Quidditch matches, objects would often suddenly fly out of the opposing team’s arms or bookbags.
This was all harmless fun... until it ended up on the Misdemeanor Curse registry. Hermione Granger had petitioned for the registry herself, arguing that certain spells, when used maliciously against other living creatures - human or otherwise - deserved fines, temporary loss of wand rights, or imprisonment. The idea was a good one, but the only way to get it passed was to put both modern and old-fashioned wizards and witches on the advisory board.
This ended up causing Harry far more headaches than he wanted. Once the old-fashioned wizards were placed there, they quickly removed the more modern and accepting thinkers and brought in other pureblood sympathizers. What followed was a frenzy to add normal, everyday spells to the list under the slogan of “protecting our magical children.”
So really, placing Expelliarmus on the Registry wasn’t because of the children after all, but rather as payback to Harry Potter-sympathizers and an attempt at control. They recruited school-age students to spread the news about “dangerous” spells, speak out against “harmful casting,” and report the usage or teaching of them in schools.
“This bloody Registry,” Harry grumbled one afternoon while working through the paperwork in his office. Of course, all of the Registry paperwork came to him. The pureblood sympathizers were trying to drown him in it, of that he was certain of.
“I’m sorry, Harry!” Hermione said fretfully for the one-thousandth time, “I never thought it would end up like this!”
“It’s fine, you couldn’t have guessed. What bothers me more than anything is that they’re indoctrinating children into their madness now,” Harry responded, not looking up from a report. Child, 14, reported mother’s usage of Expelliarmus against an intruder into their home. Merlin.
“We’re trying to change the problematic laws and mindsets...and they keep finding new ways to hold us back. It’s becoming a new ‘pure’ mentality,” Hermione commented.
“How so?” Harry looked up.
“Well, if you think about it, the pureblood mentality was about superiority. It’s the same thing here. They want to say what’s right and what’s wrong in all cases. It’s about controlling minds and how we act - sort of like the ‘thought’ police. Only those who cast the right sort of spells. It’s almost a ‘sin’ - to use a Muggle term - to cast these spells.”
“That’s frightening,” Harry said darkly. “It reminds me of Umbridge.”
“We haven’t seen the worst of it yet,” sighed Hermione.
And she was right. Not long after, the Registry passed the Harry Potter Act, although Harry had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the creation of the act. It added a plethora of spells and potions - for the most bizarre reasons - and included harsher punishments for small offenses. People in the mixed-blood community, as it was now called, and non-human magical creatures were disproportionately targeted.
Avis, the bird conjuring charm, which Hermione and Ron had mentioned in an interview before their wedding was soon added to the list. Ginny’s Bat-Bogey Hex, though seldom used outside of Hogwarts, was forbidden as well. Scourgify, once a household charm loved by parents everywhere, was now considered reckless behavior and a bad example to children. Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes saw a massive drop in sales - products such as Pygmy Puffs, Shield Clothing, and WonderWitch products were among those that made The List, as it was beginning to be called.
“Careful,” people would say, “You don’t want that to end up on The List.”
Harry and Hermione launched their own counter-information attack, largely supported by Percy. They published information on the nuances of spell usage - how most spells weren’t inherently good or bad - it was the intent of the caster and the outcome of the spell that mattered. They held public talks, spoke to individual families, and even held scarcely-attended seminars at Hogwarts.
Students in older years of Hogwarts, or those who had recently graduated, started going into bookstores to look for books that contained problematic material. Pamphlets on the Harry Potter Act were sent to houses; information was distributed. The attendance at Hogwarts drastically dropped, with parents choosing to provide “safe” instruction for their children. Soon, a special department at the Ministry of Magic was created with “intermagics” - students still in school - to promote the cause. They had provisional use of magic outside of school, wore their badges proudly, and distrusted anyone who didn’t openly support them. One of the most popular jobs was Sonorus, to call out the people who stepped out of line.
An independent group started their own magazine, Be Better, with content, authors, and publishers to avoid, and gave tips on which material was “safe.” Columns covered information on “how to talk to the old people in your family who don’t understand Modern Wizarding Culture,” and “Living Your Best Wizarding Life.”
Within a week, over a thousand people subscribed. A week later, Harry Potter resigned.