The Standard Book of Spells
A is for...
"Accio!"
The diary flew into Hermione's outstretched hand, her face creased with rage at her two room-mates. Parvati and Lavender were on the floor howling with laughter, tears streaming down their cheeks as they recalled the contents. Hermione grunted in disgust, turned on her heel and determined it would probably be best to follow Riddle's example.
"Aguamenti!"
As the water shot out of his wand, Ron had never before appreciated that he was a wizard, born from seven generations of wizards on both his mother's and his father's side. Tumbleweed drifted across the desert in front of him, and he turned back to the task at hand: surveying the Grand Canyon with his new wife Hermione.
"Alohomora!"
As the door swung open with a creak, the two clandestine lovers sprang apart. Harry quickly made up his mind about the importance of exploring the Forbidden Section, and backed away slowly from the darkly muttering Filch. Just as well he was under the Invisibility Cloak... he didn't want to find out the hard way if Madam Pince was a squib too.
"Anapneo!"
As Ron choked once again on his porridge, Mrs Weasley thought it would probably be better to spoon feed him, until he at least learnt to eat like a normal human being. That was the third time in a month that she'd had to rescue him; 10-yr-old Bill attempted the Heimlich manoeuvre every time, and Molly disapproved implicitly of Muggle first aid.
"Aperecium!"
Rose imperiously waved her wand over the parchment that James had pulled out of his dad's desk. Imagine her surprise when writing appeared over the cover: Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs are proud to present the Marauder's Map.James Potter I was there in spirit, muttering the proper charm to activate it.
"Avada Kedavra!"
The jet of green light hit the screaming woman; she fell to the floor with a dull thud, leaving her son to cry in his cot – all alone. Lord Voldemort covered the room in three strides, took the child in hand and Disapparated to Riddle Manor, where he raised Neville Longbottom as his own. Nobody missed the child, but Neville always wondered why he didn't inherit his father's nose.
"Avifors!"
The golf clubs slowly transformed into a flock of flamingos, which Fred and George wasted no time in placing in Professor Umbridge's office. Lee didn't mind taking the blame, and even added to the fun by producing a Niffler from somewhere. Nobody even thought to ask why they were in there in the first place; Dolores loved pink, after all.
"Avis!"
Hermione's surprise when the yellow canaries appeared before her was nothing compared to Ron's shock when she made them attack him seconds later. She hadn't used that spell in years, but she wasn't called "The Brightest Witch of Her Age" for nothing. As soon as Ron left the room, the birds disappeared; save one, which Hermione kept in a birdcage to remind her husband to behave.