First Years Lesson Five

Mallory was as surprised as she always was that the semester was almost over. She had two more lessons and an exam; it felt surreal. She was always surprised by the support she’d find at school, really. She felt like she had made good friends, and she enjoyed the time she spent here. With or without her fathers' approval, Mallory hoped she was able to continue teaching here at the school for a good while.

Mallory smiled happily at her students, standing and smoothing her deep red robes, small rosebuds dotting her chocolate braid. There was a pile of pillows in the classroom again, all different than the ones from before. Peter wasn't with them today, having gone for a few days with his father. “Good morning, my dears,” Mallory greeted. “Last week we covered the spell Accio, which you need to be very specific in using. Today, we will be doing the opposite, the Banishing Charm, which you'll know all about if you've done the reading for the week," She usually did a small review, but had decided to see if anyone had actually done the reading this week. "Can anyone tell me the incantation for this?" She asked, calling on a student that didn’t usually answer. “Depulso! Very good, five points.” she smiled.

Mallory took out her wand, pointing it to one of the cushions. “Depulso,” she spoke clearly, and the cushion shot across the floor, only stopping when it hit the wall. She used Accio to summon it back. She moved to her desk, fluffing out the burgundy pillow and setting it down. Almost immediately Amara jumped out from under Mallory’s desk and climbed onto it, kneading it with her paws a few moments before curling up on top of it. Mallory smiled, rubbing the Sphynx cat behind the ears.

She turned to the students again, a warm smile on her face. "Use the spell from last week to summon a cushion, and then I want you to try the Banishing Charm to get rid of it again. This time you don't need to specify the name of the cushion when you push it away from you," Mallory sat in her desk chair, running her hand lightly over Amara’s back. She motioned for them to begin, waiting until the lesson was halfway over before standing again. “All right, darlings, summon back your cushions. You may keep these if you like, I saw great improvements from all of you. We have one more spell that I’d like to show you today,” Mallory informed them, moving back to the front of the class.

This spell was more defensive, and she could think of a few students who would probably be happy to learn it. "Now that we have this spell down, I want to move on to the Disarming Charm. Can anyone tell me what this is?" she asked, pointing to another student that didn’t normally answer, "Well done! Yes, Expelliarmus is the disarming spell," she confirmed, motioning for the students to stand. "Alright my dears, I want you to find a partner and practice on each other, and then once you've managed to disarm one another at least once you may leave. If anyone needs any help, I will be right here," she added with a grin, letting them get on with their charms.
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-Two points to answer a question, please only answer if you haven't done so in a previous lesson.​

 

[Winnie Calida]

Winnie walked into the charms classroom and took her usual spot in the room. She glanced up at the professor as the woman got started, telling them what they’d be doing was building on the spell from the previous week. She was pretty happy to do so. Pretty happy to learn another spell. She listened along to what the professor said and then she allowed them to get started. She summoned the cushion to her easily, and then tried the other spell. It took a few attempts but she did eventually manage and cast, ”Depulso,” she managed it and it got easier and easier as the lesson went on. With that she was able to pack up and head out of the room.

 

[Lilith Ilves]

As the second semester neared it's end even though she enjoyed her lessons and friends at school she was very much looking forward to going home. Seeing her family and pets most of all, understandably so Lilith had a sort of weariness in her step as she entered yet another Charms lesson. The weariness was more of home sickness rather than from the work she'd been putting in on her lessons. Some days she just missed her pets and family more than others and today was one of those days. As Lilith took a seat she kept her eyes on the Professor, leaning comfortably on her hand. The background of the lesson seemed to very much fade into the background as she listened to the instructions and answers her classmates were giving. It was a nice change of pace, just listening and taking in the information instead of stressing about taking as many notes as she possibly could.

Lilith took her time with the first Charm carefully saying "Depulso," and got it right a few times, the second one she found her partner and spent some time practicing before eventually succeeding and being able to pack up and leave. Leaving the lesson her step had gained a lightness, knowing she was that much closer to the end of the year and being back with her beloved pets.

 

[Sayuri Edogawa]

Sayuri entered the Charms classroom and eyed the cushions still present. Apparently they would still be doing the summoning charm or the cushions would have been placed perhaps not in a stack. At least the spells they were learning were useful or practical. She watched and listened as the professor demonstrated the Banishing Charm. It didn't seem fairly complicated, just about the same as the Summoning Charm last week, only the opposite. When it was their turn to try out the spell, Sayuri summoned a cushion with a quick but firm "Accio." It was a lot easier now than when they were first doing it in class. "Depulso," she said, concentrating as she pointed her wand at the cushion. It slid away, though not very far. She adjusted her stance and tried again, watching as it finally made it all the way across the other end.

When the professor introduced the Disarming Charm and told them to partner up, Sayuri quickly marched up to @Elijah Edogawa, grabbing him by the arm and glaring at the Ravenclaw girl that she disliked, just daring her to even make a move into stealing her study partner again. Once that was settled, she faced Elijah and practiced Expelliarmus with him for the rest of the class.​

 

[Lumos Walden-Cade]

Lumos took his usual seat by Winnie, smiling lightly at her as the lesson got underway. As the professor mentioned what they were learning today, he leaned back in his seat, hands resting confidently on his wand as he listened. The banishing charm and the disarming charm? Now those were spells he could happily get behind. He summoned a cushion effortlessly, muttering "Accio" with practiced ease, and then flicked his wand with a decisive, "Depulso", sending it sailing across the room. The movement was quick, precise - just as he preferred. He partnered up quickly when they were told to do so and exchanged a look with his partner, eager to test his skill. "Ready?" A slight smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth, "Expelliarmus," his partners wand flew out of their hand and he caught it mid-air, the little moment of triumph before handing it back bringing a grin to his face as they practiced until the end of the lesson.​

 

[Elijah Edogawa]

Eli was quietly relieved when Sayuri marched up to him and claimed him as her partner with her usual determination—he'd been about to head over to Lily again, but he also knew she had a couple of other friends, his dorm mates for starters, and he didn't want to disrupt that. He focused as the professor introduced the Disarming Charm, appreciating the progression from last week’s Accio lesson. Holding his wand at the ready, he watched Sayuri’s first attempt. “Expelliarmus!” she called, sending a subtle spark his way. He deflected with a grin, giving her a quick nod of approval before casting his own counter. “Expelliarmus!” he said firmly, aiming for her wand but careful to avoid startling her too much. The back-and-forth gave them a comfortable rhythm, and Eli couldn’t help but appreciate how far they'd come, both in mastering spells and as a team in their Charms class.​