First Years Lesson Three

[Professor Mallory Grayveson]

Mallory couldn’t believe the year was already halfway over. She really couldn’t. She thought she really had been doing well, none of the students seemed to outwardly hate her, though she could sense several that seemed annoyed in classes. That was to be expected, however, she didn’t expect every student to adore classes. She hummed lightly, setting up the classroom for that days lesson, eager for class to begin. Peter was babbling a bit in a playpen tucked a behind her desk, a little closer for while he was up and active, staying where she could keep an eye on him, a muffling charm active so the class couldn't hear him.

Mallory smiled as she let the first years into the room, waiting until they had all settled in her seats. “Good morning, my dears, I trust all of you did your reading.” She was quite sure there were several students that hadn’t, however, so she flicked her wand, the chalk raising behind her to write out in an elegant script. “Wingardium Leviosa,” she began, starting to pace a bit around the room. “This is the charm that does what?” She asked, motioning for a student to answer. “Very good, dorogoy, two points for you.” She smiled, walking slowly across the front of the room, her hands crossed. “Wingardium Leviosa is the charm that will allow objects to fly. It is a controlled flight, it requires your concentration and the object you are enchanting will follow the trajectory of your wand. Can someone tell me the motion for this?” She asked, calling on a different student.

“That’s correct, excellent answer. Two points for you.” She smiled warmly, continuing her pace in front of the room. “The wand motion for this is swish and flick. Let’s try that now, shall we?” Mallory raised her wand, having the students copy her in the motion. “Of course, breaking your concentration breaks the spell, but there is another counter to your spells. Can someone tell me the counterspell?”

Mallory called on a different student, smiling warmly at them as they answered. “That’s correct, Finite is the appropriate counterspell. Two points,” She took a moment to smooth out her lilac robes, adjusting one of the lilac buds that dotted her braid. “Now, for the next little bit, please do concentrate and practice this spell. When you have successfully lifted your feathers,” she waved her wand and feathers appeared in front of each student, “I would like you to practice using finite to end your spell.”

Mallory let them practice for a little bit, before calling for their attention again. “I notice some of you have already made great strides with this spell already. For those of you who feel comfortable- or confident enough- feel free to practice this spell on heavier objects. Please be careful, however, and try not to hurt yourself or your classmates. While I have your attention, please take note that your homework for today is, of course, reading the chapter on the Accio spell as we will be doing that one next week. I would also like you to go over both Lumos and Wingardium Leviosa and give me two examples for each spell around how you can use this in everyday life,” She smiled warmly at the students, letting them get back to practicing when she was finished speaking.

The class eventually began to draw to a close, and Mallory soon dismissed her students, complimenting them on their work and taking a note to herself of who could stand to use improvement and who was excelling. She moved to take Peter from the playpen, bouncing the tiring baby and moving to get him back to her room and his crib.

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Two Points for each question answered

For the homework and 5 points please list two examples for each spell and how this can be used in everyday life.​

 

[Miles Flynn]

Miles was obviously looking forward to getting to learn some new magic, even if it was something as simple as Wingardium Leviosa. He arrived right on time for the lesson, settling into his usual seat in the classroom and paying attention to the Professor as she started speaking. He raised his hand for the question, clearly having not learned his lesson from the first DADA lesson, and was just surprised as ever when he was actually picked to answer. "It's the levitation spell," he explained simply, "It makes things fly." At least he hadn't made a complete fool of himself with that answer, deciding to keep his hand down for the next few questions to let someone else answer.

Finally, they were allowed to practice, Miles turning his attention to the feather placed in front of him on the desk, clearing his throat and aiming his wand. It took him a few attempts to even see any movement from the feather, but eventually, he managed it, grinning as he lifted the feather off the desk. Feeling confident, he moved onto something heavier, deciding to try it out with his textbook instead. While he barely managed to get it a few inches off the ground, he was still feeling pleased with himself. Tucking his wand away, Miles was looking forward to getting to practice more as he finally left the classroom once they had been dismissed.

 

[Christa Langley]

Christa was learning a lot at school, and that was cool, the stuff she was doing with her journal was really helping her to understand exactly what she needed to learn and was going to be a great resource - she hoped - for her sister when she started school. She was only eight now, but she wasn’t going to attend Hogwarts, she just knew it even if she didn’t necessarily understand how things like that were decided. She slid into her seat, trying not to feel too nervous as the professor welcomed the class with her usual enthusiasm. Any classes where she thought they would be learning spells made her nervous because she just didn’t know what to expect. She loved the way the professor seemed to always light up the room, it made it feel like the professor wanted to make the environment a nice place to learn and she really appreciated that.

As the lesson continued, Christa focused on taking notes, determined to get the hand of the new spell she was learning. Her first few attempts with the feather were shaky, but she wasn’t surprised by this because she wasn’t really good with spells, she had no basis for them after all. On her third try though, “Wingardium Leviosa!” The feather floated into the air and she couldn’t stop the smile that curved up onto her face. She was so happy and the pride welled up in her chest. She was so encouraged by her progress though, that she tried lifting a book, this humbled her a little, because it refused to even budge and she threaded her fingers through her hair in embarrassment from having tried to move on too fast. She looked at the homework and then made a note of how they could be useful in every day life. After all, she might not have been able to answer any of the questions, but she could write an essay. She knew how to do that at least, so she wasn’t totally useless.​

Spoiler: ’homework’

Lumos: You could use this spell if you can’t find something in the dark! (like a torch, right?) I spend a lot of time outdoors and sometimes moonlight or starlight just doesn’t work for finding something, or even just walking around outside at night. Lumos can help you to light your path. Another good way to use it is if you’re a night reader like me and you want to read your books at night, but can’t have the light on because of your roommates (or your mum catching you!)

Wingardium Leviosa: If you’re short like me, you can use this spell to help you move things up or down from a cupboard or a high shelf. Things are always out of reach for me and I like to be able to reach what I normally cant. (usually i just use a ladder so this would be weird for me) My mum could sure use this spell with the groceries. We often had to buy bulk a lot because we spent a lot of time travelling in areas that didn’t have easy access shops, so putting them all in the car would be so much easier.

 

[Finley Mackintosh Baros]

The door creaked open with a hesitant groan, and Finley slipped in, his face flushed with embarrassment and his tie slightly askew. “Sorry Professor! Got caught up… uh… helping a friend,” he mumbled, not wanting to admit he’d slept in again. He really was going to have to talk to his roommates about waking him up for class. He settled in just as feathers appeared in front of him and he quickly tried to figure out where they were up to, practicing his swish-and-flick motion, one he’d seen his dad do numerous times. His first attempts at Wingardium Leviosa were met with a few false starts - a wobbling feather that almost hit his partner - but he grinned triumphantly when the feather finally rose. “Look, I got it!” he whispered excitedly to the student beside him. As Mallory introduced heavier objects for practice, Finley eagerly volunteered, accidentally sending his book bag hovering far too high before losing concentration and causing it to thud to the floor. “Oops! Guess I need more practice,” he admitted with a chuckle.​