Closed Soaring, tumbling, freewheeling

[Mary Lou Layton]

At the end of class, Professor Grace had asked Mary Lou to remain behind, she supposed it was not that unexpected, given she'd simply sat on the ground beside her broom after her attempts had failed. In her first class, she hadn't managed to get her broom to jump into her hand and so it was not surprising that she'd failed again in her second class, only reiterating her already rampant thoughts on how someone could possibly have gotten everything so very wrong. When she'd been sent to live with her Aunt and Uncle (after accidentally levitating her mothers tea kettle off of the stove and smashing it) she'd finally received the letter telling her that she would be going to magic school, only, it hadn't explained anything to her. She'd had to find her way around the stores by herself. Figure out the currency, buy her supplies, catch a train and then actually get to the school all by herself. These things alone would not have been such a problem were this in the non magical world, but since she was being consumed by words she didn't know, places she'd never heard of and things she'd never seen, it had made everything feel a bit more alien. One of the only familiar things that had happened to her so far, was being asked to stay back, and though she had rarely been asked to do so when she wasn't a witch (was she a witch?) it was something familiar, because it was something that was the same as her home in Alabama that she was beginning to miss desperately. She missed her mother and setp-father too, but she doubted she was likely ever to see them again.​

 

[Professor Grace Holland]

It seemed a yearly occurrence now, that one of her students either didn't dare to fly, or refused to try. Miss Prindeou had at least not simply told her she wouldn't do it, which a student had done last year, and Grace was glad she didn't have to give detention again. She hoped she could help this girl, as it seemed to her she simply didn't feel very confident in herself. Once the other first years had cleared off, Grace walked over to the blond girl and spoke to her. "I noticed you were sitting on the ground next to your broom instead of hovering with the rest, were you afraid to try?" She asked her gently. "Or was something else the matter? I would like to know, so I can help you." Fear of flying wasn't uncommon, but Grace wasn't going to make assumptions.

 

[Mary Lou Layton]

Perhaps it was the fact that Professor Grace was young, or maybe she just had a face that Mary Lou felt like she could trust, but whatever it was, Mary Lou immediately just wanted to tell her everything she was going through. She knew she couldn't though, not everything, not all at once. She didn't want to be kicked out of the school, but, perhaps, Professor Grace might help her in this one small area. Or maybe, should she see that Mary Lou truly could not make the broom jump into her hands, she would just get everything over and done with more quickly and Mary Lou would be back on the train home tomorrow. It was a fate she almost wished for if it meant she didn't have to worry that she was going to look like an absolute fool in front of everyone when she wasn't like them. She knew everything back at her non magical school, starting completely from scratch, blank slat with barely even the hint of minimal understanding, it was... humiliating and embarrassing. She really didn't like this feeling. She didn't like it at all. "I'm... I'm sorry, Professor Grace, I... yes, I was afraid. But, also... the last lesson and... and in this one. I couldn't make the broom jump into my hand." She admitted, voicing only one thread of her anxiety and frustration. "I sat down because... I didn't want to be the only one standing, I guess."​

 

[Professor Grace Holland]

Grace listened to the girl explain herself, and immediately felt horrible for not noticing her struggles. It was true that she had a lot of first years to look after, but she had failed to notice how much the girl was struggling with the up command. It wasn't the most important part of flying, but it was important for a student's confidence. It was no wonder she was afraid as well, as all of this could very well be unfamiliar to her. Grace wasn't sure that she was new to magic, but she knew that was a possibility. "Alright, that's understandable." She said with a reassuring smile. "Getting the broom to jump into your hand is the first step. I'm sorry I didn't realize you needed more help with it." She said to her. "How do you feel about practicing that a little now? Nothing else just yet."

 

[Mary Lou Layton]

Practice now? Alone, with the Professor? It seemed more ideal than having to do it in the group with the other students, but... Mary Lou bit her lip. A habit she was beginning to form recently, though she wasn't sure she knew how to stop herself from doing it. She wanted to be able to do the same things as the others in her class, but she was still convinced all of that wasn't possible, even with her visit to Miss Maria. It was all so very scary for her, nothing in her imagination had prepared her for any of it, and really, how could it have? Mary Lou had never been a quitter though and she supposed she had to see this through to it's inevitable conclusion, even if she would be sad to leave, she would know she had done so without backing down. That was not the Prindeou way. Of course she didn't really know that either, since she knew nothing about her real Father or much about his family given her Aunt and Uncle barely acknowledged her on a good day. "I... think I would like to try." Just to get it over and done with. The familiarity of home might even be welcome after the nightmarish few weeks she'd had here. As much as she so desperately wanted to be part of all of this. It clearly just wasn't for her. "What... do I need to do?"​

 

[Professor Grace Holland]

Grace could see the hesitation on the girl's face, but was glad when she agreed to practice alone with her. She knew it wasn't easy for every student to accept help, which she had experienced firsthand last year. "You'll be okay." She reassured her. "To start, you should stand next to your broom, like this." Grace stepped to the side, standing next to one of the many discarded brooms on the ground she had to put away. "You focus on the broom, and make sure you sound firm and confident as you tell it what to do." She said, giving the girl a reassuring smile. "Up." She then said, demonstrating it again. The broom flew up into her hand and she held it up for the girl to see. "Brooms react to confidence, so try to sound sure. You're the one in control, not your broom."

 

[Mary Lou Layton]

Mary Lou tried to calm the slow panic that was building inside her little body as Professor Grace explained a bit more about the whole flying thing. It all seemed so completely absurd and she was finding it hard to believe that such a thing could be so simple. How were the brooms even made able to fly, was there a special kind od wood? It was a bit more advanced for her than she should be trying to figure out, but, that was just how her mind wanted to work at the moment, whether she understood the concept of something or not. Mary Lou took a deep breath and followed the instructions she was given, standing next to one of the brooms from earlier and looking down at it. It still just looked like a broom to her. Like she could just pick it up and start sweeping the lawn with it, though it was a far stranger looking broom than one she was accustomed to at home. She thought it sounded very strange that she would need to be commanding with something she had initially thought to be an inanimate object, but apparently these brooms could understand speech. Or perhaps it was all one giant illusion they were all facing together. She closed her eyes for a moment and held her hand out over the broom, trying to focus on what Professor Grace had said. "Up!" She tried, but felt nothing. She opened her eyes to see that the broom had not yet moved. She frowned. She knew it was useless. However, at Professor Grace's encouragement, she tried again, closing her eyes and holding her hand out over the broom. "Up!" This time, she felt something hit her hand and when she opened her eyes, she was clutching the broom. The shock of the sight caused her to drop the broom again and he hands went to her mouth as she looked at it in shock. "I...I did that?" She asked incredulously, not quite sure she could believe it.​

 

[Professor Grace Holland]

Grace was quiet as the girl steeled herself to give it another try. She knew she had to be patient, because the girl was clearly already pressuring herself enough. Grace had some experience now with insecure or nervous students, and knew one of the best things she could do was simply give the girl time. She watched as Mary Lou attempted to make the broom fly into her hand again, though nothing happened the first attempt. She felt a sense of pride when the girl attempted it again on her own, without needing Grace's encouragement. "Good, keep trying." She said, though the girl had already started. When she managed it, Grace beamed brightly. "You did that." She confirmed with a nod. "See? You're capable of all the things your classmates are," she assured the girl quietly. "It's not shameful if things take a little more time." She paused. "And asking for help is never a bad thing either, Miss Prindeou. This isn't the first time I've helped a first year student a little more outside of class, and it won't be the last, probably not even this year. You're not alone in this." She said gently, knowing how discouraging it probably was to be in a big class of students who all seemed to be grasping things more quickly than you.

 

[Mary Lou Layton]

Mary Lou was shocked. She kept her hands over her mouth as she looked at the broom on the ground. It looked like an ordinary broom, well, it had before but, it had flown into her hand. it was incredible. She looked up at Professor Grace who seemed pleased with the slow progress she had made, which also made her happy. She didn’t like being a disappointment to anyone. She looked up, hands still covering her mouth as she listened to what Professor Grace was saying. She nodded and dropped her hand. “Yes, I... I didn’t think I could do it,” she said, shaking her head. She looked down at the broom. She didn’t think she was ready to ride it yet, but knowing that she wasn’t the only one who had trouble like this, it made her feel a lot better. She quickly rushed to hug the woman, overcome as she was with emotion. “Thank you Professor Grace. Thank you for this”. Was she ready to admit that maybe she was wrong? Not yet, but it was one step closer to fully accepting her new reality. The journey would be long, but she’d taken a starting step.​

 

[Professor Grace Holland]

Grace noticed how surprised the girl was, which really showed her how much she had been doubting her own abilities. She felt for the young girl, and hoped that this would help her feel more confident about herself. "But you did it." She said gently. Grace was surprised when the girl hugged her, but hugged her back with a smile. She was glad she had been able to make a difference. "It's no problem, but you did the hard work." She said quietly as the girl hugged her. "You can return to the castle now, I've kept you long enough. But please don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it." She said, hoping the girl would take that advice to heart.