Still getting used to the 'No wand' thing...

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella was still surprised by her success in Defense class. Instead of sitting back and appreciating the small bit of wandless magic that she had accomplished, she wanted to spend her time honing whatever skill she had with this new form of magic. She still felt completely bare without her wand in her hand. The Ravenclaw had realized that there were times that the wand had to stay in her pocket if she wanted to get anywhere. Thus, she found herself at the lakefront with nothing in hand. She didn't want to lug around a heavy bag more than she had to.

The lake had a variety of objects that she could summon. Plus, being outside with the sun warming her skin was much better than practicing in the cold, dreary Dueling Chamber. She could only take the Dungeons in small doses. Why Slytherins would want to spend time there was beyond her.

Slipping her shoes off, she set them next to her. She dipped her feet in the lake, recoiling at how cold the water was. The girl forced herself to immerse her toes beneath the water's skin once more. The only way to tolerate chilly water was to get used to it.

Reaching into the water with one of her hands, she dragged her fingertips across the bottom. When her fingers curled around a decent sized rock, she pulled it out and put it on the grass. If she was ever going to get anywhere with wandless magic, she would have to start out small.

After drying her hand on her robes, she held it out towards the rock. "Wingardium Leviosa," she stated. Nothing happened. Relaxing her shoulders a bit, she attempted the charm again. Her lips curled upward as the rock rose a decent three feet into the air. Waving her hand, she moved the object back and forth, entirely too amused with a simple task- that ultimately, wasn't simple at all.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

After being cooped up in the library and her room writing an essay for one of her classes, Cyndi needed to go outside and get some fresh air. She knew at once where she would go, and as she left the school, her feet beat the familiar path toward the lakefront. Aside from her own commonroom, it was her favorite place here in the school.

As she approached the lakefront, Cyndi noticed that Estrella seemed to have had the same idea. Walking toward her, Cyndi realized that she seemed to be greatly concentrating on something. Cyndi had a feeling that she knew what the Ravenclaw was working on, so she slowed, not wanting to break her concentration.

She didn't know about anyone else, but she had had quite a bit of difficulty performing wandless magic in class the other day. She figured that she was making it harder than it needed to be because of her own uneasiness in not being able to use her wand. Over the past 7 years, she had grown quite attached to her wand, and it truly had become an extension of her.

Watching Estrella succeed in raising a rock several feet in the air, Cyndi finally finished walking toward her, and clapped. "Good job Estrella!" Cyndi said with a smile as she joined her friend.

 

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella lost all concentration as a familiar voice met her ears. The rock she had been levitating succumbed to the pull of gravity, landing with a plunk and sinking beneath the lake's skin. She probably would have been irritated if it had not been one of her fellow seventh years. She turned her head, flashing a wide smile. Although she didn't say it, she really appreciated the encouragement.

"Thanks! I'm not so great at it though. Honestly, I feel naked without my wand." She wondered if Cyndi would join her. The Ravenclaw girl definitely wouldn't mind someone else to practice with. "So what are you doing on this lovely spring day?"

 

[Sophia Stark]

Sophia was tired of being reclusive. Who cared if she had not heard from Michael? So what if her thoughts kept drifting back to Daniel? She could not wallow forever. It was rather depression, and quite embarrassing. Sophia was a Slytherin, and a rather proud one at that. No one hurt this seventh year, and she had to prove that to her classmates, and perhaps to herself as well.

Although she was still dressed in her uniform the noirette had ditched her robes in her dorm room. It was quite nice outside and Sophia saw no reason to cover herself up. Her mid-thigh length skirt, short sleeved white shirt, and sleeveless Slytherin sweater were quite enough to cover her lanky body, and she liked the way she looked. Her long black hair was down and straight, as most were probably used to seeing it by now. It blew behind the seventh year in the light breeze as she walked outside, looking for something to do.

It was when she reached the lake that her wide grey eyes landed on two fellow seventh years. A smile curled up the corners of her lips as she turned and headed toward the two girls.

"Hey, what are you two up to?" Sophia casually asked Estrella and Cyndi. She approached the two tentatively, hoping she was not interrupting something important.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi nodded sympathetically as Estrella said she felt naked without her wand. "I do too. It's just so weird after using our wands for so long to know that we don't really need them." She knew she would eventually get used to doing the wandless magic, but figured it would take tons of practice. Seeing Estrella practicing made Cyndi want to practice as well. "Not much of anything. I just was tired of being in the castle" Cyndi answered, "Mind if I join you?"

As she waited for Estrella's reply, another seventh year girl joined them, and Cyndi smiled at her. Cyndi knew her name- Sophia, but the two had never really spent any time together outside of the classes they shared. She seemed ok enough though.

 

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella beamed broadly back at the Gryffindor girl. "You sure can!" In the absence of most the other girls in their year, Cyndi and Estrella had become very close friends. "There're plenty of rocks around here. I've been practicing with Wingardium Leviosa." Chuckling, she added, "I can't help starting small."

She turned to Sophia with a small smile. "I was just practicing wandless magic- and Cyndi was about to join me." Estrella hadn't really talked to her cousin ever since the previous year. She wondered if Sophia would join them. The Ravenclaw was thoroughly positive that none of the seventh years had gotten a real grip on using magic without their wands.

 

[Sophia Stark]

Sophia looked at her two classmates for a moment, considering what to do. She knew Estrella well. After all, the two were cousins. But Cyndi remained, for the most part, a mystery to Sophia. The Slytherin did not know how much information she could divulge around her, or how well she would be received.

"May I join you?" Arithmancy actually came to Sophia's mind. Her numbers had constantly told her that she was social and loved being with people and helping others. Perhaps this was her chance to see if that was truly inside of her. Besides, she could use the help with wandless magic. "I cannot get a grasp on wandless magic at all, It feels so wrong without a wand."

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

"Thanks" Cyndi said happily, "I'll probably practice the summoning charm. It took me nearly the entire lesson to get it right."

As Estrella explained to Sophia what they were working on, Cyndi listened. When she heard Sophia ask if she could join them, Cyndi smiled, "It's fine with me. I need all the feedback I can get." She turned to Estrella, waiting to see what her response would be.

 

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella grinned back at Cyndi, quite glad that she would have some company. "Of course you can join, Sophia," she responded cheerily. "The more the merrier, right? It sounds like we all need some practice anyways." Smoothing down her robes, she inched a bit closer to the lake. There were plenty of rocks, but she knew that summoning them all at once would prove disastrous.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi turned to the lake and looked at the rocks, trying to single out one so that they all didn't come flying when she summoned them. That would certainly not be a good thing. She noticed that one of the rocks was sort of ovalish and had some moss growing on it and she decided that this would be the one she tried to summon. Concentrating hard on the rock, Cyndi tried to block out Estrella and Sophia for a second. C'mon Accio, Cyndi thought to herself as she continued to look at the rock and hold out her hand.

She noticed that the rock slid a little off of the rock it had been on top of. Continuing to concentrate, Cyndi watched as the rock moved toward her slowly but surely. Finally, it was out of the lake and soaring toward her hand. In another few seconds, it reached Cyndi's hand and she grabbed it. She palmed the mossy rock and looked over to the others triumphantly. "I actually did it!" she exclaimed happy that summoning the rock had taken her less time than summoning the scroll had in class.

 

[Sophia Stark]

[Sorry! School ate my life. :wacko: ]

Relieved that she was accepted into the group Sophia removed her messenger bag and set it down on the grass. She stepped closer to the edge of the lake and put out her hand, hoping to summon one of the rocks as the other two were doing. Concentrating hard the Slytherin thought over and over again accio rock, accio rock, imagining the rock flying up into her hand. After a few moments it finally started to wiggle, but it didn't seem willing to leave it's place on the shore.

Within minutes Cyndi had gotten it. Sophia frowned, unable to hide her disappointment. She always used to be so good at everything, but ever since she had returned last year the Slytherin had been unable to get her stride back. Taking that time off had greatly hurt her academic abilities and Sophia was determined to get them back.

With a new vigor she turned to the rock and began concentrating harder, urging the rock to come to her hand. It finally shot up into the air and the noirette was able to snatch it. Smirking she turned to the other two.

"I got it!" she said excitedly, not even bothering to hide the pleasure she was feeling. Perhaps it was the thrill of competition that drove her to do so well. Sophia decided it was more than possible and turned back to the lake, dropping the rock and concentrating on repeating the result.

 

[Estrella Drage]

[Om nom nom]

Estrella watched as Cyndi and Sophia both caught the rocks they had been trying to summon. "Awesome job guys!" she said excitedly. The Ravenclaw was having some difficulty summoning a rock herself, but it was probably because she was worried that twenty rocks would go flying her way instead of just one. After a great deal of concentration on her part, she summoned a rock just like she had summoned the scroll. Estrella was a bit clumsy in catching it; she was merely relieved that she hadn't brained herself.

Throwing the stone up and down with her hand, she finally chucked it back into the lake, determined to try again. "I don't think this will be so hard once we get used to it," she commented, "What would be really sweet is if we could do something like, the Patronus, wandless." She knew that the idea was far fetched, considering that they hadn't even learned the Patronus yet, but it still seemed a pretty amazing feat to her.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi watched as Sophia made an attempt and succeeded. "Good job, Sophia! I guess we're all better at this than we thought." she said happily. Somehow, it seemed much easier to work out here than in the classroom. Perhaps it was because there was no pressure from their professor watching them.

She nodded in agreement with Estrella's comment that it was getting easier. "Wandless Patronuses? I hear that they are difficult to do even if you have a wand. I wonder what mine will look like though" Cyndi as she tossed her rock back into the water.