Lesson Two - Lumos Solem and Lumos Maxima

Ambrosius directed an encouraging gaze at Lucy Malfoy as she was heading towards the center of the classroom. Suddenly, the door opened and a girl walked in. She was apparently another new student who just arrived at Hogwarts. "You cannot be a part of the lesson at this point," Ambrosius said, "but if you desire, you can silently sit in the back and observe the others, as long as you remain quiet." As the newcomer was heading towards the back of the room, he switched his attention back to Lucy Malfoy.

"Ready?" he inquired, pointing his wand at the cage the Gytrash was in. Once the Slytherin nodded, Ambrosius swished his hand and the lights forming the enclosure suddenly disappeared on one side, releasing the spectral dog. Prepared to intervene if anything went wrong, he observed Lucy Malfoy to see how she would fare.

[OOC: As this lesson had already been quite long, you can all post your entire practical task in a single post from now on, saying that I opened the cage.]

After Lucy had successfully repelled all the obstacles, Professor Umbranox opened the Gytrash's cage again. It looked around warily, then stared straight at Aurora. Oh, no, not me, she had time to think when suddenly the spectral dog lunged, baring its smoky teeth. Aurora backed up, and it landed exactly where she had been. She heard some of the others snickering at her cowardice, and remembered Prfoessor Wayne's assessment of her courage. I can do this, she thought, and when the dog crouched again, she pointed her wand straight at it, and cried, "Lumos!" This was the easiest spell she had learned here, so she wasn't surprised when the Gytrash yelped and fell back, whimpering at the sudden light. Aurora's light pushed it back into its cage, which slammed shut. Professor Umbranox then invited her to step up and try the Devil's Snare.

She began to worry. What if my spell doesn't turn out right? What if I fail? Stepping up nervously, she directed her wand at the writhing tentacles of the plant and whispered, "Lumos Solem," When nothing happened, the plant started to reach out toward her. Paralyzed with fear, Aurora didn't do anything until the plant almost had her. She jerked out of her fear and exclaimed, "Lumos Solem!" The bright light appeared and banished the plant to the back of its pot, where it twisted angrily.

Then came the Bloody Baron. He whistled eerily and clanked his chains, altogether the picture of a threatening ghost like the ones in Muggle storybooks. "Lumos Maxima!" Aurora shouted and the small ball of light came dancing out of her wand. It didn't seem strong enough to harm the Bloody Baron, but since it was so mobile, Aurora managed to feint toward so many different parts of his body and he was forced to beat a hasty retreat. Taking her place at the back of the class, Aurora watched as the others performed the task and waited for Professor Umbranox to officially announce that class was over.

Keith glanced around at the other students and noticed that no one seemed to be standing up. He didn't want to put himself into the face of danger, but he felt as if he could take it. Before he could step forward, the Gytrash advanced towards Aurora. Keith slowly stepped back, as he looked at Aurora. He knew she could do it, after all, he remembered that she had successfully performed the spell a few times. He saw the panic in her eyes as she backed up slightly, and almost jumped in to help her. Before he could do anything, Aurora cast the spell, a beam of light shooting from the wand. He watched as the Gytrash whimpered and yelped, falling back.

Lucy watched as the Gytrash threw itself toward her. Its eyes glistening with madness, Lucy quickly exclaimed "Lumos!" as loudly, and strongly as she could. The tip of her wand started glowing intensely, and the Gytrash, scared, retrieved slowly to its cage as Lucy moved closer to it, her wand pointing at the spectral dog fearlessly. Lucy caught a glance of the Gytrash's eyes; they were now glancing at Aurora. Not wanting to break her concentration by looking at her classmate, Lucy kept Lumos on until the dog was safely inside the cage.

For the next task, Lucy walked over to Professor Umbranox's desk. Keeping an eye on the Devil's Snare, she slowly, and cautiously, lowered her free hand. Ruthlessly, the plant grabbed onto her and made its way onto her forearm.
"Lumos Solem!" she exclaimed, in the same manner and tone as she had done for the regular version of Lumos. The Devil's Snare recolied back to its pot, and finally let go of Lucy's arm. The part of her arm that had been held by the plant hurt badly. Lucy pushed the pain away and approached the Bloody Baron.

The ghost seemed so unfamiliar to her at that point. He seemed scarier than before. Still, not wanting to let Professor Umbranox down, she nodded at the ghost, a sign that she was ready for him. Quickly, the Bloody Baron darted towards her. Lucy suddenly remembered she had not been able to perform Lumos Maxima fully, and a hint of desperation hit her. The Bloody Baron came closer and closer to her, and at last, Lucy found the courage to yell "Lumos Maxima!" and create a ball bigger than the one she had created earlier. This time, though, she was able to send the ball of light towards the Baron, who retrieved quickly as it approached him.

Finally, I did it, she sighed, breathlessly. Never would have she imagined that performing magic during difficult situations would be so...draining.
In a way, she was glad to have done it, as this would later on serve her well in her future career as an Auror.
Turning to Professor Umbranox, she smiled at him, trying to thank him, but not really able to find the words.

"Impressive" Ambrosius complimented Lucy Malfoy once she had completed the task with flying colours. She was smiling, seemingly exhausted by her performance yet satisfied by it. "You have shown the ability to remain serene and focused in the face of danger. Twelve points for Slytherin, for your success and the courage you displayed by going first."

Noticing that the skin on her arm had slight red marks where the Devil's Snare had grabbed it, Ambrosius turned towards his desk, opened the first drawer and took out a plant and a very large bar of chocolate. "This is Dittany. Just rub it on your arm and it will relieve the pain." Ambrosius told the Slytherin, giving her one of the leaves he had just detached from the stem. "And please take some chocolate as well" he added, handing her a big piece of it. "It will restore your energy. Although it is most useful after encountering Dementors, it may help recover from a contact with any dark creature." he explained.

As Lucy Malfoy was heading towards the back of the classroom to join the others, Ambrosius glanced at the students, waiting to see who would go next. Aurora Finnigan stepped up, and several minutes later, despite some minor difficulties, she had successfully accomplished the task. "Well done, Miss Finnigan." Ambrosius said, handing her a leaf of Dittany and a piece of chocolate as she was passing in front of him. "You have managed to overcome your fear when confronted with danger and have demonstrated, in your encounter with the Bloody Baron, that when sheer power does not suffice to defeat your enemy, quick thinking and perseverance are an equally effective weapon. Ten points for Ravenclaw."

"Who would like to go now?" Ambrosius inquired, addressing the rest of his students.

"Who would like to go now?" Professor Umbranox inquired. Keith raised his hand slightly, waiting for the OK from the Professor. He then stepped forward. He was nervous, which he knew was quite strange for a Gryffindor, but any first year would be nervous when in the face of danger. He made sure he had a tight grip on his wand, in case he somehow managed to let it slip from his hand. He waited for the Gytrash to turn to him.

While scanning the room to see who wanted to perform the task next, Ambrosius noticed Keith Parker raising his hand. "Please, step to the center of the room, mister Parker." he invited him. Once the boy was in position, Ambrosius pointed his wand at the Gytrash's cage, while the spectral creature was nervously walking in circles in its enclosure. He fixed his student, waiting for the signal indicating that he was ready to begin. Once the Gryffindor nodded, Ambrosius swished his wand, letting the Gytrash out of its prison.

Keith held up his wand, trying his hardest not to seem afraid of the creature. The Gytrash slowly walked his way, almost as if he was going to pounce on him any second. He concentrated on how he wanted his spell to turn out and raised his wand towards the Gytrash, as it nearly ran at him. "Lumos!" Keith said in confidence, almost immediately, bright light erupted from the tip of his wand and nearly blinded the Gytrash. The creature whimpered and jerked backwards. He let a relieved sigh out.

Professor Umbranox then invited him up to try to fight against the Devil's Snare. He held his breath, looking down at the plant. Before Keith could make another move, the plant grabbed onto his left arm. Keith quickly drew his wand, pointing it at the Devil's Snare. "Lumos Solem!" He immediately said, waving his wand in the correct manner. A bright light came out of the tip, and grew brighter. Keith watched the plant shy away and let go of his arm.

He then moved onto the Bloody Baron. Keith wasn't sure he could successfully cast the spell this time, but it was worth the try. The Bloody Baron had a mean glare in his eyes, staring straight at him, almost as if he was trying to burn a hole through Keith. As the Bloody Baron advanced towards him. Keith lifted his wand up at him. "Lumos Maxima!" He tried, managing to get light out if it. As he put more effort and concentration into it, the light grew brighter, and eventually he was able to move it to different parts and the Bloody Baron was forced to stay back.

Keith smiled as he lowered his wand, realizing his success. He looked at the Professor to see what he had to say.

OOC: You do not have to wait for my intervention after every student completes the task. Several students can post in a row, and I will comment their performances afterwards. Therefore, who wants to go next can begin. Kim Frey, Wade Malfoy and James Riddle are left (since Kennedy Rivet and Dennis Diggle seem to be inactive).

Wade walked up to the front of the room, holding up his wand, Slowly, the Gytrash approached him. Trying to concentrate on the spell, he raised his wand towards the animal as it came running toward him. "Lumos!" Wade yelled, and immediately a bright light erupted from the tip of his wand. The animal retreated back to its cage, and Wade smiled, happy to have succeeded.

He then approached the Devil's Snare. Holding out his hand toward the plant, he flinched when it suddenly caught his arm. Quickly, but nervously, he pointed his wand a it and exclaimed "Lumos Solem!" The plant lost its power and let go of his arm. Although he wore his robe, he could feel the burning on his arm, and he figured that's what his cousin would have felt when the Devil's Snare hurt her.

Moving on to the Bloody Baron, he attacked Wade suddenly. Out of reflex, he waved his wand toward the ghost and yelled "Lumos Maxima!" He watched as the light on the tip of his wand became brighter and he was able to send it flying toward the ghost, making him retrieve in anger.

Wade smiled to himself, as he knew he had been successful despite having only performed the charms with Lucy, and alone in his dormitory.

Just like his classmates before him, Keith Parker managed to complete the task successfully. "Well done" Ambrosius affirmed, giving him a leaf of Dittany and some chocolate. "You have demonstrated that even when initially your spell is not strong enough, you must not panic, but remain focused and attempt to build up power or try another time, and have hope that you will succeed. When facing danger, you must never give up." he added, addressing the whole class. "I expect all of you to remember this in the future. And mister Parker, you have just earned ten points for Gryffindor."

It was now Wade Malfoy's turn. Following his cousin's example, he finished the assignment without any major difficulties. "That was quite impressive, especially considering that you were absent for our first class." Ambrosius commented, handing him the two items as usual. "I see that you have worked hard to catch up with what we learned and to prepare for this lesson on your own. Ten points for Slytherin."

Scanning his students grouped in the back of the classroom, Ambrosius identified those who still hadn't performed the exercise. "Mister Riddle, would you like to try?" he invited the Ravenclaw to come forward.

James was watching his classmates complete the task one by one from the back of the room. It didn't seem easy, and he started getting more and more nervous as he knew his turn approached. After every student, he hesitated whether to step up or not. The sooner I start, the sooner it will be over, he thought. However, each time Professor Umbranox asked who wanted to go next, he found it so much easier just to remain silent than to come forward.

"Mister Riddle, would you like to try?" the teacher inquired, with only Kim and James left. For a moment, he was tempted to answer negatively, but he didn't really have a choice. After nodding to the professor, he slowly headed to the middle of the room, feeling the pressure of the others' gaze on his back. As he was standing there, waiting for the Gytrash to be unleashed, a cold sweat spread down his spine and he tried to breath profoundly in order to calm down. As soon as the specter charged, his first reaction was to retreat, but his legs just wouldn't listen. Without being fully aware of what he was doing, he reflexively pointed his wand at the animal and pronounced "Lumos". The light was just powerful enough to ward off the ghost. James sighed with relief as he was approaching the professor's desk.

However, terror quickly took over again. Hesitantly moving his hand closer to the Devil's Snare, he felt one of its vines grabbing it immediately after he touched the plant. The tendril rapidly moved up his arm, leaving a burning pain, and James could clearly imagine in his head how horrible it would be to have his whole body squeezed by the creature. Starting to panic, he opened his mouth to pronounce the incantation, but no sound came out. He had more and more trouble breathing, as the vines had already reached his shoulder. Without thinking, he released his wand and tried to tear them away with his right hand, but it only seemed to make things worse.

James Riddle stepped up and walked to the middle of the room to take the challenge. Despite being visibly nervous, he accomplished the first part. However, when moving on to deal with the Devil's Snare, something was obviously wrong. Ambrosius first decided to let his student try to deal with his fear himself, but when he saw him throw his wand, he knew he had to react. Approaching the desk, he pointed his wand at the boy's arm and calmly uttered "Lumos Solem". The plant instantly let go. "Are you all right?" he inquired, as the Ravenclaw was visibly shaken. "Eat this and try to calm down" he advised him, giving him a very large piece of chocolate.

Ambrosius assisted the boy and they both headed towards the back of the classroom. After helping him sit down, he took out what remained of the Dittany, detached three voluminous leaves and applied them along the student's arm. "Is the pain going away?" he inquired, observing his face.

Kathrine Knocked on the Door and waited for someone to answer. "I hope they Haven't Started yet. It's only been 10 minutes, it was supposed to start 10 minutes ago.

Suddenly, James felt a warm light on his arm, and a moment later, he was free of the plant's hold. Heavily breathing, he nodded in response to the professor's question, took the chocolate and headed towards the back of the room, looking at the ground, his legs shaking. He sat down and started eating, feeling slightly better at each bite. "Yes, thank you" he replied, since his pain was rapidly relieved by the leaves of Dittany. However, that couldn't take away his shame and anger about failing the task.

Seeing that the boy's physical pain was slowly disappearing, Ambrosius figured it would be best to let him calm down. Returning to the center of the classroom, he glanced at his watch and realized that there were only two minutes remaining. Swishing his wand, he lit the candles and pulled the curtains. The dark room was now bathed in light again. "Unfortunately, this class has come to an end. You have all performed well, and I expect you to keep up the good work in futures lessons. We have finished working on the Wand Lighting Spell in all its versions, so if you have any questions about that subject, now is the time to ask them".

He waited a moment to see if anyone had anything to ask, and then pursued: "Next time, we will be working on the Knock-back Jinx. I therefore want you to read the chapter about this spell in the Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1), and I have prepared a short series of questions to acquaint you with it." As we was speaking, the list slowly appeared on the blackboard. "However, I'm only asking you to read and write about the spell, do not try to perform it, we will do that in class during our next lesson". Arriving at his desk, he stopped walking and faced the students: "That is all for today. I wish you all a pleasant afternoon."

While the students were slowly scattering, Ambrosius headed towards James Riddle, who was putting away his belongings in his bag. "Mister Riddle, if you do not feel well, I can accompany you to the Infirmary." he suggested.

OOC: I will post the questions in the Homework Folder.

After Professor Umbranox announced the end of the lesson, most of his classmates gathered their things and started leaving the classroom. James remained seated for a couple of seconds, until he was fully recovered from the shock caused by his encounter with the Devil's Snare and the pain in his arm was completely gone.

"Mister Riddle, if you do not feel well, I can accompany you to the Infirmary." Professor Umbranox suggest. "No, no, I'm really fine." James reassured the teacher. "Thank you." Suddenly, someone knocked on the door, causing both student and teacher to turn their look to the entrance.

Since the boy was affirming that he was feeling better, Ambrosius decided not to insist and headed for the door. Opening it, he found himself face to face with a young girl, proudly wearing the school's uniform, a red crest sewn on her chest. "How can I be of assistance?" he calmly inquired, inviting her to come in.

Kathrine Waited, she heard People talking and the suffleing of feet. She saw the door open and a tall man said "How can I be of assistance?" "Hello, I assume you are the Professor. I'm Kathrine, sorry I'm late, I Didn't get my owl until Term Started and then i had to go shopping and Everything. I assume the Headmaster has told you i will be joining this class? If not it's Ok, I will Sign up.

"Hello, I assume you are the Professor. I'm Kathrine, sorry I'm late, I Didn't get my owl until Term Started and then i had to go shopping and Everything. I assume the Headmaster has told you i will be joining this class? If not it's Ok, I will Sign up." the girl explained. "Yes, I am Professor Umbranox, the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. It would be my pleasure to welcome you to the class, yet unfortunately the lesson has ended. You will be able to join the next one though. Please just make sure to catch up with everything that we have done so far, and do not forget to do your homework. I am certain that any of the students attending my class will be glad to help you with everything if you ask them to." Ambrosius replied, while James Riddle was passing near them and leaving the classroom. "I wish you a nice day and expect to see you next time." he added to the girl and turned around, heading for his office.