Charms: Lesson 1 (2nd years)

James found the classroom empty, apart from Professor Adela who was calmly sitting at her desk, concentrated on a piece of parchment, apparently not noticing his arrival. "Good morning" he said timidly, unsure whether he should disturb her. Taking a seat in the back of the classroom, he took out his schoolbook, quill and parchment from his school bag and waited for the others to arrive.

Glancing around, he didn't notice any major changes in decoration compared to the previous year. Except of course, for the fact that they now had a new teacher. James was sad to find out that Professor Terzic wouldn't be returning this year, as he had grown to like the friendly professor. However, he understood that troubled times were upon the wizarding world, and the young teacher wasn't the first and probably not the last to leave the school. As they had been informed during the Welcoming Feast, Helen Adela, their previous Astronomy professor, was taking over the subject.

Vague memories plagued Aurora as she walked down the hallway to Charms class. She remembered having trouble summoning fire, until she had pulled on her gut feeling and the fire had appeared, out of control. That sudden burst of magic had led to speculations on the power of the ancient magic contained in the lost library. Aurora hadn't been able to discuss her ideas with James yet, but she hoped she would have time soon.

Peeking into the classroom, Aurora saw that James was already seated. She took the seat next to him and greeted him with a smile. "Hi, James!" she said brightly. She really was excited about Charms, which she personally felt she was better at than Transfiguration. As more students trickled into the classroom, Aurora grew nervous and worried that she would make a fool out of herself. Last year, she had fried a feather and burnt down a candlestick. She hoped she would be better at controlling her magic this year, but her father's track record wasn't so great, so her hopes were low. Aurora worked her face into a determined expression. She was a Ravenclaw. She would try her hardest, and hopefully do great.

Helen walked into the classroom. She was neither late nor early. She grinned at the students and said, "Hello everybody. I, Helen Adela, will be your Charms and Herbology lesson this term." She looked around and said, "You all know what a charm is. But just to brush up your memory, can somebody tell me what a charm exactly is?"

James thought about the question for a moment. Obviously, he knew what a charm was, but as it was often the case, giving a precise and exact definition proved more difficult than he thought. However, he raised his hand, determined to give it a try nevertheless. "I guess a charm is a type of spell" he commenced once Professor Adela had given him permission to speak, "that one can cast on an object or a person to... affect them in some way." Realizing that his answer was somewhat vague, he quickly added, recalling what they had learned with Professor Terzic the previous year: "For example, the Hover Charm is used to make objects levitate and the Fire-Making Charm to set them ablaze."

Wade's arms were crossed as he sat back in his chair, looking at James as he was about to answer Professor Adela's question. This was his first lesson of Charms with Professor Adela, and he was excited as he hadn't really done much of the class with Professor Terzic on the last term. He knew about the both of the examples James had given, and he liked the Ravenclaw's answer.
He didn't really feel like the answer needed something to be added, so he stayed quiet and kept on listening. Once James was done talking, Wade's eyes turned to the Professor.

Helen nodded at the boy. "That is right Mr..." She looked into the list of paper she had on her table and said, "Mr Riddle." She turned to the board and the following appeared:

Charm: A charm is a spell that adds certain properties to an object or creature. It adds or changes properties of an object; it focuses on altering what the object does as opposed to what the object is.

"This is the definition of a charm. Please remember this, as it might be asked in your exam." Crossing her hands at the back, she walked around the classroom. "Before we begin the practical lesson, I want to talk to you about Hexes and Jinxes. Can anybody tell me what a Hex is and what a Jinx is, and also how does it differ from a Charm? Please state your name before you answer as I don't know each one of you."

Hex? Jinx? Aurora had no idea of the difference between the two. She should have studied harder over the holidays... All she knew was that they both sounded pretty evil to her. Maybe one lasted longer than the other or affected its target differently. Sighing in disappointment, Aurora glanced around to see if anyone else would get the answer right.

"Correct, Miss Hazel. Five points to Gryffindor." Helen grinned at the class. "This is the sort of questions that might be asked for your exams. just to confuse you."


"Moving on." Helen strolled around. "There are a few more things you have to know. What is an incantation and what is a curse?"

---

Any 2 students can answer this and then we can move on to the practical lesson.

After making sure to note down that a hex and a jinx were in fact the same thing, James reflected on Professor Adela's next question. As he was rather certain he had the answer to the first one, he raised his hand. "An incantation designates the words the caster must pronounce when performing a spell." he said. He then hesitated for a moment, unsure whether he should answer the second one. "And a curse..." he started, trying to come up with a suiting definition. Remembering those they had learned in Defence Against the Dark Arts, he added: "A curse is similar to a hex or a jinx, but it is darker, more dangerous and can cause serious harm."

Helen nodded at the boy. "Correct Mr. Riddle. Five points to Ravenclaw."

Incantation - what you say to make a spell/charm happen
Curse - Intent to harm, control or kill

"Please copy this down." Helen nodded at the board where two more sentences got added to the list. "This lesson we will not be learning any specific spells. But since Charms would be boring without practicals, I would like few of you to come forward and do a spell or two that you all know about. Points will be awarded." Helen walked to her desk and sat down behind it, waiting to see who would come forward and perform.

Aurora scribbled the definitions into her notebook in her sloppy handwriting. Disappointed, she huffed her breath out in a long sigh when Professor Adela announced that they would not be studying practicals during the lesson. She perked up, though, at the invitation to try spells.

"Professor?" she ventured, raising her hand slowly. "I'd like to give it a go, please." She mentally flicked through the charms she knew. Levitation, fire, repairing, water... She waited for the professor's response, however, before standing up.

Helen nodded at Aurora Finnigan. "Go ahead Miss Finnigan." She was glad to see that somebody wanted to do it. Helen rested her chin on her long fingers as she waited for the Ravenclaw girl to do the spell.

Aurora smiled at the kind professor. She stepped up, close to Professor Adela's desk, and took a deep breath. You've got this, Aurora On a whim, she chose the Levitation Spell, which, apart from the Wand-Lighting Charm, was the one she was most familiar with. "Wingardium Leviosa," she said firmly, pointing her wand at a textbook on the professor's desk. The book wavered and wobbled, then slowly rose into the air. With a smile, Aurora released the magic. The book came down slightly harder than she had hoped for, making a thump as it landed on Professor Adela's desk. Blushing, Aurora sat back down in her seat, hoping that she hadn't ruined anything.

"Well done, Miss Finnigan." Helen smiled at the Ravenclaw. Helen appreciated the way the girl did the spell. Her confidence was appreciable. After that, most of the students left and Helen left the room, determined to prepare the next lesson.