Leann glanced at the dummies that were being blasted everywhere. Some people were in partners, some weren't. She didn't have a partner, but she didn't mind. No one would see her embarress herself now. Well, no one would be paying that much attention.
She walked up to a dummy and timedly said "Flipendo dummy", though she closed her eyes as she said this.
She opened them. Nothing had happened. Great. She knew she would be bad at this. She had heard somewhere that people with no magical family were muggle-borns.
So she was a muggle-born. That was probably the reason she couldn't do it. She got ready to try it again, determined to keep her eyes open.
"Flipendo dummy" She said once again. Though she did not get the result she wanted, the dummy swayed back and forth. She was getting there.
Thinking of the girl who blasted it out of the window, Leann stared firmly at the dummy and yelled "FLIPENDO DUMMY!"
And what do you know, the dummy flew backwards, and Leann was left standing there with a big grin on her face.\n\n
Jenna turned to look at the girl who had just yelled out the spell. She looked as if she knew what she was doing. Then Jenna looked back to her own dummy. No matter how hard she tried, it had no affect on the dummy. Defence Against the Dark Arts was certainlyy not her best subject.
But anyone could have told her that. Her parents had secretly tutored her in every class, except for Defence Against the Dark Arts. They saw no point in it, as they practiced the Dark Arts themselves. And that explained her joy of getting away from home.
Gathering all the courage she could muster, she walked up to the girl, "Defence Against the Dark Arts just doesn't seem to be my thing, could you help me?"\n\n
"Sure. It's pretty much a flick, really. Simply say Flipendo and flick your wand. I guess the harder you flick it the powerful it is maybe?" She said. She then rose her wand once again.
"Flipendo Dummy!" She siad, making sure to flick her wand. The dummy flew through the air, lying on a stack of pillows.
"Yep, it's a flick. Oh, and I'm Leann. Aladren." She said. Her confidence really had boosted. She usually was really shy.\n\n
"Oh, I'm Jenna, I'm in Crotalus," she said sheepishly. How could she go up to a person and forget to tell them her name?
"Alright then, let me try this," she said, almost as if to herself, as she brushed long brown hair from her face. She took a deep breath, and copied Leann's wand movements, "Flipendo Dummy!" she commanded. Instantly she closed her eyes, afraid to see the results.\n\n
Leann watched Jenna say the spell, but sadly, she got something in her eye at the wrong moment. he watched the spell, as if in slow motion, waiting to see what would happen.\n\n
Jenna opened her eyes. The dummy had moved, oh what, an inch? Maybe? She sighed. Defense Against the Dark Arts wasn't as easy or pointless as her parents had said it was. If she wanted to, she could give up on it, fail the whole class, and her parents wouldn't give a care.
But something inside of her wouldn't accept failure, whether it mattered or not.
"Ahem," she said, clearing her throat. With a new-found confidence, she shouted, "Flipendo Dummy!"\n\n
Leann watched the dummy move an inch. Turning to say something to Jenna, she was surprised when she shouted the incantation once more, and she was sure Jenna had confidence in her voice this time. So she watched the spell once more, hoping the results would be better.\n\n
Jenna stared with wide-eyed amazement. Sure, the spell had finally worked but... it had smashed hard into the wall. Smashed so hard, that it had even left a dent as proof of her success. Jenna was totally taken aback. How had she been able to do that?
"Leann, I think I've got it," she said slowly. Because slowly, in her mind, it clicked. It would take a lot of practice and even more hard work, but if she always tried her best, there was a chance that one day she could escape her family.
She smiled at Leann, "Thanks so much for helping me!"\n\n