Grayson Wright
June 13, 2020 11:47 AM
Stick With It (Beginners Charms) by Grayson Wright
It was, Grayson Wright thought, only a matter of time. Any day now, he was going to wake up one morning and find he had started developing grey hair.It could, of course, be worse. He could not recall, for instance, a time when his father had ever had as much hair to turn grey as Gray did now. The remainder of the elder Wright's hair had still been dark in his son's earlier recollections (indeed, he couldn't exactly say when it had ceased to be so; it must have happened very gradually), but there had never been much of it either way. So it could have been worse, the no doubt imminent impact of stress upon his hair, but he was still not terribly keen on the idea of aging like a Muggle. He was forty, for Merlin's sake. still within the prime of his life. He would not consider himself vain, but he thought there were several positions between hopeless vanity and indifference to whether he appeared to be an old man when he wasn't.
As a rule, he kept these thoughts separate, in their own little cupboard, when he was teaching, but the Advanced class was going to work with mirrors in the afternoon, with the regrettable result that the subject of reflections was somewhat on his mind even now, hours before Advanced Charms met, as the Beginners came in. This he regarded as unfortunate, as he could not do anything about or for the sources of stress he had while he was teaching, and if he didn't teach well, he didn't get paid, plus it was then his fault if the students didn't learn how to do Charms properly and thus became Uncontrolled Menaces To Society. He did not want that on his conscience, so he needed to concentrate on his lesson and only his lesson for the duration of the Beginners' class.
He thought Charms was reasonably popular as a subject on the whole, but doubted very much that this was currently the case with the Beginners' class. He knew there were theories of magical education which simply threw the children right in and let them do their best, but he was too cautious by nature to embrace those with any enthusiasm when rejecting them was still an option. Charms were not, in general, as dangerous as, say, Transfiguration, but that didn't mean things couldn't go dangerously wrong, or else just wreak chaos. Gray took a certain amusement in writing his protagonists into chaos in his fiction (Charlotte Ayleward was presently dealing with a class which had somehow gotten all the students adhered to the ceiling by the soles of their shoes, the ensuing mayhem of which had distracted her from a crucial piece of paper being lifted from her desk by an invisible intruder) but he did not like chaos to occur around his actual person in real life. As a result, even the second years had spent almost all the first week rehearsing the basics along with their colleagues in the first year, reinforcing information they had doubtless lost no small part of over the summers: basic theory, practicing wand movements, chanting the most common sounds found in charm incantations so that the room sounded vaguely like what he thought Muggle ideas about what spellcasting sounded like, learning or reviewing definitions....
After the first week, the second years had gotten more advanced material and the first years had started on some of the very simplest charms - lumos and nox, unlocking, and, most importantly, learning finite incantatem. That one had at least broken up the monotony a bit; until they had gotten the hang of it, dancing figurines had often managed to escape them, resulting in a degree of chaos, if not one high enough to require worry. All of these lessons had included practicing the different components of the spell individually and together before attempting the spell on an object, and sometimes between attempts. Now, though, as the first month of school drew near its end, he was preparing to start the process of granting them a bit more independence. He rather expected class to get even more interesting than it had when he'd taught them Finite Incantatem, at least for a few days, but it couldn't be helped: sooner or later, they had to take command of their magic themselves. Accordingly, he tried to banish all thoughts from his mind that didn't involve sleepy eleven- and twelve-year-olds as the first class gathered after breakfast.
"Good morning everyone," he said. "And welcome to the first day of our unit on charms of movement."
"From now until your midterm holidays, we're going to study a series of charms tied to either making objects move or preventing them from moving. When we finish this unit, you will be able - among other things - to make your teacup dance, or your pillow fly - a useful skill if you're ever in a pillow fight," he added blandly. "Those exercises, though, will take just about all the focus and power most of you have got to put behind them, and the more complex the movements you try to create are, the more difficult the charms will be, both to initiate and to sustain. We'll work our way up to those. In the meantime, we'll begin with how to stop an object from being moved.
"You might think that you already learned this, with our old friend finite incantatem," he acknowledged. "Today's spell is a bit different, however. This isn't a spell to make a moving object become still. That, depending on what the object is and why and how it's moving - is either a case for finite incantatem, or else for spells you're more likely to learn in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Today's charm works to prevent an object from being moved in the first place. When you're older, it's possible some of you will be able to use more advanced forms of this, which can cause a stolen object to become frozen where it is at a distance - but for today, we'll just work on sticking ink bottles to your desks."
The classroom desks were, of course, made with slots in their tops for holding student ink bottles in place so their owners could take notes without worrying too much about spilling ink all over the place. He had no intention of either forcing the students not to make notes on their progress or of risking their entire ink supplies (something the rest of the staff might not thank him for). Therefore, he indicated a collection of empty ink bottles in a box on his desk. The box rose into the air and began moving around the room, pausing before each student. "Everyone will need one of these," he instructed them. "You're going to work with the incantation defigito - deh-fee-gee-toe," he repeated, slowing the syllables down. "Everyone repeat that, please." That done, he continued, "and the wand movement is a simple circle around your inkwell, like this." He held up an ink bottle in one hand and his wand in the other, the tip of his wand pointing toward the palm of his hand where the ink bottle sat, and moved it in a circular motion. "A few centuries ago, of course, the procedure would have involved much more complicated circles, but in this form, it should make the ink bottles stick to your desks when combined with the incantation." And now for the extra bit. "You may practice the incantation and wand movement until you feel comfortable with them, and then attempt the spell. As always, raise your hand if you need assistance, unless the assistance you need involves putting out a fire. If there is fire, move away from it as quickly as possible and I'll extinguish it as quickly as possible. We'll discuss homework at the end of class, after I see how you're all doing. If no-one has any questions right now, you may begin."
OOC: Welcome to Beginner Charms! This lesson takes place several weeks into the year, so your character has some knowledge of a few simple charms and some Charms theory; it’s not their first time holding a wand or meeting Professor Wright. However, creativity and realism will get you more points than simply posting a perfect IC performance. All posting rules apply. If you have questions IC, tag Professor Wright; if you have them OOC, ask on the OOC board or catch me (usually as Tatiana) in Chatzy. And, last but not least, have fun!
For the curious, the incantation is made up from a Latin word indicating 'to fasten' (originally in the sense of 'nail down,' and was associated with the creation of 'tablets' - thin pieces of lead into which incantations were inscribed, then had a nail driven into them. Fun fact, these tablets generally contained curses, and there's a closely related word that essentially means 'to put a curse on'...so enunciate carefully!
Subthreads: Wait... fire? [Bonny] by Valentine Duell with Bonabelle Row
Slowly by Sadie-Lake Chalmers with Morgan Garrett, Grayson Wright
Stick it to the man by Bertie Jackson with Quincy Wright
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Grayson Wright
Stick With It (Beginners Charms)
113
Grayson Wright
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Valentine Duell
June 22, 2020 6:03 PM
Wait... fire? [Bonny] by Valentine Duell
Charms class was going relatively well so far for Valentine. At least it was going better than transfiguration or DADA. Potions was going pretty well, but that was because she had made it a habit to sit with Bonny a lot. Bonny was smart and really good at remembering those complicated recipes. So, purely as an experiment, Val had decided to find Bonny for charms class and see if that made any sort of a difference. Unfortunately that meant that she should get to class with or shortly after Bonny. With her new project however, she was planning on using some of that between class time to work on it. Which meant she had to get to the classroom as fast as she could.The easiest solution was naturally to simply ask Bonny beforehand to find her in class. However, since this plan had not occurred to her until she was nearly finished with breakfast, and Charms was the first class, that hadn't happened. So, she took the next easiest solution. She got to class early, picked a seat in the vicinity of where Bonny normally sat, pulled out her materials, scribbled on a piece of paper, placed it on the seat next to her and plunged into her project.
The sign read Reserved for Miss Bonabelle Row.
As the other students began to enter the class, Val put swapped out her materials for those used for the class. She gave Bonny a big smile and greeted her warmly. Once the professor began to talk though, she paid strict attention to him. There was a slight chance that she let out a giggle at his mention of using magic for a pillow fight. That would work a lot better though if she actually had a roommate. She took an ink bottle and repeated the incantation as requested. She even wrote down the pronunciation of the word and a quick diagram of the wand motion. That looked a little silly, since it was just a circle, but notes were notes.
She was about to get started as he was adding his comment about needing help. She'd figured that was about the last thing they said before the professors cut them loose to work on their assignment. When her attention was jerked back to Professor Grey. Fire!? What part of making an ink bottle stick to a desk had to do with fire?
"Fire?" She asked Bonny, with a bit of nervousness in her voice and expression, "What part of this will cause fire when I get it wrong?"
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Valentine Duell
Wait... fire? [Bonny]
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Bonabelle Row
June 22, 2020 10:51 PM
You're on it. by Bonabelle Row
Bonny was surprised that she had somehow accidentally acquired a friend. She had been sure that she was too boring or too dry or too something to really have any friends before. Sure, she was clever, and she had a great array of big bows to wear in her hair - today's selection was made of lavender lace - but that was it. Valentine, especially, seemed like she could do better, and that wasn't even Bonny's self-esteem getting in the way. It was much more a matter of finding their personalities generally incompatible, even if she liked the combination. Valentine made her braver, funnier, and happier. It was easier to do her homework and be all the things that she was when she knew she had someone by her side, and she was happy to help remind Valentine to do those things as well.She was more surprised that "Miss Bonabelle Row" had a reserved seat next to Valentine. They nearly always sat together in potions, but that wasn't a guarantee in all of their classes. Since they worked together on homework fairly often, it wasn't usually a big deal, although Bonny would much prefer to sit with Val than most of their other classmates.
"I like that," she smiled when Val offered the gesture first, and she took a seat. "My dad always calls me Bonny, but I think I like Bonabelle better. Makes me sound more grown up." She pulled a face and took out her things in time for class to begin. This was an interesting lesson, although most Charms lessons were. Charms felt like quintessential magic class and it was this sort of magic she saw her father use most. She had several lines of neat notes when Valentine turned to her, panicking some over the idea of fire. "I think fire just sort of happens a lot when magic goes wrong," she reassured her friend. "Blowing stuff up is way easier than sticking things together probably." She made another face, thinking over Val's words. "'When' you get it wrong? You've go this, Val."
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Bonabelle Row
You're on it.
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Valentine Duell
June 26, 2020 3:53 PM
Put it out! Put it out! by Valentine Duell
Valentine smiled as Bonny sat next to her and commented on her sign. "Well, I'm happy to oblige you if that's your wish Bonabelle." She responded in a cheerful tone. Val was a little under the impression that her friend was already grown up quite a bit. She was a lot better at keeping track of things than Val was, she was much more level-headed as well.Val was on the fence on that front. She felt like she was right about that age where she was going to loose the ability to choose whether or not she wanted to be a 'grown-up'. Coming to school had already started that process. Mama and Papa hadn't allowed her to have a completely care-free childhood, but at the same time they hadn't exactly made her shoulder a lot of extra responsibilities. Now, she was learning about dealing with those things as well as the classwork. Homework, reports, club schedules, all of those things had to be kept track of and dealt with, and it was only the beginning!
She was very thankful that Bonny.... Bonabelle wanted to be her friend and was willing to help keep her on track until she figured all this out for herself. She felt bad for imposing, and hoped Bonabelle didn't mind terribly much, she'd get better at it, and then find some way to pay her friend back for all her help.
See, there was a great example of Bonabelle's level-headedness. There wasn't anything specifically fire special about this spell... they all could explode into a fiery inferno. Great. Val's dubious expression melted away to an embarrassed smile at Bonabelle's encouragement. "I hope so, I'd really rather not set the school on fire." She looked back at her ink bottle, glanced at her 'notes' and then picked up her wand. "Okay, so the motion is like this, right?" She asked while she traced a circle around the bottle doing her best not to start a fire. She hoped not saying the word would help.
"Then," she continued, "The incantation is," she paused to look at her 'notes' again, "deh-fi-geh-tow, right?" That hadn't quite sounded right, she gave Bonabelle a questioning look. "Maybe you should put them together first. Just in case."
2
Valentine Duell
Put it out! Put it out!
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Bonabelle Row
June 27, 2020 2:23 PM
*flomps onto Val* by Bonabelle Row
Bonabelle's mouth tweaked with amusement at Val's instant acceptance of this new preference. "You still prefer 'Val'?" she confirmed, not wanting her friend to feel like she was stuck with the name she'd started with. "I feel like 'Valentine and Bonabelle' would be a book about two stodgy old women drinking tea in the countryside," she laughed, putting her hand up over her nose when she snorted.When it was time to begin working and Bonabelle had had the chance to reassure her friend that fire was unlikely, she smiled and waved a hand dismissively. "Stucco and terracotta aren't terribly likely to burst into flames," she promised, smiling.
She watched as Val tried the motion of the spell and got it down and then said . . . oof. It wasn't quite right. It wasn't wrong necessarily and Bonabelle wasn't sure whether it would make anything go horribly awry, but she wasn't sure it wouldn't either. "It'll sound different when I say it anyway," she pointed out, not sure that was necessarily the case for this sort of spell but not wanting to make this too easy for Val either. "Hey, look at me." She put her hands on Val's shoulders and turned, pulling the girl towards her so they were squared up. "You can absolutely do this. You don't need me to go first. Defigito," she added, figuring she could at least help with that part. "You can do this. Put 'em together."
Releasing Val's shoulders, Bonabelle didn't turn away, wanting to give all her love and support to someone who had been nice to her right from the start. She put her chin on Val's shoulder and looked up at her playfully. "Is it better or worse if I watch from like... a centimeter away?" she grinned.
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Bonabelle Row
*flomps onto Val*
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Valentine Duell
June 27, 2020 5:39 PM
*Is smothered* by Valentine Duell
Valentine bobbled her head back and forth noncommittally at Bonabelle's question. "I don't really mind either way," she responded with a smile, "which ever you prefer you may use." Then she paused with a glint of mischievousness in her eyes. "However, if you shout my full name, I may think I'm in trouble and run and hide." Valentine giggled at Bonabelle's joke, then a thought struck her. "Lavender could join in as well!" Val glanced around the room to spot their other classmate. "Bonabelle, Valentine, and Lavender would all work sitting around drinking tea!" She giggled some more.Valentine gave her friend a little bit of a sideways glance, "True," she said slowly, "but an ink bottle isn't terribly likely to stick to a desk either, and yet here we are." Then she gave Bonabelle a wink and focused back on her bottle. Well, she tried to anyway. Bonabelle pulled her around to face her. Bonny was a good friend, and Val's stomach twisted a bit as Bonabelle told her that she could do it. It felt really good to know that Bonabelle believed in her and her ability to not set the school on fire. She hope she could live up to her friend's expectations.
Taking a deep breath, she repeated the word after Bonabelle, "Deh-fee-ge-tow." Then she turned back to face her bottle as Bonabelle released her hold. She started to move her wand into position when she jerked to the side with a reflexive squeal as Bonabelle's breath tickled her ear. "Sorry," she said with a friendly simile. "It's fine, but you'd better warn me next time."
Once more taking a deep breath, she positioned her wand. Then she tried to picture what she wanted to happen. It turns out, that part was really easy this time. She was already looking at it. She wanted the ink bottle to not move, and it wasn't. "Defigito!" She spoke out as she moved her wand around the bottle. There were sparks, she was sure she had seen some sparks at the tip of her wand as she traced the circle. She didn't see any burn marks on the desk though, maybe she had imagined them?
"I can't do it," She spoke to Bonabelle without looking away from her bottle. "You try to move it. See if it worked."
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Valentine Duell
*Is smothered*
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0
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Bonabelle Row
June 29, 2020 2:52 PM
The good kind or . . .? by Bonabelle Row
Bonabelle grimaced, pulling back upon realising she'd startled her friend. Physical affection wasn't something she was terribly familiar with - her dad wasn't absent exactly but he wasn't particularly demonstrative either, and when he was, it was with his words - and she'd been trying to do better at it but hadn't yet proven to be doing a great job about it. So she pulled back, offered a small, awkward smile, and watched as Valentine tried really really hard.She frowned when Valentine gave up on herself before even trying to see if it worked. Why was she so convinced she couldn't do it? That was a completely foreign concept to Bonabelle. If you had to do something, you did it. It didn't matter what you thought of your own abilities because they were irrelevant. You made it so you could do it. You figured it out. So what was going on in Valentine's head that she couldn't do that? Or didn't? Had she never had to before? Did she just not know how? Well, Bonabelle could help with that.
Bonabelle didn't want to be short with her, even though a verbal glass of cold water to the face would have been helpful for her had their positions been reversed (which they never would be), so she didn't say anything at first. When she reached across the table to the ink bottle, she had half a mind to act like it was stuck to the table even if it wasn't really, but she was saved from the deceit by finding that it was indeed stuck there.
"See!" Bonabelle said excitedly, hoping the relief didn't make its way into her voice. The bottle popped off with only a little effort but enough effort that it was obvious Bonabelle hadn't done the trick herself. "You can do it. It's literally just a matter of believing in yourself. If magic comes from you and you're stopping it before it gets out, you're not going to get anywhere." She thought for a moment, trying to think of how to get through to her friend. "Like flying," she decided, remembering Valentine's great love. "If your broom knows that you're hesitant, it won't come up to you, right? And if you don't control it and guide it, it'll get away from you. You have to do the same. Think of your wand as a tiny, clipped broom. Except don't ride on it." A smirk played on her lips and she hoped that her tone was what she was going for. She wanted to be firm and strong and hold Valentine's head above water, but she also wanted the girl to swim. It was a tough balance and not one that Bonabelle knew how to do well. Usually, she was in this position because her father was hungover and still had to go to work the next day, not because her peer was struggling with a charm. There were bigger things to worry about that than that, so Valentine would have to stop worrying. But Bonabelle could be patient with that, too. Valentine was definitely more pleasant than a hungover father.
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Bonabelle Row
The good kind or . . .?
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Valentine Duell
June 30, 2020 5:01 PM
Is there any other... Oh, right, there is. by Valentine Duell
Bonabelle wasn't happy with her. Valentine could tell. She was making a mess of this all, what was wrong with her? Bonabelle was going to get frustrated and not want to hang out with her anymore and then... Bonabelle reached over and tested her ink bottle. It was stuck! Slightly, but it had been stuck, and she hadn't caused a fire!She smiled along with Bonabelle and breathed a sigh of relief. "I wasn't sure," She said a little quietly after Bonabelle's first statement of encouragement, "I just wanted you to test it for me. I'm sorry for being silly. Transfigurations has me..." doubting herself? Questioning her abilities? So far that class had not been a great one and it's failures have been weighing on her. "I don't know," she ended lamely.
Valentine perked up a bit as Bonny started to talk about flying. The girl had a point there, if they worked similarly. She looked at her wand, "You may be right..." Valentine started slowly, "It's much to small to ride on." She returned her friend's smirk. "Alright, I've whined enough. Now it's your turn, I want to watch the master at work," She gave a mischievous grin and moved her head just as close as Bonabelle had done to her, "How's this?" She said, deliberately trying to recreated that ear tickling sensation with her breath.
2
Valentine Duell
Is there any other... Oh, right, there is.
1490
0
5
