Prodigal Unsupervised child meets spell casting. What could go wrong?

Spell: Full Body-Bind Curse
Incantation: Petrificus Totalus (pe-TRI-fi-cus to-TAH-lus)
Wand Movement: Half U into a straight line, finished with a downward movement.

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Date: Don't worry about it. | Outfit: Robes | Speech: Italian, English
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─────Second year, a relatively big turning point in a Hogwarts student's life. Not as much as first year, but it was still in the transition period of getting used to everything it has to offer. With entering your second year, more opportunities arise, and more spells are to be learned. New books, new friends, and sometimes finding out the school offers a sport you have idolized in your childhood. Every pure-blood's favorite sport from their spell-obsessed minds. Dueling.

There was nothing more ecstatic, more adrenaline pumping, and strategic based sport compared to dueling; according to Nico that is at least. When he found out the sport was at the school there were two things he did, immediately diving into attending dueling competitions. Trying to go as many stages as possible watching the different houses chosen by players oppose each other. With their own strategies and thoughts to it all; And run to his school books. More specifically his Defense Against the Dark Arts textbooks. Figuring there would be more interesting and advanced spells useful in dueling than in the other classes, asides from well charms. But sometimes he was allowed to feed into his own personal bias and preferences. Especially when it came to Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Now came the true crossroads he had to face, trying to get ahead of this year's curriculum and learn the spells now but be bored out of his mind later in class. Or go further ahead and borrow a third year's textbook and see if the library could help. Thinking that sitting idly at a desk playing with a piece of lint while everyone else learned something wasn’t exactly the most appealing, Nico decided on the latter. Third-year curriculum it was.

Giddily flipping through whatever books he could get his hands on, he had to flip back a few pages after finally registering what he had just read. The full body bind curse, Petrificus Totalus. Nico could have sworn he watched someone use that in a duel once, they all went so quickly his memories were too blurred to remember who cats it or when. But he was almost deadly certain he'd seen the spell in action at least once. And it by god was dastardly effective at doing just what it sounds like it would do. That’s what Nico could remember. Practically bouncing off the walls in his own sheer excitement he knew this was what he wanted to learn. Nico almost practically thanked himself for his long term interest in the subject that led him here instead of charms or some other class and subject.

Knowing there were practice dummies in the dueling club the frequent visitor once again found himself in that same room. Wand in hand and book tucked away under his arm. He had it all memorized by now, but kept the book with him just in case. It was his only piece of guidance after all. The wand movement surprisingly enough was practically the easiest thing for him to memorize in the end. Starting off in an almost practically half U shape going into a straight horizontal line, ending with a vertical hand movement downwards. Adding a small flourish to the wand movement overall in Nico's opinion.

The hardest thing of all for Nico usually always has been the incantation, and this spell proved no different. Not exactly messing up the pronunciation though it still tended to be a battle, but instead what parts to emphasis. It was easier for him to emphasize what sounded better in his head but 9 times out of ten it was usually wrong. Putting his book down on the floor and making a mental effort not to brush it off later, the young Hufflepuff cleared his throat.

“Petrificus Totalus. PE-tri-fi-cus TO-tah-lus.” He said with a shake of his head. Wand still to his side. No that was still wrong, it seemed close but not quite right.

“pe-TRI-fi-cus to-tah-LUS?” The more he practiced the pronunciation of the spell the more his confidence fell. Questioning himself if he’d just end up botching it causing all his effort to go to waste. Lightly tapping his cheek with his free hand, he made an attempt to clear his thoughts from self worry. It wasn’t worth it to start doubting himself now. He knew how much effort he put into this and how badly he wanted to succeed. He needed to picture that, not failure. Like his grandfather always said, succeed with no room to doubt. No questioning that there could have been a different result. Succeed to make sure everyone else sees that there was no other possibility, win to prove to yourself you will always succeed.

He just had to try again with a new mindset. “pe-TRI-fi-cus to-TAH-lus,” yeah, that sounded right. A small smile managed its way onto Nico's face. He could do this. No, he was always able to do this, there wasn’t any reason to doubt himself. He just let the nerves get to him. Raising his wand, he practiced the movement once, twice, thrice for good measure. Before finally putting it all together in one final effort, his wand aimed at a moving dummy.

“Petrificus Totalus” He chanted confidently, with one swift and smooth movement directed at the rolling dummy. Watching as it lurched in a sudden stop before collapsing on the ground. A loud cheer slipped past Nico’s lips in celebration. Throwing his hands up at his own accomplishment and getting yet another spell under his arsenal. He needed to send a letter to his grandfather and grandmother immediately, they would both be so glad to hear he was trying to get ahead of his studies and successfully at that. Maybe his grandfather would even send a letter back this once instead of just his grandmother? Yes, he just had to. His grandfather always was pushing the importance of spells and learning them onto Nico. He’d just have to be proud enough to be the one to send a letter back this time.

Casting the spell a few more times to make sure he fully understood it, Nico practically ran out of the dueling club. Hands itching to write a letter and bring it to the owlery. His mind raced at the thought of receiving praise from his grandparents. He was proud of himself, they would be proud too. And that was enough to make him feel homesick yet again.

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| 𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉: N/A | 𝑴𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈: N/A|
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