Hex The Sneezing Hex, First Year

Some afternoon class
Toward the end of the 2017/2018 school year

Glen wasn't really a fan of History - sure, history was important and all - he much preferred more active lessons and so he was quite happy when he entered the classroom and saw how it was set-up. Did that mean they'd learn another spell? He eagerly awaited the begin of the lesson (though to be honest, that might have more to do with his plans for the rest of the afternoon than with learning a new spell.)

Standing next to a fellow Slytherin and her Gryffindor twin, Glen listened to the professor's explanation of the spell before following the directions given and practicing saying the spell. "Steleus. Ste-LE-us... no; STÉ-lee-us. That sounds closer... Steleus." with a nod he took out his wand to practice the movement, down out towards the target.

Turning to the twins he asked if either of them wanted to pair up. The Gryffindor nodded and moved toward him while her sister paired up with her best friend. Letting the other student have the first attempt, Glen soon found himself in a fit of sneezes. He kind of didn't want to practice the spell on his classmate now, boy, was that unpleasant. But, needs must and all that so Glen waved his wand toward the girl once the sneezing had subsided: " Steleus "

Professor Edit: After what he'd heard about the houses Zahid was surprised to see so many Slytherin-Gryffindor pairs. He came across another just as the effects of Miss MacBain's hex petered off and watched as the second partner then took his turn. "Good work, Mr. Pope."

Steleus learned

(Final Word Count: 375, not including this)

Wand in hand, Annie confidently walked into the class room. She looked around and just as she expected, another interactive class. The young Hufflepuff listened to what Professor Zahid said about the hex they were learning about today, The Sneezing Hex.

Annie pointed over to a taller Ravenclaw boy (NPC). "You, yes! Come here let's practice!" She watched the boy's eyes widen in alarm for a split second before he slowly walked over. "Alright my name is Annie Morgan, blah blah introduction, let's practice the pronunciation and wand movement now." Her loud voice almost had a mean, commanding tone to it. It's not that she was mean, she just wanted to excel at everything she did and she would let anyone drag her down.

Remember Professor said it was Steleus not Stee-lee-us, STÉ-lee-us, got it? Oh, and wand movement in a swift downward motion! Okay you try." Annie listened as the Ravenclaw began to pronounce it and do the wand motions but he didn't look confident, in fact, he looked intimidated. "Try it on me, it's just practice after all." The boy hesitated before standing up straight and casting the hex, his wand moving downwards in the correct motion and he pronounced Steleus correctly.

Annie nearly got knocked over, literally, by the wave of sneezes that hit her and caught her off guard. She quickly recovered a few seconds later "Nice job that was really- she paused to sneeze, loudly powerful." The boy was laughing and clutching his stomach next to her and Annie furrowed up her brows in confusion. "Well I guess your not intimidated by me anymore that's good, but I didn't cast The Tickling Charm on you or anything.."

She shrugged before getting the Racenclaw's attention so she could practice. "Focus, wand movement flick down and STÉ-lee-us!" Annie cast the hex and was happy, kind of, to see the boy sneezing. She oddly thought his sneezes remind her of a cat's. Annie and the boy suddenly burst into a small fit of giggles. "Your face was hilarious!"The boy nodded and smiled while mouthing 'yours too'. The Hufflepuff calmed herself down and looked around the room to see the other students practicing and shrugged before going back to chatting and practicing some more.

Professor Edit: Watching one of the Hufflepuffs perform the spell, Zahid was surprised to see that her partner was sneezing at all, given that she had not waved her wand toward him. Although, the boy's sneezes did sound a tad bit odd. "Take care with how you move your wand when attempting this spell. It's not just simply a downward motion as you performed it, but a downward motion out towards your target. Give it another try," he encouraged, nodding toward her partner.

Steleus not learned

As you did not include the proper wand movement of the spell, you did not learn it.
You can still learn the spell by making a new post writing how you try again - just make sure to include both the proper wand movement and the pronunciation this time.

Adrian was excited. She heard rumors that said History of Magic today was going to be a practical class! She shook with excitement and enthusiasm as she walked to the class with a spring in her step. I wonder what we'll be learning today. She liked Professor Zahid, she really did, but sometimes history could get boring and she doesn't like boring things. She walked into class and seeing the stacked up desks and chairs made her jump in victory.

Not long after, Professor Zahid walked in and started explaining about the hex they were going to learn, the Sneezing Hex! Adrian watched as the professor performed the hex on the volunteer. She nodded as Professor Zahid gave them instructions and started practicing the incantation. "Steel-lee-us... No that doesn't sound right. STE-LEH-AS... No, not that..." Adrian practiced the incantation a few times before getting it correct, "STÉ-lee-us...STÉ-lee-us! Yes! I got it right this time! Steleus."

After she got the incantation down, she moved on to wand movement. She started by moving her wand down before moving it forward. She may have moved it a little bit too forward as her wand accidentally jabbed a Slytherin in the back, in which said Slytherin turned around to glare at her. "Sorry! Hehe..." Adrian apologized rubbing the back of her neck, sheepish. She practiced a few times before being satisfied, moving her wand down and towards her target.

She scanned the classroom for a partner, before deciding on a lone Ravenclaw boy who met her eyes. She bounded towards him, "Hey! Wanna partner up with me?" She smiled as the boy nodded and they both got into position. Okay Adrian, you got this. Just down and towards your target.
She faced the boy and moved her wand down and towards the Ravenclaw, taking a deep breath she look at the Ravenclaw and said calmly, "Steleus." She watched as the boy begin to sneeze for about ten seconds before stopping. "Yes! I did it!" Smiling at the boy, she let him cast the hex on her. As expected, she broke into a sneezing fit before stopping. Grinning, they high fived each other.

Professor Edit: Hearing the proud exclamation of one of his students, he turned toward that pair and watched as the boy's sneezes teetered out before he turned his wand on his partner on his turn.

Nodding to them both, he smiled. “Good work, you two.”

Steleus learned

Piérre was sitting in the back of the class, watching the happenings of the room with narrowed eyes, his hands tracing the engravings on his wand, now slightly rubbed soft by fingers of nervousness, anger, and dueling experience. He was now nearly a year older and wiser, and had experienced the many surprises that Hogwarts had first offered. However that did not mean that the events were unwanted or even unpredictable. It just meant that Piérre had had his work cut out for him making things even crazier than they had been already.

Reducio

Rolled a d4 to determine House color for the day:
1- Hufflepuff
2- Ravenclaw
3- Gryffindor
4- Slytherin

Number Rolled- 1
Hufflepuff

But the mental stability and the knowledge that Piérre now possessed was not the only thing that had grown. In fact, as Piérre looked down at his robes, black and yellow in Hufflepuff colouration. His feet, which were on the back of the desk in front of him, peered further out of the bottom lining of the robes that when he had first entered this mystical school. Piérre had grown at least two inches since last September, and, as a healthy boy should, had also gained quite a bit of healthy weight, which had made him a little stronger and a little more stalwart. Of course, he was just as lean as before, and his reflexes, despite how impressions may have sounded thus far, were just as sharp and toned as ever. Altogether, Piérre was a blossoming second year, ready to go home and chat it up with Romeo and exchange knowledge from their schools.

One last spell before he left, though. That sounded rather nice. It was called the sneezing hex, and was supposedly used to cause the opponent to start sneezing uncontrollably. Wow, must have taken a genius to name it.

Steleus, huh? Worth it to check it out, just in case Piérre might need it as a joke spell or as a dueling spell. It had been rough beforehand, but maybe a little distraction could give him the upper hand. Perhaps it could even be used in Quiddich whilst cheating? Hmm....

Partner up and practice, those had been the instructions. With a small smile, Piérre stood, stretched, and then walked over to the student who was nearby where he sat. He was a boy who was just as cheeky as Piérre, and they were known to be making faces at each other during class while Mister Zahid wasn’t looking.

”Hey... buddies?” Piérre asked, flicking his even longer bangs aside and putting on a clever smile as he held out a hand. The student responded and the two did a small secret shake before focusing on the task again.

”Okay, so... me first? You want to go?”

“Flip a coin, eh?” The boy responded, withdrawing a Galleon.

After making their calls, Piérre with the neverfailing tails and the boy taking heads, Piérre, per usual, won the toss and got to cast the spell first.

”M-kay... Get ready for the worst bout of sneezing you’ve ever experienced.” Piérre joked lightheartedly, backing away and preparing the spell, adjusting his grip on the wand semiconsciously. “One... Two... and... STEELUS!” Piérre flicked the wand directly down and then jabbed it at the student, mispronouncing the spell because he hadn’t been paying attention in class again.

The spell hit the student, and then the boy inhaled deeply, his face turning red as he let out a single sneeze which rattled the windows with its volume and caused some other pairs to cover their ears. However, it had only been one sneeze, not lasting long enough for the spell to have been correct.

”Aw, damn it.” Piérre rolled his eyes. ”Can’t I ever just get a spell right on my first fucking try? Damn it... Well, fair’s fair. Your turn, mate.” Even through Piérre hated to admit it, and he certainly tried to quell it whenever the urge came up, the English and Irish accent was starting to seep into his voice, along with the cussing. Piérre decided he would make it a point over the summer to only speak Italian to Romeo instead of English so that he wouldn’t lapse into the disgusting British and Irish accents.

Chortling, the other student took his position, setting his stance before casting the spell. “STÉ-lee-us!” And he jabbed the wand at Piérre after slashing it downwards.

A bright beam of light shot towards Piérre and he braced for the impact. The light struck him and Piérre stood, waiting for the effect of the spell to take hold.

Nothing.

”Pffffft! What a letdown, mate. You’re worse with spells than I_ KERCHOO!!!” Piérre sneezed into his elbow, eyes watering. ”Ah-ha! Good one, I_ KERCHOO, KERCHOO, KERCHOO, KER_” At every sneeze, Piérre’s eyes remained open, a useless talent, but good for a party trick.

After a solid ten seconds, Piérre finally sneezed his last, gasping for breath. ”Oi... good going... My turn though. You’re gonna regret it...” So saying, Piérre caught his breath, snapping the wand downward before stabbing it at his buddy. “STÉ-lee-us!”

Piérre made sure to put as much ‘oomph’ into the spell as was physically possible for a hex of such silly nature. He really wanted to show-up his buddy.

Professor Edit: Turning to Piérre and his partner, Zahid observed the next pair as they practiced the spell. He was a bit surprised to see a Gryffindor in a Hufflepuff outfit but he would have to ask one of his colleagues if there was a rule against it, as he was still unused to the whole house system that Hogwarts had.

Seeing their hexes succeeding, he nodded to the pair. “Good work.”

Steleus learned

Shauna entered today's History of Magic lesson for today where she instantly looked around seeing the desks were all stacked against the walls making the space very open. When the Professor made it into the room and began the lesson she was rather reluctant to hear they would be learning The Sneezing Hex; of course she had only read about it up until this point and that was more than enough for her. Honestly any spell that could make you sneeze as if you just dipped your nose into a bowl of pepper; she seriously wanted no part of this was mostly because the last time she had a really bad bout of sneezes it was so bad her eyes actually started watering not to mention that she bit her tongue making it bleed.

She listened to the professor as he taught them the incantation {Steleus}, the pronunciation {STÉ-lee-us} & then finally the wand movement {downward quickly, outward toward your target}. She stood there committing everything to memory until she was sure it was embed into this ever growing web of knowledge in her mind. Her heart nearly gave way when she learned they would be practicing this spell on each other; honestly this terrified her but no time like the present to get over a fear of insane amounts of sneezing. While everyone else was either pairing off or practicing she buried herself in the corner practicing the wand movement making sure she had it just right. When she was sure she did she practiced the pronunciation "STÉ-lee-us" she felt it roll of the tip of her tongue with a soft smile.

It was then she went to find a partner judging by the crimson on his robes this one was in Gryffindor; he seemed to be the only one not paired off yet. He's about her height which is nice; she doesn't have to feel like she's looking at a mountain. They introduced themselves to each other with a quick hand shake "Could I ask you for a small favor?" The boy arched a brow at her in question making her lower her gaze a moment "I know a person can put any amount of power behind this spell; I would truly appreciate it if you put only a small amount of power behind it. I had a really bad experience with excessive sneezing once." The boy smiled a bit at me tilting his head just a bit "How about you do me first then; if I am getting over sneezes I doubt I will be able to put much power in anything."

She couldn't help but smile at this boy then stood back a bit where she took a few deep breathes to relax; set her intention of subtle sneezes in her mind, spoke the incantation "Steleus" doing well to have the correct pronunciation STÉ-lee-us all the while moving her wand downward quickly, outward toward her target.

She really hoped this worked for her with at LEAST one sneeze coming from the male Gryffindor,

Professor Edit: Nodding to the Ravenclaw Gryffindor duo, Zahid took note of Shauna's asking her partner to go easy on her.

Sticking around to watch their attempts, he congratulated her on her success “Well done, Miss Starr” before quickly turning to correct one of the Hufflepuff's mangled incantation the a few steps away.

Steleus learned

October 2018

Katrina awkwardly stood waiting for someone to ask to be her partner. She was quite excited for these new lessons. Normally she wasn't strong at spells- but with these classes she ha improved drastically. A Ravenclaw boy she faintly recognized offered and Katrina shrugged and agreed. She held her chestnut want out and braced herself.

"Steleus!" the boy called out. Katrina wasn't used to this powerful of a sneezing attack. She bent over as the eye-watering sneezes overtook her. After a few seconds- just as Professor had predicted- the sneezes were gone, leaving Katrina slightly winded. She wiped her teary eyes and shamefully blew her nose.

She experimented with the word, learning from the past on how important it was to pronounce it correctly. "STÉ-lee-us" Katrina whispered the incantation mimicking the people beside her. She flicked her wand down and outward a few times testing the movement before casting the spell. Once she caught her breath fully she began.

She pointed her wand at the 'opponent' and "swish-flick"-ed her wand, " STÉ-lee-us" she firmly stated, as if daring the spell to not work. She smiled expectantly as the Professor walked over. The boy sneezed and Katrina realized she was pretty good at offensive attacks. Maybe she could try out to duel.

Professor Edit: Making his way over, Zahid observed yet another Gryffindor Ravenclaw duo, before giving them both a smile upon their success at hexing each other. “Good work, you two.”

Steleus learned

Jorah was excited for today's lesson. He was still a bit confused why the History of Magic professor was teaching defensive magic, but he wasn't complaining, Jorah needed to learn some spells. Jorah payed attention to the lesson, scribbling down notes with his quill on a sheet of parchment paper; "The sneezing hex, Steleus, pronounced STE-lee-us, wand movement: quickly down then outward toward target." Following the demonstration, the professor commanded the students to split up into groups of two and practice the spell. Jorah wasn't fond of working in groups, except during Quidditch, but as far as classwork was concerned, he preferred to work alone. Jorah eyed the surrounding students. There weren't any free Ravenclaws nearby, so he'd have to make do with one of the other houses. Ooh, not a Gryffindor, how about that Hufflepuff over there. "Hey, do you need a partner," Jorah asked a young boy clad in yellow trimmed robes. The boy agreed and the two paired up.

Steleus...steleus...steleus...STE-lee-us, Jorah recited repeatedly in his head. His memory wasn't that great so he made a habit of reciting spells multiple times to try to make them stick in his head. Jorah practiced the movements with just his right hand, down and out toward the target. Jorah then practiced the movement with his wand, down and out. "Ok, I think I'm ready, you can go first if you want." The boy nodded, "Sure." He took up position , squaring himself off in front of Jorah, with a quick flurry of his wand he announced, "Steleus!" "Aah-choo, aah-choo, AAH-CHOO!," Jorah went off in a sneezing fit. "Wow," he said wiping his nose with the back of his robe sleeve, sniffling as he did so. "Good job, let me try."

Jorah squared his hips and briefly stared down the other student. He slashed down slowly with his wand and outward toward his partner, "Steleus!" Nothing. Jorah was a little annoyed, but this wasn't new to him. He wasn't the best when it came to casting spells. He was doing well in all of his classes, but something about actually preforming the magic always seemed difficult for him. He was built to play Quidditch, not to be a duelist. "Again," he said. Moving more quickly this time, down and outward, "STE-lee-us!" "AAH-choo! AAH-CHOO!" went the Hufflepuff. Jorah let out a sigh of relief.

Professor Edit: Moving from one pair to the next, Zahid stopped next to a Hufflepuff Ravenclaw duo with the Raven currently being the one sneezing. Giving the Hufflepuff kid a nod, he waited for Jorah to successfully cast the hex as well, before congratulating them both. “Well done, you two.”

Steleus learned

Ruthie had enjoyed History of Magic so far, mostly because it reminded her of the history lessons her mother had taught her. Nothing could be quite as riveting (or violent) as Scottish history, but the magical world seemed to have its own tumultuous history. Today was a bit of an odd day as they wouldn't be in their books so much as active with their wands. This, she expected, would be a nice change of pace. Plus, she still felt behind when it came to spells--they seemed to come so slowly from class to class.

As the professor made his opening remarks, she was quick to write everything down: "Steleus, pronounced STÉ-lee-us. Requires proper enunciation. Wand movement: downward quickly, and then outward toward your target." She wished she had determined a kind of short-hand, but that just wasn't she was ready for yet. Instead, she'd have to hope her handwriting would simply improve over time.

When it came time for pairing off, she looked around before spotting a girl she didn't know. Slytherin by the color of her robes. "Hey, want to work together?" she asked the other student with a light smile on her face. This would not be the kindest charm so it would help to have a willing partner in the matter. Once agreed, the two found a free place in the classroom to practice. They flipped a coin to determine who might go first and with a stroke of luck, Ruthie won.

She drew her wand and gripped it tight. Something about this felt offensive, like the kind of spell you'd use in dueling. "Steleus!" she cried, moving her wand swiftly downward and back at her opponent. But nothing happened. Something wasn't right; she'd have expected an immediate reaction. Leaning over, she reviewed her notes from earlier. She expected she hadn't gotten the pronunciation quite right. When she moved to try again, she would be sure to put the accent on the first syllable. "STÉ-lee-us!" she said with feeling while drawing her wand back and then forward again at the other student. It took a few seconds, but she quickly heard the wheezing and sneezing she'd expect from a good winter cold. She reached for tissues she'd kept in her bag, eager to return her partner to a healthy state where she might have her own go at the hex.

Professor Edit: After correcting a student's pronunciation (it was neither Ste-lay-us nor Stay-low-us), he turned to the next pair and watched as they practiced the hex, offering praise as they both succeeded on their turns. “Good work, you two.”

Steleus learned

Santario would have set her bad down where indicated by the professor and stand with her cherry wand in hand paying close attention. She craved knowledge especially if that knowledge gave her access to more spells. STÉ-lee-us… The emphasis must remain on the first syllable. She nodded slightly to herself as she watched the professor move his wand quickly downward and out towards his target.

When it was time for them to practice by themselves she would without an incantation practice the sharp wand potion over and over again slicing her wand down and outward towards an invisible target. When she was thoroughly satisfied with the motions she would practice the incantation out loud. “ STÉ-lee-us… STÉ-lee-us… STÉ-lee-us… After a couple of minutes, the determined girl finally found the proper flow in the words and instead of pronouncing it in its segmented syllables she was fluidly speaking the incantation. “ Steleus… Steleus… Steleus.

Now that she had taken her sweet time on practicing there was only one other Slytherin student left for her to practice on… with and he looked none too pleased that she had taken so long to notice that he had been ready. As they paired off it seemed the boy had been keen to show his displeasure in taking the first practice run without them discussing it. He slashed his wand down furiously but at an angle and not directly at her “ste-LEE-us!” Santario instinctively put an arm up to shield her face, not that it would have done anything anyway. She smirked when his wand failed to produce anything. “Practice makes perfect… Steleus!” She spoke confidently with the proper emphasis on the first syllable as she slashed her wand down precisely towards her opponent. “Would you like to practice more after your fit before you try again?”

Professor Edit: With a sigh Zahid sternly reminded one of his students to aim at his partner and not at another student's back. He would need to keep an eye on that one.

Still, he had other students to watch over and so he turned to observe the progress of a nearby Slytherin pair, giving the girl a nod “Well done, Miss Martin.” upon her success before helping her partner with his pronunciation.

Steleus learned

Evelynn had dragged her feet to her History of Magic class this afternoon. Her lunch break had been particularly productive; she'd had something of a breakthrough in one of her potions assignments. The momentum had just hit its peak when the signal to head for afternoon class had sounded, and she was particularly reluctant to have to set it aside.

Not that it was entirely all that bad. She always did like listening to Professor Zahid...he had a nice voice. And it certainly didn't hurt that the topics they covered in class were always fascinating. That was one area where she her mother differed greatly. The favourite subjects of her mother had always been the sciences: math and physics and biology. Evelynn didn't mind those either, but she found herself enamored with potions and history of magic, which she equated to chemistry and history, respectively.

Then again, to compare the classes of the magical world to those of the mundane did seem a little unrealistic...

When Evelynn finally entered the History of Magic class, thoughts of favourite classes and magic versus muggle all vanished. In an instant, what excitement she already had to find out what they would learn about today only magnified. Desks and chairs alike had been stacked and set to one side of the room. This could mean only one thing: today's class would be a practical one!

Without anywhere to sit, Evelynn stood idly by on the outskirts of the class. Impatient, and desperately curious as to what it was that they would be learning, she struck up speculative conversation with a few of her dormmates. They would soon find out just how wrong each guess was.

"First the eyeglass repair charm, then the bubble charm, and now a sneezing hex?" Evelynn muttered in amusement to one of her friends. "Where's the pattern in that?"

It was a rhetorical question. There wasn't any pattern as far as she could tell, but that didn't stop her from being just as eager as everyone else to set aside her bag and find an empty spot. With rapt attention, she watched the demonstration, excitement mounting. Admittedly, she wasn't entirely certain in what scenario sending someone into a fit of sneezes might be helpful, but one never knew!

Plus, she was finally starting to get the hang of spellwork. It seemed to be, that for her, the barrier had largely been one of confidence. The more she achieved, the more successful she became. The more successful she became, the stronger the bond she formed with her wand. And the stronger the bond, the less her unicorn core failed her. It was a lovely, beautiful circle formed with dedication in the fire of her determination.

She was ready to forge another link of that circle. Upon the direction to practice, Evelynn reached a hand into her pocket. Delicate fingers wrapped around polished cypress to withdraw her beloved instrument of magic. She held it like a conductor would their baton for an orchestra.

Steleus, she thought to herself, closing her eyes for better focus and to really hear it in her mind's ear. Steleus, she thought again. STÉ-lee-us.

After several repetitions out loud, when she was quite confident in her ability to replicate the incantation without err, she practiced the movement. Without the chant, of course. Swift down, then out towards the target. Not quite the more natural of movements – it was her mother that had been a fencer, not her – but neither was it impossible. She was ready for the real thing.

"Partners?" She asked with a grin, casting her friend a brief side-eye. Another rhetorical question.

"Obviously," the other replied anyway, moving into position. "Who first?"

"Rock, paper, scissors?" Evelynn suggested, retreating back to the tried and true method of determining the power of decision-making.

Her partner agreed, and a moment later, Evelynn was groaning with annoyance, chin and gaze lifted to the ceiling as she came to terms with the fact that she was about to be a guinea pig for her friend's potential failure.

"Alright, alright," Evelynn said, taking her own position across from her dorm mate. Whether she was verbally acknowledging losing the battle of Roshambo, or whether she was chanting a mantra to calm her nerves would be anybody's guess. But her counterpart didn't exactly have the best track record when it came to casting. "Just remember," she continued, with a wary glance, "it's steleus. That's STÉ-lee-us. Like dehliahs."

"Yes, yes, I know," came the reply. Evelynn wasn't convinced, half expecting to put her dexterity to use in a moment and dodge some sparks. Her friend didn't give her much time to dwell on it, however. Half a second later, she shouted, "STAY-lee-as!"

Eyes wide, Evelynn watched in mixed amazement and terror as a flash of green erupted and engulfed her face before she even had a chance to think about...well anything at all.

"Hey!" The accusation in Evelynn's tone was unmistakable. "I wasn't... I wasn't.... I....I...AhhhCHOOO!" She slammed a hand up to her mouth to cover the worst of the forceful sneeze. "Oh no," she moaned, already feeling the next one coming on. "Ch-cheater!" She tried again, electing to use single words to express her sentiments between sneezes. "You...you....HaCHOO! Cheated! Ha-CHOO!"

By now she was practically doubled over with her sneezing fit. Tears started streaming down her cheeks and the tickle in her nose was almost unbearable. What was worse, her friend was also pushed to tears, only hers were tears of laughter!

"What....HACHOO! Is so....HACHOOO...fun...f..funnyyyCHOO! AAAaahhhCHOOO!"

Naturally, Evelynn's outrage only served to spur her friend's mirth. Howls of laughter could be heard over the incessant sneezing. There was nothing that could be done at this point, however. All she could do was ride it out. Fortunately, she could already tell that the worst was over. Soon it would be her turn. Soon it would be revenge.

After several more moments, the raging sneezing finally subsided. Belly aching from the effort, Evelynn remained somewhat doubled over. She was a tad more snotty than she'd have liked to admit as well. There wasn't time to deal with that properly, though. The window of opportunity was only so wide. With a great sniffle, she righted herself and quickly set a determined gaze upon her counter-part.

"Steleus!" She chanted firmly, whipping her wand down and out.

"Oi..CHOO!" The initial outcry of her flat-footed partner was cut off by the satisfying tremor of the sneeze. Tears of mirth still streamed down the girl's cheeks, but the giggling had stopped. "AhCHOO!"

"Thought that was right clever, did you?" Evelynn asked rhetorically, deftly dabbing at her damp upper lip with the inside of her sleeve. The sting of humiliation had been felt quite acutely. Her lips pulled into a devilish smirk to accompany a cold glint in her grey eyes. "I'll give you something to really laugh about."

And then, with a to add insult to injury, already envisioning the hilariously compounded effect upon her already sneezing friend if she could actually cast it correctly this time, Evelynn bellowed, "Rictusempra!"

Professor Edit: Wandering over to the pair that was the source of the howling laughter, Zahid narrowed his eyes. While some might causing their friends having a sneezing fit funny, he'd prefer if his pupils concentrated on the lesson.

As he reached the two, the fit had run its course and the second student was taking her turn. He was about to congratulate the success, when the girl attempted (and failed) to cast another spell.

“5 points from Gryffindor, Miss Decipio. If I see you trying to cast another spell apart from the one assigned, it'll have to be detention.”

Steleus learned