Obsession Driven Prodigal Finished

Spiders. To Thora, a girl who'd been raised on a farm, the creatures had never proved a problem, nor had she been scared of them. They'd just been things that simply existed separately, conducting their own peaceful business. If they affected crops, they were efficiently done away with, but otherwise, she completely disregarded them (much unlike her sister, who opted to kill them upon sight).

But now? Now, she loathed them with every fiber of her being. Considering the recent attack on Slytherin which had, at the most basic level, traumatized anyone involved, it wasn't surprising. Unlike most, Thora wasn't scared of them as she hadn't been bitten herself (although those who had certainly had good reason to) but rather hated the mere mention of them. They simply reminded her too much of that night, something that surfaced all too frequently, while she wished it could be just another memory hidden away in the shadowy corners. And that wasn't to mention the guilt it wrought upon her, knowing that so many of her housemates had been permanently affected--or at least for a significant while--and she failed to protect them from such a fate.

Evidently, however difficult the road to victory was, the sneks had emerged from the horror on top. They'd managed to banish the cursed arachnids without much help, and their sudden disappearance had been pretty much all thanks to a certain wizard. Of course, there'd been no time to discover the identity of the one to save them all, what with the screaming and otherwise utter chaos, but the spell used was unmistakable. Lumos.

It was an incredibly simple charm taught not far into one's first year at Hogwarts, and though she knew full well that it could be useful, she'd never guessed that it could be lifesaving. The impossibly bright light that had flooded the room then still toyed with Thora's mind, and before long, she'd convinced herself that everything could've been over faster, had she (or anyone) thought to cast the spell. Any logical individual thinking straight would argue that no, there was absolutely no way a second year--even with as much knowledge as Thora had sought to learn--would know to use the Wand-Lighting Charm to solve such an issue, but such a fact couldn't crumble the barrier of failure that haunted her at every turn.

And so came the creeping desire to master the spell, so that if it was needed again (for surely, the spiders couldn't all have vanished, could they?), Thora could count on herself being able to cast it flawlessly. As it moved to the back of her mind, resurfacing at regular intervals, she still continued studying--as was her habit, with or without the near-obsession. So, when one late night, she stumbled upon what appeared to promise an even brighter, stronger light, her attention--and more time--was captured. Lumos Duo. Though less area would be covered by its focused beam, at least it would be more intense, more powerful. Maybe then, it would be easier to obliterate masses of the wretched spiders.

But the arguably even stronger variant, Lumos Maxima, was what really caught her eye. Not only did it promise an even more complete job, but it meant power. Maybe her brain was wired much differently than others', but simply the knowledge that she was capable of such a charm was empowering. Confidence-boosting. So, hours were instead spent poring over third year charms, bent on mastering the incantations and wand motions. It was weeks later that she decided to make her way to the familiar Charms classroom. Whether the professor was paying attention or not didn't exactly matter to Thora, but it felt more natural to practice things there--it just seemed right. Besides, she needed that validation, that credibility.

Thora, in a right state of mind, would probably have thought through everything before even attempting such an endeavor, but she seemed incapable of doing so. Lumos had worked on the poisoned spiders that one time. There was no promise that it would work perfectly the next time, or even that its variations would have any effect at all, but she had hope. Some would probably call it stupid, blind trust, but she was desperate enough to believe. After all, after Ferula had come in so handy, what would aiming to learn a couple more third year charms hurt?

The contradicting thoughts finally crossed the forefront of her mind as she trailed up the long flights of stairs, right hand running limply along the banister. Perhaps it would've done her good to pay heed to the fleeting thoughts, but she simply couldn't. Determination drove her to succeed in her endeavors, and to finish what she'd set out to do. The classroom door would be pulled open with some effort (she was weak, after all) and a small brunette head poked in. It was after class hours, but she still didn't want to intrude on anything else that might be happening within.

Entering, Thora would glance around the room that typically housed her favorite subject, offering a small wave just in case anyone happened to be around (otherwise, she would've just been waving to thin air). She made a sharp right turn and made her way to the dark corner, pulling her aspen wand from her pocket as she did so. "Lumos," she muttered as her green eyes scanned the dusty ground, completing her paranoia-driven and now customary scan for any threatening creepy crawlies she could smash with her boots. "Nox." All clear.

Setting on the ground her carefully carved wand that practically buzzed with potential, begging her to try out the charms she'd spent far too much time memorizing, Thora made sure its tip was pointed directly at a wall. That way, if it actually worked the way it was supposed to, it wouldn't send a blinding light shooting around the classroom. Here went nothing.

"Lumos Duo," she incanted, shakily sliding her wand towards the wall. A spark, so tiny it was practically invisible, appeared… and quickly faded. Nothing. It wasn't surprising, given her spotty concentration, but still disappointing. Squaring her shoulders, Thora focused again on the stony wall, moving her wand towards the wall with one hand. "Lumos Duo." Everything sounded so smooth, so confident, so right that she knew it would work. It had to. Sure enough, a beam of bright white light shot out of the end of her wand, stopping only as it reached a barrier, in the form of a wall. Finally. A small smile twisted the girl's mouth upwards at her success, and she quickly readied herself to do the next.

Lumos Maxima was slightly less straightforward, involving a series of movements Thora could only hope she performed correctly. If not… she couldn't guess at what the consequences would be, but chances were that they weren't at all appealing. Picking her wand back up, she flicked it once, pulled it back, and gave it a final flick, all the while pronouncing the incantation. "Lumos Maxima," she incanted, almost timidly. That wasn't going to do it, was it? Seemed not. Louder, then.

A couple more attempts were to no avail, only leaving Thora more frustrated each time her wand flickered and dimmed--if it reacted at all. Though annoying, she supposed all she could do was to continue trying, if she wished to master the spell--and she did. "Lumos Maxima!" Thora said louder, giving her wand a flick, drawing it back, and finishing it off with a final flick. At long last, a light appeared, growing in size and brightness in a matter of a second. Surprised at the power of the spell, the Slytherin squinted her eyes in an attempt to protect them from the blinding flash. The entire classroom seemed to have illuminated, every wall gleaming from the light.

Okay, so perhaps perpetual banishment of spiders wasn't the only reason she needed to master these spells. They could be awfully useful, and in most threats--involving darkness, that was--more of which seemed to be plaguing the students of Hogwarts in recent days. But no matter what it was that truly motivated her, it was a deep sense of satisfaction that would be felt as Thora tucked her wand back away, blinking quickly in an attempt to allow her eyes to readjust from the bright lights.