Prodigal Charms Learner

Charm: Bandaging Charm
Incantation: Ferula
Pronunciation: fer-ROOL-lah
Wand Movement: Tap the area where the caster wants to apply the bandage.
Word Count: 599/400

Reducio

Saturday morning after breakfast, Zach did not have anything to do. So he decided to go to the Library to read some books. Actually he did not know what to read but he still went there. He thought maybe he would get some good book to read in his free time and learn a thing or two while.

As he arrived there, he saw many students also in the library reading books and some seemed to be doing their homework. Zach continued to walk through many sections and stopped at one shelf. It was a book about healing magic, and Zach did not remember if he had read it yet. So he took it and skimmed through it. There were many healing magic spells explained in the book, some of which Zach already read. He stopped at the page that explained the Bandaging Charm and felt that he might eventually learn it. So he sat on the floor to read the page.

Zach read that the Bandaging Charm would be learned in the third year. As he read more, he learned that the incantation is Ferula with pronunciation (fer-ROO-lah). The charm was also a conjuration that would wrap wounds and splint broken bones. It also had an effect to ease the pain from the wounds. Zach thought that spell was very important to learn in facing emergency situations. He was so excited to learn it because healing magic was his favorite. Then Zach continued to learn that the wand movement of the spell was tapping the area that the caster wanted to apply the bandage. He learned the spell by reading it so many times so he would not miss any information.

Tired of reading the book about healing magic, Zach decided to close it and put it back in its original place. Then he continued searching for some other books. He had been in the library for three hours straight and felt that it was enough, so he decided to leave. As usual, Zach went to the Great Lake to calm his mind. Before heading there, he visited the owlery to check on Zephyr, his pet owl. He took the cage and made Zephyr enter it, but something unusual happened. Zephyr seemed to behave strangely when it entered the cage. Zach thought that maybe Zephyr just wanted to go to the Great Lake as fast as possible.

When they arrived at the Great Lake, Zach opened the cage, but Zephyr seemed to not want to come out. "What's wrong, Zephyr?" The owl just hooted and closed its eyes. Then Zach tried to gently pull Zephyr out, but it screamed when Zach touched its right foot. With experience from his mother, who was a veterinarian, Zach understood that there was a wound on Zephyr's right foot. "I'm sorry. Are you hurt? I think you should come out so I can check the wound," said Zach. As he once again put his hand in the cage, Zephyr slowly and softly perched on Zach's hand, and Zach brought it out.

As Zach thought, he saw a wound on the Zephyr's right foot. Because it screamed again when Zach tried to touch it, Zach thought it might be the perfect situation to practice the Bandaging Charm. He took out his wand, tap the area near the wound, and cast "Ferula." The bandage was conjured and it seemed like there was nothing wrong. Zach tried to touch it again after a few seconds, but Zephyr seemed more relaxed. Zach decided to bring Zephyr to the professor so that Zephyr could be treated properly.

Charm: Wind Charm
Incantation: Ventus
Pronunciation: VEN-tuss
Wand Movement: Make a quick clockwise twril.
Word Count: 457/400

Reducio

After learning about the Bandaging Charm, Zach continued to search for another book. He walked through the shelves again and stopped at one shelf where he saw a book. It was a Charms book that he was sure was for third-year students. He was curious about it and opened the book randomly, landing on the page about the Wind Charm. He skimmed the page and found it to be a fun spell, so he decided to sit on the floor and read the book.

Zach learned that Wind Charm could shoot a jet-like wind from the tip of the wand. The characteristic of the wind is spiral. It could push heavy objects, including people. It could also trap people from leaving because the wind was very strong. From the etymology, it was from the Latin word meaning wind. Zach took out his wand as he read about the wand movement. Zach thought it was so simple. He just needed to make a quick clockwise twril. He saved his wand again and continued to read. He learned that the incantation of the Wind Charm was Ventus with pronunciation (VEN-tuss).

Zach read it over and over until he ensured himself that he fully understood the information about the Wind Charm in the book. He put the book back on the shelf and decided to leave the library. As usual, Zach went to the Great Lake in his free time to relax. The Great Lake somewhat recharged his energy after a week of studying and meeting with friends and professors. He usually took Zephyr, his pet owl, with him when he went to the Great Lake. So, before heading to the Great Lake, he went to the owlery first to take Zephyr with him.

On the way to the owlery, Zach passed the Grounds. He saw a big stone with some leaves around it and it gave him an idea to practice the charm he had learned before, the Wind Charm. He took out his wand and pointed it at the stone. He quickly move his wand in the clockwise twirld motion and cast, "Ventus." His wand shot a spiral jet-like wind from the tip and entrapped the stone. Zach saw that the leaves were also blown onto the stone, moving in a twirl motion like a whirlwind that entrapped the big stone. Zach was amazed by the effect of the spell but also scared of it. He felt it was not okay because the effect did not wear off quickly. So he pointed his wand again at the wind and cast, "Finite Incantatem." The wind stopped by the spell. Then Zach ran quickly to the owlery, hoping that no one saw him casting the Wind Spell on the Grounds.

Charm: Summoning Charm
Incantation: Accio
Pronunciation: AH-kee-oh
Wand Movement: Making a curve from the lower left, then slightly upwards and downwards towards the lower right.
Word Count: 445/400

Reducio

On Sunday morning, Zach still did not have anything to do after breakfast. He considered going to the Great Lake, but the weather was sunny and hot outside. So he decided to go to the library to avoid getting sunburned. He had nothing in mind about what he should do or read in the library, but he still decided to go there because he was bored.

As he arrived at the library, he noticed that there weren't many students there. He thought that perhaps some students preferred outdoor activities due to the good weather. He walked to the shelves, passing by some sections. He came across a thick book on Charms and decided to open it. He skimmed through the pages, but nothing caught his interest. He continued flipping through until he stumbled upon a page with a feather marking it. Someone must have left it there as a bookmark. Zach read the page and discovered that it contained information about Summoning Charms.

Zach did not realize that he had been absorbed into the page. He read it slowly and learned some information about the spell. The Summoning Charm was a spell that could be used to summon something to the caster. It had to be non-living things and could move swiftly to the caster. So, something big like a building could not be summoned by using this spell. The next information he learned was that to cast this spell, the caster must have a clear image of the object they want to summon. The name of the thing must be called out loud after the caster shouts the incantation. The incantation was "Accio" with the pronunciation (AH-kee-oh). Zach pointed his finger as he saw the wand movement and moved his finger along, making a curve from the lower left, then slightly upwards and downwards towards the lower right.

Zach felt satisfied with his time in the library and returned the book to its proper place before heading back to the dormitory. However, the information he had learned about the Summoning Charm continued to occupy his thoughts as he walked. Even after he arrived in his room, he couldn't shake the spell from his mind. Eventually, he decided to put his knowledge to the test and practice the charm. He retrieved his wand and focused on summoning his bag. His first attempt was unsuccessful, but he tried again with a clearer image of the bag in his mind. This time, he successfully cast the spell and watched as his bag quickly moved towards him and stopped at his feet. Excited by his success, Zach continued to practice the charm with other objects in his room.

Charm: Radiant Wand-Lighting Charm
Incantation: Lumos Maxima
Pronunciation: LOO-mos MAX-i-muh
Wand Movement: flick the wand, draw it back and flick it again
Word Count: 438/400

Reducio

A book titled Extreme Incantation was lying on one of the library tables. Zach, who was returning from the Library to the Dormitory after finishing his homework, could not help but be curious about the book. It seemed that someone had forgotten to return the book to its original place. Zach looked around to check if there was anyone there, but there was no one in sight. Then Zach put his things on the table, sat in his chair, and started reading the book that was lying there.

When Zach opened the book, he saw several spells that he had previously learned, but with additional incantations. One spell that caught his attention was the Radiant Wand-Lighting Charm, Lumos Maxima. According to the book, the light produced by the spell was much brighter than the usual Wand-Lighting Charm. There was a diagram in the book that showed how to cast the spell. The wand movement for the spell was to flick the wand, draw it back, and flick it again. Zach took out his wand and tried to perform the wand movement as written. He found it easy enough to do and remember. Zach continued reading the book and discovered that the incantation for the spell was Lumos Maxima with the pronunciation (LOO-mos MAX-i-muh). He muttered the spell in a whisper, practicing the pronunciation.

Lost in the book, Zach didn't realize that the day was growing darker. When he finally looked up at the window, he saw that the sky had turned a dark shade of orange. He quickly returned the book to its original place, though he had some difficulty since he wasn't the one who had taken it out. Nevertheless, he managed to put it back where it belonged. Zach then gathered his belongings from the table and left the library, heading towards the Great Hall for dinner. He dined with other students while listening to announcements from the Headmaster. After dinner, Zach and the other students went to their respective dormitories.

Zach cleaned himself first. When he finished cleaning and prepared to sleep, he didn't see any students around. He thought they might still be cleaning themselves. Zach decided to take out his wand and try the spell he had learned from the book in the library. He moved his wand according to the wand movement of the spell and recited, "Lumos Maxima!" A bright light emanated from his wand, making it difficult for Zach to see. He immediately recited, "Nox!" to decrease the light. Through this experience, Zach promised himself not to cast the spell carelessly unless he faced certain conditions.

CHARM | Singing Jinx
INCANTATION | Cantis
PRONUNCIATION | CAN-tis
WAND MOVEMENT | point wand at the target
WORD COUNT | 776/400
Ooc note: @Beatrice Langstreth agreed to become my practice target and gave me permission.
RP |

Reducio

Raizel was desperate to find a partner for this next spell that she's trying to learn and for some reason, she couldn't just ask some random strangers for this one. It's an advance spell for someone in her year and it's the Singing Jinx too. How many people here in Hogwarts are willing to assist her with this? Maybe a few but she couldn't ask around and maybe most people won't even like being under the singing jinx.

When all things were lost, she sat there in the courtyard, thinking about who she knew might be willing enough to assist her and like an angel from the sky sent by the heavens to aid her, Beatrice Langstreth came into her view. She hesitated at first, not wanting to waste her precious time because she knew she might be busy with all the prefect stuff and studying of course but eventually, she found the courage to ask.

Surprisingly enough, she said yes and to think that Raizel was prepared for Bea declining her offer for being her practice partner for the singing jinx. In a way, it made the second year Gryffindor happy. She was glad that someone agreed that this spell is something she just can't cast on inanimate objects. At the same time, it made her nervous. What if she messes this up? What if she couldn't reverse the effect? Surely the effect of the singing isn't forever. Okay, maybe forever is an exaggeration but it shouldn't take that long for the effects to disappear… right? Hopefully, Bea has a counter spell for it. Finite Incantatem maybe? If not, she could cast it on her.

Nerves were getting to her as she stood there with Bea once they had found a nice spot to practice the jinx without any interference. While she is met with a smiling upperclassman to assure her that it's gonna be alright, she still can't help but feel nervous. She had never felt this nervous when she practiced spells before. Perhaps it's because she has someone with her who could see her fail with her attempts or it's because she's practicing on a living person.

She needs to shove those aside and focus. It'll be a lot worse if she doesn't get her head in the game. While Bea is waiting there patiently, the Gryffindor starts preparing herself. What was the wand movement again? Right, just a simple point at the target. The incantation, Cantis (CAN-tis).

Raizel pointed her wand at her target, thinking of a song. She doesn't know a lot but there is one that seems to be famous for muggles, something that she had heard play back in her mother's parents house when they were still around and visiting them.

"Okay…" the girl muttered, eyes on her target, her grip on her wand tightening as she raised it, pointing at Bea. She could see how her hand was shaking, unable to hide the nerves. This made her grin sheepishly and apologetically to the older girl before trying once more, getting her grip steady but she needed to hold her hand with the other to do so. She only let go of it once she felt calmer and her heart stopped pounding so fast.

"Cantis!" Nothing happened at first which wasn't that surprising. She'd be more surprised if it went well on her first try in her current state of mind. "I'll try again." Raizel called out to her practice partner, with her wand at the ready once again. "Cantis!" Another failed attempt which made her grumble but she just earned a smile from her partner. She waited for a while for her nerves to settle, closing her eyes for a few minutes before reopening them once she had felt calm.

Raizel raised her arm once more, a serious look on her face, her hold on her wand looked steadier than earlier with her thoughts only on the spell and the song. "Cantis!" She casted and that was when she finally grabbed that sweet success, signified by that bright pink light leaving her wand and hit Bea right on her chest.

Raizel waited with anticipation, with the counter-spell in mind already just in case they wanted it to end early.

Never gonna give you~

The Ravenclaw girl started singing and heck, she can sing well. She could become an idol. Imagine this spell along with Tarantallegra and using a song like those… what were they called again? K-pop? Quite popular.

Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you~

This is a fun song, not gonna lie unless you're getting rickrolled as what the muggles say.

CHARM | Wind Jinx
INCANTATION | Ventus
PRONUNCIATION | VEN-tuss
WAND MOVEMENT | Clockwise turn of the wand
WORD COUNT | 527/400
RP |

Reducio

Ventus, now this one is one of the amusing spells that Raizel had seen. Quite popular among the students in Hogwarts, especially those in dueling teams. Probably one of the most used spells in the dueling stage as well. Useful, especially in blowing away that pesky cloud that shoots lightning at you from what she had seen on the last official duel that she watched.

She did her research after that but during that time, it was too complicated for her so she let it go for now. After her first year in Hogwarts was over and she was back in their home, she can't help but look through some books of Charms that her father has back in his room, earning some scolding from him because of how messy she just made his study room. Her father had been busy considering that he is now an Auror so she is refraining from asking him about spell demonstrations. Then again, that had somehow upset him.

"You can ask me anytime." That's what he had said to the young girl with a smile. In a way, he would like to spend time with her and his family despite how busy he might become. Raizel took that chance then, asked for the wind charm which somehow surprised her father but he eventually gave in to the girl's enthusiasm in seeing the spell. While she couldn't cast it herself despite having a wand of her own now, knowing more about it would help her once she is back in Hogwarts and try it out herself.

That's exactly what she did. Raizel didn't waste any time. As soon as she was back in Hogwarts, the young Gryffindor continued on her quest to learn more spells, especially those that can be useful in the dueling scene. Once she had the chance, she immediately went to her favorite practice spot, the Great Lake, to start her practice on the Ventus spell. From what she could remember, her father made a clockwise turn like gesture with his wand when he casted this spell and a gust of wind blew towards a nearby tree. While it was fun in the beginning, it sure left them a pile to clean up or else, her mother would be disappointed in them.

Raizel stood by the edge of the water, drawing out her wand. She made a couple of quick clockwise turning gestures, practicing the wand movements and speaking out the incantation at some point although nothing had happened at first. She continues with more gesture practice, being precise as much as possible and getting comfortable with it. Once she felt comfortable enough, she went on to the next step and that is the incantation. "Ventus! (VEN-tuss)." She spoke out as clear as possible after making that clockwise turning gesture with her wand and a blast of wind, stronger than what she had imagined, shot out from her wand, disrupting the water before her with ripples due to the sudden strong wind. That was probably the first time that a spell had work immediately but that was probably just beginner's luck. If only that luck finds its way to her duels. She turned around, trying the spell once again and this time, towards the tree. The same wand movement and incantation as before and a strong gust of wind shoots out from the tip of her wand, shaking off some of the leaves. The results were satisfying.

CHARM | Wand-Lighting Charm Duo
INCANTATION | Lumos Duo
PRONUNCIATION | LOO-mos DOO-oh
WAND MOVEMENT | Slide wand across the ground then point
WORD COUNT | 555/400
RP |

Reducio

Lumos had been a memorable spell for Raizel. It was the first ever spell that her father showed her, maybe something that one could consider that had sparked up her interest with spells in the first place. Not to mention, it proves to be useful in dark places.

The delight she felt when she learned that it was being taught in their first year. What she isn't expecting though is that it has a stronger variation. It was during the break that she asked her father about spells, perhaps a way to keep her mind occupied from the sudden visit of a certain relative. She wanted nothing else to think about but learning spells after a horrible first meeting with her grandmother from her father's side.

"Dad, can you do a simple spell?" She asked that night while they were outside their home. She couldn't cast any spells while she was at home and her mom hid her wand which of course wasn't necessary. Then again, she understood because if she sees her wand and within her reach, with her desire to learn more spells now that she had experienced casting some during her time in Hogwarts, she would certainly give in to the temptation of casting some which is against the rule. She doesn't want to get expelled from Hogwarts.

What other way can she learn new spells then? Well, through her father of course. While he could only show a couple of simple spells and that she could only take notes of them in her notebook, that's better than nothing. In hopes of cheering her up, her father casted Lumos and then, one of its stronger variations.

"Lumos Duo!" He casted that night and a bright light shone from his wand. Raizel had to look away to avoid getting blinded by how strong that one was. Her father simply chuckled at her reaction.

Once she was back in Hogwarts for another year of learning, it was one of the few that she immediately wanted to learn. Who knows, it might even prove useful if she finds herself in dangerous situations, like that back in the Spring Ball
The problem now is, a place to practice the spell. Her dorm could be a good place, just, her roommates will probably get annoyed by the sudden bright light, especially when it's in the middle of the night.

Raizel practiced the spell in the courtyard then, waiting for it to be dark enough. She even ate her dinner as soon as possible just so she could practice this in a dark environment. Her wand is already lit up with the regular Lumos spell, pointed on her notes to check it out, learning the wand movement for its stronger variation. "Lumos Duo!" (LOO-mos DOO-oh) she casted, sliding her wand across the ground and pointing it. The first try wasn't as strong as what her father had shown her and it didn't even last long. That made her groan in annoyance. "Lumos Duo!" She enunciated once more, repeating the wand movement and this time, her wand had shone brightly, almost like what her father had shown her before, making her grin. "Nox." She put out the light and then repeated it again and again until she got the hang of it and was ready for the next one.

CHARM | Radiant Wand-Lighting Charm
INCANTATION | Lumos Maxima
PRONUNCIATION | LOO-mos MAX-i-muh
WAND MOVEMENT | Flick wand, draw it back and then flick again
WORD COUNT | 541/400
RP |

Reducio

Yes, this isn't over yet. There is still one more variation of this spell that she wanted to learn, something that she had seen while she was researching Lumos Duo for more information about it. This spell is called the Radiant Wand-Lighting Charm, Lumos Maxima. Now this one is interesting and to make things better, she could probably use it to ward off annoying people by blinding them and then running away from the crime scene. Maybe when she finds herself in another fight in the corridors, she could cast this spell as a distraction and then get away immediately. A cowardly move for a Gryffindor as they might say but, if it works then she'll take it.

Who said that you have to fight every time? And while she'd prefer shooting a more… offensive spell on her target, there will be times when she'd rather end things by avoiding any fight. Lumos Maxima would surely help her when the time comes. Looking back on her notes, she studied the wand movements closely as this one looks more complicated than Lumos Duo. A flick of her wand, drawing it back and then flick again.

That's a lot of movement right there but Raizel is too determined to learn it to even let complicated wand movements bother her that much. At first, she only did wand movements to get used to it as she doesn't want to make any mistake when it comes to casting. She had been working on her spellcasting since the day one of her duel practice went wrong for her. Fast and precise spellcasting, that's what she's after. Fast enough to catch her opponents off guard, precise enough to be able to cast the spell properly without any risk of it backfiring on her, making it close to perfection.

Once she knows the movements, it's time to accompany it with the incantation. "Lumos Maxima! (LOO-mos MAX-i-muh) she enunciated, flicking her wand, drawing it back and then flicking again. She was met with a familiar scene much like what happened back in the Spring Ball, flickering light but only this time, it died down unlike back then when the light was still produced despite how she struggled in casting that spell. She really needs a lot of work on her spellcasting but she must, of course, do it at a pace that she could handle.

Again. "Lumos Maxima!" A bright light shone from her wand but much like before, it didn't last long, making Raizel frown, staring at her wand. Perhaps it was being difficult, her wand that is or maybe, she had enough advance spell in one night. No, not yet. "Focus." She gave herself a soft slap on the cheeks, shaking any unnecessary thoughts for now and try focusing on the spell and only the spell. In this case, she should only have Lumos Maxima in mind.

Deep breaths, clear the mind. Her grip on her wand tightened as she stared at it, her expression turning into a serious one. She repeated the wand movements from earlier and then the incantation. "Lumos Maxima!" And with that, the courtyard was covered with a strong bright light, signifying that the young Gryffindor had successfully casted the Radiant Wand-lighting charm.

CHARM | Summoning Charm
INCANTATION | Accio
PRONUNCIATION | AH-kee-oh
WAND MOVEMENT | upper half of a circle
WORD COUNT | 460/400
RP |

Reducio

Imagine this, being able to summon things to your side with just a spell. While this spell doesn't seem to be that beginner friendly to those trying to learn it, that won't stop Raizel from adding this spell into her arsenal.

This spell is the summoning charm. The fact that you need to visualize what you're trying to summon is what makes this hard, in her opinion anyway. Sounds like it needs a lot of brain power. No matter, with a lot of practice, hopefully, she'll be able to handle it. First off, it'd be better if she starts with something simple, something that she's familiar with, books. She found a nice spot in her favorite practice place, the Great Lake again, setting down her practice tools which is just her charms book.

Surely enough, this object is easier to visualize than any other things. She stared at the book for quite sometime, taking in its appearance which is probably unnecessary since she already knows what a book looks like and the image of it is engraved on her mind by now with how many times that she had seen it, especially during school days. She does think she needs more… visualization of it.

After some more intense staring, Raizel moved to the incantation which she had already took notes of in her precious charms notebook. She is met by hand drawn wand movements, some illegible writings that her younger self had written down before which she probably needs to look up on before trying them out. She flipped through the pages and eventually found it. The handwriting for the summoning charm is quite new since it was just recent. She had seen a couple of charms that her father hadn't shown her yet and of course, she had immediately took notes of it.

She studied the wand movement, an upper half of a circle and then the incantation. "AH-kee-oh." Once she practiced those for a couple of times, she was ready to test it out. "AH-kee-oh!" She said as soon as the wand movement for the spell was finished, her eyes on the boom that had immediately came flying towards her and unfortunately for her, it came right straight to her head. Ouch.

The impact had caused the young Gryffindor to fall on her behind, rubbing her forehead. She won't be surprised if that left a bump on her head. Again, she placed the book back on where it was before after picking herself up from the ground, staring at it with a frown. "Try not to be stupid enough not to catch it." She reminded herself before pointing her wand once again. "AH-kee-oh!" The book came flying to her but this time, she was ready to catch it.

CHARM | Banishing Charm
INCANTATION | Depulso
PRONUNCIATION | de-PUHL-so
WAND MOVEMENT | sweep of the wand
WORD COUNT | 577/400
RP |

Reducio

Another day, and another spell to learn and this time, something that she had seen before in this room that she's currently in, the dueling club. Raizel wanted to get some practice now that she's back at Hogwarts, preparing for the official dueling games now that her name is in the official roster of Gryffindor House's Dueling team. She was sure that her name won't be added soon in that list but before her first year even ended, she made it in which is brilliant and scary at the same time.

It has been her dream to be part of the team but that also gave her a lot of anxiety, afraid that she might not have enough skill to be a part of it. So she did what she could in terms of skill issues and that's practicing. Ever since her practice duel and getting into the team, Raizel had been working hard when it comes to her spells. She had been studying it closely more than before, going for precision that's close to perfection if possible.

Right now though, she's distracted from her plans of practicing and instead, she has decided to learn the Banishing Charm, Depulso. She had seen it used before during her practice duel with her friend here, used it on someone who was on the verge of being hit by her Flipendo that had gone astray after a stupid move that she did.

Before her is a training dummy that she had managed to secure. Her right hand is holding onto her wand tightly and her eyes are on the dummy. She's recalling what she knows of the spell, the wand movement which is a sweep of her wand and then the incantation Depulso (de-PUHL-so). Raizel made a quick sweeping motion with her wand, pointing it at the dummy before chanting. "De-PUHL-so!" The dummy didn't move. That made her scratch her head, wondering if she did anything wrong or maybe, not concentrating hard enough.

Again. "Depul-!" She casted, making another quick sweeping gesture but unfortunately, due to how she rushed the incantation, she bit her tongue. That's gotta hurt. She should take it slower for now. Mastering it will come later once she's done with the basics.

"Depulso!" There was a small but noticeable movement that time but it only shook the dummy, not having enough force in it. Again. "Depulso!" That time, the dummy moved back a bit but still not powerful enough like the one that she saw before. "Depulso!" Another try and she could see the effect of the spell getting stronger but slowly. She sighed, not feeling satisfied. More power, it needs more power. She took a deep breath and then released it, calming herself from the annoyance that was starting to build when her spellcasting wasn't turning out well. For someone who had taken pride in her spellcasting, that's a big no.

She shook off any unnecessary thoughts, remembering the basics of spellcasting that she had learned in her first year. Concentration, precision and enunciation. Raizel, once ready, made a sweeping motion with her wand, thinking of nothing else but the spell to be casted. "Depulso!" And this time, the dummy was sent back with force strong enough that the impact could even be heard. The Gryffindor watched the result of her spellcasting, a satisfied yet serious look was on her face as she stood there, ready to continue the exercise until she masters the spell.

June 15, 2023
Spell/Incantation: Intruder Charm (Monitus)
Wand movement: Point wand at where you want the "alarm" to be
Narrative:

Reducio

When Jack found out about the Intruder Charm, he thought it would be great fun for a clubhouse or hideout if he and Ruka ever decided to have one of those. It could also have been used for his room or things he wanted to keep secret and safe like his trunk, though he didn't know if someone had to enter a place for the alarm of the spell to be set off or if they just had to open something. He would have to test that out later. Firstly, though, he wanted to learn the spell and master it inside and out.

In order to learn the spell, he first had to research its incantation and the etymology of that incantation. The incantation, he read, was supposed to be 'monitus' and was pronounced 'MOHN-ih-TUHS'. It was a Latin word that meant 'warning' and was used to describe someone who has been advised or reminded. It was derived from the root word of 'moneo' which was a Latin verb that meant 'warn' or 'remind'. That seemed simple and fitting enough to make sense. Jack would be able to remember the incantation and meaning easily and the pronunciation wasn't difficult, either.

For this spell, the Slytherin went to the Room of Requirement where a lone door was waiting for him within. Presumably, he thought, he was supposed to cast the Intruder Charm on the door and then attempt to walk through it in order to see if he would set off the magical alarm. Just like the incantation and pronunciation, the wand movement was pretty easy; all one had to do was point their wand at where they wanted the alarm to sound from. Deciding to practice the incantation first, as was his usual routine in learning spells, the redhead began to sound out the word.

"Monitus. Moan-AYE-tus." No, wait, that wasn't right. He was pronouncing the first syllable wrong. And wasn't the accent on the first syllable? Or was it the last? "MON-ih-tus. Mon-IH-tus. Mon-ih-TUS," he tried, testing out what sounded best. Frowning, he looked back at his charm book for the proper pronunciation. "MOHN-ih-TUHS. Monitus."

Satisfied with his practice and warm-up with the word, Jack smiled and raised his wand to point it at the lone, closed door standing in the middle of the room. "Monitus!" he called, concentrating on his target. When he was finished, he walked toward the door, twisted the handle, and opened it before stepping through. Immediately, the alarm began to sound and Jack's smile broadened into a grin. He'd done it! Now if only he could figure out how to turn it off.

Word Count: 439

June 27, 2023
Spell/Incantation: Trip Jinx (Offendo)
Wand movement: Point wand at target before dropping your wand down, lifting it slightly up, and then to the right
Narrative:

Reducio

The Trip Jinx seemed pretty useful for such a simple-seeming spell. It could be used for practical jokes or to keep one from approaching or even to keep someone from escaping. Jack read that it had once been taught to a Defense Against the Dark Arts class in the fifth year because it was so simple yet so useful. That made Jack all the more eager to learn it as a fifth year even if it was supposed to be in the syllabus for his sixth year Charms class.

As he read about the jinx, Jack learned that the spell's light coming from the wand performing it should have been purple or red. The wand movement was an interesting one. You had to aim your wand at your target before dropping your wand down, raising it slightly up, and then moving it to the right. The incantation was 'offendo'. It was from the Latin roots of 'ob-' which meant 'against' and 'fendo' which meant 'hit' or 'thrust'. If he thought about it, Jack believed he could remember the incantation by thinking that tripping someone was sort of like offending them or 'hitting against' them, only physically instead of verbally or metaphorically.

Ready to practice the incantation, Jack found the pronunciation a little odd, but did his best to follow what his textbook told him to say and how to say it. "Off-END-oh," he began at first before realizing that was only what he thought it was pronounced as, not what the book said. "OH-fen-DOH. OH-fen-DO? OH-fen-DOO! Offendo!" Once he was satisfied with his pronunciation, the redhead picked up his books and headed for the Room of Requirement where he usually practiced his spells. As usual, the room had exactly what he needed - an enchanted moving dummy that he could jinx to trip as it approached him.

Raising his wand toward the dummy as it came toward him, Jack moved it first down through the air, then raised it slightly up and then moved it to the right. "Offendo!" he called, keeping his voice loud and clear as he concentrated on tripping his target. Almost immediately, the dummy fell flat on its face. It was a little too close for comfort, though, so Jack set it up and walked off a few paces before trying again, hoping to be a little faster this time. If he wasn't fast enough, the spell would have been practically pointless. "Offendo!" he said again, this time making the wand movement as quick as he could while trying to remain as precise as possible. Again, the dummy fell over and Jack was pleased at his improved time. He continued practicing again and again to get faster and faster until he was able to achieve a speed that reached his satisfaction.

Word Count: 465

June 27, 2023
Spell/Incantation: Tongue-sticking Jinx (Langlock)
Wand movement: Make a diagonal loop to the right
Narrative:

Reducio

The Langlock Jinx was a spell Jack would have liked to have learned a long time ago. Evidently, it caused one's tongue to affix to the roof of their mouth. He knew a few people he would have liked to shut up that way and now he could if he learned the spell properly. Aside from being nice to shut annoying people up, it was also useful to keep others from using spells in situations like duels and combat. It was said it could be used on more than just humans, like spirits and poltergeists. What made Jack even more determined to learn the spell was that it was created by Severus Snape, someone Jack looked up to quite a bit. After all, he had been staying in the Severus Snape Dormitory since his first year at Hogwarts in honor of the man.

'Langue' was the Latin root word for 'tongue' while 'lock' was an English word meaning 'to make or become rigidly fixed or immovable'. That made the incantation easy enough to remember because it essentially meant 'tongue lock'. The wand movement was a simple diagonal loop to the right. However, it was times like these that Jack wished he had someone like his adopted older brother Ruka to practice spells with because Langlock was not something that could be practiced easily without someone else to practice it on. With someone else, it could have been a lot more fun to test the speed with which someone could cast the spell and to see who could lock the other's tongue first. As he had no one to practice with, though, he would have to make due with what he could in the Room of Requirement.

When he got to the room, it had conjured up a dummy with a mouth of sorts and a tongue. Jack had to laugh at that. It wasn't a perfect substitute for a real person, but it would do to suit his needs. "LANG-lock," he practiced saying before anything else. "Lang. Lock. Langlock." Once he was positive he had that down, he rolled up his sleeves and raised his wand. Making a diagonal loop to the right, he aimed his loop at the dummy with the tongue. "Langlock!" Instantly, the dummy's tongue stuck to the roof of its mouth. Jack grinned in silent triumph. He had done it! Maybe he would test how long it lasted next and see if he could try it out on his troublesome dormmates. That was the nice thing about learning spells before everyone else in your year - chances were they wouldn't know them to use them back on you.

Word Count: 442

June 27, 2023
Spell/Incantation: Protean Charm (Protean)
Wand movement: Point wand at the items that need to be synchronized
Narrative:

Reducio

The Protean Charm seemed like one of the more complex spells taught to sixth years. The wand movement and incantation were easy enough, but the actual concept and purpose of the spell was unusual. It synchronized several objects by changing them simultaneously. Jack could see how this could be useful for pranks as well as for organized groups to get messages at the same time. In fact, he had read in history books about Hermione Granger using the spell to communicate with members of the group that had been called Dumbledore's Army to let them know when the next meeting would be held. That had certainly been a clever use of the spell, but Jack couldn't see himself ever using it in that way. He didn't really have any friends or a group to use it with like that, but it still could have been fun for doing pranks from far away to keep suspicion off him.

What was more intriguing to Jack than anything else about the spell, though, was the etymology. The English word 'protean' derived from the name 'Proteus', a god in Greek mythology who Jack knew of. As Proteus was a shape-shifter and thus able to take many forms, the word 'protean' came to refer to 'versatility', 'flexibility', or 'an ability to assume many forms'. The word 'protean' is also derived from the same root as 'protein' which means a variable, flexible substance which forms strong bonds between its constituent parts. Jack liked shape-shifters a great deal because many of the trickster characters he looked up to were shape-shifters, so the incantation 'protean' would not only be easy to remember how to say, but easy to associate with its purpose of changing things to match each other.

When the fifth year got to the Room of Requirement, it had a number of things set out for him to practice casting the synchronizing spell on. The Slytherin chose a set of three plain brown wigs that he could easily change the color of and set to work practicing the pronunciation of the incantation. "PRO-tee-an. PROH-tee-an. Protean," he said, examining the wigs as he practiced speaking aloud. When he was done, he took a step back from the wigs, aimed his wand at the first of them, and said, "Protean!" At first, nothing seemed to happen, but he knew he wasn't yet done. He cast the spell twice more on the other two wigs without any apparent result. Then came the moment of truth.

"Crinus Muto," he called, aiming the Hair Color-Changing Spell at the first of the three wigs. A white light shot out from his wand and hit the brown fibers of the wig's hair, instantly turning it bright blue. Just as quickly, the other two wigs also changed to bright blue. Chuckling to himself, Jack tried a couple more changes of color before resorting to simply cutting the hair of one wig and styling another. All three wigs reflected each other throughout each new change.

Word Count: 500

June 27, 2023
Spell/Incantation: Tracking Spell (Appare Vestigium)
Wand movement: Point wand at area
Narrative:

Reducio

When trying to track someone down, surely one couldn't do better than the Tracking Spell. Though he didn't plan on becoming an Auror or anything of the like, even Jack could still see how the spell could be extremely useful when trying to find someone. He could name a few times in the past when it would have come in handy like when he had been trying to locate Ruka or Selim. To add it to his repertoire of spells would certainly be the smart thing to do as one never knew when it could come in handy in the future.

According to his textbook, the light that the magic produced when the spell was cast was a swirl of gold. The wand movement was simply to aim one's wand at the area one suspected the target they were tracking to have walked through. Supposedly, the spell revealed footprints and track marks as well as traces of magic if magic had been used. The incantation was 'appare vestigium' which came from 'appare', a Latin word meaning 'you appear (now)' and which was a conjugation of the verb 'appareo' as well as 'vestigium' which was Latin for 'footprint' or 'track'. In a boarder sense, it could have meant any form of 'trace, vestige, or mark'. Thus the incantation Appare Vestigium essentially meant 'You appear (now), footprints, traces' in Latin.

For this spell, Jack thought it would be better to practice it in an empty corridor of the castle instead of the Room of Requirement because there was bound to have been more foot traffic there. Thus there would have likely been more tracks, footprints, and traces of magic he could find with the Tracking Spell in a corridor than the Room of Requirement which was constantly changing. To begin with, he murmured to himself under his breath the pronunciation of the incantation to be sure he got it right before practicing the actual spell. Since it was a two-part incantation, he deemed it would be tricker than most others because of the designated accents on the syllables for each word. "Ah-PAR-ay," he started with. "Ah-PAR-ay. Ah-PAR-ay ves-TEE-jee-um. Ves-TEE-jee-um. Ves-TEE-jee-um. Appare Vestigium."

Once he was confident enough in his pronunciation, he walked to the center of an empty corridor where no one was likely to disturb him for some time. Then, leaning down close to the ground, he pointed his wand at the stone floor and said, "Appare Vestigium." All at once, a swirl of gold erupted from his wand tip and covered the floor, slowly revealing several sets of footprints and traces of magic all at once. "Yes!" Jack cheered quietly to himself, happy to have been successful.

Word Count: 447

June 27, 2023
Spell/Incantation: Old Violent Unlocking Charm (Open Sesame)
Wand movement: Point wand at door
Narrative:

Reducio

Jack loved history and Open Sesame had quite a bit of history surrounding it. It used to be popular among wizards as an opening spell before the 1600s as it allowed passage through doors by ripping them from their hinges and tearing them into firewood. Naturally, more discreet methods were favored later on like with the discovery of Portaberto which splintered the lock from the door and then later the Unlocking Charm which was brought to Britain by Eldon Elsrickle in the 1600s and which simply unlocked locks. Still, that didn't mean Open Sesame didn't have its uses. Jack imagined that in an emergency or to create a grand entrance, the Open Sesame spell would have worked well, especially if one was in need of firewood more than a door.

Of course the incantation was ridiculously easy for Jack to remember because it was famous for being in the muggle story, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. The wand movement was incredibly simple as well since all one had to do was point one's wand at the door or doors they wanted to rip from their hinges. Nevertheless, Jack wanted to practice the incantation several times before attempting the actual spell. "OH-pen SEH-sah-me," he said, trying it out. "OH-pen Says-a-me," he said for fun, playing with the sounds of the words. "OH-pen SEH-sah-me. Open Sesame." He raised his wand to point at the nearest door of the Charms classroom and then thought better of it. He imagined Zoë Fresnel wouldn't have appreciated having her doors ripped from their hinges for firewood. Fortunately, he thought he knew of a better place to go ripping doors off their hinges.

The Room of Requirement once again served his purposes as it served the purposes of everyone at Hogwarts. Once Jack entered, he saw a whole slew of doors of every shape, size, and color ready and waiting for him to practice Open Sesame on them. The fifth year lifted his wand and pointed at one tall, thin wooden door. "Open Sesame," he called to it. It responded with a groan of wood and a splintering sound as, like the book had said, the door was ripped from its hinges and the wood torn up like paper to be split up for firewood. Jack stared in wonder. It certainly seemed like a violent, powerful spell. "Open Sesame," He said to a set of double doors, these ones red and stout. Similar results occurred with the splintering of wood and the breaking of door hinges. Jack continued until every door was firewood and he was pretty certain he had gotten the hang of the spell.

Word Count: 440

June 27, 2023
Spell/Incantation: Knockback Jinx Variation (Flipendo Maxima)
Wand movement: Arch wand down to the right before arching back up to the right and finishing with a small ‘u’ shape
Narrative:

Reducio

The Knockback Jinx was interesting because there were so many variations of it. There was the original Knockback Jinx, 'Flipendo', then the second strongest, 'Flipendo Duo', then the third strongest, 'Flipendo Tria', and finally the strongest of all of them, 'Flipendo Maxima'. Supposedly, the last and final variation was invented by Badeea Ali with the help of Ben Copper during the school year of 1989 to 1990 at Hogwarts. Jack thought it was pretty cool that some Hogwarts students had invented some spells, especially since it was during the time they were at Hogwarts - just like Severus Snape. He wondered if he could come up with some spells of his own as well with time and practice.

The etymology was pretty simple as the first part of the spell's incantation, 'flipendo', was derived from the English words 'flip' and 'end', which made the meaning of that spell to 'flip someone onto their end'. 'Maxima' was Latin for 'greatest', so 'flipendo maxima' essentially meant 'the greatest way to flip someone onto their end'. It always amused Jack when the etymology of a spell mixed different languages like Latin and English. According to his book, the light of the spell's magic when cast was supposed to be white. The wand movement was a bit complex, starting with something of a checkmark by arching down to the right and then arching back up to the right before finishing with a small 'u' shape. However, since he had already mastered the Knockback Jinx and the wand movement was the same, it wasn't difficult for him to perform or remember.

"Flip-END-oh MAX-ih-mah," he tried to sound out first before looking at the pronunciation. It turned out he was close, but not quite there. It had been a while since he had last used the Knockback Jinx, so he was a little rusty with that part of the incantation. However, if he was able to join his house's dueling team as he hoped to that year, he was certain to use it and its variations a whole lot more, he guessed. "Fli-PEN-doh MAX-ih-mah. Flipendo Maxima."

Once again, the Room of Requirement was perfect for Jack's needs regarding practicing his spells. It was equipped with plenty of dummies for him to knock back. When he was confident enough with his incantation pronunciation, he performed the check mark-like wand movement with the little 'u' at the end and announced, "Flipendo Maxima!" With a jolt of white light from his wand, the dummy he had aimed at was thrown back against the wall with a slam and Jack blinked, taken aback by the force and power of the spell. It wasn't the ultimate variation of the Knockback Jinx for no reason.

Word Count: 453

Spell- Reductor Curse / Reducto
Incantation- re-DUCK-toh
Wand Movement- sideways V or arrow pointing right
Word Count- 477/400

Reducio

It was more intriguing that Lea would like to admit being able to reduce objects into a fine dust. When she'd ever need to use it was another matter, but it caught her thoughts too much to simply leave alone or wait until later to learn in class. The damage it could do was both scary and part of the appeal. The Hufflepuff assumed that the objects that could be reduced to ash were still limited- it likely couldn't be a wand and she was uncertain about plants- but it meant that practicing the spell would need a carefully controlled environment filled with useless or replaceable items in case anything went askew. She was looking too far ahead for now though as the girl still needed to properly research the spell and take notes on its incantation, wand movement, and intended effect as well as potential uses all listed in whatever spellbooks the Fourth Year could grab ahold of within the library walls. All of the information made it into her notes along with some poor drawings, highlighting, and color coding in order to make it a little more aesthetic. "re-DUCK-toh," the Hufflepuff muttered under her breath until she was happy enough with her pronunciation to move onto the next step: finding a target.

In this case her target was whatever items she no longer wanted from her dorm. It was a little early in the year to have picked up much stuff that would no longer be needed, but there were a few extra empty containers or scribbled on papers that Lea felt okay incinerating. Where to practice was the next concern, opting for one of the empty classrooms instead of the dueling room due to the potential property or personal damage that she didn't trust with this spell- plus it wasn't really a spell that could even be used in a duel. She'd place the container and extra pages onto one of the dustier chairs in the room, hoping that the professors wouldn't mind losing one of the more decrepit looking seats in case she missed. With that, Lea took a deep breath and aimed her chestnut wand at the papers, taking the time to visualize the parchment combusting. Her wand motion was a sideways V, similar to a right arrow before she ended back on target. "Reducto." The blue glow flashed before the paper exploded into strips before crumbling even further as they slowly fell to the ground, leaving nothing but an empty chair now covered in an additional layer of fine dust. The girl seemed a little surprised by her victory, staring at the blank space for a bit before a grin spread across her face. The new mess would have to be cleaned up, but it was an unexpected success that she was certain could translate to other successes in the future.

Spell- Blasting Curse / Confringo
Incantation- con-FRING-go
Wand Movement- 'Z' in the air
Word Count- 649/400

Reducio

Dueling spells. Of course Lea wanted to learn them both to advance her skills and perhaps provide more reason for why she should rejoin the team. She had seen the Blasting Curse used a couple of times and it seemed effective- a more dangerous option to the widely used Flipendo, although certainly more complicated as well. But in addition to its complexity, the Hufflepuff could see uses in other situations when explosive force seemed like the only way forward- not that she really wanted to be put into such an event but it was best to be prepared when at Hogwarts.

The girl had found a wall of the duelling room to sit besides, brown braids falling over her shoulders as she looked down at the textbook open to the Blasting Curse. "Con-FRING-go, huh?" She muttered to herself, tracing over the Z wand movement on the page with her finger. It seemed almost too easy, deciding to move on straight to practicing against a person instead of a target dummy just to see how well this could go. There weren't many people currently in the room as evening was fast approaching, but the Hufflepuff spotted a somewhat familiar young Gryffindor, Rai- it seemed like a stretch to assume that they would be fine with dodging an explosion as it was unlikely that the second year would have to prepare for such a spell in duels quite yet, but Lea would try anyways. Her proposal was rather matter-of-fact: act as a practice target but feel free to dodge and Lea could do the same for Raizel afterwards. It worked though, a slight smile escaping as the girl took many steps back to provide some space for the spell casting and to keep herself out of the blast radius.

With a flourish of her wand and a Z cut through the air, Lea called out, "Confringo!" It seemed as though the spell knew that Lea feared getting hit with it herself as the point of origin for the fiery orange light became her wand, but she managed to cut off the spell before it continued further. "Uhm, give me a second," she offered, readjusting her posture and rolling her shoulders before aiming her wand back at the Gryffindor. Her wand movement was a little slower the next time with sharper cuts as the Z formed in the air before she called out once more, "Confringo!" This time that fiery light exploded out towards Raizel with little time to prepare.

Rai, it seemed, had wanted to know the full effects of the spell only attempting to move out of the way at the last minute but not fast enough to not be the center of the explosion, a cacophonous boom that resonated across the dueling room. Lea winced, brown eyes squinting towards where the gryffindor had been as the smoke died down until she could see the form of Raizel standing in the middle of the exploded ground, dark marks on the ground expanding from her feet. "I- Are you okay? I hadn't realized-" The other looked scorched and beat up but still standing in a way that Lea suspected she wouldn't be had the spell been against her instead. "Do you want to go to the hospital wing or- how are you feeling?" The Hufflepuff was expecting some... neutral? upset? response? She wasn't entirely sure, but the smile and suggesting that she was okay wasn't one of them.

The fourth year stared at the other unblinking before a harsh laugh escaped. "Nope, we're going to the wing. Let's go." She didn't really wait for a reply from Rai before beginning to grab her stuff and waiting expectantly for the younger student to follow. Lea could resolve her debts later and she now knew how the spell worked, so it was best to focus on the health of the mildly insane gryffindor.

permission from @Raizel Voltrouz to act as target

Spell- Biting Jinx / Mordeo
Incantation- Mordeo
Wand Movement- Aimed at target
Word Count- 550/400

Reducio

Journals and diaries were private matters- while Lea generally trusted that no one in her dorm would find and read her inner thoughts spilled onto a page, it felt safer having a potential back up plan in case something like that did happen. There hadn't been anything too significant in the journal during her past years, but it felt as though the Hufflepuff had a lot more to think about and process at the start of her fourth year. She seemed a little more nervous and uncertain yet confident in a way that hadn't been true in years past- a strange mix with an explanation that would not be privy if Lea had something to say about it.

Her research into future charms instead of struggling through her History of Magic homework led her to the interesting Biting Jinx, a spell that could certainly solve her worries of people looking into her journal. While her initial impression was curious, further looking into the spell gave some mixed feelings- while not too severe since it was taught in class eventually, it had sent people to the hospital wing which wasn't Lea's intention. Her hope had been more to scare or make the pages illegible, but people went to the Hospital Wing all of the time with the sports played at Hogwarts and it would certainly scare people off. "So... it's not that bad?" Not bad enough to stop the girl from beginning to learn how to cast it even as she mulled over whether to actually cast it on her diary. There was the issue of needing to use the journal herself and not wanting her own fingers bitten, but she suspected it would be easy enough to counterspell with enough intention.

Lea sat crisscrossed on her bed with two books, the spellbook and her journal, before her and wand in hand. She hummed slightly, wand spinning between her fingers as brown eyes scanned the pages again for the instructions on how to cast the jinx. It was simple enough, no wand movement necessary except aiming at the target and a shorter incantation than the Fourth Year expected. There was some hesitance, last minute apprehension as she glanced around to make sure none of her roommates had wandered in since her staring down at the book. With no one in sight, a chestnut wand pointed towards the journal and Lea spoke up, "Mordeo." It was a bit of a hard spell to figure out if it had worked properly as the book continued to lie peacefully on her bed, but as soon as she reached a hand out the diary snapped at her fingers with no remorse (if paper could have remorse). Lea instinctively jumped back, narrowly missing injury as the bite missed and the journal calmed down, returning to its unmoving self. She blinked, before pointing her wand at it again, forming a little shield in the air. "Finite Incantatem." When her hand reached out to tap the cover and nothing happened, fingers wrapped around the book and put it back to its typical hiding stop. It seemed a little extreme for now and more scary than the Hufflepuff had anticipated, but there was some comfort knowing that she could cast the spell in case anything happened in the future.

Spell- Deprimo Spell / Deprimo
Incantation- deh-PREEM-oh
Wand Movement- form a loop, starting from bottom going up, circle to the left and end up past the first part on the right (looks kind of like a sideways cursive j)
Word Count- 529/400

Reducio

It was becoming a bit strange how many destructive spells Charms class taught to the students older than herself. The next spell that Lea stumbled upon would be no exception, a burst of laughter escaping as she read the information provided. Shatters floors and blast holes into the ground? "No holding back, huh? Wonder what there's to learn after you've destroyed entire buildings..." She supposed it made sense since it was probably easier to understand material that all connected together in some way, but explosiveness and destruction would not have been her first guess. Or at least, not for Charms class. The history around the spell didn't suggest any good other uses outside of destruction and a very strange escape route that seemed like it would cause more harm than actually be effective as an get away plan.

Despite her finding it ridiculous, why wouldn't the Hufflepuff be curious? The badgers were known for fire and explosions were just a more advanced form- plus she would learn it in the future regardless, so why not now? Where to practice was another matter though, sure that Hogwarts and staff would not appreciate their floors turned to dust by a rogue and over-eager student. She suspected that the floors would be sturdy enough in the Charms classroom or the dueling room since they were the more likely places to have the spell cast, but the idea of getting in trouble should her guesses prove wrong panicked her. If no place inside the castle worked, then it was time to cast outdoors- hopefully less damage and more easily reparable, although Lea had no idea how to repair dirt.

A number of supplies were needed for this task- firstly, a shovel that the girl found in one of the greenhouses. Next, the spellbook marked with a sticky tab to the Deprimo Spell and its loopy wand movement. After, a pair of boots and outfit that Lea really didn't mind getting dirty in case things blasted back towards her. Finally and most importantly, her wand. Then, location- while she had figured out the outdoors Lea continued wandering the grounds for some time to find the perfect place that wasn't near structures nor people and hopefully wouldn't scare the staff. It's for educational purposes was true, but she didn't want to test her excuse if she could help it. "Alright..." The shovel lied on the ground for now, the spellbook opened and in her arms as she looked one final time to make sure she understood. Then it too would find its way on the ground, replaced by her wand pointed at the dirt a little ways in front of the Hufflepuff. With a loop in the air, almost like a lasso or perhaps a sideways cursive/flowy j, and a quick "Deprimo" a green light spilled from the chestnut wood and erupted into the ground, spraying bits of dirt and grass up as the charm dug into the earth. Her eyes widened, using her free arm to brush off the dirt attached to her clothes, before she nodded and returned her wand to its pocket. It was a good thing she had brought the shovel.

Spell- Bubble Jinx / Ebublio
Incantation- ee-BUB-leo
Wand Movement- 'e' in the air, but the horizontal bar doesn't touch the outer almost-circle
Word Count- 482/400

Reducio

The uses for trapping someone in a bubble only seemed to increase the more that Lea thought about it. The range of spells taught in higher classes was endlessly fascinating to the girl, happy to voluntarily pick up more 'homework' in order to understand both. From stopping those attacking someone or just generally aggressive so long as they could only do physical attacks to temporarily stop someone from pestering you (it seemed challenging to talk between a bubble and the outside world if it could hold someone's weight) to just being an amusing activity or perhaps a way to stop someone from falling. And those were only the ideas the Hufflepuff received in passing, whenever she happened to be daydreaming while eating her meals or distracted from homework. While only stopping physical force provided an unfortunate caveat in a world of magic, she was certain it could still prove its use or temporarily stop a situation since they'd need to escape a bubble first before continuing on.

It was a targeted spell which wasn't uncommon, but certainly hadn't gone that well last time as she had exploded a second year. While Lea was glad not to be the target, it did make sense that she understood the power of her own casting before potentially inflicting upon others. Plus, getting trapped in a bubble didn't sound that bad so long as she kept her wand with her- she didn't want to end up enveloped while onlookers giggled since the fourth year had no escape plan. No, with this spell extra precaution was taken to make sure her spells would let her escape, researching a little more to make sure that the Knockback Jinx and General Counter-Spell would reasonably work against the jinx. And with that, it was back to finding a place to cast again.

Lea opted for the outdoors again, away from other people who might witness her strange quest and inevitable embarrassment afterwards. People casted spells on themselves all of the time, yet the girl wasn't sure that she had ever nor did she know exactly how to- simply cast the spell at her feet instead or completely turn the wand back towards her? Shoes would have to do, brown eyes glancing down as her wand formed a lowercase e in the air. "Ebublio-" Chestnut wood emitted a soft blue light before that light blue encircled the girl. It was a strange sensation to have one's feet suddenly lifted up off the ground, almost losing balance and bumping against the walls of the bubble. Certainly an uncomfortable feeling as the Hufflepuff lost a sense of control she would much rather keep with her, quickly casting other spells to let her escape rather than stay within the bubble. While an interesting experiment, Lea had little intention to try that again on herself but at least she knew what others might go through.

The 12th of May 2023
Late Afternoon
Learning Protean Charm

Incantation: Protean
Wand Movement: Aim at the objects that are to be synchronised

Words: 593
@Zoë Fresnel

Charm- Bandaging Charm
Incantation- Ferula
Prounciation- fer-ROOL-lah
Wand Movement- Simply just tap your wand on your target
Word Count- 464/400

Reducio

Lazy Sunday mornings are my favourite mornings. However, this one fateful morning, I wasn't about to lounge in the common room all day. My mind was cleared, I had food in my stomach, I had hurt my leg(not that that was a good thing, of course not), and I was ready to practice some spells, preferably charms since they were my favourite kinds of spells. Bringing my textbook with me, I limped into the Charms room slowly. Luckily, it was empty. I needed a quiet, deserted place to practice the spells, which made sense because it would be much harder if the classroom was full of students.
I had hurt my leg tripping on the stairs earlier, and now I needed to do something to it. I felt way too lazy to go to the nurse right at this moment, but luckily, just like muggles have an app for everything, wizards have a spell for everything.
The bandaging charm could help me with this one for now. Looking it up in one of my textbooks, I learned that the incantation was Ferula, pronounced Fer-ROOL-la, and that all I had to do was to tap my wand on whatever I wanted to bandage up for it to work. That's it?
I could use the bandaging charm to bandage my leg and stop it from bleeding for the time being, and then I could go to the nurse most likely. The charm was for my 3rd year, so I still had a year to go, but I honestly couldn't see why that should stop me from trying to do it, or why it was a 3rd-year spell if it seemed so easy.
I was a little apprehensive about trying the spell right now, on my vulnerable bleeding leg. What if I did it wrong and made it worse, or proved myself unable to even get up?
Taking a deep breath, I decided to practice pronouncing a few times. "Fer-ROO-la," I said, holding my wand. Wait, that wasn't right. I tried again. "Feh-ROOL-ah," I said.
Oh, wait, I forgot it! None of those sounded right. I limped to my textbook sitting on the floor, picked it up, and flipped to the right page. Okay, I got it now, the pronunciation was fer-ROOL-lah.
I tried it one more time. "Okay, okay, okay. Fer-ROOL-lah." For some reason, that made me more confident in doing the spell on myself.
I sat down on the floor of the Charms classroom and gently tapped my wand on my leg. "Ferula," I said carefully. I watched in utter amazement as thin bandages were conjured from the wand, wrapping around my leg. It felt a bit better now.
Now, time to limp over to the hospital wing. Luckily, it was on the same floor...

Charm- Wind Jinx
Incantation- Ventus
Pronunciation- VEN-tuss
Wand Movement- Move your wand in a clockwise turn motion
Word Count- 433/400

Reducio

Since I was a duelist, I decided to learn more effective duelling spells, since my first duel had gone spectacularly sideways. And by sideways, I mean all the way. It wasn't a happy thought.
But now, I could learn more spells, and with a textbook. I had found a nifty little spell in there called the Wind Jinx, a spell that blew a gust of wind to keep objects and people away from you. Seemed handy. I didn't really care that it was a 3rd-year spell, after all, I'd done one of those before.
I decided to enlist a test subject to help me with this job: an old, grey, patched-up and adorable teddy bear named Mr Bear(yes, like the one from Peter Pan in muggle culture). I didn't feel comfortable doing it on anything in the classroom, because obviously, it would be a lot of trouble if I did so happen to wreck it up with the wind.
I set Mr Bear on the floor a few inches from my shoes, then did the pronunciation of the spell in my head. VEN-tuss, VEN-tuss, VEN-tuss.
I focused my attention on the spell and concentrated on Mr Bear too, then did a clockwise motion with my wand while exclaiming, "Ventus!"
A strong gust of wind blew the poor teddy bear back aggressively, so much so that the bear ripped at the shoulder, and he hit the wall and fell on the ground facedown, stuffing showing at the shoulder where it ripped. "No, no, no! Mr Bear!" I cried, running toward the bear and picking him up. I moaned and hugged the bear close, then looked behind my shoulder to make sure that no one was watching.
I sighed and lifted my wand, and said, "Reparo." Mr Bear was magically repaired, and I picked him up and set him down on the floor, by my textbook. Okay, I understood now, this was one of those spells that required me to be very careful how I handled my strength while doing the spell, not to put forth too much concentration into it, a bit like Lumos.
Let's try that again but with something else this time. I took off my left shoe and set it down on the floor.
Trying not to focus as much on doing the actual spell and trying to find a certain balance in terms of my focus, I took a deep breath and said, "Ventus!" A moderate wind blew the shoe away from me as it was caught in the wind, but not too aggressively, which I was glad of. Best of all, I hadn't wrecked up the Charms classroom. Phew!

Charm- Wand-Lighting Charm Duo
Incantation- Lumos Duo
Pronunciation- LOO-mos DOO-oh
Wand Movement- Slide your wand along the ground and then point
Word Count- 426/400

Reducio

If you need a stronger variant of Lumos that won't blind you, then the Wand-lighting Charm Duo is the spell for that. At least, that's the conclusion I came to. I decided to practice another spell today in the Charms Classroom, the Wand-Lighting Charm, Duo version. Duo means "two" or "double" in Latin, apparently(why is it always Latin?).
Luckily, this spell was good enough so that I wouldn't accidentally blind myself with it, you'd need Lumos Maxima for that job, which was why I was learning it. I read up on the spell a bit more before I did it, just to see if there was anything else important that I should know about it. Apparently not, only that the spell could repel certain spirits and attract certain magical creatures. I was not so excited about that last part.
But I was in a classroom in broad daylight, and I severely doubted that any of those creatures would come jumping out at me. I shook off my nerves and recited everything I knew about the spell in my head. Lumos Duo was the incantation, pronounced as LOO-mos DOO-oh so I wouldn't forget, and I needed to maintain a fair amount of concentration, sort of like the Wind Charm, so I wouldn't lose focus and the spell would go out, or the spell would turn red because I put in too much focus and I'd have to perform the Wand-Extinguishing Charm, Nox.
Basically like Lumos, just with a "duo" at the end and a different wand motion.
Oh, that wasn't too bad! Just like the other spells I'd been practising, this one was up by a higher year, and I wouldn't learn it in Charms class until my 3rd year, but that didn't really bother me. Some spells seemed easy enough and also practical enough for me to learn now, but alas, there's a reason for everything.
I practised saying the incantation and doing the wand movement a few times to get the feel of doing the spell before I actually did it: "LOO-mos DOO-oh. Lumos DOO-oh...LOO-mos...DOO-oh..."
Okay, enough dawdling about, I pulled out my wand, did the proper wand motion of sliding my wand across the ground and pointing, and then exclaimed, "Lumos Duo!" A very bright light shone from the tip of my wand, and I squinted a little. I admired the light for a while, waving it around and stuff before I eventually muttered the Wand-Extinguishing Charm, "Nox."
Well, I've stayed here too long, but at least I had something in case I needed to use it!

Charm- Radiant Wand-Lighting Charm
Incantation- Lumos Maxima
Pronunciation- LOO-mos MAX-i-muh
Wand Movement- Flick out the wand, bring it back, then flick it again
Word Count- 441/400

Reducio

Time for some big, bright, sunshine-y magic! I was going to do the biggest, brightest version of the Lumos spell: The Radiant Wand-Lighting Charm, Lumos Maxima. I was going to bring bright sunshine to the empty Charms Classroom. Well, actually, the Sun-Light Charm does that, but don't talk to me about that now, give me a couple of days and then you can ask me about it. However, today, I would certainly be doing a very radiant spell, in a sense.
This particular Lumos variant was different from the other two for one specific reason: you could control where you sent the light. Plus, this light could blind you or another person, which is why I brought sunglasses, luckily. A very helpful invention in this case.
Putting on my pair of red aviator sunglasses, I looked in my textbook for more information about the spell. The incantation was Lumos Maxima, pronounced LOO-mos MAX-i-muh. I practised it aloud for a minute, even though the pronunciation was very simple for me to remember and pronounce. "LOO-mos MAX-i-muh. MAX-i-muh. MAXI-muh. LOO-mos MAX-i-muh." Okay, maybe it is a little unnecessary, but I want to be comfortable with the spell and get the feel of it before I cast it if it's a new spell.
So now, I was going to try and cast it. First, I practice the wand movement, flicking out my wand, bringing it back, and then flicking it out again- and then I put a moderate amount of focus into the spell. Just like the other two Lumos variants, this one requires just the right amount of concentration or it'll stop working the way it's supposed to.
"Lumos Maxima!" I exclaimed, flicking my wand out, drawing it back, and then flicking it out again, sending my intense, eye-scorchingly bright light(I could tell how bright it was even with sunglasses on), out toward the back of the classroom, where it stayed idly, lighting up the air for several minutes before it stopped. Wow. That was actually kind of fun, to be honest. Plus, it was a very useful duelling spell to have in my slowly growing arsenal. Cool! I was thinking of which spell I should try next, maybe one that wasn't a 3rd-year spell? At this rate, I'd be ahead of most of my Charms classmates! Funny how I keep forgetting that I'm not practising 2nd-year spells, but these spells actually weren't as hard as I expected them to be, to be honest. But, I figured that maybe I'd try this again tomorrow so that I could get more used to casting this spell, because I was definitely using this spell sometime.

Charm- Summoning Charm
Incantation- Accio
Pronunciation- AH-kee-oh
Wand Movement- An arch/the top half of a circle
Word Count- 443/400

Reducio

I was going to try a new spell today again. Once again, this one was a right-up-my-alley 3rd-year charm: the Summoning Charm. It sounded fun! I snuck into the empty Charms room early, then laid out the items I was planning to summon in my attempt to learn the spell. Mr Bear, the old, patched-up teddy bear that I had used for learning the Wind Jinx a few days ago, my favourite book in the whole wide world, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and finally, an old baseball cap. Don't ask me why I had it, but I did.
I tried to break the habit of practising the pronunciation for like, 10 minutes, and just cut right to the chase. I focused my attention on Mr Bear, who I was trying to summon."Ah-see-oh. Accio!" I exclaimed, moving my wand in an arch/top half of a circle motion. Nothing happened. Wow. Okay...I decided to try that again. "Accio!" Still, nothing happened. Sighing, I tried one more time, exclaiming "Accio!" But nothing happened. I sighed. Why couldn't I do the spell? I looked back in my textbook to check if I missed anything. Sure enough, I had missed something pretty important.
I had been pronouncing the spell wrong the whole time, I found out to my embarrassment. Instead of me pronouncing the spell as AH-kee-oh as I should have been doing, I had been pronouncing it AH-see-oh, since that was what it looked like to me.
Welp, I guess that's what I get for rushing. Just to make sure I was pronouncing it correctly, I practised saying it a few times: "AH-kee-oh. AHHH-kee-oh. AH. kee-oh. Ah-kee-oh." After about 5 minutes of walking around the Charms classroom and reciting the pronunciation of the Summoning Charm to myself, I decided to cast the spell. For the 4th time that morning, I moved my wand in an arch motion while exclaiming, "Accio!" but pronouncing the right way this time, as AH-kee-oh. In an instant, Mr Bear, the teddy bear I was trying to summon, zoomed toward me, and I managed to catch him in midair.
I tried the spell again, this time on the baseball cap. "Accio!" The cap came zooming toward me, and once again, I caught it. Finally, I did the spell on the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
"Accio!" Once again, the spell worked, and I held up my outstretched hand to catch it- the book slammed into it, knocking me down to the floor. I blinked a few times, shook my hand vigorously, and then got up a few times. One of the trickier spells, but I managed it well!

Charm- Singing Jinx
Incantation- Cantis
Pronunciation- CAN-tis
Wand Movement- Point your wand at your target
Word Count- 400/400

Reducio

I would have asked somebody to volunteer for this next spell, but I wanted to try it by myself first, plus I was too sleepy to go and root someone out.
I often dislike the fact about myself that as soon as I find a new charm or spell or jinx or whatever, then I'd get really excited and not actually take enough time to read about the spell. Of course, I read about it, that's the point, just not enough...
The Singing Jinx reminded me a lot of the Tongue-Tying Spell, Mimblewimble, just a lot more fun. The spell could prevent your opponents from being able to curse you, like the Tongue-Tying Curse, though of course, Finite Incantatem and Non-Verbal spells can counter that.
I was once again in the empty Charms room, and I was very glad to see that all the spells I'd done in there didn't do any lasting damage. I opened up my book of spells textbook and read up on the Singing Jinx. All you had to do was to point your wand at your target and say, "Cantis!" pronounced as CAN-tis, for reference. I went over the pronunciation in my head while walking around the room.
CAN-tis, CAN-tis, CAN-tis. CAN-tis. Once I was satisfied, I decided that I was ready to do the spell.
I pointed the wand at myself, still feeling drowsy, and said, "Cantis." Sure enough, it didn't work. Probably because I didn't have any food in my stomach, or something similar. I blinked hard a couple of times, took a deep breath to clear my mind, pointed my wand at myself, and spoke again, a bit more forcefully this time.
"Cantis." Sure enough, this time it did work, and I found myself singing a pop song.

"Oh, when the workin' day is done"
"Oh, when the workin' day is done"
"Oh, girls, girls just wanna have fun"
"Oh, girls just wanna have funnnnn"

It was an older pop song, but it was the first one I thought of for some reason, probably because it's a very well-known song. Luckily, no one was listening in, I think, but I actually wasn't so bad, if I do say so myself. This is actually a pretty fun spell! Of course, I couldn't go traipsing around the castle, jinxing people with it.
But I might be able to make good use of it sometime.

Spell: Blasting Curse
Incantation: Confringo
Wand movement: Z
Word count: 602/400

Reducio

After a long summer break the young girl was glad to be back at Hogwarts, a place that felt more like home than her real home did. A big part of why she loved the magical school was the charm lessons and the spells she learned there. Her love for charms was so big that she sometimes learned spells that were only taught in the next year. Today she would focus on the Blasting Curse, a spell that was great to use during duels. Even though she wasn't a dueling captain anymore, she still loved the sport and wanted to win her duels.

Determined to learn the spell, the fourth year made her way to a quiet place at the great lake, far away from the other students. Before going outside, the young girl had read up on the spells and its effects. According to her little research, the spell's incantation meant "I break" in Latin. Breaking stuff in her dorm room or a classroom didn't sound like a good idea to her, thus she decided to practice the spell outside. With her bag swung over her shoulder, she tried to find a good spot to start blowing stuff up practice the spell and broaden her knowledge.

While repeating the incantation in her head, con-fring-o, no, con-fring-go, she dropped her bag on the grass and sat down next to it. She got her wand out of her bag and tried to find the book in which she had seen the wand movement for the Blasting Curse. If she remembered correctly, it was just a "Z" in the air. However, she knew it wouldn't be smart to just go off her memory. When performed incorrectly, spells could do a lot of harm. Only the fifth book she got out of her bag was the correct one. Maybe she should take some time to organize her bag... Some of the books she had in her bag were still from the previous school year.

Flipping through the book, her eyes quickly scanned the pages in search of the correct information. When the brunette learned that her initial thought about the wand movement had been correct, she grinned proudly. Of course, she had been correct. She only practiced the wand movement 2 times before feeling confident she did it right. It wasn't a hard spell at all, she would be fine. The only thing the girl could think of was how cool it would be to use the spell in a duel. Her opponents won't expect her to use a fifth-year spell and it would be the perfect way to show how powerful she is.

After a short break to daydream about how she would win all her duels with this spell, it was time to get back to work. She quickly got up and repeated the incantation a few times out loud, without the wand movement. Once she felt confident enough, she would put the incantation and the wand movement together. On the first try nothing happened. It was disappointing, however, it didn't stop her. "Confringo!" the brunette yelled out as she drew a Z in the air. It had taken her a couple of tries, but she finally succeeded. A random piece of the grass exploded after a bright orange light had come from her wand. The light that she had created had reminded her of fire and the brunette found it extremely fascinating. After a couple more tries, the grass had suffered enough and the fourth year made her way back to her dorm, happy with the new spell she had just learned.

CHARM | Wind Jinx
INCANTATION | Ventus
PRONUNCIATION | VEN-tuss
WAND MOVEMENT | Clockwise turn of the wand
WORD COUNT | 661/400
RP |

Reducio

Seldom did a duel transpire without this spell cast at least once or twice. Ventus was the all rounder that upperclassmen would use to throw each other around, or to control the field. It was notable in its own right because of the agency it gave to the duellists, and that was why they used it, why he set his mind to learning the Wind Jinx.

This year's reading was already done and he hadn’t even made it to Hogwarts yet, and in the plentiful spare time he had over the summer break; he would aim to practise. At first, it was alone, seeing if he could perform the spells for the coming year, but then his eldest brother Arthur had taken leave of his job at the ministry for a short time, rest and recuperation he called it. How he thought he would find such at Moredell when the air was heavy with tension between the family and the Leveret patriarch, was beyond him. But, Avery was nothing if not pragmatic. His brother was home for a time, and he would surely implore him to teach him some more advanced magics before his short, three-day, visit was over.

Arthur was a broom-sports player, at heart. That didn’t stop him from coming out into the grounds with Avery on one of the more pleasant days of the summer; having had enough of the interior of their large Georgian manor home. To Avery’s delight, Arthur had given in to the nagging, and on the last day of his stay he insisted on giving Avery a gift. He had known of Avery’s admission to the Viridian Vipers in his first year, and perhaps the familial bond they shared was enough of a soft-spot for him to want to see his little brother pull ahead of the herd. Pride wasn’t his bag, but like Avery, he had a love for competition, and reliving that through Avery’s victories would certainly bring himself some modicum of self-satisfaction and then some.

A pureblood manor home, in rural Bath. - It was commonplace for pureblood homes to be overlooked in the trace, as places of consistent magical use and decent population centres of adults. It took little encouragement for Avery to pick up his wand and commit himself to practising the spells here at his home. Besides, it wasn’t as if his family would dob him in; Arthur was only an assistant of some kind but low enough not to care if he lost his job, on top of the fact that his mother used to be a sitting member of the Wizengamot; and if that didn’t buy you privileges then wizarding society as a whole was doomed, he thought.

Arthur went first, seamlessly blasting multiple gusts of winds at the trees that bordered the vast, and lusciously green grounds of the Leveret home; Moredell Manor. He walked him through the incantation and movement, and repeatedly blasted the gusts forwards, allowing Avery to see the spell workings in a semi-controlled environment. Soon, he took it upon himself to ready his stance and wand, and practise the most advanced magic he’d been exposed to so far.

”Ventus!” He had mimicked, VEN-tuss, as his brother had spoken. At the same time, he had pointed his wand-tip forward and rotated the wand in a clockwise motion so as to complete the movement. A stunning success on his first try, as gusts of wind spouted from his wand and bashed the tall trees; shaking the branches and their coats of leaves. He was impressed that he didn’t have to commit much time to practising the incantation or movement; but then again; both were relatively easy to master. All he had left to master was its use in a duel, an entirely different circumstance with entirely different pressures.

He and Arthur shared a few moments of brotherly bonding, and Avery tried to see if he’d teach him anything else…