Flora was excited to actually do magic, something she hadn't had the opportunity to try since receiving her wand back at the end of July. The sight of some of the other students' wands made her a little jealous; one had a cross-hatched design at the handle, one was painted two different shades, and one even seemed to have a marvelously elegant pearl at the tip of the handle! Hers, on the other hand, was plain as could be and a very light shade of brown that matched with nothing. She was beginning to regret that she hadn't asked Mama for a custom handle or something to make it look pretty! The book on wands she'd picked up to scan through the bare minimum of lore had told her that wands were not meant to be used as fashion accessories, but that didn't meant they couldn't be.

Her embarrassment did not prevent her from facing the first day of Charms class with enthusiasm, and she found herself seated beside another girl. As she began to open her mouth to greet her - (there was nothing wrong with being a little friendly, even if a true, deep friendship was unlikely!) - Professor Ruskin began to speak.

Thorough was the best word she could find to describe him and his opening lecture, and she was left feeling confident - perhaps too confident, which directly contributed to her second-guessing herself moments later.

She cast it the first time: "L-Lumos!" Nothing happened, but she expected that. What was the wand movement again? Was there a wand movement? She glanced back towards the girl beside her to see what she was doing, and then, taking a deep breath, she tried again - this time with a little more power. "Lumos!"

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