September 20th, 1890 — Unused Classroom
Alice Dawson

"A little more flick in your wrist," he instructed, demonstrating the upward flick that the Levicorpus Jinx required. "You almost had me this time!" His second remark was encouraging. All he wished was for Alice to succeed at Defense Against the Dark Arts, and, if that meant taking the time to tutor her in private, he would do so.

He just hoped their friends were too wrapped up in their own dramas to notice. Ned didn't wish for the pair of them to be at the center of their gossip.

"Would you like to practice the spell a few times before we go another round?" He questioned, wanting to go by Alice's comfort level. He didn't mind if she dangled him in the air a bit. She was much more careful and serious about it than Cam or Sloane, at any rate. He didn't have to fear plummeting to his death or being shot right into the ceiling with Alice.

The following 2 users Like Edison Moony's post:2 users Like Edison Moony's post
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Pretties by Bee <3 <3

Defense Against the Dark Arts didn't come as naturally to Alice as most of her other classes. She liked to believe it was because she was a caregiver at heart, not a protector. But, really, it wasn't for any one reason. Her wandwork was sloppy at times and she misunderstood the concepts. That they had a new professor this year didn't help, either. Merlin, she never thought she'd miss Professor Sleptov.

Alice did as instructed, flicking her wrist harder in the next cast of the jinx. However, Edison floated but an inch above the ground before crashing down. At least he floated this time. An attempt earlier in their practice session had seen the pretend target blown back into the wall.

"Are you sure I'm flicking my wrist right?" She asked him doubtfully. If she flicked any harder she was like to sprain her wrist. "It doesn't feel right." Potions, potions felt right. Screaming plants felt right too. Not this. "More practice might be a good idea. I don't want to hurt you by accident."

  

"Yes, you are flicking it correctly. You just need to add a little more confidence behind it." Her form had been great during her last attempt, but it didn't seem as if Alice were giving it her all. In order for him to levitate a bit more than an inch, he suspected she would need to try and banish her worries that she would harm him.

"It's alright if you hurt me! Dueling practice is meant to be a bit more physical than charms work or transfiguration." He smiled at her, not moving from where she was in case she wished to change her mind and practice on him again instead of the dummy target. "Besides, if you do, it'll be great practice for your healing."

  

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Hurt him?! Alice would do no such thing. A lesson last year had resulted in setting a classmate's hair on fire, worse still was that classmate was once a friend. No, Alice would not hurt Edison, even if it meant she failed DADA.

She scowled at him, her displeasure at the suggestion evident in her posture. "I'm meant to levitate you, not hurt you. Merlin, hurt you?!" Alice couldn't even kill an annoying bug that gnawed on her plants. (The bug just wanted to live, and she could find no fault in that.) "There has to be a way to master this without injuring you."

  

Well, that didn't go as planned. He raised a hand as if to try and halt her spiraling thoughts. "I don't think you shall get to that point. I only meant that, on the off chance something went awry, I wouldn't be upset if I got a little banged up," Ned explained, though he was certain he wasn't about to change Alice's mind.

His expression soon turned thoughtful, and a grin spread on his face. "Would a cushioning charm suffice? I know you are very talented at charms and would likely produce a powerful one.  Then, any falls wouldn't result in anything remotely catastrophic." He canted his head to the left, hoping the compromise would be something Miss Dawson might agree to. Without the possibility of serious harm, perhaps she could give the spell her all.

He nearly suggested the softening charm as well, but he wasn't so sure either of them would be successful casting such a thing on the castle floors and walls.

  

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Pretties by Bee <3 <3

A cushioning charm, that could work. Alice's scowl lessened as she considered his suggestion. It wouldn't help any if she accidentally blew him into the wall as she had the dummy, but that was the result of flicking her wrist the wrong way. Surely, now that she understood the wand motion that result wouldn't be repeated?

"Alright," she agreed cautiously. Injuring him was still her greatest fear of the day. Alice focused intently and cast what she hoped was her best cushioning charm. If that failed too then their practice session would be over for the day. She just couldn't cope with hurting someone she valued as much as Edison. "Let's try again."

  

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Amazing set by Bee!

Ned's smile returned now that Alice had agreed to continue. He was certain her Charm work was likely potent, not that he was terribly worried about being accidentally blasted into a wall. Dueling came with risks he was fully aware of. It wouldn't be the first, nor the last time someone had done so.

"Alright, on my count, then," He suggested, raising his wand, even though he wasn't going to cast a shield charm this round. He wanted to see if, the addition of the cushioning charm, would increase Miss Dawson's confidence enough to perform the spell correctly. Once he was more sure of that, then he'd add in a bit of defense. "Three, two, one..."

  

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Pretties by Bee <3 <3

Three, two, one...

Alice flicked her wrist as instructed, forcing herself to trust Edison wouldn't be injured in the process. She might've thought to test the cushioning charm first, but had the thought belatedly. It would hold up, and if it didn't she would refuse to partake in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Grams would understand, right?

  

It seemed the security of the cushioning charm had given Alice whatever reassurance she needed to perform the spell correctly. Her wrist flick found him shooting upwards and subsequently dangling in the air upside down, as if a troll had decided to swing him about by his ankle. While he, at first, appeared surprised (although, who wouldn't?), Ned's face soon broke into a wide, proud grin.

"Well done!" He blurted out, batting at the necktie that slapped him in the face. So thrilled by her success, Ned would scarcely mind if she accidentally dropped him upon his head, at this point. "Not that you need to, but I am inclined to note that moving your wand about will move me. It may be useful if you're ever in a bind and have need to ensure a less than kind fellow meets a brick wall with his nose." He smirked at that, but it was a teasing look. Ned figured it was something he should mention, just in case his friend found herself in a sticky situation.

(Since you made me choose, I rolled a die. :-p But fortune favored Alice!)

  

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Pretties by Bee <3 <3

She did it!

Carefully, as though he were a newborn and not a teenager, Alice lowered her wand until he was back on the ground. A wide grin settled itself on her face as she gave him time to recover from the spell. Successfully performing it was enough for her, she didn't need to test its bounds by jerking him back and forth. With her luck, he would smash his skull against the wall and require immediate medical attention.

"Thank you," she said before tucking a loose curl behind her ear. "I wouldn't have been able to do that without your encouragement." Alice didn't dare think about what she would do if the mentioned scenario became reality, as she doubted her ability to cause someone harm even if it was to save herself. "They were right to make you prefect."

  

Ned's feet found the ground once more. He had never been lowered so gently, so he had overcompensated and likely looked as if he were a frog preparing to take a jump. Too proud of Alice to appear embarrassed about his landing, the fifth year righted himself, still beaming.

"I think you could have done it, even without my help," he encouraged. He had no doubt, if it ever came down to it that she was being attacked, Alice would perform her spells perfectly. During practice, she was much just too afraid to harm someone.

Ned shrugged off the prefect comment. "Would you like to practice more or call it a day?"

  

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"Oh, I don't believe that," she answered with a hint of a blush. There was no pressure with his tutoring, no need to perform to her best standards as she had to before their professors. Plus, the added benefit of the cushioning charms took away the last of her worries. "You're an excellent teacher, Edison. You should consider it as a career path." Being a professor was certainly safer than an auror, after all.

More practice couldn't hurt, but she still had a mountain of herbology homework to work through as well. "Tomorrow?" She asked. "We have that paper due in the morning, I haven't finished revising it yet."

  

Ned laughed slightly, flattered, but he was much too modest to say more than a small comment. "Perhaps, I'll consider it if my career goals don't flesh out." His mother would likely prefer he took a more academic career path, as well. Things could still change, he supposed.

"Of course," he agreed. "Just find me in the library tomorrow when you're ready. Unless that boy Arnie decides to drop an entire meat pie on another Slytherin, I should be available whenever you wish."

With a smile, he set about wheeling the practice dummy back to the corner it usually sat in. When all was cleared away, he accompanied Alice out of the classroom, headed for Gryffindor Tower.

  

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