Willa had pinned exactly no hopes on being the — rose among daisies, was that what the Ministry fellow had said? — she was merely hoping not to make too much of a spectacle of herself, perhaps persist to the second or even third round if she was really fortunate, and not to set anything on fire (though it seemed some young ladies were already doing just that — hopefully intentionally).

Looking at what others were doing would only make her nerves worse, she decided — but it was difficult to shut out the impressive displays taking place all around her. Willa took out her own wand and produced a tennis ball from a well-hidden pocket in her skirts. She had practiced this at home, wanting to control as many variables as possible. She tossed the ball into the air and cast arresto momentum to slow its descent to a crawl.

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