No wand landed in her waiting hand, and if that wasn't bad enough, the horsefaced girl was trying to grade her. That would teach Charley not to taunt someone with a bad idea, the last thing she needed was someone else to give her lessons. Besides, she wasn't supposed to be listening to a Slytherin, was she? The erstwhile Gryffindor remembered enough to know that they were meant to be enemies.

Just like she was with anyone who might choose the Potts' shop over hers.

"Try shuttin' yer—!" The urchin bit her lip, letting the last word hang. She hated all this ordering about. Do this, try that. It wasn't like the older girl actually wanted her to succeed, anyway. Probably just wanting more ways to laugh at her, or stand in judgement over her again. Charley didn't much like giving ol' Horseface the satisfaction, though she could already see her moving to cast another spell.

"Protego!" Charley called, and moved her wand the way the other girl had. She really tried, no matter how little it might matter. Like always, the spell fizzled after a few seconds. The urchin thought she had actually made something this time, a brief flicker of protection between her and the enemy.

And in the next moment, the wand was snatched from her hand once more.

The urchin was quick to issue her own demands this time, "Give it back!"

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   Anne Moony