May 13th, 1890 — Charms Classroom

Joella was among those that needed just a little extra help sometimes. Her severe sense of apathy tended to hinder her spellcasting most of the time. Someone of her situation probably should care a little more about getting spells right but for the most part, she did not. She did do very well with theoretical portions though so at least she had that going for her. The Slytherin had great potential to be a great witch if she would just apply herself.

"Finite Incantatem," she cast monotonously towards the feather that the poor soul trying to help her was levitating. The spell did not work.

Dunstan Ruskin

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   Bragi Holm

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mj is a graphics goddess

Upon seeing that a classmate was having trouble with a certain Counter Spell, Dunstan had offered to practice with her at lunchtime. There were a couple of other students also engaged in practical revision in the Charms classroom that day (supervised by a negligent professor in the corner trying to work), but Dunstan was focussed on Joella Wood, who he'd never actually had a conversation with before.

He was not put off or rendered impatient by the failed spell. "I felt the feather falter a bit", he said encouragingly, still holding his wand aloft, feather levitating before him. "Are you picturing in your mind's eye what you expect the spell to do?"

  

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"How do you feel a feather falter?" She asked. Was that what happened when you were actually skilled at spells? Joella shook her head honestly when he asked if she was picturing what she wanted the spell to do. "If I wanted the feather to blow up, would it combust?" She was joking but due to the nature of her typical speaking manner, it more than likely did not come off that way.

  

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mj is a graphics goddess

Alright so he hadn't really felt the feather falter (it was a tenuous concept, after all, as Miss Wood rightly pointed out), but he was still confident that she'd get it. Until she asked just how far her intentions would go. "Er... I'm not sure. You could try it, I suppose...?"

Dunstan offered the experiment hesitantly, but it could be a good way to show her that visualisation could have a powerful effect when it came to spellcasting.

  

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"Hm," Joella said thoughtfully. "I was speaking in jest but it does bear thinking about." Joella did like the idea of blowing something up. But she would rather not risk harming the boy who had been kind enough to help her. After all, she might not like people for the most part but she did not actively wish harm upon their parts unless they deserved it. Like that Lestrange prefect in her first year.

"Can you levitate the feather a little higher? Maybe my subsconcious is worried about hitting you with a mispell."

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mj is a graphics goddess

Dun ruffled his dark hair with slight awkwardness as he realised Miss Wood's joke had flown over his head. He hadn't expected her to be lighthearted, though he wasn't sure why. She had a somewhat serious aura about her; but first impressions were rarely the most accurate, and Dunstan was learning that fast.

He took a smooth step to the side and raised the feather higher so there would be minimal chance of perilous misfire.

"You can do this", he heard himself assure her.

  

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Joella took a breath when Mister Ruskin stepped to the side so that he was a little more out of the line of fire, so to speak. Taking up her wand once more, she focused on simply stopping the feathers floating. His encouragement was nice and Joella had no qualms about accepting it for just this once. "Finite Incantatem," she cast once more, this time actually visibly being able to see the feather falter.

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mj is a graphics goddess

Dun was beginning to discover that tutoring was a unique experience, in that he could celebrate the achievements of others almost as if they were his own. Indeed, he felt a flicker of satisfying warmth in his chest as the feather faltered. "Again", he encouraged Miss Wood at once, his instruction rather brazen, but wishing not to disrupt the energy now flowing through her.

  

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Joella almost could have smiled when she noticed that her feather had faltered. When Mister Ruskin encouraged her to do it again, she approached the task with a lot more confidence. "Finite Incantatem," she cast, actually smiling when the feather stopped levitating and floated down to the table. "Apparently your teaching style is better for me than that of the older Mister Ruskin," she said, referring to the Charms professor.

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mj is a graphics goddess

Dustan smiled but remained stationary as Miss Wood performed the Charm to excellent effect.

"Well done", he said, finally lowering his wand.

As for the Charms professor... it had taken Dun quite a while to learn to think of him as his professor at school, not his grandfather, but he'd got there in the end. And although an excellent teacher, "Professor Ruskin" could be intimidating at times. "Perhaps you just needed a fellow student to help", he suggested. "More an equal than a teacher."

  

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"Perhaps," Joella agreed. And it was quite likely since Joella subconsciously had a thing against authority figures. "Thank you very much for the help but I think we'll be late for dinner if we continue for too much longer."

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mj is a graphics goddess

OOC: Wrap? :)

The other students (and the half-asleep professor) on the other end of the classroom were finishing up as well, so Dunstan agreed that it was time to call it a day. They'd been successful and, as Miss Wood said, they'd be late for dinner if they lingered any further. So Dun nodded, and gestured that they join the others on the way to the Great Hall for dinner, being of an age to realise it would be inappropriate for them to walk their on their own.

"I'm sure you'll be able to keep practicing over dinner", he quipped as they left. "You'll be able to stop people levitating pork chops or something."

  

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