Defence Against the Dark Arts Lesson One (Fifth to Seventh Years)

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Sweet, so they were going to try the patronus charm today the Slytherin's smile didn't show nearly a sliver of her excitement, though she was able to contain it enough to pay attention, even with chatty gryffindors and such around the room. The Professor's demonstration was quite something to watch, and after paying close attention to the wand movements Louise was ready to give it a try.

She found a spot away from everyone else and took her wand from her robe pocket, hm she really ought to get a belt holder for it, she thought, turning the wood in her hand and practicing the anti-clockwise movement a few times, while recalling a strong memory to use. Her brows furrowed, she was having trouble recalling one, at least one that hadn't been tainted recently. Urgh.

After sifting through her thoughts for a few minutes she settled on one of her passions, sweet making. She'd been bored for so long that once she began experimenting with spells to create flavours in her sweets she'd been overjoyed for the distraction. She smiled and called out the spell, however her smile faded when only a silver wisp fizzled in and out of existence. Alright, not strong enough then. She went back to thinking of something else to use with increasing difficulty.

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Josh listened to the instructions from their professor without a word. He didn't really wish to speak up in class, so he hadn't. Especially seeing as they would be going through such a raw, difficult spell. Well, they'd soon find out the ones with a troubled past with this lesson, wouldn't they? Those not capable of memories of power.

With a smirk, Josh moved away from the majority of the student body, slipping his wand from his belt and focusing. A strong, positive memory. Not necessarily happy, but positive.

It took a short while for Josh to think of something, and longer still to be able to think of it in a manner that made for great utilization. Not bothering to look around, Josh moved his wand in the anti-clockwise direction, thinking clearly.

To him, all the memory included was flying. Flying was the best way for Josh to get away, the solidarity that came with it, mixed with the notion of freedom that he could only find on the Quidditch pitch. That was the positive memory Josh used.

"Expecto Patronum!" The Slytherin called out, watching as the pale mist of the Patronus took from his wand. He wasn't even surprised to see a snake coil from his wand, though he wasn't sure on the species. Larger than a snake would normally be. A smirk touched Josh's features a moment later as the Patronus slithered around his feet in a protective circle.

"So much for being difficult." Josh murmured to himself.

Victoria was impressed with the display from Jake, though of course she knew of her brother's capabilities. He was a talented wizard and she looked up to him whole-heartedly. The awe was quite clear in Victoria's face as Jake's familiar Patronus erupted from his wand and trotted around the class. Such a loyal animal for her brother's Patronus, it really was a great display of character.

When Jake explained what they had to do, Victoria was ready for it. Looking sideways at Allegra, the two of them moved across the room a little and took up their own little spaces. Victoria took out her wand, readying herself for what was to come. She knew this was a complex spell, and with it being a defensive spell, Victoria was quite sure she could do well at this. It was a pity it would only be a theory spell, she thought in her haste.

Clearing her mind, as she'd been taught so many years ago, Victoria paused for a moment.

Happy memories were in abundance to Victoria, but the witch focused on the moment she'd first walked be herself. Back in Canada in the flat Jake had once owned, trying to reach her hairbrush. It was only two years ago, and the witch remembered just how happy she'd been in that moment. Jake's smile, her relief...

"Expecto Patronum!"

Victoria had opened her eyes, looking hopefully before her for something. But there was nothing. Hmm...

Victoria closed her eyes once more and thought back to the summer. The times she'd spent with her mum, with Jake and Marilyn, the day her results had come through and then to the small shiny red badge that had fallen from her letter. Her Head Girl badge.

"Expecto Patronum!"

The witch tried once more, opening her eyes and then letting out a soft sigh. Looking to her left, Victoria watched Allegra try for a moment. Really looking at the witch whom she found completely beautiful. Intelligent. Friendly. Exciting. To Victoria, perfect in every manner. She could feel her smile growing once more, and closed her eyes. Thinking about the way she felt at night time curled up with Allegra. The peaceful bliss the witch brought her.

"Expecto Patronum!"

Victoria opened her eyes once more and she felt completely deflated. Nothing seemed to be working and she could feel the frustration creeping in to her eyes in the form of tears. She had an abundance of happy memories, why weren't they working?

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Gabriel was about to answer the curious fellow Gryffindor when he told to be quiet by someone, it didn't really matter anyway. The whole Sirius Black affair was old news at this point and he was fairly sure someone wrote a book about the Black heir from a school boy, Vigilante, prisoner and God-Father to the 'Chosen One'.

He cast a sideways look to Taylor and mouthed a simple 'Later'

His eyes then caught onto the motions of their Professor, he was explaining about how it was a difficult spell. Which in truth it was, mostly because it was the drive and feeling that kept it going but you had to have magic to start it. He was slightly dumbstruck by the Dog that sprouted from his wand tip. His respect for the Professor went up a little, maybe this would turn into a class he actually attended.

Gabriel set his shoulders, he had to come up with a positive emotion...something that was at his very core. Fire? He thought of the first memory of his experiments, the memory of burning napkins it made him smile.

"Expecto Patronum!" He said in a clear voice, peering from his closed eyes he frowned. It didn't create a single thing, no animal not even a wisp. He didn't let it stop him, he went through several other memories of his Burnings and still not even a single wisp.

Maybe he was going off it the wrong way, something deeper more 'Raw'. He thought about his Sister, when she used to watch him and they'd play or talk for hours even past his bedtime. With that memory in his minds eye he held out his wand arm and twisted "Expecto Patronum!" Though an animal didn't spawn from his wand tip, a small smoky mist did and it lasted a second or two before it vanished.

"Damn" He muttered under his breath, hoping the Professor wouldn't hear his curse "This 'IS' difficult, how is this practical?!" He ranted to himself.

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Taylor nodded at Gabriel then focused on the professor, watching the exact movements he made with his wand, the way he pronounced each word. She wanted to be able to do this tricky spell, to show others than she could excel at something- anything.

When it was the classes turn, she waited a little while, watching some other people attempt it so that if she couldn't do it, she wouldn't be the first. She moved to the side slightly so that nobody would be in her firing then, then pulled her wand out of her pocket, looking down at it as she tried to think of a memory. That was probably the hardest part of the whole spell.

Eventually, she decided on a memory and closed her eyes, picturing the day that she had received her Hogwarts letter, the day everything had changed for her. She took a deep breath then muttered "Expecto Patronum." Only to open her eyes and see that nothing had happened. She had failed. That memory wasn't good or strong enough so she would have to think of another one.

After a few more minutes of thinking, she chose another memory. The day before her mother had died. She was six years old and had spent the day in her mother's hospital room with her four elder brothers and their father. It had been a great day where they messed around and laughed and teased one another, trying to pretend that the inevitable wasn't going to happen.

She stared straight forward, the memory vivid in her mind then repeated the spell. "Expecto Patronum!" But louder this time. Some small silver wisps eft the tip of her wand and formed a small hedgehog, that did a few leaps into the air before landing on the floor and skittering around her feet. She gave a small laugh and watched her patronus proudly.

As Jake sent them off to have a go at the spell, he wondered what each of them would achieve. He was sure there were going to be a few successful stories in regards to this spell, but he had no expectations higher than all of them than to give it a try. And his expectations were being met almost instantly.

Moving around the room, Jake watched Louise trying the spell first, smiling to himself as he watched her concentration. The silver wisp that came in to existence brought a smile to Jake's lips. "Well done, Louise!" Jake congratulated the witch, because a wisp was a very good start. "See if you can get the silvery wisp to stay for longer now?" He prompted the witch, hoping she wouldn't be disheartened because it certainly was a big step in the right direction.

The next student was one Jake wasn't overly fond of, but he did at least do the work, so for that much, Jake couldn't fault the Slytherin. "Well done, Josh. Corporeal? Impressive! If you want another go, feel free to stay and practice, if not you're free to go." Jake told the boy with a small smile. There wasn't much more that he could teach the boy, so he might as well go and do something more constructive.

Next, to his sister who seemed to be struggling. That... Well, that threw Jake off a little bit if he was honest about the situation. Moving to her side, Jake lowered his voice. "Everything okay?" He asked her, waiting for the small nod that he'd expected from her. "Take a moment, and try again. Don't stress." He told her, giving her a small smile which he hoped would be encouraging before he moved off to give her the space she would need.

Gabriel was the next to have a go, and Jake watched the young man become as successful as Louise. "Well done, Gabriel." Jake told the boy as he moved to stand near the Gryffindor. "Non-corporeal is a very good start, believe me. It is difficult though. Work on getting the non-corporeal wisp again, and hold it for longer if you can. Don't worry about corporeal today if you can't get it, this is a development of a very high standard!" Jake insisted, giving the boy a smile before moving on to the next student.

Taylor had tried once to no avail, Jake had noted, but she hadn't been deterred by this notion. Jake simply watched her try again as a grin broke out on his features. "Well done, Taylor! A corporeal Patronus! Very good!" He nodded to the witch, because it truly was an achievement. "You have the decision now to stay and practice, or you can head off early." Jake told the witch with a smile. If she could manage that, she didn't need his help.

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As usual, the witch stayed quiet. She ignored the scene that the Gryffindor boy created when he entered, and she had her eyes trained on a very specific patch of wall instead. There was a bump in the paint, and if she stayed long enough without blinking, she was sure it would look like the bump wasn't there...

Her state of emotional absence was cut short when the Professor spoke up, and the blonde snapped her head to look at the man. She listened to him explain, and a frown danced on her lips when he spoke about the topic of the lesson. The Patronus Charm. It was something Amalia had read about in her fifth year, she was pretty sure, and her usual calm demeanour faltered at the thought.

Happiness.

It wasn't that Amalia had never been happy. Of course she had; she wasn't bitter, and the world to her was far from vanilla. It was, however, that she had never been exceptionally happy. She had never thought to herself 'wow, this is the best day of my life, I've never been more ecstatic than I am right now'. Things weren't vanilla, but they were a pretty dull raspberry ripple.

When the class split, Amalia went off on her own, standing at least five metres away from each classmate as she closed her eyes. 'The day you found out you made the team' she thought to herself, raising her wand with a flourish and clearing her throat.
"Expecto Patronum," she said clearly, the words just slightly obscured by her accent. Nothing, but she'd expected nothing more nor less.

The witch calmed herself, relieving the tightness in her chest. She raised her wand again and repeated herself, speaking just a little slower this time. Nothing, again. Amalia scowled at her wand, her lips forming a tight line as she pulled them between her teeth. Another memory, she told herself. 'The day... Nothing came, and her arm fell to her side. 'The day...'

But really, to Amalia, there was no such a day.

"Everything okay?"

Victoria had nodded in a silent response to her brother, because she was okay. A little frustrated at not being able to do the spell but she was fine. His words of taking a moment to compose herself to then try again made Victoria nod a little, smiling back at his smile to make sure he wouldn't worry about her.

Taking a moment to steady herself, Victoria reminded herself that this was complex magic. So complex that many witches and wizards couldn't actually conjure any kind of Patronus. There was nothing wrong with not being able to, so Victoria just steadied herself.

A happy thought... She reminded herself once more, closing her eyes and taking a moment to truly think about something that would work. The first time she'd flown a broom? No, definitely not strong enough...

With a soft sigh, Victoria lowered her wand, feeling a little bit helpless. What did she need to think of?

The smile on Jax's lips when she'd given him the flask for Christmas so many years ago now...

The smile on her mummy's lips when she'd told her she'd come top of the class...

The smile on Jake's lips when he spoke of Marilyn to her...

The smile on her dad's lips when she cuddled him in the summer months despite it being too hot...

Allegra's smile when they talked in bed at night time...

Everyone's happiness...

Victoria raised her wand. "Expecto Patronum!" She called out, swearing she could feel the magic surging through her arm, but nothing happened. Nothing at all. A frown touched Victoria's features and she tucked her wand back in to her belt, deciding that for today, that was enough. Turning to Allegra, Victoria smiled at the witch, wondering how she'd been getting on.

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Anastasia rolled her eyes slightly as she sat at the back of the defence against the dark arts classroom. She'd only just gotten in on time, after walking slowly to the classroom. In all honesty, she just didn't feel like contributing any of her efforts into lessons today. She'd rather have gone up to her spot in the observatory tower and had some time for herself, especially now she had received the news of her father's plans for a 'Pureblood ball' when she went home for the holidays at Christmas. She sighed as the lesson began, only beginning to listen when a light filled the room. The light from their Professor's patronus. She lifted her head from the position it had been in, on her desk, and looked at the dog with interest. She'd always wanted to be able to cast a patronus.

As she carried on listening, she smirked slightly when they were told to practice by themselves, and stood going over to a corner and taking her wand out. Now, happy memories, happy memories. Why, when she needed a happy one, could she only think of sad ones? She sighed, leaning against the wall, and tapping her wand on her leg thoughtfully, desperate to think of how to do this.

Jake had watched the Slytherin witch for a while, seeing her concentrate and the look like she'd given in after one turn. He frowned slightly and moved to the side of the witch, Amalia. "Struggling?" Jake asked softly, though it was by no means an embarrassment if you couldn't do it. "Take a moment, and clear your head like you would a normal spell, concentrate on what you're trying to achieve. Picture a fond memory, if you can, and work with it best you can. And don't worry if you can't do it, practice makes a lot of difference."

Jake didn't say much more, straightening up and looking over at Victoria. It looked like she'd had enough and Jake nodded to himself. Victoria achieved in her own time, so he wouldn't push her, he knew better.

Instead, Jake moved to the other Slytherin witch who had been, seemingly, very quiet all lesson. He didn't mind, of course, he knew some people were more shy than others, and honestly it didn't hurt. "Stuck?" Jake asked softly, he was always friendly in nature, and it showed in his small smile to the witch. "How about, your first go on a broom? Your first day here?" Jake prompted, not knowing what people thought about when they did these things.

OOC: Just a heads up, Jake's classroom never has desks, as you're new here I won't penalise you for this mistake, but please keep a note of this for next class. Thanks, Jake.

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» Defence Against the Dark Arts - Lesson Three (All Years)
» Defence Against the Dark Arts Lesson Two - Fifth to Seventh Years
» Defence Against the Dark Arts - Lesson Three (Fifth to Seventh Years)
» Defence Against the Dark Arts Lesson One - Fifth to Seventh Years
» Defence Against the Dark Arts - Lesson Two (Sixth & Seventh Years)