Gaston didn't have to wait long for students' hands to go up. Miss Penrose's was the first he saw, and he called on her. Somehow he had an idea it wouldn't take long for someone to mention the counterspell. "Yes! Revelio is the perfect spell to counter a disillusionment charm," he said, beaming back at the girl. "Excellent, Miss Penrose!"

It seemed Miss Kramer had the same idea, and she too got a beam from the professor. "So you agree with Miss Penrose then?" he said. "Very good, Miss Kramer."



Miss Kettleburn took a different route with her answer. Gaston listened carefully to all she had to say, nodding along every so often. He was impressed with her line of thought! "Excellent point, Miss Kettleburn!" he said, smiling at the Gryffindor girl. She was right, sometimes you wouldn't have your wand. "One's environment can be extremely useful in revealing disillusioned objects."



And here was another outside-the-box answer! Gaston smiled, nodding along with Miss Summers's answer. This was the kind of thinking he liked to see from his students. "Yes," he replied. "That's a very good idea, Miss Summers!"

Mr. Kennedy soon said something along the lines as Miss Summers, though he suggested a different type of spell. Gaston was pleased to see he still remembered the lesson on weather charms from last term and beamed at the boy. "Excellent, Mr. Kennedy!" he said.

It seemed great minds thought alike, as Mr. Westwood also suggested using a spell to uncover a hidden object. He had to admit, using glitter or confetti sounded like a fun idea! "Very good, Mr. Westwood," he said. "That would be an effective - and fun - solution."



Gaston nodded in reply to Miss Diggory's answer. The girl was certainly on to something with her idea! "Excellent, Miss Diggory!" he said, smiling at the girl. "And as a matter of fact, you can summon a person... not that I'd advise it, of course." Too dangerous, but it was possible!

It wasn't long before Mr. Ryker echoed Miss Diggory's answer; he too earned a smile from the professor. "Indeed you could use a summoning charm, Mr. Ryker," he said, "but I'm afraid charms don't wash off with water." Though it was still a creative idea!



An eyebrow raised at Miss Botros's answer. Gaston certainly hadn't considered using a sneezing spell to find a person under a disillusionment charm, but he didn't see any reason why it wouldn't work. "Well, that would certainly be an original solution!" he said, beaming at the girl. "Five points to Slytherin for your creative answer, Miss Botros!"



It seemed the other Botros girl had a very different but no less intelligent idea. Gaston nodded and gave her a small smile. "Yes, Miss Botros. That would work, though Revelio would be a more effective option."



Gaston listened carefully to Miss Dance's answer. It seemed a bit far-fetched to him, but it was definitely original and creative, which he appreciated. "I suppose that's entirely possible, Miss Dance," he said, "though the visibility would depend on the caster's skill level." Or lack thereof as the case may be.



Gaston looked out at his class and couldn't help but notice how unusually quiet Miss Holmes, Miss Moss, Miss McNally, and Miss Franks-Mundie were being. Oh well, maybe they were just unsure of an answer or had nothing new to add. At least he hoped that was all it was! He gave the girls an encouraging smile before moving on.



Gaston was beginning to wonder if anyone was going to mention the use of one's other senses when Mr. Whittebrook spoke up. He beamed at the Hufflepuff. "I'm very glad you brought this up, Mr. Whittebrook!" he said. "Focusing one's senses should be the first tool we use to locate something under the disillusionment charm. Before we can cast a spell, we must have a general idea where our target might be." And speaking of focusing one's senses...

Mr. Botros's answer got a slight chuckle from the professor. "Yes, Mr. Botros, that's certainly one way to find a disillusioned object!" he said. Though he wasn't sure how effective randomly grabbing things would be...

Gaston turned to address the class as a whole again. "Very good answers, everbody! You had some creative and original ideas!" He paused a minute to give the students time to focus. "A few of you already mentioned the counterspell we'll be learning today, Revelio."

"The wand movement for this spell is a little more complicated than that of the disillusionment charm itself," he went on. "The wand movement for Revelio is the shape of an eye; I've found it most effective to start at the inner corner of the eye and work out in a clockwise motion." He demonstrated the pattern slowly and carefully before pointing his wand at the plate of cookies. "Revelio!" And the plate instantly reappeared.

"For today's practice, you'll be using both the disillusionment charm and Revelio on the Easter eggs at your desk," he explained. "and no need to worry about losing them! These eggs are bewitched to give off sensory cues while disillusioned. Some will beep; others give off a floral scent." In order to demonstrate he pulled a spare egg from behind his desk and cast a disillusionment charm on it. It beeped incessantly until the spell was cancelled. "And should you need a review..." He flicked his wand, and the following words appeared on the blackboard:

"Repeat both spells until you feel comfortable performing them; I'll give you a few minutes to practice."

OOC: Mini-activity time! There is no minimum post requirement, but you must attempt BOTH spells to get full credit. If you need help or have questions, please indicate in the title of your post. Gaston and I will be checking back in periodically. You have 30-36 HOURS to finish practicing!