Sander sat down at the study desk and first pulled out the facience clay he had collected from outside Professor McCormack's office. Then he dug inside his backpack until he found his History of Magic and Ancient Runes textbooks and pulled both out as well. Lastly, he pulled out his journal and flipped through the pages until he found the parchment he had folded and tucked in between its pages. Inside the parchment contained a drawing of the symbol he had drawn in the joint History of Magic and Ancient Runes class.

Unfolding the parchment, Sander placed it flat on the desk in front of him, drawing facing up and studied it. On the parchment lay his drawing of the Ankh, which was symbol for the power to give and sustain life. It was believed that the Ankh granted immortality to one who possessed it.

Sander reviewed the homework assignment again before turning to his textbooks and began researching for the appropriate shape he wanted for his amulet. He thumbed through the pages, until he found one that he liked. He was make his amulet into the shape of a scarab or dung beetle. According to the book, the Scarab was thought to represent regeneration and rebirth. It was also believed to endow the wearer of such an amulet with good luck.

Sander picked up the ball of clay and began fashioning the shape with his fingers. He first shaped it into an oval. Then he moulded out a bump which would be where the head of the scarab would be. He decided that he would leave its intricate details for later. He wanted to concentrate on shaping the outline of the scarab first.

Next he formed the wings of the scarab, using his thumb and index finger to round the edges. Next were its legs. Sander pulled out bits of clay at the base of the oval and fashioned them to look like the scarab's legs.

Now that he had the outline of the scarab, it was time to make it look like one. Using his finger tips, he began pushing up the clay to form the first hump or segment of the insect. Once he had that done, he did the same on both sides, pushing up until he had mounds that formed the shape of the wings.

And now for the intricate design. Using the edge of his finger nail, Sander carved out the outline of the Scarab's head, its upper thorax and then the wings. When he was done, he placed his design on the table and looked at it. Did it look like a scarab? He thought it did.

Now onto casting the spell to harden the clay.