She listened to Professor Grimsbane lecture and almost fell off her cushion. It was some sort of charms meets transfiguration meets DADA nightmare. She wondered if the entire castle knew she had set Derf’s foot on fire in charms class and now she was going to have to relive that moment by needing to produce fire in every subsequent course? Plus, advanced and spell should never be used in the same sentence when she was involved.

Nevertheless, it was the day’s lesson and she knew she would have to at least give it a try. She turned to a fresh sheet of parchment and began taking notes, marking down the wand movements and incantations for the new spells. Things were going fairly well, until she saw the snake. Fire, plus creatures, was a double no for her. It hurt her heart to think of them using a poor creature, real or conjured, to attack another person. Not wanting to cause a disruption, she swallowed back her feelings and plowed forward with her task.

As soon as Professor Grimsbane finished speaking, she headed towards the protective gear. There was a wide variety of hats and cloaks available to choose from. She picked out a simple black cloak that was a bit too large for her, hoping it would offer more protection. Then, she chose the most vibrant canary yellow hat adorned with large black feathers. It was the perfect hat for the young Hufflepuff.

Satisfied with her safety attire, she headed towards the line to practice. Once in line, she let the incantation of the first spell run through her mind before saying it out loud. “Ignisio funem. Ignisio funem” She repeated until she was at the front of the line.

Stepping forward, she pulled her wand out, moved it in the proper whip like motion and commanded “ Ignisio funem!” A small sort of spark came out of the tip of her wand then nothing. “Ignisio funem!” She commanded again, picturing the rope of fire streaming from the tip of her wand. Once again, sparks. Although, more than the first try. Slightly frustrated, she stepped out of the way and moved to the back of the line to let the next person have a try. It would soon enough be her turn again to practice.