With eyes that never once left their widened state, Anna listened to each and every word the professor was saying. She suddenly felt so much more aware of everything around her---every sound, every movement, every person. She followed the professor's every move, trying to will herself to one day become as aware of her surroundings at he seemed to be. She was deathly afraid of the man, that was true, but she'd be lying if she said he'd turned out to be a rotten professor. The man was anything but. Every word, every movement, and every demonstration was unlike anything she'd ever seen. She'd tell him that---someday---but as of now, everytime she thought about speaking to the man, little balls of cotton seemed to sprout up in the back of her throat, causing her to feel like she'd strangle herself to death if she attempted a single word.

Anna listened carefully as Professor Kazimeriz discussed the three components of the protego charm. As he spoke, Anna took notes on points such as the wand motion, the incantation, and the fact that she must exhibit focus and intent. She was determined to succeed in this class and figure out some way to make this man proud of her efforts. She'd have to work harder than she'd ever had to work before, but in the longrun, the reward would be the lessons learned when everything was said and done.

Anna rose from her seat and grabbed her wand, holding it firmly by her side in preparation of what was to come. She looked the professor in the eyes as he gave further instructions, and she nodded when he said that the protego charm would be practiced until every member of the class succeeded. She stood, wand still grasped firmly in her hand, and waited to see what would happen next. No matter how prepared she tried to be, the sudden raining of acorns took her by a great deal of surprise. She quickly positioned her wand toward the falling pellets and moved it in a sweeping, upward arc. She ended the motion with a sharp snap of her wrist and then called out a careful and confident "Protego!" An acorn---just one, single acorn amongst the many that were pouring down---bounced away from her. She'd succeeded, but there many, many other acorns pounding down upon her in the meantime.