Kayla rolled her eyes and gritted her teeth, she was almost out of patience when it came to Jack. But she was his prefect and as much as she wanted to palm him off to someone else, she knew she couldn't. And to top it off she had lost concentration and the acorns shattered her shield.

"Jack do you need some help with producing the shield charm? she asked wincing as an acorn hit on the head. She quickly raised her wand, "Protego" she said again and tried again to keep her focus and the shield in place.

Jack squealed as Jake fell over and he crawled over to Jake, to try and help him "Need help?" he asked kindly as his face appeared next to Jake's.

Jack glanced back at her "Yes, but not from you, or him" Jack indicated Denton with fear etched on his face

Upon looking at the the storm clouds forming over their heads inside the classroom, Daniel wanted to run for cover. Then nuts fall down from the sky, the worst part was when he saw what type of nut is it, acorns of all the nuts in the world why does it have to be acorns. Those hard shells and pointed bottom can really get a hole off your heads.

Once the first nuts fell, Daniel immediately held his wand up and waved it. He flicked it upward and followed a snap. He then said the incantation, PROTEGO thinking of what Professor Kazemeriz had said. Intent and focus. He closed his eyes upon muttering the incantation and felt the surrounding. Nothing was hitting him.

He then opened his eyes and see what he had made and it looks like he had done it! But then suddenly as the down pour continues, acorns a penetrating the shield like something eating away thru his shield. He looked around nervously looking for some one who can help.

Oh my. It appeared that a little first year Huffie was having some problems. Or major problems, really. He fell down a couple of times and his shield did not seem to be working. At all. She made her way over to him slowly, finding it took immense concentration to keep up a shield while moving. In fact, one acorn slipped through and smacked her right in the nose. Ouch. It took everything she had not to lose her shield right then and tend to her nose. She’d have to deal with it later. For now, she stopped and focused on the shield, feeling it slowly climb back up to the level of impenetrability it had started with.

Finally, she made it over to the boy. And Kayla. And some other boy, who appeared to be hiding. Gah, losing focus again. She looked at the original boy, Jake. “Try clearing your mind for a few seconds and then trying the spell. Your motion was good so I think it’s your focus that’s off.” Hopefully that would be helpful. She didn’t want the poor boy getting pelted for the rest of class.

Lovely. Now she was just as scary as Denton apparently...something to put on her resume. Kayla sighed deeply, "Why not Jack? What have I done that is so bad? Didn't I help you when you fell into the mirror?"

Jack recoiled a little "I dunno, did you?" it was more of a statement than a question "You" Jack started confidently "tiedmeup" he mumbled quietly and in one breath.

Jake heard a voice near him, a familiar one, but he couldn't remember the name. He stayed laying down, gasping for air. "Ok... clear my mind..."

OUCHOUCHOUCHOUCHOUCH

Yeah... not that easy. Still, Jake raised his wand and tried again, when-

"ARGH!" Jake cried as Jack appeared next to him. "What did I tell you about staying away from me?!"

Jake tried to pull himself up, but in his panic began slipping and sliding every which way.

"Stupid... bloody... acorns... ouch..." he muttered, staggering until he reached the wall. Breathing deeply, Jake pointed his wand kind of diagonally up, to prevent acorns and Jack people from coming closer. "Protego!!!!!" he shouted.

Pfft. One acorn was stopped by the sheild before it shattered. "Juuuuuust great. PROTEGO!!!!!" Jake tried again. This is bound to be a hard one to master, Jake thought as another couple of acorns were stopped before thwacking him. "Ouch, with the thwacking..."

Ok... clear your mind. Ouch... I said CLEAR IT! Meep, clearing...

"Protego!" Jake tried again... For half a second his sheild worked, enough to build up a few acorns. And then... it didn't... And they all fell on Jake. "OUCH!"

"yeah I did" Kayla answered and her shield shattered again. She decided to just suck it up for the moment until she gained Jack's trust. "I put bandages on your cuts" and of course he had to remember that part. "I didn't do it to hurt you Jack. You had suffered a concussion and you were trying to get away, I didn't know what else to do." And Merlin's beard those acorns were really starting to hurt!! "Jack, I'm being pelted with acorns here. Would like my help with the shield charm?" Ow...that one almost blinded her, she placed her hands over her head. He had exactly twenty seconds to answer her otherwise she was out of there.

Jack sighed "Fine" he glanced warily at Kayla and moved away from Jake

Jack shook his head "No, no, no, no" he moaned with his hands over his ears "Proteg-o" Jack raised his wand shakily "Nonononononono" he whined "Protege" 'WHAT?' "Protego" a shield burst out and then failed "Help" he squeaked as an acorn hit his nose.

Okay. The boy was obviously not listening to her. And he seemed to be freaking out. She dropped her own shield and walked a few steps so that she was right next to him. "Oi, you need to relax", she said loudly, hoping he would hear her over his panic. If worse came to worse, she could attempt to shield both of them until they boy got the hang of it, but she didn't know if that was allowed and she was not losing points for anyone.

Her skin was starting to get bruised and very sore. She needed her shield. Now. "Just watch", she said quickly, hoping he would listen. She was being pelted for him, after all. She did the swift upward motion followed by the flick. "Protego" She sighed in relief as the acorns stopped hitting her. Much better.

"Do it just like that. And think of protection and strength."

Kayla moved forward and cast the shield charm over once more and breathed a sigh of relief when the acorns stopped hitting her. "Okay now Jack, swish your wand upwards in an arc and then give it a jab. Say the incantation 'Protego' with a clear and confident voice and concentrate with all your might at holding your shield in place. Okay? Give it a go."

Jack put his hands over his head and squeezed his eyes shut tight "Protego" he cast a little warily "Protego" Jack cast a bit more confidently "PROTEGO" he cast again, and finally it stayed, he breathed a sigh of relief and slid down the wall "That's better" he sighed again "EEP!" the shield failed "Owowowowowowowowowowowow" Jack whined "It hurts" he hid his head again.

"I know" Kayla said gently. "Try it again, you almost had it. You just have to concentrate really hard and keep your focus to keep the shield in place. Once you do that, those acorns won't be a problem anymore."

Jack gave Kayla a wary look "Ok" he took a deep breath "Protego" he cast "Yes!" he grinned "I did it!" he squeaked happily "and, it went" he sighed as the acorns hit him again "Protego" he concentrated, keeping his mouth shut, not saying anything to anyone.

Ouch. Ouch. OUCH.

Jake stared up at the girl as she let her own sheild down and appeared to become irked by the acorns. "Urgh!" he yelped, as bazillionth acorn hit him and began to frustrate him. "Ok..."

Jake held his wand and imitated the movement, saying "Protego," thinking only of these bloody acorns that obviously hated his shade of skin, and preferred the colour blue, and how much he wanted to be protected from their wraith.

A sheild came up, lasting for about 5 seconds before failing. But it was improvement. Jake grinned at the girl. "Thank you," he replied, gratefully, readying his wand to try again.

No matter what though, hexes were different than acorns, and that was kinda worrying.

Lizzie finished her notes and read through them quickly, determined to manage Protego.

Time to start practising. With a quick glance around she held her wand tightly in her hand, going through the three instructions again. Wand movement, pronounciation and focus. She took a deep breath and said Protego! as she moved the wand the way the professor had showed. A shield appeared, but gasping a little Oh! by surprize, Lizzie lost focus and it disappeared. Angry with herself, and a hit embarrassed she hadn't made it yet, she decided to try again. This time she tried the wand movement a few times without saying the spell, just to make sure she got it right. After five minutes she was quite sure she could make it, and tried again. Protego! This time the shield didn't fail, and with a smile Lizzie sighed of relief.

Varius had been so tempted to boycott this class because let's face it Kazimeriz was one scary Merlin pooper. However, during his time in the class, Kazimeriz gave out nice amount of points and if you just pictured Kazimeriz in a dress, heels and tights referring to himself as Betty White, you got over the whole creepy aspect too - even when he randomly turned up behind Dom.

However, it was hard to imagine Betty White when acorns were falling from the sky and pelting your head, causing potential bruises and lumps for the next morning. Stupid Golden Girl, Varius thought to himself.

He removed his wand from his pocket ready to attempt the spell. This spell would come in handy, especially after his recent duel where he hadn't managed to use it once. Wondering if Daphne had completely forgiven him yet, he looked over and smiled, waving a little.

Back to their assignment. Staring at his wand, willing it to do it's bloody job and stop these acorns abusing him, he tried to focus, even so much as to take Betty White out of his thoughts momentarily and expose him to the creepiness that is KraziKazi. He whipped his wand in an upward arch, as instructed, snapping his wrist as fierce as he could and sounded, "Protego!"

Nothing. Nada.

What if he just kicked Kazimeriz and ran? That would save him from the acorns? Maybe not the kicking a Professor aspect... but it would be satisfying.

Jake looked like his wand like it was his best friend betraying him. It just refused to work with him. "Come on, man... you and me, we're in this together..." WE'RE ALL IN THIIIIS TOGE- FOCUS!!!!!

"Protego!" Jake cast his spell upwards again, and it kinda worked for a moment, but at the same point as last time it just stopped.

Maybe if these acorns acorns weren't feeling the love with my skin... or maybe they're an illus- Shut up, Jake...

Looking upto the professor, Jake cast an envious glare. I want me that brolly... he thought to himself. Grrrrrr... Note to self; always carry an umbrella.

Daniel looked from side to side, to his front and to his back, and saw that everybody seems to be having some difficulty. No one may seem to help him. So with his survival instinct, he stood up and stretched his wand high and moved it the way he saw the professor moving his wand...

A curve upward and a snap

Then with conviction and high self-confidence he muttered the incantation.

PRO-TE-GO

Suddenly, all of the acorns that was previously stuck in his previous shield was repelled and a better shield replaced the old one.

Daniel was very overjoyed and has a great sense of self-fulfillment that he almost forgot he was in a class.

He then, wanting to strengthen the shield. Closed his eyes and inhaled and exhaled to relax himself and focus on the task. All of a sudden he produced an impenetrable protection, at least for acorns. he thought.

Herminny decided to give it a try and said, "Protego" , as she curved her arm and snapped it upward. Her shield was nothing more then a flimsy mess and acorns hitting her square in the face. Herminny tried to think of what she could have done wrong and then remembered that professor said to say the spell with confidence. So Herminny decided she would do the spell this time and she curved her arm upward and said, "Protego" , with all the confidence she could muster and this time she produced a real shieldwhich worked for acorns, not the strongest one in the world she thought but hey, I'm improving.

Chris pulled out his wand to practice. "Protego." a little color but not much of anything. "Protego." Yes a shield!

Professor Kazimeriz patrolled the classroom, quite pleased to see some of the older students helping younger, less experienced ones. He nodded. "Very good." he said softly, making mental notes to reward those who were helping others.

"You're missing the sharp snap of the wrist at the end, child." Kazimeriz said to the boy. "And focus." He continued surveying the class.

"Something is blurring your focus. Concentrate on self-protection singularly. And snap earlier-- don't wait until your wand is so high, snap as you speak the 'go' in protego." Kazimeriz told the boy. He wrapped an arthritic claw around the boy's wrist and guided his hand to help him learn the move, stopping his arm earlier than the boy had previously. "You should be finishing reciting the incantation and snapping your wrist by the time your wand is here." He let go so the boy could try again.

"Very good." He nodded, watching his motion.

"A good start. Work on your focus, keep your posture straight and lean into the motion more." Kazimeriz nodded at the child.

"Good try, Potter... though a bit weak. Bring the shoulder of your wand arm forward more as you cast, and keep your arc a little lower- it should end with your arm at approximately your own eye level." Kazimeriz instructed.

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.

"Thanks Professor. i think a may be able to do it this time." He raised his wand and said with imence concetration and remembering to keep his arc low. "Protego!" Out of his wand cam a decent Sheild.

Qaz was having a great time...the old guy might have 9 out of ten toes in the grave, but he sure wasn't boring. So far she hadn't volunteered for anything, which was unusual, but she was beginning to think that better safe than sorry was a good motto for this class.

Standing as instructed, and it started raining acorns. The little buggers packed a punch. Enough of that.

Her wand almost moved on it's own as she commanded, 'Protego.'

With her sheild in place, she sat back down, on a handfull of acorns. Ouch. Lifting up a few inches, she swept off the acorns with her free hand and sat back down.

Sitting there holding her wand up like an umbrella, she looked around. It appeared that most everybody had succeeded and those who didn't had assistance. She'd come a long way in her wand-work since she arrive at Hogwarts the first time. Oh those first three years were disasterous, but finally, in her fourth year, it all came together...thanks to friends with loads of patience....and lots and lots of practice.

It was so dark in the classroom that she couldn't tell how everyone was doing. 'Does anybody in here still need help?'