"I'm good. Just tired from studying. Exams soon!" Scary.
"Oh, Nika this is Emily. Ravenclaw Emily. And Emily this is Nika." Yes, introduce them and it would all be less awkward.

Turning to both of them she smiled. "Well the only thing I could think of was..." she rummaged in her bag and dropped some spinning tops onto the table.
She wasn't sure if Emily knew what they were but she smiled awkwardly at them. "They're spinning tops. I didn't know what else we could practice on so I thought we could spin them and try to freeze them while they're moving..." Pause "What do you think?" It was lame, wasn't it? It had been the only thing she could think off!

Emily smiled at Nika- and gave her a nod.

"Mmm exams.... my last ones!" she said sadly... of course Emily would miss the classes and assignments and exams. She was a 'Claw after all.

Turning to look at the spinning tops Emily grinned, "They'll be great!" she said.
"So the incantation is, Immobulus... and the wand movement is two short flicks of the wand.... you ready to start?"
Emily had her wand out and gripped it gently.

"Oh are you leaving this year?" Emily said her face dropping "It must be hard, leaving this place." Her and Nikas adventure was just beginning though!

"Yeah." Emily said turning from Emily to Nika. "Remember, they have to be gentle flicks, but not too gentle so that they come flying out your hand." That would be bad.
"Do you want to go first? Show us firsties how it's done?" she grinned nudging Nika. She was older. And a ravenclaw. Of course she'd be smarter than them!

"Yep, so gently but still deliberate, and remember to focus. It helps if your mond is focused on the object and not distracted."

Emily demonstrated, aiming her wand at the spinning top in front of her she flicked her wand twice-coming from her wrist, "Immobulus".................... and sure enough the spinning top- was no longer spinning.

"So remember two short flicks, clear voice, Immobulus"... "I'm sure you'll do fine, it gets easier with time, especially once you gain confidence."

Nika tried to think. "Uh well because we were trying to catch frogs? I don't know that's all I got... Nika felt a bit embarrassed but she was with Emily so there nothing to hide.

Emily chuckled. "No. It was spells that would make life easier for muggles! And this deffinatly would!" She passed Nika a spinning top and took out her own wand.

Watching Ravenclaw Emily cast the spell, Emily clapped "Nicely done. Now my turn."

She started the top spinning and cleared her mind. Two gentle flicks "Immobulus!" and her top froze mid-spin. Smiling Emily walked around it examining it from all angles. Then "Finite!" and the top started spinning again. See? Easy!

As the top slowed down and eventually stopped on it's own, Emily turned back to the others. "Give it a go Nika. Then we'll try the banishing charm!" That was a bit trickier, but still fun!

Nika smiled at both the Emilys and places the spinning top in front of her. She felt a little intimidated bacause the two girls had preformed their charms so well. Nika took her wand out her pocket and stared straight at the top. "okay here I go. Err Immobulus?" Nika said the charm clearly, but uncertain. She watched the top as it spun. It shook a little, but it didn't seem to stop. "Sorry Em. Immobulus!" she tried again. Nika wasn't vert patient, but she would never give up. Again nothing. "Immobulus! Ugh! Immobulus! Hmph! Imobulus!!" and finally it worked. Nika blew a stray hair away from her face.

Kurumi entered the Charms Practice Hall with a small bag and Walnut trailing behind her. She had been so caught up in her own family research that she had almost forgotten about practicing the Freezing and Banishing charms. Well, it was more that she didn't want to be reminded of the chocolate disaster that had been banishing chocolate frogs from last class. She still couldn't look at chocolate and not feel sick to her stomach.

Looking down at Walnut, she smiled and the cat trotted off to the side to observe Kurumi. She didn't understand why Walnut had insisted on coming with her, but she didn't want to leave him howling in the Gryffindor common room and become a bother to everyone else.

Kneeling down on the ground, Kurumi opened up her bag and searched through the objects until she found what she was looking for:


The animatronic hamster had been a gift from her brother, Takashi, for her fifth birthday since her mother wouldn't allow her to have any pets. It had three speeds, slow, medium, and wicked fast - the label literally said wicked fast. Deciding that slow and medium wouldn't be much of a challenge for her now that she had dealt with chocolate frogs, Kurumi turned the setting to wicked fast and put the hamster back in its ball.

Bad idea...very bad idea...

The hamster zoomed off towards the wall, hit it, bounced backwards, and continued its mad race around the Charms room. Kurumi groaned while Walnut's ears perked up with interest.

Oooooooooooooooh?! What is this? The cat hunched down low and began to wiggle his bottom as he waited for the opportune moment to pounce.

THERE IT WAS!

Walnut took off after the hamster, swatting this way and that, but always missing the ball by mere centimeters.

"Walnut!" Kurumi squeaked knowing full well that calling her cat was not going to make him stop.

Folding her arms across her chest, Kurumi realized she had her work cut out for her. At this rate she was going to have to freeze two objects before she would be able to banish anything. Granted, if she hit the hamster first then she would be ready to banish...but seeing as Walnut managed to situate himself between her line of vision and the hamster, Kurumi resolved to just freezing him first and then the robot hamster.

Wait?! Was that an opening?! Kurumi flicked her wand twice towards the hamster. "Immobulus!" she commanded.

But, it wasn't the hamster that froze in place. Instead, the spell hit Walnut's hind legs and the cat face planted into the floor. "Oh sorry, Walnut," she said as her eyes flicked towards the hamster. "I'll fix it in a minute." Repeating the wand movement, Kurumi cast the charm at the hamster ball that was now moving towards the door and...it stopped.

Before banishing it, she turned her attention back to Walnut. "Finite," she said and Walnut found his hind limbs able to move once more. The cat glared at Kurumi. She better have a bunch of those tuna fish cookies in her pocket for doing this to him.

Sending Walnut another apologetic look, Kurumi pointed her wand at the now frozen hamster ball. "Depulso!" she said as she guiding the object through the air until it was above her bag. She dropped her want, which allowed the ball to fall into it...but it also removed the Freezing Charm she had set on the ball. Now it took off once more, but this time racing around the room while inside the bag.

UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUG!

She glanced over her shoulder at Walnut who showed no interest this time. His nose was still stinging from the initial faceplant, thank you.

Kurumi returned her attention to the seemingly possessed bag and flicked her wand at it twice. "Immobulus!" she shouted and the bag froze. She then ran over to it, pulled the hamster ball out, and turned it off. Why she hadn't thought of that in the first place was beyond her. "Walnut," she said looking back at the cat. "Let's go back to the common room. I have a fresh batch of those cookies you like."

And with that, the two left the practice hall.

Emily smiled at Nikas attempts. "Your doing fine. Just try to be more confident when you cast them charm. Just tell yourself you can do it!" Encouragment.

While Nika practiced freezing Emily took out a box and placed it at the end of the room, then took out her wand again.
"Right. The banishing charm is Depulso. Point at the target, in this case the box, and... banish." To sum up.

Starting her top spining again, she cleared her throat and focused.
Pointing at the box she cried "Depulso!" and she top went flying across the room hitting the back of the box a little too hard that it dented it.
"See? Easy! Give it a try then." She fetched her top out of the box and set it down for Nika and Emily to try.

"Okay depulso. Got it.... I think." Nika brushed her hair from out of her face and looked at the box then at the top then back to the box. Concentrate, confidence you can do it. Nika held her wand tightly in her hand as she gave the charm a try. Nothing. Nika was determined to get it right. She couldn't give up, not in front of Emily anyway. Nika held her wand in front of her small body as she tried again. "Depulso!" Nika nodded as the top slowly made its way to the box. "Hmph not bad. Second try... But i know I can do better if I just practice! "

"You can do it! I know you can!" Emily gave her an encouraging smile. "You'll ace the charms exam you will!"
She then turned back to her bag and pulled out a small bowl and placed it on the table. Then fetched the box and stood it upright.
"So since you missed first charms lesson, and since it's probably going to be on the test, do you want me to teach you those two? They were the ones I used when we had that fight in the mud!" she laughed, remembering that day. *sigh* Good times!

Nika smiled and jumped up and down. "I can do it! I did it!! I really did it!!" Nika was shocked with her performance. Although it did take her a lot of time she did get them eventually and that's what matters, right? "Yeah can you teach me, Professor Smith?" Nika looked at Emily. She was really the perfect friend isn't she?

"Ha! Professor Smith?" she laughed putting away the tops "Well, mabye one day..." Mabye. She liked the idea of becoming a teacher. Helping others and such. Hmm... she think about it.
Anyway, back to work!

"Right. Well the two spells you missed were 'Mizurus boru' and 'Globo leviosa'. We'll start with the first one first." D'uh!
She placed the bowl in front of Nika and took out her own wand again.
"This charm basically moulds an object into a ball that holds water. Intention is essential to this charm, because the ball formed is either closed or open at the top, soft or hard, depending upon the caster's intentions." She'd basically repeated what the teacher had told them in the lesson, but she had a good memory!

"The incantation is Mee-zoo-rus bo-roh, and you have to point your wand at the object to be moulded and trace one clockwise and one anti-clockwise circle" She nodded at the bowl.
"We'll just pracice before we actually cast it. Then move onto the second!"She smiled at Nika to tell her to begin. She really did feel like a teacher!

"A ball of water..." Nika cocked her head to the side. "Why would we ever need a ball of water?" Nika shrugged. Hmph wizards have funny ways of doing things. "Okay Mee-zoo-" She looked at Emily to make sure that her pronunciation was alright. "Rus Bo-roh." Nika repeated it over and over in her head to get it stuck in her mind. Without realizing it she started saying it out loud, but more in a song form than anything else. "Mee-zoo-rus Bo-roh, Mee-zoo-rus Bo-roh, Mee-zoo-rus Bo-roh, Mee-zoo-rus Bo-roh-" It was starting to get catchy. Nika swayed back and forth and then she realized she was doing it. "Oh, oops sorry." Nika raised her shoulders and smiled. "Okay clockwise and anti-clockwise. And I clock moves...." Nika stuck out her tongue and imagined the clock in her living room. "This way!" Nika moved her arms in the direction that the clock ticks. Nika moved her wand once clockwise then the other way. She practiced a few times then looked back at Emily for the "OK".

"For throwing at people!" Like she had to Nika
"Good..." Emily nodded as she started to repeat the words. Then she turned it into some kind of... song? She folded her arms and waited for Nika to stop. Laughing she cleared her throat and did the charm to show Nika while she practiced the movement.

Emily traced round the circle of the bowl, first clockwise, then anti-clockwise, then "Mizurus boru!"
Her bowl rose in the air a bit, then turned into a round ball with the top of it open. She coughed, embarressed. "Yes, well... it's not supposed to raise up like that, and yours might not be open at the top, that's just how I wanted mine... but anyway, give it a try." With a quick 'Finite' the ball turned back into a bowl and fell to the table to give Nika a shot at.

"Okie dokie! Here I go!" Nika held her wand straight in the air before looking back at Emily. "You might want to stand back. I don't want to accidentally throw it at you..." Just a precaution, just in case. Nika said the incantation a few more times before actually doing the movement with it. "Mizurus Boruh!" And nothing. "Um Mizurus Boruh?" Not much happened. A few drops of water lifted out of the bowl, but nothing big. "Mizurus Boruh!!!" ANd there it is! The ball of water floated in the air. "I got it! I think?"

"Mizurus boru! And two circles. One clockwise, one anti-clockwise." Emily repeated under her breath. She was practicing as well!
She smiled when Nika told her to stand back, but didn't budge. She had faith in her friend. And if she did get wet... it was her own fault.
Standing over Nika as she practiced the spell she clapped her on the back once she finally did it. "Well done. Now the next charm is easier, so try to relax a bit more." Woudn't really help with casting it, but they were almost done!

Casting 'Mizurus boru' herself again she looked back at Nika.
"As you probably know 'Leviosa' is a basic charm that permits one to levitate and direct objects. But since it's a round object, we say 'Globo Leviosa'. Easy." She walked around her water ball. "The wand movement is a swish and a flick. Watch." With a swish-and-flick and a 'Globo Leviosa' the ball rose up in the air. Smiling, Emily moved her wand to the box where the ball was deposited. Easy hippogriffs!
"Your turn." She nodded at the box. This time she did stand back... just in case.

"Globo Leviosa got it!" Nika watched as Emily showed her the charm. "Looks easy enough. Now watch me jinx myself." Nika slapped her forehead. Why did she even say anything at all. "Globo Leviosa!" Nika did the wand movement as well and watched as her ball rose an inch off into the air and fell back down again. "Ummm Emily? I don't think that was supposed to happen..."

"Um. No, it wasn't. Must have jinxed yourself." She coudn't help but smile at her bad joke.
"It's pritty simple so you don't need to think much. Just try to relax a bit more..." She went over a pushed Nika's shoulders down, so they weren't so tight. "You can do it! Just give it another try!" she smiled again and made another water ball for her to practice on. She looked at her watch. It was getting late. A few more tries and she'd have it. Then they could go back to the common room.

"Okay." Nika took a deep breath and tried again. "Globo Leviosa!" And this time it worked. The ball of water lifted into the air. Nika moved the ball to the box and set it down in there. "YAY! You are such a good teacher Emily!!"

"Aw thank you!" And she actually blushed!
Putting the box and bowl in her bag, she pulled her hair in a low ponytail and smiled at Nika.
"Well student-of-mine! I think that's enough for today!" Well the term was nearly at an end, so enough for the year really.
"You were very good! 10 points to Gryffindor!" She laughed and patted Nika on the back. "But in all serious, you catch on fast! You'll do much better next year. I promice!"
She just knew she would. The girl just needed to relax a bit more. Find her comfort zone and all...

"You think so?" Nika hoped that Emily was right. Maybe with a few more of these practice sessions she can even get good at charms! Nika nodded her head and smiled at Emily. "Again thank you. It means a lot that you came her to help me." Nika knew that Emily is a true friend.

"I know so." she smiled. She may not be good at divination, but she could just tell this would happen.
Picking up her bag and putting away her wand she blushed and gave Nika a HUGE hug from behind. "It's fine. I love charms, and I've secretly wanted to come in this room for a while. But I'll always help my friends in anyway I can!"
Teaching took a lot out of her. "How 'bout we go celebrate out hard work with some chocolate frogs? My sister just sent me some. They're up in the common room." And mabye some more hot chocolate. For the third time this year!

Nika smiled widely at Emily. "Oh! Chocolate frogs!" If there was one thing Nika loved more than the Hogwarts food it was wizard candies.