Studying Charms

Theresa sighed as she sat at an empty table in the library. She needed to practice her charms if she stood a chance with her final. She had heard her friend mention a clue about dancing but that didn't seem to help.

She desided to try the spells she had already learnt, starting with the summoning charm. She put her quill on the opposite side of the table and took out her wand. "Ok, I can do this" she muttered to her self as she looked at the quill.

"Accio Quill!" she said clearly. She scowled when the quill didn't move. After a few more tries, she glared at the quill and threw her wand down on the table. "Bloody useless" she said.

"Maybe you shouldn't start with something so advanced, Ms. Cotgrave." Tristyn's blond head appeared from behind a bookshelf, a slim french volume in his hands. "That particular charm is quite difficult, you know," he said as though explaining simple mathematics to a three year old.

"But then again, any spell would be if you declare it "useless" after only trying it twice."

Theresa looked up when she heard a voice and saw Professor Malfoy. He must have been searching for something and heard her. She blushed when he mentioned that she called the spell useless. "yeah, I was a little anoyed I guess" she said as she picked up her wand and her quill.

'Really, you don't say?" the wizard remarked dryly.

He really should be on his way, there were papers to be marked and detentions to be given... but the witch did look genuinely confused.

"Ms. Cotgrave, pray tell, how much do you know about the charm you were attempting? Or did you just think it consisted of a few Latin words and a wave of your wand?"

Theresa put her wand back down when Professor Malfoy began talking to her again and listened. She ignored his first comment but desided to think abut what he said after that. "Well, It was taught in one of Professor Williams' lessons, I thought it would be useful and I figured that it would be one of the spells to practise, Professor" she said. "I know it suppose to mean 'I summon' but that is really all I know" she said sheepishly.

Tristyn had expected as much. To say the stu8dent's knowledge of magic was inadequate would be an understatement, a fact that was beginning to sink in rather deeply the more time he spent with them.

"Well, for your information, a charm needs a magical center for it to be focused. The center is where it draws all it's force from and manipulates the subject of the spell. Words and wand movements are a mere tool to help focus the mind of the caster. Now, can you tell me what this center is, young lady?"

Theresa inwardly cursed, she had never read or learnt about magical centers. She thought for a moment, she knew there was something in the wands and she knew that you had to picture what you want to happen in your mind.
"Apart from visualising, I am not really sure" she said, wishing that she didn't sound like some little child who didn't know anything about magic.

"The center, Ms. Cotgrave, is you," the wizard stated.

"The sole reason why any spell should work is because it is being cast by you using a channel or a wand. You are the source the spell draws power from but right now, you understand so painfully little about what you're attempting to do that the spell cannot direct the magic the way it should be directed. If an animal analogy helps, imagine you are a pet owner, trying to make your pet perform a trick. You keep giving ti wrong or confusing directions and so it doesn't know what to do."

Theresa nodded, she needed to look more into the spell. She knew that there was going to be at least a hand full of books she would be able to read about it and then when she knew more, she could attempt actually doing the spell again.
"So I need to research more into the spells first?" she asked.

The blond considered her question, giving it some thought. While never one to undermine the importance of the written word, he felt that learning was too often associated with books these days. It was sad really, to see how creative and critical thought barely existed in these young students.

"What you need to do is understand what you are trying to do with that spell. What you intend to do and how you should go about doing it. If you feel that reading up on it will help, go ahead. If you think trying to reason with the laws of physics is the right way to go about it, give it a try. You know, wizards have been casting spells without the luxury of reference books for an age now."

Theresa was slightly shocked that the Professor seemed to be saying that the books were not fully needed.
Books explained it though, but if wizards had been doing it for years then there was no reason that it couldn't work.
"I am trying to imagine the quill coming to me though sir" she said, sighing. She looked back at the stubborn quill and wondered why she had trouble even picturing the thing moving.

"And why would it come to you? All you've done so far is wish for it to come but not decided how it would do so. Try putting yourself in the quill's position. If you had to be summoned, what would you be looking for?"

Tristyn was greatly regretting his decision to help the girl now. It was taking up valuable time and she didn't seem to be anywhere near the answer.

Theresa thought for a moment, why would the quill go to her, there was no reason for the quill to just come to her.
"Just wishing wouldnt work, the spell is like an order, I am comanding the quill to come to me" she said, unsure. If I were an object that was being summoned then I wouldnt go to them if they didnt believe it or werent really thinking about it

"The quill would be looking for someone casting the spell that is strong enough and focused enough" she said.

"By Salazar, now we're making some headway," the wizard mock exclaimed.

"You don't just have to wish for the quill to come, you have to instruct it, tell it how, pull it towards you with your magic, tell it to fly towards you, make sure it has no choice. You have the magic, young lady, you must learn to wield it."

Theresa nodded as she listened to the professor, she hoped he knew that she really was trying her best, but Charms was very difficult for her. She almost cringed when he called her a young lady again, she was so not a young lady.

"Do you think you could demonstrate it, please?" she asked, thinking that if she saw the spell in action up close then she might be able to do it on her own.

"If I must," Tristyn made a discontented sound somewhere deep in his throat. Exaggerating his movements, he pulled out his wand and pointed it at the quill in question.

"Accio quill!" he said clearly albeit in a bored voice. The quill promptly flew into his other hand. "Satisfied, Ms. Cotgrave?"

Theresa watched as the quill flew into the Professor's hands. She tossed another quill on the table and picked up her wand. The way he did it, it seemed like he didn't care what the quill wanted, he just commanded it. "Accio quill," she commanded as she pointed her wand at the quill. It twitched, but did not move.

"Accio quill," she commanded more forcefully, imagining it zooming through the air toward her. It started to inch its way toward her before it stopped a few inches from where it had previously sat. It wasn't much, but it was enough to give her a bit of encouragement.

"There we go, I see you've got the concept right. Keep practicing and you'll get in about three years," the wizard chuckled, stepping away from the desk. "Or did I forget to mention that this is a spell classified for fourth years and that practicing it now is close to pointless?" he asked innocently.

Looking at the witch's face one last time, he finished "I'll be taking my leave now, Ms. Cotgrave, as you've already wasted quite enough of my time. And I expect you to remember what we learned today for the finals."

Theresa put her quill and notebook back in her bag. "your the one that stayed" she muttered. She sighed, she suposed that it did help. She might be able to try that advise on other spells in charms. She stood up and went to the shelf to put the book back. Picking up her bag, she took an interestng book from the Magical Creature section and walked to the exit of the library.