Charmed to meet you.... (Nixa)

[Devereaux Gordon]

It was a rather chilly afternoon at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Although there were a few students roaming the grounds, most of them could be found somewhere inside the castle. The common rooms, with their blazing fires, were extremely popular. The library was a little busier than usual, as were the large tables in the Great Hall.

It is for all of these reasons, that one student in particular had been forced to find an empty classroom to appropriate. Anyone who walked down the hall would immediately notice the repetitive flash of light, accompanied sometimes by muttering, sometimes by a loud thump or crash usually followed by whispered curses, and occasionally by a gently whoop of joy.

Devereaux Gordon was the student in question. Having first attempted reviewing his notes in the library, the quiet muttering and murmuring of all of the extra students had eventually driven him out. With resignation, he had decided that today was the day he would attempt to brush up on his charms and transfiguration spells. Since his fourth year had started, the increased complexity of the magic being taught had caused him to fall behind in a few areas, charms being the main one.

For this reason, Devereaux could be found standing in the middle of the empty classroom with an assortment of items spread out in a wide circle around him. There were some textbooks, a few rocks ranging from pebble to softball size, a feather, and even his broom.

There was a chalk board on the wall that had a list of spells written on it, a few of which had been crossed out.

Accio
Dupulso
Wingardium Leviosa
Switcheroonius
Disillusionment

Having already practiced and crossed off the first three spells, Devereaux was currently practicing the switching spell. There was a parchment and quill on the floor at his feet. Every time he flicked his wand through the motion, something that resembled writing an ‘X’ without picking up your quill, he would watch the results and occasionally make a note.

Devereaux took a deep breath and held his wand out in front of him. “Maybe a few more tries.” He muttered, then he flicked his want through the motion and said the incantation.

The book and rock that he had been planning on switching both seemed to shake and their image distorted for a moment, but then they settled, still in the same spot as before. “Ughhh” He groaned and sat down abruptly. “What is freaking wrong with me.” He muttered, then stiffened as he thought he heard footsteps.

[Nixa Swan]

People, they were everywhere. Nixa just wanted some peace and quiet, but that didn't seem to be possible. The library was full of students whispering and laughing about one thing or another. The Great Hall was never quiet; even the common room was full of students acting stupid and being loud. She let out a sigh as she made her way down an empty hallway. She needed to get away from everyone. It wasn't often that she just wanted to be alone, or at the very least, have just a few people.

Andie turned a corner and saw the flashes of light followed by the voice of a male. She lifted a brow and walked towards the noise. Yes, she wanted peace and quiet, but the curiosity that tugged at her brain got the better of her. Peaking into the classroom, she saw a younger Hufflepuff trying to practice magic. There were spells written on the board and several items on a table across from him.

He tried the spell again but the items only shook on the table. Her eyes flicked between the items and the boy that was trying to do the spell. "Your wand movements are off a little bit." she said as she leaned against the door frame of the classroom. "You don't have enough flick at the end." She stated simply. Charms was one of her best classes, not her favorite class, but she did really well in the subject.

[Devereaux Gordon]

Devereaux was shocked to find a girl standing in the doorframe watching him. She had blond hair and piercing blue eyes. Her robes were trimmed in the familiar green of Slytherin. Confident she was not in fourth year with him, Devereaux guessed she was a fifth year, or possibly sixth. It took him a moment to gather his thoughts and realize she had commented on his spell work. “Enough flick at the end?” He said the words slowly as if doing that would make them make sense to him. Then his brain seemed to get over his surprise and his eyes opened wide. “OH, my wand. I see.”

Standing abruptly, Devereaux turned back to the items and raised his wand. He attempted the spell again, only this time he was sure to flick his wand more as he finished the spell form. This time, without a hitch, the book and rock seemed to blink in and out of existence once, except now they had switched positions.

“Oh wow. That was all? I’m such a moron!” Devereaux exclaimed with a laugh. Then he turned back to the girl standing in the doorway. "Thank you! I thought my spacial awareness was just bad, I read somewhere that that can cause issue with that one.... oh uh I’m Devereaux. I’m a fourth year. Just uh..working on some charms. I had to come up here cause everywhere else is so crowded it is kind of unbearable” He said and then stood there smiling awkwardly while waiting for the girl to respond.

[Nixa Swan]

She raised her brows at him as he struggled with what she had said. It wasn't hard to figure out, but perhaps he was so flustered by the fact that he had been failing so many times that he couldn't think straight. When he finally reached the conclusion she was trying present to him, she nodded. "Right, the wand, you need to give it more a flick at the end. Otherwise, your movements and pronunciation is perfect." She struggled with charms in her first year and it was why she had dedicated so much time and effort to it in the following years, even despite the 'phase' she had gone through.

She watched as he attempted the spell again. This time adding the flick at the end. The items moved without hesitation this time and a small smile spread across her lips. "Very nice." She stood up straighter from her stop in the doorway. "Sometimes you can do everything else right, but if you miss just a little flick, it can make it the whole spell go wrong."

She let out a chuckle and took a few steps towards him. "No, you're not a moron. It just takes practice, sometimes, a little help from someone who has experience." She nodded in return to his thank you. "Nixa, I'm a fifth year. And I completely understand the crowding of the castle. Sometimes, we just need some time to think. I can leave you be if you'd like, or if you want...I could help you a bit more."

[Devereaux Gordon]

Devereaux nodded as she commented on the delicate nature of spell casting. It seemed that charms and transfigurations in particular were especially picky with the little details. He assumed it had to do with the more nuanced nature of the spells. The basic combat spells seemed to respond more directly to intent, of course, you had to get the wand movement right, but they just didn’t seem as finicky. “And here I thought I just didn’t have the brain for charms. I really appreciate your help!”

He offered her another smile when she introduced herself. “It’s nice to meet you Nixa. I don’t want to make you feel obligated to help me or anything, I’m sure you have your own studies to take care of, But I also won’t turn down help from someone more experienced than myself!” He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, not really used to having one on one conversations with older students. “I only have one more that I was wanting to see some improvement on.”

Devereaux pointed he thumb over his shoulder at the board behind him. “For some reason when I try the disillusionment charm it just does’t seem to turn out quite right. It’s kind of hard to explain. Let me show you.”

He turned to one of the larger rocks in the room and quickly cast the charm. The surface of the stone seemed to ripple and change, but rather than changing to match the floor beneath it, it got a shiny glean to it, which actually made it more noticeable, not less. “That.” He said at last with a sigh.