Charms. | h. potter

029

Charms lessons are always difficult for Cameron. She never quite gets it just right. Sure, she can do it sometimes, but it doesn't come easily. And the designation of Charms lessons as the best time to talk in the back with nobody paying any attention to them makes it that much harder for Cameron to focus. 

Today's Banishing Charm lesson is no different. Harry recounts their adventure from the previous night in hushed segments, letting Cameron focus on her wand movements. They were meant to be practicing on cushions that wouldn't hurt anyone if a Banishing Charm went awry and Cameron takes a sort of relief in the fact that she's actually aiming well enough to move cushions. Poor Neville, on the other hand, seems to be missing the mark this lesson, even sending Professor Flitwick soaring across the room. She tunes back into the conversation as Hermione and Ron begin helping theorise. 

"Harry... maybe Moody thinks Snape put your name in the Goblet of Fire!" Ron suggests, his eyes wide as the chandelier rattles slightly from the cushion he'd accidentally sent flying into it. 

"Oh, Ron," Hermione sighs with a sceptical shake of her head. "We thought Snape was trying to kill Harry before and it turned out he was saving Harry's life, remember?" Hermione, with minimal effort, sends a cushion flying into the box they're meant to be aiming for and Cameron scowls slightly as she misses again. It hits the door instead, falling to the floor with a muted thump. 

"I don't care what Moody says," Hermione continues. "Dumbledore's not stupid. He was right to trust Hagrid and Professor Lupin, even though loads of people wouldn't have given them jobs, so why shouldn't he be right about Snape, even if Snape is a bit—"

"Evil," Ron finishes. "Come on, Hermione, why are all these Dark wizard catchers searching his office then?" Cameron still hadn't said anything about Snape's strange clutching of his arm since nobody else has brought up the fact that it's the very position that the Dark Mark rests on. 

Hermione pointedly ignores Ron's question. "Why has Mr Crouch been pretending to be ill? It's a bit funny, isn't it, that he can't manage to come to the Yule Ball, but he can get up here in the middle of the night when he wants to?"

"You just don't like Crouch because of that elf, Winky," Ron points out as he sends a cushion into the window. 

Hermione retorts as she sends yet another perfectly aimed cushion into the box. "You just want to think Snape's up to something."

"I just want to know what Snape did with his first chance, if he's on his second now," Harry supplies grimly. He flicks his wand and his cushion lands directly on top of Hermione's.

"I give up," Cameron exclaims, her shoulders slumping. "My aim is terrible!"

Professor Flitwick comes over, hopping onto a chair so that he can watch Cameron properly. "You've just got to clearly set out your destination, Miss Aldridge," he squeaks. "You need to want it to land in the box."

"I do want it to land in the box," she argues. "It's just not doing it." 

"Try again," he instructs. "Give it another go and focus completely on the box."

"Depulso," she says sternly. Instead of flying into the box like she'd hoped, it curves on a tangent and hits Professor Flitwick, knocking him off the chair. "Oh! Are you alright Professor?" she asks immediately, her hand covering her mouth in shock. Her cheeks flush as the entire class laughs at Professor Flitwick on the floor.