Hogwarts Is Where The Heart Is

Chapter 11

Genevieve felt significantly lighter now walking into charms class. She'd been a bit scared to confide her fears in him. What if he thought she was being silly? But in the end the earnest look in his warm blue eyes had convinced her and she'd come clean about her worries.

His responding speech had filled her with both confidence and warmth, as if a great weight had been lifted from her chest. If Professor Fig believed in her than surely, she could do this.

She wasn't sure what had compelled the man to walk her to class. Though she was grateful for it. His company right before her first ever lesson had felt comforting. After all he could have easily merely shown her how to use the map and moved on. Yet he'd walked her all the way to the Charms corridor and then taken the time to give her a pep talk. His kindness would never cease to amaze her.

The charms classroom was a large wood paneled room with a couple of globes and several chalk boards. Light came from three brass chandeliers on the ceiling and some vertical windows on the two sides of the room. The ceiling was vaulted and truly quite beautiful much like the rest of the castle. There were a few stacks of books and papers around and a large, thin spiral staircase led up to what she presumed was Professor Ronen's office. On either side of the room were long wooden desks. And on side of the room furthest from the door was a desk with a tea set and a leather chair.

Genevieve walked in to see many students already paired up. Evelyn sat at one desk next to a Hufflepuff with honey blonde hair. The silver-eyed girl waved and Genevieve waved back looking around for an empty seat.

"Here—behind you. There is an open seat here!" called a voice. Genevieve turned to see none other than Natty from the robes shop in Diagon Alley. She smiled and approached.

"Hello Natty," she said. Before any further conversation could take place, someone cleared their throat and they all looked up to see the man Genevieve presumed was Professor Ronen. He had white hair slightly dark skin and wore purple and green robes with snake fastenings along with a purple bow tie. There was a bright smile on his face as he surveyed them.

"Welcome to year five of Charms. Now, this will be a crucial year in your education on the art of Charm work, but I am confident that we will take hold with the passion and rigor requisite of such a challenge." He strode down the stairs, jumping the last step. His jovial demeanor was infectious.

"Right, now everyone, please open your text books to page five one seven." They all did as they were told. "But before we begin can anyone here tell me the difference between the incantations of the Colour Change and Growth Charms?"

There was silence for a moment and then it hit Genevieve. She KNEW this. A memory of sitting in Professor Fig's home as they poured over a Charms textbook came to mind and she very tentatively raised her hand.

"Yes! Miss Smith our new student!" said Professor Ronen cheerfully.

"The incantation for colour change is Colovaria while the growth charm is Engorgio the more important difference though lies in the amount of concentration necessary. Growth charms require significant more focus than colour change as the former can have more drastic consequences when performed incorrectly."

"Very good! Ten points to Ravenclaw! Yes, it's not too bad if you turn a toad pink but you don't want one ending up the size of a horse," he chuckled.

"Well, it appears, while Miss Smith is up to date the rest of you spent your holidays practicing Obliviate on one another." Professor Ronen laughed at his own joke and a few people including Genevieve gave awkward laughs.

"Do you even remember how to perform a basic summoning charm?" asked their professor and Genevieve tried to recall if she and Professor Fig had gotten to that one. While they'd certainly gone over a large amount of material it would have been impossible for them to hit everything.