The Wandmaker

The Downhill Trudge

C H A P T E R t e n

Symbida's life slowly decomposed into a depressive, miserable state over the next two months.

She had only had three days to adjust to the horrid mahogany wand before the second year exams hit. She had tried so hard, and worked late into the nights in the few days leading up to it, only to be left shattered and disappointed when it took her wand three times to perform the transfiguration spell, and even then only going half the way through with it. Her transfiguration teacher had looked down at her spiky teacup tottering around on tiny legs with surprised disappointment while Lampurn, who had decided to sit in on the second year exams, watched with badly-contained glee.

The next few exams passed in the same fashion. Negative thoughts became nestled in her brain. Maybe the wand was right. Maybe I'm not special at all! I'm just average little Symbida - even worse than average, considering how my exams are going. Maybe the wand was the only reason I did any good. In the classes where she was lucky enough to only have a theory assessment she only scraped a pass, preoccupied by the bragging of her classmates and weighed down by the ever-present blanket of despair that haunted her. It was horrible, it was torture to Symbida, knowing that she could've done better if she had just managed to keep her old vine wand.

There was only one exam left on the last day - Charms. Their usual teacher was Swampnose, who was quite a lot more pleasant than his name suggested. So when she entered the exam room she expected to see his tall, wide figure hunched over the teacher's desk. Instead, she was met with the sight of a tall, imposing figure, with wild frizzes of red hair and an expression that made Symbida's stomach turn.

She found her seat and sat, keeping her eyes trained on the desk in front of her resolutely, not even looking up as Lampurn began to tell the class about how she was here to cover for Swampnose, who had a bit of a cold. Symbida knew the truth - she was here to gloat over her one last time. Lampurn merely cemented this by grinning awfully at Symbida as she passed her desk, only giving her half of the necessary supplies as she went.

Something in Symbida settled, like a stone falling forever down a well, finally settling with a soft chink on the waterbed. She had finished falling down through anxiety and despair, and had finally settled at rock bottom. The only thing left for her now was to swim.

And so she swam, with strong kicks and a determination like she had never possessed before. She accio'd the missing materials from the teacher's desk, opting to avoid the drama of demanding the correct items from the headmistress. Each object has to be charmed in a different way - the feather had to be floated, the stone had to be charmed to roll in a circle twice, the starfish had to perform a cartwheel, and the candle had to be lit. And after a number of tries, she finally got all of them to perform correctly, without a hitch. Except when the wand occasionally seemed incapable of completing a spell, of course.

Once she was ready to present to the examiner, she raised her hand and waited patiently. And waited, and waited. And waited some more. Lampurn successfully addressed every other student in the class, letting them leave after their attempt, until Symbida was the only one left, her arm aching from holding it up for forty minutes.

When Lampurn finally stalked her way, she was determined to crush Symbida. "Miss Norbold, I'm sorry but the examination time is up. I'm afraid I have to give you all crosses."

The unfairness didn't strike Symbida down, her head was too clear and calm. Instead of the tears and anger Lampurn had been hoping for, she replied in the same manner as the Headmistress. "Headmistress Lampurn, I think you'll find that I had my hand up ready to submit forty minutes ago," she checked the clock on the walls, "forty three minutes ago, actually. And this exam is not a timed exam, rather, the time is permitted until the student makes an official attempt. It's on the task sheet, actually. I'm sure you could check with Professor Swampnose and he could clear that confusion up."