The Marauder's Mess

You're welcome.

Brandi's first week at Hogwarts flew by faster than she was able to process, yet it made it clear that she was going to have an amazing time there - she belonged there.

The whole week, the girl was consistently taken back by how supportive, welcoming and eager to help her people were. There wasn't one person who Brandi didn't feel like she could turn to if she had questions, and she hadn't been judged once.

On top of that, she'd already began to fall into a routine and a comfort with her new-found Gryffindor family. She had beaten Dean in their race by one and a half seconds much to the dismay of Fred who had bet on Dean, but it brought great celebration in the girls dormitory that night, as well as influencing Oliver to beg her to join the Quidditch team next year.

It was somehow already Friday, and Brandi found herself heading out of her last class, taking a detour to the DADA classroom before she retired for the night. Loosening her tie and feeling more informal already, she headed swiftly around the corner to Professor Lupin's office.

Throughout the week, she had been practicing small spells here and there, getting used to using her wand, but she still felt out of her depth in his class, and wanted to spend the afternoon taking him up on his offer to guide her.

A timid knock on his office door alerted Remus.

"Professor Lupin?" she asked.

"Ah, Miss Brook, come in. What can I do for you?" he responded with a warm smile, once again being taken back by the girl's striking resemblance to her father.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you, I know it's a Friday evening. I was just hoping to maybe get your guidance on something?" Brandi said sweetly, stepping further into the office.

Lupin laughed politely. "Nonsense, I told you my door is always open and I meant it! Is everything alright?"

"Oh yeah, everything's fine, I just..." she sighed, dropping the pleasantries and getting to the point. "I was wondering if you had maybe a book of basic spells lying around? Just something I could practice with, the harmless spells everyone should know. I've progressed over the week with my wand but it's just a completely different type of magic, and I thought that over the weekend and the next few weeks that maybe I could put in some extra time and get used to it."

Remus smiled, admiring the girl's persistence and commitment. "Of course, that's not a problem at all. Let's see here..." he trailed off as he turned to face his bookshelf, skimming over the spell books and defence items he'd collected over the years. "Take this, actually no that's too much waffle. Ah! Yes, take this one instead: A Wizard's Most-Used & Essential Spells - Third Edition. It has all the basics, the things every witch and wizard uses on a daily basis. I think it'll suit you perfectly."

He handed over the book which was exactly what Brandi had come looking for and more, bringing a grateful smile to her face.

"This is perfect, thank you Professor," she said as she began flicking through the pages, already eager to get started.

"You know, you're clearly much further ahead than you realise. Sure, on paper your wand spells are a little behind, but the speed you've caught up isn't something to ignore. How much wandless magic have you practiced on your own?"

Brandi shrugged slightly with a nervous chuckle. "I'm not sure, I just went with the flow I mean...I can levitate objects without hands or words now, when I hatch or generate objects I need to use my hands a little and say the word, otherwise I find that I can sort of channel electrical outlets and technology to...charge my power if that makes sense."

Lupin hadn't expected that answer and was quietly eager to see the extent of her abilities, but played it cool. "It does. In fact, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't extremely impressed. It sounds to me you've got incredible potential, Miss Brook."