Jaeden had been practically bouncing with excitement throughout all her classes. Minus defense against the dark arts because her professor for that class would probably drown her in the lake if she did. She got the feeling he didn't like kids much. Which made her wonder why he would become a teacher in the first place. She supposed he could always just be a very unhappy camper. That was always a possibility.

The first year witch had discovered soon after entering her first class that there was a lot more to magic than she had thought. But that was ok with her. She didn't mind having to do the work when it paid off in the end. Which was why she was in the student study common room with her charms book open and her notes from class out, both laying on the table before her.

Jaeden seemed to have struggled with the charm in class, but she had been relieved that she wasn't the only one. In fact, most of her class had not succeeded in levitating their feathers. Hence the reason Jaeden was now trying hard to actually accomplish making something levitate. So far she had tried the charm on book, a cushion from one of the armchairs, a quill, and a piece of parchment. All to no avail. None of the items even budged.

The young witch was steadily getting more and more frustrated, but a determination had set in and she promised herself she would figure out how to do it. When her most recent attempt failed, yet again, Jaeden huffed and plopped down in her chair defeatedly. Maybe she wasn't a witch after all.

“Jay!” The flash of blonde hair was visible for about a second before the young Ravenclaw was flying through the air and quite literally pouncing on the even younger Hufflepuff. She wrapped her arms about the other girl and hugged her tightly, squealing in delight at their reunion. “How have you been enjoying Hogwarts so far? Is it everything you imagined? More? It seems to always be more for me.” She laughed a bit, settling herself in a chair near her friend and looking at the girl’s book and notes.

So, the first years had started off with levitation charms. Ryleigh hadn’t been sure if the professors followed the same plan each year or not, but that was the way her first year of Charms had gone as well, so she guessed at least Flitwick did. She grinned, remembering how she’d showed the two younger kids this same spell on the train ride in. “Leviosa, huh? Getting the wand movement just right can be tricky at first. Have you had any luck yet?”

Ryleigh was thinking of doing some of her own work for the new Professor Slughorn. She had an essay assigned already, and she wasn’t exactly sure what to write for it, but that could wait. It wasn’t due for another three days, so for now she could help the younger student. She knew it could be frustrating when you were first starting out, especially if things weren’t coming easily. It wouldn’t be good for Jaeden to get down on herself about something so trivial as a botched swish and flick.

“Show me your technique, and if you want, I can give you some pointers?” she offered, playing with her single French braid as she spoke. She didn’t want to force herself on the girl, but she also didn’t want her friend to struggle. Maybe if she could just give her a couple tips, the Hufflepuff could figure it out and have one less thing to worry about in this new world.

Jaeden looked up just in time to see blonde hair before with an "oompf!" she was pounced and arms were suddenly squeezing the life out of her. The young hufflepuff wheezed out a laugh at her friend's enthusiasm but returned it equally. She was thrilled to have the older girl there, and not just because she was sure Ryleigh could help her, but because she genuinely liked the Ravenclaw.

Jaeden had a grin from ear to ear as her friend settled in, happy to see this wasn't just a fly by meeting. Atleast she had some company while she failed at her work. Jay's mood did a complete one-eighty now that the Ravenclaw was there, and now not getting the charm didn't seem so bad. "Oh it's awesome sauce!!" She replied brightly, nodding to her own words. "It's definitely a lot more than I had expected." She admitted in a happy way, as if this was a good thing. Jaeden thought it was. It beat being disappointed.

"Yeaaaa.." The brunette replied a little less eagerly, trailing off with a small frown, her face crunching up in her lack of enthusiasm for the charm. "It's a lot harder than it seemed when Professor Flitwick did it. Do you think it's possible to like, lose your magic Ry?" Jay asked the older girl earnestly, a worried look on her face. She shortened the girl's given name because well, it was more time consuming to say the whole thing. It was a whole two syllables after all. Now it was just one.

Jay shook her head to Ryleigh's question. "Nope. Gravity seems to like everything I wanna levitate too much." The young girl gave a grin, and then bounced in her seat at her friend' soccer. "Seriously!? You will!? You're the bestest Ry!!" The over excited Hufflepuff jumped up with her wand, grinned rather nervously, cleared her throat like she was a performer about to go on stage, and waved her wand in what she thought was a good rendition of what Professor Flitwick had showed them. However the quill she was aiming to make levitate didn't move.

Jaeden glared at the writing utensil and leaned over, flicking it so it rolled. She grinned triumphantly even though she knew it was cheating. It made her feel better. "Atleast it moved." She turned unrepentantly to her friend for the constructive criticism she was sure she would be getting.

Ryleigh was happy to see the girl smiling. Even if she was getting frustrate with her wandwork, at least she was having fun at her new school! It was just what the Ravenclaw had hoped for. She wanted Jay and Parker both to have a fantastic time at Hogwarts, and she wanted to see them both succeed. On that front, she would be more than willing to help. Thus, she watched with great concentration as the younger girl demonstrated the familiar swish and flick.

Only, it wasn’t quite that familiar. The swish seemed a tiny bit hesitant, as if the brunette was doubting herself, and the flick was a bit… weak in the wrist. The blonde frowned, trying to think of how she could nicely explain the ways in which her friend might improve. “You’ve got a really good start, Jay,” she said, grinning at the girl’s joke. She was happy the Hufflepuff was still messing around a bit, since it meant she wasn’t getting too frustrated.

“When I first tried this one, I was too stiff. I think with you, it’s the opposite. At least, in the flick part. You’re a bit too loose.” Taking out her own wand, she tried to show the other girl what it looked like she was doing. “See, when you flick, you’re doing this kind of think. A bit wobbly. You want to make it sharper, like this.” Again, she demonstrated, giving the wand a flick with confidence.

The tougher part was the swish. “Don’t hold your wand too tight, but not so loose that it flops about either. Kind of like… this.” She put her hand over that of the younger girl, demonstrating the correct pressure. “And then you want a kind of sweeping ‘u’ shape. You kinda had that, but you didn’t have the steady grip. You just have to stay consistent.” She smiled reassuringly at Jaeden, encouraging her to try again. “Just know you can do it, and it’ll be a piece of cake!”

Jaeden listened and watched as attentively as she did in class as Ryleigh tried to teach her how to properly perform the charm. Adjusting her grip on her wand and taking a few practice waves, she felt that she was ready to give it another go.

The little girl squared her shoulders like a soldier going into battle. Her face set in a determined look, her brows drawing together in concentration. She really wanted to get this charm down right. It showed in every part of her stance but she still lacked in believing she could actually do it.

But Jaeden was taking this as a personal challenge, and she didn't want to fail at it because in her still developing mind it meant she failed as a witch. Taking a breath, Jaeden called out the incantation and made the swish and flick motion, mimicking Ryleigh's movements. Her brown eyes lit in sudden excitement when the quill she had aimed for gave a shake, as if it wanted to rise, but other than that it did nothing.

Her face scrunched up as she tried to concentrate harder but it was no good, and the quill stopped it's vibrating and lay still. Jaeden dropped her hand with it's wand in it and dropped her head to the table in frustration. "I'm hopeless." She muttered dejectedly.

Shaking her head at the younger girl, Ryleigh felt her heart yearn to help her more. She wished there was something she could do for the little one, but magic was really something you had to figure out on your own to actually grasp it. The only thing she could do was reassure the brunette, and keep her attitude positive through the experience. “You can’t lose your magic, Jay. If you had it before, you still have it now. The fact that that quill just moved a bit is proof enough. You just aren’t believing in yourself.”

Ryleigh tried to think of how she could best explain the necessity of belief in one’s self to the small, frustrated girl. “Think of something you tried to do when you were younger. Like when you first learned to tie your shoes. When you were first learning and it seemed so hard, you got frustrated I’m sure, right?” she waited for the affirmation before continuing, “but each time you let that frustration take over and said you couldn’t do it, those laces just got all tangled and twisted and you got nowhere, right?”

She offered Jay a smile as she pointed at the quill on the surface between the girls. “Now, I want you to picture that quill floating in the air, just like you used to picture your tied laces. That’s the finished product. That’s what you want to achieve. You know you can do it, because you’re magic like me, and you saw me do it. Right? Just like you saw your mum tie her shoe, so you knew you could tie them, too.”

The hope was that the younger girl had a clear picture in her mind, and was feeling the tingle of her magic inside her bones. It was the best feeling in the world in Ry’s opinion, so she really wanted her friend to experience it. “Now, let it happen. You know you can do it, so just let your magic flow, and give that feather flight.” Her eyes were bright with wonder as she waited for the young witch to discover what was within herself. She knew the girl could do it. If only she could believe in herself!

Jaeden kept her head on the table, not willing to show her full disappointment to her friend. But she did not and occasionally shrug in answer to Ryleigh. A small part of her mind told her this was extremely childish behavior and that she should just face the music. But Jaeden wanted to be a an extremely childish child for a little while longer.

Just because she wasn't looking at her blonde friend though, didn't mean she wasn't listening to her, Jaeden was, in fact, a great listener, and she did so in rapt attention. If she were a cat her ears would probably prick up much the same way a cat's did when it heard something. It was hard to contain the smile that was growing on her face. Ryleigh always seemed to know exactly what to say to make Jay feel better. Jaeden promised herself that one day she would be able to return the favor.

Finally lifting her head, she aimed a baleful glare at her friend. "It's not fair. You're so smart." She tried to make it a complaint, but it ended up a compliment. And she did mean it. Ryleigh was smart. Sighing, Jaeden shook her head, trying to dispel all her self doubt, and closed her eyes, trying to picture what Ryleigh was telling her to picture. At first it was hard, but eventually she could see the quill floating in her mind, and Ryleigh had been right! Jaeden somehow knew she could make it happen!

She didn't know how or why, but it was a feeling she got. Right down to her very bones! It was like that feeling you got when you stubbed your toe or had a bad headache and you could feel your pulse in it. Only this was her magic pulsing. Taking confidence in that, Jay took another shot at the charm, but kept her eyes closed as she performed it this time. "Is it working?" She questioned hopefully, not willing to open her eyes yet.

It looked like the other girl was taking in all of what Ryleigh was telling her. She was focusing, letting go of all the stress and frustration. It made the Ravenclaw happy to know that she could help the younger girl like this. She was happy for the compliment too, even if she did shake her head in response. “You’re smart too, Jay. You just have to trust yourself.”

The Hufflepuff’s eyes were closed and Ryleigh was brought back to her own first year. She’d been trying so hard to get the feather to float, and she’d nearly burst into tears when the student next to her managed to get his to fly a bit while hers still barely twitched. It was then that the little professor had made his way over to the small girl, looking her in the eye and sharing a small smile and a wink. ”Trust what comes naturally, little witch,” he’d said, and walked away with a glimmer in his eyes. She’d closed her eyes, much like Jay was doing now.

Ryleigh had let her magi flow and stopped worrying so much about what everyone else was doing and whether she was living up to the class standards. Instead, she focused on herself. She cleared her mind, opened her heart and took the little man’s advice. She believed in herself. Next thing she knew, the spell’s words were out of her mouth and she squealed with delight as the feather rose high above those of her classmates.

She was brought back to the present by her friend’s quill hovering a few feet in the air. Her face broke into a huge grin as the younger girl asked if she’d done the spell right. “Open your eyes and see for yourself!” She called, bouncing with delight at her young friend’s success.

When Ry told her to open her eyes and see for herself, Jaeden wasn't sure she wanted to. There was still a tiny piece of doubt in her enough to make her want to keep her eyes closed and just imagine she was making the quill float. But the curiosity was killing her. It still took a minute for her to build up the nerve to face either another fail, or a hug accomplishment.

Jaeden opened one eye, peeking slowly to find out which she would deal with. When she saw the quill floating in mid air, actually floating, both of her brown eyes opened widely with a mixture of amazement, wonderment, and success whirling around in them. A full blown triumphant grin spread from ear to ear and for a split second she just admired her handiwork. And then she celebrated.

The first year whooped loudly, seemingly not caring who was around or if they thought she was insane. She jumped in the air, fist pumping as she did, singing a rendition of "I did it! I did it!" Jaeden had never felt anything so great as to finally nail her first try at magic. So happy the young girl was that she pounced on her Ravenclaw friend, knocking the girl out of her chair, squealing. "Opps!" Jay said, but not even that could keep the sparkle out of her eyes or wipe the triumphant grin from her face.

"Sorry Ry! Need help?" She asked her friend, leaning over the now vacant chair that the blonde had been seating in, her face illuminated by her triumph.

Feeling a bit like a cartoon character, Ryleigh gulped as her world seemed to turn in slow motion. One moment she was sitting there all happy smiles, watching as her friend finally realized what she’d accomplished. The next, she was saying hello to the floor. And it wasn’t exactly a soft hello either. She groaned, but still smiled at the younger girl. “Thanks,” she managed, taking the offered hand and pulling herself to her feet before rubbing her sore cheek where she had managed to land. Grace was not something the Ravenclaw had been blessed with.

Another thing was the instinct of self-preservation apparently, as she broke into a wide smile despite the soreness in her face. “I told you you could do it!” She didn’t mean to come off sounding like a know-it-all, but she kind of did anyway. Oh well. The Hufflepuff would probably understand that no harm was meant. She hugged the younger girl, sharing her joy at Jay’s success, then looked back at her own assignment before checking the time. It was getting close to dinner time, and Ry had all intentions of eating a lot of yummy food and then passing out in her comfortable bed so she could get a head start on things tomorrow morning.

Maybe it would be best to save her essay for tomorrow, and focus on celebrating the Hufflepuff’s victory. “Maybe you should try the other things again,” she suggested gently, motioning to the other items that had been lined up on the table. “Once you show yourself just how much of a witch you are, we can head to the Great Hall together. I think someone mentioned a pudding of some sort on the menu tonight.” She grinned at her friend, encouraging her to go for another item. It was always best to make sure you could do something more than once, in Ryleigh’s opinion. Plus, this way she knew the girl was actually confident in herself. And she’d have company walking all the way to the dining area.

Jaeden grinned happily and nodded enthusiastically to Ry's words and idea. At the blonde's mention of the great hall and pudding, Jay's stomach gave a loud growl, and she smiled sheepishly. "My stomach agrees with your plan Ry. And who am I to disagree with my stomach or you?" Jaeden grinned like a loon and turned her attention back to her things.

She really was starving now that she thought about it, so focusing in what she wanted to accomplish was a bit more difficult when trying to ignore her raging stomach. Eventually she was able to picture the piece of parchment floating in midair, and she waved her wand in the correct movements Ry had demonstrated and called out the incantation. The only difference was that this time her eyes popped open as soon as she performed the charm. And to her utter delight, the parchment was actually floating.

"Yes!" She changed happily, fist pumping again. This little process and routine continued until she had made it through all the objects she had been trying to levitate before Ry had shown up. As each one floated, Jaeden was extremely proud of herself as she turned to her friend, packing her books and things away in her bag. "You know what this means Ry? I really am a witch!" Jay was so ecstatic about this, as if coming to Hogwarts hadn't been confirmation enough. Now she had no doubt. She had performed magic.

The first year gave her friend a tight hug. "Thank you Ry. I couldn't have done it without you." It might have been what Jay's mom would have called a kodak moment if Jaeden's stomach didn't give a raging growl just then. Jaeden grinned unrepentantly. "So you up for that pudding Ry? Maybe we can rope Parker into a pudding fight."