Lesson Three - The Knock-Back Jinx

"He actually complimented us! Can you believe that Keith?" Shah asked, obviously excited. Keith smiled, but before he could say anything, Shah gave him a hug. Keith laughed slightly, nearly about to hug her back, but she quickly pulled away. "What's wrong?" Keith asked.

Ellie nodded and stood up.Catching Ella completely off guard she yelled, "Flipendo!" Ella went up into the air and flew backwards. Ellie strutted over to Ella, smiling and knelt beside her. "You okay?" Ellie smirked.

"Yes I'm fine." replied Ella bouncing back up. "You're pretty good for a first timer there sis. I'm shocked." Ella smiled then patted Ellie on the back.

"Uh, thought you might not like it. The hug I mean." Shah explained. "Well-" Keith began, before he was cut off again. "Let's sit down and wait, Keith." She quickly added. Keith only nodded. "Sounds good." He said.

"You were saying?" Shah asked, as they took their seats. Keith thought for a second. "Oh, no, it wasn't that important. Never mind." He said.

"Flipendo!" Aurora exclaimed. Suddenly, Kim felt a great force going through her stomach but she made a great effort resisting it. Her feet was forced to step backwards but fortunately, the spell was not good enough to knock her down. She looked back at Aurora, trying to figure out if she wants to try again.

"Your turn now," Aurora said, trying to smile. The spell hadn't been very strong, but it was a start. Aurora went to stand in front of the cushions, prepared to fall down on top of them.

"Are you alright?" Wade carefully asked him, offering him his hand. Still disoriented from his fall, James remained seated on the cushion for a moment before accepting his workmate's help and getting up. His landing had been almost utterly softened by the pads, but he had been totally caught by surprise, and hadn't been prepared for something like that to happen. "I'm fine" he replied, though his voice clearly indicated otherwise. "I just don't understand what happened."

"Your turn now," Aurora said, glimpsing a smile. Kim nodded at her response and went towards where Aurora cast the spell. She took out her wand and readied herself for it. She doesn't know what to concentrate to or what to think of while performing it. All she knew was the incantation itself.

She held a strong grip on her wand and concentrated on how she will say the incantation. "Flipendo!" she exclaimed.

It took James a little while to get up, which worried Wade as he seemed a bit disoriented from the fall. After accepting Wade's hand and getting up, James spoke.
"I'm fine" he said, and Wade couldn't help but doubt him. "I just don't understand what happened."
"Maybe you forced the spell too much? Try relaxing a little. I think if you just calm down and sort of let it happen it will work very well." Wade advised him. He really did think it would work for James, as it seemed to work for him whenever he tried to do magic.

"Maybe you forced the spell too much? Try relaxing a little. I think if you just calm down and sort of let it happen it will work very well." Wade advised. James nodded, knowing that his workmate had a point. He just had to relax and believe that he could succeed. However, at the thought of trying the jinx again, he couldn't chase away the thought of failure. After his disastrous encounter with Devil's Snare and now his spell backfiring, he was beginning to profoundly doubt his abilities.

"Maybe... maybe you can try, and then I'll attempt to cast it again." James hesitantly suggested.

"Maybe... maybe you can try, and then I'll attempt to cast it again." James said after a little while. He was clearly worried about something, and Wade decided not to make the situation even more awkward.
"Alright." Wade said with a friendly smile. Walking away from James, he took out his wand and then faced his classmate. Pointing toward James, Wade prepared to cast the spell. In a fast blur, the letter his mother had sent a while ago came back to his mind, reminding him of his father. For a second, James's brown hair turned blonde, and his normally kind eyes became evil, his face was not that of Wade's intelligent, shy friend, but of the man that had left his son in pursuit of power.
"Flipendo!" Wade said fiercely, and revealed half a smile a little as James's body was sent backward a little too hard. This was probably the first time Wade had been able to cast a spell on his first try, and he was quite proud of himself. Looking at the body that lay feet away from him, he realized it was James and ran over to him.
"I'm sorry?" Wade said, although he wasn't sure if he should say it as a question, because he really didn't know whether he should feel bad because James might have gotten hurt or if he should be happy that he got the spell right, and he couldn't quite get the image of his father away from his thoughts. It was a very clear picture that had been created from bits and pieces gathered from old newspaper articles and pictures that his mother kept around the house.
"I'm sorry." Wade repeated, but this time, he meant it. He was sorry to have let his personal life affect, in the slightest way, one of his friends. Once again, he offered his hand to James.

"Yes, it does appear so" Professor Umbranox replied briefly.
"You will practice with me then." he added and headed towards an empty space. Lucy followed quietly.
"Please stand there." he instructed. "Now, since you will not be able to knock me back for reasons I am not ready to disclose yet, this is how we will proceed. You will cast the jinx, and I will reflect the spell back in your direction, so be prepared to experience its effects. We can start whenever you are ready." He explained. Lucy wasn't very sure of what he meant, but she decided to not ask him and just cast the spell.
What does he mean by 'reasons I am not ready to disclose yet'? Lucy thought, glancing at Professor Umbranox's face, who seemed to not have gotten sleep the night before; that look was becoming strangely familiar to her.
"Flipendo!" Lucy said, finally focusing on the spell, and as a Professor Umbranox had said, she was not able to move him at all, which was a bit disappointing. She then prepared herself, mentally, to be shot backward by the professor.

"Flipendo!" Lucy Malfoy shouted, directing her wand right at Ambrosius. Remaining perfectly serene, he waited for the last moment before the spell would hit him before swiftly waving his wand in front of him while pronouncing Protego in his mind. The student's jinx rebounded directly off the bright, transparent blue barrier he had just conjured, and was sent right back at the caster, hitting the girl head-on.

As Wade accepted to do the task, James took position and prepared to be subjected to the jinx's effect. Just before he cast the spell, James noticed a strange expression on his classmate's face, some sort of unusual determination, but before he could exactly define what it was, the Slytherin shouted "Flipendo!".

James almost instantly felt his feet blast off, as his body was being thrown into the air, much more violently than the first time. He then landed on his back, the shock totally absorbed by the cushions. "I'm sorry?" Wade said after rapidly approaching, but it sounded more like a question than a real apology. For a moment, James noticed a glimpse of anger and satisfaction in his friend's eyes, but he remained silent as he was still recovering from the fall. "I'm sorry." This time, it felt sincere, and the strange expression was gone from the Slytherin's face.

"Don't worry, I'm okay." James reassured, accepting his workmate's help to get up. "These cushions really are amazing, I didn't feel a thing."
"Are you okay?" he added after a moment of hesitation, seeing that Wade still appeared troubled by something.

Professor Umbranox remained perfectly calm, and then suddenly he waved his wand and Lucy's spell rebounded, throwing her backwards, and the finally onto the floor.
"Oh," was all she said, still laying on the floor. The cushions had helped a little, but Professor Umbranox's strength was much more than she could handle at such a young age. Without letting everyone in the room know that she was a bit shocked by the spell, she sat down, and unsure of what to do, she asked her professor, "Professor? Do we have to do this again? Because I think I learned part of the spell."

"Don't worry, I'm okay." James reassured, accepting Wade's help. "These cushions really are amazing, I didn't feel a thing." he said, and Wade wanted to smile, but he was strangely unable to do it.
"Are you okay?" James added.
"Huh? Oh, yes. I'm alright. A bit shocked to have gotten the spell right, but that's all." Wade responded, and the tone of confidence and mischief that was usually in his voice had disappeared, but he didn't want to acknowledge it. To admit out loud that his father's leaving hurt him was like admitting defeat in a war.

After an impressive dive, the girl violently landed on the floor, the cushions fortunately softening the impact. After giving her a couple of seconds to recover, Ambrosius approached. "Professor? Do we have to do this again? Because I think I learned part of the spell." the Slytherin inquired. With a swish of his wand, he helped her get back on her feet. "I apologize for that, miss Malfoy. However, I did only reflect your own jinx. The brutality of your fall is but a proof of the quality of your spell." he complimented the girl. "You will have the opportunity to cast it again when we move on to the next task. Now, if you would please wait here while I check if anyone is having difficulties with the jinx."

Walking around the classroom, Ambrosius noticed that most of his students seemed to have successfully completed the assignment he had given them. Having seen James Riddle experience some trouble with the spell earlier, he headed towards the boy and his workmate. "That was a fairly powerful jinx, mister Malfoy." he commented after witnessing the Slytherin's spell vigorously throw back his partner. "However, be certain to remain fully concentrated on the task. Letting your thoughts wander off often leads to losing control over your abilities, which may have disastrous consequences." he warned. "Now, mister Riddle, if you still haven't cast the jinx successfully, I would like you to give it a try."

"Flipendo!" Kim shouted. Aurora felt her feet lose their hold on the ground; she stumbled and fell back onto the cushions. "Good one!" she congratulated Kim after picking herself up. "Wow," she added, rubbing her backside, "you really got me."

Upon saying the spell, Aurora flew to the air and landed on the soft cushions. "Good one!" Aurora told Kim. "Thanks," Kim said back while helping her partner stand up on her feet again. "Wow," Aurora added, rubbing her backside, "you really got me."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." Kim looked around to see how the others are working out. Not sure on what to do next, she asked Aurora.

"That was a fairly powerful jinx, mister Malfoy." Professor Umbranox said as he walked over to Wade and James. "However, be certain to remain fully concentrated on the task. Letting your thoughts wander off often leads to losing control over your abilities, which may have disastrous consequences." he warned him, and he couldn't help but wonder if the professor knew about what he had been thinking while he casted the spell. That thought sent a shiver down Wade's spine. He could've hurt James.
"Now, mister Riddle, if you still haven't cast the jinx successfully, I would like you to give it a try." Professor Umbranox's voice interrupted Wade's thoughts. Without being told to, Wade walked away and stood at a fair distance from James, ready to accept his spell, and gave his partner an encouraging smile.