[Fourth Floor Corridor; Tuesday, 3:07 P.M.]

It had been much to her mother's disappointment that Serenity Lee's mid-term exam grades hadn't met the standards. She hadn't left her alone about it, either, sending her letters full of lectures and "helpful tips" about how to split up her time to study more effectively. Unfortunately, Serenity Lee had studied as hard as she could for those mid-terms, but several things had gone awry--especially during her Herbology mid-term. In spite of that, her grade in Herbology had come out quite unexpected: very good! Astrology and DADA, however, were a different matter. Serenity Lee had the intellect for DADA (keeping her cool, working well enough under pressure), but for some reason, she seemed to have episodes in his class more than any others. As for Astronomy... How could she possibly pay attention to the actual movement of the planets when there was so much mythology based around them? That seemed more plausible to her: mythology rather than astronomy!

Either way, she had dressed suitably considering the rest of her schedule was free after passing her Flying Lessons and was skipping down the fourth floor corridor nonchalantly when a group of bullying fourth years, scheming no doubt, turned and found her.

"Oy, you! What're you doin' down here?"

Being much smaller than these taller boys, she abruptly stopped in her tracks and ducked her head down so that her bangs covered her face. The shield of hair wouldn't work on them, she knew that, yet it was a habit that made her felt more secure. She hugged the standard Herbology book closer to her chest, glancing up behind them. They were trying to hide a smoking cauldron with their bulk by shuffling in front of it, but she had seen; this made them even angrier.

"I-I was just coming back from the library," she said loud enough for them to hear. No matter how insecure she looked, she always did her best to sound unafraid by keeping her voice at a level volume.

"You didn't see anythin', right? Right?!"

"Iiii---!"

Before she had time to actually say anything, all four of them were cracking their knuckles and glaring at her menacingly. One of them even drew his wand and pointed it at her. The others were a bit taken aback at their friend's boldness to attack a small first year, but he wasn't the type to take chances. She dug around quickly in her robes for her own wand, snatched it, and pointed it back at him with a trembling hand. He laughed; the others guffawed stupidly.

"What're ye goin' ta do with that stick, girlie? Ye're just a lil' tyke! Are ye sure ye wanna duel me? I kin easily curse yer lips shut fer good and ye won't be able to tell any'ne anythin'!"

Her hazel eyes didn't leave his, but her body was shaking horribly. She could feel her stomach knotting up, her heart pounding in her ears, and her breath growing faster. This wasn't good! She couldn't jinx anyone. What was she doing? He raised his wand in slow, mocking motion, a smug look of triumph on his face, and gave her time to think. No spells came to mind. She couldn't jinx him! He was giving her plenty of time, but all the Ravenclaw could do was stand there trembling and thinking only of how she absolutely could not bring herself to fire a dark spell at another person. So much for Professor Storm's teaching methods; what was he going to do with a student who wouldn't fight back?

clothes

It was a Saturday and snowy outside, which meant that since midmorning, so was Keegan. If it hadn't been for the fact that  his gloves were soaked through from the snow, as were his shoes, and he felt like he would become a snowman himself if he didn't get inside and warm up, Keegan might not have ever decided to go inside for a quick pit stop at the fireplace and a cup of cocoa. Naturally, being a 12 year old boy, he didn't just take the easy way up to the Gryffindor dorms. Instead he kept jumping from staircase to staircase, scattering unsuspecting students in his wake, until he somehow ended up on the forth floor.

"Outta the way bub!" Keegan shouted at a random pair of Ravenclaws coming out of the library as he ran towards them, brandishing pilfered forks between his fingers like claws. The two kids exchanged confused glances and stepped out of his way as he barreled past, their wide eyes following the masked Gryffindor with looks of bewilderment mixed with derision. They obviously didn't know that he was pretending to be his hero Wolverine, of muggle comic book fame, with the help of one of his fathers Christmas gifts: a shirt and ski mask emblazoned with the characters likeness. They more then likely thought he was crazy but Keegan didn't care. As far as he was concerned he was Wolverine, claw bearing bad ass who didn't take crap from anyone. So far no one bugged him about it, but then it could have been because of the forks he kept menacing at them with. He wanted to do knives but he had a feeling that it wouldn't have worked out in his favor if he had been caught.

He was getting bored though. He needed an actual foe... or someone to save. It was no fun just running around scaring people. He briefly considered the library, but decided against it. Something about the librarian scared him. About to just give up and take off his mask, Keegan rounded the corner and came face to face with exactly what he was waiting for: a damsel in distress.

"What're ye goin' ta do with that stick, girlie? Ye're just a lil' tyke! Are ye sure ye wanna duel me? I kin easily curse yer lips shut fer good and ye won't be able to tell any'ne anythin'!"

Keegan's eyes narrowed behind his mask as he assessed the situation. Four guys, obviously older and, since he had conveniently forgotten his wand, obviously better equipped. Most kids would turn around and say screw it, but not Keegan. Squeezing his fist around the forks until they dug into the soft knit and into his fingers, Keegan let out a low growl before stepping out into the open. Stepping out wide and brandishing his fork claws, he shouted at them "OY!"

"Aw... come'on Jake... Let's just get outta he--..." one of the bullies friends was saying, only to trail off when he saw Keegan " What the bloody hell..."

"Leave 'er alone! Pick on some'un yer own size!" Keegan said again, pointing his claws at the main bully.

"What the 'ell... What is this?" The bully laughed "... Alright then punk... I'll fight ya first..." Just like Keegan planned, the bully turned his wand on him. Before he could attack, however, Keegan let out an earsplitting war cry and bolted forward. Pulling his arm back he launched the handful of forks at the group. They weren't traveling hard or fast enough to cause harm but they did distract the boy with the wand, which is what Keegan was hoping for. Slamming into the larger boy, Keegan sent him tumbling to the ground and his wand bouncing down the hall. Two of the four freaked out.

"Merlin, he's bloody crazy!"

"Screw this, I'm outta here!"

Grabbing their scattered supplies, the smaller two took off and left their comrades behind. The boy that remained standing fumbled for his wand as Keegan turned on him. "S...stupify!" he shouted as he weakly flicked his wand. Keegan ducked, the bolt of light barely missing his head and striking the boy behind him, who had just managed to stand back up and now fell back over in a dead faint. Barreling into the other boy, both of them fall to the ground. Crawling to his knees next to him, Keegan pulled out one of his forks menacingly. "Wha--What are ye gonna do?" the kid whispered, eying the fork.

"Ye don't want to know what I am gonna do..." Keegan growled in his best Wolverine impression, "I'm tha best at what I do, and what I do ain't pretty..." With that, he raised the fork and brought it down, hard. So hard that it embedded itself in the crack in the floor next to the bullies head, which Keegan had purposely missed. When the boy opened his eyes to see how close the fork was to entering his brain, he quickly stumbled to his feet and hightailed it out of there, leaving his stupefied 'friend' behind.

Standing, Keegan turned back to Serenity. She was still sitting against the wall with her arms around her knees, shaking. Kneeling down, Keegan reached out and shook her shoulder. "Hey, ye alright? Serenity?" Keegan inquired, worried. Realizing that she might be scared of the weird masked kid who just threatened to kill one of her bullies, Keegan quickly pulled off his ski mask "It's me, Ren... I won't hurt ye..."

There had indeed been a hero to come and save her that day. A hero a little taller than her dressed up like Wolverine. She was so frightened by his sudden aggressive attitude that she had placed herself against the wall and sunk to the ground while he took care of everything. If she had been at all useful, she would have helped, but her savior had been able to handle the remaining two bullies on his own. Patiently, she wrapped her arms around her knees and held them close to her chest, watching...

The threat with the fork was what had unsettled her. She couldn't imagine anyone she knew actually doing something like that and for more than a second, Serenity Lee thought that the masked boy (she could tell by the voice it was a boy) had actually stabbed her attacker! Who in their right mind would stab another person? Her mind became frenzied with panic and she was unable to register that the boy was fine; at least, until her hero started shaking her shoulder roughly to bring her back to reality.

"Hey, ye alright? Serenity? It's me, Ren... I won't hurt ye..."

He had pulled off his mask and the little Ravenclaw found herself staring up into Keegan's pretty, blue eyes. She couldn't take her own hazel eyes off his for what seemed like several minutes and without warning, the Ravenclaw flung herself forward and threw her arms around his neck to hug him.

"Keegan, thank you! I thought--I wasn't sure who it was at first."

Once she was attached, Serenity Lee refused to let go of her rescuer. He had been so brave and fierce, just like a true Gryffindor! It was too bad that she wasn't as quick-witted or smart like a Ravenclaw. Dahlia would have been able to hex those boys without a second thought, but she just couldn't do it. Here, with her friend, she was safe and she was worried that if she let go, everything would go wrong. Serenity stared over his shoulder at the stupefied body of the remaining bully and gave a disapproving frown.

"W-we should go before he gets up," she whispered in his ear.

Gradually, her trembling body released him from the hug and used the wall as support to climb to her feet. Whether the boy was stupefied or not, Serenity Lee refused to put her wand away at the moment in case he decided to suddenly spring up and aim for Keegan. But then if he did, what would she do? If she couldn't hex him to save her own skin, how could she do it for Keegan? With her eyes firmly on the stiff body of the older student, the ickle firstie picked up her Herbology book, slung her bag back over her shoulder, and waited for Keegan.

Her eyes were so wide and unblinking that, for a moment, he thought she had had a mental break. Maybe the stress of seeing such an awesome display of...fork wielding... had put her in shock. A moment or two passed after they had locked eyes and Keegan begin to feel a little uncomfortable. A single strawberry blond brow arched as he begin to ask if she was all there, when she suddenly bolted forward and wrapped her arms so tightly around his neck that he gasped for air.

"Keegan, thank you! I thought--I wasn't sure who it was at first."

Keegan had no idea how to react to this situation. He had barely hugged his own mother let alone a girl closer to his age. Not that he necessarily thought of Serenity as a girl girl, but he still felt like he should make some gesture to calm her down, preferably before she choked him. Did he pat her back? Pet her hair? Offer her a frog? He didn't know but he needed to come up with something soon, because he was beginning to feel a bit woozey. Deciding on the back patting, he raised his hand and was about to give her a cursory pat when she suddenly whispered in his ear.

"W-we should go before he gets up,"

As she let him go, Keegan discretely gasped for air and nodded vigorously "Aye..." He said after a moment, "... Don't want 'im calling back 'is mates..." As she retrieved her stuff, Keegan glanced back at the fallen boy. He was beginning to stir slightly and Keegan realized that the spell wasn't going to last much longer. "Let me grab my cla--er-- forks..." Keegan said as he rolled to his feet and went to retrieve his fallen utensils. As he passed the groaning boy, he gave him a swift, firm kick to the stomach. The bully let out a moan and rolled into a ball, to which Keegan said loudly "Whoops... I di'n't see ye there."

Retrieving his forks, as well as the discarded wand, Keegan tread on the boys fingers as he returned to Serenity. Twirling the wand between his fingers, Keegan grinned at Serenity "Let's put this somewhere safe eh?" As they started down the hall, leaving the bully laying there in pain and swearing revenge under his breath, Keegan looked down at the much shorter Ravenclaw with a curious expression "So...uh... Why di'n't ye 'ex 'im? I dun think ye woulduv gotten in trouble fer protectin' yerself..."

While the pair of them strolled, she took to admiring his costume. He was dressed up like a typical boy playing a super-hero, but at least it was one she was familiar with: Wolverine from X-men. That was probably the best part about her father being muggle and both of her parents having spent time in America: comic books! As a younger child, she had asked her dad to recount the tales of the X-men several times and although she wasn't entirely sure that he had been true to the comics of Stan Lee, the stories fascinated her and sent her off into dreams where she imagined herself as a student as Xavier's school. She had always known she was a witch, but that was much different than being a super-hero, wasn't it?

"So...uh... Why di'n't ye 'ex 'im? I dun think ye woulduv gotten in trouble fer protectin' yerself.."

"Huh?" For a moment, she wasn't entirely sure what he was talking about, but then she looked back over her shoulder at the body on the floor and frowned. "Oh, umm... I don't know. I don't really like hexing people. It's not that I'm afraid of getting trouble, it's just that... If I hex someone, they'll get hurt. I know that sounds stupid, but I just don't like hurting people."

She pointed at a shortcut to her right that would lead them from the fourth floor up to the fifth floor. Still, Serenity Lee couldn't help but stare at his costume and deciding to change the subject to one she found less hard to explain, she headed along the short-cut and smiled at Keegan.

"I like your costume, by the way. Wolverine's one of my favorites. My dad does a great job playing him. Oh, in his stories I mean," she added hastily before Keegan got the idea that her dad played him in a movie or something. "He used to put me to sleep with stories about the X-men. They're brilliant! I just love Storm and the way she can control the weather, don't you?"

"Huh? Oh, umm... I don't know. I don't really like hexing people. It's not that I'm afraid of getting trouble, it's just that... If I hex someone, they'll get hurt. I know that sounds stupid, but I just don't like hurting people."

Keegan just kinda shrugged and scratched his head at this. It did kinda sound stupid if you asked him. Sure you didn't want to run around harming your friends or anything, unless they really deserved it, but not fighting back when someone bullied you? It seemed like their pain should be a good thing. But then he was a rough and tumble boy who had no issue with punching his friends in the face if they deserved it. And as for his enemies? Well, the fork thing was just warm-up. He thought about suggesting that she at least try to defend herself when she switched the subject on him.

"I like your costume, by the way. Wolverine's one of my favorites. My dad does a great job playing him. Oh, in his stories I mean, He used to put me to sleep with stories about the X-men. They're brilliant! I just love Storm and the way she can control the weather, don't you?"

"She's cool..." He said with a shrug "...But I like Rogue out of all tha girls... She is such a badass...And she really can pack a punch" He punched into the air a few times to illustrate before grinning back at her "... Not that Storm don't bust shite up too..." Falling silent, he walked next to her for a moment before returning to the topic she had been avoiding, oblivious to the fact that perhaps she was avoiding it for a reason "I gotta say I dun understand the whole 'not wantin to 'urt people' thing... I mean, if they are gunna 'urt ye... why not fight back?"

"My mum prefers Rogue, too," she giggled at his punching demonstration.

"I gotta say I dun understand the whole 'not wantin to 'urt people' thing... I mean, if they are gunna 'urt ye... why not fight back?"

Serenity stopped walking in order to better think about why she didn't fight back. This took a good, long thought in order to be able to answer Keegan properly. The brutal, honest reason was because she was afraid of getting carried away. Some students did that: they'd try a new spell, like it too much, and become obsessive with using spells similar. She already had a creepy voice in her head that liked to spew forth forgotten knowledge. What if it loved jinxes and dark magic so much that after she used a hex, she became blood-thirsty? She wasn't entirely sure she wanted to be used as a weapon. There were stories about the Dark Lord that had used people as puppets with very dark magic and Serenity was simply not keen on becoming one. However, she couldn't tell Keegan the truth. No one except her mother was permitted to know the absolute truth of her condition.

"I...I guess I'm afraid that if I defend myself, they'll take me seriously and won't go easy on me. I'm not any good at dueling, so I don't think it would be a very good idea for me to stand up for myself. Not with a wand, anyway."

She shrugged, adjusted her bag on her shoulder, and slowly continued walking; this way, he could keep up with her. Her anxiety made her want to walk faster.

"Mind you, the Sorting Hat did put me in Ravenclaw. I don't fit in with Gryffindors. I'm not brave or courageous or anything like that. I mean, I'm not Eirene or anything," she added quickly, "I'm not totally obsessed with rules and being impressive and I like going on adventures, but...I'm just not Gryffindor material. I'm a-a curious person."

Her hazel eyes glanced at him shiftily from underneath her veil of hair. She was trying her best to sound convincing, but it was more to prove to herself the fact that she wasn't brave or the kind of person that would duel another. She was just Serenity Lee, a curious Ravenclaw that had more interest in trivial knowledge than anything else--except maybe muggle steam-punk jewelry.

"I...I guess I'm afraid that if I defend myself, they'll take me seriously and won't go easy on me. I'm not any good at dueling, so I don't think it would be a very good idea for me to stand up for myself. Not with a wand, anyway."

Keegan's brows knitted together at this and all he could manage was " 'eh?" He didn't understand her at all. To him, the point of learning magic and having a wand was to be taken seriously. Besides, its not like she had to win, she just needed to at least show some will to protect herself. Keegan shook his head at the thought. He didn't understand people who let themselves be a victim.

"Mind you, the Sorting Hat did put me in Ravenclaw. I don't fit in with Gryffindors. I'm not brave or courageous or anything like that. I mean, I'm not Eirene or anything, I'm not totally obsessed with rules and being impressive and I like going on adventures, but...I'm just not Gryffindor material. I'm a-a curious person."

Keegan's chest puffed out a bit "Well ye can't all be brilliantly awesome like us Gryffindors.." He said with pride before adding with a grin "...But that doesn't mean ye can't learn to stick up fer yerself... I know ye can do it... I 'ave seen ye in defense class..." Sure she wasn't Dahlia when it came to wandwork, but he knew she had it in her, she just needed some encouragement. Then it dawned on him, "... What if I 'elped ye? I could be yer... trainin' dummy or somethin' "

"... What if I 'elped ye? I could be yer... trainin' dummy or somethin'."

She gasped at this idea and shook her head furiously.

"Ohh, no, no, no, no, no, I couldn't do that! I can't even use a wand against someone trying to hurt me, but to use a hex on a friend? No, I really don't think I can, Keegan. I'm sorry..."

The two of them walked along the corridor for a bit longer in silence. She would glance at him anxiously out from under her hair a couple of times, then look quickly back down again. He had given her an idea, but she wasn't so sure she wanted to say it. The two of them were in enough of a mess as it was. 'Serenity kissed Keegan' was a big deal to the other first years and she didn't want embarrass him further. However, it couldn't be avoided. One day, Serenity would have to defend someone and she wouldn't be able to do it without the help of a brave Gryffindor like Keegan.

With a deep breath, Serenity Lee came to a stop and faced him with a determined look on her face. She was so glad that her hair was veiling her face, otherwise looking straight at his face would be a bit difficult for her.

"Okay, I'll do it. I won't use you as a dummy, but I can practice on an object. We could use one of the empty classrooms. Is...is that okay with you?"

"Ohh, no, no, no, no, no, I couldn't do that! I can't even use a wand against someone trying to hurt me, but to use a hex on a friend? No, I really don't think I can, Keegan. I'm sorry..."

"Eh... I ken take it..." Keegan said with a shrug, as if taking a bat bogey hex to the face was an everyday occurrence for him. It wasn't really, despite how much he antagonized others, but he figured that growing up in a poor neighborhood filled with bullies who's sooner punch you in the face then talk about the weather made him a good judge of pain tolerance. But she seemed determined not to use him as a dummy so he saw no reason to argue further.

"Okay, I'll do it. I won't use you as a dummy, but I can practice on an object. We could use one of the empty classrooms. Is...is that okay with you?"

"Dinnit I suggest that in tha first place?" He smirked before gesturing at a conveniently placed door. It was cracked open, revealing an empty classroom covered in a thin layer of dust and disuse, dimly lit by the rays of the sun filtering through the half shut drapes and floating dust. "This looks like a good place... just needs a little more light..." He said as he went over to the drapes and pulled them open. A cloud of grey dust flew up in his face and sent him into a coughing fit. "... And less dust..." he managed to choke out.

Managing to get his breathing under control, Keegan glanced around the room before focusing on a pile of forgotten books. Just what he needed. Picking one up, he didn't even bother to blow off the dust to see what it was. Instead he opened it, located the ribbon in the middle and unapologetically tore it out of the binding. Propping the book up on the desk for target practice, Keegan returned to Serenity's side, ribbon in hand. "Ok then... that book will be the dummy then... It looks sturdy enough..." Nodding to himself, he turned to her and without warning reached over and tugged her hair into ponytail, using the ribbon to tie it back into a clumsy bow "'ere... Now ye can see it better..."

The empty classroom on the fourth floor was filthy. It really hadn't been used in a long time, from the looks of it: dust everywhere, curtains drawn, cobwebs dangling from the ceiling. Serenity Lee followed Keegan in, her eyes searching everywhere, until he started a coughing fit. She turned her head towards him and giggled. Again, she wandered around the room while he set up and once he finished, she stared at the propped up book. Without warning, Keegan had seized her hair and tied it back out of her face. The first year squealed in surprise.

"ere... Now ye can see it better..."

Her entire face turned a deep red, especially the tops of her cheeks and her ears. Someone could see her face! It wasn't just someone, though, it was Keegan Kearney. Did that mean...it was okay? As long as it was him. He was, after all, just a boy. Not just any boy, of course, but a Gryffindor boy. The one she'd been admiring with Tynan and Mairead as they got into trouble. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips until it was complete. She pursed her lips together and shuffled her feet awkwardly as eleven-year-old children were apt to do when embarrassed or shy. Serenity could definitely be counted as shy, especially in a situation like this. When she looked towards the book, she realized he was right: she could see better!

Since she was younger, Serenity Lee had been staring up through her hair like an Old English Shepherd dog. Her eyesight had learned to focus beyond the strands of hair at the world so that the strands only became a screen against her face, not something between her and everything else. Adaptation at it's best! Now, however, the world seemed clearer. She could see things about the room that she hadn't noticed before. When she turned to face Keegan, she realized he had more than just pretty, sky-blue eyes; he had a mischievous twinkle in them.

"Umm... Wh-what should we try first, then?"

'That outfit really does suit him,' she mused. It took her some time to realize that they were going to practice spells which meant she needed her wand. Quickly, Serenity dumped her bag down and dug through it to get to her wand. This wand was special: it had been an Ollivander wand and it was unique to herself and herself alone. It looked different now that her hair was pulled back. She admired the elaborate spiraled shaft and even the way it sprung when she flicked it. Unicorn hair, Ollivander had told her. According to her mother, that meant she was pure of heart. Satisfied with the "new" look of her wand (it had always looked like that, she just never saw it properly), the Ravenclaw skipped back to where Keegan was standing and awaited instruction. This was going to be a difficult test of her own imagination. Her baby sister, Faythe, was a lot better at using her imagination than Serenity Lee was and it was something she admired about the child. All she had to do was use hers to a degree that could get her to use a hex. That shouldn't be too hard...right?

Keegan jerked back in surprise when she yelped and flushed, his own cheeks and ears coloring in embarrassment. Had he done something wrong? Girls were so weird about things like hair, so perhaps he had broken some unspoken taboo by daring to touch hers. Which just wasn't fair, he thought indignantly. It wasn't his fault that they were so confusing and didn't tell you what was okay and not okay to do. Like giving them frogs as gifts and watching them run off screaming like you were trying to murder them via amphibian. How was he supposed to know that this was considered a bad thing? As far as he was concerned gift frogs were awesome.

"Umm... Wh-what should we try first, then?"

Her obvious embarrassment faded as quickly as it came, replaced with an excited smile, and Keegan was left feeling even more bewildered then before. As she flounced over to her bag to dig out her wand, he scratched his head and tried to make sense of what just happened. After a moment of trying to connect the dots, he finally chalked it up to being just another weird thing girls do and shrugged. Maybe he would understand it when he got a bit older.

"Well... uh... I guess ye can't do much good inna duel if ye can't aim right..." He said, trying to sound more knowledgeable then he really was. Until she had accepted his offer and stood there, looking up at him with reverence, he had all of these illusions of grandeur. He had imagined that he could teach her the ins and outs of dueling in a single night, and now that she was ready and waiting, he realized that he probably knew as much as she did. At best, he could teach her to be more aggressive, but that would only go so far. If he was lucky, he could stretch this lesson out long enough to learn a few things on his own to teach her. "Er...so... if ye can, try to 'it that book with a stunner.."

((Sorry so horrible...))

The look on his face made Serenity doubt whether or not this was going to work at all. This wasn't like in class where if one got hexed, a teacher was nearby to know what to do and to take care of it. What if she had another one of her episodes? What if the voice in her head hurt Keegan? She was nervous, as much as what her tutor was. Still, if she didn't get this down, she might be in the Hospital Hut every single day.

"Well... uh... I guess ye can't do much good inna duel if ye can't aim right... Er...so... if ye can, try to 'it that book with a stunner.."

Serenity turned to face him with her eyebrows knitted together testily. She wasn't used to her hair being tied back when she did this to people and it almost made her lose her nerve, but not quite. The small first year puffed herself up a little.

"I can aim! I'm not that bad, Keegan."

Suddenly irritated (and a bit embarrassed that Keegan thought she wasn't any good at dueling), the Ravenclaw rounded on the book and pointed her wand at it. She took her time in doing so just to show him that she could aim properly. Doing as her older brother, Alex, had instructed whenever she became too hasty shooting his BB gun, the girl exhaled slowly and concentrated only on the book.

"Petrificus Totalus!"

With a small flourish of her wand, the spell fired at the book, froze it, and the thing toppled over backwards. She picked her head up proudly and smiled at Keegan, her shoulders squared and her hands placed upon her hips. There was a lot more of her mum in her at that moment than Serenity Lee realized.

"Now, Gryffindor, what do you think about that?"

"I can aim! I'm not that bad, Keegan."

Keegan had never been that good with words, at least not words of the polite variety, nor was he particularly good at catching when he inadvertently insulted someone. So when Serenity gave him a dirty look and snapped at him huffily, he just shrugged it off. As far as he was concerned, aiming was tantamount to dueling. You could know all the best hexes and curses in the world but if you couldn't hit the broadside of a barn, you were worthless. Serenity needed his help to become better at fighting, not better at learning curses, and that is what he aimed to do whether it insulted her or not.

"Petrificus Totalus!"

Keegan watched, his expression unreadable, as the book toppled off the desk with a bang and a dust cloud. Waving some of the dust away, he nodded in slight appreciation. At least she seemed to know how to properly aim. It was the speed of which she did it that bothered him.

"Now, Gryffindor, what do you think about that?"

"Well..." He said, scratching his chin in thought, as though he were studying a rare artifact or abstract painting "... Ye cert'n'ly know 'OW ta aim, but ya are too slow... Ye need ta be able ta aim on the fly... Also, the book weren't movin' so it weren't that 'ard of a target..." Some part of him realized that he maybe... possibly... was insulting her with his blunt criticism, and he added quickly "...But it's a good start. Ye will get the hang of it quickly 'nuff..."

Walking over to the book, he retrieved it from its spot on the floor and blew the now settled dust off the cover. "Okay let's try this. Turn around and I'll put the book in a different place. When I tell ye ta, turn around, find the book and aim a spell at it as quick as ye can..."

((You may godmod him moving the book and telling her to turn))

Her confidence in her accomplishment was quickly swept away with his criticism. With each word that came out of his mouth, her smile fell into a frown and her eyebrows knitted together defensively. He was treating her the same way Elle did and it wasn't very fun to have someone tell you that your accomplishment was basically pointless if you couldn't do it "fast enough". In order to prove she could aim, she'd sacrificed time and now she had to prove that she could both aim and do it quickly. What a bother!

"Okay let's try this. Turn around and I'll put the book in a different place. When I tell ye ta, turn around, find the book and aim a spell at it as quick as ye can.."

Rolling her eyes as she turned around, the Ravenclaw waited. Something in the window caught her eye and she moved to the window, not paying attention to Keegan as he walked around the room to place the book. She moved a curtain aside and held onto it while she watched the students playing outside in the snow. If they were home now, she'd be playing in the snow with her brothers and sisters and Elle would be shoving snowballs down her back. Serenity wrinkled her nose up with the memory of having something so cold against her back and gave a weak shudder.

"All set."

The first year left the window and walked back to her original spot as she kept her gaze off the rest of the room by looking straight down. Her back was presented to the rest of the room for a short time to prepare herself. Gripping her wand tight, Serenity whirled around and scanned the room with her hazel eyes. Her brown hair fell loose from where it was gathered with the ribbon, but Serenity found the book and flicked her wand before the entirety of it could fall in her face again.

"Petrificus Totalus!"

The spell shot the book again and with a light "Flump!" the object fell back against its place on a different desk. She wiped her hair from her face, reached down for the ribbon, and tried to tie it back up. Her hazel eyes found Keegan and she smiled at him, albeit a lot less smugly. She was prepared for his criticism this time.

"Better, Gryffie?"