A/N: Why hello there! It's been a while since I have written anything, but here is something small that I have done for a challenge! It's for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Competition, the first year charms class!
The mandatory prompt was to write about a first year in charms class written no longer than 500 words.
The optional prompts - quote: if at first you don't succeed, try again; era: next-gen; sentence: "you just had to bring that up, didn't you?"; event: first day of school.
Please enjoy!
It was the first day of new year at Hogwarts School at Witchcraft and Wizardry, and Hugo Weasley was already having a terrible start to his first year. It was the last class of the day, Charms, and there was twenty minutes left of the class – Professor Ludwig had decided that they could spend the time at least attempting to perform the levitation charm that they had been learning about in preparation for the next lesson
Hugo looked down at his feather in disdain while everyone else around him had already started waving their wands. Most of them had a waver in their voice, Hugo had noticed, besides Lily. She was speaking clearly, not bothered by the fact that she had failed the last couple of attempts.
"It must suck, having a lot to live up to," Mandy spoke up from next to him. "You know, with your famous parents and your older sister with all the smarts."
Hugo looked up at his fellow Hufflepuff friend. They had talked to each other on the train ride to school and had clicked instantly, after which Hugo spilled all of his worries to her, one of these worries already coming true: he had not been sorted into Gryffindor. Hufflepuff was fine – really! - but Hugo's father was big on Gryffindor pride, and Hugo didn't know how he would respond to the letter that he had sent off that morning explaining the sorting.
But Hugo didn't want to disappoint his mother as well – he needed to succeed, just as Rose had been during her first two years of school. He wouldn't be the average, Hufflepuff outcast of the family.
"You just had to bring that up, didn't you?" Hugo muttered. He knew that Mandy was teasing – it was just the way she was – but it hit home for Hugo. He glanced up at his new friend and gave her a small smile.
"That's what I'm here for!" Mandy chirped, and turned back to her feather.
Hugo did the same and took a deep breath. With a swish and a flick, as Professor Ludwig like to say, he spoke "wingardium leviosa," as clearly as possible. Nothing happened, as expected, but the small boy still sighed in indignation. Again he tried, and again. Still nothing happened.
The boy was about to keep trying when Professor Ludwig spoke up again. "I see some of you are looking discouraged! But not to worry, it's only day one, and it's not expected of you to be ale to perform the charm correctly. But remember – if at first you don't succeed, try again. It's the only way to do it!"
Hugo smiled with new determination – try again he would. He would practise all the time – and not just for charms. He would make his parents proud, and more importantly, he would make Hufflepuff proud.