Snape's "Lessons"

"You're late," Professor Snape says in his typical snide tone as I struggle to catch my breath. Looking around the dueling room, its grand size and shape mirroring the other classrooms, with large dishes of fire hanging from the walls and a long raised platform being the only differences. If not for the scorched marks on the walls for missed spells, you'd think that they just use a classroom.

Quite doesn't seem to fit the room. As if an essential noise of the room is absent, leaving the long room, lit by moonlight begging filtered through one large stained glass window and fire, feeling naked.

'I apologize sir. I promise and assure you that it will not happen again,' I atone after struggling to deliver oxygen through my mask.

"Actions speak louder than words Olivander. I trust you read through the chapter I assigned to you," his eyes stare into me and have the gleam of an animal watching their prey or a politician airing their opponent's dirty laundry.

'The fourth chapter in Magic Theory Vol.2? Yes, sir, I had read the book earlier this week so I am familiar with its contents,' I respond, catching him off guard. I am so glad I looked on the back of that note to see that. Although, if I didn't it wouldn't have mattered considering I've been trying to get my hands on any book relating to Mana and magic theory.

"So you don't find these lessons important enough to refresh yourself?" He snidely fires back. Tension fills the hole silence left as I begin to understand Professor Snape's game.

'I find these lessons incredibly important. I don't mean to give you the impression I didn't. I have Exceptional memory so I find rereading text to refresh myself redundant.'

His irritation starts to leak out as he clenches his fist, "Very well, can you tell me the fundamentals of nonverbal spellcraft then?"

'Concentration, clear imagery, and understanding of the spell,' I write quickly, excited to finally get to the lesson.

All thought of sniping at me forgotten, he starts to pace on the catwalk, "Correct, the incantation for spells are there to help your mind and the Mana inside you have a clear understanding of the spell. Because of this, someone can't learn how to cast a spell without an incantation before they cast the spell with its incantation. So- you don't need to raise your hand when you're the only student."

Blush paints my face as I slowly put my hand down, 'Why is it so hard to learn nonverbal then?'

"Do not interrupt. As I was about to say," Snape slowly, in exasperation, as he rolls his eyes, "It is exactly because of this rule that students find nonverbal magic so difficult. Because the body learns and connects a spell with its incantation, the brain will either not allow the Mana out and cause a buildup or the wizard will feel a strong urge to say the incantation. This effect, referred to as the Verbal Pull, is just one of the reasons, the other is that it takes more Mana to perform a spell nonverbally."

I wait for a gap in the lecture he's taking pleasure in to ask a question, 'Then why am I learning nonverbal magic? Isn't the idea to decrease the amount of Mana I need to use?'

"I said a normal wizard. You are clearly not normal," the disdain in his voice sent a shiver up my spine, "The amount of Mana needed for you to cast a spell is double a normal wizard's Mana requirements. This Mana requirement is substantially more than nonverbal magic and, The Babbling Professor believes that nonverbal spells will eliminate that cost. Although I do suspect that your rune will increase your Verbal Pull."

'What spell will I be learning how to do nonverbally?' My question is met with a sneer.

"You will be learning the Shield Charm to block nonverbal spells that I will cast at you," a twinkle of delight shines in his eyes.

'But I haven't learned the Shield Charm yet,' I tell him, hoping to trip up his torturous idea.

"I forgot, I'll teach you the Shield Charm and you'll do it verbally until the repetition of the Shield Charm helps you become familiar enough with it to eventually learn the spell nonverbally."

'What if I don't cast it quick enough or successfully and get hit with your spell?' My hope for him changing his mind starts to get overshadowed by fear.

"The Hospital Wing is not far," He says flatly, "Now take off your mask so I can see if you're using the incantation or not."

Resigning myself, I peel the Ravenclaw mask off my face and move to the opposite end of the catwalk. Dumbledore knows what he's doing when assigning me Snape, right? He wouldn't just send me to suffer when he's the one who rescued me, at least I hope so.

"The Shield Charm's incarnation is pro-TAY-goh. Unlike most spells, the Shield Charm's wand movement varies depending on how you want to use it. For today, you'll be using it for basic self-defense. This movement is a slashing motion in which your arm should be extended at its most when the spell is about to be in contact with the shield. Miss timing the spell could cause it to weaken or completely fail," his condescending instructions fly quickly out of his mouth as if the conversation is as unimportant as the weather.

Nodding my head, I resist the urge to scratch at my face as I take hold of my wand with my left hand and stuff my right in my pocket; feeling the multiple beads I stuffed in there.

I can feel the silver bracelets gifted by Professor Flitwick glow hot as I will the Mana into me. I'm barely able to get my wand out of its holster as he draws his wand with the speed of an expert dualist and points his wand at me.

The instinctual fear of prey sweeps through me as I look into his eyes. As quickly as he pulled it out, a barreling stream of fiery, bright orange explosions erupt from the tip of his wand. My eyes grow wide as the deadly spell rams at me.

The spell's components unravel in my mind as I can feel a stream of explosive Mana at the core of the line of explosions, releasing a new level of hunger locked in me. Staring at the spell nanoseconds away from my life my self-preservation get's cut in half by a deep urge to feast.

Eyes glowing crimson, I meet the blast with my hand as heat envelops me and singes the tips of my hair swirling in the wind created by the spell's small blasts. The red hot burn of the silver bracelets barely stands out over the heat of the blasts.

Rather than the expected result of the spell tearing my atoms apart, the explosions following the spell push me back as I focus hard on connecting the Mana to me, letting it zap into me. As the smoke clears, I look to see the befuddled face of Snape and my right hand covered in soot and burns.