A Course in Wandless Magic

Yes. This is exactly what Davina needed. When she was restless over the muggle summer and couldn't sleep, she would resort to visiting her old dancing school and have her old teacher criticize the crap out of everything and make her dance until the point of exhaustion. It was only then that she was able to return home and sleep for a few hours. Unfortunately, this was not an option at Hogwarts. They didn't have a crazy old dance instructor with too much eyeliner on staff, and there was no way Davina would let anyone see her in tights. But more course work? More difficult coursework? Yes. If she was lucky, it would be as difficult as she expected, and would tire her out for the night.

Strolling into class, she spotted the Professor standing at the front, awaiting her students. Respectfully nodding and taking a seat just behind the middle section, she was actually kind of excited. It was only logical for anyone to learn magic without their wands. Anyone could be disarmed, and then what? Run? No! You had to fight with your bare hands. Now, muggles knew the literal meaning of that, but witches and wizards could gain from that advice as well. Davina's wand was stowed away in her messenger back, but she refrained from taking it out, which was a weird. But of course, the Hufflepuff firstie in the front seat had to throw sparks in the Professor's face. "Seriously?"

Did she have to go potty or something?

Lachlan felt like one of the von Trapp children as he followed his ridiculous brother into the wandless magic classroom. Ed had received an owl more or less ordering all five of them to take this class. That part wasn't the surprising thing; that was the way their parents generally spoke to Lachlan and his siblings. What riled Lachlan was Edmund thinking he had the right to do the same thing, just because he was the oldest and by mere minutes, too.

So now he sat, chin in hand, feeling put out. He'd usually enjoy a class like this, too. At least he'd managed to bag the seat on Edmund's other side, leaving his idiot brother to deal with their idiot sister, something he didn't do nearly often enough, in Lachlan's opinion.

Although, technically, Selwyn could perform some wandless magic, it wasn't the kind he'd have preferred. Being able to attract randoms wasn't a particularly useful trait, especially if you were a guy. And there was no use being able to conjure a fire ball if you always ended up getting burnt.

He slipped into the back row with a wink to the professor.

It was understandable that this new professor wouldn't understand not only the attachment a person developed with their wand, but also the visceral reaction to someone else touching it. So there was no way Lachlan was about to hand his over. Next lesson he'd leave it safely locked in his trunk, but for now, it could sit in the pencil tray where the professor could see it and Lachlan didn't have to worry about other people's fingers getting all over it.

Being on the end of the row also had its downsides, however, and he had to be the one to collect their feathers from the front of the room. He'd see if she had anything to say about it.

Kamara waited at the front of the room, watching as an older blonde student came in late and sat down. Well, he'd figure it out.. A first year came up, placing her wand on the stand and taking a feather. Kamara smiled and nodded at her. Then one the group of five students came up but without any wands, which was odd. Did all of them leave their wands in their rooms? The new transfiguration professor enter her class as the student approached. She nodded to him before turning back to the Slytherin.

"None of you carry your wands around with you?" She asked.

She wasn't sure what they thought to gain by keeping their wands on them during class. But she'd given specific instruction.

Just as he had expected, the professor challenged Lachlan's lack of wand-handing-over. He weighed up his options. It would have been the simplest thing in the world to smile and tell her that this was wandless magic, so of course they didn't have their wands for this class. But, Lachlan did not treat lying like a sport. Earn yourself a reputation for lying and nobody would believe you when you really needed them to.

He glanced at where Bittel was sitting all prim and proper in the front row, like she was in any class she was even remotely interested in. Possibly an ally there, then.

"I'm sorry, Professor," he apologised. "I can see how they just look like a piece of stick to you, but wands are personal things. You don't just hand one over. There are entire sections of wand lore devoted to how wands bond with their owners. People get buried with them.

"You don't just touch someone else's wand. That's the same level of weird as stealing underwear off people's clothes lines."

She’d been worried about this. The people she’d met who owned wands had all been very attached to them. It was something ingrained in there society, she guess. Fighting it would be the same as fighting a flowing river. You may be able to change it’s course, but it always resisted it. Might as well start laying the new course.

“Sorry,” she said, “This is to make sure you’re preforming this magic on your own. Some wands, and especially people who are strongly bonded with their wands, have a habit of preforming magic with those wand if it is near them even when it's away. Hence the enchanted stand to alert me if that is happening.”

She paused expectantly, hoping he’d come around but doubting it. This is was the reason she’d chosen to actually supply a wand stand, not only that but an enchanted wand stand, which had crystals next to each wand which would would glow if the wand was channeling magic.

“No one will be touching your wand, Mr. Strangways.” she said, “And your reluctance to hand it over will be noted. If you wish, you and anyone else who wishes to, may return their wands to theirs room. Otherwise, please use the stand.”

She spent time in European society and was accustomed to being treated like an ignorant foreigner. However this was her class, and she was going to teach it her way. If the students didn’t like it, well than, they could take their self righteous wand dependency right out of her classroom.

Lachlan was caught. Stuck between instinctive respect for authority figures and total reluctance to do as he was told. When the professor slowed down and actually explained about her charmed wand stand, well, it didn't sound totally stupid. Which only made Lachlan more intractable because how hard would it have been to do that in the first place?

He spun away from the teacher and strode back to his desk. There was no way he was going all the way back to the Slytherin dorms and he doubted anyone else would either.

Watching the interaction between Lachlan and the Professor, Davina wasn’t sure she like the idea of surrendering her wand either. Of course, she didn’t know what life would be like with a wand before she learned she was a witch, but now it was difficult to imagine not having it in her possession or at least within reach. Even during the summer holiday when she wasn’t allowed to perform magic, she still carried it. It was hers and it was a part of her.

The Professor was the enlightened voice of reason, which eventually offered enough logic for Davina to see the importance of the exercise. If there was ever a time to be without her wand, it was now. She didn’t know the Professor, but this would be the paramount trust building exercise. Strolling to the front and placing her wand on the provided stand, her hand itched a little while she walked back to her desk. Looking at the feather the Professor had assigned her, Davina felt like a first year all over again. Really? It couldn’t possibly be that difficult.

Clearing her mind and willing her mind to embrace the simple incantation, Davina extended her palm towards the feather and watched the feather roll a few times like a drunken sailor. The Slytherin frowned a little, and spent the next several minutes perfecting her wandless Levitation Charm.