Standing on the stump of a tree, Flitwick looked with fascination as the boys and girls… well, three girls and one boy, to be precise, worked their way across the scrubland. Already a twisted skein of red, blue, green and yellow stripes were beginning to mark the long grass.

The lad, he noticed, seemed to be taking the whole thing very seriously, making notes and studying his tracks. The blonde Scott was clearly improving as she went along; her finds coming faster and her whole demeanor brightening with each find.

Hazel Goddard, whom he knew quite well, seemed to be somewhat the worse for wear, which surprised him. She was, as were most Ravenclaws a serious, studious girl, though not lacking in spirit. Just what she had been up to in the night he couldn’t guess, but it seemed to have put her out of sorts. Tutting to himself, Fillius wondered if he could perhaps do a little charm work to brighten up her spirits. Or would that be favoritism?

The Hufflepuff was clearly struggling. Her brow creased with concentration, she crept along gripping her dowsing stick as if her life depended on it. shaking his head, Flitwick decided hs had to do something. It was, after all, supposed to be a class of sorts. Jumpping down from the stump, he made his way toward  Cora.

“I think you may be holding the dowsing wand just a touch to tightly,” He said gently. He didn’t want it to sound like a criticism. “Do you know what they mean when they say you must hold it like a bird? Just think of the stick as being a living creature, like a bird. If you don’t hold it tightly enough, it will fly away. But if you hold on too tightly, you will crush it, and it will die. Try to let the stick rest on your palms, with your fingers curled gently over it, so it can’t fly away. Then when you do feel the tug, it will be a soft pressure on your fingers, or your thumb. Do you see? You’re doing fine. I think you just need to relax a little.”

He smiled as the tip of the wand dipped in Cora’s hands.

“There you go? See? Gently does it, and you’ll find plenty.”

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Not Getting Any Younger