#5 - Raining Stones

William was glad for the rain cloak packed neatly into his trunk when he peered at the Great Hall ceiling that morning at breakfast. The rain looked bothersome but he had already made up his mind on how he would spend a portion of his day.

Quidditch was out of the question and William wouldn't entertain anyone who thought otherwise. He wasn't interested in sitting in a noisy crowd, watching a nonsensical sport.

No, he was better spending the day improving himself or his magical skills in some way.

He had heard about some students who had part-taken in extra-curricular activities, small tasks set by various Professors at school and felt it would be a good opportunity for him to take advantage of one of those.

After checking the notice-board to see which ones were available to him, William settled on the Charms task. He donned his rain cloak, hesitated at the doors of the castle and then set off towards the Great Lake.

While his rain cloak kept him warm, he was annoyed to see the muddy ground making his shoes dirty. He would have to deal with those when he was done with his task.

It wasn't hard to spot the crate of items as specified by the task information. William picked up one of the bats and gave a few test swings. He wasn't entirely confident in his ability to hit stones with a bat but how hard could it really be?

He tucked the bat under one arm and took out his wand. William aimed at one of the mineral stones and spoke with a sure tone, "Wingardium Leviosa."

Yes, this would be a good way to practice the spell. The stone reacted to his magic and levitated in the air in front of him, according to his wand movements. William watched it for a second and then held the bat once more.

The first swing missed and William, not expecting to miss, almost lost his balance. He was embarrassed to mess up but was glad there wasn't anyone around to notice. He cleared his throat and made sure the stone was still levitating correctly.

The second swing made contact and he let out a sigh, relieved to see the stone sail over the water. Perhaps not as far as some other students might have been able to hit it but William was satisfied.