"Mr. Winston," he said, "if that suit of armor follows the light, perhaps we need to use it to guide the armor to a particular spot."
DePty followed his gaze and nodded.
"But I don't know how to make it stop where I want it to," he said.
"Then first learn how to make the light brighter and cast it farther." Professor Fig raised his Wand. "Lumos."
A soft white glow appeared at the tip of his Wand. It wasn't dazzling, but it lit up the area for more than a dozen feet around them. As he moved his Wand, the patch of light crept across the ground like a firefly searching for food.
"This is a very basic spell," Professor Fig said. "Most First Year students learn it in their first Charms class. But basic doesn't mean simple. Controlling the brightness, range, and direction of the light all takes practice."
He lowered his Wand and looked at DePty.
"Your turn."
DePty raised his secondhand Wand and took a deep breath.
"Lumos."
A glow appeared at the tip of his Wand, but it was too faint, like a candle about to burn out. It lit only a small patch of ice beneath his feet. He frowned, adjusted his grip, and tried again.
This time it was brighter, but still not bright enough.
Will stood a few feet behind them, watching DePty practice again and again.
His movements went from awkward to practiced, from stiff to fluid. Each spell was steadier than the last, and each glow brighter.
Within half an hour, the light at the tip of his Wand had grown quite steady.
Will felt a little annoyed. Talent really wasn't fair. A spell that had taken him an hour to practice, DePty had mastered in half that time.
At