Marion watched Mr. Ashcombe from a distance tiny distance, her heart swelling with pride as she observed his careful, focused movements. With her hands clasped behind her back and shimmying just a little as she floated in place. She felt as though kneeeeeeeeeeeeew exactly what he was feeling—the way the charm teetered on the edge of success, so tantalizingly close, just like a star about to be born. Ah, to be young and not see through your own fingers down to the floor…

Oops.

Well, that little burst of blue was nothing to fret too much about but siiiiiiiiiiiimply a reminder to breathe and focus—something Mr. Ashcombe did peeeeeeeeeerfectly moments later. “Positively briiiiiiiiiiillant, Mr. Ashcombre, you brilliant little astronomer you!" she exclaimed, her voice as buoyant as ever. “Keep up the outstanding effort, my dear!”


When he asked about the habitable zone, Marion couldn’t help but chuckle softly, her voice light and full of warmth. "Ah, always thinking beyond the stars, my dear! Well, let’s see..." She floated closer, her translucent hands clasped in thought. "In this little experiment of ours, I’d say the habitable zone could be... well, hmmmmm," she said, gesturing to the space around the orbiting ball. "Well, if we are to presuuuuuuume that yooooou are the Sun then…hmmm…what is your arm length, my dear? Around one meter, perhaps? Hmm…assuuuuming such and the distance from the Sun to the Earth 150 million kilometers…AND if 1 meter therefore represents the distance from the Sun to Earth…" Marion fell silent as she began to perform the calculations in her head, her fingers extended and dancing in the air. “The inner boundary of the habitable zone would therefore be… 0.95 meters…outer boundary 1.37 meters…Oh YES. Marvelous. Well, my dear, I’d say at the closest the length of the top of the desk where the chair hits it to the other end would be about right as would your full wingspan.”



Marion, her ghostly form glowing with a mix of amusement and understanding, drifted toward Mr. Robicheaux and his melancholy posture. "Oh, my dear," she said warmly, her voice full of encouragement. "Not quite what we were aiming for, but a lovely color nonetheless.” She looked at his despondent features and her heart went out to him. "Chin up, darling! The stars don’t always get it right on the first try, and neither will we!" She floated in a little circle around him. "Such a promising start, and now—well, let’s call it a little cosmic detour! The universe does like to keep us on our toes, after all."


Indeed! Oh, the tragedy of a missing pink!

"No need to apologize, my darling," she called warmly, her voice meant to be a soothing balm to Miss Joshi’s self-imposed guilt. "A little burst of color here and there is just the universe's way of giving us a spark of surprise!" Her eyes twinkled. "Besides, if I had a galleon for every time a student’s spell or actions didn’t quite go as intended well…hmm…well I am not sure what need I would have for galleons now but I would certainly have a hefty sum at my disposal!"

Marion floated around a bit more, offering appropriate encouragement and guidance to students as required, and her attention eventually came back around to Miss Joshi and the ball that was currently lifting ever so slightly. Marion leaned forward, her lips parting in quiet anticipation, as the ping pong ball began its orbit. Well, there certainly was SOMETHING elegant in Miss Joshi’s precision, wasn't there? She could feel the Ravenclaw’s concentration—her focus on getting it just right—and the universe seemed to be listening. "Ah! Look at that! A perfect little orbit!" She beamed brightly, moving toward Krittika’s side with hands clasped in approval. "Oh ho ho ho ho hoooo, a BOLD astronomer," Marion’s voice echoed, her tone warm and encouraging as she observed the nonverbal attempt. “A most tricky spell as it is combining multiple elements as opposed to a singular focus. Neither simple levitation nor movement, but a precise and decided aerial movement…so your concentration and intent must be tenfold at leeeaaaaaaaaast! But fret not, perfect or not during our time today, the universe listens.”






Marion floated across the room, beaming with pride as she surveyed the class’s progress. "Well done, everyone! You’ve made wonderful strides with the spell—smooth orbits here and there, determination on nearly everyone’s face, and a touch of magical finesse in every movement!" She clapped her hands together, a soft ripple of light following the motion as she passed through another ray of sun dripping in from the window. "Now, just a little more practice to refine those movements, and then... then we’ll get to the real fun!"

She glided back to the front of the class, her expression thoughtful and her voice steady as she passed right through the rounded tables, and offered one last tidbit of encouragement. "The reason we mimic the movement with magic is to gain a deeper understanding of how orbits actually work. Think of it like this: when you're learning to ride a broom, it's not just about the broom itself—it’s about learning how to balance your weight, how to shift your body to control the speed and direction. In the same way, mimicking the movement of an orbit helps you understand the balance between gravitational pull and inertia." She gestured with finger, tracing a smooth arc through the air. "An orbit is a delicate dance between two forces. Gravity pulls the object inward, while the object's inertia keeps it moving in a straight line. If you don’t have the correct movement, the object won’t follow a smooth path—it could spiral off or fall back down, much like if you weren’t properly controlling your broomstick."

Marion floated closer to the students, hands clasped in front of her. "By practicing this movement, you’re engaging with the forces that control real orbits, not just casting a charm. You’re learning how to guide an object along a precise, steady path—just as planets and moons do in the universe. That’s why the way we move our wands is so important. It helps you feel the balance of those forces and understand the physics of orbits on a much deeper level. PLuuuuuuuuus, we all get to have a bit of fun together with it. Ho ho hoho ho"

She resumed her floating, praising students jovially as she went, until her keen ears picked up an unsettling series of thumps from the corner, followed by a low, unmistakable cackle that would have sent a chill down her spine should she still capable of having a proper one. Her ghostly form stiffened for a moment, and she narrowed her eyes as a mischievous giggle echoed through the air. "Ah, it seems the forces of chaos are stirring again," she muttered, showing her first bit of true agitation all lesson.