Eventually, Nightingale claps him companionably on the shoulder and steps away to make a fresh pot of tea. "It might not feel like it, but progress is being made," he tells Laertes cheerfully.

"We'll take a break now, then I'd like you to continue trying for the next couple of hours without me demonstrating for you. You can stay here or go wherever feels comfortable - just be sure to have water nearby. A common beginner mistake is to produce heat as well as light and you'll need something to douse your hand if that happens."

He pours them both tea, making Laertes' strong and sweet without discussion. He'll need the energy boost. "This first spell is the most difficult to achieve. Nothing concrete may happen for a good while yet. Until it does, practice for several hours a day and come back to see me every day or two so that we might refresh your memory of the forma."