I first practised the severing charm today. The purpose of this charm is to precisely cut a target. Before practising the spell I got out a piece of scrap paper to use as a target. I made sure everything else in the room was cleared out of the way as sometimes wizards end up cutting more than they intend to. When performing this spell I said the incantation "diffindo" and moved my wand carefully in a V shape with a swish at the end in the direction I wanted to cut the paper. The result was, thankfully, a good one and the paper was cut in half horizontally.

I then practised the softening charm. When performed this charm makes an object softer and more rubbery. I used one half of the cut scrap paper for this. I performed the spell by saying the word "spongify" and I moved my wand in an S shape. At this point nothing happened to the paper and I realised I left out part of the wand motion. I repeated the spell again, this time including a small swish half way through. This time the paper turned softer and squishier and I wish able to sink my fingers into it slightly. I also noted that the paper felt a bit lighter than before.

My overall thoughts on this practise was that it went alright however in future I must remember to include all wand movements needed for the spell.