Defense Against the Dark Arts: Introduction

Write an introduction. Tell me about yourself. What are your expectations for this course? Is there anything you want to see for year one? What do you already know about the subject? Why is Defense Against the Dark Arts important to you? This should be at least 150 words. There will be no penalty for going over the word limit. 

First things first, my name is Valeria. Being the bookworm that I am, I have some basic knowledge about defensive spells and measures, though I have never tried any before. Simply, I expect to learn and perform defensive spells or strategies to keep me alive in the midst of danger. What I do not want to do is just sit in class and read a textbook, because everybody can read a textbook, but being able to successfully execute a spell takes careful instruction. I believe that every magical course has its importance, this one blatantly being self defense. I would like to be able to protect not only myself, but my friends as well and believe that this course will provide the means for me. But above all, I just love to learn about our magical world, and try to dabble in every area possible. I hope for a very insightful and educational year.