The Interest In Learning Finished

Listening to the lesson, Hydra was simply eager to put into practice what had been instructed. Truth be told, she had been tutored at home about wand technique, even without a wand; her teachings might be considered some degree of torture, to some, but Hydra enjoyed it. Her mother and father might alternate when not too busy themselves, or else it was simply someone they brought in with a reputation that preceded them. For hours on end, Hydra and Lyra would practice rolling, flicking, jarring their wrist; they had even been taught to practice to become ambidextrous.

In their mothers words, you simply never knew what might befall you.

In comparison, with all the hubbub around them, charms class was far less... well, severe, perhaps. It was not that the noise around her distracted her, that was not the case at all. Their parents had ensured that the girls knew to deal with all sorts of situations. They had met their first boggart very young. Oh, to be sure, they had not dealt with it well then; intervention had been required. The nightmarish thing the duo had constructed was something of an accumulation of all their teachings... perhaps the only sign ever given that perhaps, perhaps, they were enduring more than they, nevermind any child, were capable of.

The show went on, however.

Hydra perused the textbook, having read it already ten times over, and gently pushed it aside once the time came to do. The grip on her wand was gentle, comfortable; it was not at all difficult to sense its power, but even for all her knowledge and practice, Hydra was eleven. Her potential surely matched what she was given (the wand and the wizard were made for one another), though she was young yet. And though she might seem it, and would refute it if anyone spoke it aloud, she was not perfect. Not yet, anyway.

Her execution today, however? To any other, it would seem flawless. A gentle swish, a firm flick, and the correct pronunciation and projection: "Wingardium Leviosa," she spoke, enunciating where necessary, and there the feather went, moseying its way ever-upward in a gentle, seamless looking float. Even despite any potential praise, Hydra maintained composure, disallowing herself from feeling any sense of satisfaction. A neighboring classmate seemed to be struggling, and Hydra desisted with her own work, watching the feather drift downward, now.

Once class had ended, Hydra lingered. She wanted to practice more and perhaps garner some more knowledge from her professor, or else her fellows. What she observed instead was a bit painful to witness, but Hydra knew better than most that without any practice at all one could not expect to get this, nevermind anything, in a day. Her parents tireless lessons and her perpetual practice were to thank for her own skill. It had been learned. Some could be intuited, but when it came to magic it was best to never assume. One might end up dead that way.

The Ravenclaw emblem was upon their uniform, and Hydra found herself surprised. She hadn't expected a student in a house with a reputation of intelligence to need any assistance, but Hydra had to remind herself that people were not their house. It was not as though she was dealing with Rowena Ravenclaw, the brightest witch of her time, after all.

The first year could not help but hope that she herself would take that title, but it would not be done without hard work...

Hydra brushed her long hair behind her shoulders and pursed her lips. She was not sure if the other had noted that she had remained here all this time, and Hydra had a way of blending into her surroundings when she wanted to. Now, however, she opted to be seen, moving toward the other girl with a confident stride. "Say it with inflection," she suggested, and, after a beat, pressed: "Go on, try again." The Ostrega did not even think to greet the other, to apologize for watching her; what was done was done, and frankly, she wasn't sorry.

Hydra placed one hand upon her hip, her body language open while she observed. The girl heeded her instructions, and this time the spell worked. Hydra was pleased, more with her successful intervention than the others success... but that was neither here nor there. The others second remark brought Hydra's eyes from feather to the Ravenclaw, and once Hydra was thanked she simply nodded. Hydra took a single step backward, her eyes surveying their surroundings. It seemed that it was just the two of them left, and Hydra withheld a sigh. She had hoped to gain some more tips from their professor, but at the moment they were not in the vicinity.

The others movements again brought Hydra's attention to her. Her wand was now just lying carelessly on the ground, and there was a clear look of shock on her face when she observed this; Hydra's own wand was still held possessively in her own hand. If Hydra wanted to, she could snap the wand in two; she pictured it, though did not feel compelled at all to act on the thought. The girl had done nothing to earn that, except be thoughtless... which made it a justifiable thing in itself, really, Hydra felt. If Hydra was looking for allies and friends, though, she did not think to look for one in Eri now.

Wisely, the other stowed her wand away. Hydra's eyes strayed once more as she moved away to practice on her lonesome, thinking that the other was packing her bags to go. The other's stammering caught her attention, though, and Hydra gazed sidelong at Eri before turning only her face to her. "Hydra Ostrega," she introduced succinctly, "Charmed, I'm sure." It was a measured quip, and pun, one she really thought little of. "Weren't you leaving...?" She asked with a tilt of her head. Why had she packed her bags, if not for that? Hydra had considered inviting her to practice with her still, but when the other had begun to put her things away Hydra imagined that she had other things to do.

Hydra simply wanted to practice and to become better.

Oh, she thought to herself.

Well, in any case, it was smart the other had put her wand away, as opposed to the floor. The others question was met with the slow nod of her head, her hair finding its way back over her shoulders. Hydra's blue eyes regarded the others green, not having any desire to reveal to the other her own background. Why should she, to a complete and total stranger? But the question was a vague, general one; it wasn't as though Eri had asked her to articulate further than that. And what was the harm in the other knowing she practiced? Everyone around them seemed to, except the lazier students. Hydra just had goals.

The other again diverted her gaze. Hydra, this time, did not look away; she waited again for more words, because every time Hydra expected Eri to be finished speaking she had been wrong. The other seemed to be exceptionally shy, which awarded her some patience from the typically abrasive Ostrega, though it grated on her nerves some. Hydra had just helped her, after all, why was Eri so nervous around her? She expected and desired worship, not this.

The Windstone girl offered to leave, if Hydra would like. The word choice alone caused Hydra to want the other to remain, though not necessarily for unsavory reasons. Hydra was after people who would respect and obey her whims. Someone who would agree with her every point, just because she had said it. Something like a friend. Eri was a Ravenclaw, so couldn't be too dimwitted, obviously. She just needed help realizing her potential.

"You can stay," Hydra decided, after appearing to consider her choices. Her typically stony expression warmed, somewhat. "Do you get to practice much?" She asked then, interested. What did this girl know about magic? Was she a Ravenclaw due to her interest in learning, or due to what knowledge she held already?

Transfiguration. Hydra enjoyed Transfiguration as much as she enjoyed Charms, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Her parents, and tutors, had taught her plenty to do with everything else, though their focus was upon what Hydra seemed to excel at naturally. Lyra complemented what she was weaker in, however. Hydra hoped to bring an end to her weaknesses through practice, too.

This, though, came naturally to her.

Hydra idly wondered if the girls aunt was any good at transfiguration; she felt that in some ways, charms and transfiguration could go hand in hand. And through idle readings she had figured out she was not far off-base in thinking as much. After all, bringing a flame to ones wand was a charm, but it was an act of transfiguration.

The other asked what she would like to work on. Truth be told, Hydra wanted to work on anything and everything. But that was too broad, at least for her company, who seemed to struggle with the spell she had just aided her with. With that in mind, Hydra shook her head as the other rifled through the pages of her book. We should focus on the spell we just practiced. But maybe we could levitate a different object, she suggested, and, it was then she looked pointedly at the book.

Hydra observed the other, watchful and patient. The other seemed surprised by her suggestion, which permitted Hydra to learn a relatively simple truth about the girl. Hydra did not fault her for it, though. Her own parents boasting caused Hydra to realize that she and Lyra were trained in a way that few, if any, others would ever be.

In a way, she envied the others lack of understanding.

But more than that, Hydra appreciated her own knowledge and experience. Limited though it was, she had been exposed to much given her parents frequent teachings, and then some.

A spell was a spell, but a book was not a feather. The exertion level might be different, though not obscenely so. Definitely to a degree that the other might recognize, though not fully comprehend. More on a base, subconscious level. Hydra did not think the girl could not handle it; just the opposite, actually. She had hoped that she could. And she did, Hydra acknowledged, her eyes locked onto the object she had selected... though not for very long. As quickly as the other started, it finished.

Just as Hydra had expected.

The others question caused her attention to shift back to her. "My suggestion was not because I expected you to do anything wrong," she explained, before giving an exaggerated sigh. She would have to lead this horse to water, she supposed. "Did you notice anything different?" Hydra questioned then, her head tilting in a subtle manner as the words came. The other need not worry about Hydra telling her about any of her wrongdoings, and so to that, Hydra let out an exaggerated little sigh.