Hitting the Books PV Duvessa Ember Closed

★☆★☆ Star's can't shine without darkness ★☆★☆
@Ruby Cazares

What should have she thought when she received a letter from Dagger, letting her know that Miss Ruby Cazares had kindly agreed to offer tutoring? Trust her with such a thing, I can manage it alright on my own....

But deep inside she was excited, nervous and willing to work hard. Shew knew that the elder student must either be too kind or they had been very close friends - to give up time on a mere first year. Well, perhaps Duvessa might change her mind, as the ebony haired Slytherin slipped through the castle like a snake.

She stopped in front of the Library, and the faint smell of books overpowered her. It was her refugee after a long day of scowling at Hufflepuffs or shooting sarcastic remarks to Gryffindors. But she decided to attempt polite behavior, secretly scared slightly of the intimidating fifth year. She lingered over a couple of her favorite non-fiction books, and then her sharp eyes scanned the Library. There, seemed to be the tall Slytherin so she headed that way.

Duvessa stopped politely, taking in her presence before asking in a cool, light voice.
"Excuse me, are you Miss Cazares?" She had a few books in her hand, mostly on Charms and Transfiguration. Her eyes rested on the Slytherin in front of her, waiting a response.

OOC Notes Reducio Let me know if there is something you want me to change	Inventory Reducio - Wand - A grim expression
Actions, Stats and Other Reducio Action: Walking in the Library and asking if this is Ruby. Abilities: Perfectionist Stats: Wis: 6 Acc: 7 Sta: 5 Eva: 7 Arc: 5 Str: 5	Outfit Reducio - Slytherin tie - Slytherin robes - Black skirt - Black tights

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A voice interrupted her thoughts with a polite “Excuse me?” and Ruby glanced up to see a younger girl nearby carrying some books. The resemblance between her and Dagger was striking, allowing Ruby to recognize the newcomer as Duvessa, if asking for Ruby by name had not made her identity clear enough. She rose from her chair. “Indeed I am. Duvessa Ember, I presume?” she confirmed, offering a hand expectantly for a handshake. “Please, have a seat,” she instructed, the all-too-polite but firm tone offering no room for disagreement as she motioned at the chair beside her.

“Your cousin wishes me to offer you extra guidance in your studies. She mentioned Charms and Transfiguration specifically. What do you feel could use the most improvement and what would you like us to begin with today?” Her voice was cold, calm, and measured, a certain haughty confidence present that indicated a sense of superiority, the aloofness of a pureblood who knew she was better. She would wait for a response, icy eyes unfriendly, a hint of boredom present in her attitude. It was yet to be determined what the younger Slytherin was like and whether she would prove to be a worthy student. It seemed this wasn’t solely Dagger’s wishes—Duvessa must have been interested in being tutored to some extent, as she had shown up. That was something. But it would take a lot more than just showing up and doing the bare minimum to earn Ruby’s tolerance and approval.

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★☆★☆ Hide the cards in plain sight. ★☆★☆
@Ruby Cazares

From the look of Ruby, Duvessa felt her heart sink. Dagger would have chosen a copy of herself, obviously. There would have been no chance of a sunny natured Hufflepuff to do anything. But her determined streak made her shake hands politely. In truth, she was excited about tutoring; although she hated herself to admit it.

When her companion asked what subject would be best to study, Duvessa responded quickly.
"I would prefer Charms, if I may." Her tone contained no sign of kindness but more of slightly masked fear and politeness, "It seems that Transfiguration gives me a bit of a challenge, but I have learnt quickly. But Charms comes a bit of a struggle to me." She said, a worrying tone in her voice. Maybe it was easy to guess that she studied an unnecessary amount of time and was miserable.

She looked at the elder year in interest as she waited for her response. She was pretty, but her cold manner made Duvessa slightly afraid. Her mind wandered towards the lessons; she certainly worked well in them, and was proud of how much she had achieved. But was it enough? Even if her O's shone in several classes and the rest were showered in E's - was it enough?

OOC Notes Reducio Let me know if there is something you want me to change	Inventory Reducio - Wand - A grim expression
Actions, Stats and Other Reducio Action: Being tutored by Ruby. Abilities: Perfectionist Stats: Wis: 6 Acc: 7 Sta: 5 Eva: 7 Arc: 5 Str: 5	Outfit Reducio - Slytherin tie - Slytherin robes - Black skirt - Black tights

*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*

Duvessa explained that she wanted to work on her Charms for now. It didn’t matter to Ruby either way, it wasn’t a big deal. She was prepared to tutor on any class—obviously she had her strengths, but this was first year level. The basics. None of that was going to pose a struggle to her, else she’d be a failure of a fifth year, after all. “Very well. What is it that you’re currently studying? I suggest that we work on the spells you’re currently learning, unless there’s another area you’re specifically struggling with.” A cursory glance at the younger girl made her wonder whether she was good enough for Ruby to tutor. She would’ve preferred more initiative, with Duvessa offering up strengths and weaknesses or current content without being prompted, but perhaps that was too much to ask.

She would have plenty of time to get a better sense of what Duvessa was really like. Time would tell, along with how she responded when tested and under pressure. First impressions could speak volumes, but it was ultimately wise to reserve judgements when dealing with a person that one would continue to come in contact with more than once. How someone responded when given ample time to prepare and think through what to say or do would also tend to be far different to how they would act in a situation of high stress. While her main goal with Isadora was to prepare her for those situations of high stress and danger, a goal hadn’t been fully defined for meeting with Duvessa. Keep her out of trouble and focused on her studies instead of letting her slack off with friends was the gist of what Dagger had requested. So she would do that, and nothing more. For now.

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Duvessa tried her best not to stare at Ruby the whole time. Still, in her composed manner she responded to Ruby's suggestion with a dainty nod.
"Right now I am covering the classic Dancing Feet Spell and Reparing Charm. My wand movements never seem to be perfect, and perhaps my concentration seems to either be too strong or lack it when I am feeling particularly..." The Slytherin paused. Even though Dagger trusted Ruby, Duvessa did not want to reveal how weak she felt when she first came to Hogwarts. "Emotional." She finally said, hoping that she was not going to question her.

Duvessa took out her wand, probably ready to use. She did not want to fail in front of anyone, especially an elder year; she was too proud for that. The spells she listed had been difficult for her, but a sudden surge of unconfidence went through her. How was she supposed to know that Ruby wasn't going to scorn her? If it did go horribly, she could, of course, leave. But quitting hadn't been an option for Duvessa for nearly all her life.

The dark haired Slytherin looked once more into her tutors eyes. She badly wanted to impress her...but she knew that she was no different than the rest of the First years. She was no doubt a mere firstie to elder students.

*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*

Duvessa explained that she was learning the Dancing Feet Spell and Mending Charm, and that she struggled with wand movements and concentration. It was only natural to have difficulty controlling magic and struggle to focus while emotional. But emotions, like magic, were just something to be controlled. Over time, Duvessa would likely learn on her own how to put emotions aside when casting, but it was a process that, for some, could take a long time. “To compensate for emotions, I would recommend practicing your spells relentlessly. If you have near mastery of a spell, you’re less likely to fail, even when emotional. Successful magic can require intense concentration, especially with harder spells, but you’ll find it becomes less difficult and intense once you’ve had a lot of practice.”

If Duvessa had no motivation and wasn’t willing to put in the work to improve, she might as well turn around and walk back out of the library doors now. Being successful and shining above the rest required hard work, even if natural talent was present. For Ruby, dedication had never been an issue. She was highly ambitious and especially perfectionistic when it came to magic, so she devoted herself to it, practicing and perfecting skills and spells every day. Laziness and an idle mind was something she scorned above all. Persistence and dedication was key, and Ruby personally would accept nothing less than being the best at what she chose to do. Duvessa was a Slytherin like her—hopefully some of that same drive was present in the younger girl.

“First show me your wand movement for the spells you mentioned without casting,” she instructed. It was something smaller to start with, and had little to no risk involved in terms of magic gone wrong. It would allow Ruby to determine whether there was a significant issue with Duvessa’s wand movements, as the girl had mentioned, and correct it if there was before the actual spell was cast. Perhaps it would build Duvessa’s confidence, too, by starting with something less intense that didn’t have the potential for great failure. The only thing that could get hurt was the younger’s ego if she was particularly prideful and couldn’t handle messing up. But in order to grow, there had to be some willingness to try. No one, no matter how skilled or intelligent, started off perfect at spellcasting.

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@Ruby Cazares

The Slytherin was determined, no doubt. And today was no occasion, she intended to do her best and - well, succeed. She fervently hoped that she did anyway. Duvessa listened to the elder years advice, at the end pausing for a second to think of how much experience Ruby had. A fifth year, no doubt with grades higher than the avarage (Dagger wouldn't have chosen Ruby to tutor her if she hadn't had good grades, nor a sensible person).

She listened carefully, the young Slytherin began to think that perhaps one day she could stop her emotions from casting. Being too young was simply annoying sometimes, you desperatly wanted to grow up. But oh how much the adults would have probably wanted to be children. And this was no special case, Duvessa wanted to be older, wiser and a better caster. She wondered if one day she could be better than Dagger. But so far, that thought was simply out of reach even as she thought about it.

She gave a prim nod and took out her wand. A rare core, Phoenix feather and chestnut wood, which she prized. She decided to do the Dancing Feet spell first. She went upwards left, and paused for a second. What way was it again? Horizontally to the left again, was it? She did just that before sliding down in the shape of legs. All those movements were muddled, hard to remember for a small child. She bit her lip tentatively and waited judgement. She fumbled for her book and opened it, looking to find to see if she was correct. As she read the second instruction, her cheeks went crimson. Realization dawned on her.
"Oh." She gave a barely audible sigh, "Sorry."

Go upward left, horizontally to the right, and back down to the right in the shape of legs

*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*

Duvessa nodded as Ruby requested for her to demonstrate the wand movements for the spells she had mentioned. She watched as the younger girl began the movement for the Dancing Feet Spell, but hesitated near the beginning. Ruby raised an eyebrow briefly before her face resumed its neutral expression. Hesitation wasn’t good, it could lead to doubt and subsequently failure. Even though Duvessa wasn’t actually casting the spell, she should treat it as if she were, keeping the conditions the same. Nevertheless, Ruby didn’t interrupt, allowing Duvessa to finish before she would speak. In the end, even with the pause to think, the motion had been done incorrectly and Ruby had to resist the urge to sigh. Really? This was one of the simplest spells, taught very early on in the students’ first year, and Duvessa hadn’t even mastered that. She certainly had some work to do.

Duvessa apologized and Ruby responded briskly, “No need to apologize. It’s your abilities we’re working on.” And my time you’re wasting, Ruby thought bitterly, but she had agreed to meet with Duvessa to tutor her, and now she had to follow through. “Do you have any tools you use to remember wand movements for any spells? The Dancing Feet Spell, as you know, is cast with a motion similar to a pair of legs, since you’re making the target’s legs and feet dance. As for the direction you move your wand, think about the way you read a book—from left to right. That direction is natural for English readers, and typically it’s also the direction that we look around a room as a result. This is the same direction that you move your wand for the Dancing Feet Spell.”

Ruby paused. “Your hesitation can be fatal. In that moment, someone could hit you with a spell, or you could doubt yourself and fail to cast at all. Spellcasting should be as much instinct as it is concentration. I want you to practice the movement over and over again until it’s drilled into your brain and you can’t forget it, and then add the incantation as you do so. But for right now, please demonstrate the wand movement for the Mending Charm.” She knew she wasn’t being comforting and that she was putting a fair amount of pressure on Duvessa, but she didn’t care. If the young Slytherin couldn’t learn to handle this relatively small amount of pressure, she would never be able to properly defend herself in the event of danger.

*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*

She hid a wince as the elder year's expression was strained to be neutral. She gave a sign to herself before adopting her usual expression. She tried again, wand moving in the correct direction this time and remembering her words of advice. Read a book, left to right, nearly murmering that out loud. She needed to succeed. And surely Ruby was the best person who could help her with that.

She steadied her hand for that time, and moved with no hesitance. She hadn't realized just how grave the circumstances of hesitating where, she could no doubt loose a duel because of a moments pause. She awaited any feedback if they came, half desperate that she had read more. The next charm was the Mending Charm, and she did it as asked. This time she collected all her thoughts and moved the wand quickly.

She did her best not to stop in the middle and move her wand the correct way.
"Reparo." She said in a low tone as she continued to do so.

What was she doing, struggling on her first spell in tutoring? She concentrated again, eager to do the spell correctly and cast it without a moments doubt.