The Basilisk Caves

[Sylvan Thails]

*The Side-Along Apparate took much longer than would be normally. Sylvan lands gracefully enough and allows her arm to stiffen so Hermione could regain herself as well.*

*They stood at the mouth of a cave of rock imbedded into the side of cliff face. The sea below and the overcast sky offering a strange and almost surreal feel to the large cave.*

The first thing you must know is that like all spells, there is emotion that resides behind the cast. The stronger the emotion...the stronger the spell. The Patronus Charm, for example...if you can draw up a glorious memory of when you were truly happy...the Charm becomes stronger. The same is true for the Dark Arts.

We will first begin with the Imperious Curse.

*She draws her wand away from Hermione and holds it aloft loosely. Slowly going over the gesture for the horrible spell so that Hermione can see it clearly.*

The trick is to keep the wand level and aimed at your target. I will demonstrate and then you will try.

*She turns towards the cage of feeder mice and reaches within. Taking one out of the cage and setting it on a tall rock with no easy way down.*

*Standing off as she switches the wand slowly.*

Imperio...

*The mouse freezes, staring blankly at Sylvan as it's trapped in the horror of the spell.*

You will not leave that rock.

*Is all Sylvan says before flicking her wand away and breaking the hold. Turning to nod to Hermione*

You try. The feeling behind the spell is...have you ever wanted to just yell and scream at someone to do anything the right way? To rail at them for their imperfections. It is similar. Try.

[Hermione Granger]

*Oh Hermione did not always enjoy apparating... It was better than Floo Powder she supposed... But goodness it did disorient one. Well she would quickly gain her orientation again and look to Sylvan, smiling a bit with gratitude as the woman held her up for a moment until she regained her balance.*

*Hermione would walk into the cave after Sylvan, casting a wary glance around, despite Sylvan's assurances that it was safe. She would reach into her robes and draw her own wand, watching Sylvan now, and listening intently to her. She understood the strong emotion to be thrown behind a spell. She could produce a patronus, and indeed had quite a few happy memories. She would nod again as Sylvan spoke of showing her what to do and then her following it.*

*She nodded and watched, riveted as she watched Sylvan's wand movements closely. She would raise her own wand and point off toward nowhere in particular and begin to practice the wand movements, her eyes glancing back to Sylvan every so often. She practiced as Sylvan drew a mouse from the cage, and then would pause as she watched her movements. She winced a little as she watched the mouse freeze in the spell and then do exactly as Sylvan told it to. Goodness this was the least horific of the curses, and yet the prospect of using it turned Hermione's stomach. She remembered the time in Fourth year where the pseudo Professor Moody performed these curses right in the classroom... She didn't even think to watch his wand movements, she had been caught up in the horror of what he was doing... Well now here she was about to perform such curses to learn them and be able to recognize them...*

*She nodded slightly as Sylvan finished and would release the mouse from the spell. The mouse would start sniffling around wildly for an escape. Hermione glanced to Sylvan, and winced a little as she heard her speak. Someone who did things that infuriated her with how impossibly incorrect they were... Imediately her mind flew to the love of her life. She reeled in surprise at the sudden thought. Indeed he often infuriated her with his blunders. He was getting better, and yet her latest thought was how stupid he had been being with Harry... Indeed he had all right to be, but it was also very much him being stubborn. Well she couldn't use that thought, despite how perfect it was... She instead would think of Goyle... One of Draco's cronies back at school and how stupid he was all the time. Well she would use this thought instead, focusing on it. She never really wished to yell at him though, so when she would go through the motion for the wandwork and utter the word, a weaker version of the curse would come.*

Imperio.

*Indeed the spell wasn't nearly as strong as Sylvan's had been, and it was even likely the mouse might be able to fight it somewhat.*

[Sylvan Thails]

*Sylvan watches carefully as Hermione searches for the memory and is keen to observe the talent of the witch. Sylvan doesn't have to fake surprise when the Curse is cast.*

My...that's quite good. The emotion behind the spell isn't very strong...but you have the gist of it. Here...

*She steps forward and places a hand on Hermione's own wand hand.*

Your grip is too tight, you're nervous so it's understandable. Hold your wand lightly in your fingers, using only you index finger to grip and hold the base of your wand against the heel of your palm. It is the best way to ensure the proper motion. I will demonstrate the wand movement standing opposite of you. Had I a mirror I would offer it to you. This way, you will be able to see what the movement looks like from another.

*She takes a step back. Holding her wand aloft gently as she instructed Hermione to do.*

You see how it first looks like one is about to cast Expelliarmus? Instead of the flick to the left to start...one moves to the right. Aimed spells, spells which require a target, generally follow this trend. Your key is the second gesture here....a wave that tilts the base of the wand upwards and the tip pointed.

*She shifts to demonstrate.*

Imperio...

*The spell is cast while Hermione watches her wand work and Sylvan keeps her eyes focused on the girl now. Holding her in the Curse with a smile.*

You will tell me everything you know, Hermione Granger, about the Boy Who Lived and his allies. Where he is, what spells defend him, who protects him. When you are done, you will modify your memory to think that you and I have been practicing the wand work for the Imperious Curse with the mouse for the length of time it takes for you to tell me what I require. Remembering nothing of what you tell me or that I used the Imperius Curse on you.

*The wand held still as she waits for Hermione to speak.*

[Hermione Granger]

*Hermione grinned brightly as she heard Sylvan's praise on what she did. She nodded and would lower her wand for the moment, gazing at the poor mouse as she released it from her grasp. She watched as Sylvan came forth and laid her hand lightly upon Hermione's own, loosening her grip and instructing her on better wand movement. She nodded lightly and smiled warmly to her as she spoke of instructing her, standing in front of her. Well this made Hermione slightly uneasy, considering she still didn't completely trust Sylvan... And yet she was allowing her to teach her.*

*Hermione watched warily, not liking the way Sylvan's wand pointed at her. Couldn't she show her, pointing it off to the side? Uncertainty sparked in Hermione's eyes, and likely this would be a clue to Sylvan, and yet suddenly she heard the word begin on Sylvan's lips. Of course she knew the wand work, and as soon as she heard her begin to speak, Hermione would do the motion she was just reminded of, silently, and rapidly, casting a strong expeliarmus in Sylvan's direction, meeting her spell head on. Hermione's eyes flew wide and she would imediately dart out of the way in terror, breaking the spell contact, but also knocking away Sylvan's spell before it could land.*

Sylvan!

*She cried out in surprise, before moving again away from the witch, her wand held high.*

Lessons are over.

*She hissed before apparating away with a loud crack, terror in her eyes, and hurt in her heart. She had thought she could trust her, and had almost managed to fall right into the trap of the dark one...*

(Alright, so... Tell me if this absolutely doesn't work, though I thought it was quite possible, considering Sylvan wouldn't likely expect Hermione to put to use what she had told her so soon.

[Sylvan Thails]

*The wand flick in meet of her Curse has Sylvan smiling as she casts off the disarming spell. Now it was a duel. No word spoken as her wand shifts with an expert touch. She's spent her life on the dueling ground it feels like and it's given her amazing reflex.*

*The pulse of blue from her wand as Sylvan offers a silent Obliviate to the troublesome girl. Sylvan couldn't let Hermione go with the knowledge of her face in her mind. She had to make sure it was erased.*

[Hermione Granger]

*Hermione knew Sylvan was an expert duelist, just by what she said, of course, and yet she believed that part of what she said. With this knowledge, Hermione could not allow the duel to go any farther, and would apparate away almost imediately, even during what she was speaking, and yet she was hit with the curse. Her memory of the entire time she had been spending with Sylvan had been erased. She remembered being in the Three Broomsticks, and yet that was about it. Heck, for all she knew, she hadn't even left... But why was she so tired all of a sudden? She shivered a bit as she would find herself apparating back to The Three Broomsticks, and standing stricken in confusion, trying to figure out what had just happened.*