9pm//

Georgiana had found herself - perhaps in despite of herself - rather enjoying these lessons with Ignan. She wasn't really the sort to speculate, but her basic guess was that aside from the fact she genuinely enjoyed using her wand (unlike the rest of her family, it seemed) it was somewhat exciting to do something behind her brother's back with one of his friends. Which sounded dirty, but summed up the feeling well.

Not that she'd ever do something dirty with Storm. She'd seen the pictures Kirchlehner had of him when he was young and he wasn't attractive then, let alone now.

Nice eyelashes, though.

She sat in the dark classroom, awaiting her tutor. Her wand sat on the desk by her feet, the bluish hue of the crystal faded in the dark of the room. She'd dressed practically, which was a switch from her normal attire. Her wild curls sat in two braided plaits over her shoulders, and a hoodie, t-shirt and jeans had replaced her usual choice of skirt and corset or her uniform.

Her leather boots were currently planted quite comfortably on the desk in front of her as she let the chair rock back and forth. As far as her brother knew, she was in her dorm, and the randomness of these lessons made it easy to dodge him - though she preferred to sneak out for these on night that he taught, since by 9 he was fussing about the Astronomy tower preparing long lectures on Merlin knew what.

The door opened and she tilted her head back, regarding Storm upside down. "You're late," she drawled lazily, sitting up.

"And you've got your feet on that desk." Professor Storm replied without missing a beat, and with a well aimed flick of his wand swept the chair legs forwards, sending Georgiana's balance backwards, and the fifth year sailing towards the floor.

He'd been perfectly aware he was running late to meet Trishna, but the last minute details of the careers fair had taken longer than expected. Nobody particularly wanted to wind Analiza or Declan up these days it seemed, and rightly so, otherwise they too would be finding a new career tomorrow.

Raising his wand again the candles either side of the classroom illuminated, and he passed by where Georgiana was sat, rounding his desk at the front of the room, and added three pieces of parchment to a pile on the desk which were second year answers to a series of questions posed on lethifolds and hung his cloak on its usual perch, having taken a walk earlier in the evening between dinner and the staff meeting.

Satisfied things were in order, he straightened his waistcoat and stepped back down from the desk to the classroom floor and closed the distance between them.
"So, Trishna, you survived a week at home, did you spend time deciding what you would like our time to be spent on, or is your plan just to waste mine?"

He smirked, knowing that the weeks he and Georgiana had spent time together, that the student understood his humour a little better. Ignan had maintained that as the instigator of the meetings, the one who had approached him on Tapendra's birthday, she would lead the requests on what the time was best spent on. For her assertive nature, and her mind, Ignan had a lot of time for her.

"No, I trust you won't do that. I was unfortunately detained in a staff meeting, I apologise for wasting yours this evening thus far." It had been only a matter of minutes, but after unseating her, it was best to restore the status-quo with an apology.

She caught herself just in time to avoid her head hitting the stone floor, instead landing mostly on her elbows, which was almost equally unpleasant. She let out a yelp of pain which she tried to instantly squelch. "Ouch," she muttered to herself, retrieving her wand as she got to her feet. So, she might have had that coming; score 1 to the old codger.

She was rearranging her braids when he spoke up, having been arranging the room. She opened her mouth to reply, but shut it as he answered the question, to some extent, on his own. She shrugged in response to the apology, offering a soft, "Whatever."

Walking to the front of the classroom, she frowned, leaning on a nearby desk. "Kinda," she said, not about to admit she'd spent a lot of the break playing Halo 3. But she'd been thinking about it while playing, so maybe that counted.

"You've had people nearly kill you," she said, matter of factly, flipping a braid over her shoulder. "I want to know how to deal with that. Not like in class," she added, waving her hand. "In class it's not real, dummies like those straw ones or Sellaphix aren't an actual threat. They're not going to hurt you, you know? The moment you yell 'ow' they let up and apologize. Well, the straw ones do anyway. Real dark wizards aren't like that." If they were, it certainly brought down their coolness factor but a massive amount, in her mind.

She pursed her lips. "I want to know how to protect myself and others, no matter the cost," she said, in an attempt to sum up something that was really a vague feeling, a bubbling, stewing anger.

"And...if you'll teach me, I want to know how to return the favor. How to find someone and..." She couldn't bring herself to say kill, which surprised her. She was ready to do it, if necessary. She knew that. "And do what's nessisary," she finished, lamely.

She smirked quickly, to cover her moment of uncertainty. "Tapendra wouldn't want it done that way, he'd rather we all kissed and made up," she said, scathingly. "But that's not how the real world works, is it?"

"You've had people nearly kill you, I want to know how to deal with that. Not like in class," Storm raised an eyebrow, hands clasped behind his back, wand between his fingertips, pointing at his feet.

"In class it's not real, dummies like those straw ones or Sellaphix aren't an actual threat. They're not going to hurt you, you know? The moment you yell 'ow' they let up and apologize. Well, the straw ones do anyway. Real dark wizards aren't like that."

"No, they're not." The Professor confirmed quietly, and rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet slightly as he listened, making eye contact with Georgiana.

"I want to know how to protect myself and others, no matter the cost, and…if you'll teach me, I want to know how to return the favour. How to find someone and…" she paused, "And do what's necessary,"

"Where defence ends…" He muttered, bringing his arms before him and folding them, frowning thoughtfully. 

"Tapendra wouldn't want it done that way, he'd rather we all kissed and made up, but that's not how the real world works, is it?"

"Oh, I think when family's at stake, even your brother would protect himself and others no matter the cost." Ignan told Georgiana, thinking back to Tapendra's tale about approaching Vedir.

"Interesting proposal, to say the last, Trishna, and certainly one for putting me on the spot, but that was our arrangement." He gave a hint of an amused smile, enjoying the challenge. "You'd have enjoyed Durmstrang, I think. Hogwarts, for all its attempts to separate itself from the Ministry still does pander to its whims. The parents of the school would like me far less if I did give each of you a near-death experience once a week, much as some of us would enjoy it."

He paused a moment, gaze drifting away from Georgiana, thinking things through.
"When you say you'd like to deal with being nearly killed, do you mean that quite literally," his gaze flicked back to Georgiana intently, "or figuratively speaking, you'd prefer to be challenged until you risked serious injury?" The question was posed in a predatory way, one part of Ignan's mind that was best kept well away from students was contemplating how much it could get away with - like a cat toying with its food.

She cocked her hips, raising an eyebrow at his reference to Tapendra. "Maybe," she muttered, tone making it evident she wasn't so sure about that.

A smirk found her lips, though, and she nodded. "Tappy tells me kids got hurt when he was in school, and no one cared. When he thinks the school's gone a bit over sensitive..." You've got a problem. It wasn't like broken bones couldn't be fixed in minutes, so who cared if you broke some?

"Well," she said, eyeing her wand. "Best not to jump in the water without knowing how to swim, isn't it? If I asked you to kill me, you'd take me out in 30 seconds flat, I'd bet. No. Best to start with the injury, I'd say. I can live with broken bones, though we might want to find some of that bone-fixing potion ourselves. I'm pretty sure questions'll get asked if I show up at the Hospital Hut too regularly." She grinned. "Or if you do, old man."

Looking around the classroom, she frowned. "Though if we're doing that, is this be best place for it? There seems to be a lot of risk of collateral damage. That people would notice."

"Less of the old Trishna, looks can be deceiving." Professor Storm quickly retorted, wand pointing right between her eyes, though the tone he'd used indicated that despite its position, he'd only meant it to punctuate the request and focus her attention.

"Well, I suppose we can look at it this way," His wand withdrew and his fingertips closed around the tip again thoughtfully, "In lessons I teach you to know your capabilities, then push you to exceed them - then allow you realise you've surpassed your own expectations, and push you again." His focus had settled in middle ground somewhere past Georgiana at the third or fourth row of desks, thinking.

"Then there are times that we have discussed that however admirable standing and fighting is, the first thing to do is to protect yourself, and those you are responsible for. If that means removing yourself from the place to ensure the best result, then that is the response." He looked at her again. "Cowardly it may seem but unless you're serving your country and wishing to detain the person in question, there's little point to stick around."

Georgiana seemed to dispute this, and Ignan tried to move things on to something a little more apt for the Slytherin.

"But in your case, you cannot," he toned quizzically, never having asked, and not wanting to assume, "apparate yet, so your options are relying on another who can, or running - far less efficient, and equally risky. However, moving targets are quite a lot harder to focus exact curses on, meaning one has to rely on blanket effect, which is altogether a little less effective."

He made a face, thinking about how he'd once faced that situation with a family of Muggles who had been protected by a wizard relation. They'd run in seven different directions and at risk of losing half of them, he'd cast a blanket curse to knock them off their feet, and then killed the irritating little idiots one by one.

"So you have to stay and fight - which puts you in immediately more danger. Depending on your surroundings, their strengths, whether they're already injured..." He gave her a queer look, and frowned "You're looking at me like you just want to learn how to break someone's neck, Georgiana, and it better not be mine."

She glared at his wand tip, her eyes seeming to cross for a moment as her lips pressed together in an angry pout.

"Yeah, I don't get my licence 'til next year," she confirmed, shifting her weight to the her opposite hip, her arms still loosely crossed.

She listened to his description with obvious interest - seemingly unaware she was doing so, her arm crept up to gently rub her chin, an odd mimicry of her brother's beard-stroking.

"No, it's not that," she said, exasperated, as her frowned at her. "It's just - we've got - I...ugh." Shaking her head, her arm dropped to her side. "We've got powerful enemies, alright? Ones that'd be willing to...do that kind of thing. I don't want to just sit there cowering if, or when, that happens. I want to stop them." Her voice was steely, but her shifting body language indicated her discomfort with revealing this. "I don't know if Tapendra's told you anything. But my family's origins as wholesome as he's probably claimed. So..." she shrugged, hopelessly. "I mean. Sure, if snapping necks helps. If I can do it in heels, all the better," she added with a cheeky smirk.

"No, it's not that. It's just - we've got - I...ugh. We've got powerful enemies, alright? Ones that'd be willing to...do that kind of thing. I don't want to just sit there cowering if, or when, that happens. I want to stop them." Georgiana explained. 

"I don't know if Tapendra's told you anything. But my family's origins as wholesome as he's probably claimed. So... I mean. Sure, if snapping necks helps. If I can do it in heels, all the better,"

Ignan allowed her a smirk in response.

"I am aware of our parentage, Georgiana," Ignan explained softly, indicating the girl didn't need to explain further. Instead, a part of him reminded him that he could have been as good as her father if things had turned out differently. He'd have been proud to have raised a daughter such as Georgiana, only she'd wear more clothes in general and not flirt with Johann, however amusing it had been to watch the interchange.

"So, if you would like to be able to protect yourself against him, and stand to the bitter end, we'll take this very seriously." He folded his arms, "A lap of the castle walls at least once before breakfast, running." Perhaps it hadn't been the most expected response from him. "Standing to the end is half skill, half stamina. Youth has an advantage, but the fitter you are, the longer you hold out."

He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully,
"We can cover practical ways to deal with being disarmed - using your environment to protect you. Enough spells, curses and shields to fill a NEWT, and a few you won't learn here but you probably should. I'll show you, but I will not teach you curses to cause mortal harm." He looked Georgiana square in the eyes. "Your brother would not forgive me for it, and you will not need to use them."

She raised her eyebrows, silent; her expression saying the unspoken, "He told you?" as loudly as it could. She tilted her head, looking at him oddly; sizing him up for a moment.

"I see," she said, levelly. The suspicious hints in her tone were impossible to hide.

But he seemed to take her seriously, for which she was quietly grateful. His proposal wasn't exactly the high-flying adventure she'd hoped for, but she was serious about this. She'd do it. Even if it did mean running in the rain every morning, she could always loose a few more pounds, right?

"Alright," she said, though she wasn't entirely able to hide her disappointment at the 'no mortal harm' thing. Tapendra'd get over it. He always did. Give him a few weeks to stew, and he'd decide he was wrong and come crawling back.

"What sort of thing will you e teaching me, then?" She asked. "If they can't be taught here, what are they?"

OOC: If this sounds wrong, A, send me a PM, but thought it would be interesting to explore.
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"What sort of thing will you e teaching me, then? If they can't be taught here, what are they?"

Ignan smirked, clear he was enjoying this, and peered down at her, speaking softly,
"Trishna, do you know where best to aim a pinpoint curse on someone to cause them most pain, or knock them out with minimum force? Do you know, once in a full body bind, where best to cut for a swift or slow bleeding?"

Your mother would. Ran through Ignan's mind, his eyes gleaming, wondering for a moment if Georgiana would be as terrifying and inventive as Azorma. Despite himself, he had to agree she already appeared to have the beauty, even without metamorphmagi ability.

"Perhaps how to near drown someone," He continued with similar, insistent malice, "just enough to break their will?"

He tilted his head ever so slightly, like a bird regarding a mouse, and pounced, binding Georgiana's arms behind her, spinning her on the spot and pocketing her wand. He marched her forwards towards the stone sink in the corner of the classroom beside the murky tanks of creatures LeJean claimed he was cruel to for keeping.

The stone gargoyle roared water into it as they wrestled to a position beside it, Trishna wasn't giving up without a fight, the two of them would be sporting a set of bruises that would raise questions. The irrational side of Ignan delighted in that prospect, and of still knowing he could force a young woman to his will with such elegant ease (admittedly the process of getting her across the room could have been better executed.)

"How long can you hold your breath beneath water, can you even swim for that matter?" The Professor asked, his lips just behind her right ear, before he forced her head downwards, her braids snatched in his grip, as if he was tearing them from her scalp.

It was surprising how many couldn't swim - but relied on the natural, elemental defences each of them had to save them from minor peril.

He forced her head down towards the water, and then stopped himself, releasing his painful grip just as Georgiana's nose touched the cold rushing water.

Taking a step back away from her to the right, he inclined his head in a half bow with a smile - her arms still bound behind her. He tried to glean from her expression whether she was not amused at the attempt - or pleased, and instead rather more irritated he hadn't followed through.

"Well, it would spoil the fun if I did drown you ten minutes after presenting me with such a request." Ignan shrugged, flicking his wand thrice as if uncoiling ropes around a branch in midair between them. The movement released her arms, and he tossed her wand back once he saw her arms fall back to her sides, all without taking his eyes from her. He didn't fancy a dunking either, but he'd have to expect everything he attempted to her in return.

"How long would you last though?" He asked Georgiana in all seriousness, the rushing water halting abruptly into drips from the gargoyle's mouth as he held his wand abruptly upright as if stopping an orchestra for a silent pause.

Everything happened in a rush. She was bound, manhandled and in pain as her braids were yanked back. The coolness of the water was almost welcome as it aided her confused and, dare she admit it, scared brain to focus quickly on her situation. Which was not a good one.

Bony and old though he might be, Ignan was annoyingly strong. Her struggles and kicks at his shins seemed to do nothing.

Then, as quickly as he'd done it, he stopped, stepping away. She stood quickly, shaking her head and trying to undo her hands - and failing. The glare she turned on him was in every way her mother's; and in Atalana's way, it was angry enough to melt steel.

"No, I  imagine it wouldn't," she said, gripping her wand tightly once it was handed to her.  "Especially since you keep going on about what my brother would do, so you seem to think he's capable of-" She cut herself off, going from annoyed and angry one second to lashing out, her leg kicking up, appearently towards his wand even as she raised her own.

"Petrificus Totalus!" she said, blasting him from behind her kicking foot as her boot caught him in a very sensative place.

He more than asked for what occurred next as Georgiana swung her leg up and hexed him.

At such close proximity, she was faster, given his distraction to cease the water too. Falling like a plank against the tanks beside the sink, he was left to glare at her. His wand was still gripped in his hand as the rest of him went stiff.

Damn you Trishna....

Well.. for now, give him a moment and he'd be able to do something about it - but leave her just long enough..

She grinned as he fell, unable to keep herself from laughing as he hit the floor like a felled tree. She stood over him, hands on her hips, and smiled in an almost unbearably cheeky manner, her wand still tightly in her grip, the crystal tip pointed, unwavering, at his face.

"I'd apologize for that kick, but you don't get much use out of the ol' chopper, I expect, so no one'll notice," she sneered, nudging his still form with her boot. "Unless it's small enough I missed it, which'd explain quite a bit, wouldn't it...?"

Cocking her head, she smirked, one finger tapping her chin. "Should I dunk you in return? It'd be only appropriate, right? Or maybe leaving you in the rafters..."

Never make the same mistake twice.

Not a man able to do any extensive wandless magic - Ignan had learned a few essentials during the years - including how to break enough of a bind to release himself. It was mind over matter, the magic overruling the mind's control on muscle.

He stared up at Georgiana, and as he concentrated on convincing his body it was not held stiff, she vocalised her thoughts on what she should do to her Professor.

"I'd apologize for that kick, but you don't get much use out of the ol' chopper, I expect, so no one'll notice, unless it's small enough I missed it, which'd explain quite a bit, wouldn't it...? Should I dunk you in return? It'd be only appropriate, right? Or maybe leaving you in the rafters..."

Ignan's wand hand came free, and without needing to utter it, stupefy concentrated in his mind, the red light catching the girl stood over him. She stumbled, giving him enough time to release the body bind, only his left foot remained stiffly in it, and as he reached his feet, he pitched forward, unbalanced, straight into her.

Georgiana had been recoiling, and on the verge of refocusing to fight back it appeared - but with his stumble forwards into her, and his reaction to her defiance, they hit the side of the sink with enough force to break ribs. Pure fury shoved her head into the full sink beside with a splash, twisting her wand arm viciously in an attempt to force her to comply.

The cold water spilled out onto the floor, more so as they thrashed. He quite possibly smacked her head onto the base of the stone sink, using his weight to pin her against it - her struggles returning though undoubtedly she was disorientated by being stunned and then plunged into cold water.

Over her, panting and aching, his left foot still numb and solid like a concrete boot, Ignan had lost grip on that rational side - that he was her Professor, that she was Tapendra's sister.
"How long, Trishna?" He growled.

It happened again; a rush of pain, cold water, and this time she couldn't breathe. The breath blown from her body, she only just stopped her instinct to try to suck in more as her head was plunged into the icy water.

Her arm was in considerable pain as Ignan twisted it, trying to make her let go of her wand, and her kicks seemed to do nothing. She had enough sense to grip it as tightly as she could, her other arm pushing as hard as she could against his force, and part of her - an almost primitive instinct - turned the point towards Ignan's gripping hand and arm.

Her ears clanged and her lungs ached, and she had just enough sense, in her fear, to jab as hard as she could with the end of her wand - the very strong, refined and above all sharp end of her wand.

Ignan released her, and she thought she heard a cry of pain and surprise as the old man reeled away, his weight gone. His surprise turned out to be lucky. She pulled her head from the water, gasping for breath, and with her wand still pointed away away towards the direction she could only hope he was, she panted, "S-stupefy."

There was a second cry and a painful sounding crash. She had a little time, and she pulled herself upright, both hands on the edge of the sink, the tip of her wand bloody. Her side hurt, her braids were soaking wet, and her heart was racing. And yet she felt an odd sense of exhalation. What was it she'd heard said? When someone's trying to kill you is when you feel the most alive?

A soft sound caused her to look away to the front of the classroom. The door was opening. She stared at it in a mix of horror and guarded gratefulness.