CH39 - Duelling

As Edmund walked into the airy Charms classroom with the rest of his housemates from his year, he was surprised by the room's bareness. The tables and chairs—usually taking up the majority of the space—had been stacked to one side. They were joined by Professor Flitwick's desk, the lectern he used while teaching, and the vast array of props commonly used to practice charms. The quills, goblets, pillows, dummies, locked chests, and various other objects had all been shrunken down and tucked into a glass cabinet, almost like a claw machine at an arcade.

A massive elevated stage had been erected in the center of the clearly expanded classroom. The dais was fairly narrow but conversely quite long; it was a very distinctive look that was immediately recognizable.

"A duelling platform," Edmund muttered.

Black mats lined the floors, separated into smaller yellow boxes similar in dimension to the central platform. Each subdivided area contained a set of yellow footprints on each side, indicating where to stand.

Flitwick, McGonagall, and Lupin stood on the mats, facing the stage, their faces contorted in concentration. Spells of multiple colours silently flowed out of their wands, coalescing into a translucent bluish bubble around the duelling area.

The charms being layered were classic containment charms, a standard for duelling practice. Some were meant to prevent stray spells from escaping and harming others in the room. Others would catch someone if they were unlucky enough to be flung off the stage. A few of the more obscure spells that Edmund recognized were used to suppress pieces of wider area-of-effect magic from breaking loose: namely smoke and water spells.

Students flooded into the classroom quickly as the collective sense of excitement grew. Rather than just Hufflepuff and Slytherin being present as Edmund had anticipated, the other two houses slowly trickled into the room as well. Chatter became increasingly louder as everyone speculated who they would and would not want to face.

However, it took only a scant few moments for silence to prevail when McGonagall's stern glare was directed their way. Flitwick may have had the reputation as the most easy-going member of the faculty, but everyone knew not to test the transfiguration professor's patience.

Lupin tried to hide his growing smile at his pupils' reactions with a cough, which Flitwick took as a cue to begin talking.

"Welcome, everybody!" the shorter man exclaimed jovially while spreading his arms wide. "I'm sure there is no need to mention it, but today is a rather special day. Today, you all will get your first taste of duelling!"

"You are all well aware that duelling is more of a DADA-centric focus, but proficiency in all the wanded disciplines is necessary to defend yourself from a qualified foe. As such, we professors have decided to collaborate," Lupin continued.

"Two of the houses have a Charms class right now, while the other two have a DADA class. Next block, the classes would usually switch. Today, both classes will be merged, which means all four houses will have a joint double-block dedicated to duelling this morning," McGonagall explained, inciting another wave of animated discussion. "This is a privilege being awarded to all of you. I recommend you do nothing that may cause it to be revoked."

Satisfied that the students had received her warning, McGonagall nodded sharply.

"I can assure you that you are all in good hands for this lesson. I, myself, was a former duelling champion of Britain before I took my post at Hogwarts. Professor McGonagall is no slouch either, and has been recognized by the ministry for defeating many notable figures during the wizarding war. Even Professor Lupin, young as he may be compared to us fossils, is one of the few alive who has battled Fenrir Greyback to a stalemate," Flitwick proudly announced.

Those who had not known their history scrutinized the professors with wide eyes, seeing them in a brand new light. It was hard for many to match the cheerful Flitwick, serious McGonagall, and shabby Lupin with their mental image of what a dueller should look like.

Lupin, in particular, seemed highly uncomfortable with the attention being directed his way and forged onwards with the instructions hastily.

The first half hour of the session was focused on rules, of which duelling had many. There were protocols regarding etiquette, starting and ending bouts, yielding to opponents, legal spells, and much more. Only after all the basics had been covered did the professors explain how matches would be selected.

"The chalkboard at the front of the classroom has been enchanted to randomly pair students who have finished a duel. You will only have one chance to fight each student you face, and time constraints mean you will not be able to battle every student in the class," McGonagall summarized. "Yes, this does signify that some of you will go against more or less adept challengers. However, luck always plays a part in conflict, and I will hear no complaints about switching the opponent you have been assigned. Being respectful is a responsibility that I expect you all to take seriously."

"The top eight students with the most wins will be put into a tournament, the matches for which will be fought on the duelling platform behind us," Lupin added.

"If there are no more questions?" Flitwick paused for a moment before smiling. "Begin!"

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- (Scene Break) -

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An Expelliarmus barreled out of Edmund's wand, rushing to his opponent. Edmund himself remained stationary, noting that the Tarantallegra coming from the Ravenclaw opposite him was going to miss. His challenger's wand spun through the air before landing in Edmund's outstretched hand. Rushing over, Edmund offered his hand to his downed opponent, pulling him back onto his feet.

"It was a good try, Derek. You might want to work on your aim a bit, though," Edmund reassured the boy he had gotten to know a little over the Christmas holidays.

Derek smiled back, a little embarrassed but still happy. "Thanks, Edmund. I doubted I was going to end your streak anyways. Good luck!"

As he waited for his next duel to be announced, Edmund caught sight of a nasty brawl between two of the Slytherin witches. They had abandoned their wands altogether and were wrestling about on the floor. One girl had the other's hair tightly in her grasp while the other kicked the former's shins.

Cecilia silently sidled up next to him, a sardonic grin on her face. "Two purebloods engaged in muggle duelling?" she tutted mockingly. "What would their parents think? Their reputation is going down the drain."

Edmund snorted before his attention was drawn to his name flashing on the blackboard.

His next partner was just as easy as the previous one, but she was familiar to him. Chelsea had at least managed to aim at him correctly, sending a Petrificus Totalus his way before her wand was snatched away. A simple tilt of his neck had allowed him to dodge the spell, whereas Chelsea was knocked off her feet.

A loud screech pierced the room as a girl stormed out after retrieving her wand from where it had fallen by her feet. Her attacker was none other than the pureblood girl's half-blood cousin. The boy scratched his head with a wince as his classmates crowded around him to give him a pat on the back.

'Ah, free entertainment,' Edmund thought with a chuckle.

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- (Scene Break) -

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The quarterfinals began with a bang. Edmund, Jeremy, and Cecilia had managed to claw their way into the finalists, making the list fairly Hufflepuff-heavy.

Edmund had gone up first, winning an easy victory over a Ravenclaw witch he had already beaten before. The girl was powerful and knowledgeable but incredibly slow on her feet. Her previous opponents may have been caught up in her rapid casting, but she was far outclassed by Edmund's speed.

The next match was between two Gryffindor pranksters, boys who practically idolized the Weasley twins. Their matchup was fun to watch, as their repertoire had been composed entirely of prank spells that yielded outlandish results. By the time one had triumphed over the other, they both looked like the most abnormal clowns anyone had ever seen.

Cecilia had been matched with Astoria Greengrass, resulting in a short but explosive battle. Astoria undoubtedly possessed more knowledge and finesse than Cecilia, but she was hindered by the fragility of her body and magic. A duellist with a style like hers was referred to as an 'Arrow.' Arrows probed their enemies cautiously, searching for a gap in which they could finish the battle with a single decisive blow. Cecilia was the opposite, more dynamic and heavy hitting, but with less versatility. She would be known as a 'Spear,' one who mastered fewer spells and stuck with them, pressuring the opposition into submission. As the duel progressed, Astoria's strikes weakened, and Cecilia finally managed to hit the girl with an Immobulus.

The last match was practically a beatdown. Kevin Bletchley took immense joy in pummeling Jeremy into the ground. The former never pushed the latter enough for Jeremy to yield, only toying with him sadistically. Of course, the spells that Kevin knew were amateurish, which was the only reason none of the Professors could intervene. They only looked on with disapproval until Jeremy realized the futility of the situation and gave up.

The semifinals were a bit more exciting, but brief all the same. Most first-years did not know enough magic for prolonged fights and were not experienced enough to soldier on without making mistakes.

Edmund's duel against the Gryffindor boy was completed with the same clinical efficiency that Edmund had shown everyone else. His masters had trained Edmund to fight real battles, which meant that he was not prone to showboating. It was highly impressive, but most students were bored of what had been dubbed the 'five-second slaughters.' Edmund cared little.

However, Kevin's confrontation with Cecilia incensed him, ensuring that Edmund would not follow his usual routine for the finals.

The duo's fight had been brutal, back and forth the entire way through. The deadlock was broken when Cecilia became the first to deviate from the trend of only relying on charms. With a wide flourish, she had transfigured the platform to wrap around Kevin's foot, causing him to faceplant. The boy had immediately raised in hands in defeat when he hit the floor, causing Cecilia to lower her guard.

It had been a mistake.

Duels were only officially ended through the words "I yield" by the losing party or by them tapping the ground twice with their palm. Kevin had done neither. Taking advantage of the loophole, he continued battling.

Edmund had no problem with that. It was underhanded, but duels were meant to simulate real battle, which would be even more unfair. What he did take issue with was Kevin repressing Cecilia's ability to submit by swelling up her face to impair her speech and binding her hands together.

The professors had only formally ended the duel when McGonagall noticed the murderous look on Edmund's face.

Almost ten minutes later, Kevin and Edmund stood facing one another, wands in hand. Kevin wore a cocky grin, while Edmund only displayed a cold mask of determination.

"Get him, Edmund!" Ben cheered from the sides.

"Fuck him up!" Jeremy shouted, ignoring McGonagall's reprimands.

Cecilia was nursing her jaw in a chair to the side, but remained otherwise silent as she watched the showdown intently.

At the beginning signal, Edmund did not waste a second before incapacitating Kevin. The boy's capability to incant was neutralized by a swift Langlock, leaving his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. While the spell was rather obscure due to its relatively recent development by Severus Snape, it could be found in several of the newer spellbooks within the Hogwarts library. A transfigured rope ensnared Kevin's hands, tying them behind his back. A simple knockback jinx pushed the boy onto his back, his wand clattering out of his grip and rolling out of his reach.

Rather than cast anything else, Edmund simply looked into Kevin's eyes. The Slytherin's face was the picture of malevolent fury and shame. His gaze flitted around to the observers cheering at his loss with glee.

Edmund could have disfigured the boy in any number of ways, but he preferred to humiliate him and make him wallow in his helplessness. Seconds ticked by, and Kevin uselessly wriggled about as he tried to stand back up. The room was basically silent now except for Kevin's heavy breathing and grunting.

Finally, Edmund walked over and knelt next to him.

"I thought I had made it clear, but I guess not. If you want me to say it to you directly, I will," Edmund tersely sneered. "Back. Off. Got it?"

Kevin nodded rapidly, his loathing apparent on his face.

Edmund cancelled the Langlock, allowing the boy to speak once more.

"I yield," Kevin cried out pathetically.