Risk // Sebastian Sallow

Chapter 3: Crossed Wands

Sebastian scoffed and swallowed another laugh. "What makes you think Olive even needs advice at all, let alone yours?"

"I just like to offer a different perspective, that's all. Sometimes it can be useful." Leander said, taking a short step back and folding his arms across his chest in a huff.

"Well, according to the schedule, you're against her first anyway, so I'd probably stop talking. Wouldn't want her to steal any of your tricks, right, Prewett?"

Leander scoffed and walked off, Sebastian doing the same leaving me feeling a little confused by him jumping in the conversation. I suppose it did make sense, he always had a distaste for Leander and liked to make a fool of him whenever he could. Leander did also make that really easy to do.

Lucan called us together before I could spare another thought on the moment and told us how the rounds would be working. He'd paired each duelist with another by random draw and it was knock out until two duelists were left. Sebastian was right, I had indeed been paired with Leander and we were first. I felt my heart almost leap out of my throat when he called my name, but it was only Leander I suppose. I was certain a small child could take Leander on and win. How he made Crossed Wands in the first place absolutely baffled me.

I entered the makeshift arena and walked to my mark, standing opposite Leander. He took a deep stance, knees bent low. I furrowed my brows at how ridiculous he looked and opted for a simple stance myself with one foot in front of the other for support.

Lucan declared the duel had started and Leander took the first swing, projecting three basic casts in a row at me.

With a flick of my wand, I countered Leander with a well-timed Protego, creating a protective shield that deflected the spells away harmlessly. Too easy. I swiftly cast Expelliarmus towards Leander, aiming precisely at his wand hand. But to my surprise, he managed to dodge the spell, barely evading its effects.

Leander smirked, his confidence evident. "Not bad, Raywood. But let's see how you handle this!" He raised his wand and unleashed a flurry of rapid-fire spells, trying to overwhelm me with sheer speed and volume.

I focused on my reflexes and instincts, using my agility and perfectly timed Protego's to swiftly evade the spells. I weaved and dodged and avoided getting hit. The crowd watched in awe as the duel intensified, Leander's spells becoming increasingly desperate.

As his onslaught momentarily ceased, I seized the opportunity. I quickly cast Glacius at him. The spell hit its mark, and Leander was momentarily immobilised, frozen in place and falling onto the floor, his wand rolling away from him.

The crowd erupted in cheers as Lucan ended the duel, signaling my victory. I stood there, breathing heavily, realising that I had defeated Leander and advanced to the next round of the tournament. As I approached a rapidly defrosting Leander, I spotted Sebastian clapping along with the others with the corner of his mouth upturned to a slight smile. I diverted my eyes back to Leander and offered him a hand off the floor which he reluctantly accepted with a huff before heading back to the crowd.

I watched on as the other competitors had their turn, knocking each other out one by one until Sebastian's name was called up along with Nellie Oggspire, the Gryffindor.

I saw Nellie's face grow white as she realised who her opponent was. She took a similar laid back stance to me and stood opposite Sebastian, who'd lost his signature cocky smirk and was actually looking at Nellie with a look of sympathy.

Sebastian wasted no time once Lucan declared the duel had begun and unleashed a barrage of spells, each one precise and powerful. Nellie did her best to defend herself, casting Protego after Protego to shield against Sebastian's attacks, but it was clear that she was struggling to keep up with his skill. And despite her valiant efforts to keep the duel going for longer than anyone had actually expected the match to go for, Nellie was about to succumb to Sebastian's relentless assault. She looked exhausted from constantly having to defend herself, and Sebastian cast a final strike taking advantage of her exhaustion, flinging her wand across the room from her with a quick Expelliarmus.