Allison Riddle & 21st Century Witchcraft

Chapter 3: During Induction

Our final exam- the moment all Before's trained towards from age four. The During's- all ranging from 2nd years to N.E.W.T students- stood opposite of us. One stood taller than the rest, his blue eyes malicious and wild as he grinned at the Before's. It took all my patience to keep a neutral expression. Forget the wands- given the chance, I'd plummet Shadow into a fine pulp!

Mirabelle stepped into no-man's land. "Alright. We'll be dueling on the usual rules. No unforgivable's and remember your goal's to either immobilize or knock out your opponent. I will call pairs forward."

Waving her wand, a small, unfurled scroll appeared.

She squinted at the scroll. "Crabbe, you'll duel Rockwood."

The relief on Crabbe's face as he stepped forward was comical. The fight hasn't even started and he's already underestimating his opponent. Admittedly, Brianna Rockwood- a third year- would prove less of a challenge then Kaleb Mulciber, who towered over everyone in the room, but-

"On three. One-"

"Flipendo!"

For once, Crabbe managed to get the first move. Brianna was knocked to the ground in a full 360- up and over- and landed with a large CRACK! Theo, Millicent, and Goyle started cheering. Cameron and the fourth years smirked, but the fight wasn't over. At lightning speed, Brianna was at her feet, clutching at her ribs but pointing her wand. Crabbe wasn't fast enough this time- he was bound from head to toe in long, black cords.

There was a silence for a long moment- the kind that presses in on your eardrums- then:

"Rockwood wins, loser Troll and winner Passing. Nott, get Crabbe out of the way. Next is Goyle and Avery."

There was a round of rowdiness at this news, Cameron, Everett, and Eric at its center. Eric being the 2nd oldest during wasn't helping matters- at this rate, we'd all be ranked as Trolls. Goyle seemed to have realized this- a feat I wouldn't have thought him capable of- so he took his time helping Theo before returning to duel Eric.

"On three."

By the end of the fight, spirits among the Before's were at an all time low. Eric managed to dislodge both Goyle's shoulders without actually touching him- wandless magic at it's finest- and only had a black eye from the one spell Goyle managed to hit him with halfway through. Our best chance was to beat all the second and third  years. I found myself sizing them up as I waited for the next pairing to be called. Maxine, Cameron, and Astoria were the only ones left. So long as someone higher up in the Before's hierarchy- say, Blaise or Theo- got to them, we might have a chance at a Passing rank.

As the fights continued, I found that I spoke far too soon. Millicent went up against 2nd year Maxine Caro, who swept Millicent off her feet and bound her within seconds. Daphne and Theo both lost to fourth years Natalia Caro and Everett Nott respectively, though Theo put up a good fight- he was one of the few with the common sense to try nonverbal magic, but Everett's reflexes were too good and dodging only worked for so long. Theo was bumped to Passing, though he looked more pissed off than normal as he nursed his sprained wrist with the other casualties.

Pansy was the unlucky one- she got Kaleb Mulciber. Against anyone else, her reflexes would've won out. Unfortunately, Kaleb had fist the size of my head- one punch in the ribs and Pansy could barely stand properly. She was made Passing too, though she was barely breathing. Now there was only one more person to fear.

"Zabini and Greengrass."

Blaise was the first to win. Being brighter than most, he watched every fight and figured out how to apply it. Astoria was one of the slower third years, but she focused more on magic than combat, which Blaise used against her. He used Maxine's bounding spell to tie Astoria up as soon as she was on the fell.