The New Age - Emily Potter Series Finale

Chapter Twenty-Three: Something Great

Wednesdays at the Dueling Hall was always a spectacle to admire. What was originally two abandoned classrooms had been reconstructed as one large room with an elevated platform at the center, rows of stone practice dummies, padded walls, and random cushions scattered along the floor. Behind Professors Potter and Dawlish, there stood affixed to the wall a long stretch of blackboard containing wand movements and spells broken down to phonetics.

Fourth years Ivy Jordan and Rosamund Malfoy practiced near the padded walls since Ros had a tendency to send herself flying whenever she sent a spell leading to her opponent's way. Ivy proved to be a patient tutor, though it did feel counterproductive that she was teaching one of Hufflepuff's best duelists.

"Alright, there! You're doing it again," Ivy spotted, instantly kicking Rosamund's feet apart, pushing her right foot a step forward. "Remember: feet apart and put your dominant foot a step forward – balance your weight on both feet though, don't lean onto one side of your body. That's what makes you bounce off the walls like a fanged frisbee."

Two students from each house are annually chosen to be leaders that would coach their fellow housemates, the pair would usually consist of an senior and junior student. This year for Hufflepuff was Ros and Genevieve Zabini who was only a year older than her. Ros didn't know why she was voted for in the first place, she thought herself to be an unreliable duelist who would sooner blast herself off from the platform before offing her rival.

For Ivy's house, Minerva Malfoy and Morgan Beaumont were the chosen leaders for Slytherin. And rightfully so, they had been picked for so long that some of the duelists wondered why not make their positions permanent. Though last year, Ivy had rivalled Morgan to the extent that she in turn had the spotlight on her that granted her the title of Slytherin's co-leader. Ivy found her then title quite too much , she was glad to be removed the following year. She much preferred her role as student duelist for the lack of responsibility it offered.

"You have got to relax your shoulders, Ros. You'll strain yourself." Ivy advised.

"How do I relax when someone is literally throwing fire at me?"

"If you keep your stance like that, the only thing you'll be throwing is your back. Come on, chill out. Breathe in deep, and exhale slowly. You have to be fluid; you have to be able to be flexible enough to catch up with your opponent, be pliable but durable – "

Before her eyes, Ivy saw how Rosamund slipped out of her self; her shoulders softened and her feet dug into the floor, stabilizing her stance. Her wand and arm movement had gone so fast that Ivy regretted that she blinked in that moment, a jet of yellow light sprung from the tip of Ros' wand and plummeted against the protective shield Ivy had thrown before her body just in time.

The yellow light dispersed like embers of a fire, followed by the shield dissipating into a mist. Ivy stood there, her mouth wide open in a big smile of admiration. "That's my girl! Well done!" She cheered, running towards Rosamund with an open arm to embrace her.

Professor Dawlish procured a tiny golden bell from his cloak and raised it to the air, letting the bell ring throughout the vastness of the room. Despite the sound being comparable to a thousand fairies singing, it made Rosamund's heart jump. It was how their professors let them know that it was the end of the warm-up period, it was now time for the first duel of the meeting.

Professor Potter scans the crowd of students that began to segregate themselves on either side of the platform. "Right then, who wants to go first?" Hesitant murmurs rose along with eager shouts, one of the first few hands that raised in the air belonged to Minnie.

"Alright, our dynamic duo Ms. Malfoy and Ms. Weasley – our top contenders so far – " Harry began to rile up the crowd but was soon cut off by one of his elder students. Daniel Wood raised his hand, attracting everyone's attention. "I'll be her opponent today." He announced, earning a mixed reaction from the sea of students, some looking particularly mournful for Daniel's eventual loss while others garnered a spark of interest in their eyes. Even the professors exchanged surprised glances.