FicWad

Chapter 13



Slytherin Dueling Society





"Quiet .. /QUIET/."



Professor Snape gazed around at the members of the Slytherin House Dueling Society gathered in the Great Hall. All of the dining tables were against the walls, with the benches ranged out in front of them for sitting and watching the duels.



"Slytherin House would like to welcome Professor Twigg-Jones and Professor Flitwick to this session of our Dueling Society."



Both nodded and there was a smattering of applause.



"They have graciously consented to join us today, to add their expertise and advise as they see fit. I believe a short demonstration of your spell targeting skills should precede the first duel. Any volunteers?"



Not unexpectedly, Draco Malfoy strutted forward.



"Ah yes, Mister Malfoy. Stand here please, while I set out the targets."



Snape walked to the other end of the Great Hall and conjured a multi-level wall equipped with moving and stationary targets; miniature trolls stumping back and forth, stars twirling, orbs floating up and down, and numerous doors opening and closing, revealing small dragons who roared and shot little puffs of fire and smoke.



"/Blimey! /You could make a fortune at Blackpool with that set-up, Professor Snape!" Anna commented as she and Professor Flitwick walked over for a closer inspection. "It's a bloody marvel, that."



"Extraordinary! Oh, well done!" Professor Flitwick turned around to the students and smiled. "Nothing like putting a little fun into a challenge, what? Designed it yourselves, did you?" They nodded.



"Indeed," Snape agreed, "but let us move out of the way so Mister Malfoy can demonstrate for us how the group has been using their targeting board." He ushered them to the side of the Hall. "He'll be using a simple blasting spell; this is for becoming proficient in target accuracy. I'll time you, Mister Malfoy. One minute .. ready, /go/!"



Draco planted his feet, took aim and started firing blasts of green at the various targets; trolls fell, dragons roared, orbs exploded and stars shot off toward the ceiling, where they burst into showers of sparks.



"Done!" Malfoy lowered his arm, smirking.



"Thank you, Mister Malfoy." Snape checked his watch as Draco sauntered over to his friends. "Fifty-two seconds, two misses."



Professors Twigg-Jones and Flitwick conferred and then walked over to Professor Snape and talked quietly with him for a minute.



"It would seem you rate a ninety on your targeting proficiency, Mister Malfoy and an eighty on you spell strength consistency, but a sixty on your speed. Your average is seventy-eight, give or take a fraction. I expect improvement!" Professor Snape announced.



"Sixty on my speed? I was doing that very quickly, Professor," Malfoy protested. "No one else does under a minute!"



"On the contrary, Mister Malfoy," replied Snape, as he regarded him and sneered, "Longbottom's Grandmother can fire off spells quicker than you."



Professor Twigg-Jones coughed, hiding her smile behind her hand. Draco glared at her.



"I'd like to see what Professor Twigg-Jones or Professor Flitwick considers speed, if they wouldn't mind sharing their abilities with us," he countered. "/Please/," he added with a slight bow.



"This is more your area, my dear." Professor Flitwick bowed to Anna.



"Well, if you insist."



"Allow me, Professor." Snape turned and, flipping his wand, reset all of the targets. Anna walked to the spot where Draco had stood, spun around and took out her wand. "Ready?" Snape inquired.



She nodded, concentration etched on her face.



"GO!"



Taking aim, she calmly fired off spell after spell, systematically blasting every target on the board, filling the Hall with smoke, light, sparks and noise.



"Done." She lowered her wand.



"Twenty-six seconds," Snape announced, looking up after checking his watch.



"Very good, my dear!" Flitwick applauded. "Excellent targeting and I didn't see one missed shot, did you, Professor Snape?"



"I didn't expect to; Professor Twigg-Jones is quite proficient. Holding back a little, though, weren't you?" Severus glanced her way.



"A little bit. I didn't want to dazzle them too much." She smiled back at him.



"Holding Back?" Malfoy and the others walked over to look at the smoldering targets. "Holding what back?"



"Her targeting speed, Mister Malfoy. She was firing at about /half /the speed she is capable of achieving."



"/WHAT/!" Malfoy went pale. "That's not possible."



"Reset it, Professor Snape. I sense a bit of doubt from the peanut gallery." Anna grinned wickedly.



"Are you sure," Snape crossed his arms, "or would you rather I speed up the targets?"



"Oh, a little bit faster, I think."



"Very well...stand back all of you." Snape reset the targets as Professor Flitwick ushered the students back to their seats, turning to watch, clapping his hands in eager anticipation.



"/GO/!"



Anna stood perfectly still but her hand and forearm became an absolute blur as the air filled with red streaks and the noise of exploding targets.



"DONE!" She put her wand down and turned to Snape.



"Fifteen seconds, no misses."



"BLOODY HELL/!" "No /WAY/!" "I don't /believe it!" "How in the...?" "Did you see...?" "How did she do that?"



"Years and years and YEARS of practice," she laughed. "Seriously, any witch or wizard can move that fast if they take the time to train and practice: just doing it over and over and over again. It's all hand-eye co-ordination and /staying focused/.



"Now, if I wanted to be brutally honest I'd tell you the sobering news that any ten year old Muggle can do that kind of target shooting, in their sleep/. Video games sharpen their hand-eye co-ordination to the point it puts /me to shame. But/,/ it's just a game to them, so they don't think anything of it; 'big deal' they'd say.



"I made that wise crack about Blackpool, when I first saw your targeting board, as a bit of a tease. /However/, take a trip down there someday and see if I'm not right. Just stand and observe the shooting gallery or the video arcade, then try it yourself. You'll be amazed."



"Shall we continue, before they lose all heart?" Snape hissed as he walked behind Anna.



"Right. Ok, who's next to show us their targeting abilities so Professor Flitwick and I can critique and help with some suggestions?" She looks around. "Oh, yes, by the way Mister Malfoy, your stance is spot-on and arm movement is minimal and steady, but you're too easily distracted, which makes for sloppy shots. Keep your mind on your target, Draco, never lose focus and your shots will take care of themselves." She smiles at him. "You did well, /really/, and the more you practice the better you'll become."



"Thank you." Draco gave a slight bow, smirked and then strolled over to slouch on a bench and observe the rest of the group try their hand at the target board.



X # X # X



The next forty-five minutes saw the targeting boards blown to smithereens, time and again, till all of their ears were ringing, slightly, from the repeated explosions and roaring of tiny target dragons.



"Turn sideways, you make a smaller target and it will keep you from flaying your arm so much."



"Not so much jabbing; you're throwing spells, not trying to poke someone in the eye."



"Enunciate more clearly; mumbled spells are sloppy spells."



"Good, good, that was spot on. You should work on improving your speed. Practice, as I said."



"Grip your wand /firmly/! We don't want to see it flying out of your hand, do we?"



X # X # X



"Now that you have seen their targeting abilities, the students would like you to rate them on their dueling skills and add your instructive comments for them, also." Snape turned to Anna and Professor Flitwick as Blaise Zabini sat down, having just finished his turn at the targeting board and listening to his review.



"Excellent!" Professor Flitwick walked forward. "I've prepared a dueling challenge for you all to try. Every student can use four basic spells: 'Expelliramus', 'Impedimenta', 'Protego' and 'Finite', /plus/, you will each pick another spell, that you may both use, from the selections I have written on the bits of parchment in that bowl." He indicated a large soup bowl sitting on the staff table.



"You will duel for two minutes and will be awarded points for hits or defensive moves and deducted points for being hit by your opponent. Does everyone understand?"



The students nodded.



"Any volunteers, besides Mister Malfoy, that is?" Professor Snape gave him a quelling look.



"Can two of the girls go first? Show the boys how to do it properly? Miss Parkinson, Miss Bulstrode, how about it?" Anna smiled at them.



They looked at one another and shrugged. Walking to Professor Flitwick, they each took a piece of parchment from the bowl he was holding.



" 'Locomotor Mortis'," Millicent read. Shrugging, she dropped the parchment piece back into the bowl.



" 'Ricktusempra'," Pansy frowned, put her slip back, walked away down the Hall, turned and faced Millicent, wand in her hand.



"Alright girls," Professor Flitwick addressed the two opponents, "you'll have two minutes to score as many hits as possible on each other, but you will lose points for missing, so take your time and aim carefully. You are free to move around the room but no hiding behind the other students.



"This should be good," Draco smirked.



"A Galleon Millicent blasts Pansy across the room." Theodore Nott held up a coin.



"Done! But Pansy will put Millicent on her fat arse first," Draco countered. "I've been practicing with her."



"I just bet you have," Theodore snorted, while Crabbe and Goyle elbowed each other and snickered.



"/Quiet/," Snape growled at them as he sauntered past.



"Ready .. /GO/!" Professor Flitwick clicked his stopwatch.



The girls had their wands at the ready and started side-stepping in a circle, each sizing up the other, watching for any sign of weakness, any flinch to suggest intent, moving slowly, carefully.



" 'Locomotor Mortis'!" Millicent got off a shot when Pansy glanced sideways, distracted by her friends shouts of encouragement. Spinning, the spell just missed her and hit Theodore Nott, who keeled over, much to the amusement of Draco and his buddies.



"Oops - sorry Theodore," Millicent called, which gave Pansy the chance to get off an 'Expelliramus', lifting Millicent off her feet and dropping her, with a loud thud, on the dais in front of the staff table.



"Ha!" Draco held out his hand and Nott, having done the 'Finite' counter spell on his legs, stood and handed over the coin, glaring at Millicent.



"Stupid cow!"



"Now, now, Mister Nott, that's not fair. Millicent got off a decent spell that you weren't fast enough to dodge," admonished Professor Twigg-Jones as she passed by, circling the duelists, watching them closely. "Give her credit; it worked. Perhaps you should pay more attention, instead of betting against the girls." Anna ducked as a spell streaked over her head, breaking into a shower of sparks as it hit the wall.



Having been targeted with 'Rictusempra', Pansy was giggling hysterically, but she still managed to gasp "Finite" to stop the spell. Glaring at her opponent, she hit Millicent with 'Locomotor Mortis', followed immediately by 'Expelliramus', which caused her hapless classmate to roll across the floor and crash into the benches.



"/TIME/!" Flitwick shouted.



" 'Finite Incantatem'," Snape intoned, as he pulled Millicent to her feet. She stumbled over to sit on the nearest bench, while Pansy walked, smiling, over to Draco.



"How'd I do?" she asked.



"Won me a Galleon, so you did ok," he replied.



"Now, let's hear what the experts thought of your performance, Miss Parkinson." Professor Snape stopped beside the group, who turned to see Professors Filtwick and Twigg-Jones conferring and checking their notes. Flitwick walked to the center of the hall, with Anna following him.



"Well, the first duel was won by Miss Parkinson, with a total of forty-five points. Miss Bulstrode had thirty-five points. Very good for beginners, I might add."



"Forty-five points? How did you arrive at that total?" Snape inquired.



"Let me see .. " Flitwick consulted his notes. "She got off five spells, only three of which found her target. That's fifty minus ten, plus five for evasive maneuvers and speed: forty-five points."



"Ah, well, room for improvement, then, don't you think, Miss Parkinson." Snape turned to look at her.



"Yes, Professor Snape."



Professor Twigg-Jones walked over to Millicent. "Your spell work was good, Miss Bulstrode, but you have the habit of standing and waiting to see whether you've scored a hit or not. That makes you a target. You have to learn to keep moving; harder to be targeted and struck. Understand?"



"Yes, Professor," answered Millicent, who stood, winced and started to limp over to the Slytherin students.



"Wait a moment, dear." Anna put out her hand and stopped her. "Let me check your leg. I am a Healer, too, remember." Circling, she bent over and touched Millicent's left knee with her wand. "Feel better?"



"Yes, much better. Thanks." Millicent looked pleasantly surprised as she bent her knee tentatively and then continued over to join the others.



"Alright, who's next? Perhaps some of the seventh years?"