Aurora was far too much of a pacifist to be a member of the Duelling Club, or at least that was what she had been telling herself. It could have also been something to do with not being so successful with the physical aspect and her inability to ‘hurt’ anyone, even if it WAS just a dummy. She had however attended a couple of meetings for the Healers of Tomorrow group when she had remembered, in that there was some relevance towards her future career goals as a creature healer and truthfully she needed all the help she could get in that department.

She was mildly concerned as she raced down the staircase from the Ravenclaw Common Room where she had retreated to after a hefty breakfast feast, that she was going to be late and have to make a quiet entrance into the Duelling Arena and not make a show of herself. Which is exactly what she did as she tiptoed her way in, battling the stitch in her side from exercise too soon after eating only to be greeted by a mostly empty classroom and a pair of Professors. She looked between them and the clock and back to them again only to realise that she was in fact early and not late and all the frantic-ness had been for nothing. “I must’ve misread the notice” she blinked twice, mostly to herself but certainly within earshot of the Professors.

Bryony had been the one who snagged him first so Aryan ended up heading down to the Duelling Arena with her. Not that he minded, of course. He was still very mindful about distributing his time evenly between her and Drake; then of course, there were his friends that also needed attention lest he made Jansher them grumpy and feeling left out. He wasn’t sure how it happened but he had obviously become quite popular for someone who had been worried about not being able to make friends way back before his journey at Hogwarts commened.

Spotting two of his three favourite professors the moment he stepped into the Arena, he couldn’t help the smirk that crossed his face. Jan was somewhere about and really was not missing out on those two laughing together, right? Clearing his throat and plastering the most innocent smile on his face, the third year finger wiggle-waved at Feirgrund and Khanna. Only then did he made his way to a bench with Bry in tow.

Maria headed to the dueling arena from the Hufflepuff common room hoping/expecting that Kion and Vera would join her for the meeting soon enough. The bushy curly haired seventh year had gotten excited when she had first read the annnouncement on the common room noticeboard. An activity that combined two of her favourite subjects, professors and of course healing too and she was there.

Entering the arena shortly after Aurora, Aryan, Bryony and of course their professors she immediatly noted the dummy dolls. Smiling broadly Maria waved to Professor Khanna and Feirgrund in greeting before heading over to sit down on the bench near the others but saving a spot for Kion and Vera. "Hi Aurora! Hi Aryan! Hi Bryony!" Maria greeted her peers in turn before quieting down to take in the setup.

Sorry? It wasn't that she always had to have him to herself, she had gotten better with the three of them walking around together but it was still awkward at times. She was really was trying and had made great strides already in the last several months despite how difficult it was at times. Hmm? Did Ary need a reminder that a certain small blonde had told him time and time again how fantastic he was and that EVERYONE was going to want to be his friend when they came to Hogwarts? Bry knew. How could anyone not want to be friends with Aryan?

Now, this girl wasn't a duelist by any means nor was she a healer in the making. What she was though, was a young teen that LOVED getting all the different experiences that all of these lessons and open activities and clubs had to offer her. This is why she was more than a little excited to enter the Arena alongside Ary, blue eyes shining curiously as she took in the training dummies along the back wall first.

Just as the cutest boy ever did, Bry also gave the usual finger wiggle in greeting along with a very warm, "Hello, Professor Feirgrund. Hello, Professor Khanna. Let's not forget... "Hiya, Aurora! Hiya, Maria!" They both got beaming smiles as she plopped herself down at Ary's side on the bench.

Kion was pretty excited to see another Duelling Club meeting. Though he wasn't apart of the Healer prospects, it was cool to be able to work with them. But he was more interested in being with his girlfriend and friends. He politely smiled at the Professors who seemed to be a little busy and everyone nearby, before making his way over.

"Hey," He would've gave Maria a quick cheek kiss, but with their previous warning, he was a bit more cautious on the PDA. So he settled on holding onto her pinky with his own. At least until the activity started.

Before Dhruv knew it, the time for the activity was almost upon them and Ean. “Hello, Ms. Ackerly,” they greeted the first student to arrive. They were guessing she thought that she would have been late given the manner in which she eyed the clock and then the muttered words that came afterwards. “We’ll be starting very soon.” So she wasn’t that early, if she was overthinking it. As if to prove them right, in walked Aryan and Bryony. Dhruv fixed Aryan with a particularly stern but amused stare. The boy’s cheekiness clearly was not dampened by the talking - to he had received from his father. Teens; they could be quite resilient. “Ms. Paton. Mr. Atreyu-Rehman. Good to see you both.” Dhruv then turned their attention to Maria, giving her a beam. “Ms. Dolph.” Intuition told them that Kion would be along soon. Sure enough… “Mr. Ingebretson.” Dhruv trusted there would be no overly display of affection. Again… teens.

After indicating to Ean that they both should get things started, Dhruv stepped closer to the gathered students. “Welcome to today’s joint Charms and DADA activity. For the DADA aspect, we shall be continuing our focus on the Knockback Jinx while revisiting a useful Charm - The Shield Charm.” As they spoke, the relevant information appeared on the whiteboard behind them:

Quote:

THE KNOCKBACK JINX
Incantation: Flipendo {Fli-PEN-doh}
Wand Movement: A small check mark with a hook at the end.

THE SHIELD CHARM
Incantation: Protego {pro-TAY-goh)}
Wand Movement: A vertical slash of wand.

“Your targets will be the dummies which are charmed to both defend themselves and to send Knockback Jinxes back at you - only the Knockback Jinx and only in its most basic form. You are also permitted to use the Shield Charm. Please keep in mind that since only the basic form of the Jinx will be utilised, any injuries would be minor.” Dhruv paused so that the students could let the information sink in. "In addition, the dummies can receive injuries should they be unsuccessful in defending themselves, which will be useful for you as you will soon find out about.

“If there are no questions, Professor Feirgrund will explain the ‘Healing’ aspect.”

Over to you, Ean!

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Oh yes. Bry had definitely made some great progress with all the complicated things. Ary gave her full credit for that and he fully appreciated her efforts. She truly was a fantastic friend and girlfriend. Regarding him making friends… well, he had to admit she had been right in deducing he would have many. How was it that she was always right?

Now seated, Ary watched the other students file in, greeting most of them including Maria, with a wave. He was sort of impatient for the activity to get moving since he was itching to get some practice - whatever that was - on the dummies. Thankfully, things got moving. Ah, the Knockback Jinx. Ary hadn’t the most successful experience with that one… maybe today that would change?

Questions? Nope, none!


OOC: Hi, guys! I hope I was able to make the instructions clear. If not, I apologise, my braincells are sorta scrambled. Please reach out to me if you need clarification <3 Joel will be posting shortly with further details!

Ean was in good spirits per usual, though the joke certainly made his day better. The room began to fill as students arrived with his laughter fading, "Miss Ackerly, welcome in." Thankful for her subtle reminder. Followed by, "Hello Mr. Atreyu-Rehman and Miss Paton," He did notice the smirk on the young man, but he wasn't phased, after seeing it enough times. It only left him wondering where Mr. Grunt was. Not that he had to consider it for long, "Good day, Miss Dolph," She seemed to be without her- no, there he was, "Mr. Ingebretson, welcome." After hearing how they behaved in a certain defense class, he was sure to be aware on the temptations of young love on display. After enough had arrived, it was as good as any time to get started.

Feirgrund awaited patiently as Khanna went over the duelling aspect of the day. Before it was his turn, "Thank you, Professor Khanna. As Professor Khanna explained explained the activity for duelers is focused on the dummies at hand. But as with any duel, injuries can happen and it is prudent to take care of them so the dueler can remain on their feet. For the healing aspect, aspiring Healers will be focused on the duelers, if you notice one knocked back down from the spell rebounding, your task is to make sure they get right back up. How so?" Withdrawing his wand to tap the blank side of the white board to add in the following information.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whiteboard

Restore Breath Charm
~
REE - Crey - oh

Wand Incantation/Movement: Recreo - Point at target

"This charm, Recreo, is meant to restore a person's breath, especially when the Knockback Jinx has knocked the wind out of them with enough force, though it won't render them unconscious. It is very similar to Rennervate, which revives a person after being unconscious for some time. Recreo also resembles Anapneo, which clears the airway, though Anapneo specifically removes an object blocking the airway." With the similarities out of the way, "Now repeat after me, Ree-Crey-oh, Recreo," Giving them time to repeat the charm, "Excellent. The wand movement is simply pointing at your target. Unlike Anapneo, you don't need to aim directly at the throat or sternum region for it to work, though considering the specifics is a good habit. The distance from your target is more important; the closer you are, the better the chances for a beginner to achieve the spell. However, in a battle, this proximity could be dangerous for the Healer, so timing is also key." So perhaps he would leave that decision on where they would target from.

His attention then included the duellers of the day, "This is a good time now if you haven't already to pick a partner: one will be the dueler and the other will be the healer. You can also work alone, though it will be challenging to restore your own breath. Don't worry; one of us will assist you right away." It was good to have support. "If there aren't any questions, you may practice with the incantation and wand movement now. Professor Khanna will let you know when it is time to work on the dummies and each other."


OOC: Thank you for waiting, everyone! Duellers and Healers can practice the incantation and wand movement now. If there aren't any questions, Alicia will give the go-ahead in a day's time.

Maria's smile widened a bit more as Kion came in and sat down next to her. Holding each other's pinkies hopefully wouldn't cross their professor's too much. The activity got started soon enough, and their professor's in turn explained how it was going to work. One of them had to be the dueler and the other the healer. Turning her eyes to Kion Maria asked "What do you want to be, the dueler or the healer? I can be the healer, if you don't mind dueling? That'll give me some healing practice." Yes, she planned on applying for the healing programme as University so might as well be a good idea to try and see if she at least would be good at healing her boyfriend.

Practice time! Releasing Kion's finger Maria stood up from the bench to get started following her usual routine for new spells. "Ree-Crey-oh, Ree-Crey-oh, Ree-Crey-oh, Ree-Crey-oh." She practiced the incantation out loud to herself until the charm felt right in her mouth. The she moved over to practicing the wand movement several times which for this spell was easy just a point towards your intended target.

All that mattered right there, was that Aryan knew that she was trying her best and progress was being made. Having the greatest boyfriend there ever could be made things a little easier, he always had and still did put up with so much from her. About her always being right, well, she simply just was. Sorry not sorry. This is how it is, Ary and she couldn't help it that she knew all the things about him.

Bry sat nice and close to Ary as she normally did, don't worry, she let him some breathing room. Her attention shifting from him (yup, she may very well had been staring at him hehe) to their Professors when Khanna began to explain things for the activity. It didn't seem tooooooo difficult. Maybe. Erm.. possibly? She was likely going to be proven wrong quickly but for now, she was going to think what she liked. Already having some experience with the spell should prove helpful, yes? Even if those training dummies were going to attacking back.

The healing spell was new. Sorta. It was like others but.. not. Bry might need that explained to her again later but for now, she got the main idea of it all, thankfully. The incantation for this one didn't sound too hard and the wand movement was simply pointing so that was spectacular.

The best thing about this was.. they could work with a partner. One dueling against the training dummies and the other being the healer. Immediately blue eyes swung onto the one at her side and she smiled widely. "Partners? You can be the duelist, if you wanna." He had said something to her while back about needing more practice with those spells and she could always use all the help she could get with healing spells. Just in case... With all of her ninja warrior training and stuff.

Ary did try to be a good boyfriend, which was why he poked Bryony discreetly while the professors spoke: so she could pay attention to the two rather than him. Thankfully she did, and like him, seemed to understand the tasks ahead. When it was time to practise the charm, it was no surprise that Bry snagged him first. “Uh huh. We can do that,’’ Ary said as he got to his feet. “Mainly because you’ll need all the training with Healing Spells for when you injure me during your Ninja Warrior stuff.” His lips twitched so Bry would immediately know that Ary was pulling her leg.

“Let’s practise the charm first.” Maybe by the time they were done, Khanna would let them get started with the real thing. “REE - Crey - oh. REE - Crey - oh. Recreo.” There was a pause in which he made an observation. “Rhymes with oreo,’’ he said to Bry, grinning. “I don’t think we’ll ever forget this charm.”


* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Dhruv hung back while Ean filled the class in on the second aspect of today’s activity. Their gaze alternated between the class and their colleague. This particular charm was one they hadn’t used in a while but being one to always have faith in their own abilities, Dhruv was quite confident that if they were to perform the charm right now, they would be successful.

With the instructions given to practise, their attention went solely to the students. They and Ean, after all, needed to pay attention to determine if the students needed assistance with the incantation; they doubted anyone would need help with the wand movement.

After about ten minutes, Dhruv called everyone to attention. “Wonderful practice, all of you!’’ they complimented. Looking especially at you, Ms. Dolph, Ms. Paton and Mr. Atreyu-Rehman who had excellent enunciation. “You may still continue with your practice of this charm but those of you who are ready to move on to the Knockback Jinx are welcome to do so. You may use the dummies or you may continue in your pairs. For those of you comfortable with using non verbals, by all mean use them. Remember: only use of the basic Knockback Jinx is allowed.”

After magically removing the benches to a far corner of the Arena, they said, “You may continue.”

Moving back to allow the students enough room, Dhruv came to a halt beside Ean. “Have you ever had to use that charm?” they asked curiously.

OOC: Hiiiii, my dudes! Okay SO. Your characters are free to continue practising the Restore Breath Charm. When they’re ready to practise the Knockback Jinx, they can just go ahead - either with a partner or a dummy. The activity will end sometime on Saturday 20th July! Joel and I will be checking in periodically for interaction opportunities with you <3

There didn't seem to be any present questions, so Monsoiur Feirgrund was free to observe the students practicing with Professor Khanna. As soon as the students began, Ean's arms folded while watching in case any students needed assistance. Someone had a question though, as he glanced at Dhruv, "A few times, when I was at Ethiopia's Ministry, the Law Enforcement department occasionally had me accompany them on missions in case the Aurors encountered trouble." There was a thrill to it, but the danger he didn't exactly miss. "Rennervate was used way more often." Before flipping the question back, "What about you? Was there a specific moment Flipendo helped immensely?" Though the Profesors were conversing, their eyes were still on the group, and free to be approached any time.


Kion listened to both Professors. He thought about taking notes, but the instructions were on the board so he would commit it to memory. Practicing the wand movements, he pronounced the words, Fli-PEN-doh and Ree-Crey-Oh, over and over. Then it was time to move on. He didn't have to think on who would be his partner when they were given the go-ahead. Smiling, "Sure, I can be the Dueler." Kion said. There was a potential for him to try to learn the charm wordlessly, but it would be much easier to work on one task. Plus, he trusted Maria over his own skills, "I trust you." He said before they walked over to the nearest dummy.

Kion gave Maria a reassuring smile, before he performed the checkmark with the hook attached wand movement, Flipendo!" Aiming at the dummy, he could see the spark fly at it before rebounding back. Should I attempt Protego now or-

Kion's wand clattered on the floor after falling backward. Shock was apparent on his face as his hands felt around the floor. But he couldn't speak, it felt like he got sucker punched in the gut as he tried to sit up. His eyes searched for wherever Maria stood.

Aurora was evidently at that awkward age category where extra-curricular activities became less important and therefore the other students were either much younger or much older than herself. She didn’t mind, each got an equally enthusiastic smile and a hello back as they greeted her (if they greeted her). Professor Khanna reassured her frazzled brain and was the recipient of a slightly confused but grateful nod.

She was about to open her mouth when the subject of that day’s activity was announced. Not being a particularly good dueller, it was only natural that she would gravitate towards the healing aspect.

Oh.

There was one big issue with her friends not being members of either of these clubs and that was that as soon as partner work came about, she was very much alone. The other students seemed to have paired up before it was even announced that they could work on twos, leaving the solitary figure of the Ravenclaw rather awkwardly hovering in the centre of the room.

“Does anyone need a healer?” she called into the ether. Or an attempt at one, she could hardly describe herself as a healer right now. Which was mildly concerning considering that they had only just learned the spell and they were expected to use it on real human beings already and quite frankly Aurora was not prepared for such responsibility. “Do you want us to use Recreo on the dummies or our friends?” she asked Professor Feirgrund with mildly alarmed arms. “It’s only I don’t want to be responsible for a spell going wrong and accidentally making the situation worse.” What if she took their breath away rather than giving it back? The Ravenclaw had only partaken in a couple of the meetings (mostly because they either clashed with other groups she was in or because she forgot) and had only joined because she thought there might’ve been some crossover with creature healing that it might come in handy one day.

Try? Ary didn't have to try. That boy was a marvelous boyfriend without a doubt. Now, Bry was the one that had to try to be a good girlfriend. So that nudge from him, it didn't go unnoticed. It got him a soft smile in 'thanks' even if it hadn't been fully needed... This time. The way he always looked out for her was above and beyond.

Heeeeey! If he was complaining she could always find someone else to work with. Okay, wait! No, no she couldn't.. well.. she didn't want to. Bry loved working with him, plus he was already right there at his side. Didn't the huge smile on her face tell him so? Even that cheeky remark of his didn't get to her right now. "I've never hurt you on purpose.." She still remembered that one time she had jumped from the monkey bars and landed on him.

All of Bry's attention was on Ary as they began practicing the charm. It wasn't unlike her to listen to him pronouncing it a few times before she tried it. A giggle slipping past her lips when he said it rhymed with oreo. "I can't forget anything that rhymes with a food. Am I saying it right? REE - Crey - oh." She recited nice and slow. That was it, yeah? “REE - Crey - oh."

Dhruv was very much listening to Ean though their gaze continued to move from student to student. Bryony and Aryan were clearly making strides in the right direction while Maria took Kion down {the Gryffindor wasn’t too hurt, was he?}It was Aurora that seemed to have some misgivings about using the Charm. They understood her fears, and though she had addressed Ean, Dhruv sought to provide some reassurance. “That’s okay, Ms. Ackerly. You’re free to practise on the dummies until you feel confident to practise on a friend.” As usual, said dummies were charmed to be quite lifelike.

The DADA professor quite liked hearing about Ean’s adventures at the Ethiopian Ministry; they reminded them of their own at the British Ministry. “Rennervate is usually the go-to charm,’’ they agreed. “Once in Indonesia against a couple of Komodo Dragons.” They resisted the urge to shudder violently because… Komodo Dragons. “It just might have saved my life back then.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

THAT exact moment with the monkey bars is the one Ary was recalling quite vividly in his mind at the moment. Bry had quite squashed him into a pancake. Just joking, even if it felt like she had! “That means you’ll always easily remember the incantation. Wouldn’t that be useful for exams?” It sure would be! Ary tilted his head as he listened to Bry repeat the incantation. “Yup, you got it right. Nicely done, Bry.” Was he proud of her? Yes. Yes, he was.

“You ready? I’m gonna cast the Jinx now.” It may or may not work since this was a tough spell for him for some reason. But it was best to warn Bry, yes?

Maria heard the compliments from Professor Khanna for her enunciation of the restore breath and smiled, mumbling "Thank you." With a quick glance to her professor before she refocused on her practicing and took a few minutes to practice the flipendo charm incase Kion wanted to change places later.

Some minutes later she walked over towards the dummies beside Kion and then stopped as her boyfriend cast his spell at the nearest dummy. Maria saw how the spark rebounded back, and hit Kion who was knocked backward breathless, falling to the floor, along with his wand. "Lie still Kion! I'll fix this!" Maria called over worriedly before aiming her wand at Kion and casting with firm confidence hoping that It'd do the trick, and give Kion his breath back. "Ree-Crey-Oh!"

"Merlin.. Komodo Dragons," Ean was taken aback by Khanna's experience with them. "Well... I certainly know who to call on if I'm ever in a predicament like that." It was impressive, smiling in relief that they were here to tell the tale. Ean's attention momentarily was taken at the sight of Kion falling back, but it looks like his partner was taking care of it. So he relaxed again as he was asked a question. Khanna answered before him, nodding in agreement, "Yes you may, Miss Acklery. Professor Khanna's correct, you're free to practice on the dummies if you'd like. Typically, when the charm fails, it simply won't work and may require additional attempts." Her concerns were understanding and worth addressing. "You'll be able to know it works when you hear the dummy make an audible gasping sound," Yes, they really did go an extra step with the charms.



As soon as Kion fell back, he could feel the affects of the rebounded jinx. His hand moved to clutch wherever his wand went. He could take a couple of inhales, but his breath was stuck, setting panic. Maria was quick though, as she told him to lie still, so he did and eventually-

GASP

He coughed a bit before he relaxed, "Thanks," Smiling before giving her a quick hug. "You were great, I can't believe that happened so fast." Although he wasn't in any danger of dying, he didn't expect it to get affected so quickly. "This time, I won't get hit," Kion could feel the confidence as he stood. Since he knew how it felt, he knew how to prepare and have Maria ready to assist. "Okay, here I go... Flipendo!" Sending the jinx at the dummy, he was ready to shield.

Okay, but see, hear her out on that.. it was YEARS ago. She was much younger than and had only really wanted to include him. Honestly she had really thought that he would catch her. HONEST! It hadn't mattered that he never had before. Squishing him had made this little blonde feel horrible. "The easier to remember, the better." Especially for her. "Do you think this will be on our exams?" If it was going to be she better make sure she knew this it really well.

Did her smile brighten at finally getting an incantation correct on the first true? It sure did! And that smile was aimed directly at Ary. He knew how hard it was for her at times to get incantations perfect. "Awesome! We can get started sooner then." Since they didn't have to focus on her practice for ages upon ages.

Spotting the Professors watching them, Bry smiled widely at them both. Don't worry Sirs, she was going to continue to do great today! Her attention turned right back onto Ary and she nodded firmly, her wand in her hand so she wouldn't need to fumble for it when the time came. "Ready. You got this, Ary. I know you can do it." Bryony smiled at him encouragingly.

Komodo Dragons were Dhruv’s Boggart. They doubted Ean knew but then again like their private life, that wasn’t something they went around broadcasting. “I’ve got your back if ever, whenever,’’ they responded, as they continued to observe the students. The said students seemed to be handling themselves well so far, by the way.

A quick check of their watch revealed that the time to end the activity was quickly approached. After indicating this to Ean, Dhruv stepped forward to get the students’ attention. This was accomplished by wandlessly ceasing the movements of the dummies and calling to the students. “Unfortunately it's time to wrap things up. You each did an excellent job today and I urge you to continue your diligent practise. The dummies will be here at all times, if you’d rather work with them than a friend. Thank you for coming today.” This was on behalf of both them and Ean.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Ary hadn’t held that moment against Bry. If anything, it created a core memory for him and her. In any case, he thought that he was getting better with those athletic sort of things. At least his coordination and timings weren’t as off as before. “Probably. You never know what the professors will spring at us.”

And so the pair got started. With Ary’s own determination and Bry’s encouragement, he was able to cast the Knockback Jinx after two attempts. This was far better than his previous attempts in class. Yay for him! Was Ary afraid of hurting Bry? Not really? She was tough and he knew she wouldn’t want him to hold back. Besides, this form of the Jinx wasn’t that destructive. Still…

It didn’t stop him from being worried about her wellbeing. He bit his lip nervously as he watched the spell’s light dart towards her. Yes, Aryan was ready and willing to fix stuff if he hurt her. In addition it was good to have to professors nearby watching keenly and ready to assist.


OOC: Joel and I would like to thank you for participating <3 The thread will be closing in about 8-9 hours so feel free to wrap up