"If the object is to duel until one of the opponents is unconscious, then it will do you no good to simply maintain a good defense. This is not a muggle brawl where you can simply wait until your opponent tires and then knock them out. Think upon on you would win a duel against a better wizard than yourself," Professor Duskurk instructed.



ooc: I will be away from the computer for a few hours and will not be able to respond to any posts until I get back. Please continue the duel and strategize, but do not role play for me.

Tibi was like eight ... and Toussaint was ...

... Celandine Toussaint was a bully, and in Ian's opinion, that was exactly what was NOT working. For the Tibi boy, anyway, because she was OBVIOUSLY, judging by the smile that had flickered across her face, very pleased with herself.

Pleased of having beaten a little boy.

Bullies.

Hogwarts had more than enough of those.

Ian scowled at nothing in particular, kept his mouth shut, and his hands on his pockets.

Carter blinked. Why had he come to this lesson? Last time they used unforgivables... and this time they were dueling? What was worse was the conversation was on killing! He raised his hand slowly. "Well... hesitation wouldn't be an option... if this were... a duel to the death... You'd want to make the first move."
Butterflies wouldn't be an option either.

"Wouldn't you just try to knock out your opponent as fast as you could while saving the most energy?" she asked, looking up from her notebook on the floor. "If you have to, use your surroundings. Find their weaknesses while using your strengths! Use psychological approaches if you have to, intimidation, quickness, agility, have THEM make the first mistake of hesitating or becoming off guard or something and then the seal is done." Well, that's what she would do...

Now back to her notes! If you called, drawing dragons and one eating Tibi and Mr. Stutters off the floor notes...Aw, she was so glad she could draw.

"With all due respect sir, isn't defence the most important part of a duel? It doesn't matter how strong your attacks, without defence one well-placed spell could incapacitate you." He gestured at Cela. "Her overconfidence that Tibi's shield wouldn't hold, coupled with the fact that she was so sure her spell would hit, could have led to her not winning the duel. She had no way of knowing that that spell would hit and had it not, she would have been showing her back to her enemy and leaving herself wide open. Attacking's important, but isn't thinking ahead important as well?"

Herminny did not like this lesson one bit, putting a 2nd year up against a 6th yar was wrong in any case for any reason but having to be here she wanted some credit so she raised hr had to answer the professor saying, "Well if you wanted to bring down an opponent who is older with more skill finding a weakness and exploiting that weakness could give you a chance.".

Nina watched the duel apprehensively. This was not a good pair. Not to mention Cela had to know about 20 dozen spells that most other kids her age wouldn't. And nonverbal nonetheless.....

Daphne didn't see why not, actually. "I wasn't suggesting that he merely waited to be slaughtered, Professor," stated the blond, hands still behind her back. "It is true, that you should play off your strengths, right? But in the boy's case he can't really go head to head with Celandine. Obviously, since he just metaphorically ate the dust."

Duh. "It would require a strategy. I've seen Celandine duel before and her biggest strength is her speed. Her ability to chuck out two or three spells at once. She also thinks on her feet and can perform non-verbal spells. He is just a little kid. I can't possibly imagine him casting a non-verbal anytime soon. He's giving out his attack before it even reaches her."

In short, Celandine could figure out how to block him almost immediately. "Keeping up his defense is the only thing he can do until he found a weak point or came up with some kind of strategy. I know that hesitation can get you killed, Professor. But so can recklessness. If you don't know what you're doing you can't run head first into a bloody battle. It's suicide."

Cheeks pink, Daphne flared out her nostrils, her chest rising with her breath. "Also, I think Papilio worked wonderfully for him," admitted the girl turning her eyes towards the ceiling. "It did keep him in the game longer."

"Why would you think I didn't have something up my sleeve if it didn't work?" Cela asked curiously, though there wasn't an ounce of harshness to her tone, she genuinely wondered about it. Since the professor wasn't seeing to Tibi, Cela crouched down again and tended to him gently, casting rennervate and then conjuring a glass of water.

"Tibi, you okay?" She asked him quietly.

"And I think conjuring butterflies was a good thing too, even if it looked like an accident." Celandine agreed with Daphne but her attention was completely on Tiberius now.

"Uuuurrrghhh" Tibi groaned as he came to and rolled to his side, eyes still closed. "Ow."

Butterflies? Headaches? Lots of shoes? Tibi had opened his eyes and had slowly begun to remember where he was, as he recognized a sea of student shoes when he saw one. How. embarassing.

"Was an accident," he mumbled painfully, sitting up. "Panicked." He nodded at Cela as he accepted the glass of water, taking a long drink. He'd be fine.

But... maybe he'd just lay back down now.

OW.

"And what exactly would you have had up your sleeve?" he replied, eyebrows arched in amusement. "You were sliding across the floor. Had you missed and gone past him, you risked falling while turning to defend yourself, and Tibi would have easily won." He looked at Tibi. "There was no traction beneath your feet, same as there wasn't for him, so no way to turn quickly to defend. Attacking a person when they're falling, or on their back on the floor, or in the process of standing back up is one of the easiest ways to win."

He shrugged, obviously disaffected by the entire conversation.

"It was a reckless move, and it depended on things that you can't be sure of. You could have just as easily lost." His eyes went to Tibi, and his expression changed to one of concern. "He might need ice, for his head."

He'd hit it more than once, hadn't he.

"A good accident." Celandine told him, moving to support his head in her lap as he lay back down. "You did good Tibi."

"Well I'm not going to tell you my strategies, Raiden." Cela pointed out reasonably, kind of pleased that Raiden thought that she'd put herself at risk. Controlled risk though, if your opponent thinks you are off balance then they usually do exactly what anyone would expect and therefore you kept the element of surprise.

She looked down at Tibi again, tipping her head to one side consideringly. "He doesn't have a concussion." She gently brushed her fingers over the back of his head. "Just a nasty lump."

Daphne grimaced. "You didn't have to admit it, really," she mumbled for the boy who was named Tibi? Apparently. Wouldn't it have been better to let people be confused over the truth? At least, it would have made him seem cooler.

....Then she sort of started to feel uncomfortable about the conversation going on between Celandine and Raiden for some reason. Feeling tense herself, Daphne let out another breath before reaching up to squeeze one of her own shoulders. "All the same, I think you did well, Tibi. For your age."

And then Daphne took a step closer towards....Stern? How did she end up here? And why did it smell like pomegranates?

Moving closer to Raiden, Arya listened intently to the conversation. If she was going to have to duel someone she wanted to know how to protect herslef, and know good dueling techniques. Raiden seemed to make a good point, but somehow she couldn't help but think Cela knew what she was doing out there. When Cela was dueling it looked to Arya like she was in a zone that couldn't be breached, kinda like when Arya was doing gymnastics, it just came all to natural to the girl. Still she made a note to remember the spells used and there affects, along with Raidens words. She looked to Cela remembering the spell she used non-verbally. "Cela, what was the spell you used to make the floor slipery?"

"Then it's just as easy to assume that you didn't have one," he said flatly. "You left your back open. Had Tibi not been incapacitated by that spell, he could've easily attacked. And the thing about attacking and defending, Celandine... is that when you're attacking, you only need to make contact. Doesn't matter where. Stunning spells work the same whether they hit you in the chest or in the foot. When you're defending, at least the way you were doing it earlier in the duel, you need to see where you're defending."

Raiden watched as Cela tended to Tibi, but was ultimately exasperated at her next words. Concussion or not...

"And I'm sure it hurts, which is what the ice would be for."

"They were like a whole bunch of mini shields," he mumbled about the butterflies, closing his eyes as his head rested in Cela's lap. He could feel his pulse pound in the lump on the back of his head.

He smiled to himself as the two girls said he'd done well. He supposed so, for a 12-year-old. Furrowing his brow, he attempted to participate in the class discussion, despite still being down on the floor and laying on Cela.

"I... I had a hard time anticipating what was coming. I haven't dueled much. So more practice would be good." Tibi grimaced as the dull throb persisted. "And I need to learn to control my shield better. I just manage the one size, but if I could the size and strength better, I might not have gotten hit."

And that sneaky slippery floor... Tibi thought to sit up and have some more water, but he just didn't have it in him. So, so long as Cela would let him, he was staying put.

Neptune Bott, who was clearly just not into dueling, had sat down to admire her shoes while they shot spells at each other. La la la. She inched closer and and closer to Professor D's leg until she just ALMOST touching it - but not.

At his QUESTION, the one about maiming and killing, she raised her hand and tilted her head backwards to look UP and upside down at him. "Tibi should have feigned death right from the start. Then, knowing Cela has a good heart and would come check on him, he could have ATTACKED HER FACE when she bent over to check on him. He'd have totally won!"

Very good plan, So Says Neptune.


She... evil!chuckled and then happily went back to admiring her shoes. She'd have to send Tibi some more Beans for getting beat up by a girl in public. Poor baby.

"Cela is clearly the more experienced dueler." Sidney hopes she got the prefects name right. "She seemed to rely a great deal on her shield charm for defense, and was clearly the more imaginative when it came to the duel. Her aim obviously was the disarm her opponent. I liked her use of the glossy floor spell and the Incarcerous charm were well placed. Tiberius could not deflect either spell using the shield charm. When she had disabled him on the floor, Cela could have used the Cruciatus or Avada Kedavra Curses with no interference from Tiberius if she meant to harm him that is. I think Cela's overconfidence in her dueling ability is a weakness. Superiour skills are not everything. You have to feel the spells you are casting. I question if she has the passion to duel to the death. Cela was more agressive than Tiberius during the duel. I got the feeling Tiberius gave up the fight before the duel even began. State of mind has a lot to do with dueling. If you think you are going to be defeated, you will be defeated."

Dani raised her hand. "Sir, this isn't really a fair duel is it? I mean Cela's a genius and he's well.. not." She wasn't trying to be rude or anything. Just honest. Hopefully Tiberius wouldn't take it the wrong way. As usual she stayed as far from Professor Duskrk as possible. Dude freaked her out.

Kellen had watched the beginning of the duel with interest, and noted that it was certainly a productive use of butterflies, but then his nose got distracted by a rather familiar smell. It was pomegranate, and it wasn't coming from him. Well, it was, but someone else had used the scented shampoo as well.

He glanced around at those closest to him, trying to keep an eye on Duskurk in case the man noticed he wasn't riveted on the duel. Please Merlin, please don't let it be a girl... Because that would just be embarrassing on a level his 14 year-old ego couldn't take.

Finally Kellen's nose caused him to lean slightly towards Ian, and he gave the briefest of sniffs before nudging the boy and muttering, "You use pomegranate shampoo?"

He caught movement from the corner of his eye and saw Daphne take a step closer while Raiden continued to speak with Cela. And the little kid was down for the count. Well, Kellen wasn't a betting man but that wasn't exactly a surprise, was it?

Evelyn breathed a sigh of relief when the duel came to an end, without anyone seriously hurt. She had been worried about what Professor Duskurk would have done if someone had been injured. Probably nothing...maybe laugh...

She moved closer to those hovering over Celandine and Tiberius. She had been her usual introverted self for the beginning of the class, but she thought that being with others in the class would help her feel less unsettled about this whole situation.

"I think that this duel showed that not only is skill and experience important, but also focus and the ability to think ahead," Evelyn said calmly.

"I think you did really good, Tibi," she smiled and nodded at him. She was sincerely impressed with how well the second year had done against the sixth year. "Are you sure your head is fine?" she couldn't help blurting out. Always mothering people...even people you don't know...

Emily had watched the duel with interest. Being muggleborn, she'd never seen a duel before but from what she'd read, Emily rather thought they tended to end in death or grave injury and was surprised that when this one finished the worst injury was a bump on the head, especially since it was a second vs sixth year duel...

Gold raised a hand. "I think non-verbals are of a lot of help, in a duel where you aren't better, skill-wise," she said quietly. "It gives you a huge advantage, when your opponent does not know, at once, what you have directed at them; because it takes away from their defence." If the other person knew what you had shot at them, it wouldn't be hard to counter it, would it?

"I also feel that neither defense, nor offense, have any real place, separately - a good duelling artiste works with both. It is important to maintain your defense and just as important to bring that of the opponent, down... and, of course, it's good when you can put your surroundings to use, or use a spell or hex that, more than hurting your opponent, distracts them -- because sometimes, a split-second advantage is all you really need." She quietly lowered her hand.

Kay stood and watched the duel go on. She felt sorry for Tibi when he got hurt. She took notes on everything the Professor had said and thought about dueling. Could she be good at this. Was it in her to fight someone? Listening to the other students, she hoped that unforgivable wouldn't come into it. She was still awaiting her grade from the last class and did know if she could write about another one of them. Turning back to the Professor she wait to see what was next.

Professor Duskurk nodded in acknowledgment of the more notable replies, but made no move to dissuade the conversation and surprisingly intelligent debate the students were taking place in. It was only the feeling of movement very close to his leg that cause him to look down and speak because it made him very uncomfortable to feel that presence down there on the floor at his feet.

Professor Duskurk smiled. "An excellent stratagem, Miss Bott. When you are outclassed you need to think outside of the box. Running from the room would have been another good alternative in this case, I think," he replied with an evil smile of his own before looking back up at the rest of the class. "You have all made some surprisingly thoughtful and valid remarks. One, it is never a good idea to reveal your strategies, even after a duel which is why I will only teach you the basics and will never reveal my own strategies for dueling. Two, offense and defense are equally important so you cannot simply defend and hope to win and unless your opponent is not attacking or you are very, very, good, you cannot fail to defend yourself, either. Three, one cannot always have a plan when dueling. It is inevitable that at some point in your dueling career that you will need to improvise without thinking. Sometimes your improvisations will require further improvisation as your best intentions fail to play out even if you had a plan to start with. And fourth, practice does not always make perfect, but it will certainly help against those of similar talent."

"State of mind can have a powerful influence, but while thinking you will lose will almost certainly cause you to lose, merely thinking you will win means nothing without the proper training, practice, and talent."

"Who said dueling was fair? Unless you are in the controlled environment of an official dueling tournament, then wizard duels are never fair."

"Well said. Offense and defense are, 99% of the time, mutually inclusive. And non-verbal spells are the key to any successful duel," Professor Duskurk agreed and then stepped away from the Bott child who was beginning to creep him out.

"Now, if Mr. Pryce is able, he and Miss Toussaint will be in charge of ushering you to the Hospital Wing when you become injured. You are to pair off with someone 3 years your elder or junior and begin dueling. Uneven matches only, please, for this round. The older students will have their chance to test their own skill at a later time," he said and that evil smile flitted across his face. "If you have trouble finding a partner, please let me know and I will assist you (ooc: please send me a PM and I will aid you in finding a partner)."

Professor Duskurk finally wandered to the front of the room to check on his students. "Here are some coupons for your assistance," he said. "Are you feeling well enough to remain for the rest of the lesson or do you need the hospital wing?"