They were supposed to duel with someone three years their junior or senior? Kiri couldn't see the sense in that, but she was a bit relieved... She'd never really duelled before, but being a fifth-year, it meant that she was only able to find students three years below her as there were no eighth-years at Hogwarts.

She raised her hand to indicate that she was free and looking for a partner, wondering if anyone was going to take her up on it. She hoped someone would before Professor Duskurk began assigning people - but figured that in comparison to some of the other students her age, she would look positively harmless. She was hardly taller than most of the younger students, and she had a massive cold to fight with. A red nose and puffy eyes certainly took away from the dangerous look.

"Anyone looking for a partner?" she called out. And sneezed violently.

Partners? He didn't have partners. He looked around for a partner, prefably not Hufflepuffs. They couldn't be trusted when it came to partnering.

Oh. No.

Destiny did not want to duel, especially if she had to go up against someone older, bigger, and more experienced than her. They were..scary. Plus the fact that she would totally lose and embarrass herself in front of everyone! Can't have that happen.

She slowly moved behind Evelyn, and hid behind her. She couldn't duel if she couldn't be found.

3 years? That meant Dylan had to partner with a second year. Great. He didn't know any second years. "Anybody need a partner? Only taking applications from second years."

Mutually ... exclusive? Gold frowned. She sort of thought they were inclusive, but she didn't say that out loud. Because she wasn't too sure if she liked Professor Duskurk.

She respected him, though. He was cool.

In a twisted sort of way.

Right.

Gold shrugged, turned round, and walked up to Destiny. That little Slytherin who actually looked sort of... fun? No, that wasn't the word. Shifty!Cute was more the term, maybe.

Oh, well. Whatever.

"Hey," she offered Destiny a small smile. Why in the name of Merlin's, little pink toe is she hiding? "You want to pair up?"

Eh.

Kay looked around the room. Well, who was the older students? "Umm..Does anyone want to partner up? I'm A second year." Kay said hoping to get a partner.

Partnering with someone 3 years senior...? Hmm that was interesting. Though the way professor acted was funny, his ideas were interesting. Okay then not he needed to find a partner and he was about yell the whole class to announce that he needed partner but...no yelling in the class.

''Eh...'' then ''Anyone needs partner? I do...A fifth year, i suppose''

Tibi reached up to grab the coupon, prying himself from Cela's lap. If anything, he didn't want to be right next to her if she blew up another coupon.

"I'm fine," he mumbled, sitting up. "Just need to sit a bit." Spying a corner that looked rather comfortable, Tiberius got up to his feet shakily. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath as the pressure in his head shifted and he wobbled on his legs.

Blinking hard, he turned and made he was over to the corner to watch, leaning his back against the wall and sliding down it until his bottom touched the floor.

He kept his wand out. Something was bound to come flying his way.

"Yes, over here," said Kiri, stuffing the used - and soggy - tissue into her bag. She pushed her bag to the side of the room so it wouldn't get in the way of her or anyone else... or anyone's spells, then checked to see if she was carrying her wand.

She was. It was secured safely in her hip holster as it had been for two terms now, thanks to Professor Lawson's instructions.

"Alright," she told the girl, sniffing and smiling. "'m Kiri. Aaand I'm not very good at duelling, trust me. Not going to hurt you or anything." Ooh, the arrogance! Did it sound arrogant? Kiri wasn't sure, but it had been said.
She bowed perfunctorily to the girl as duel protocol commanded, then turned around and walked a few steps to put some distance between them, waiting for the girl to begin.

Caught.

Destiny obviously was not sneaky enough.

She slowly turned to the person that was towering over talking to her. She was older..and a Prefect! How could she duel a Prefect! She might blow up her badge or something..

Returning the smile, Destiny straighten up, 'Ughhh,' she wanted to say no, but Professor Duskurkurkurkurk would probably deduct points 'okay.'

Destiny was gonna die!

Umm?

Why did Gold feel like... something was wrong? She could get why Destiny was worried, though. She would have been, too, if she had had to tackle someone three years older.

Evil Professor Duskurk.

"Should we get a start, then?" she asked, politely. She knew she could have just gotten out her wand and all but, to be honest, this didn't feel fair. Her opponent was a lot younger.

Not fair all.

Lucy was shock as she heard the professor telling "3 years", she looked around the room to see if she gets any partner "Hey, I’m a second year, is there any fifth year needing a partner?" she asked loudly.

Ivory didn't know what emotion to let reign. Fear because of course she'd be dueling someone three years her elder or elation because she'd finally be able to do what she'd seen her cousins do for ages every summer when she visited her mom's family.

There, it was pretty much the family sport to watch the older ones practice dueling with eachother while the younger ones learned from observation or learned fencing from her grandfather.

But then again watching was nothing compared to actually doing it.

Immediately the more she thought about it the more nervous she began.

And nervousness gradually gave way to terror.

Trying not to whimper out loud, she stepped forward a bit from the tight knit group of her friends and said aloud, "If there's any fourth year who's not taken already would...well if it's not too much trouble....umm...mind dueling with me?"

She hoped she had spoken the last bit so quietly that no one heard and then everyone would be partnered and then she wouldn't have to duel!

Cherishing this thought like a talisman, she squinted her eyes hoping.

Destiny was still alive! Yes! She might win this after all.

Oh, it hadn't started yet.

She was glad that the Prefect hadn't went all hex crazy on her before she even pulled out her wand. Which reminded her, she needed it. She pulled out her wand and walked over to a more open space, in case she exploded, the clean-up would be easier.

First bowing to her opponent, because that's what she seen everyone else doing, she straightened up and pointed her wand, her poor, stupid Healer's wand, 'Expelliarmus!'

"Fifth year, right here," Dylan waved. There seemed to be a few second years that wanted a partner. They could fight for him.

"Hello Captain." Kay said knowing she was the Quidditch Captain for Slytherin. She raised her wand in front for her and bowed back. Turning she counted off the step she needed. Turning as quick as she could Kay called out. "EXPELLIARUMUS!" And Jumped to the side in case Kiri got a shoot off.

Arya listened to the converstions, taking note on all the technics she could use. She was listening do hard she almost Duskurk was there. She jumped at the sound of his voice, turning in his direction. Ugh, she had to duel with a older student. She knew it was coming but she hoped it would be with someone her year like Allison or Ivory.

She looked around the classroom taking a deep sigh, she didn't see any forth years that she knew. I wish Sabel was here. He would be a good dueling partner."Anyone wanna be my partner...I'ma first year."

Oh, goodie!

It looked like Destiny was calming down. "I'm Gold Laksh," Gold grinned, as she stepped into the more open space, after Destiny. "Thought I should introduce myself and all."

She smiled, then bowed a little bit and -- and then Destiny had hit a disarming charm at her. Umm... Gold couldn't say that wasn't predictable. She blocked the spell with a shield charm, and followed that up by directing a spell at Destiny. Not a bad one, though.

"Rictusempra."

Just that.

''You a fifth year'' Josh approached Dylan though he knew that could have been one big mistakes he could make. Actually he was looking for a fifth year girl so his chances might be higher since girls were less evil and fierce but the Slytherin Captain that he had his eyes on was gone with the Huffie Puffie Kay. ''Partner up then?''

Evan blinked. Why were these people looking for specific years? Then it hit him, the professor must've required so. And he must have missed that instruction while he was trying to vanish into the wall. It was no wonder why he was so afraid of especially this professor; he liked to torture them either, by pairing them up with bigger people for a duel! As he was still a third year, he needed a sixth and he couldn't have a younger partner. Splendid!

He decided it was better if he was specific either. "Any sixth years..? I'm a third." Or of course he could merrily be paired up with a first year, if professor didn't mind a year's difference.

Melanie made mental notes on some of the tactics the two duelers used. She jotted down some of the comments of the other spectators, but didn't make any of her own. Melanie was uncharacteristically quite as she watched the duel. As one of the students pointed out, it hardly seemed fair... what with Cela having a full blown advantage over Tibi, knowning non-verbal spells and having years more of magical education behind her.

But, Duskurk claimed that was the point. What he was saying certainly made sense. Her dad always said life wasn't fair... All parents said that. Sadly enough, it was the truth. Now, according to Professor Duskurk, the rest of the class would have to face the unfairness of it all, as well, in their own duels.

She wasn't too bad with her wand, but she wasn't exactly wonderful either... Melanie knew she couldn't be too great at dueling yet if non-verbals were as vital as the Professor said. She'd never even attempted one, being a fourth year. Of course, it probably wouldn't matter if she was paired with a first year. According to the Duskurk's guidelines to ensure their duel was unjust, she needed to duel a seventh year or a firstie...

And she was actually fairly excited about it... though the slightest bit nervous at the same time. "I'm a fourth year!" Melanie announced promptly, scanning the room for either the youngest members of the student body at Hogwarts...or the oldest.

Someone needed a fourth year! Melanie whipped her head over as she heard the soft whimper to see a small girl... She looked young; probably a firstie.

"Me! I'll duel with you!" she offered enthusiastically. Melanie made her way over to the girl, wand held tightly in her right hand. "Pleased to meet you...Melanie Lockhart, Fourth Year, Hufflepuff." It was nice to have manners before you hexed someone, right? Not really knowing what else to say to the girl, Melanie took a few steps back, toward a more open space so they had room, and then she bowed.

The younger of the two would at least get the advantage of casting the first spell of the duel.

Fred had no partner and usually always had trouble finding one but this time one seemed to be calling for him. Fred being a 6th year went over to young Slytherin boy and said, "I'll be you're partner if you like.".

For a moment, Kiri entertained the thought of leaving her wand in its holster and then unsheathing it only when the girl cast her first spell. But she quickly decided against it - even if the gesture hadn't been made her look so much like a show-off, the potential for embarrassment was too big. If her Quidditch reflexes failed, or if the wand got stuck or something (even though she'd drawn it a thousand times without trouble), she'd have lost a duel with a girl three years younger in a matter of seconds. So she pulled it, pleased to see that it only took a second at most.

The girl's attack came suddenly. Kiri, in mid-sniff, was caught off-balance, but quickly regained her composure. "Protego!" she yelled, slashing her wand through the air in front of her, and the charm bounced off the shield and hit the ceiling.

The girl was fast, that much was sure, but Kiri had expected the Disarming Charm. She sent one off herself, silently - it was one of the few spells she managed to cast non-verbally. The jet of light flew in the direction of the girl, and Kiri followed it up with an Impediment Jinx, hoping that this would slow the girl down. "Impedimenta!"

"Yes I am," Dylan nodded. He didn't really want to be partnered with Josh the brat. But since he was the only one that wanted a partner he was stuck. "Yeah go on then." He pulled out his wand. "You can go first."

Herminny heard her chance to get an easy partner and took it. She walked over to the young Ravenclaw girl and said, "I'm a 4th year and I'd be delighted to be you're partner.".