SnitchSeeker.com - DADA Lesson 1

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- Term 54: January - April 2020 (https://www.snitchseeker.com/term-54-january-april-2020/)

- - DADA Lesson 1 - Duelling 101 (https://www.snitchseeker.com/term-54-january-april-2020/dada-lesson-1-duelling-101-a-113810/)

A dueling dummy partner! Cooool! Phoebe hopped (literally) over to grab some of the padding, and she mostly got it onto herself in some semblance of order on her body as she marched her way over to an unoccupied dummy. So her padding fit weird and might be on upside down and backwards. But it still worked, right?

"Hey, partner. Nice to meet you. Please try not to concuss me, because my head is my moneymaker. Like I think up things and then the rest of me does those things, you see?" Phoebe inched her way up to the red line and offered her hand to the dummy for a polite handshake. Just being nice, right?

How would he propose an official ending? Uh????

If Lucas was being completely honest, he had no idea. He had just said the first thing to come to his head and didn’t really consider the bigger picture. But then Trent started speaking and he...... was lost for words. He stared blankly at the man, a little embarrassed that he hadn’t thought of that but mostly clueless about how to respond. Was disarming the best way to end a duel? He had no idea.

He didn’t exactly have an opinion on the information being given, not until the man started talking about the basics of a duel, which they were going to be covering today. It was then that he felt his heart drop and he started wringing his hands as a result. He didn’t like this. And he especially didn’t like the big leagues part that Trent had mentioned.

Lucas wasn’t in a rush to get the padding but he knew it would be important. And he didn’t want to go into a duel without it. He wasn’t that type of Gryffindor. No thank you. He also didn’t want to choose a dummy but he had a feeling he had no choice in that. It was with this thought in mind that he approached a random dummy - only after he had his padding on - and stood in front of it. Behind the red line.

Uh, hey?

There was an awkward smile on the fifth year’s face as he took out his wand and started bowing to the dummy. A full, 90 degree bow.

Why? He had no idea.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stefan (Post 12440543)

Noah stretched his arms and legs a bit, a habit he's got from football practice, shook off the excess excitement there was and slowly found his center. This was Defence Against the Dark Arts after all. He has to take this class seriously as much as winning their football games back home. Standing a tad taller this time, he took a deep breath, and a confident step inside the line. With his shoulders square, his back straight and his arms on both sides, he went on to bow at Bob as perfectly as he could. Snapping back up, he looked at the dummy dead in the...eye or where its eyes would be and waited for it to do the same. It can't be that rude, right? Right?

It had been a perfect bow, truly. The boy had been on the right path....until he rose without waiting for his opponent to bow in return.

The NeRVe of some students. The utter gall. The thing that set the dummy in motion. It moved, a twitch at first before suddenly ramming itself into the boy to knock him off his feet just outside the line. The padding no doubt absorbed most of it, but it wouldn’t have prevented the Gryffindor from toppling over.

And as suddenly as the assault began, it ended. The dummy moved back to its original position and went still.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunflower (Post 12440547)

She went to grab the thin padding and moved to stand in front of a dummy behind the line. So they were just practising how to bow? It was an important component of duelling etiquette, so maybe they needed lots of proper practice. She chose the 90 degree bend, which she thought might be preferred by the dummy. Just to be safe. She practised bowing politely, not too quickly but not too slowly either. She then stepped forward to face the dummy and bowed, the way she practised. She spent two seconds at the ninety degree bend, then straightened back up. Well … was that okay? Was it going to bow back? She really wanted to step back behind the safety line, but was afraid it might offend the dummy. If it decided to attack her she was ready to run away.

It had been okay, at first. The bow had been well executed, the speed just right. It was all just right until the rude girl rose without the return bow of her opponent. Was the dummy not SOMEONE?? Did it not DESERVE to get in a bow before she ended hers?? A duel was NOT one sided. Rude. So rude.

Rude enough that the dummy charged at her, slamming its frame into her (a good thing that padding was there) with such force that it propelled her back behind the safety of the red line. Good thing too because it wasn’t done with her but that line...that line. Reluctantly, the dummy went still once more.

Quote:

Originally Posted by love-for-HP (Post 12440549)

He picked a dummy and lined up to it .... well to the red line that was drawn across the floor and took a bow. It felt like a 45 degree bow .. but who knows maybe it was 60 or 80.. definitely not 90. He returned to his upright position and tensed ... did he miss a step? Something about practice ............ dear Merlin what was going to happen ....

He called THAT a bow?? Was the dummy expected to accept THAT?!

NO SIR! Try again. Quite affronted—charmed as it was to be—the dummy rammed hard into the boy, the brunt of the force swallowed by the padding but it still sent him reeling back just outside the red line where he was safe from further assault.

Then, as if nothing happened. The dummy went still.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lazykitty (Post 12440554)

Thank goodness this part of the lesson was over. Most of this stuff was review for Whitney since she'd been in the Dueling Club back at Illvermorny. And she really didn't enjoy going over the same stuff over and over. At all. So, getting started on the actual dueling part of the lesson was a relief.

She grabbed a set of padding and put it on before approaching one of the dummies. She stopped with her toes just touching the red line and executed a perfect 90-degree bow to the thing, not intimidated at all.

It was quite the bow, yes, but with her standing outside the red line it did nothing to stir the dummy. It did not bow back, it did not so much as twitch. No acknowledgement of her in anyway. Perhaps she could try stepping beyond the line before she tried again?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ginevra (Post 12440557)

Fiona carefully observed Headmaster Trent as he demonstrated the two bows mentally taking in the precise movement of each one. She then made her way to where the pile of thin padding was and put some on before heading to one of the dummies ensuring that she was indeed standing behind the red line.

The second-year decided to perform the 45-degree bend. Fiona faced the dummy and carefully bowed, hoping that she had gotten the angle correct because she didn't want to offend.

Another well executed bow but this dummy did not stir either. Perhaps if she moved to stand beyond the safety of the red line as the Professor had instructed then tried again she would receive some form of reaction in one way or the other.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hey Ju (Post 12440558)

After a few times, she looked around until some of her classmates stepped over the line and bowed to a dummy. It was only then that she stepped forward herself, eyes on the single dummy in front of her. She only got close enough so that the object knew she was its opponent, but she also made sure there was plenty of space in between them - they were huge!

Bowing politely at a 45 degree, Catherine then kept close watch on the dummy in front of her, resisting the urge to wipe her sweaty hands on her robes.

It took a second while the dummy appraised her bow. At first, it seemed it would be a bust like the dummies of another pair of students but after another moment, the dummy did twitch into motion.

Briskly, it bent at a 45 degree angle to match hers and would wait until she straightened to do so itself. Well done.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GD2204 (Post 12440562)

No. Obviously not. After taking a few moments to find some padding that actually fitted his large frame, Ewan stepped behind one of the red lines, watching the professor as he showed the correct bowing technique. Surely the 90 degree one was a sign of respect? Bowing lower? Choosing to do it properly, he fixed his arms to his side and bowed, not in any real direction but just as a practice one. Finally satisfied with his technique, he stepped to the red line, stopping just behind it, his hand clutched tightly in his right hand and, after a moment, bowed 90 degrees to the dummy, doing his best to keep perfect eye contact with the lifeless enemy.

If he was expecting something to happen, he would be sorely disappointed. After the first few minutes, it would have been clear that the dummy had no intention of reacting to his bow for the simple fact he was behind the red line and out of the dummy’s range.

Perhaps, for his next bow, he could step to the inside of the line and give it another go?

Quote:

Originally Posted by siriusblackliveson (Post 12440567)

Glancing around she noticed some of the room practicing a bow. She bent with nearly straight legs, because everyone knew that you never and she meant never locked your knees. Once she hit 45 degrees she stopped. She wasn’t too sure about bending to 90, that seemed like poor taste because she wouldn’t be able to see her opponent.

Taking a deep breath she took a step forward and bowed to the 45 degrees she had been practicing then slowly stood. She sure hoped this was the right thing. It was the right thing.... right? She did not want to get blasted by a dummy.

So close. So very close. The First Year had gotten the bow down pat and could have been on her way to celebrating like Mordaunt but she had made the same mistake as several other of her peers. She had risen before the dummy could bow. Had excluded it from the duel. Had trampled right over its right to be able to react. How. Utterly. RUDE.

As several dummies before had done, the dummy rammed right into the girl with full force—a force mostly absorbed by the padding—but certainly enough to send her flying and falling and staggering back behind the line and into safety.

Quick as that, the dummy was still once more.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nordic Witch (Post 12440568)

When they we're allowed to practice Cole went over to stand behind the a safe red line but in front of his chosen dummy. He practiced the two bows several times before he felt confident enough to try it for real. Taking a long breath, he stepped over the line to face his dummy. He looked up at it and smiled broadly but with respect. "Hi mr dummy sir! I hope it's okay that we partner?" Not expecting an answer Cole bowed down low in the 90 degree bend as best he could before he straighted up and waited with suspence to see if the dummy would bow too or not.

Oh so he was just gonna get up and straighten like that before giving the dummy a chance to join the bow?? It was gonna be like THAT? Was that how they were gonna play this? Fast, loose and disrespectful?? Well two could play at that game.

When the dummy did stir into motion, it rammed into the poor boy—the brunt of the attack thankfully absorbed by the padding. It hit the boy so hard that it would’ve sent him staggering right back outside the line and good thing too because otherwise the dummy wouldn’t have been done with him.

And then, just as before., it went still.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pundantic (Post 12440573)

Alessandro was a fair dueller. Better than most of his peers, if he had to assume, but he was not Angelo. His older cousin was devastating in a duel. Al aspired to be as quick, as refined, as catastrophic.

He had fought in duels before. ~~Al fought. Generally.~~ If Alessandro was good at one thing, it was fighting. Taking it as seriously as Alessandro took all of his matches, he stepped past the red line, facing his dummy. His bow was low (90 degrees low), polite and clear. Yet, his eyes did not leave his opponent the entire bow.

It seemed another student understood the dual nature of the duel. It was a two way street. It did not involve just one. He had bowed and he had waited. Good.

The dummy appraised his motion, his angle, before then mimicking it with its own 90 degree bow. There it stayed, waiting for the boy to straighten so it could do the same.

Well done.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hjhm (Post 12440577)

So she went on to grab herself on of those padding just like what the other kids did , then made her way towards one of the dummies. Her feet planted not too far away from it, staring at the dummy for quite sometime. She remembered the headmaster said something about it sensitive. How is the dummy going to be sensitive considering that it is an inanimate object? Whatever that meant, she will soon find out...

Her eyes squinted a bit before taking her position and bowing in a 45 degree bend. Still watching the dummy and making sure she can move quickly just in case it becomes 'sensitive'.

Excellent work girl. The bow was precise and once the dummy was appeased, it too joined the bow so that they were both facing 45 degrees.

It didn’t stir beyond this position, waiting for her to straighten as she had waited for it to bow. Well done.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TakemetotheBurrow (Post 12440581)

The 45 degree bow was the easier one, obviously, and Cece bet it was the one she'd go with against classmates 'cause she could right herself quicker and get to dueling STRAIGHT away. The 90 degree one, though, felt VERY dramatic and SUPER polite and she wondered if THAT one would please the dummy more. She practiced a few times, very serious expression and with attention to posture, finding the whole thing kinda humorous. Was she making a good impression here or what?

Once she felt she had a good grasp on bowing, the small blonde got her wand out and stepped back in front of the line, eyeing her dummy. She kept eyeing it even as she bowed down the WHOLE 90 degrees JUST like she saw another older kid doing. As she righted herself again, she felt a surge of nervous energy rush through her, waiting to see what the dummy would do in response.

She had every right to be nervous. The utter GALL of some students this day and age. Bowing then straightening like that. No time for the dummy to get in a bow of its own. What was it, chopped liver?????? Was it not a worthy enough opponent for her to wait for a return bow??????

Was it some kind of JOKE to her?? Was it dressed in clown garb??? Did it LOOK funny??

It thought not and so quite suddenly after she’d risen, the dummy rammed into her at full force (the passing absorbing most of it) and shoved her back beyond the red line where she belonged if she couldn’t learn manners. Rude. RUDE.

That sorted, it went perfectly still once more.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19 (Post 12440584)

They really did look like they would shred to bits from the slightest of spells but if Trent said they were sturdy than they looked, then she believed him. “Grab the dummy next to mine?’’ she whispered to Bernie before moving to take some padding. Once that was done, she placed herself before a dummy but behind that red line.

Sensitive dummies?

They needed to get over themselves.

Nevertheless, Claudine practiced a ninety degree angle bow safely from behind the line. What did she think? That it was enough practice for she stepped over the line to make the exact confident but polite ninety degree bow as before.

Well done, well done. A perfect bow and the patience and RESPECT to wait for your opponent to bow in return. This student understood that there were two in a duel, not one. Not like most of her classmates. Perhaps she could teach them a thing of two about respect while she was at it.

The dummy mimicked her 90 degree bow and waited there for her to straighten so they could together.

All was well here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anna Banana (Post 12440591)

Isla eventually made her way toward the pile of thin padding and pulled the piece off the top. Padding in hand, she turned toward the line-up of dummies and chose one at random. None of them made her feel any easier about the thought of dueling, so it didn't matter which one she faced off against. She looked toward it, giving it whatever signal it needed to realize she was challenging it.

She wondered if it would be okay to just stay behind the red line to the entire time. She liked this little mini activity. She could interact with the dummy with it not moving a muscle, or whatever you called the body parts of a dummy. Of course she'd be doing the ninety degree bend. The last thing she wanted to do was insult an inanimate object charmed to do Merlin-knew-what to her. Then, behind the safety of the red line, the first year bowed at what she estimated was a ninety degree bend.

It was a 90 degree angle, sure. A rough estimate at the least, but it was also beyond the red line and behind that line the dummies did not react. It was as if she’d never bowed. Her action was greeted with radio silence and all the stillness of a cemetery.

Perhaps if she stepped beyond the line and tried again.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BanaBatGirl (Post 12440592)

"I am," Bernie squeaked, grabbing some of the armor or whatever and hurrying over to the dummy next to her friend. She shoved the padding over her head, got her wand out of her boot, and then bowed to the dummy imperceptibly, barely at a 45 degree angle.

And don't worry, Trent. She was right behind the red line.

Right behind that red line was not where she was meant to be if she expected a reaction from the dummy. It was meant for practice before stepping beyond it to test their bow against the dummy.

As it stood, her being behind the line like that, the dummy didn’t so much as twitch. Silence followed, silence and a notable lack of reaction.

Test your luck inside the line?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charely Potter (Post 12440598)

Knocking politely, he waited... and waited.. and waited.. Okay, maybe it wasn't that long of a wait but patience was still a learning process for Curtis. But he wasn't going to break. His patience paid off when the door finally opened and it was a younger girl who opened it instead. Well, least that meant he was okay to come in. Apologize?? To the man who inflicted child abuse on him? Well, he was going to do better than that. He nodded at uh... whoever this girl was, she was nice, that was all he knew. So she got his form of grateful acknowledgment.

Walking over to the Headmaster, Curtis paused for a moment, not wanting to look down instead meeting eye to eye. "Thank you." For letting me back in. For not yelling. For not uh.... using me as a test dummy? Bah, hopefully, that delivered the message. Guess he could participate in lesson now?

When he was allowed to join the others, Curtis looked around to follow what everyone else was doing. Picking a test dummy. Oh, so they were going to duel? Curtis had no choice but to be a good boy now. He collected a padding to put on himself. Everyone was bowing to a dummy.. why? Oh. Probably has some sort of magic on it. He gazed at the dummy behind the red line before taking a bow as low as some others around him were (90 degrees) to it. Was that respectful enough? He attempted to mimic what everyone else was doing.

”Thank you?” Before the dummy could react to the boy who’d...once again floored the Headmaster with his behaviour, Trent levitated the Slytherin back to him.

Thank you?

“You are either brazenly disrespectful or one of the dimmer bulbs in this entire castle. I don’t know which you are but I’m willing to hazard it’s the first. I let you back in because it’s the first lesson of the term and it may have warranted some leniency.” Being yanked out was enough for day one and had set the tone nicely for the rest of the term. “But you, son, are making it difficult to remain lenient. You apologize when you have disrespected a Professor—or anyone else—by arriving late. You offer an explanation, should it help your case and dissuade me from thinking you simply don’t care. You do NOT open my classroom door after it has been shut, you get here BEFORE it shuts as your peers have done or in future, you will REMAIN outside.”

THANK YOU?????????

“Out. Until you’ve learned courtesy and what is expected of you in a school environment, you will wait outside the classroom and you will meet me to recover this lesson later. Should it have suddenly hit you, I suggest you make it right now and only then can you rejoin the others.” Thank. You.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhoenixRising (Post 12440601)

No matter though because they were moving on and the fifth year had to stifle a snicker. Wait, was anyone really that petty that they would duel over stealing a boyfriend?? Also kinda a good thing he mentioned to avoid shooting spells at each other down at the lake. So dueling was kinda preparation for the unprepared? Should they expect to be randomly attacked when out in the real world?

Taking some of the thin padding, she watched the Headmaster demonstrate the bows, deciding right then and there that the forty-five degree bend was going to be her preferred bow because she would have better eye contact that way. Which was the one she practiced from behind the line.

The dummy watched and waited. Soon the girl would step before the line and within range. Then it would test her metal.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cassirin (Post 12440605)

Had she stepped before the line with that handshake, the girl would have unceremoniously found herself knocked onto her backside on the other side of the line once more. As it stood, she was just beyond its range. Just beyond the place where it would ram into her and teach her some respect. It was a BOW dear. Not...whatever that scrawny little hand was for.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hermionesclone (Post 12440607)

Lucas wasn’t in a rush to get the padding but he knew it would be important. And he didn’t want to go into a duel without it. He wasn’t that type of Gryffindor. No thank you. He also didn’t want to choose a dummy but he had a feeling he had no choice in that. It was with this thought in mind that he approached a random dummy - only after he had his padding on - and stood in front of it. Behind the red line.

Uh, hey?

There was an awkward smile on the fifth year’s face as he took out his wand and started bowing to the dummy. A full, 90 degree bow.

Why? He had no idea.

Playing it safe from behind the line, eh?

Smart. The boy could keep practicing over there, but when he was ready for a reaction, he would have to step forward. Until then, the dummy would be silently waiting.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo (Post 12440611)

Right, was her dummy defective or what??? Bernie glanced around, straightened up, and then realized everyone else was on the other side of the line. She could have smacked herself in the forehead for making such a dumb dumb dummy mistake.

She jumped over the line with a neat hop, and then bowed again, still at a 45 degree angle, still waiting to see out of the corner of her eye if her dummy was going to do anything.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BanaBatGirl (Post 12440613)

Well look who finally decided to join the party on this side of the line. The dummy appraised the girl and her 45 degree angle. One may have thought that even now the dummy wasn’t responding but in the next instant, it gave a brisk bow that matched her 45 degrees.

Quite well done, waiting for the return bow as she did. A duel was not one person and whether she made the conscious effort to or not, she’d respected her opponent by giving it a chance to bow, too.

In this position, it waited for her to straighten so it could do the same together.

no bowing yet, just internally monologuing. u know how it is.

Kaiser nodded to show he understood what Trent was saying to him, in response to his answer, and left it at that. The Headmaster hadn't explicitly said so, but it sounded like there was no judgement in throwing away the etiquette book if someone were to come at him with a brandished wand and a murderous intent. Not that judgement would have stopped Kaiser - that would have been ridiculous - but Trent's approval was still inexplicably ~~craved~~ welcomed. It made sense that the man would prioritise staying alive over, well... not. It was kind of his whole deal.

It was funny, but Kaiser couldn't actually envision himself taking part in a proper duel. It was a bit like fighting, which he had sworn off back when he was thirteen, with the self-imposed stipulation that he could fight back if his life was in immediate danger. He didn't even spar, because he didn't trust himself at all, and duelling was just an official spar, with magic. Oh, sure, Kaiser could see himself in a magic fight, if he was attacked and needed to defend himself or something, but he wouldn't duel. Ever. Which... might be a problem, if that was where this class was leading, but it was a resolve he would be stubbornly sticking to.

From what Trent had said, that would be a problem for another day, which, while a good thing today, inspired a very unpleasant feeling in the pit of Kaiser's stomach, despite him being a person who generally didn't think much further than the next twenty-four hours. How on earth would he get around that when the time came? He didn't think a 'conscientious objector' argument would hold much sway in a controlled environment like Trent's classroom. One thing Kaiser knew, absolutely and unequivocally, was that whenever that lesson came, he would not be taking part in a duel. That level of certainty (though he knew it wouldn't be well received) did make him feel a bit better.

If Trent had them fake-duelling dummies later in this lesson, however, Kaiser's future problem would become today's problem. But maybe it wouldn't come to that.

Suddenly realising he had been stood stock still, staring intently at nothing in particular while his classmates launched into action around him, Kaiser blinked his way back into the present moment, and looked around to watch the others, as he had accidentally gained that particular advantage.

... It was ridiculous, that something as simple as the idea of practicing a bow was suddenly giving him such a bad feeling. Ridiculous, and yet it made horrible sense, when he really thought about it. Kaiser swallowed and wiped his sweaty palms on the insides of his pockets, and, pretending he didn't know exactly how pale in the face he had gone, went to retrieve some padding. He moved slowly, delaying things as much as he possibly could, trying his very hardest not to look at the dummies now, or Trent, or indeed a anyone at all.

This padding. Fiddly stuff, right? Crazy!

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo (Post 12440611)

Fiona noticed the stillness of the dummy/her duelling partner and then looked down. She was probably playing it a bit safe so she decided to position herself over the red line and reattempt her 45-degree bow. Maybe this time would be more effective.

Tom blinked, he then blink again as the Headmaster continued to speak, the guy didn't seem like a joker but well had he just said the dummy could get insulted by the way he bowed to them, now this was scary, doing exactly what the headmaster said, he soon was stood behind a line looking at the dummy, did he dare cross the line and try, now that was the question.

Tom stood for what felt like eternity but was in fact just mere moments, he decided that he was going to just play it safe and practice from behind the lines, he was shaking with nerves as he bowed, which made it a very clumsy one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo (Post 12440540)

"Well you aren't wrong about that, Whitlock. A lot of the rules are flashy and there for show. The thing is, so is duelling, even now, to a larger extent than it is used for a real fight. As many of your classmates have mentioned, if someone has a serious issue and wants you harmed, they'll hardly take the time to bow, count to three and go through all the formalities, they'll just fight. They'll have a good go at each other with no mind towards consequences. A duel has more structure than that. It's a more formal affair. It has rules. Rules most don't care to follow should they really get into it."

Remove those flashy and seemingly pointless rules and you just had a wand fight. "It may be from the "old times" but it's still tradition and that tradition is still upheld."[/spoiler]

"Well done. Just a bit of recap before we move on. These days, many of the duels that take place are sporting in nature. Yes, you can use it to solve a dispute if both parties decide on the terms but...in a situation where you find yourself in trouble, the last thing you'll want to do is propose a duel. Of course, there are still some who, while not on friendly terms, do decide to use a duel with higher stakes to solve their disagreement. It happens. Less frequently and not always with witnesses but it happens. Remember, though, if someone wants you dead, they won't bow, count to three then fire. They'll just fire. All the rules go out the door. That's the difference between a duel and a normal altercation. One is agreed upon and both parties are trying to keep the rules in mind, the other is more or less every man for himself." The latter being what he DEFINITELY didn't want inside--or outside--the castle.

"Someone stepping on your toe or stealing your boyfriend that results in you hexing them does not constitute a duel, even if they fire back. Grabbing your friends and heading down to the lake to shoot spells at each other--also to be avoided without supervision--is not the same as going in with the intent of a proper duel. Duels have structure. They have rules. There are expectations of both participants and above all, willingness in one form or the other." Attacking someone was very different from challenging them to a duel. Only one of those allowed the person to decline should they choose.

"Today, we'll be covering the basics of the duel, just the easy things that should get you a little more comfy, get your feet wet and allow a cushion before we hit the "big league"." There would be time for real dueling another time. Right now, there were still many who didn't have the first clue what to do in a duel--some were still learning how to hold their wands. Throwing them fully into the deep end wouldn't necessarily help.

"Everyone, come up and grab some of this thin padding." A pile appeared by his feet after he'd spoken. "Don't be concerned by it's thinness. It's charmed to absorb most things while giving you room to move as needed. Next, make your way to a dummy. Not too close, just close enough to make it clear it will be your opponent." He paused and with a flick of his wand, created bright red lines on either side of the floor. "Behind that line is a safe distance." Behind that line, the dummies wouldn't react. "Eyes on me while I demonstrate the bow to begin the duel. There are two types. One, involves a near 90 degree bend." Here, he paused to demonstrate with a fair bit of precision. "And the other is more of a 45 degree bend." Which he also demonstrated. "It's up to you to decide which you prefer but do be careful, the dummies are a bit......sensitive to insult at the moment and won't take just any bow. I recommend you practising from the safety of that line before stepping forward to give it a real go."

....Just in case.

OOC: Time for the mini activity guys! Have your charries either practising the bow or stepping up to the dummy they're facing and giving it a good ole try. I will be posting reactions for the dummies so please don't RP their reactions. You'll have about 48 hrs to get this done before we move on to the main activity. ^_^

Flynn nodded along with interest and also entirely pleased that Trent was taking him seriously, properly listening to what he said and responding in kind. It was cool. Kale's dad? Was cool. He was still thinking about all the things when the instructions came, and Flynn happily went to fetch some of the padding, and put it on, glad it wasn't restrictive in any way but also curious about its purpose. Why exactly did they need it against dum--mannequins? Absorb what things exactly?

He fastened his padding on and listened to the rest of the instructions, head cocked slightly. He then went to take a position on the right side of the line, the side that Trent had said was safe, and looked toward the figurine for a second before his eyes went back to Trent and his demonstration. Bows he could do. Perfect bows in fact. He could even do them with flourishes if required, a proper révérence. Would that be weird in class? It probably would, wouldn't it? Flynn simply went ahead and bowed with his back straight, posture perfect, first at an almost precise 45 degrees. He then he straightened up, and then bowed again at 90 degrees, so accurately that you'd be hard pressed to find even a degree out were you to measure the angles his body made. With dance, and ballet in particular this came naturally. A few more bows just for the sake of it and to show the headmaster he was taking it all seriously, and then he straightened again and took a step past the line, his gaze falling on the mannequin.

After a brief moment of serious consideration from his big blue eyes, Flynn bowed an exacting 45 degrees, eyes cast down as his body bent so carefully, and then without lifting his head his gaze lifted, looking towards the form in front of him, remaining so still, a little apprehensive, but mostly entirely curious.

Headmaster Trent’s words sunk in as Cordelia actually tried to pay attention for once in her life. This information could be something she actually needed to know. If someone wanted to kill you, they would just murder you outright rather than challenge you to a duel. She remembered what had happened at Stemp House over the summer, what she had tried so hard to deny that it had actually happened. Something that no matter how hard she tried to ignore and deny it, had a lasting effect on her. There was no time to reflect on that, however, because the lesson was moving on.

What did they need protective padding for? Cordelia was not going to wait until after being injured through lack of proper safety equipment to find out. Grabbing some of the padding, Cordelia pulled it on as she found a spot opposite a dummy behind the red line. Cordelia stayed behind the red line practicing her 45 degree bow as she observed some of her classmates approaching the dummies. It appeared that the dummies did not react kindly to quick bows. From her observations it seemed like she would need to allow time for her opponent to return the bow before straightening her back.

When she was satisfied with her ability to bow at exactly a 45 degree angle, Cordelia stepped forward of the red line to face the dummy. Carefully, she lowered her torso to a 45 degree angle while maintaining eye contact with the dummy. She would not move from this position until the dummy had its opportunity to bow back.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo (Post 12440611)

.
Oh so he was just gonna get up and straighten like that before giving the dummy a chance to join the bow?? It was gonna be like THAT? Was that how they were gonna play this? Fast, loose and disrespectful?? Well two could play at that game.

When the dummy did stir into motion, it rammed into the poor boy—the brunt of the attack thankfully absorbed by the padding. It hit the boy so hard that it would’ve sent him staggering right back outside the line and good thing too because otherwise the dummy wouldn’t have been done with him.

And then, just as before., it went still.

Cole’s eyes went wide with shock as the dummy rammed into him with full force. Thankfully his padding absorbed the brunt of the attack. It didn’t stop him from being pushed backwards behind the red line and he felt the air get knocked out of his lungs. Coughing and breathing for several minutes Cole closed his watery eyes and tried to grasp what had just happened. He had done wrong that was pretty clear. Maybe he had straightened up too quickly and that way angered the dummy?

With nervousness Cole stepped over the red line and faced his dummy again. "I'm sorry for angering you." Taking a shaky breath he eyed his dummy partner for whole more minute before he bowed down in a new 95 degree angle and held there, waiting for the dummy to react.. Please, please don’t be still be angry.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo (Post 12440611)

[COLOR="Purple"]
”Thank you?” Before the dummy could react to the boy who’d...once again floored the Headmaster with his behaviour, Trent levitated the Slytherin back to him.

Thank you?

“You are either brazenly disrespectful or one of the dimmer bulbs in this entire castle. I don’t know which you are but I’m willing to hazard it’s the first. I let you back in because it’s the first lesson of the term and it may have warranted some leniency.” Being yanked out was enough for day one and had set the tone nicely for the rest of the term. “But you, son, are making it difficult to remain lenient. You apologize when you have disrespected a Professor—or anyone else—by arriving late. You offer an explanation, should it help your case and dissuade me from thinking you simply don’t care. You do NOT open my classroom door after it has been shut, you get here BEFORE it shuts as your peers have done or in future, you will REMAIN outside.”

THANK YOU?????????

“Out. Until you’ve learned courtesy and what is expected of you in a school environment, you will wait outside the classroom and you will meet me to recover this lesson later. Should it have suddenly hit you, I suggest you make it right now and only then can you rejoin the others.” Thank. You.

Curtis was still in a bowing position when he was being lifted away. Whoa, did I bow wrong? That must be it. He didn't know the proper way but he couldn't be angry over being pulled away this time. After all, he didn't get to hear the full instructions. Oh. Now he was back in front of the Headmaster who was... visibly angry with him. What now? He couldn't believe what was happening. Thanking him wasn't enough? And now I'm being called STUPID in front of everyone? Curtis just stared at the man. Under this reprimand, naturally, one would then follow his instruction and apologize right then and there, yes? But what did that make Curtis?

"I said thank you as an appreciation for the second chance." Curtis replied. A genuine token of appreciation and this was how it was twisted. This just proved it. Everyone was out against me, no matter what. He couldn't make any mistakes. What did apologizing solve? His ego? I was late, that's it, what other explanation could be said for that. Perhaps this would be the best time for him to explain that he didn't understand and thought apologizing for not knowing something or believing he didn't know something was pointless. So would Curtis explain this? Would he honor the Headmaster's request for respect? Will he get to sit through this lesson.

He shook his head. "I understand now, Headmaster.... Good day." He wouldn't waste his time. He could sit outside and wait for the punishment to arrive. He was all too used to this. He turned to walk out calmly, no expression on his face, head help up straight. To that second-year girl who offered him that advice to apologize. Well, he wouldn't forget that. He had chosen to not that and now experienced what happens when you don't take advice.

As soon as he left the classroom door, he just sat outside. That offer to complete the lesson after everyone else was tempting.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo (Post 12440611)

Finally, he was ready to walk up to the red line and see what the dummy had for him, not really worried how it would react. He had his wand at hand if anything went wrong anyhow. Standing upright now, he walked confidently up to the red line and stopped. Appraising the dummy for a moment, he eventually bent with an air of confidence 90 degrees, showing the dummy a little respect, his eyes still on the stuffed enemy in front of him now as he waited for some sort of reaction.

Blake never even saw it coming, out of no where he was tumbling back and landing hard on his butt before he even comprehend what was happening. Dear Merlin mistakes where made. Turning redder than a tomato, Blake stood up and rubbed his butt a little to take the sting out. "Owww......" He added knowing he was likely to be bruised tomorrow.

Taking a deep breath he had realized he should have practiced and taking the bow for granted was definitely the WRONG decision to make. Blake looked around to see who all noticed his 'interaction'. He was sure Claudine would laugh herself silly if she saw... and he hated that idea. Determined to not let that happen again..

Taking a moment to practice his bow rightfully this time. He again stepped in front of his dummy, crossed the red line. Took a deep breath and bowed to 45 degrees (at least he prayed it was 45). He paused in his position for a moment waiting to see if the dummy dueling partner would accept this his bow this time.

Naya was pleased that her answers to the duel questions had apparently made sense and gotten the ok from the Headmaster. Now though, it was time to get to work. Let the fun begin. Naya followed the professor’s instructions and went to retrieve some of the protective padding. No sense in anyone getting hurt on the first day of class, right?

Now with her protection in place, Naya turned her attention to the Headmaster. He was demonstrating the proper way to bow and the fifth year was watching intently. 45 degrees and 90 degrees. Got it. Practice time. Naya looked for an unclaimed dummy and went up to the red line nearest it. Making sure to stand behind the line, she gave a semi bow, trying to approximate the 45 degree angle. That didn’t seem too hard. Next, she bent all the way forward until her upper body was parallel to the ground.

Deciding that it was time to give it a go for real, Naya was ready to step in front of the red line. First though, she wondered something. Since these dummies were sensitive, she definitely did not want to offend them. When she bowed, should she keep her head up and look directly at the dummy? Orrrrrrr.....should she keep her head and eyes down so as not to get on the dummy’s bad side. Since a duel was basically a challenge, she decided to keep her eyes on the target. Constant vigilance and all that.

On the verge of overthinking yet another task, Naya decided to just get on with it. She took a step in front of the restraining line. Eyes up, she bent forward and executed what she thought was a pretty impressive bow. Now what?

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo (Post 12440611)

Jillian froze in place and awaited for the dummy to move. She watched it carefully but at the same time glancing at other students. The dummies seem to be responding to them. She needs to be patient since the dummy is watching her, right? A few seconds she noticed it moving- some of it's part creaked softly as it bends down in the same manner as she did. Phew. This is a good thing, yes? YES.

A smiled formed on Jillian's lips, happy with the results she have. Pulling herself up and straightened her back. "thank you for that" giving it a cute wink. Y A Y. Oh she's definitely excited for what's next.

BASICS? UGH BORING

Looking thoroughly unimpressed that they were covering the basics today, Minjae dragged his feet to the pile of padding near the Headmaster’s feet and picked one up. He dragged it to a empty space in the room and let it fall down on the ground.

He then watched as they were told to see the demonstration and he had to admit, his bows were pretty precise. He silently clapped his two index fingers together as an applause. Ever since his family had left his home country, they had scrapped off the whole bowing as it would look odd in England. The only people he would still bow for were his grandparents when they came to visit England.

He decided not to practice though, just because he didn’t bow to his elders anymore did not mean he forgot how to do it. With a determined look on his face and not a sign of fear at all, the brave Hufflepuff stepped over the bright red line and walked up to one of the dummies. He stopped in front of it and placed his feet next to each other before he bend down from the waist, giving a perfect 45 degree angle bow and kept it there while he kept his eyes on the dummy as he waited for it to respond.

Come one...bow back...he wanted to duel!

Nina shook her head. Nothing. She normally tried her very best to make sure that Headmaster Trent knew she was the very best, but today she wasn’t feeling particularly talkative. It may have had something to do with all of the sneezes. Or perhaps it had to do with the sads from last night. Either way, she was not particularly in the mood.

For the record, Nina hated all violence. Regardless of whether or not there were established rules. Dueling for sport did not have any appeal whatsoever. What was its purpose? There were plenty of better ways to show off one’s skill. Dueling was in all likeliness a sport that emerged because two men had too much pride. Nina was certain of it. There was no way anyone in their right mind could find it “fun”. As for the use of dueling for learning, Nina still wasn’t a fan, but she did see the appeal. If it was done for the purposes of education, she could make an exception.

So despite the dust, she didn’t mind the lesson thus far. With that in mind, she walked up to grab some of the thin padding, after which she chose a dummy. Following their Headmaster’s instructions very carefully, she made sure not to step too close. Though practicing a bow was something she felt was almost below her, she did understand the reasoning. She also wanted to assume that this was done for the benefit of her younger, less tasteful peers. Of course Nina had never dueled anyone, but she did pay very close attention to Headmaster Trent as he demonstrated.

When she had felt she had gotten enough “practice”, she stepped forward to indicate to the dummy that she was ready. Then she paused to make eye contact before lowering her torso into a 90 degree bow. Here she waited, politely.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo (Post 12440611)

She continued to try and breath. But just as she thought she had it her eyes grew wide.

WHAT IN THE MERLIN?

The dummy was flying at her. Oh no. Oh no. No one prepared her for all of the absolute ridiculousness that this lesson would entail. She wanted to run but the dummy was coming at her extremely fast.

Oof

There....... it...... was.

She felt the impact knock her back on her rearend all the way behind the red line. Then she realized like the absolute first year she was that she was going to have to stay in her bow. "Fine lets go then you dummy." She mumbled under her breath. Correcting her uniform she grabbed her wand in her hand again, trying to gain the confidence that the wandmaker had given her when she first got it.

Stepping beyond the red line again she started forward and took a deep breath before bowing to the 45 degrees that she had before, and waiting. ~~Not so~~Ever so patiently for the dummy to bow back at her. And hopefully not come ramming at her full speed. If that was the case she was done, her parents could transfer her. She'd be done. She didn't need bruises to cover her for seven years. She was too pretty for that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo (Post 12440611)

Isla was trying very, very hard to ignore what was going on with Curtis. It was getting hard to concentrate on the dummies, though, while listening to how terrifyingly strict the headmaster was. She made not one, not two, but about ten mental notes to never get on on the headmaster's bad side.

Back to the dummies...

She was still behind the line and enjoying the safety it brought. She was still convinced that if she stepped across the line, the dummy was going to tackle her to the ground within seconds. Nothing was happening on the safe side of the line, though. Isla sighed, realizing what she had to do.

She started to step across the line with her eyes wide shut, but then she realized that if the dummy was going to attack, she at least wanted to see it coming. So with her eyes wide open and fixed on the dummy, the first year stepped across the line. Then, with trembling hands and legs that she was sure were about to fail her, she bowed at what she guessed was another ninety degree angle.

Claudine eyed the dummy as if willing it to bow back. In reality, she wasn’t willing it to. No, that was just her resting face being all intense there. And from her hunched over position, she was delighted to see that her patience had been rewarded; the dummy had bowed back! Claudine was feeling more and more at ease with this lesson as things were going her way. She gave the dummy a slight smile (did that even make a difference to the thing? Did it know what a smile was??) then straightened up. Now to await further instructions.

In the meanwhile…

The Snakette looked idly around at the other students. Some, like her, seemed to have gotten their dummies to bow but most… tough luck.

Claudine sniggered as Blake’s sent him a blow that made him cross back over the red line. But poor Bernie. “Try to be confident. And step over the line.’’ Why didn't some of the students done that? Trent had indicated that they do.

Bowing, okay, that didn't seem too difficult to start off with. He could bow. Especially after watching the headmaster demonstrate. That seemed like something he would be able to imitate. He practiced to himself a few times before making his way to an open dummy. His dawdling meant that he had an opportunity to watch a few of his classmates do their bows first, some with the proper result and some... not as much. He stared wide eyed at the ones who were knocked back by their dummies, trying to figure out what it was they had done wrong because he definitely didn't want that to happen to him.

Alexandre, turned to face his own dummy again. He tentatively stepped over the red line and imitated the headmaster's 45 degree angle bow. And waited.

can we attack them :3

"I AM over the line," Bernie whisper!shouted to Claudine, eyes still on the prize in front of her.

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Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo (Post 12440615)

SEE! It bowed back! Now what to do? Bernie eyed the dummy and felt like it was eying her, then slowly straightened her spine, wand in hand.

Could she cast on it? Should she do a ..... a shield spell? How did one do that anyway??!??

SEE, HEADMASTER! See why they all needed more practice?! She glanced at the teacher and loudly asked, "What spells are we practicing casting, sir? Any?" She hardly KNEW any besides transfiguration!

Some people really had to learn the hard way, didn't they? And seeing that it was the same new boy who had decided to be such an issue just the night before, the boy he had just found out to be Fuller-Thompson's son, Gunnar supposed he wasn't too surprised. But he'd likely learn the ways of the castle soon enough, even if a hard line so clearly needed to be taken with him.

But Gunnar wasn't all that preoccupied with the boy as Trent clearly had things under control. He snagged more on the really impressive magic surrounding the door, being quite the fan of protective charms and spellwork. He had been so consumed with that and the fact that he wasn't sure he'd ever seen Trent really lay down the law that he sort of missed the discussion questions. He had heard them, of course - he was listening - but as most of the answers filtered through his head, it was apparent that by the time he could redirect his focus, he had nothing pertinent to add to his classmates' responses.

But now they were moving on to practical applications and he was certain to be more involved. Taking his time with the padding, he watched some of his classmates bow to the dummies - with varied success - while he waited his turn. And it was hard not to be amused by those who evoked the dummies' wrath.

Being fairly attuned to the art and practice of dueling, Gunnar stepped over the line facing one of the dummies once it was his turn. Pausing to make eye contact - or at least where the dummy would have eyes - Gunnar slowly and crisply bowed to a 45 degree angle, patiently watching for his opponent to do the same.

Somehow Chloe was able to focus again, though she side-eyed a few in the room just for glances once or twice. She really did need to get a hobby now that quidditch wasn't a thing again, this cute boys on the mind thing were just too much for her. Maybe she'd take up more running, she had wanted to do the yearbook or newspaper, but chickened out and what was it that Candi had said?

Oh right lesson, focus Chloe, focus....

She couldn't help but feel like someone was looking at her after her response and turned to see Nina near her, but she wasn't exactly looking at her. Maybe she had just been dumb in thinking someone was, so she shook it off and listened to the direction. Heading to the front and grabbing what she was told Chlo headed toward the tape. Now he said there was two ways to bow, but which did she want to do? If she did the 90 it could mean falling on her head, but not doing enough could have it's own issues. So Chloe took a deep breath and bowed at the dummy, she didn't go all the way down to 90 but she had gone too far for 45.