Open New year, new spells

[Tilly Drage]

Even though classes hadn’t started yet, Tilly wanted to sharpen her skills. Not being able to use magic over the break was mind-numbing. What did the Ministry expect students to do, lose what they learned at school? She walked down to the Duelling Chamber early in the morning, after she’d eaten her usual breakfast of porridge, nuts, and dried fruit. The Hufflepuff hoped there wouldn’t be too many students.

Finding the space empty, she grinned, pulling her wand from her robes and squaring off against a dummy. It was nothing like practicing with one of her peers, but it would suffice. She took a strong stance and waved her wand.

“Reducto!” Tilly watched, satisfied as the dummy crashed backwards from the impact. The Hufflepuff was happy she hadn’t lost her touch after all. Breathing in deeply, she tried another that she’d learned last year. “Duro.” The dummy slowly solidified. She tapped the stony surface with her wand.

While she was happy that she could cast these spells, she felt- disappointed as she went through the lot of them; she wanted a challenge. Her fingers were itching to try a new spell. Tilly decided to try a spell that she’d read about in her newest textbook. “Incarcerous!” Tilly gritted her teeth when absolutely nothing happened. If she did it right, ropes should have materialized and snared the dummy. She needed to try harder.

 

[Harper Alston]

Harper had known that giving up football would mean gaining back a lot of free time, but she hadn't been prepared for the accompanying feelings of emptiness. What was she supposed to do now that she no longer had to spend every spare second running laps or doing drills? Classes hadn't started yet, so she couldn't bury herself in schoolwork. Most of her friends were busy with their own responsibilities, and she didn't want to bother them just because she was bored. She couldn't even work on her animagus training, not after Professor Summers had vanished.

So she had spent the last few days aimlessly wandering the castle and grounds. While Harper knew that quitting football was the best way to move forward with her life, it seemed her body hadn't gotten the message. She had been plagued by an unending restlessness, and even in her dreams, she was running, always running. The obvious solution was to replace one sport with another, but the problem was the magical world was severely lacking in that area. There was Quidditch, but its nonsensical rules rendered the entire sport practically meaningless. And then there was... duelling? Was that a sport? Harper didn't really think it counted, but it wasn't like she had any other options.

At least she was good at duelling. Maybe with some extra practice, she could finally win the tournament. Harper had come close last year before getting knocked out in the final round against Flynn. Dethroning him would definitely be satisfying. She decided to head for the chamber one morning, and as she opened the door, she heard a familiar voice casting an unfamiliar spell. "Hey Tilly," she greeted with a small smile, glad to see one of her friends. Harper glanced at the dummy that the Hufflepuff appeared to be glaring at. It wasn't clear what the effects of Tilly's spell had been. "What was that spell?" she asked curiously.

 

[Tilly Drage]

Tilly was surprised to hear someone else in the duelling chamber this early in the morning. She turned, her frustration fizzling when she saw a familiar face. “Oh, hey, Harper.” The Hufflepuff managed a smile, even though she was still troubled. She sighed as she looked at the dummy. “Incarcerous. If I did it right, ropes would come out and bind the dummy.” She shook her wand absentmindedly. It wasn’t a great habit, considering she could accidentally blow up her feet or something. “I was bored to death over break not being able to cast anything. It’s cruel, really. At least we’ll be seventeen this year…”

 

[Harper Alston]

Harper looked back at the dummy, which was definitely rope-free. "Oh, that'd be a good one to know for the tournament." If you managed to pin your opponent's wand arm to their side, how would they even get out? They hadn't learned wandless magic yet. She turned her attention back to Tilly, suddenly remembering the girl's absence from the tournament last year. "You're signing up this year... right?" Tilly was one of the best duelists in their year and had even won the championship one year. She could probably break Flynn's streak.

She laughed a little, not unkindly, at Tilly's frustration. "True. I just wish my birthday came before the summer break." It was kind of unfair that half her classmates would not only be able to do magic over the holidays, but also vote in the upcoming election, drink, and enjoy all the other privileges that came with adulthood. Harper supposed she should at least be grateful she didn't have to wait until eighteen. "Honestly, I think I might be looking forward to getting my apparition license more." Having grown up in the muggle world, re-adjusting to life without a wand usually wasn't too difficult, even if it could be an inconvenience at times. But gaining the ability to visit all her friends in the blink of an eye? That would be a game changer.