Closed Pyrrhic Defeat

[Sydney Townsend]

Sydney had recognized the look on Celia's face as Alicastell had called the match against her. The same emotion Sydney had felt in her own first duel back in her second year when the same had happened to her. The unfairness of it all. It was almost reassuring to know Alicastell hadn't wavered in her ridiculous judgement calls.

"Celia," Sydney called, speeding up slightly and straightening her robes as she caught up with the younger girl. "I saw what happened in there. Ridiculous," she said, throwing a scathing look back over her shoulder back at the duelling chamber for good measure. "You did well, Allicastell just can't handle clever duelists. She always has to knock us down if we dare think outside of the box. She did the same thing to me in my second year," she said sourly, the memory still making her blood boil. Sydney had made it her mission to never lose a match since, even despite the headmistress's best efforts to undermine her, especially this year. She didn't want Celia to get discouraged just because Alicastell liked to throw her weight around.

 

[Celia Vu]

Sometimes Celia thought her life was a series of if onlys. If only she hadn't pissed off that dumb hat. If only she hadn't wasted her one phone call in freedom on her dad. If only she'd stopped to think for just one freaking second and left that snake alone. The moment from the duel replayed over and over again in Celia's head as she blindly strode out of the chamber, and she cringed at how sure she had been. She'd been so determined to see the snake bite Louis' stupid smirk off his stupid face that she hadn't thought twice before levitating it.

Someone called her name, and Celia whirled around, ready to hex them. Her eyes widened slightly when she realized it was Sydney and grew wider still when she realized that the SDA leader was on her side. Not Alicastell's. The compliment cut through her anger, and she felt a small burst of pride from hearing the best duelist in the school refer to her as "clever." But it took only another second to realize that it didn't matter. Unless... "Can you overrule her? SDA runs the tournament, and you're the SDA president," she said, trying not to sound too desperate. "You don't even have to give me the win. I just want a rematch. I can beat Louis. I know I can." She thought it pretty evident from the duel that she was at least better at magic than him.

 

[Sydney Townsend]

Sydney scoffed as Celia's response, shaking her head ruefully. "I couldn't even managed to stop her from being a proctor," she said, crossing her arms. Originally, she was sure it had just been Tyler trying to aggrivate her by insisting on Professor Alicastell continuing to help with duels, and by now Sydney was willing to make the sacrifice if only to ensure Alicastell didn't come after the SDA in some kind of misguided attempt at revenge. She wouldn't put it past her. "She's had it out for me since my second year," she said darkly, glancing back over her shoulder towards the duelling chamber.

Her glower softened some at Celia's insistence that she could beat Louis, recognizing that drive to prove herself that Sydney had felt. The burning frustration that no one would get to see her rightfully proclaimed the victor. "Not this year," she admitted, frustrated herself at her own inability to do anything. The sooner she was away from this school and its attempts to make her so powerless, the better. "But you don't need to beat him on the duelling platform to prove you can win," Sydney said slowly, raising an eyebrow. "There's plenty of other ways you can prove to everyone you're the better spellcaster," she said, giving Celia a knowing look. Sydney had spent years making sure the school knew exactly the sort of person Eric was after he'd gotten her disqualified. And with how things had ended with Michael, perhaps it was time she did the same for him too before the year ended.

 

[Celia Vu]

Celia had known that there was likely nothing Sydney could do, but that didn't stop her heart from sinking as the older girl confirmed that it really was over. She would be ending the tournament 0-1, disqualified, knocked out of the first round by Louis Alcott. Why did Professor Alicastell even get to proctor the duels? The way Sydney described it, SDA didn't even want her there. "What did she do during your second year?" Celia was wary of prying too far, but this was the second time Sydney had brought it up. Clearly Alicastell had done something terrible.

She couldn't help the look of surprise that flashed across her face as Sydney made a comment about other ways. There was no way Sydney, a prefect, was suggesting what Celia thought she was suggesting. But one look at the older Slytherin's expression, and Celia wasn't so sure. For a second, she let that train of thought play out, pictured herself hexing Louis ten different ways, humiliating him. It was a satisfying mental image, but she knew it wasn't enough. There was a difference between winning a fight and winning a duel. "It's not just about being a better spellcaster than him," she said, shaking her head slightly. It really wasn't about Louis at all. "I want to prove I'm the best in my grade." She paused, struggling to put her thoughts to words. "There's... there's a legitimacy to the tournament. Whoever wins is considered the best duelist in their year. Everyone recognizes that. They respect that." I want them to respect me. At the end of the day, no matter what she did, it was Louis' name that was going down as the winner of their round, not hers. If she wanted her skills recognized by everyone — not just her peers, but her professors, the headmistress even — she needed to prove her merits through official channels. "I can't get that kind of legitimacy without something like the tournament."

 

[Sydney Townsend]

Sydney clicked her tongue when Celia asked about her second year, eager to recount the injustice even if the memory still made her blood boil. “She disqualified me and Eric Holland both when he punched me on the duelling platform. Because him not being able to control his temper was apparently my fault,” she said, her disdain for the event, and Eric, still heavy even after five years.

Sydney felt a little smug at Celia’s reaction to her suggestion, simply raising an eyebrow at Celia as she processed it and responded. “Maybe you should concern yourself less with what’s legitimate versus what’s actually important. The tournament’s a made up title, just like grades and house points, it’s all for show. You shouldn’t care so much what everyone else thinks,” she said with a shrug. “If you can prove to yourself you’re a better duelist, does the rest really matter?”

 

[Celia Vu]

Celia's eyebrows shot up in surprise, and she wondered if she'd misheard. "Seriously? She punished you for something he did? That makes no sense." That was even worse than what she'd done in Celia's duel with Louis. No wonder Sydney was still upset after all these years. The story was also extremely worrying. Professor Alicastell would clearly stop at nothing to punish students she disliked.

She frowned slightly at Sydney's suggestion. That was easy for her to say. The older Slytherin already had it all: prefect status, a club leadership position, and a string of dueling championships. Celia, on the other hand, had nothing. How was she supposed to get into a prestigious college without external proof of her skills? Individual achievement meant nothing unless it was recognized by others. That's just how the world worked. "If it's just a made up title, then why do you even bother entering the tournament? Especially this year. Why'd you enter if you've already proven yourself?" It was obvious to anyone who looked at the records posted in the SDA room that Sydney was the best duelist in her year, and Celia assumed Sydney knew it too.