February 8th, 1895 — Hogwarts Great Hall

Dido was nervous.

Imagine, her not even competing, and yet she felt a tingling of anxiety in her throat! It was silly, the witch knew, but while a competition of this calibre really only needed a body to serve as a judge, the professor felt woefully unqualified. She wondered if the young ladies (Miss Burroughs, a student of hers, and Miss Potts, a prefect) felt nervous, too. What a trio that would make!

The witch did not lose her place at all as she reviewed the tournament's rules for the young competitors, offering each a smile as she addressed them in turn.

"Miss Burroughs, dear, you'll be the first to cast, whenever you are ready."

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Wren Burroughs

  

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mj makes such pretty things!

Wren was a little scared. She'd only signed up to duel because a few of her friends had thought it would be a fun idea, but she was never the best at thinking quickly. She was only glad that her opponent was a fellow young lady. She'd heard that some would be dealing young men, which sounded a bit more terrifying.

She started off with a curtsy and waited for Miss Potts to do the same. Wren didn't know too many dueling spells, but hopefully she just needed the one. She could be more creative later, if Miss Potts didn't manage to knock her off her feet too quickly.

"Expelliarmus!" Wren said. She flicked her wand in Miss Potts' direction and hoped that the other girl's wand would go flying. Or maybe she didn't. Winning would only put her higher up in the tournament, with another winner. On the other hand, losing wasn't a good look, especially when Wren was certain that Elliot was probably out there watching her.

Millie Potts

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   Millie Potts

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Thank you so much, Bee!

If she was honest with herself, the young witch had been itching for another dueling tournament for quite some time now. It wasn't entirely the proper thing, and perhaps that should have weighed a bit more heavily on her mind as she stepped up to the match against Miss Burroughs. At least her opponent wasn't one of the young men this time. Millie was hoping to demonstrate she could hold her own against one, but starting out against another girl might have been a bit more pleasant for both of them.

She curtsied to her opponent, returning the politeness of Miss Burroughs. Then, with her wand held aloft, Millie readied herself to face off against the Hufflepuff. This wasn't butterflies or classroom practice either. That was how the young witch justified it, however. If she would need to defend herself in the future, having experience against her classmates in a duel with stakes made the most sense.

It also meant she wasn't planning to go easy on Miss Burroughs, curtsy or no.

"Fulgari! " came out as Millie swept her wand in the spell's characteristic motion, following through as they had practiced in Dueling Club. Although she was meant to wait for their moderator to clear them for the next round, her wand held itself ready once more.

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Speed was the deciding factor, and for that, Dido felt for young Wren Burroughs—the professor had never been much good at speed herself. The Ravenclaw's efforts—and Miss Potts had waited her turn, of that Dido was certain!—were simply swifter than the Hufflepuff's, and Miss Burroughs found her arms held fast at her side, her disarming charm firing uselessly at the ground.

"Congratulations, Miss Potts," she offered as she vanished the offending cords from Miss Burroughs. "You have secured the first point of our duel. You will also begin our second round—whenever you are ready, my dear."

BURROUGHS 4 | POTTS 7
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Millie Potts

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   Millie Potts

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mj makes such pretty things!

The young witch couldn't deny the warmth that swelled in her chest at the praise, and it pulled at the corners of her lips as well. She furrowed her brow in concentration, giving Professor Bloom a silent nod to acknowledge the judgement. Millie didn't have one for her opponent quite yet, she was too busy considering the next spell to use. Thinking she would have been on the defensive this next round as well, the possibilities that opened up to her came as a bit of a surprise.

Millie couldn't exactly afford a moment of indecision, not with spectators watching and seconds on the clock. She was far too prone to freezing under stress, this was the kind of thing she and Anne had talked about before the tournament began. Her friend's penchant for subtlety was as beneficial as always, and the notion of using the tickling charm to make her opponent laugh instead did come to mind.

In the end, the young witch chose a spell she thought even Anne would find appropriate for moments such as these. With careful enunciation, she moved her wand in the motion for the freezing charm. "Glacius!"

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Wren Burroughs

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Wren's fears were proving true. She had nearly toppled over when she'd realized her arms had ended up by her sides instead of where she wanted them to be. She resolved to at least attempt to be faster. Losing entirely would prove embarrassing.

"Rictusempra!" Wren said, attempting to give the spell a little flourish. If she was going to lose, she could at least look nice while doing so.

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   Millie Potts

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Thank you so much, Bee!

It was, once again, Miss Potts who proved successful; Miss Borroughs' wand, rather inconveniently, found itself encased in ice mid-cast. After making sure neither young lady was injured (physically or emotionally), Dido declared the prefect the winner, awarding five points to Ravenclaw.

POTTS 9 | BURROUGHS 6

  

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mj makes such pretty things!