Ned smiled encouragingly at Rex, as he often did when embarking on a duel with a student in a younger year. While he would ultimately like to win the competition, the Gryffindor merely viewed it as extra practice that would inevitably help him toward his auror goal. In truth, he was more looking forward to observing the adult duels in order to study their techniques, but dueling with students he didn't know offered an element of surprise he needed to hone in on.

With a customary bow, Ned stepped back into a defensive position. He quickly cycled through a variety of spells, landing on a simple shield charm to start with, "Protego!"

Tybalt Kirke