Filius watched with joy as the first year class he was teaching finally started mastering the animation spell. Well if you considered making fruits dance a sign of sufficient mastery.

 

He looked at one particular student who, to absolutely no one's surprise at this point, had managed the spell on his first try.

 

The diminutive professor still didn't know if the boy practiced the spells before class to show off, or if he was really just that talented.

 

His essays were quite good too. Too good for an eleven year old.

 

Watching smilingly as the students left his classroom with grins on their faces, he almost startled as he heard a cough.

 

Turning around, he saw that one of his favourite and most interesting students had stayed behind.

 

“Yes what can I do for you Mr. Weasley?” Filius asked.

 

To which he boy smiled, as if embarrassed at being referred to as mister.

 

“I'm ashamed to admit, that I have only found out about your duelling mastery a few days ago. Since I’m interested in competing in the under – 17 championship someday, I was wondering if you could maybe recommend some books or training exercises for me?” The Weasley was still smiling awkwardly, as if it was weird he had come to the resident former duelling champion for advice on duelling.

 

“Not to worry Mr. Weasley, a lot of students approach me when they realize that fact and I endeavor to help them all.” Well, expect those who would only use his lessons to bully others.

 

“I could recommend some books, but.” He watched as his students face fell at the apparent rejection.

 

Filius smiled at him and finished his sentence. “I find that often personal tutoring helps more than a dusty tome, how does a meeting this sunday sound?”

 

“Thank you very much professor!” Weasley exclaimed and almost ran out with how excited he was.

 

“Ah youth, I didn't even tell him where and when we would meet.”

 

He would use sunday to assess the boy and to, if he was still interested by then, make a study plan for him during christmas break.

 

Filius started mendearing towards the staff meeting they had today.

 

 

Wayne was hanging out with Susan and Hannah by the black lake.

 

It was a surprisingly sunny day for the climate and they were enjoying just laying there with some warming charms.

 

“What did Ron want with Flitwick?” Susan asked, to which Wayne shrugged.

 

“He'll probably tell us when he finally comes.” He looked towards the castle. “There he is.”

 

Ron was indeed coming towards them, his long sleeves flapping dramatically in the wind, the ever present smile on his face somehow even brighter.

 

Wayne would be annoyed at someone being this perpetually happy, if the guy wasn't one of his best friends and just so darn likeable.

 

“What kept you?”

 

The only answer he got for the moment was a grin, Ron pulled out a basket, out of somewhere and laid it on the ground before them.

 

“I asked Flitwick for duelling lessons, he agreed.” Wayne noticed he wasn't the only one gaping at the overachiever.

 

“Don't you already have Quidditch practice, healing with Pomfrey after christmas and the Hufflepuff study group. Now you want to learn how to duel of all things?” He himself was aghast at the workload. The red haired idiot only smiled and nodded.

 

“I know, isn't it great?” Wayne let his head fall back on the ground and groaned.

 

Unbelievable

 

 

I was standing before the classroom that Flitwick had said would be our meeting room.

 

I entered it to find the half goblin sitting on a podest that took up almost the entire room. No chairs no tables.

Blinking I walked up to the professor.

 

“Was this the room the dueling club used to practice in?”

 

“Yes yes, but let's not talk about that. What do you think about a little test duel, just to warm up of course.“ He didn't wait for me to reply, he righted himself to his impressive height of four feet and walked to one end of the duelling platform.

 

“Well what are you waiting for?” He asked.

 

I hopped on and walked to the other side of the podest.

 

I looked at him questioningly looking for an explanation of what we were about to do.

 

“Just a small duel to see what we have to work on if you want to continue down the path of the duelist.” He assured me.

 

“First we bow.” We did just that.

 

“At the count of 1 feel free to start casting, 10, 9, 8.”

 

I had noticed that he hadn't drawn his wand yet, probably because he didn't see I had drawn mine due to my long sleeves.

 

This was something I could take advantage of.

 

I put myself into the standard duelling pose, knees slightly bent my right arm facing Flitwick, my left positioned behind my back.

 

This pose was useful to present a smaller target to your opponent.

By the approving nod Flitwick sent me, I assumed I had done it right.

 

When he reached one, I immediately revealed that my wand had been simply hidden by my sleeve the entire time.

 

“stupefy.”

 

I sent the red bolt at him as fast as I could, only saying the incantation, not shouting it like some people did.

 

I was too far away to see if he was surprised. But even if he was, it didn't matter, since he apparently had a wand holster that spat out his wand faster than I could see and simply deflected the spell I had spent one month training with a swat of his hand.

 

He sent some lights at me silently, I wasn't sure if they were even real spells but in this situation they probably were meant to be treated as such.

 

I sidestepped a red light, and threw myself on my knees dodging the other two. I pointed my wand at the man watching my reaction and cast the knockback jinx.

 

The goblin simply stepped aside letting the spell ruffle his robes a bit.

 

Then he turned to me and sent a barrage lights at me in one single sweep of his wand. Cheater.

 

The bright blue shield I had managed to summon just in time flared up everytime it was hit. Sadly I wasn't powerful enough to let it last long, so I simply jumped out of the way of the few lights that broke through and put my hands in the air.

 

“I surrender.” I wasn’t meant to win in the first place, this was of course clear from the beginning, so I stopped now before I overstrained my magic.

 

“Very well done.” My teacher had hopped over to me beaming all the way.

 

“First things first let's work on your stance.”