Melbourne Johanson was ready for this. Well, mostly, she didn’t want to actually hurt her friend but she wanted to have a really interesting duel nonetheless. This was only the first round…and well, really, she wanted to be the victor.

She did the nice thing and bowed at first because wasn’t that decorum with these things. Using quick thinking Mel thought of the spells she could use. Something easy with her limited points. Pointing her wand toward Carl’s face….even though it felt wrong to do so and quickly cast “Obscuro” hopefully that would make things a little more interesting now wouldn’t it?

"Sorry Carl," she muttered and started to circle around the room trying to move as quietly as possible.

SPOILER!!: points tracker

Spell Cast:
Obscuro
Caster Points:
H: 0
M: -15
F: 0

Opponent Points:
H: -10
M: -15
F: 0
Additional Effects: Spells cast by a target (under the influence of this spell) can be avoided without the use of magic or fatigue points
Direction: Carl Leanord
---------
Affected by Spells:
----------
Dueler Name: Melbourne Johanson (First Year)
H: 100
M: 100 – 15 = 85
F: 15

Carl had been looking forward to this. His very first proper duel. However, he entered the Dueling Arena feeling queasy. His opponent was Mel. Why? He did not want to attack her! But he also wanted to win, so it was all confusing.

He walked onto the platform shakily, but with a firm grip on his wand. "Hey," he said somewhat cheerfully at his friend. A bow followed this short greeting. Fortunately, he had not forgotten the Dueling rules.

And then what? Was he supposed to start first? Just when he was about to cast a spell, he saw Mel point her wand at his face. Panicking, he said, "Protego!" His Shield Charm defended him against the spell, whatever it was. Whew!

The first spell he could think of was the one he had talked about in the first Dueling Club Meeting. "Tarantallegra!" Carl said, pointing his wand at his opponent. The Dancing Feet Spell really was the first spell he turned to in a Duel.

Carl was casting a spell her way! She had to act fast as Carl was about to make her look like a dancing fool. “Protego!” She cast back deflecting his own spell toward him. She was not going to dance in front of people ever. She’d look like a flailing buffoon and that, that was not going to happen. “m’sorry about this really” she muttered as she muttered as she raised her wand again. This time she tried not to speak loudly at all ”melofors” she cast hoping it stuck.

She did have a plan, y’know if she started running out of points. There was a reason the first year had been practicing spells all week before the tournament. If she needed to, she was going to conserve her points.

SPOILER!!: points tracker

Protego: Creates a shield against MINOR spells (jinxes, hexes and curses), and sends them in rebound to the original caster (i.e. Shield Charm)
Caster Points:
H: 0
M: -15 (if deflecting spell back)
F: 0
Opponent Points:
H: 0
M: 0
F: 0
Additional Effects: If spell being defended against is deflected back at the opponent (and is successful) the opponent takes the damage of the returned spell.
Directing spell back

Melofors: Encases the head of the target in a pumpkin
Caster points:
H: 0
M: -10
F: 0
Opponent Points:
H:-15
M:0
F:0
Additional effects: if target tries to cast spell while encased in a pumpkin, opponent does not need to use magic or fatigue points to avoid (assumed aim will be off)
---------
Affected by Spells:
----------
Dueler Name: Melbourne Johanson (First Year)
H: 100
M: 100 – 15 - 10 = 60
F: 15

Carl watched as Mel also cast Protego at his attempt at a Dancing Feet Spell. But ... hey, his spell was being rebounded back! It was too late to build another shield in front of him, so he chose to defend himself the good ol' way - by ducking down. The spell shot past and the danger was over.

Or he thought so. He had just straightened up when he heard his opponent mutter another apology and an incantation that he did not manage to hear. Before he could react in any way, her spell struck him and ... he could not see anything. What was happening? Was this another Obscuro? And why did it smell like a pumpkin in here?

He would have to deal with this problem later. Carl aimed his wand at wherever he assumed Mel would be and said in a muffled voice, "Expelliarmus!"

So she had done it. Her friend was officially a pumpkin head. The fact that the spell had actually worked was amazing because well, think about it her friend was stuck in a pumpkin and was probably going to have a harder time casting spells at her…unless he did something about that pumpkin like blast—oooh she had an idea.

Carl was already trying to hit her with a spell and of course she tried to dodge out of the way but…he hit her? How? Blind luck wasn’t it because he was blind now wasn’t he?

She was on the floor.

Knocked back a bit wand still in her hand since it had only hit her hip but still…he’d hit her. Okay she was mad more with herself for being hit by the spell but really. Now she was going to try again. Carefully she wielded her wand before casting the ”bewitched snowball” jinx. See? This was fun. She was going to have fun watching this.

SPOILER!!: points tracker

Spells cast:

SPOILER!!: previously cast

Spell Cast:
Obscuro
Caster Points:
H: 0
M: -15
F: 0

Opponent Points:
H: -10
M: -15
F: 0
Additional Effects: Spells cast by a target (under the influence of this spell) can be avoided without the use of magic or fatigue points
Direction: Carl Leanord

Protego: Creates a shield against MINOR spells (jinxes, hexes and curses), and sends them in rebound to the original caster (i.e. Shield Charm)
Caster Points:
H: 0
M: -10 (if just defending); -15 (if deflecting spell back)
F: 0
Opponent Points:
H: 0
M: 0
F: 0
Additional Effects: If spell being defended against is deflected back at the opponent (and is successful) the opponent takes the damage of the returned spell.
Directing spell back
Melofors: Encases the head of the target in a pumpkin
Caster points:
H: 0
M: -10
F: 0
Opponent Points:
H:-15
M:0
F:0
Additional effects: if target tries to cast spell while encased in a pumpkin, opponent does not need to use magic or fatigue points to avoid (assumed aim will be off)

Bewitched Snowballs: enchants snowballs so that they pelt themselves at the target
Caster Points:
H: 0
M: -15
F: 0

Opponent points:
H: -10
M: 0
F: 0
---------
Affected by Spells:

Expelliarmus
H: -7
M: -7
F: 0
----------
Dueler Name: Melbourne Johanson (First Year)
H: 100 -7 = 93
M: 60 -22 = 38
F: 15

He kind of ... jumped when he heard Mel getting knocked down, which either meant that his spell had met its target, or that she was clumsier than he thought. He thought the latter highly unlikely, though he wondered how he had done it. That was when he found out what spell he was under - Melofors. He was a pumpkin head! How amusing it must look for the audience.

Carl moved around the Arena, trying to make himself a harder target. That was difficult considering how heavy his head had become. When the Gryffindor cast her second spell, he knew that if he was struck by this one, he would be having a very hard time. "Protego!" He yelled and felt the spell shoot out from his wand and deflect the Bewitched Snowballs spell back.

Melbourne Johanson was of course laughing quietly at the pumpkin head business going on. The nice thing about it was all she had to do was step to the side to miss the snowballs. Yeah, sorry crowd someone was clearly getting pelted with snowballs now but it wasn’t her. “Nice try pumpkin head” she grinned at her friend and really was enjoying this entire thing.

“You looked good as a pumpkin” she told him beaming before determinedly pointing her wand at Carl’s feet. “Colloshoo” she cast and grinned. So worth it right? That was all very important. Skipping slightly she grinned and pointed her wand at herself and cast a quiet feather-light charm…she’d read the spells allowed and well, it was a charm after all.

She was going to charm her way into being awesome. “Good luck Carl” she muttered before casting her last spell well, for this round. Pointing her wand at Carl she just grinned “avifors” she just wanted to see him as a bird. Really. That was it. He’d be a bird in a pumpkin, hah. This was going to be fun.

SPOILER!!: points tracker

Spells Cast

Colloshoo (at Carl’s feet)
Caster Points:
H: 0
M: -5
F: 0

Opponent Points:
H: -10
M: 0
F: 0
Additional effects: Victim is unable to use fatigue to avoid spells until the spell is negated

Feather-Light Charm: makes target extremely light
Caster Points:
H: 0
M: -15
F: +10 (if cast on caster)

Avifors: transforms target into a bird
Caster Points:
H: -0
M: +150
F: +0 (casting at Carl)

Opponent points:
H:-50%
M: -25
F: +10


Affected by spells: Feater light-charm
Dueler Name: Melbourne Johanson
H: 93 Points -0 = 93 points
M: 56 Points – 5 : 51 points -15 = 36 +150 = 186 points
F: 15 Points – 5 : 10 points + 10 = 20

Carl heard what Mel said and knew that the spell he deflected had not met its target. The pumpkin head nickname though? He could not help but grin. Funny, he should be a pumpkin for the next Halloween. The next thing she said made him confirm the decision. "Don't you think I look better with my icy hair?" He joked. When she fired the Colloshoo spell, he jumped high up and the spell hit the ground where his feet were only a second ago. Close call!

The Hufflepuff continued to listen for Mel's voice. It was a good thing that he could hear well, because then he could tell where she was. "Protego!" He cast, defending the attack, and then immediately afterwards, "Impedimenta!" Hopefully this time, his aim would be more accurate.

Mel grinned at him “It probably smells better without a pumpkin on it I bet…don’t worry I’ll help you remove it before it rots” Mel grinned and watched as Carl tried to impede her. Oh this was no fun! She was hit in the foot and well, tripped backwards but it wasn’t that hard to scramble to her feet. Not when fighting against pumpkin-boy.

Stepping back from Carl just a touch Melbourne pointed her wand at the pumpkin…sure, this probably was gonna hurt a bit. “I don’t meant to hurt you but you probably don’t want to smell a rotting pumpkin for the rest of this duel” she bit her lip though he couldn’t see what with the pumpkin on his head. “Deletrius” she cast trying to hit him without hurting him much if at all.

She was already casting a separate spell before the last even hit him. Not on him but on herself. The one she had learned with Haddie and Kitty and the Ravenclaw girls. Yep. She was going to make this event veeery tricky.

“disillusio” she cast moving her wand in a tight arc over her body and looking down at her hand she watched as it began to disappear. Perfect. Well, mostly, she was sort of visible but harder to see now.

SPOILER!!: points tracker

Cast Spells:
Deletrius – easy
Caster Points:
H: 0
M: -40
F: 0

Opponent points:
H: -15
M: 0
F: 0

Dissillusionment Charm
Caster points:
H: 0
M: -50
F: 0

Additional Effects: Target can avoid opposing spells without use of fatigue or magic points, so long as the spell is in effect.


Affected by spells:
Feater light-charm
Disillusionment Charm

Dueler Name: Melbourne Johanson
H: 93 points - 5 = 88 points
M: 186 points – 45 - 50 = 91 points
F: 20 -3 = 17 points

Well, that was good news. He would not be keeping the pumpkin on his head forever. Laughing at the alternate idea of spending the next six and a half years of school with a pumpkin head, he did not figure out if his Impedimenta spell had worked. Before he knew it, Mel had sent another spell his way. He felt excruciating pain for a moment - and then it was gone. So was the pumpkin. He was free!

Sweeping little chunks out of his eyes, he looked around. Where was Mel? Did she disappear? Was the Duel over? Or even worse, did he pass out? He had never fainted before, so it was hard to tell. That was when he spotted a ripple in the air across from him. It was a strange phenomenon, like a ripple in the water when you toss a rock inside. Mel must be Disillusioned!

"Aguamenti!" He said, directing his wand at the area. This was his best spell! A fresh jet of water shot out from the tip. If he had aimed correctly, there would at least be little drops of water hanging around the invisible person.