Professor Khanna seemed to very much like almost real things. Like kappas. Like DADA dummies. Brandon didn't mind, he just hoped that he wouldn't have to knock a dummy unconscious. And he hoped the dummy wouldn't knock HIM unconscious, which would be worse.

"Hi Professor Khanna!" he said happily, picking a dummy closer to them. Because they were one of his favorite professors. And just in case he needed help and the dummy was hurting him. He felt safer near professors.

And yes, his mood seemed strange for a Monday morning, but Brandon had slept really well and was ready for the week! He was a morning person. It wasn't obvious. But he always did his homework quickly and went to bed early.

As he entered the room, Daniel rubbed his eyes and ran his hand through his shorter hair which he had cut the evening before. He hadn't gotten a good night's sleep because his cat had been meowing loudly all night. It had gotten so bad that he had to leave the dormitory and sleep on the couch in the common room. The Hufflepuff had a sneaking suspicion that she was going deaf.

He was present though because he refused to miss any classes unless absolutely necessary. "Hello Professor" he greeted as he passed by and walked over to the dummy next to Brandon. He gave the younger boy a curt nod before putting his hands behind his back, waiting for the activity to begin.

Bella yawned wide as she walked into the DADA classroom on this particular monday morning for a hopefully fun activity. She was dressed as instructed in comfy clothes, but had of course stuck the snake house pin to her sweater. It was required wasn't it?

"Good morning Professor Khanna!" Bella greeted with a bright smile to their professor even though her eyes probably looked sleepy, and she had yawned just a few moments earlier. Going to stand in front of the dummy on Brandon's other side she murmured to the younger boy "Hi Brandon!" and then over to the senior boy. "Hi Daniel!" before she felt that she had her wand secured in it's holster.

Spring... a time Cassie was happy about, everything was coming back to life

Skipping like the little ray of bubbly sunshine she was, she looked at her favorite Professor and smiled. " Hiya Professor Khanna! Hope you're well!" She was probably the only student who knew about his secret and tends to keep it that way, she was good at keeping secrets. Titling her head, she looked at the dummies curiously. They weren't doing anything mean to them were they? She knew they were dummies but she didn't like doing mean things.

Desiree was not a fan of mornings or Mondays… or Monday mornings. Although part of her was tempted to sleep in, she decided today’s DADA activity was a good reason to get up early. If she learned something that would help her defend herself or others someday, it would be worth it!

She didn’t let the early hour stop her from dressing to impress. Sleepiness was no excuse for sloppiness! Today she was sporting her usual comfortable yet fashionable athleticwear: blue sweatshirt with a red rose graphic, matching blue and gold pants and sneakers, and a red rose hairtie holding her ponytail in place. She had to stifle a yawn as she walked into the room, but she still greeted the professor with a cheery smile. “Hello, Professor Khanna.”

“Hi, everyone!” Cue a round of friendly waves for the other students as Desiree made her way to the nearest dummy beside a much younger student (Cassie).


In stark contrast to most of the students, Norman was wide awake and not the slightest bit bothered by the hour. A morning person for most of his life, he was used to rising early. Alert and ready to help, he quietly slipped in the room. “Good morning, Dhruv,” he greeted his colleague with a nod. “Thought you could use an extra pair of eyes.”

He stood to one side, giving each student a polite nod in greeting as he passed. He was just observing for now. Not that he’d ever let on, but he was secretly enthusiastic about this little gathering. Defense Against the Dark Arts was a subject close to his heart - well, as much as it was possible for anything to be. He couldn’t wait to see how this would play out!

SPOILER!!: Brandon!

Quote:

Originally Posted by astrocat

Professor Khanna seemed to very much like almost real things. Like kappas. Like DADA dummies. Brandon didn't mind, he just hoped that he wouldn't have to knock a dummy unconscious. And he hoped the dummy wouldn't knock HIM unconscious, which would be worse.

"Hi Professor Khanna!" he said happily, picking a dummy closer to them. Because they were one of his favorite professors. And just in case he needed help and the dummy was hurting him. He felt safer near professors.

And yes, his mood seemed strange for a Monday morning, but Brandon had slept really well and was ready for the week! He was a morning person. It wasn't obvious. But he always did his homework quickly and went to bed early.

Dhruv would recognise that voice anywhere. “Hello, Mr. Fox,’’ they greeted, casting the first year a smile and looking away from the dummy they were working on. This was the last dummy to be set up, so this meant they were all set for today’s fun now. “I’m glad to see you’re fully rested. That’ll come in handy soon enough.” All will be revealed in just a few!

SPOILER!!: Daniel! <3

Quote:

Originally Posted by DuckyLinJi

As he entered the room, Daniel rubbed his eyes and ran his hand through his shorter hair which he had cut the evening before. He hadn't gotten a good night's sleep because his cat had been meowing loudly all night. It had gotten so bad that he had to leave the dormitory and sleep on the couch in the common room. The Hufflepuff had a sneaking suspicion that she was going deaf.

He was present though because he refused to miss any classes unless absolutely necessary. "Hello Professor" he greeted as he passed by and walked over to the dummy next to Brandon. He gave the younger boy a curt nod before putting his hands behind his back, waiting for the activity to begin.

“Hello to you as well, Mr. Yoon.” Daniel did seem tired but Dhruv wasn’t worried about him falling asleep. In the unfortunate event that he did… well, they’d see what happened in due course. As for that haircut, the professor approved of it as much as they had approved of the long hair.

SPOILER!!: Bella! <3

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nordic Witch

Bella yawned wide as she walked into the DADA classroom on this particular monday morning for a hopefully fun activity. She was dressed as instructed in comfy clothes, but had of course stuck the snake house pin to her sweater. It was required wasn't it?

"Good morning Professor Khanna!" Bella greeted with a bright smile to their professor even though her eyes probably looked sleepy, and she had yawned just a few moments earlier. Going to stand in front of the dummy on Brandon's other side she murmured to the younger boy "Hi Brandon!" and then over to the senior boy. "Hi Daniel!" before she felt that she had her wand secured in it's holster.

Dhruv saw that yawn, Bella. But yawns were to be expected. They greeted the Slytherin as warmly as they had the others. “Ms. Connolly. Good morning. I trust you’ll be able to stay awake?” There was a wink from them.

SPOILER!!: Cassidy! <3

Quote:

Originally Posted by Granger Danger

Spring... a time Cassie was happy about, everything was coming back to life

Skipping like the little ray of bubbly sunshine she was, she looked at her favorite Professor and smiled. " Hiya Professor Khanna! Hope you're well!" She was probably the only student who knew about his secret and tends to keep it that way, she was good at keeping secrets. Titling her head, she looked at the dummies curiously. They weren't doing anything mean to them were they? She knew they were dummies but she didn't like doing mean things.

Two Hufflepuffs, a Slytherin and now a Ravenclaw. Cassidy was one of those students they knew well after the two had bonded earlier in the term. They appreciated how great of a secret keeper she was; more than that, they were happy to have the opportunity to prepare her against dark magic should the need arise later in her life. “Hello, Ms. Raine! I’m well, thanks.” Did she know that her bubbliness was a ray of sunshine to the actual rays the residents of the Castle were currently having?

SPOILER!!: Desiree! <3

[QUOTE=MadMadamMalfoy;12541470]Desiree was not a fan of mornings or Mondays… or Monday mornings. Although part of her was tempted to sleep in, she decided today’s DADA activity was a good reason to get up early. If she learned something that would help her defend herself or others someday, it would be worth it!

She didn’t let the early hour stop her from dressing to impress. Sleepiness was no excuse for sloppiness! Today she was sporting her usual comfortable yet fashionable athleticwear: blue sweatshirt with a red rose graphic, matching blue and gold pants and sneakers, and a red rose hairtie holding her ponytail in place. She had to stifle a yawn as she walked into the room, but she still greeted the professor with a cheery smile. “Hello, Professor Khanna.”

“Hi, everyone!” Cue a round of friendly waves for the other students as Desiree made her way to the nearest dummy beside a much younger student (Cassie).

One thing that stood out boldly when it came to Desiree was her uncanny knack of dressing quite sensibly. Dhruv was always impressed and this morning was no different. "Good morning to you, Ms. Marchand! Get that yawn out if you need to.'' They were grinning; they had seen the Hufflepuff stifle that yawn.

SPOILER!!: Norman! <3

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadMadamMalfoy

In stark contrast to most of the students, Norman was wide awake and not the slightest bit bothered by the hour. A morning person for most of his life, he was used to rising early. Alert and ready to help, he quietly slipped in the room. “Good morning, Dhruv,” he greeted his colleague with a nod. “Thought you could use an extra pair of eyes.”

He stood to one side, giving each student a polite nod in greeting as he passed. He was just observing for now. Not that he’d ever let on, but he was secretly enthusiastic about this little gathering. Defense Against the Dark Arts was a subject close to his heart - well, as much as it was possible for anything to be. He couldn’t wait to see how this would play out!

Dhruv was always pleased when their colleagues showed up at activities. Whether it was to participate directly, whether it was to simply observe, they were always grateful to have them there. "Good morning, Norman. Great to see you here." And looking so prepared as well! "Don't hesitate to hop into to activity yourself." They'd love to see Norman's dueling skills!


* * * * * * * * * * * * *


Right then.

It was time to get started.

“Welcome to today’s DADA activity, everyone!” They could not help the grin taking up residence on their face as they snaked their way through the students and dummies. “As you know, these dummies are usually used for practice and with the exception of three, do not shoot back spells at the practitioner.” Key word, folks! Usually. “Today, however, there is a change to that. Each of the dummies has been modified to do just that, in addition to being able to dodge your spells. The activity ahead is a simple one: there will be three levels to it. The spells you use to advance through to each stage are completely up to you.” There was a pause to let this sink in.

“Currently, the dummies are coloured…” With a wave of their wand, the dummies turned a shade of deep bronze. “Bronze. This is the basic stage, the first stage. Dummies in this category will throw spells taught in your first and second years: Curse of the Boogies, Colloshoo, Jelly Fingers Curse, Babbling Curse, The Tickling Charm etcetera. These spells will be shot at you at half a minute intervals but don’t underestimate these fellows here. They are quite agile and can easily manoeuvre to escape your spells. You will know immediately when you progress to the next level of difficulty for the dummies will freeze momentarily before changing to another colour.”

The Professor made his way to the front of the Arena now. “Wands at the ready.” They waited about five seconds. “Begin!’’ With another wave of their wand, the dummies sprang to life, their beady eyes glittering in anticipation. Though they had no wand, spells would easily be shot from their right hand.



OOC: Heya, guys! The activity is pretty simple. To paraphrase: the dummies are completely bronze in colour and will shoot ONLY first year and second year spells are your students for now {you may use the links to decide which spells are shot at your character}. The dummies are agile but will ONLY do dodging and rolling to avoid spells {so no running or superhuman jumping} or throw back spells of their own {again, you are free to decide if they defend themselves with Shield Charms or other FIRST & SECOND YEAR spells}. Once defeated, they will become as still as a statue for a bit before changing colour {which will be revealed by myself The next leg of the activity will begin on Sunday 5th March at about 10 PM EST. Have fuuun! Let the good ole creativity roll! <3

Oops! Bella blushed as she answered Prof Khanna's question. "Of course I will professor you don't need to worry." What else could she say? She didn't categorize herself as a morning person or night owl it was just that she hadn't had the best of night sleeps and it showed in her yawns and sleepy eyes.

Stretching Bella focused on her dummy partner and took a better grip on her wand as she listened to the instructions for the activity. They were to duel the dummy in order to progress to the next level. Got it! It seemed straightforward enough. As her dummy sprang to life in front of her that she had dubbed Rose in her head she decided to attack first and casted with a flick of her wand at her dummy "Flipendo!"

SPOILER!!: Bella! <3

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nordic Witch

Oops! Bella blushed as she answered Prof Khanna's question. "Of course I will professor you don't need to worry." What else could she say? She didn't categorize herself as a morning person or night owl it was just that she hadn't had the best of night sleeps and it showed in her yawns and sleepy eyes.

Stretching Bella focused on her dummy partner and took a better grip on her wand as she listened to the instructions for the activity. They were to duel the dummy in order to progress to the next level. Got it! It seemed straightforward enough. As her dummy sprang to life in front of her that she had dubbed Rose in her head she decided to attack first and casted with a flick of her wand at her dummy "Flipendo!"

Dhruv indeed did not worry. They leaned casually against the wall at the front of the Dueling Arena. Arms folded, they watched all that transpired. They were left particularly impressed by Bella’s Knockback Jinx and made a mental note to commend the girl’s and focus later.

With regard to the others? There were definitely some strong skills being displayed. Others… others not so much. But there was always room for improvement regardless of one’s dueling level. Dhruv could hardly wait to see how the group would handle the next round, a round which is due to commence soon since they noted that some of the duelers had already defeated their dummies and said dummies had gone still.

Straightening up, Dhruv waved his hand in a sweeping motion, a motion that froze the remaining dummies. They moved closer to the dummy/student group, taking their time to once again patiently weave their way among the pairs. “Excellent work so far, all of you! Round two is about to begin. The colour for this round will be silver. Dummies at this stage will fire third and fourth year spells at you. The gap at which each spell is thrown at you will now reduce from half a minute to fifteen seconds.” This obviously meant that the students would have less reaction time on their hands but that was the aim of the challenge.

They made their way back to the front of the Arena. “When the dummies resume moving, the activity will continue from where you left off. That is, if you have not yet defeated yours, then it will continue on the bronze level. Those who defeated theirs, the dummies will turn silver. There is no need to rush through the activity in an attempt to catch up. Take your time, think strategically. And now we will continue…in three… two… one!”

Another sweeping motion of the hand saw the dummies being rendered mobile once some, some changing to silver, others remaining as they were. Dhruv went back to their original spot. Arms folded, they focused keen eyes on the students. Were they proud of them so far? Naturally. They never ceased to amaze Dhruv.

OOC: *waves* We have moved onto round two but if your kiddo/professor hasn’t defeated their round one dummy, that’s fine! They can progress to round two when they are ready. Round two dummies are silver and will throw ONLY third and fourth year spells are your character{s} at fifteen second intervals. Just a reminder that you the RPer get to roleplay for the dummies! We shall move on in about three days from now - Wednesday 8th March <3

Why did they always have to fight things? Brandon wanted to try diplomacy! He ducked under a tickling charm, relieved. He had been hit with one ONCE and immediately decided that his sister was right about them being awful. Dodging spells was easy when they only came every thirty seconds. The hard part was winning. He sighed as the dummy repeatedly dodged his trip jinxes. "Get back here," he mumbled, pausing to be more strategic. He ducked another spell, coming exactly thirty seconds behind the first. New plan. He tried flipendo on one side, which the dummy blocked with a shield charm. He tried it on the other side, and the dummy dodged. Then he hopped back and forth randomly, repeating the spell from several angles until one hit it. It took a bit, but the dummy was eventually overwhelmed.

Brandon 1, dummy 0? Mostly because he could cast as many spells as he wanted, and the dummy couldn't. He grinned.

The silver dummy was much harder, in his opinion. It hit him with impedimenta right in the beginning, and then once he'd figured out how to fix that, it hit him with a flipendo duo. He fell down, which hurt, but he got up since there wasn't any blood or anything. He watched carefully as the dummy moved around, trying to figure out a pattern in its movements. How was he supposed to defeat this one when he didn't know any spells above second year? It didn't knock him down again, as Brandon didn't let things hit him the same way twice in a row, but he didn't manage to hit it with anything either. He cast spells at it anyway, figuring it would slip up or repeat in a pattern at some point.

He ducked another spell. At least they were predictable with the timing of that...

Bella's knockback jinx had thankfully in time countered the curse of the boogies spell shot from the dummy or she would have been stuck with a head cold, and a runny nose. She really disliked having colds because they often lingered for weeks before you got rid of it and felt healthy.

Next up the dummy changed from the bronze to the silver colour, and before Bella could react she was hit by a spell sent by her dummy or that was what she thought but nothing appeared to happen. She didn't feel odd or so but then chunks of hair started to fall off courtesy of the calvorio spell which made Bella jump up and down on the spot and panicking "Eeeeek! Make it stop! I don't want to loose all my hair!" Dodging another spell Bella got back to her senses and casted with panick in her voice "Finite Incantatem!" Where was Prof Khanna when you needed him?

SPOILER!!: Brandon! <3

Quote:

Originally Posted by astrocat

Why did they always have to fight things? Brandon wanted to try diplomacy! He ducked under a tickling charm, relieved. He had been hit with one ONCE and immediately decided that his sister was right about them being awful. Dodging spells was easy when they only came every thirty seconds. The hard part was winning. He sighed as the dummy repeatedly dodged his trip jinxes. "Get back here," he mumbled, pausing to be more strategic. He ducked another spell, coming exactly thirty seconds behind the first. New plan. He tried flipendo on one side, which the dummy blocked with a shield charm. He tried it on the other side, and the dummy dodged. Then he hopped back and forth randomly, repeating the spell from several angles until one hit it. It took a bit, but the dummy was eventually overwhelmed.

Brandon 1, dummy 0? Mostly because he could cast as many spells as he wanted, and the dummy couldn't. He grinned.

The silver dummy was much harder, in his opinion. It hit him with impedimenta right in the beginning, and then once he'd figured out how to fix that, it hit him with a flipendo duo. He fell down, which hurt, but he got up since there wasn't any blood or anything. He watched carefully as the dummy moved around, trying to figure out a pattern in its movements. How was he supposed to defeat this one when he didn't know any spells above second year? It didn't knock him down again, as Brandon didn't let things hit him the same way twice in a row, but he didn't manage to hit it with anything either. He cast spells at it anyway, figuring it would slip up or repeat in a pattern at some point.

He ducked another spell. At least they were predictable with the timing of that...

Diplomacy is one way to go but with most dark creatures, well. Unfortunately it doesn’t work the majority of times. Dhruv must say, they rather admired Brandon’s persistence. For a moment, they could not tear their gaze away from the Hufflepuff; it was like watching a rather thrilling action movie. If they were sitting, they would have been on the edge of the chair. Then finally! Defeat! “Excellently done, Mr. Fox!’’ Dhruv called, unsure if the boy would hear them over all the hubbub.

But when the silver level came… Dhruv was wincing a great deal. Poor Brandon. The dummy was certainly getting the best of him. Brandon just needed to keep his focus. Even the simplest of spells could have a huge impact. “Try shooting a strategic combination of spells at it,’’ Dhruv called, entering the fray because Bella needed help.

SPOILER!!: Bella! <3

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nordic Witch

Bella's knockback jinx had thankfully in time countered the curse of the boogies spell shot from the dummy or she would have been stuck with a head cold, and a runny nose. She really disliked having colds because they often lingered for weeks before you got rid of it and felt healthy.

Next up the dummy changed from the bronze to the silver colour, and before Bella could react she was hit by a spell sent by her dummy or that was what she thought but nothing appeared to happen. She didn't feel odd or so but then chunks of hair started to fall off courtesy of the calvorio spell which made Bella jump up and down on the spot and panicking "Eeeeek! Make it stop! I don't want to loose all my hair!" Dodging another spell Bella got back to her senses and casted with panick in her voice "Finite Incantatem!" Where was Prof Khanna when you needed him?

Bella had done a wonderful job of defeating the first level dummy but clearly the second level dummy had gotten the best of her. That was okay because this was one of the points of the activity. However, the Slytherin was doing exactly what Dhruv constantly reminded the students: to resist panicking. This too was fine. “Breathe, Ms. Connolly.” The attacking dummy was frozen before Dhruv fixed their attention on Bella’s hair. “Not to worry. The curse has an easy fix in the form of a charm,’’ they reassured in a kind voice. Dhruv opted to use their wand for this task. They spoke clear and precise incantations that ceased the curse. Not only this but they also used the appropriate charm to regrow her hair. “There. Your hair looks as lovely as before. Now, would you like to continue or do you need to take a break?”


OOC: there's still about twenty seven hours before we move on to the final round!

The slightest hint of a smile showed on Norman’s usually stoic face. He had to admit participating alongside the students sounded pretty fun. “I might have to take you up on that, Dhruv,” he replied. “I’ll try to leave your dummies intact.” That sentence may have been meant as a joke. He’d hold off for now, at least until he heard what the activity entailed. Those instructions seemed pretty straightforward.

Bluish-green eyes scanned the room, and seeing that there were more than enough to go around, he stepped up to the nearest dummy. Normally he would quietly observe his colleagues’ activities from the sidelines, so as not to take the focus off the host. Not his circus, not his monkeys. But given Hogwarts’s track record for dangerous situations, he thought the students could benefit from seeing him in action.

He was already formulating a strategy as the dummy sprang to life. It was the same strategy he used in every duel: maximum non-lethal damage. In a real duel, his first instinct would be to take his opponent’s wand, but the dummy had none. He’d have to take out its right hand instead!

If there was one thing Norman had learned about dueling, it was never give the opponent a chance to gain the upper hand. As such, he hit the dummy with everything he had straight out of the gate. He aimed a Jelly Fingers Jinx at the dummy, and that was only the first spell. “Pertificus Totalus! Flipendo!” If this was a real duel, he would’ve cast the spells nonverbally so as not to let the opponent know what was coming, but he thought hearing him might help the students.

While his first spell missed its mark, his second did not. The dummy froze in place, leaving it in the line of fire for the knockback jinx. Norman watched with satisfaction as the dummy toppled over, but there wasn’t time to dwell on it. About a moment later, the dummy turned silver and came back to life.

One round down, more to go!


Desiree smiled. Was it really that obvious that she was trying not to yawn? And here she thought she was being subtle about it! Turning her head to one side, she let out a biiiig yawn. There, much better! Now that she had that out of her system, she was ready to listen to Professor Khanna’s instructions.

Ooh, the dummies were modified to shoot spells? So cool! Could they please learn which spells were used to do that? Desiree was much more interested in that than dueling, but she’d give the dueling a go too! As she glanced at her dummy, she wondered what color it would turn when she defeated it. Ooh, she hoped it would be pink!

Drawing her wand, she watched the dummy come to life. Which spell should she use? How about Risctusempra? Could the dummy even feel tickling? It would be funny if it could! She giggled to herself, imagining the dummy doubled over with laughter. Only one way to find out… “Rictusempra!” she cast. Did it work?

Apparently not. The dummy dodged her spell and sent one at her. She moved just in time to avoid being hit with the Curse of the Bogies.

SPOILER!!: Norman! <3

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadMadamMalfoy

The slightest hint of a smile showed on Norman’s usually stoic face. He had to admit participating alongside the students sounded pretty fun. “I might have to take you up on that, Dhruv,” he replied. “I’ll try to leave your dummies intact.” That sentence may have been meant as a joke. He’d hold off for now, at least until he heard what the activity entailed. Those instructions seemed pretty straightforward.

Bluish-green eyes scanned the room, and seeing that there were more than enough to go around, he stepped up to the nearest dummy. Normally he would quietly observe his colleagues’ activities from the sidelines, so as not to take the focus off the host. Not his circus, not his monkeys. But given Hogwarts’s track record for dangerous situations, he thought the students could benefit from seeing him in action.

He was already formulating a strategy as the dummy sprang to life. It was the same strategy he used in every duel: maximum non-lethal damage. In a real duel, his first instinct would be to take his opponent’s wand, but the dummy had none. He’d have to take out its right hand instead!

If there was one thing Norman had learned about dueling, it was never give the opponent a chance to gain the upper hand. As such, he hit the dummy with everything he had straight out of the gate. He aimed a Jelly Fingers Jinx at the dummy, and that was only the first spell. “Pertificus Totalus! Flipendo!” If this was a real duel, he would’ve cast the spells nonverbally so as not to let the opponent know what was coming, but he thought hearing him might help the students.

While his first spell missed its mark, his second did not. The dummy froze in place, leaving it in the line of fire for the knockback jinx. Norman watched with satisfaction as the dummy toppled over, but there wasn’t time to dwell on it. About a moment later, the dummy turned silver and came back to life.

One round down, more to go!

A slight smile was all that they got out of Norman but they would take it. “Do your worst,’’ they remarked, quite aiming to challenge the Transfiguration professor. Dhruv was thrilled that their colleague was actually taking part in the activity; it had not gone unnoticed that Norman usually chose to observe the students. It was also nice to observe a colleague in a duel. Norman seemed to be handling the challenge quite well. Would he handle the silver round just as well?

SPOILER!!: Desiree! <3

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadMadamMalfoy

Desiree smiled. Was it really that obvious that she was trying not to yawn? And here she thought she was being subtle about it! Turning her head to one side, she let out a biiiig yawn. There, much better! Now that she had that out of her system, she was ready to listen to Professor Khanna’s instructions.

Ooh, the dummies were modified to shoot spells? So cool! Could they please learn which spells were used to do that? Desiree was much more interested in that than dueling, but she’d give the dueling a go too! As she glanced at her dummy, she wondered what color it would turn when she defeated it. Ooh, she hoped it would be pink!

Drawing her wand, she watched the dummy come to life. Which spell should she use? How about Risctusempra? Could the dummy even feel tickling? It would be funny if it could! She giggled to herself, imagining the dummy doubled over with laughter. Only one way to find out… “Rictusempra!” she cast. Did it work?

Apparently not. The dummy dodged her spell and sent one at her. She moved just in time to avoid being hit with the Curse of the Bogies.

Their eyes slid lazily over to Desiree. When she had arrived, it was quite clear that she could have used a few extra moments to snooze but they were now pleased to see that she seemed alert now as her dummy made its move. They were disappointed that her first spell did not work. Maybe next time? Very agile she was though, in getting out of the way.



Dhruv, upon catching sight of some of the dummies being frozen at their silver level defeat. This was the signal that the activity must progress. The remaining dummies were frozen so that they could address the students and professors. “The final stage is, you guessed it, the gold stage! Dummies of this colour will fire fifth, sixth and seventh year spells at you every five seconds.” Such a challenge, wasn’t it?

“If you haven’t finished one or both of the previous levels, no need to worry. Continue at your own pace. Gold dummies will revert to there original white appearance once defeated. I’m around if you need assistance. The dummies will unfreeze again in three… two… one!’’


OOC: Howdy, my peoples! We’re onto the last round now! Gold dummies will only send fifth, sixth and seventh year spells ONLY! The activity will wind up on Friday evening! {10th March!}

Bella was trying very hard to not panic but it was very, very hard not to. When she heard Prof Khanna's voice as he approached, her eyes started to well up with tears. "My hair looks dreadful doesn't it?" Luckily there were not any mirrors near by or she might have really broken down on the spot. Bella hid her teary eyes in her hands, and tried to stand very still as Prof Khanna fixed her up by reversing the hair loss curse. Her hair grew back in a matter of minutes. It wasn't until Prof Khanna said that her hair looked lovely again that Bella dared to open her eyes, and look up at her professor. In a small voice full of gratitude she mumbled to him "Thank you for fixing my hair Prof Khanna. It scared me." She wiped away the last few tears from her eyes before casting a quick glance over at her dummy. Bella contemplated for a moment what to do before responding to the asked question with determination in her voice. "I've come this far so I want to give the last round a go too. I hope I'll be able to dodge or protect myself against the next spell, and that it's not a curse."

After taking a few moments to refocus Bella retook her stand in front of the now gold coloured dummy. Upon some unhearable signal the spell which she now faced was Avis as a flock of birds was flying fast towards her. Bella ducked, dodged some of the birds before she casted "Protego Maxima!" to shield herself from the incoming attacks of beaks and claws.

Norman acknowledged Dhruv’s remark with a nod. Challenge accepted! He showed no reaction as the dummy changed from bronze to silver; he was too busy formulating a plan for the next round. His strategy was pretty much the same as last time: attack before the dummy had the chance and inflict maximum non-lethal damage. This time he was using more advanced spells, and he’d have to be faster.

He aimed his wand at the dummy without so much as a moment’s hesitation. “Galcius! Flippenda Tria!” If his first spell didn’t turn the dummy to ice, the second should deliver a powerful knockback jinx. If the first spell did hit, the ice dummy would probably shatter and… well, so much for non-lethal damage!

He was mildly surprised to see the dummy dodge both spells, but there wasn't time to dwell on it. The dummy sent a Stupefy at him, and he instinctively deflected it with a nonverbal Protego, realizing too late that he neglected to voice the spell for the students’ benefit. Sorry, kids! Seeing that his initial plan hadn’t worked, he came up with a new one: try to turn the dummy into something harmless. “Lapifors!” he cast. In an instant, there was a silvery rabbit where the dummy used to be.

The bunny turned from silver to gold and changed back into a dummy. Time for the final round! This time, Norman knew his previous strategy of combination attacks wasn’t going to work. The dummies’ reaction time was only five seconds, hardly time to cast multiple spells. He’d try a pattern of attack, then deflect instead.

“Levicorpus!” he cast as the dummy came back to life. The dummy dodged and sent a confundus charm back at him. “Protego Maxima!” New plan: he’d try distracting the dummy to buy himself time to cast more spells! “Avis!” A flock of birds appeared, and he directed them at the dummy with his wand. “Oppugno!”


Oh no, it did not just cast a Curse of the Bogeys at her! Thinking of how ugly she’d look if that spell had hit made Desiree furious. No one used magic to mess with her looks! Okay, no more silly spells! This was personal. She sent a Jelly-Legs Jinx at the dummy. Just in case that wasn’t enough, she followed it up with, “Everte Statum!”

The dummy wobbled as the first spell hit, and the second one knocked it backwards. Whoa, she actually did it! Desiree watched with satisfaction as the dummy fell and changed from bronze to silver. Seconds later, it came back to life. Okay, what now? Think, Des! She thought to herself. Okay, third and fourth year spells this time,,, She was better at charms than transfiguration… Got it!

An idea came to her, and she aimed her wand at the dummy. “Depulso!” The dummy dodged and sent a Leek Jinx back at her. With a yelp, she ducked and threw up a shield charm. “Protego!” Yeah no, not today! She didn’t want leeks growing out of her ears, thanks! So now what spell should she use?

SPOILER!!: Bella! <3

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nordic Witch

Bella was trying very hard to not panic but it was very, very hard not to. When she heard Prof Khanna's voice as he approached, her eyes started to well up with tears. "My hair looks dreadful doesn't it?" Luckily there were not any mirrors near by or she might have really broken down on the spot. Bella hid her teary eyes in her hands, and tried to stand very still as Prof Khanna fixed her up by reversing the hair loss curse. Her hair grew back in a matter of minutes. It wasn't until Prof Khanna said that her hair looked lovely again that Bella dared to open her eyes, and look up at her professor. In a small voice full of gratitude she mumbled to him "Thank you for fixing my hair Prof Khanna. It scared me." She wiped away the last few tears from her eyes before casting a quick glance over at her dummy. Bella contemplated for a moment what to do before responding to the asked question with determination in her voice. "I've come this far so I want to give the last round a go too. I hope I'll be able to dodge or protect myself against the next spell, and that it's not a curse."

After taking a few moments to refocus Bella retook her stand in front of the now gold coloured dummy. Upon some unhearable signal the spell which she now faced was Avis as a flock of birds was flying fast towards her. Bella ducked, dodged some of the birds before she casted "Protego Maxima!" to shield herself from the incoming attacks of beaks and claws.

Dhruv did not think Bella looked dreadful. How could they, when they thought that everyone was beautiful in their own way? They smiled as Bella expressed her thanks. Before she went to her next lesson, she was more than welcome to check out her reflection for confirmation about her fixed hair. “You’re welcome.” They conjured a tissue to hand over. “Should you need to wipe away any stray tears or blow your nose,’’ Dhruv explained. “That’s the spirit and enthusiasm! I know you’ll do even better.” And in their opinion? Bella did exactly this with her Shield Charm.

SPOILER!!: Norman! <3

[QUOTE=MadMadamMalfoy;12541811]Norman acknowledged Dhruv’s remark with a nod. Challenge accepted! He showed no reaction as the dummy changed from bronze to silver; he was too busy formulating a plan for the next round. His strategy was pretty much the same as last time: attack before the dummy had the chance and inflict maximum non-lethal damage. This time he was using more advanced spells, and he’d have to be faster.

He aimed his wand at the dummy without so much as a moment’s hesitation. “Galcius! Flippenda Tria!” If his first spell didn’t turn the dummy to ice, the second should deliver a powerful knockback jinx. If the first spell did hit, the ice dummy would probably shatter and… well, so much for non-lethal damage!

He was mildly surprised to see the dummy dodge both spells, but there wasn't time to dwell on it. The dummy sent a Stupefy at him, and he instinctively deflected it with a nonverbal Protego, realizing too late that he neglected to voice the spell for the students’ benefit. Sorry, kids! Seeing that his initial plan hadn’t worked, he came up with a new one: try to turn the dummy into something harmless. “Lapifors!” he cast. In an instant, there was a silvery rabbit where the dummy used to be.

The bunny turned from silver to gold and changed back into a dummy. Time for the final round! This time, Norman knew his previous strategy of combination attacks wasn’t going to work. The dummies’ reaction time was only five seconds, hardly time to cast multiple spells. He’d try a pattern of attack, then deflect instead.

“Levicorpus!” he cast as the dummy came back to life. The dummy dodged and sent a confundus charm back at him. “Protego Maxima!” New plan: he’d try distracting the dummy to buy himself time to cast more spells! “Avis!” A flock of birds appeared, and he directed them at the dummy with his wand. “Oppugno!”

Dhruv was highly entertained as Norman’s determined expedition continued, particularly when it came to the bunny. They actually laughed heartily. But it was brilliance on the Transfiguration professor’s part for the dummy had been defeated. With the gold round started, Dhruv thought they detected their colleague’s plan: distract the dummy? Certainly a wise one!

SPOILER!!: Desiree! <3

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadMadamMalfoy

Oh no, it did not just cast a Curse of the Bogeys at her! Thinking of how ugly she’d look if that spell had hit made Desiree furious. No one used magic to mess with her looks! Okay, no more silly spells! This was personal. She sent a Jelly-Legs Jinx at the dummy. Just in case that wasn’t enough, she followed it up with, “Everte Statum!”

The dummy wobbled as the first spell hit, and the second one knocked it backwards. Whoa, she actually did it! Desiree watched with satisfaction as the dummy fell and changed from bronze to silver. Seconds later, it came back to life. Okay, what now? Think, Des! She thought to herself. Okay, third and fourth year spells this time,,, She was better at charms than transfiguration… Got it!

An idea came to her, and she aimed her wand at the dummy. “Depulso!” The dummy dodged and sent a Leek Jinx back at her. With a yelp, she ducked and threw up a shield charm. “Protego!” Yeah no, not today! She didn’t want leeks growing out of her ears, thanks! So now what spell should she use?

Oh, excellent! Desiree had used a combination of spells! This was exactly the sort of thing Dhruv encouraged. And it was exactly what defeated the dummy! They could not have been more proud of the Hufflepuff. The bronze dummy was clearly not going to keep her down. Dhruv thought they detected continued determination in her deliberate movements and spells. Clearly Desiree Marchand was not one to underestimate despite her cute and feminine outfits.

But time was continuously on the move and soon this session would be up. Dhruv cast The Sonorous Charm on themself. “Ten minutes remaining!’’ their voice boomed across the Arena, and above all the voices and whatever noises were in the air as a result of the air.


OOC: My lovelies! Thank you for keeping with us so far! I got really lazy last evening so I didn’t wrap up the activity then. Buuut I’ll leave the thread open for an additional day before officially wrapping, so you have until early tomorrow evening {around 8 PM EST} ! <3

OOC2: Activity has been closed at Sunday 12th March, 2023 at 8:12 PM EST.