2025/2026 Stage 3 Hufflepuff vs Gryffindor: Match 2

Round 3

Sunday, 31st of May, 2026
Morning Slot

As it seemed, Hufflepuff could not help but continue the bombardment once they'd tasted a bit of success. The moment that they'd lifted their wands, Haven's sudden idling as their only exception, Evelynn was ready to protect herself with a preemptive Protego. Despite her great anticipation, she'd not take the brunt of their opponents' explosions—instead, Kim had been chosen as Hufflepuff's (un)lucky single target. Singled out, Lindsey's Confringo burst through the air so powerfully, so perfectly aimed that no amount of clever footwork could save him. He'd take the blow fully to the chest, Kim's own Incendio blowing past Haven from the impact. It'd been so effortless that Cassius had immediately looked towards Lea for a similar spell, the team effort so often pursued that its absence had become stranger than frequency.

And yet, despite Lea levelling her wand towards Kim in a reliable one-two team, the wall of floating Wizarding Crackers appeared upon the piste on Hufflepuff's own side. Quick to burst though they were, all three badgers were quicker to dash out of the way from the surprise friendly fire. Did that count as an attack on one's own teammate? No, from Cassius's perspective, it'd seemed accidental. He'd only briefly explained the duelling championship's rules, but Lea's gamble hadn't appeared very malicious, only unfortunate.

Whatever the reasoning, it'd also created an opening to attack. Fresh out of evading her own teammate's Cracker Jinx, Lindsey would be hit in the face with a hard burst of cold water courtesy of Rose. A fresh change from the gunpowder heat of the piste's usual spells, perhaps, but far too harsh to be considered refreshing.

The two teams were closely matched and cleverly paired, but it was increasingly clear that the duel was starting to wear on everyone, slowly but surely. No one remained unscathed, only somewhat better handled. Whichever team to overtake the other in advantage, it seemed, would be hard-pressed to keep it. It'd just be a test of wit and skill to see who'd keep pushing forward, and who would be well-rewarded for their endurance.

Information

1. You have 96 hours from now to write your entrance posts (50 words min).
2. In the same time period, send me (Cassius Hirano) your team's actions per owl. Do not hint at your actions in your post.
3. If you don't post in the allotted time frame, your action is void.
4. If you have any questions or corrections, don't hesitate to owl or DM me!!
5. Good luck, and have fun!

Duelling Spells

Duelling System

Newest Patch

This particular duel, the last one he would ever have with these two teammates of his, was a very close one. It was challenging and stressful, made even more so by the fact that he wanted this duel to culminate with a win for the Lions. This time around, Kim ended up on the receiving end of spells, whereas before he'd remained untouched. He was actually kind of touched to be targeted as it meant the other side saw him as a threat. The Badgers were kind of nostalgic to him though, Felix had been one. Not that he'd admit to this. Kim didn't tend to say what was on his mind, unless he had a point to make. Especially not when it came to personal matters.

But back to the duel. Kim's fire spell blew past Haven by a small margin, only because Lindsey's spell hit him directly in the chest, causing him to stagger backward and almost fall off the piste. Recovering, Kim looked over at his attacker. "Great spell, Lin." He told her, not able to say her full name because he was kind of out of breath at the moment. Kim glanced back over at Eve and Rose. It seemed as if while Lindsey was focusing on him, Rose had been focusing on Lindsey and had taken her by surprise, landing her attack perfectly. "Good job, Rose." Kim managed to get out as he continued to breathe. "Sorry, wasn't able to dodge it." He told Eve and cleared his throat. "Give me a second, gotta catch my breath." Kim said as he closed his eyes briefly to gather himself together again.

The mixed start and previous hit suggested that Lea was on an upward trend, a confidence she brought into her cast as the motions carved into the air in front of her. The thoughts holding the spell together wrestled against her analysis of the team's current performance, but it was given enough spell to let loose. The factor forgotten in this wrestle however was aiming, a glance over to the still Haven bringing her wand end along too.

"Cracker!" She called just before the spell hit the ground, hoping that additional second would be enough to save them. A 100% success rate for a strategy she hoped to never try again. Lea felt like a First Year again. After spending years on the duelling team and practicing her spells to perfection, this duel tore through every skill she mastered. And after a culmination of losses, this felt like one of the last chances to prove herself or the team. Frustration welled up, reaching her throat and threatening to flow from her eyes. That could happen later in the confines of a less occupied dorm- for now, she tried to shove those thoughts aside and keep focus.

Haven's thoughts drifted off to the side, gazing over at Marcus, looking so cute and cuddly and fluffy. However, in being distracted, she completely missed her time to attack. Her bad- she thought for sure she had more time before going again. Duels were just quick like that. Luckily, she got her head back into the game with just enough time to dodge the attacks coming towards her, coming out unscathed that round. The same could not be said for Lindsey though- who got hit with a blast of water to the face. Even Lea seemed out of it, her spell definitely not seeming to go as she wanted. Haven knew she was annoying, but not that annoying- besides, Lea could always cracker jinx her in her sleep if she really wanted to, but house honor was on the line here. She was fully locked in now, though. She was so prepared for this. How cool would it be to win her last duel? Haven rolled up her sleeves and gave her wrist a roll.

"Cheer us on, Marcus! We can do this! Go badgers!"

Lindsey's eyes widened slightly when Kim actually complimented her after being hit by her Blasting Curse, which she could feel was more powerful than it usually was. "...thank you?" Was every Gryffindor as gallant as he was...?Lindsey wondered when she was suddenly soaked with icy water. Flinching, she bit her lower lip to keep herself from shuddering too obviously due to the coldness. She wasn't feeling very well now, and her arm was heavy. Lindsey gripped her wand. She had to pull through.

Round 4

Sunday, 31st of May, 2026
Morning Slot

After a momentary burst of what could have been disastrous friendly fire, both Lindsey and Lea turned to smaller stakes with a few clever Flipendos──any offensive duellist's reliable fall-back, though one often overlooked this far into one's Hogwarts' career. And yet, considering this reliability, it was also no large burden for Kim to swiftly dodge, or at least attempt to dodge, both at the same time. In spinning smoothly away from Lindsey's Knockback Jinx, he caught the very edge of Lea's cast, but would otherwise remain Gryffindor's currently most injured on the piste. Seeing this, reminded of her 'Marcus's' support, Haven gifted forth yet another burst of healing towards her teammate.

Lindsey would feel just a bit more refreshed... just in time for Gryffindor to keep testing her endurance. Rose struck first with a startling Confringo that dashed at the Hufflepuff's feet, but it became quickly clear that whatever her action was, all of it was just setup for Evelynn's far flashier, wider-ranged gambit. Kim's attempt at complete incapacitation, too, served only as distraction─though one neatly dodged by Lea─as two different sets of wizarding crackers appeared on Hufflepuff's side, some so closely conjured together that exploding even one would quickly cascade across the entire piste. They were impossible to avoid, even with a senior duellist's expert instincts. Evelynn, in a second-chance try of the duel's first experiment with doubled Cracker Jinxes, would remain completely unharmed, which was potentially the greatest salt in the wound of ringing eardrums and cramped quarters.

Cassius spared a moment to check his stopwatch; the mid-point of the duel was growing increasingly closer. Still, patterns were beginning to emerge even this early on. In such senior stages, it seemed, the only cover one could keep was the distinct smell of gunpowder and perpetually clearing smoke. Explosions reigned in every reminding round, and even a single moment of inattention or unpredictability could keep an edge on such unstable grounds. When the piste began to splinter in the same breath as the air you breathed, the only way forward was to tread lightly and carry a big stick─both things Hogwarts' talented seniors had surely held onto since the dawn of their duelling career.

Information

1. You have 96 hours from now to write your entrance posts (50 words min).
2. In the same time period, send me (Cassius Hirano) your team's actions per owl. Do not hint at your actions in your post.
3. If you don't post in the allotted time frame, your action is void.
4. If you have any questions or corrections, don't hesitate to owl or DM me!!
5. Good luck, and have fun!

Duelling Spells

Duelling System

Newest Patch

The Badgers were doing pretty well against them. But that didn't mean the Lions would be taken down. Lions tended to attack ferociously and then let their prey think they had a chance. When they celebrated their eventual win, that was when Lions would strike again and take the win from them! You never knew what would happen in a duel until the very end of the match. Well, that or you were outnumbered near the end point. He nodded when Eve told him to maintain his evasion because they still needed him for awhile. "I'll be fine. I'll take out at least one of them before I go under!" Kim said with a smile. He glanced over at Lea for a moment, his perceptiveness catching sight of the brief look on her face, and let his eyes linger on her. Nothing he could say would do much to help though, not at this point. Kibō watched silently from the shadows but Kim did not spare a glance at him. They had a bond together that went beyond needing to look at eachother, almost like telepathy.

Kim had tried to cast a spell he didn't normally cast this time and perhaps that was what had made it fail. He did manage to cast the spell perfectly but his accuracy hadn't been exactly the best as Lea managed to avoid getting hit by it. A shame. Rose managed to get hers off and although she missed with her spell too, at least her target got hit with chip damage. Eve managed to hit both her targets as usual, something Kim was going to miss when she left the team later that year. They were losing a good one. But he made a mental note to pay them both a visit sometime in the future. Haven took the time to heal her fellow teammate and Lindsey and Lea tried to double attack him, as the Lions had expected. But Kim managed to avoid one of his favorite spells that came from Lindsey, perhaps it was because in the past he'd been known as the Flipendo Prince. Flipendos usually avoided hitting him! Even with Lea, Kim almost dodged her Flipendo too. But that one managed to clip him on the shoulder. Still, he was doing pretty good, hell he was still standing too!

What to do next? Kim smiled as he thought for a moment, trying to come to a decision.

Haven let out a yelp as the crackers exploded around her. She most certainly would NOT miss that about duelling. Honestly, Haven was still kind of confused how she ended up signing up for duelling, because she definitely did not want to do this at any point prior. She wasn't sure why she stayed, either, but here she was, she supposed. She did vaguely remember something about some weird potion and stealing ingredients from the storeroom... and she never made potions. Like ever. She was typically behind in her homework. Were they sure she was supposed to graduate?

Perhaps it was an odd time to be thinking and worrying about this, but it was probably the fatigue and injury starting to set in. She had hoped to remain standing for this duel, but it was looking more and more like she might be enjoying ice cream from the Hospital Wing. Maybe she should have snuck some in there earlier...

Even still, Haven was still hoping to come out with a win- wouldn't that be such a great way to end out the year and her duelling career? And having something to show from it would be nice... she didn't often win things, nor did she have many achievements or accolades, unlike all her other classmates, it seemed. She was just normal, plain, ordinary. She was just Haven. She was content with that, but sometimes, she thought it could be nice to have something more.