2024/25 Stage 3 Slytherin vs Hufflepuff: Match 1

At this point in the duel, perhaps belatedly, Astrea began to realise that their singular opponent's beloved 'Marcus' might not be the same Head of Ravenclaw as she'd assumed... It made more sense for the chattermouth to loudly concern herself over the well-being of a common pet, or a small and helpless underclassman, than a grown man two decades her senior, after all. In her defence, she knew no other person with the same name, and the Hufflepuff was surely dramatic enough to necessitate adult supervision. Additionally, if Astrea were to become deaf from duelling, she'd rather be affected by the accepted losses of spellwork rather than suffer through the logic of ambient dialogue. The possibility of murder was a worthy notion, but ultimately just as unfounded. As if the Vipers would be so public and inefficient with their kills! The piste was a terrible place to commit a crime. Astrea was confident that they had greater dignity than that, and far more sense than to cater towards the aches and pains of their targets.

For all of the Hufflepuff's screams, however, the Vipers were lucky enough not to have an opponent whose spirit was so easily broken by adversity. In fact, the duel's nearing end seemed to draw out a defensive streak in their unlucky victim. Far from the disaster of her recently downed teammate, the badger had far better luck drawing forth a shield charm, of which its success did little more than prolong the inevitable. Though a great boon in necessity, it was ultimately a temporary solution and, notably, an easily anticipated spell. As a wonderful wash of healing magic embraced her, Astrea knowingly struck forth with an Expelliarmus, which ricocheted and was finely dodged without greater injury. Confringo's familiar crash echoed this journey fittingly. It seemed foolish to keep casting forth, but there was wisdom in placing pressure on cornered prey.

In a stunning sub-strategy of success, the ruined piste's state was a great contrast to their dutiful attention to each other's well-being. Astrea felt nearly as complete as she'd be at the beginning of a duel. Only inconvenience itself barred the possibility of yet another scheduled skirmish. With all three duellists readied and only one stray target left to terrorise, it was evident that they only had a single moment left to endure before seizing what looked like an inevitable victory.

Action: Doing as strategised.

The Hufflepuff began screaming at them and Ruby blinked. What in Merlin’s name? Had the girl finally had enough of being beaten down like this? Was it a form of surrender? Cold eyes watched with complete apathy – after all of the Blasting Curses and Cracker Jinxes, a scream really wasn’t all that impactful, although it was unexpected. By contrast, the Shield Charm was entirely predictable. Ruby chose to make use of her abilities and do something that would still be effective with a double Healing Spell. The other spells bounced back at the Slytherins, but they posed very little real threat. The Blasting Curse that went vaguely in Ruby’s direction was way off-target, and she didn’t even need to dodge in order to remain outside the main area of impact. Especially after the Healing Spell, she barely even felt the fragments that did hit her. There could only be a few more moments left of the duel, but Ruby could have kept going for much longer than that. The Hufflepuffs really had not done that much damage.

Doing as strategised

Haven squeezed her eyes shut as she held out her wand in front of her, her ears ringing from all the explosions. When she opened them, she half expected to wake up in the hospital wing. But she wasn't. Okay, so maybe she was dreaming, and Marcus was trying to poop on her pillow again. But he wasn't making a face next to her, and the odd smell just came from the piste debris... on the other side. A realization clicked into her head- she was iNVINCIB- oh, or maybe her spell actually worked this time! Either way, a success nonetheless! She did a little dance on her side of the piste, trying not to fall into the holes that were scattered around her. Someone should really fix that, it could be dangerous. Maybe she would, as long as she didn't die during this last round. Honestly, it was quite the miracle she was still standing. She really wasn't expecting it. What did one do at this point? She had to hold her ground, but it was quite scary doing it alone. But there was no reason she had to be alone.

"Any of you feel like coming over here to my side and then we have a dance battle??" she offered, even though she felt she already knew the answer. But she always had one person on her team. One very small, very fluffy, very scraggly, very purple little guy:

"Marcus, ATTACK!"

Round 10

Astrea

Reducio

Astrea Soleil Neptune spell spreads Reparifors at Ruby Cazares and herself
Wisdom DC: 11 + 2 [SS] = 13
Wisdom Check: [d20: 9] + 16 = < 13→ Success
Healing: 50 + 10 ARC × 8 = 130

Bridget vs Haven

Reducio

Bridget Collins casts Confringo at Haven Bohannon
Wisdom DC: 17
Wisdom Check: [d20: 15] + 17 = 32 > 17 → Success
Auto-miss Check: [d20: 8] < 19 → No Auto-miss
Accuracy Check: [d20: 4] + 17 = 21
Evasion Check: [d20: 3] + 11 + 8 = 22
21 < 22 → Miss
Damage: (10+ 10 ARC × * .9[TP] = 81

Ruby vs Haven

Reducio

Ruby Cazares casts Confringo at Haven Bohannon
Wisdom DC: 17 + 2 [LC] = 19
Wisdom Check: [d20: 16] + 17 = 33 < 19→ Success
Accuracy Check: [d20: 13] + 17 = 30
Evasion Check: [d20: 11] + 11 + 8 = 30
30 = 30 → Imp. Hit
Damage: (150+ 12 ARC × * .5 = 165

Haven

Reducio

Haven Bohannon dodges
Dodge Bonus: 5 + (11 * .25) = 5 + 3 = 8
New EVA: 11 + 8 = 19

10:30 on Saturday the 3rd, May 2025...

As the final bout of spells began Galton had to quickly find whoever this Marcus was and make sure they would not interfere. There was most likely a rule against calling for outside interference, but when Galton's eyes found the subject - a Pygmy Puff - he relaxed. While Haven had gotten the little ball's attention, it simply began to spin. Perhaps copying its owner's dance moves?

As for the Viper's dance plans, Haven would have an answer to her invitation in the form of spells. Bridget and Ruby would call forth a pair of final Confringos and Astrea made to heal up any last scratches they were left with.

As the Confringos rushed across the piste Haven would not stop the fancy footwork. Choosing to use her remaining energy on dodging she would narrowly evade the first explosion and simply get clipped by the second. While you could never truly escape a confringo, Haven had at least made it to the end.

"MATCH!" Galton's voice would boom out with magical loudness. "VICTORY GOES TO THE VIRIDIAN VIPERS!" The stands would erupt in applause and Galton would give them all a moment to savor the energy before he waved on the mediwizards (thought the vipers hardly looked to need it). "Our exhilarating match is now concluded. Many congratulations to all duelists involved. And a final Victory for the Vipers, which makes a perfect year - what a way to end their Hogwart's dueling careers! A final reminder to visit the mediwizards if you have been hit by any shrapnel or are having issues hearing." Concluding his announcements he would make his way over to the snakes first.

"Well, I expected a spectacle, and you three delivered. Congrats again on the win. I know you three are eagerly awaiting these..." Galton would produce three licorice wands from his sleeve and and hand them out. "BUT WAIT! To commemorate my final time overseeing you all, something larger." Galton would point to the piste side, drag his finger in an arc and say "Accio gift-bag." From it he would produce three wrapped boxes, taking a second to examine the name tag, and distribute them accordingly. "I am more then sure you will enjoy them." He'd give them all a large smile and bow his head slightly. "Now I have a few more gifts to handout to some others. Oh and don't worry about how I got your shoe sizes!" He wouldn't give them time to ask any follow-up questions, he would b-line it towards Haven.

"Ms. Bohannon, great job staying conscious, they're a terrifying trio. I hope you won't mind me accompanying you to the hospital wing? I have a few goodies for you and your teammates. Saying that he would pop another licorice wand out of his sleeve and hand it over. "I'll save the larger one until we get to the hospital." He gave a reassuring smile as he began off towards the other badgers.

Slytherin Victory

Final words

• Wild duel! So many moments during rolls that I was kept guessing. Lovely time all. Congrats!
• Feel free to do an exit post, I will have the thread locked in a week or so, to give you ample time for it if you’d like
• Please owl or message me if you have any questions or concerns!
• Please feel free to give me some feedback on how I did as a moderator! Over owl of by discord (gilelandala). Tried out a new style with the commentary and am curious if it was fun.
• It was an honor to serve as your moderator for a final time (as Galton)

Eligible for Rewards:
To be eligible for rewards, your team should have won the duel and you shouldn't be disqualified.

@Astrea Soleil Neptune
@Bridget Collins
@Ruby Cazares

Please link to this post in the trunk updates if you are eligible for rewards and wish to claim your +1 stat point from this duel.

Credit to Prat Pass

@Astrea Soleil Neptune and @Ruby Cazares

There were some duellists in this league with which Haven's dance battle proposition might have seen some success, but this trio of Viridian Vipers were not among those ranks. Minus her continued confusion at who Marcus was, and why Haven was calling for them to interfere, Bridget was about as focused as ever. It was not in the team philosophy to offer mercy unless their opponents asked for it, and Haven had not, was instead sticking it out to the end. She was a worthy opponent, though talkative. They might still be able to clear the duelling stage like they had in their Stage 2 match.

Haven was dodging. Dancing, maybe? Making herself a trickier target, at any rate, and Bridget was so close. She could see her curse blow past Haven's clothes and Ruby's just clip her, nearly striking true but not quite, and if Bridget just had a little longer she might be able to line up one more, more prepared for the movement this time, and finish this. But the clock finished things first, Galton loudly calling the match, and Bridget lowered her wand. It wasn't a clean sweep, but was so decisive a victory that Galton would not need to consider any of their states before declaring Slytherin the winners.

He continued to talk, likely reminding them to check with the mediwizards and announcing whatever else to the audience. Bridget didn't entirely hear it, the moment where she caught her breath seeming to stretch and warp around her, simultaneously too short and too long. This was it, her last duel at Hogwarts. Her ears were ringing, too, which she probably should get checked soon. No spell had touched her, but they had all reached her ears. She could hear him better when he was talking just to them, though, and accepted the licorice wand with the readiness of someone who had actually been eagerly awaiting them, just a little. What was unexpected was a second gift, a box that was very quickly confirmed as a shoe box by his words. Bridget knew what it was, with a reasonable amount of certainty, even before opening it. There was only one shoe Galton was known to love, enough even to save them in the midst of fully-grown wizards attacking, and that was wizard crocs. She opened the box to find a pair just as ugly as she remembered and smiled. How boring would Hogwarts have been without Galton?

The wizard crocs box was closed for now and tucked under one arm. She'd have to wear them at least a few times before the end of the year, if only so Galton knew they were appreciated. They fit some kind of soon-to-be-graduated lack of caring anymore, anyway. And now, the hard part: stepping off of this stage. This wasn't really the end, but it felt enough like it. And Bridget knew that she wasn't going to miss the duelling so much as the witches who had duelled next to her.

Viridian Vipers did not exchange sentimental speeches, or even very many words. They hadn't in the past and Bridget wouldn't know how to do that now, either, but she couldn't leave without saying something. What they meant to her was more than just their focus, dedication, and the victories they'd secured together. If she had a looser definition of friendship, she would have counted them, but it felt more important simply to know that she would trust them to have her back, now and in the future, would find them in a room over most other people, even if only to stand next to quietly, would notice if they seemed off after so long working together.

"I'll miss this. I couldn't have asked for better teammates," was what she did say. She meant it entirely. The whole Viridian Vipers team meant something to her, but it had been the three of them this year, through to the end. She'd been excited the first time she saw their names all together on the match sheet, known for other teams it would inspire at least a little worry, and they'd achieved about as much together as you could hope to in a school sport. Now she would walk off this stage with them, when they were ready to, for the last official time. But before that there was eye contact to be made, an agreement set ahead of time. Bridget raised her wand and silently cast Verdimillious, green sparks filling the air and mingling with those from Ruby and Astrea's wands. Viridian Vipers had taken the spell as a symbol of victory over the years, on occasion, and it felt fitting now over their final victory.

last duelling post (for now) it's been an honor, everyone, thank you Galton for modding and Hufflepuff for the exciting duel (wishing you some more wins next year. except maybe not against Ravenclaw, i've got some vested interest there now). and Astrea and Ruby, i'm so glad i got to do this with you. maybe we could recreate it in 14 years? (i'm kidding but who knows. can't wait to fight you on our second gens at some point)

Though she’d by now recognised their opponent’s evidently unsuccessful coping mechanism as exactly that, Astrea still half-expected the Hufflepuff’s so-called Marcus to interfere. No matter how large or small his potential impact, the extent to which the badger seemed ignored by her familiar beast or being had tipped quite remarkably into evident self-humiliation. The Vipers, at least, had plentiful excuses to pardon her girlish unprofessionalism, with what the great ringing in their ears and greater desire to see the duel to its end. Whether to dance or to dodge, the outcome remained the same; threatened impropriety aside, no such scare tactic could perturb Slytherin’s finest on their final push towards victory.

At once, in a vivid replication of many duels before in their late duelling career, two separate casts of Confringo split the air with sound. From sound alone, neither spell struck true—shrapnel, rather than a sweeping success, settled in their wake—but the crashing impact of them echoed nonetheless.

The cacophony had just tipped back into safety when Galton called the match, riotous applause replacing the Blasting Curse’s intensity. Their single opponent still stood—it’d not been a clean victory, but even an inattentive spectator could tell that all three Vipers had overwhelmingly controlled the duel’s end. Except for obviously present hearing damage, they scarcely even needed a healer’s touch. If not for their ruined surroundings, Astrea’s final spellwork had rendered them all as unscathed as they’d entered. With the ashes of their final bout settling about them, the duel had come to its natural end.

In the span of 10 rounds, her duty to the team had been fulfilled. Within a month, she’d be free from Hogwarts entirely. Astrea had always looked forward to graduation cresting over the horizon, but the reality of such seemed far more muddled with obvious attachments. No longer bound to their appropriate places on the piste, she’d naturally gravitated towards her fellow Vipers for one final congratulations.

Liquorice in hand, she needed only to glance towards Bridget’s briefly opened shoebox to understand her peers’ definition of celebration—soft, holed clogs with a single upper strap near the heel. How… generous, and somewhat concerning as to where he’d gathered enough information to facilitate such gifts. Other than duels, Astrea could scarcely recall any opportunity to which they’d personally interacted, let alone one extensive enough to allow for shoe size estimation. As fine a moderator as he was, most upperclassmen seemed to grow more and more eccentric over their Hogwarts career, and it seemed that Galton was no exception. Astrea truly doubted the gift’s benefit to her wardrobe, but logistics aside, the gesture was kind at heart.

This nearly gathered, both Vipers would be lucky enough to detect a hint of uncharacteristic hesitation upon Astrea’s marble mask, which had always remained so cold and unyielding throughout her entire Hogwarts career. A belated fondness, if the mere possibility existed amid these ruined grounds, had suddenly settled upon her between the gaps of incantation and toil.

It had been many years since Astrea’s initial retreat towards perpetual study and near-isolation, and her plentiful experiments in skill and sacrifice had only reinforced Hogwarts’ blighted mark upon the wizarding world’s safety. It was only with her dear Orpheus that she’d found any true companionship, as unbecoming as it seemed. Yet, even then, she could not consider herself completely forsaken. It was with duelling’s explosive orchestration that she’d found a modicum of allegiance, stronger still than the terrible pull of apathy that often haunted her in the endless march towards fulfilling her birthright duties. She’d done her time and more, climbed the ranks without protest of her perpetual secondariness to greater authority. Still, it had only been amongst peers that she’d been offered mutual understanding. With Bridget and Ruby, commitment—weightier than any forced facade—eased the exhaustion of social interaction.

Unlike several other battle-won pairings, the Vipers had never been accustomed to extensive conversation. She’d so naturally habituated herself to their mannerisms and spellwork that detangling herself from reliable support would be difficult, but legitimate alliance had always come so unnaturally to her that the application of it seemed impossible. With these two, however, she could at least settle for something close. “It has been,” She returned, solemn as the grave, “the greatest honour to duel alongside the two of you.” A strange shade of sentimentality came unbidden to her as she looked between her talented peers, the electric buzz of magic still ringing in her ears in stubborn consequence of the duel’s dying adrenaline. The piste had likely never seen such sentiment from Slytherin’s most severe duellist, and it would never again, for while Astrea’s intensity remained not in sharp tongue but in complete adherence to propriety, it was nonetheless present in every moment—bar, so it seemed, their current.

She would not regret this. Considering her perpetual state of reminiscence, even that singular fact remained significant. Their final duel represented the death of an era, but she’d not look back upon its permanence with the same dissatisfaction that often coloured many similar moments. Instead, for as long as she remained among peers, she could settle her heart with the knowledge that they’d done all that they could have with their circumstances.

Expectation normally demanded that the Vipers remove themselves from the piste as soon as they were capable, but greater commitments had been agreed upon beforehand. Looking towards her teammates for what seemed like the first and final time over again, Astrea lifted her wand to the sky to join her peers in solidarity, and overhead came a bursting star-shower of shared magic—a cascade of green sparks, blindingly victorious over Hogwarts’ dark shadow.

Action: Being a year overdue (whoops).