Beyond Hogwarts Duelling
@Mylo Atkins
Mylo was a familiar face. Like Maisie, they hadn't existed on Bridget's radar as an opponent, too young to match up against her, but she recalled they'd been made captain toward the end of her last year, which brought an extra bit of name recognition. "Hi, Mylo." In her book, they weren't late -- she was meant to be here for a few hours, so she considered any time in that range perfectly punctual -- but she left that unsaid to listen to their question.
Opponents who are stronger than you in every way. Her mouth twisted out of its neutral line, the edges of a smile peeking through. There were, of course, matches this year she'd gone into anticipating a loss, but duels were never as uneven as they were as a student. At least in the professional leagues, everyone had completed about the same base of knowledge and skill variation purely came down to personal talent and time spent. In school, you could easily be faced with opponents significantly your senior, capable of spells you'd hardly even heard of. Bridget was recalling a day in the past: a summer morning and bright pink feather boas. A day she had felt pretty much how Mylo described and had proposed a joke that went further than she expected, but carried her and her team through what otherwise would have been a depressing loss.
"I think sometimes you have to accept the position you are in." She said it gently, worried it would be taken as discouragement, which was not what she meant. "A good duellist knows strengths and weaknesses and does their best to play to them, but sometimes a duel may even be out the reach of luck. In that case... I have two recommendations. The first is that there is no shame in defense." A well-timed Protego had let her leave the stage on her feet more than once. "The second is to not let it get to you. I like to make it fun for myself in some way. A treat for after, a silly outfit. You don't have to feel bad about losing a match stacked against you."
It was probably not exactly the advice Mylo sought, but Bridget didn't have a magic solution for them. Sometimes you just pulled a bad match. Over time, practice could bridge many of those gaps, and as they got older, they'd get fewer of those matches, but those were long-term solutions.
Phylicia Stanwood (iNPC) • Aislin Darragh (2nd gen) • Alejandros Espinosa (2nd gen iNPC)
Beyond Hogwarts Duelling
20th june 2026.
Livia offered a small, curt nod in response to Miss Collins's words. Her voice came out drier than she would have liked when she said, 'Every day with the Vipers is a learning experience.'
It was true – every day on the duelling team taught her that there was no 'good enough', and that growth was always necessary to avoid the poorest outcome. Even after numerous sleepless nights, Livia was beginning to doubt that the next duelling season would go well for her; however, she hoped that, by way of sheer determination, the tides would soon shift.
She lifted a flyer between two fingers, also lifting an eyebrow at the curious texture and weight of the odd parchment that was not like parchment at all but rather more like one of her father's secret notebooks, and skimmed the words on the page. Professional duelling was not a career she had considered, and it was not one she thought she would quite like, if her ability on the duelling piste were any indication; nonetheless, she imagined there might be higher levels of spells to be learnt when one was consistently being put against opponents. But then again, she supposed aurors might encounter the same circumstances...
Having read the flyer, she set it back down.
As conversations began and students arrived, Livia slipped into the role she knew best. Her cool, unbothered green gaze would flit between individuals, attempting to discern whatever she could about their motivations and their abilities. She recognised one Ravenclaw girl from a former duel and one small interaction. She did not recall much about her other than that she had witnessed a moment of duelling inferiority from Livia – one the Slytherin would have loved to call a fluke, but that sentiment had been drowned by unfortunate repetition. Though Livia did not think she nor this girl had any positive sentiment towards each other, she did not intend to discolour this meeting with one Bridget Collins, nor this opportunity for observation, by negativity.
Thus, she remained silent and let her surroundings envelop her. Mental boxes in her head were ticked as Miss Collins began to answer questions. Nerves, practice – all of that was normal for any House duellist who truly cared. Miss Collins then offered for the students to try to hit her with a spell. This resulted in a minute widening of Livia's eyes, but she would hardly be the first to volunteer.
The newer arrivals began to ponder more queries, and one made Livia realise she had not exactly considered it. Deciding which spells to utilise during a duel had always been a team effort in her mind; her own opinions hardly mattered unless the team thought they were best. Miss Collins's answer somewhat reflected Livia's experience – that it was a team effort – but she found herself wanting to nod along at the end. She stopped the movement before it occurred. Strengths and weaknesses... not unlike a game of chess, where each piece had prescribed strengths and weaknesses even within their movement. She supposed there came a point where duelling strategy left the books and necessitated the study of people.
The former duelling captain of Ravenclaw finally asked something Livia felt a reaction to. Something within her stomach sank, but she tilted her head, angling her ears so she could hear better while still having a view of Mylo's and Miss Collins's faces.
Sometimes you have to accept the position you are in.
The thing that had sunk dropped sharply. Twisted.
You don't have to feel bad about losing a match stacked against you.
At that, Livia finally stepped forward. She raised a hand, barely, as if the motion was too much for her small frame. 'Miss Collins, how would you suggest training to prepare for such a match? As in, to prevent one from being "stacked against you" in the first place?'
She folded her hands in front of her, intrigued.
@Bridget Collins @Mylo Atkins @Maisie Gemmell
(sorry for the super duper late reply, if you guys would rather I edit the post to have Livia leave or something, just let me know
)
(sorry for the super duper late reply, if you guys would rather I edit the post to have Livia leave or something, just let me know
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