Shoving PV Dennis Tumberton Fin

Dennis gritted his teeth coming out of Herbology. The nerve of some people. Completely humiliated and ready to punch the ever daylights out of someone, just begging for a fight, Dennis stormed into the courtyard. The normally cheerful and upbeat ginger who wore smiles easily and never caused many problems for anyone, would have looked like a boy possessed by an evil spirit to those closest to him. He was glad none of them seemed to be around or he might actually say something not very nice to them.

“How dare that fithly girl do that to me,” he seethed under his breath. She was even in his own house. He had half a mind to teach her a lesson that would ultimately get him expelled. With clinched fists and a determined look he shouldered past a few people older than him. Normally he would apologize profusely for getting into someone’s way but today, each hit was like vanquishing a foe and boy did he vanquish many in his strut across the courtyard.

He stopped after several complained loudly and stood in the middle of the busy walkway. Maybe he just needed to clear his head. He practiced a meditative breathing exercise his mother taught him to help control his outbursts. Did it work? Nope. In fact, as he was politely trying to get control of himself, someone came alone and nearly knocked the bloke over! Oh. He wasn’t having any of that.

He whirled around on his heels and faced his assailant. It was an older boy. He thought he could get away with that!? Nevermind he had been doing it to other people as well! Dennis was going to teach this behemoth a lesson. “Hey! You - you - YOU TROLL!” He bellowed. He took a deep breath, and a few long steps to catch up to the Gryffindor. He kicked out in front of him, aiming for the back of his knee. That would chop him down for size.

@Nicholas McCowan

After knocking the boy over, Nicholas didn’t think about him for a moment longer. He had his own thoughts to contend with, and they did not concern a petulant child. Wordlessly, he continued walking, not bothering to apologise to the boy, nor do anything to lessen the blow. So it was with a great deal of surprise that he found the back of his knee kicked out from under him. His leg buckled, and sudden sharp pain shot through his leg. Before he could even properly process what had happened, it was his turn to hit the ground.

The buckled knee smashed onto the stone, sending further pain reeling through Nicholas’s mind as he tried to understand what had happened. There had been yelling, he’d been accused of being a troll, he thought dumbly.

Seething anger filled Nicholas’s eyes as he looked over his shoulder, getting a good look at the boy before him. A skinny thing, definitely a few years Nicholas’s junior. Anger painted the face of the younger lad, but it was reflected in turn by Nicholas.

Raising to his feet, Nicholas practically snarled, “Really bloody dumb that, mate, really bloody dumb.”

Instinct moved his body, there was no need for conscious thought or desire. He struck with his hand, hoping to catch the boy’s face with a powerful backhand.

@Dennis Tumberton

As the giant fell to his knees, Dennis felt victorious. He had never done violence before, turns out it’s pretty awesome when you aren’t on the receiving end! The adrenaline, the full contact, the watching your enemy fall. He got why war was such a popular thing now. It felt awesome. More. He needed more. He felt like David from that muggle lore of David and Goliath. However, all thoughts of running victory laps vanished when the other student did the unthinkable - he got up! But…surely that hurt! Dennis couldn’t fathom someone not crying when they were in pain. He cried all the time!

Suddenly, the brawny gent was towering over him. Dennis felt small. Just a moment ago he was on top of the world but somehow this teen stood even taller than before! He was mad. The mad that makes people look crazy in the eyes. He had never seen someone with such a face before. He wasn’t scared, even though he definitely should have been. Dennis put on a tough determined face. This wasn’t going to be easy and he didn’t want it to be.

“What you say to me?” He snarled back, “if you got something say then do some-“ He felt pain, darkness, cold. Hello darkness, Dennis’ new friend. This was his life now. Just total oblivion. Time seemed to slow down. He came to half way through his backwards stumble, his head cocked hard to one side. What just happened? Did…that that ogre just slap him?

Dennis took several steps to the side as he took the full impact of the backhand. Stubbornness alone was the only think keeping him from falling face first on the ground and blacking out right then. Something warm and iron tasting started to pool in his mouth. He spat. Blood. Blood!? Dennis had never bled before. Not like this. He felt a laugh escape his red stained lips. Laughing at a time like this? Did…did he like this? Dennis was discovering something new about himself.

“Nice shot…you hit like my little sister.” Dennis sneered, even though the whole side of his face felt like it was on fire. He wound up his fist past his head, took a step, crouched, and let loose a flying hook straight toward the older Gryffindor’s crotch.

@Nicholas McCowan

Nicholas hissed, his hand aching from the impact. As the smaller boy was sent to the side, the once-racing captain shook his hand out, hearing a pop or two from his knuckles as he did so. That would teach the little shit to attack him. Grinding his teeth idly, Nicholas looked over the child, and found that he’d actually busted him open. Blood stained his lips. Part of the fourth year felt guilty about that, he was so much smaller.

“Let that learn-” The words died in his mouth.

He wasn’t exactly sure when it happened, but the boy shot forward like a whip. He had said something about his sister, a childish insult that Nicholas would have been willing to disregard, had he not struck him full-force in his family jewels.

Pain and nausea filled Nicholas’s torso, and once again he was felled. Clutching at his groin, he fell once again to one-knee. It was almost as if he couldn’t breath, the desire to throw-up ripping through his body with an unrestrained force. For a long few moments, he sat there in shocked silence, deeply inhaling in a desperate attempt to centre himself.

But that pain was tempered by only one thing. Anger.

Nicholas had been annoyed earlier, but now he was furious. Bestial rage coursed through his veins as he launched at the younger boy, hoping to take him to the ground with a rugby tackle.

Why did seeing other people in pain give him such a rush? Dennis made sure to wipe the sneer off that punk’s face as he went to his knees. He spit out more blood, he really needed to have that checked. And this face, every second was a fight against the tears forming in his eyes. The feeling though, it was worth all the pain. He was finally victorious over some grunt! He felt like he could go for days riding this high. “What was that about learning,” he piped up, hopping from one foot to the other like he was some kind of boxer. He was clearly ready for anything the giant had in store for him, if he ever managed to get up.

Looking at the Gryffindor though, ice ran through his veins. The wild untamed fury that those eyes contained drained Dennis of all confidence. He won though right? Fights were won by the person still standing. He should admit defeat and go back to his dorm or something. Why was he staring at him with such hatred. Dennis was clearly never punched in the groined before.

The next moments were a blur. Something hit his sternum, knocking the wind out of him. He wheezed as he felt himself go weightless. Was he flying? Was this heaven? Definitely and decidedly not, as his head hit the cobbles. Not hard enough to cause a concussion but he was definitely seeing stars. All at once he had the ogre on top of him, crushing him and holding him down. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t breath, the only thing he could think of was he was dying. He tried in vein to wiggle and left arm free to reach for his wand. It was no use, he was trapped. Was this the end?

No. He wouldn’t give up. This was not how he would end. His breath finally came back and he took a gasp of much needed air. His right arm had managed to stay out of the hold and with a twist of his hips he drove his elbow as hard as he could into the older boy’s neck to try to get him to loosen his grip so he could scramble back to his feet.

@Nicholas McCowan

Bodies made contact and hit the ground. Nicholas’s movement had been explosive, the tackle having wrapped the smaller boy around the hips and delivered him with force to the ground. Nicholas didn’t see much as they hit the ground, although he was certainly aware of the sound of bystanders around them. He didn’t pay them any mind. The blow he’d suffered demanded retribution. It had hurt, it had been dirty, and he had to ensure that this idiot boy knew not to do that to anyone else ever again.

Taking advantage of the temporarily dazed state of his opponent, the fourth year pinned the other boy down, grabbing his left arm and slamming it hard against the cobbles. The red-haired junior attempted to drive his free elbow into Nicholas’s neck, struggling valiantly but ineffectively with his hips to buck the bigger boy off. A subtle shift of weight and he was out of reach of the younger boy.

Nature was cruel. Some people were bigger than others, older than them, stronger than them. The first year had fought intelligently, he had fought valiantly, albeit dirtily, but Nicholas had bulk and strength on his side. The tackle had pinned the younger boy down.

Keep him pinned with his arms, Nicholas decided to use his thick skull for something other than bull-headed ideas for once.

He did not talk, anger had taken that from him. Instead, he brought his head down. Attempting to headbutt the younger boy and sap the last of his admittedly impressive fight from him.

@Dennis Tumberton

It was no use. The Gryffindor was just too big. Wiggling this way and that he was unable to free himself. His head was pounding, his cheek was still stinging, and fatigue was setting in rapidly the longer he struggled against the behemoth. He needed a new plan or this was going to be his final showdown. Think, Dennis, think. It was no use as he continued to grunt and moan through his efforts at sweet freedom.

Again he tried to reach for his wand after his elbow failed to land, and his attempts to buck the older boy off him had little to no effect. His fingertips were at the tip of the handle but it was too smooth and the other boy weighed too much for him to pry it free with just the pads of his fingertips.

He felt another opportunity come as the brute reeled his head back for a headbutt. There! His head, no, his whole body was screaming at him to move! The shift in weight allowed Dennis to roll his shoulder to one side and free his arm before the other boy came down with his head. The headbutt missed and now Dennis had the advantage. But did he have the strength left?

His body was aching, his mind was blurry, and all he could think about was getting up. Dennis, now on his side, clasped his hands together. With the strength left he could muster, and with the help of the leverage he now had, he twisted for a reinforced elbow strike to the newly exposed neck of the Gryffindor. If this shot didn’t land, and he wasn’t able to finally break free, he was a goner for sure.

@Nicholas McCowan

Nicholas’s head did not make contact with the smaller boy, the little git managing to slip out of the way at the last moment. Fortunately, Nicholas was able to stop his head from careening into the cobblestones, although only barely. But he was distracted enough that the boy was able to succeed with his follow up blow, an elbow strike to the back of his neck. It hurt, not badly, but it enough to render the larger Gryffindor unable to maintain the pin. Hissing with frustration and pain in equal measure, Nicholas was unable to stop the little red-head from wriggling free and getting to his feet.

Using his head, evidently, did not work. Raising to his feet to match the younger boy, Nicholas dropped into a boxer’s stance. His neck hurt somewhat still, but that pain quickly dulled. The younger boy had good instincts, he was a natural scrapper, but there was a certain inevitability to Nicholas’s height, weight, and experience advantage.

Were he not exceedingly angry at having suffered a crotch blow, he’d likely have admitted a begrudging respect to the younger fighter. As it was, he was exceedingly angry, and his words were far less eloquent, less friendly.

“Come on, you little fuck,” Nicholas roared and launched forward again. No more clever games, just raw power.

A simple punch, a forward strike aimed at the chin of the Ravenclaw. If he wanted a fist fight, he’d get a fist fight.

@Dennis Tumberton

Dennis shakily got back to his feet. What luck. This oaf had less braincells than muscle mass. The clever Ravenclaw was ever grateful that Gryffindor’s were not known for their intelligence. He coughed. Back to the fight. He tried to take stock of himself. He was tired, and hurt. He felt like crying. He knew this was a perfect chance to run away or at least make a mad break for it. But he didn’t think his body would move fast enough. And beside, for some reason. Dennis was enjoying himself. Through all the pain, and blood, and tears, a large part of Dennis was getting a thrill out of this.

And yet, his heart sank and he coughed again as he saw Colossus himself get back to his feet. What was with this guy? Why would he not just stay down? Dennis put his hands up in a defensive position, mirroring the clearly more experienced fighter - perhaps learning, even in this exhausted state. It seems, much to the surprise of anyone who knows Dennis, he had a hidden talent as a natural fighter. However, when the monster of a man growled and swore, it wasn’t pain or fear that Dennis felt. Perhaps at the end of everything he had, he felt angry. His normally jovial face contorted to match his opponent. A primal yell matched the bigger student’s as he came rushing over.

The next attack came quick and powerful. Dennis found he couldn’t move. The struggling sapped his reserves. For a moment he felt faint like he wouldn’t even last to feel that final blow. Such regret Dennis had in that eternity. He at least wanted to feel something before passing out. Dennis’ body lurched to the side, causing him to take a step and a half to the side. Instincts, always his instincts, were the only thing to catch him from falling. Fortunately for the Ravenclaw, it was timed perfectly to dodge the fast flying punch.

Something inside him clapped loudly, like a gunshot, snapping him awake. Fight. He needs to fight. This was the only thought in his mind as he pivoted from his shaky stance. He launched himself into a counter attack, closing the gap and swinging his fist in a high arc with the rest of his might, everything he had left. A wild haymaker was the only thing left in the reservoir. There was nothing left to do but punch punch forever.

@Nicholas McCowan