2022, Stage 3 Ravenclaw vs Slytherin: Match 5

Credit to Dmitri Jones

Ileen was not going to last very long, not while she was on fire, and Bridget fully intended to change that fact. But as she went to raise her wand to shower her partner in healing, she caught Ileen's eyes. The third year was shaking her head, and Bridget understand her wordless message: she didn't want to be healed. Perhaps she had a little more in her still? Or perhaps the idea was just to finish this, because Mars was on the brink as well. Whatever the case, an ideal duelling partnership was built on trust, so as much as Bridget wanted to relieve her teammate, she would respect her wish. She turned her wand on Mars.

Still, emotions lingered, worries clouding clear thought and her rhythm thrown off by the failure of her last cast. The Flipendo worked--and yes, she'd abandoned all notion of hitting Mars with something softer now that Ileen was under threat--but it was a terrible cast all the same, barely forced out of her wand and weakly aimed. Though this was likely the best she'd ever performed in a duel, it seemed these final moments would not be anything to be proud of.

It would be Ileen that finished it, then. Brave and persistent, she pushed through all the pain she must be feeling and landed the final blow. Bridget would praise her for it later, but right now her eyes had finally closed and she was falling; Galton called stop and Bridget was already rushing over to make sure she didn't hit her head on the way down. That was the least she could do, really, and there were no aches or spell effects to hinder her speed. She hadn't been hit even once.

It admittedly didn't feel much like winning, being up here alone. She hadn't lost a partner since her very first duel with Santario, and that one had ended unconventionally, so she'd never truly been the last one standing. It kind of sucked all the energy out of it. She handed Ileen off to the medics and thanked Galton for moderating (and the licorice wand, she should have him as her mod more often) before leaving the stage herself. To the hospital wing it was, to see Ileen when she came to and let her opponents know they had done well, respectably fighting to the end.

Thank you all for a great duel!