Stage 2, 2022 Slytherin vs Gryffindor Spectator

Afternoon Match 6 -- Gryffindor vs Slytherin

Morning Slot - Matches 1-3
Most heavily mentioning @Santario Martin, @Alan Vanes, @Hanako Tone, and @Alec Mason

Bridget practically lived in the duelling club during stage weekends, so it was probably a good thing this was a thrice a year occasion. She'd watched the three matches yesterday in the time slot she wasn't moderating, doing her best to split her attention and take good notes, on Ravenclaw especially as that was who the Vipers would be facing next stage. Counting the duel she'd overseen, that made for notes on four out of six, which was pretty good, and after today she'd try to track down details on the other two.

Today was less for scouting and more to cheer on her teammates. Her duel was in a short two hours, any reminder of which had her stomach twisting into knots, but watching others duel would hopefully take her mind off the nerves. In October, she would have been ecstatic to not have her duel conflict with Santario's; all she'd gotten to see of her former partner's match were the last few minutes. But things had changed. A lot. Santario was not the same, and Bridget rarely saw her. It had been a weird transition from a year where they practiced together all the time, becoming something close enough she might have called Santario a friend. And now she didn't know what was wrong or what to do, though she had the sense she should be doing more. She hadn't even worked up the courage to try talking to her, since that wasn't the Santario she knew, was it?

She'd tried to find some excitement for this anyway, because she still knew Santario to be a powerful witch, and surely that would be fun to watch. It was going to be a hard duel, facing Alan Vanes and Galton Lansdale, an absolute powerhouse of a team and both older than Santario and Sarah. Still, there was a chance they could pull it off, and could at least put up a good fight. It certainly held the promise of a far better match than Dmitri obliterating the first years he'd been paired with. In theory. Seeing Santario enter looking, quite frankly, absolutely awful, she wasn't so sure. Appearances weren't everything, but she looked half-dead, not ready to perform at her best. Matters of winning or doing well were hardly the primary concern at this point, besides. When had it gotten this bad?

Observation of the exchange between Santario and Alan, who she knew were friends, brought no reassurance. Alan's intended hug never happened, and though she couldn't hear the exchange from where she stood--it would have been eavesdropping, anyway--the look on Alan's face said enough. Needless to say, any anticipation of the match had been dashed, and now it was only painful to watch both Slytherin spells miss and Santario get hit with a blindfold, Pressurized Water Charm, and Ventus, no doubt with more to come until she couldn't take any more.

She looked away, to the other duels she'd come to watch. Ileen and Hanako's platform, as expected, was shrouded in fog; from what she'd seen of Lamik and Everly's last duel, that might be the case for much of the match. Save for the telltale crackle of the Weather-modifying Charm, she wasn't sure how their spells were going, but at least they had lighthearted banter going, so it couldn't be too bad. Then again, Hanako might flirt until he was physically shut up. As long as he didn't lose focus, it was funny.

As for Astrea and Piper's duel, it was a little slower to get started. She wasn't as close to either girl as she was--or had been--with Santario and Ileen, but had an opposite sort of investment in the outcome of their match. Beyond her general wish for Slytherin to win, she disliked Rose and found how Alec had carried himself last stage distasteful. It was rather weird, he'd been so polite when she'd moderated his duel the year prior. Perhaps it was unfair to judge someone solely on how they carried themselves in a sport, but she valued sportsmanship and granted respect to those who acted with such, who fought to the end, so the reverse was also true. She rather hoped Astrea and Piper dominated.

"Good luck on yours to."

Henry replied back toward Rose with a soft smile, watching as she entered the dueling room. The teen waited a few seconds before peering into the room and taking a step or two inside. Leaning aginest the wall besides the door as his eyes flickered over the morning matches.

Gryffindor verus Slytherin

The day ought to be good. Henry wasn't exactly looking forward to the day, majority of his friends are in the house of the lions and most of them happen to be duelists. Henry did wanted the vipers to win but he also wanted his friends to win. Caught in the midst of a battle of the mind.... what to do... what to do... The teen tried to remind himself that it is only a sport, only a game that couldn't change or control his relationships. No matter how things end today, he will still have the same friends.... right?

The teen looled over at the three morning duels. He spotted one of his captains, Santario Martin who he silently cheered for. She helped him and offered advice last year but that was last year. This year, he hadn't see her much besides from dueling pratices but still... he silently cheered for her the same way that he cheered for Galton. A elder year who he admires. Turing from one duel to another, Henry rolled his eyes at his dorm mate. Hanako Tone, one slytherin who both could make Henry laugh and get on his nerves. The teen hoped Hanako would win his duel but also secretly hoped he will be hit in the face with a knockback or incendio. At least once.

His eyes flickered toward the final duel of the morning. Henry remebered Bridget's words, duels don't affect relationships and he shouldn't intend for a duel to be personal but when his eyes landed on Alec Mason that suddenly changed. Henry remembered the first stage how unruly and disrespectful the gryffindor was to his opponents, Henry is learning the value of sportsmanship and holding to it more now so Alec's lack of it was disturbing to him.

Alec also blankly bullied and call out his friends in the great hall one day for no specific reason. Henry remembered the boy walking over and then insulting them, calling them names and bullying them. Henry had wittness Alec both in and out of the dueling room enough to wager that his unrulness and disrespectful attitude isn't a front for dueling. It is his personality. Henry glanced over toward Rose, he felt for her that she has such a parther. She deserves better.

Henry hoped that Alec would be pummeled that day, maybe that could knock some sense or manners into him. Eyes flickering toward the slytherin team, Piper and Astrea. He dueled with Astrea last year, remembering how strong and fierce the girl was. She's a good duelist with a intimating presence that Henry found interesting yet a bit fearful of to.

Piper on the otherhand is the youngest of the group but they won their last duel so Henry hoped they would win this one to and crush Alec. Henry allowed his eyes to rest on the gryffindor side, a part of the teen wished Rose to win but in the end knows well that he can always visit her in the hospital wing later or they'll still be close after that day.

"Win. You two are great duelits and fierce, show Alec what sportsmanship means."

Henry muttered under his breath, sendinf his final wishes toward the Viper team when his eyes found Bridget. His captain and parther. The teen looked away, remembering how his duel was less than a few hours now and it would be aginest his friend. Nicky. The teen tried his hardest not to imagine it but couldn't get the thought from his mind. A part of him couldn't turn his wand on his friend, couldn't cast a spell at her, he couldn't. Not even for a duel.

Remembering last duel how he rooted for Nicky and Addi, now this time he wouldn't be able to. Adeline's duel would be at the same time of his and Nicky's. His mind ached just imagining it, he knew that duels shouldn't affecy his relationships but that didn't make them easier. He didn't want to be against Nicky, he didn't want to fight her and yet he would be. Shortly. In a few hours.

Twirling his wand in his fingers, the teen thought of running. Forfeiting. Hiding out. He wouldn't need to duel Nicky and wouldn't have to stress over casting at his friend but then he remembered his captains. What would Dmitri do if he didn't show up to the duel? What would Santario think? Hebry shook the thoughts away, knowing full well that he can't hide. Not this time. He trued to remind himself that it is only a duel. After that day they will still be friends, still pratice and study together. Still laugh together and still be part of boom together. Henry tried to resure himself.

Eyes focusing on the duels. Smiling a little as he watched Astrea and Piper spells both hit their targets, smiling a bit wider when he saw Piper dodged one of the spells. In his mind he cared for Rose and wanting to help her but in the moment, the teen saw Alec as a bully and hoped the viper team will win.

Rose came into the dueling room as she watched Henry get on the stage. She let out a breath of relief. She hadn't missed his duel. Rose had been recovering from her own duel, which had been earlier that day. But she didn't know how in the world she would be able to live with herself if she missed Henry's duel. She was thankful that they hadn't been dueling at the same time because she couldn't cheer him on.

As the redhead watched from the sidelines, she noticed how fast the duel was going. It was quickly approaching its time limit, and all the spells cast were quickly followed by another. Metelojinx was taken out pretty early in the duel, but it was quickly blowed over back to the Gryffindors. Rose made a mental note to be aware of that when dueling. Rose flinched each time Henry was hit with damage. It was similar to torture to see him get hurt, over and over again... If this hadn't been a moderated duel, Rose would have marched up there herself and punched the Gryffindors. But it was a moderated duel, and she knew Henry was going to be okay. He could take care of himself.

From the start, it seemed like the Slytherins were winning. Though Rose didn't like Bridget, she still wasn't too bad of a duelist. At least she wasn't bringing Henry down. On one hand, she really wanted Henry to win. On the other hand, she really wanted Bridget to loose. And, on a third hand, she wanted the Gryffindors to win the Dueling Cup this year. And the only way they could do that is beat the Slytherins, who were ominously on a perfect winning streak this year.

It wasn't looking too good for the Gryffindors, especially when a Fumos was cast towards them, engulfing the two.

"Enjoying the fog? I think it fits well with the stormy aesthetic."

Rose snorted and laughed. Henry was still funny, even in the middle of a duel. She smiled, continuing to watch intently.

Both Bridget and Henry turned their wands on Henry. Rose almost thought that Bridget was going to cast a knockback jinx at him, but then she let out a breath of relief, realizing that they were both healing him. Well, at least she was decent enough to heal Henry.

Then Henry caught on fire. Rose's hand tightened on her wand but she couldn't intervene. She couldn't extinguish the flames.

"It's the home stretch, Henry!" she shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth. "You got this!" He didn't really need her encouragement, since he was doing excellently anyway. But she thought he might appreciate it.