Turning Tables PV Ravenclaw Team closed

It was safe to say that Samantha had an interesting summer and she was glad to be back at Hogwarts, where a lot of exciting things were waiting for her. One of those things was seeing her crush, Bubba McGarry, again something she had been looking forward to ever since the summer break had started. Another very fun thing the brunette was excited about was dueling. She wasn't just a normal duelist anymore, she was captain now! Well, co-captain to be exact but it was still really cool, especially because she took Dealla's place.

The relationship between the two girls had changed quite a lot since the youngest had become a prefect. Honestly, Samantha did miss spending time with Dee, but she could never admit that. It had been quite a surprise when she had heard Dealla had stepped down as captain. It didn't seem like something she would do. If the two would have still been friends, Samantha would have sent the other an owl to ask why she was stepping down. But they weren't friends anymore... Not even close to friends at all.

Nonetheless, the new dueling captain was very excited about the first training of the year and had gotten to the dueling club very early to prepare for the training. Last year the Murder of Merlin had shared second place with the Gryffindor team. Samantha hoped that they would be able to win again and show the other houses who were the best. In her little notebook, she had written down dozen of ideas on how to improve the team's performance.

Just after the young teen had placed a couple of dueling dummies in the middle of the room, she noticed somebody entering the room. Dealla Prince had arrived, significantly earlier than she usually was. Since their fight, Samantha had paid extra attention to Dealla's routine, so she could avoid talking with the older girl. It was shame and anger that kept the brunette from making up with her old friend. Shame for the things she had said and the rude word she had called Dealla and anger because she had never gotten the apology she longed for.

"Hello Dealla," she greeted the fourth year. As soon as the name had left her lips, they curled up in a mischievous smile. Dee had never been a fan of her name, something Samantha was well aware of and now used against the girl. "Since you are here early, why don't you make yourself useful and clean the floor," she told the older girl. "You can find the broom over there," the brunette pointed at wooden bleachers on the right side of the room. The floors were actually really clean, there were only a few crumbs on the ground near the bleachers from a cookie Sam had eaten a couple of minutes before. But the girl found it a good enough excuse to boss the other girl around. It was clear that Samantha wanted to show Dealla who was in charge now.

Honestly, Dee should have known Sam would be here early, and taken steps accordingly. Of course she would be early to prepare, it fit perfectly into her whole hypocritical rule-following teacher's pet goody two shoes routine. Dee wouldn't be surprised if the other girl had prepared a presentation and handouts for everyone. Way to make yourself a target, great job, Dealla.

Well, nothing to be done now. Perhaps she could just avoid Sam until practice started, it seemed the more convenient solution, at least for her. So she stepped to the side, preparing to set down her bag and tie up her hair like for every other practice, and pretending she hadn't seen the new Ravenclaw captain.

Of course, Samantha wasn't having it. The hair at the back of Dee's neck rose when Sam addressed her and her shoulders tensed, but she set her bag down as if she hadn't noticed, bending down to get her water bottle and take a sip before she finally turned around, a smile as fake as a conjured guinea pig on her face, and likely to disappear just as quickly. "I'm sorry, were you talking to me? I couldn't hear you over the deafening sound of your hypocrisy."

Her gaze followed where Samantha was indicating the alleged location of a broom, and she snorted, torn between disbelief and annoyance. Well, that was a little pathetic, wasn't it? Just how much of a pushover did Sam think she was? "If you think the house-elves aren't doing their job well enough, I'm sure you can figure out how to fix that yourself," Dealla suggested, her tone slipping into something much less friendly but much more honest. "Practice hasn't started yet, and cleaning has nothing to do with duelling, which means you don't get to tell me what to do." And if she tried again, Dee would make sure that she'd regret it.

Another patronizing glance, and Dee turned away, a clear signal of dismissal. "What kind of duellist uses a broom to clean up, anyway," she added, just loud enough for Sam to hear. It wasn't particularly smart, what Dee was doing here, she mused while she reached up to tie her hair back. In a few minutes, practice would start, and then Sam would get to tell her what to do - within reason - and she wasn't likely to forget any of the small humiliations and retorts that Dee so readily handed out. But then, she was rather certain she could handle anything Sam could throw at her. Perhaps, in time, her former friend would learn to not take on more than she could handle.

@Samantha Salwis

When the brunette noticed that Dealla acted like she hadn't seen her, she felt a short but stinging pain. She wasn't going to give in but it did hurt to see what the two previously close friends had ended up as. Samantha missed the fun moments, smiles, and jokes they had shared. Dee's fake smile brought her back to reality. They weren't friends anymore. "Well, maybe you should get your ears checked then," she replied with a smile just as fake as Dee's. "I am sure the nurse would love to help you. And don't worry, he tries to help lost causes too."

Samantha glared at Dee, a hateful look in her eyes, as the other spoke back. The fake friendly tone faded a bit as the fourth year continued talking. It was true that the dueling training hadn't started yet but that didn't wouldn't stop her from ordering Dee around. "In case you forgot, I am also a prefect... Unlike you," she reminded the older girl. "You wouldn't want to disrespect a prefect, would you?" It was a bold move, but the young girl just had to show off.

The last comment didn't go unheard, yet she choose not to respond. Honestly, Dee did have a good point. Growing up in a muggle family, knowing nothing about magic for almost 11 years, Samantha was still used to doing some things 'the muggle way'. Old habits were hard to unlearn. Besides, it made the young girl feel closer to home when she did things the way her parents taught her.

Dee pretended to contemplate the advice, arms folded in front of her chest, even while she felt her anger creeping up again. The condescending tone in Samantha's voice stoked the hot fire that was Dee's temper - if they continued, there was a flare-up coming. "I think my ears are fine, thank you," she replied, the fake friendliness slipping from her grasp even as she spoke. "Speaking of the nurse, has he been able to locate your spine? I'm honestly impressed that you manage to survive without one, but I suppose the massive stick up your butt helps with holding you up."

There was something satisfying about the glare that Sam directed at her, having successfully riled her up. It was always better when she wasn't the only one angry, when there was someone to direct her anger at that she didn't have to feel guilty about snapping at later. Her next smile came easier, even if Samantha's words provided another painful jab. A prefect, unlike you. It was true, of course. Dealla had come back from summer break and dropped her prefect position like an old tattered cloak that didn't fit anymore, no explanation given. But it had been her choice. "Oh please," she sneered. "I was a prefect before you, and I would still be one if I wanted. Standards clearly started dropping when they had you replace Peri."

She inspected her nails. "Please, try to use your prefect position to make me clean the floors. I'd love to tell Professor Iwasaki all about his darling prefect abusing her powers." Dee had invented this game (not really), and goody-two shoes Samantha cared too much about her reputation to risk getting into trouble for this sort of thing. She'd have to pick her targets more carefully; soft little first and second years. Dee wasn't that easy to bully. "Any other opportunities you'd like to provide me with? You really want to make it that easy for me to take you down?"

@Samantha Salwis

Samantha raised her eyebrow slightly after Dee's words. "Well, if you think your ears are fine, you might have to think again. I know thinking is very hard for you to do, but please try. Maybe you will say something useful for once," she told the older girl, the fake smile still glued to her face. The prefect knew she was poking an angry bear but she couldn't help herself. It gave her a rush to see how far she could go. Of course, she preferred bothering people who didn't use to be close friends with her.

As Dealla was talking about her 'missing' spine, the brunette rolled her eyes in annoyance. The insults were actually pretty good and Samantha hated it. "I impressed you? Why thank you. I am very impressive," she decided to roll with the disrespectful comment. "Also, when you are visiting the nurse for your ears, I recommend getting some anatomy classes as you are in dire of some," she shot back.

Her comment about Dee not being prefect anymore had touched a soft spot. "Oh no, I am pretty sure the standards were already at their lowest when they hired you," she said in a reassuring voice. "I mean, you can't get much lower than hiring a lying rule-breaking idiot who manipulates other students into breaking the rules as well." As the young girl kept talking, the hate in her voice became more intense. The pain Dee had caused her with her lie hadn't disappeared yet and wasn't likely to anytime soon. She still didn't understand why the older girl had done what she did and never apologized for it.

When the older girl mentioned their Head of House, a bit of panic appeared in her blue eyes. She cared too much about her prefect position to risk it and Dee knew it. A hateful look was given to the other student as she tried to collect her thoughts. This wasn't abusing her powers, was it? Would Professor Iwasaki think the same? She had only asked Dee to clean a bit, that was a perfectly acceptable question! Right? "As if he would ever trust a liar like you!" she snapped, hoping it was true. "Also, the training is almost starting. Hopefully, you are more useful during the training."

Dee rolled her eyes at Samantha's retorts, but it required effort. She wasn't sure why; it shouldn't be like that, should it? Unless you prodded the right spots, it was usually rather easy for Dee to laugh at those sort of insults. The shallow ones, that weren't based on any truth, that were just poking blindly and hoping they hit soft flesh. It'd take a lot more than a few words to make Dee doubt her superior intelligence.

Still, coming from Sam, every word hurt, no matter how far off mark. Maybe it wasn't the words themselves that stung, but the intent behind them, from someone she liked and shared fond memories with. Either way, it was far too hard to just shake them off. "At least I do think for myself," she responded, her voice too loud in her own ears, strained. The words felt off on her tongue. "Instead of just toddling around blindly, closing your eyes and pretending that following rules makes you immune to injustice."

No, no, this wasn't good, this wasn't where she'd meant to go. Dee had no desire to rehash their previous argument. She hadn't even come here to fight, but Samantha seemed to be determined to make it happen.

Dee's expression felt stiff on her face, cheeks heating uncomfortably. She sneered at Samantha, dropping any subtlety. "Of course that's what you'd think. Ever wondered why I stopped being a prefect? It's because I didn't want to be associated with you." Lies, but Samantha didn't know that, and Dee sure wasn't going to tell her. "It's disgraceful. A shame, really, that they'd let someone as pathetic as you drag down the entire team. Someone who's got nothing better to do than run around and blame others for her mistakes. I can't believe they made you captain. I guess they didn't want us to have a shot at the championship twice in a row, or they would've gotten someone competent."

Where her first words had come haltingly, unwillingly, they were flowing easy now. Too easily, maybe, faster than Dee could stop them, the sentences speeding up yet becoming sharper with each moment.

She pressed her lips together when she was done, but could still manage a thin, sharp-edged smile at the end. "Oh, but why wouldn't he? I was a stellar prefect. You want to risk it? I don't mind, I have nothing to lose." She'd already given up most of what she cared about.

Shaking her head, the motion jerky, Dee stepped away, unwilling to let the other duellists see the anger in her eyes, or worse, the hurt beneath it. "Please," she said over her shoulder. "You can't hold a candle to me on the duelling piste, and we both know it. Do your worst."

@Samantha Salwis

Her right eyebrow was raised slightly, as Dee declared she thought for herself, clearly not believing the older girl. Samantha honestly believed that the rules were always correct. After all, adults had made the rules and they always knew best. There was no way that if she was following the rules, she would cause any injustice, she was certain of it. Because she didn't know what to reply out of wisdom, the brunette choose to ignore the nonsense Dealla was saying.

It stung. Dee's words were hurting her, but she shouldn't show it, she wouldn't show it, she couldn't show her weakness. Instead, the young girl would strike back twice as hard, or at least try. "Yeah, I get that you wouldn't want to associated with me. Then everybody would realize how annoying of a person you are and also a horrible prefect." When she heard she became the new Ravenclaw dueling co-captain, Samantha was so proud and happy. Now, Dee was using it against her. "We were tied last year. Don't become too cocky," she replied.

"You, stellar prefect?" she scoffed. Dealla was on a roll with her lies. "Yeah," Samantha agreed thoughtfully. "If you have nothing, you have nothing to lose indeed. No prefect... No dueling captain," the brunette paused for a few seconds. An insult laying on the tip of her tongue, she considered if it was too rude to say. But then she remember that Dee didn't care for her feelings either, otherwise, she would have apologized. "I bet your parents change the subject when their parents ask about you."

Do your worst. A sly smile appeared on the girl's face, as she turned to her old friend. "Your wish is my command."

As it was the first dueling practice of the school year, Samantha wanted to start off easy. During the first part of the practice, the student would practice their flipendo, a very important dueling spell, on the dueling dummies. After a while, Samantha gathered everybody's attention as she had come up with a better idea. "These dummies are great, but sadly we won't be dueling them," she started. Of course, everybody already knew that as most students had been on the team even longer than her. "We will be dueling real people so we should practice on a person," she explained thoughtfully. None of the duelists were strangers to being hit by hurtful spells. After all, the whole goal of the game was to get the other team knocked out.

"Any volunteers?" she asked innocently. With a little smile, she turned to Dee. "Maybe Dealla. You always say you are such a good duelist, this is the perfect moment for you to prove it!" After her explanation, she titled her head slighting, patiently waiting for Dee's answer. "Or are you too scared?"

OOC Note:

Reducio

This thread is open for Ravenclaw students who were on the dueling team (not the waitlist) at the start of this school year (September 2022).

A little bit of information: Samantha and Dee haven't been friends since May 2022, soon after Samantha became prefect. They went from close friends to fighting a lot, so your character could have quite easily noticed the change. If they did is up to you

Practice was starting. It was good timing, even if Dee's pride wouldn't let her admit it. The one time she'd come early to practice, and clearly, it had been a bad idea. She snorted at the comment about her parents, her grandparents; Sam knew nothing. Better that way. The sweet, innocent Sam that Dee had met had disappeared, this one would clearly use anything she knew about Dee against her.

Despite Samantha's declaration, Dee wasn't too worried. Sam's worst wouldn't be that bad, she lacked the imagination. If there was one thing Dee could still rely on, it was that Sam and her holier-than-thou attitude would not risk besmirching her shiny reputation. There were too many lines Sam would not - could not - cross, especially in front of the team.

So Dealla spent the time during the first instructions sneering at her former friend, and then single-mindedly threw herself into practice, attacking her dummy with a viciousness that was uncharacteristic for her. It was a relief, flexing her magical muscles after the break, even if each spell was tinged with anger, frustration, bitterness. She almost ignored when Sam called them up again, but then the new co-captain's words reached her, and she paused, frowning.

It sounded like a trap. Smelled and looked like one, too. It wasn't like Dee wasn't aware of it. And yet, instead of refusing and calling Sam out on her bullshit like a smart person, Dee scoffed and shrugged, dismissive of the issued challenge. "Sure," she agreed, her lips drawing into a thin, sharp-edged smile. She'd skipped through the summer duel without a scratch, evading the (admittedly very few) spells aimed at her with ease. "It's been a while since I got in some decent dodging practice." After all, she could teach Samantha a lesson, and then still call her out on her bullshit afterwards.

Her wand disappeared into a pocket - she wouldn't need it for the moment - and then she turned on her heel, striding into the middle of the room. "Who's first?"

@Samantha Salwis

Note: Feel free to do your own rolls if you're joining the exercise. Dee had 13 Evasion at the beginning of the year. I'd give her an Eva bonus of +4 (half of her active dodge bonus) since she's not casting, but won't insist on it. Charmer and Evasive Maneuvers are active. Good luck hehee

Callie did not often appreciate constants in her life. They were far too boring and when she everything was the same for too long she couldn’t help but get antsy. Although such a feeling was not at all afforded to duelling club. So much so that even now, many…many duels later she still wandered into practice with the same enthusiasm as her first duel alongside Thomas. Although this enthusiasm did not mean that Callie arrived on time. More often than not she ran in a few minutes late clutching a book and apologising frantically.

Today wasn’t much different as Callie had managed to get far too caught up in homework to take notice of the time. Minutes after practice started against the dummies Callie came running in with her hair shoved back into a halfhearted bun and a book tucked under her elbow. “Sorry I’m late! I won’t do it again!” She cried as she lay her belongings down and skittered over to the practice dummies. Callie knew fine well that was a lie but it wasn’t going to stop her from at least saying she would change.

When Sam perked up about not fighting dummies it took a minute for Callie to even take heed of her words. It was strange listening to Sam over Dee, even now. Whilst the girl spoke about duelling dummies Callie had to cut her spell short, leading to two dummies being thrown into the wall by an erratic flipendo. Shortly afterward she trailed over just as she nominated Dee for the task of practice dummy.

It hardly felt fair leaving one person to defend themselves, especially when the duels consisted of two opponents. That coupled with Callie vaguely taking notice of their more frequent arguments had her concerned…although perhaps that was just how they spoke? Callie often mildly bullied Thomas and Elias in the name of love…maybe this was the same? Elias and Thomas were idiots but they were her idiots that she was rather stuck with, thank you very much. “Wait, on her own?” Callie questioned whilst she span her wand around in between her fingers. “But we fight two opponents at once in duels? You should join her Sam, it’ll be fun!”

@Samantha Salwis @ Dealla Prince