Atticus grunted as juked back and forth, jumping into a roll and then into a slide as he danced around an open area by the Hogwarts Lake. Every fourth or fifth movement was followed by a bright flash of light erupting from his wand, quickly to vanish after it flew a few dozen meters. He was practicing dueling, most specifically his use of nonverbal spellcasting as a strategy he employed to improve his unpredictability. Atticus recognized early on that verbal spellcasting gave away one's intetions to the enemy thus providing them the opportunity to counter one's spell, or otherwise evade it. By casting nonverbally the opponent is forced to watch Atticus' own movements more closely, distracting them from their own attack. This was only one aspect of his dueling technique. Atticus also if not primarily focused his attacks on the environment around his opponent to distract and/or inhibit their spellcasting. He referred to this strategy of combining distraction and inhibition 'defensive layering'.

Crowd control. That was key. That's what all the muggle history books talked about when great empires won battles. 'An enemy cannot pull the trigger if he has no hand' Atticus thought to himself, something he had read long ago in some war fiction. Or perhaps it was a muggle movie. Nonetheless, Atticus thought it to be true and it became the central philosophy in his dueling technique. Most duelists focused very heavily on the attack - one mindedness in battle is how you get yourself killed. Should Atticus pursue being an Auror as the perfect cover for criminal operations, he would need these skills to keep him alive against the UK's worst dark wizards and nayerdowells.

Atticus rolled forward and jumped up as hard as he could, pointing his wand behind him and shouting a spell that thrust him upward into the air. He was remiss that he couldn't exclusively cast spells nonverbally, but he just wasn't there yet. It required a lot of concentration and that was a hard feat to maintain in the midst of combat. Atticus flew fifteen feet into the air and tried to reposition his body to he could land into a roll and not hurt himself. Unfortunately as this was only the third or fourth time he tried this acrobatic act, he didn't get into position in time and he crashed into the ground hard. Atticus groaned loudly, cursing under his breath as he leaned forward and rubbed his shoulder. He needed to get into better shape to pull acts like that. He had never classicly trained in gymnastics or acrobatics so while in theory his schemes would work in battle he had yet the talent to pull it off. Something else on his long list of things to improve before graduation. It grew quicker than it shank and time was ticking. The school year was almost up so he had about a year to master his techniques before possibly applying at the Ministry, if not pursueing more criminal endeavors. Whatever he chose, it would be dangerous and he would need to be in tip top shape for battle.

Atticus got up slowly and brushed off the dirt on his clothes, surveying the land around him. It had become fairly marred from his spellcasting, so he noted that he would need to fix it before leaving for the day. He took a deep breath, and walked closer to the lake before sitting down and lighting a cigarette with his wand. He was far enough out of sight that he didn't think anyone would catch him. It was a tough thing to do with other students around, most people gave him dirty looks from the smell alone.

“Cigarettes and alcohol, you know if you really do intend on trying out for the ballet Roark you should probably think about quitting.  One or the other, both preferably, I hear that they are really strict on that kind of thing” Came a voice from the treeline behind Atticus.  Rossi, wearing that confident swagger that always seemed to follow the young man around strolled towards the Ravenclaw, a small smirk visible around the corner of his mouth.  Of course Paolo knew the motivation behind Atticus’s new, rather flamboyant, style.  When in the heat of battle you had to stay light on your feet lest your opponent blow you clean away.  Rossi also practiced such drills, although he was much more careful with his choices of location.  When two duellists fought like this it was mesmerizing, spells of red, blue and gold exploding here there and everywhere whilst both fighters danced around the flames.  Of course that was when there were two, when you pranced around like a ballerina on your own you just looked foolish.

Rossi halted a few feet from Atticus, allowing his cool gaze to fall over the Ravenclaw boy.  He was immensely talented, this much was clear and they had always maintained a very healthy rivalry in Paolo’s estimations.  Many Hogwarts students enjoyed duelling but few could ever hope to stand toe to toe with the likes of Atticus and himself.  Boys filled to the brim with natural talent and a strong competitive edge whose desire to win transcends almost all other urges.  A frown flashed across Rossi’s face as he surveyed Atticus’s dirty clothing, though the boy was quick to wipe it from his features.  The young Gryfindor was very fashion conscious; clear to see in his own dress style.  His gold and red tie was always pulled high around the collar of a pristine white shirt and he often wore his long black school robes rain or shine, simply for the aesthetically pleasing look that they gave him.  The silver and blue presidential duelling badge also looked rather beautiful pinned against the black and Rossi wore it with pride wherever he went.

The smoke from Atticus’s cigarette seemed not to bother him too much, his aftershave was particularly strong that day so whilst nicotine and Giorgio Armani had their own little duel, Paolo and Atticus began to converse. Inclining his head towards the clearing where Atticus had been practicing, Paolo broke the silence “Your grasp of nonverbal spells is good, actually it’s very good.”  There was a slight pause as Rossi considered whom was better in that department, after hesitating he concluded that they were of a similar level but he would have to practice these himself this evening after dinner.  Rossi continued, folding his arms and leaning on his hips as he did so “I did notice however that the technique in your wand arm does become a little sloppy when you focus all your attention into your acrobatics.  It’s difficult to pick up on, especially when the technique is not so bad that the spells still fire but against an opponent you might find your curses more easily countered unless you address the issue.  Against well versed duellists, well, let’s just say it’s these tiny weaknesses that we all aim to capitalize upon, right?”  Rossi smirked as he finished a hint that he was in fact the latter as opposed to the former.

“How are you anyways, well I hope?”  Rossi declined any invitations to sit upon the lawn opting instead to stand, lest his pristinely pressed black dress trousers fall victim to the same dirt and grime that Atticus’s had, though the manner in which he did so was not unfriendly.

Atticus heard footsteps followed by a voice and looked up to see none other than Paolo Rossi, the dueling club president. Paolo was one of the few students at the school who Atticus considered to be as good or better than him at dueling. That's probably how it should be anyways... He thought to himself as looked up at his visitor. He was the president of the club after all, he'd better be skilled. Paolo was always dressed so snazzily, Atticus noted as he looked him up and down. Atticus had no time for such things. He valued how he looked but only to a point. Money aside, Atticus lacked the time or patience to go shopping for nice things. There were always better things to do. Barring special occasions, Atticus didn't expect to find himself dressed to the same level some students at the school did.

He inhaled on his cigarette and gave Paolo a dark look. "Are you kidding?" He asked incredulously, "Whiskey and tobacco are strict parts of my training regimen." He added, blowing smoke at Paolo. It was a little crude and unnecessary of him to do that however Atticus resented Paolo's insinuation phratry that he was doing was similar to ballet. Sure, it probably looked a little foolish from a third party perspective but everything Atticus was doing had a rhyme and reason to it.

"Your grasp on nonverbal spells is good, actually it's very good."

Atticus grinned, the validation from Paolo giving him a noticeable boost in energy and ego. "Of course." He said confidently as he stood up and brushed the remaining dirt off him. "I've been training my nonverbal skills for almost three years now." He stated as he pulled out his wand and wordlessly shot a few spells into the air. Bright bolts of red and purple filled the sky before dissipating as quick as they came.

"Against well versed duellists, well, let's just say it's these tiny weaknesses that we all aim to capitalize on, right?"

Atticus nodded, mildly irritated. Paolo was being friendly enough so there was no need to be rude. Atticus found that he was being dismissive and too easily offended these days. He had a high stress life, but so did every student. He puffed on his cigarette and noticed that it had reached its end. He tossed it aside, knowing that it would magically biodegrade as to not harm the environment. "Weaknesses are only weaknesses until they're not." Atticus asserted, shifting his weight from left to right. "I can still outmaneuver most opponents without having to fly through the air. It's not a primary tactic, it's an ace in the hole" he explained, comparing his tactic to cards. He didn't plan to run at around jumping through the air in his duels. It made him a target as much as it repositioned him. It all came back to crowd control.

"How are you anyways, well I hope?

"Fantastic. It's a good day to get a little dirty, as you see" Atticus jested, pointing to his mildly dirty clothes. "You may laugh at the acrobatics, but once I get it down it will be an incredibly effective tactic" Atticus added, twirling his wand in the air.

"I haven't brought it out at the club yet, but I'm sure when I do heads will turn." He said, leaning down to stretch his hamstrings. There was going to be a good amount of pain and suffering as he learned the technique but once he was able to reliably vault himself into the air his ability to control his opponent would expand infinitely.

Despite the crude nature that the young man before him emanated Paolo found himself smirking despite Atticus’s best efforts to irritate him with cigarette smoke.  Paolo’s mother was a smoker so he had grown up around the habit and he had to say it bothered him little.  As the smoke billowed towards him the young Gryfindor simply closed his eyes, allowing it to briefly envelop him before dissipating into the summer air.  Though he did not partake in smoking himself, Paolo was a known drinker so in hindsight his previous remark was slightly hypocritical and he nodded at Atticus’s joke concerning their importance to his training regime.  Though he would not admit it Paolo admired Roark’s dedication to finding new ways to gain the upper hand, even if those new techniques did involve prancing around like a fairy.  Evolution was an important part of any sport and to stay on top the best had to possess a high degree of adaptability.

A strong grasp of nonverbal magic was essential if one wished to become a top duellist, everyone knew this and the reasons for it.  If you constantly had to announce your intentions by shouting incantations you were handicapping yourself whilst effectively gifting your opponent the chance to launch counters.  Paolo himself was also skilled in this area of magic though he declined to back up his ability with a demonstration as Atticus felt the need to do.  Rossi’s brow furrowed as he allowed himself a brief glance upwards towards the sparks and pyrotechnics going on above him. 

 "Weaknesses are only weaknesses until they're not."

As Atticus retorted Paolo’s point concerning weaknesses the young Gryfindor found himself smiling, “I agree” he uttered before continuing “But even the strongest enemy has weaknesses, to eliminate all of them would be an effort in futility.  I believe our time is better served perfecting our strengths and using these to shield whatever weaknesses we find in ourselves.  For many admitting that they have weaknesses is the first obstacle to overcome, only once you know where you are lacking can you attempt to rectify your problems.”  Paolo shrugged before finishing “Just my opinion.”

"You may laugh at the acrobatics, but once I get it down it will be an incredibly effective tactic"

“Your manoeuvrability is your strength, we all practice footwork but your acrobatics are a standard above I must say, credit where it is due if you can pull that off duelling in open spaces will be considerably easier for you.  I guess my only advice would be to watch that your antics don’t detract from your wand technique and to be wary of defensive minded opponents who will aim to wear you down physically.  I would never laugh at a duellist who is trying to improve himself, I was jesting earlier I meant no offense.”

Folding his arms Paolo looked Atticus up and down as he considered his next move.  He smirked slightly at the thought of the Ravenclaw causing havoc during one of their duelling meetings, perhaps running rings around some of the younger members.  For the likes of them though, such meetings were of little help when it came to improvement, the older students really only mentored the youngsters, it was the tournaments that the older members lived for.  Shaking his head Paolo retorted “You’ll learn nothing from sparring with third and fourth years.  If you’re serious about improving yourself consider me your new duelling partner.  I too have much to learn and I have always found roughing it out against someone is a much more effective method training.”

“But even the strongest enemy has weaknesses, to eliminate all of them would be an effort in futility.  I believe our time is better served perfecting our strengths and using these to shield whatever weaknesses we find in ourselves.  For many admitting that they have weaknesses is the first obstacle to overcome, only once you know where you are lacking can you attempt to rectify your problems.” 

There was where they disagreed. Atticus narrowed his eyes and politely shook his head when Paolo was finished talking. "Our strengths aren't to be ignored but it is our weaknesses from which we fall. Accepting that we are weak is not condusive to being the best." He said, beginning to slowly pace back and forth. "We can only accept our temporary weakness and temporary imperfections." He added, looking down and stroking his chin. Atticus did not realize it but he looked remarkably, sterotypically, absurdly 'Ravenclaw' when he was in thinking and/or philosophy mode. While duelling was a sport, it was deeply philosophical to its core as was all combat. "We may not have enough time on this earth to truly become perfect at anything, but we must maintain the strive for perfection lest we find ourselves stricken by an acceptance of the status quo." Atticus finished, putting emphasis on the end more from a disgust from those who held that viewpoint than for anything else.

“Your manoeuvrability is your strength, we all practice footwork but your acrobatics are a standard above I must say, credit where it is due if you can pull that off duelling in open spaces will be considerably easier for you.  I guess my only advice would be to watch that your antics don’t detract from your wand technique and to be wary of defensive minded opponents who will aim to wear you down physically.  I would never laugh at a duellist who is trying to improve himself, I was jesting earlier I meant no offense.”

"Noted." Atticus said curtly, considering how valid Paolo's opinion truly was given his accomplishment as a duellist and position in the club. Nonethless, Atticus was on his own path. He felt the things we practiced were severely underpracticed in the rest of the duelling community. That being said, while his wandwork was good - above average even for the typical duellist, it wasn't top notch like he wished it was. He strived to be more creative in his offense, and to react with more haste. If he could have reflexes bordering on precognition, he'd pay any amount of galleons for it. "My strengths are in this order: Maneuverability, disruption, offensive casting, defensive shielding. I don't think hiding behind something is an honorable or intelligent practice in dueling. Just get out of the way." He said simply as he pointed his wand to the ground and wordlessly cast a spell to propel his jump higher. Since he didn't get a running start he lacked significant momentum, but pushing off to his left allowed him to travel about four meters laterally due to his acrobatic leap into the air.

He landed a little harder than he liked, but it was a successful leap (the term he coined in that moment) nonetheless. He was now on the other side of Paolo in under a second. That was maneuverability. Atticus put his wand back up his sleeve and smiled. "See?"

“You’ll learn nothing from sparring with third and fourth years.  If you’re serious about improving yourself consider me your new duelling partner.  I too have much to learn and I have always found roughing it out against someone is a much more effective method training.”

"Absolutely. We have an accord." Atticus said, walking back towards Paolo and reaching out to shake his hand. "I've been looking for some opponents to give me a challenge. The tournement's later this month, no?" He asked, genuinely unaware of when it was happening. He thought he had signed up, but at this point wasn't entirely sure. The tournement was good and fun but it didn't represent much more than his ability to defeat his schoolmates. That being said, Atticus was aware of what an arrogant attitude that was. He knew there were some duellists in the club with incredible skill, one of them standing in front of him. Should he battle in the tournement he would find himself in a struggle like the rest of him. Good thing he had a few tricks up his sleeve.

Rossi allowed Atticus the silence and attentiveness he needed to convey his philosophical opinions pertaining to their chosen sport.  It was enlightening to have such a discussion, not only could it possibly help Paolo adapt his own views but it provided the young man a keyhole into Atticus’s own being from which he could peer through.  Rossi liked Roark but when personal feelings were pushed to the side, they were both driven primarily by their desire to be the best at everything they pursued, this made them rivals and unfortunately duelling was an unforgiving sport.  There was only ever one winner and one loser, Paolo was determine to be the former and so he let the Ravenclaw speak freely in the hope that he would provide Paolo with something he could use to his advantage in the future.

Their discussion forced Paolo to contemplate his own strengths and weaknesses, though he did not voice them openly as Atticus did.  What were his strengths?  Well that was an easy one; Rossi’s success had always been built upon a strong, unshakable offense.  His hex’s and curses were on another level at times and spells that most students struggled with came easily to him.  Paolo had always fought with everything on the line, sure he came away bloodied and bruised sometimes but he always dealt lethal damage of his own.  Offense was the best defence; the enemy could not fight back if you had your foot on his throat.  Reflexes also gave him a physical advantage over most opponents, not the superhuman reflexes that Atticus dreamed about possessing but those natural instincts that came with years or gruelling practice and monotonous training drills.  He had always trained hard, every day since he was given his father’s wand with the ultimate goal of following in his footsteps. 

In terms of weaknesses, after bearing witness to Roark’s gymnastics display manoeuvrability would have to be on the list.  Paolo was a traditionalist, sure he stayed on his toes and worked the angles but he didn’t throw himself into the sky or cartwheel around the arena.  It looked foolish but despite this, Rossi could appreciate how it would be useful in skilled hands.  Perhaps his mind-set was also disadvantageous in certain situations.  Unlike Atticus, Paolo did not consider his defensive charms a weakness, he was good at them but sometimes, more often than not, he neglected to use them when he really should.  Rossi enjoyed duelling and he took a rather dark satisfaction from hammering his opponents into the ground, he always told himself that he would rather lose than win a match by judge’s decision but in the real world there were no decisions, only life and death.  If he was serious about pursuing a career as a hit wizard he would need to alter that mentality, easier said than done however.

His reflexions were cut short as Atticus reinforced his earlier point about the usefulness of acrobatics.  Paolo swung on his heels as quickly as he could, crouching slightly instinctively as he swung around to meet Roark.  “Manoeuvrability indeed." he said, a hint of admiration in his tone, "I daresay you would have gained the upper hand there had we been in combat.  The issue of acrobatics however brings us back to ideology.  I consider myself something of a traditionalist, you say that hiding behind defensive incantations is cowardly but the same could be said about your antics Roark.  I would never insinuate that you were as such, but many still believe that duellists should possess a “stand and deliver” attitude.  It all comes down to opinions.”

Smiling slightly Paolo straightened himself back up and took the offered hand, returning Atticus's handshake with a firm one of his own.  As their conversation shifted towards the tournament a rather puzzled expression crossed the Gryfidors face “Really?” he found himself saying “I should know this being the president and all, what day is it today?”

"I daresay you would have gained the upper hand there had we been in combat.  The issue of acrobatics however brings us back to ideology.  I consider myself something of a traditionalist, you say that hiding behind defensive incantations is cowardly but the same could be said about your antics Roark.  I would never insinuate that you were as such, but many still believe that duellists should possess a “stand and deliver” attitude.  It all comes down to opinions.”

"Ah, yes. One could assert that dodging in a form of running but I like to look at it as repositioning. Whenever I move I am not only avoiding one attack, but positioning myself into another. I like to look at it as a sort of flow." He said, thinking about how much more practice he needed if he really wanted to have the "flow" he was talking about. To the level he dreamed it would require him to master acrobatics and that was something that a) was not easy, and b) could not be accomplished in a matter of a few sessions. He didn't want to forsake his offense too much as while he did recognize that his ability to position, at least in his mind, was equally important to his ability to cast hexes, curses, disarms, and all sorts of nasty things. "The stand and deliver attidude is foolish." He said pretentiously before twirling his wand in his right hand. "Lack of innovation does nothing but make duelling stale and flavorless. Not to mention, predictable. That's the last thing I would want. Predictability." He added, shrugging his shoulders.

“Really?” he found himself saying “I should know this being the president and all, what day is it today?”

"Er.. April 30th. Is it not today?" He asked, confused. "Ah, must be next month... well nonetheless, I'd like to participate. Maybe snag a Golden Wand title before leaving Hogwarts." He jested lightly, poking at what he assumed to be Paolo's personal tournement goal. Of course while it would be fantastic to win the Golden Wand,  Atticus didn't think he would from an objective logical stand point. Gracie Slant and Paolo Rossi, the respective President and Vice President of the club were very talented duellists. While Atticus felt that he was easily one of the best in his class, being the best in the entire club felt like a long shot. Nonetheless Atticus told himself that he would at least make it to the third round, given his dedication and talent.

"Well nonetheless, I'd like to participate. Maybe snag a Golden Wand title before leaving Hogwarts."

Rossi smirked as Atticus hinted towards his personal goal for the upcoming tournament.  The Golden Wand was probably the most prestigious award up for grabs, behind the title of champion of course but usually, not always, but usually the two walked hand in hand.  Paolo himself had won a couple of titles in the past, so golden wands weren’t new for him but there was always an extra incentive to strive to accumulate as many as possible.  He wanted to be the best and he wanted people to know that, the best way to prove your superiority over your competition was to beat them in a competitive environment. 

The young Gryfindor noted the light hearted way in which Atticus hinted at the ambitions he too harboured.  Paolo was having none of it, modesty didn’t suit Roark and if he thought he could get Rossi to lower his guard so he could swoop in and steal the top prize he was going to be sorely disappointed.  “Tournament begins this month, rosters full and sign-ups closed the other day but I’ll fiddle around with the numbers and get you in.  Don’t let me down; I want to see this new ideology of yours in action.  As for the Golden Wand, I’m making it a point of order not to even think about that until the later rounds.  I don’t need to handicap myself with the weight of expectation, I just want the magic to flow and surely I’ll do well, you would be wise to do the same.”

Paolo straightened his tie as he looked to change the subject away from the Duelling Competition and towards another event that was being talked about around school.  May was just around the corner and everyone knew that would mean the fourth task of the tetrawizard tournament.  So far, Paolo had declined to put his name into the goblet of fire, not through fear of the consequences, in fact he had been waiting for the final task.  If Hogwarts were to win, Paolo wanted to be the one to bring the trophy home.  The earlier champions had laid the groundwork, Rossi wanted to be the one to reel in the trophy.  Like himself, he knew that Atticus would likely be putting his name forwards.  “We will also have the Tetra Wizard tournament in May, I assume you’ll be putting yourself forwards for that also?  Hogwarts needs some leadership out there for the final task, someone who is willing to take the competition by the horns and drive it home.  If it can’t be me I would prefer it to be you over any of our other school mates.  You never know, if it is a task that requires more than one champion we could end up working together.”  The young boy began to stroke his cleanly shaven chin as his eyes locked upon Atticus's.

Tournament begins this month, rosters full and sign-ups closed the other day but I’ll fiddle around with the numbers and get you in.  Don’t let me down; I want to see this new ideology of yours in action.  As for the Golden Wand, I’m making it a point of order not to even think about that until the later rounds.  I don’t need to handicap myself with the weight of expectation, I just want the magic to flow and surely I’ll do well, you would be wise to do the same.”

Atticus smiled wryly, excited to find out he would be fit into the roster for the tournement. He'd intended to put his name forward sooner but he'd been busy with training and schoolwork had honestly forgotten. Atticus wasn't accustomed to forgetting things so when Paolo told him he'd find a way to get him into the tournement, he was very glad. He nodded in approval to Paolo's views on the Golden Wand - while he looked at it a little differently he saw enough sense in Paolo's words and respected him enough to give them creedence.

  “We will also have the Tetra Wizard tournament in May, I assume you’ll be putting yourself forwards for that also?  Hogwarts needs some leadership out there for the final task, someone who is willing to take the competition by the horns and drive it home.  If it can’t be me I would prefer it to be you over any of our other school mates.  You never know, if it is a task that requires more than one champion we could end up working together.”

Atticus shifted his weight at the change of conversation. Ah, the Tetrawizard tournement. Atticus had been following it passively and had indeed put his name in for the final task. He too, like Paolo, saw an opportunity to grab some glory and reel in the trophy for Hogwarts. "Ah, thank you sir. I can easily say would I be given the chance to hand-pick the champion, I'd go with you." He said confidently, realizing in that moment that there was no better option than Paolo (or himself) for the Hogwarts champion. He was sharp, a premier duellist (the president!), and certaintly capable of whatever ridiculous task was going to be thrown at them.

"I did indeed put my name forward. Can't let one of the foreign schools win now - we have a reputation to uphold." He said smiling as he placed his hands on his hips. "That is true - though the Ravenclaw in me wants to point out the odds that we would both be chosen should there be a need for multiple champions." He said, rubbing his chin. "That being said, it would be the best thing Hogwarts could hope for. Their best and brightest belong in this tournement." He added, struggling to hold back a laugh. He said it in jest but he felt it was true. The ability to duel well usually meant the wizard or witch in question was a quick thinker - and that was an absolute NEED in the tournement. Slow-thinkers were only good in think-thanks and classrooms. This was the real world.

"If that ends up being the case, I look forward to working with you Paolo." He said, extending his hand. It was rare for Atticus to shake hands outside business transactions, and even then it was more a formality than anything else.