Fauna paused in her practicing to look at the dummy across the room from her. One of its button eyes was loose and its body stood crookedly instead of upright. She lowered her wand for a moment and sighed. Practicing Defense spells wasn’t making her feel any better. Her thoughts were too scattered to concentrate properly, and she found way too much in common with the battered, miserable-looking dummy than she cared to admit.

Every year she was used to stressing about exams, and every year she managed to pass her classes somehow. This year, however, she had more on her plate to worry her. Last weekend she’d managed to hurt two of her friends, perhaps three, with her actions. All at once certain people were noticing her and she didn’t know how to handle the attention the right way. It made her feel awful. She wished she could talk to someone, but everyone she’d normally seek out was mad at her.

Fauna shook her head and tried to concentrate again. She’d spent the last half hour in the empty room where the dueling supplies were stored, practicing combative spells on inanimate objects. Fauna had thought she might as well put her energy into something constructive, except she was too emotional to focus on what she was doing. It made her either want to kick something or sit down and cry.

Clenching her jaw, Fauna sent another blasting spell towards the dummy and then cringed as it missed its target, ricocheting across the room! It flew past her head, bounced off a piece of padded dueling armor, a stray tin helmet, the ceiling, and then finally hit an empty, dusty glass jar. The jar shattered instantly.

Fuming and determined not to cry, Fauna stalked over to the dummy and started kicking it. “Damn it! Damn it, damn it, damn it!”

She was rather absorbed in what she was doing and didn’t hear the door opening at first. When she finally took a break from her tantrum, a noise sounded behind her and she whirled around, wand at the ready.   

Vienna strolled down the fifth-floor hallway with a rather uncharacteristic smile plastered on her face. It was good to be happy again even if she didn’t know why. The exams were approaching yet she felt neither fear nor anxiety. She had been such a good girl this year. The midnight studying sessions certainly paid off along with the answer sheets Devlin Matthews procured for her. They had cost her a small fortune but well worth the price. Granted, it wasn’t the most honourable thing to do but Vienna was not above playing dirty should the right occasion arise.  The secret to success, or so she believed, was to achieve that perfect balance between naughty and nice, hard work and taking detours, knowing when to break the rules and when to play by them.

She was certainly getting there. A smug little smirk tugged at the corner of her red lips. As she continued further down the hall, she couldn’t help but overhear some very strange noises coming from the classroom by the corner. There was a loud clang, followed by a bang, and the sound of something fragile shattering into a million pieces. Vienna raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“Damn it! Damn it, damn it, damn it!”

The voice was distinctively female and frustrated. Curiosity mingled with glee made Vienna quite restless. Nothing could make this day better than to catch someone at their worst. She wrapped her fingers around the brass doorknob and turned the door slightly ajar. Vienna poked her head in and was greeted by the presence of one Fauna Blake who had a wand pointed straight at her face.

Now she was really happy.

Vienna would be lying if she said she liked the girl. Naturally, it wasn’t the sort of dislike she reserved for certain individuals, but it was dislike nonetheless. Her bumbling innocence never ceased to annoy Vienna and vice versa, she was sure the feelings were mutual and reciprocated. Vienna surveyed the shards of broken glass on the floor and smirked knowingly. Must she be so graceless too? She would have left Fauna alone if it wasn’t for the turn of events in recent weeks. Now that a certain Ravenclaw had taken an interest in the girl, she had suddenly become ‘gossip-worthy’.

Vienna’s eyes flashed mischievously as she stared down the end of Fauna’s wand, “Now now, if you really want to send a spell my way, you might want to readjust your aim a little to that direction.” She pointed towards the windows behind Fauna, “that way, maybe you could, you know, hit a beam, have it ricochet off the armour, smash another glass, and somehow knock me between the eyes.”

Fauna’s eyes narrowed. Vienna’s smug face was the last thing she wanted to see right now, especially since she looked so pleased to find Fauna in such an embarrassing situation. Vienna took in the state of the room and then looked back at the wand aimed at her. It didn’t seem to bother her in the slightest.

Vienna said something in her usual mocking tone of voice and pointed at the windows. Fauna glanced back at them, confused for a moment, until the insult sunk in. The grip on her wand tightened and she glared at the intruder, taking offense to everything from her cool tone of voice, her condescending manner, and even to her elegantly arched eyebrows.

“…and somehow knock me between the eyes.”

Don’t tempt me, Fauna thought, truly in an ugly mood. Her classmate’s superiority complex annoyed her on most days, but today, it was absolutely infuriating. On top of that Fauna often felt jealous of Vienna, who always seemed so polished and sophisticated.

“Oh, shut up,” Fauna sputtered, lowering her wand ever so slightly. Her face flushed bright red at the mess of the room, the misfired spell, and the kicking of the dummy. Vienna had seen it all.

“Unless you have something… he-helpful to say,” she continued in a low, shaky voice. “I need this room more… than you do. I have to practice.”

She paused and tried to turn her attention back to the dummy.

“Unlike some people who don’t have a care in the world, for whatever reason,” she muttered, throwing another glare at Vienna, who didn’t seem at all stressed by the final exams looming over them. Her voice sounded almost accusatory, though she didn’t realize it. Fauna wouldn’t have recognized the answer sheets circulating around the school if they’d flown up and bit her on the arse. She’d heard a rumor that a few lucky students had found an easy way out, but she didn’t know any details and was too afraid of getting caught to try and find out more.

“Oh, shut up.”

The girl flushed a most interesting shade of red and sputtered at her. Vienna was secretly relieved that Fauna lowered her wand somewhat. It was one thing mocking the girl’s aim, but Vienna was sure at close range, Fauna probably could knock her out with a spell if she really tried. The Hufflepuff wasn’t that much of a lost cause.

“Language, please,” Vienna pressed her hand to her heart in feigned shock and pretended to look scandalized, “I’ll have you know that my feelings are very fragile.”

“I need this room more… than you do. I have to practice.”

Hard work was an admirable trait. Vienna could respect that. She almost felt bad about mocking the girl for wanting to achieve something her natural talent would not permit her to achieve.

Almost.

Oh well. Guilt really wasn’t Vienna’s strong suit anyway. She drowned her conscience and walked inside. Fauna turned to face the dummy again and muttered something under her breath. The glare she threw at Vienna was almost acidic, “Unlike some people who don’t have a care in the world, for whatever reason.”

Vienna froze. Did she detect a hint of accusation in that subtle little blurb? She placed her hands on her hips and huffed in indignation, “What exactly are you suggesting, Miss Blake?”

 Cheating was a big no-no at Hogwarts. If the Headmaster found out about those answer sheets circulating around the school…Vienna shuddered. Expulsion was not an option. It would be all too humiliating and…humiliating, for lack of a better word. She paled at the very thought of Fauna Blake knowing her dirty little secret. Vienna surveyed the Hufflepuff warily. Surely the girl wouldn’t blackmail her…

Right?

Vienna suddenly felt very uneasy. “Look, I don’t know what you think you know, but,” she retorted defensively, perhaps a little bit too defensively. Her voice was cold and devoid of humour. “I study like everyone else.”

Fauna expected Vienna to be completely unaffected by her muttered comment, like she was with everything else Fauna said. It surprised her when Vienna put her hands on her hips and had a retort ready. Not only was it surprising, but satisfying to know she’d ruffled her feathers a bit.

A hint of a smug smile graced her lips as she turned away from the dummy and just looked at her. Vienna stared back, not amused. This went on for a few moments until Vienna spoke again, acting offended and maybe even a little defensive.

“Look, I don’t know what you think you know, but… I study like everyone else.”

“Really?” she said sarcastically. “Because… I don’t see you in the library. You don’t really seem to be working all that hard.” Harsh, but in Fauna’s opinion, it was true. “And yet, you pass all your classes so easily, with flying colors.”

Her eyes narrowed and she mimicked Vienna’s stance, though she kept her wand in one hand.

“How is that possible?” Years of struggling through school made her voice sound bitter and angry. Fauna honestly wanted to know how Vienna managed it all. She didn’t suspect her of cheating on exams, not yet, but she did consider that Vienna might be getting extra study help from someone who was entirely too generous. A few homework assignments here or there, or maybe even an essay, Fauna thought.

Fauna was tired of feeling like the dunce of the sixth year class. She was sick of believing that everyone else simply found the school work easier than she did, and so she wanted to look for any reason that Vienna wasn’t as cool and collected as she pretended to be. It made her own struggles easier to stomach. For the moment, it made her feel less miserable.

The shift of power dynamic was not at all to Vienna’s liking. A subconscious frown deepened along her brow. Why was she being scrutinized, by Fauna Blake too, of all people? Vienna backed away to a nearby table and sat down. She crossed her legs and clasped her hands together. She didn’t know how much the other girl knew, but if they were going to play a psychological game of hide-and-seek, she might as well be comfortable.

“Really? Because… I don’t see you in the library. You don’t really seem to be working all that hard. And yet, you pass all your classes so easily, with flying colors… How is that possible?”

Beneath all that sarcasm, Vienna could not decipher whether Fauna had any knowledge of the academic detours she had been taking this year to attain her Os. However, the bombardment of accusations certainly made her feel uneasy. The girl had a point. As much as she would like to think it was a combination of cunning and hard work that gave her the grades she had now, the former most definitely outweighed the latter by a landslide. It was dishonourable, lazy, and the fact that she wasn’t bothered by it at all bothered her immensely. People may think what they will, but Vienna was not without principles. Though of course, she would never go around admitting that. It was much easier masquerading as the unscrupulous Slytherin than whatever the alternative; at least she would be living up to people’s expectations.

“Natural talent, I suppose,” Vienna deflected the question with a careless shrug. And now, to fish out just much Fauna knew about her ‘study regimen’… She flashed the girl a coy smile, “Speaking of the library, I saw you there last week, with Devlin Matthews… You would think snogging him would come with some perks, no?”

From the corner of her eyes, Vienna watched Fauna very closely, ready to pick up the slightest reaction as her words sunk in.

Fauna rolled her eyes at Vienna’s “natural talent” comment. It was exactly the kind of thing Vienna would say, which made it all the more grating. Unlike Vienna, people like Waker had natural talent and strong work ethic, which was why Fauna always saw her studying and doing so well in classes. The sudden reminder of her friend, who might not ever forgive her, made her heart sink. And of course, what Vienna said next felt like the final stake in the heart.

Fauna’s fingers tightened on her wand when Vienna accused her of snogging Devlin Matthews. Her face paled and she automatically shook her head, denying it. If that’s what the whole school thought, than no wonder Waker still wasn’t talking to her! Fauna had to admit that she’d come very close to kissing him… twice… but it hadn’t actually happened.

Confusion flitted across her face as she thought about the strangeness of Vienna’s comment. She seemed to put more emphasis on the perks than the snogging, but Fauna didn’t know what she meant. Perhaps she was implying that snogging a cute boy would make Fauna marginally more popular. Yet, if it brought her this kind of negative attention, Fauna didn’t want it.

“I didn’t… nothing happened…” Fauna protested.

The silence stretched on as Fauna considered another possibility. She remembered Waker telling her that she’d caught Devlin doing homework for someone, and though Waker hated Devlin, she seemed so certain he was up to no good. Then again, Fauna had seen Devlin tutor a first year with her own eyes, which was proof that he wasn’t the type to help students cheat. He didn’t seem to care much about school anyway. Fauna couldn’t claim that she knew him very well, but he’d also been nothing but kind to her lately.

Still… what if Waker was right?

“What do you mean by perks?” She asked carefully, trying to act as unruffled as Vienna. The tense, awkward way she stood and the way she clutched her wand betrayed her feelings, however.

Fauna hated putting the power back into Vienna’s claws. The only thing holding her back from lashing out at the girl with a spell (or two) was the need to know what Vienna meant.

Of course, she would deny snogging Devlin Matthews, Vienna smiled dryly. The denial also confirmed her theory that Fauna was in fact quite clueless to the less-than-honest ventures of Hogwarts’ underground. Vienna almost laughed inwardly to herself. And to think just moments before, she had been afraid.

“What do you mean by perks?”

She was certainly pushing the right buttons, but was it wise to do so while her peer was armed? The tense grip Fauna exercised on her wand did not escape Vienna’s notice. Granted, she wasn’t afraid to engage Fauna in a duel, but why bother with brute force when words along could push the girl over the edge. Vienna carefully took out her own wand and twirled it between her fingers. She smiled thinly as if to remind Fauna that any impulsiveness on her part would not be without repercussions. She hoped it would be enough to dissuade the Hufflepuff from even mildly considering blasting a hole between her eyes.

“So, what were you saying again?” Vienna looked up at the ceiling and pretended to have momentarily forgotten Fauna’s question, “Oh yes, the perks…” A devilish glint lit up her eyes, “Well, I’m not sure if this even concerns you seeing that you’re not snogging him. But, I’ll let you in on a little secret.”

Vienna had no intention of divulging the actual truth, especially one with less-than-positive implications. However, goading Fauna Blake was just too fun to resist.

“To begin with,” Vienna continued, “there is the daily hate mail from whatshername McFloozy, you know, that creepy 3rd Year Gryffindor who heads the I Love Devlin Matthews fan club. Your name also goes on this shiny plaque and you may or may not receive a medal for snogging him. Personally, I wouldn’t know. Oh, and yes, you get a fifty-percent discount at Trolls-R-Us every Monday. Beautiful, isn’t it?”

Her sarcasm lingered in the air for a good minute before she turned deadly serious again. She wagged her fingers disapprovingly at Fauna, “Quid pro quo, I’m not going to tell you anything worthwhile if you insist on denying me the same. There is something between you and Devlin and I intend to find out. So, let there be no secrets between us. Hmm?"

Fauna’s eyes strayed to where Vienna twirled her wand, instantly understanding the message. Her expression became even less amused. She already knew Vienna was probably a better duelist than she was! Fauna’s biggest problem in Defense Against the Dark Arts was her lack of confidence and unwillingness to act instead of react.  She’d never really dueled anyone in her life and only hung on by a thread in the class because her grandfather had thought it was important. Fauna thought that knowing how to defend herself was important too. Sometimes, however, she wondered if her time couldn’t be better spent elsewhere. Depending on how poorly she did in the final exam, the choice might be made for her at the end of the school year.

Frustration boiled up inside her as she handed over the reins to Vienna and allowed her to make her life miserable once again. The slight unease she’d caused Vienna to feel was gone, replaced with her usual confidence and poise. Fauna's shoulders sagged and she glanced at the floor to hide the anger in her eyes. Vienna wasn’t going to let her in on a secret. This was just the part where she insulted her.

She listened to it, finding no humor in the witty comments about McFloozy and Trolls-R-Us. Fauna had no chance in winning any kind of verbal war, so she kept quiet. She glanced up as the teasing faded from Vienna’s tone and turned more businesslike. Ah, she hoped to discover something scandalous. Fauna’s jaw tightened. Telling her the full story would only give her more reason to laugh at her, and Fauna was determined not to give anything away.

“For the last time…” she said in a low voice, her breath hitching on the last word. “I did not snog him. He’s just a friend. He doesn’t even see me that way…” she trailed off, perhaps saying too much.

“I am tired,” she glared at her, so worked up she couldn’t even get her thoughts straight. “…of your… your attitude and your little comments. I don’t care about wh-what you think you might know!” The fact was, Fauna did want to know what Vienna was hiding, but not enough to stand being insulted again.

Her wand-hand twitched involuntarily. She might not have a decent comeback, but she did have something else at her disposal.

“Confringo!”

She pointed her wand at a pair of wrist guards laying on a shelf, just a foot away from Vienna’s head. They broke apart with a loud crack.

“I missed on purpose… Now get out, I mean it.”

Fauna sounded very serious indeed, but she glanced at the door, worried for a second that someone heard the noise. She also had a bad feeling that Vienna wouldn’t leave without getting the last word… or spell... in edgewise.

“For the last time… I did not snog him. He’s just a friend. He doesn’t even see me that way…”

“Do I detect a hint of bitterness in there?” Vienna teased with a bemused smirk. She did her best to maintain cool and control though she was dreadfully vexed inside. It was useless prying, Vienna fumed. The girl seemed absolutely determined to upset her attempts at gossip-mongering. Vienna supposed (albeit grudgingly) that Fauna’s reaction wasn’t wholly unreasonable. If the situation was reversed, her lips would be sealed too. Although silence was golden in situations like these, Vienna was nonetheless annoyed that Fauna knew this too. She would have to fish out the scandal some other way.

“I am tired…of your… your attitude and your little comments. I don’t care about wh-what you think you might know!”

Vienna listened half-heartedly as Fauna blubbered on. She drummed her fingers impatiently against the table all the while thinking, what a liar, she obviously cares or she wouldn’t have asked. Vienna looked away briefly into the bright lights outside and sighed. It was so insulting when people belittle her intelligence by spitting out such blatant lies. She did not notice when Fauna raised her wand.

“Confringo!”

Vienna gave a startled little jump as Fauna’s spell hit the wrist guards overhead. She looked up at the shelves and back at Fauna with raised eyebrows. Alright, she was definitely not expecting that.

“I missed on purpose… Now get out, I mean it.”

Sadly enough, her first thought did little justice to the surprising turn of events. She broke the wrist guards, Vienna frowned, does that count as vandalism?

Her second revelation was a wee bit more to the point.

Oh dear. Fauna Blake just threatened me.

There was no backing out now. It would be damning to her reputation if she allowed the silly Hufflepuff to get away with it. Her hard green eyes flashed dangerously. She would not bow to such pathetic intimidation tactics. Vienna uncrossed her legs and lowered herself back on the ground. She sneered and raised her wand, “I find that hard to believe. You really got to work on your aim, dear.”

For what seemed like an eternity, her calculating eyes surveyed the other girl with predatory hunger. As tempting as payback was, Vienna realized there was a much more practical way to deal with Fauna. It was time to up the ante. She lowered her wand slightly and relaxed her sneer into a cold smile. 

“Since I’m such a spell magnet today, and you’re so keen to oblige me, I propose…a duel,” she looked straight into Fauna’s eyes, “First person knocked off their feet loses. If I win, you’ll have to tell me what I want to know. And if I lose,” Vienna shuddered at the possibility, “You can ask me any question and I’ll answer it to the best of my ability.”

“You won't say no to this,” Vienna tossed her hair back and flashed Fauna a provoking smirk, "It's the only way to find out the truth and I know you want to know. Am I right?"

Vienna’s eyes flashed and for a moment Fauna wondered what the hell she was doing, challenging her like this. Anger overwhelmed her hesitancy, however, so she kept her wand raised slightly and waited for retaliation. She expected the verbal barb about her aim and clenched her teeth. Just when she thought Vienna would use her wand to sling something vicious at her, the girl seemed to relax slightly. Then she smiled. That was the scariest part.

A duel? There had to be a catch. Fauna automatically shook her head, suspicious, but let her continue talking. The first person knocked off her feet would win...

Fauna weighed her options. If she lost, Vienna would know what really happened with Devlin the night that Waker caught them out after curfew. That wasn’t something she wanted to spread around the school. It was humiliating for her because she felt like she'd betrayed a friend, even though she hadn't technically done anything wrong. This alone made her consider turning around and walking out now, letting Vienna be the victor by default.

And yet, if she won...

If she won, she’d get to ask her anything. Fauna had a good idea that there was more to the “perks” than Vienna let on. She’d have to give Fauna a straight answer for once! Fauna was tired of being played for the fool by people like Vienna, who seemed to know so much about the inner workings of Hogwarts.

“Fine,” Fauna finally said, smiling slightly. The smile wasn’t nearly as cold as Vienna’s, more nervous than frightening, but inside she was a jumble of nerves, anger, and determination. It was a potentially deadly combination- for her or for Vienna, that remained to be seen!

“On the count of three…” she said, checking her surroundings for a moment so she didn’t trip over some armor and ruin the whole thing.

“One…” Her fingers tightened on her wand. A part of her hoped that someone would come bursting in and stop this, but another part- the stronger part, wanted to win.

“Two…” Her eyes darted towards the door, thinking she heard footsteps. Then she locked gazes with Vienna. No more distractions.

“…Three!  Accido!” Fauna aimed her wand at her opponent and fired the spell off as quickly as she could. Oh, how ironic it would be if the proud and vain Vienna was foiled by a simple trip jinx. Fauna knew this spell all too well. It had been used against her for years by students who thought she didn’t trip enough on her own!

Fine?

That was it?

Vienna’s smile faded slightly in disappointment. She had hoped Fauna would waver a little in resolution. Instead, aside from her ambiguous smile, the girl betrayed no obvious signs of fear or weakness. For the first time since she issued the challenge, Vienna felt unsure about the outcome. Along with these second thoughts, the implications of losing finally hit her like the backside of an obese Mountain Troll.

Ugh! If she finds out, she’s going to confront Devlin. And if there’s really something going on between the two, he’ll kill me for blabbing my mouth off. Then, I’ll actually have to study for the exams because he won’t sell me any more answers and Merlin forbids I should do that. Good gracious Vienna, you’re more screwed than a blast-ended skank!

The consequences were discomforting but Vienna would not allow herself to be discouraged. It was imperative that she should emerge as the winner because losing was not an option. She was risking a lot for notes on a scandal but like the old saying goes, “nothing ventured, nothing gained.” Vienna dispelled her misgivings by reassuring herself that the odds were in her favour. She was a member of the Duelling Club for Merlin’s sake, she could take on Fauna Blake.

Vienna stared back at Fauna with all the haughty arrogance she could muster. Her knuckles turned white as she tightened her grip on the wand. The fleeting glance Fauna casted at the door boosted her confidence. She would not lose to the girl, not now, not today, not ever.

“On the count of three…”

Vienna raised her wand and prepared herself.

“One…”

She squared her shoulders and took in a deep breath.

“Two…”

Their eyes locked and Vienna smirked.

“Three! Accidio!”

A Tripping Jinx. Oh, how clever. Vienna was not amused.  Fauna beat her by sending out the first spell and Vienna was forced to make a defensive play, “Protego!” The magical shield she casted easily deflected Fauna’s jinx.   Vienna aimed her wand at Fauna’s knees and regrouped. The Leg-Locker Curse was already on the tip of her tongue, “Locomotor Mortis!”

She waved her wand with a decisive flourish. With any luck, Fauna would topple over like a domino.

Curses ran through Fauna’s head, but not the magical kind. Vienna quickly conjured a shield and then sent back a spell of her own- the locomotor mortis jinx. Luckily, Fauna recognized the spell before the ‘mortis’ left Vienna’s mouth, so she leaped out of the way!- and crashed into a cabinet. Not graceful. Not graceful at all. Wobbling a bit, Fauna clutched the cabinet and moved behind it in case Vienna had another spell up her sleeve. It was her own version of Protego, apparently. There were so many odds and ends in this classroom that something had to be useful. Vienna didn’t say she had to beat her purely with magic.

As she tried to think of something else to throw at her opponent, a low moan sounded from the wooden container and Fauna startled, backing away from it slightly. What was in there? She just now noticed chains wrapped tightly around the outside. The cabinet started rattling.

Trying very hard not to be distracted by this, Fauna stepped farther away from the cabinet and hurled another spell at Vienna as soon as she spotted her.

“Petrificus Totalus!”

If it worked, Vienna would topple over completely. If it didn’t, Fauna had better be prepared to dive behind another piece of furniture!

Ava was on her way back from the arithmancy classroom on the sixth floor. She had left a book up there the previous week, and had just realised in the common room that she needed it to do work from - a two foot parchment on the importance of the life number throughout history. Her nose turned up just at thought of having to actually sit down and trudge through the essay. What an awful piece of work to have to do so close to the end of term. Still, at least the summer would remain free for...well, hanging out with friends? Her mother would be too busy socialising to take notice of her mopey daughter, and her father wouldn't be in the house at all...not that he would know who she was if he was in the house. He would probably think she was 'house help', and query as to why she didn't look much like a house-elf. Although he would then follow that up with something about her being almost as ugly as a house-elf, just not the right height or stature, and with smaller ears. Wow - what a consolation.

Ava shook her head as she lugged the large, leather-bound and moth-eaten book down the stairs from the sixth floor. Everything was quiet inside the castle, as all of the students were basking in the early summer sun in their spare time. No such luck for Ava, as the slight breeze tended to annoy the hell out of her, constantly flipping the pages of various books so that she lost her place, and making the edges of the parchment curl over unless something was holding them in place. Much as though she was quite comfortable sitting on the floor and hunching over parchment [not good for her posture], she didn't like not having anything sturdy, flat and smooth to put her parchment on whilst writing.

Her shoes clopped down the stairs and echoed all around her. It was peaceful, there were no first years coming and making loads of racket while she was trying to work, and for that she was thankful. Ava stopped in her tracks, her eyes widened. She had just been about to step onto the fifth floor landing and proceed down the next set of stairs, when she heard an almighty crash. She looked at her shoes. Surely it wasn't the sound of her own feet making all that noise? Sure, they were big feet, but not that big. She cocked her head to the side slighty, as she studied the underside of her right shoe. Then she heard another loud noise coming from further down the fifth floor corridor. Nope, definitely not her shoes. for that she was thankful, but she wasn't entirely sure whether she wanted to investigate the source of the noise.

She took a deep breath and started to tip-toe as quietly as she could along the corridor. Not that it made any difference - whatever was making the noise in there certainly couldn't hear her mouse steps. She stopped at a suit of armour part way along and looked at it with furrowed brows. Yes, it would do. She lifted one of its clanking metal arms as quietly as sh could, tucked the leather-bound book underneath the crease of what would have been it's pit, then lowered it's arm again, making sure the book was stowed carefully in place. Ava took two steps back and admired her handy-work with a slight smile. That would keep it safe while she investigated. And curse the person who dared to try and move it. She nodded resolutely, drew her wand, then slowly made her way closer to where the noise was coming from.

Once outside the door, she heard muffled voices inside. A couple of students having a scuffle, by the sounds of things. Oh, how exciting! Ava had difficulty stopping herself from exhaling with excitement at the prospect of bursting in on two students duelling. It was probably that McFloozy girl and Devlin Matthews' current conquest battling it out - McFloozy was gathering quite a reputation for firing spells at random girls who she suspected to like Devlin. It was becoming quite the joke. She was verging on being a stalker, and Ava - along with most of the school population, professors included - found it hilarious.

Ava geared herself up ready to tell the McFloozy to lower her wand, before Ava herself frazzled the girls eyelashes off so she could do no more batting. She put her hand on the handle and turned it, letting the door swing open wide and fast with a look of smug satisfaction nestling comfortably on her face. She sighed happily and her eyes were closed dreamily. "Come on now, girls, break it up. Is he really-"

“Petrificus Totalus!”

Hold on a moment! Ava's eyes shot open as she recognised that voice. Her head snapped in the direction of where fauna Blake was stood behind a wooden box covered in chains, which was currently shaking violently, as though there was an animal waiting to be set free. Ava's jaw dropped. "Fauna?" She asked in disbelief. Fauna had her wand held out, and had what could be percieved to be the most ferocious expression on her face that Ava could have ever imagined her to summon - more, in fact! But the real surprise came when she let her head follow the aim of her wand. "Vienna?" Ava hissed. What the hell were they doing? This wasn't just two classmates trying to help eachother get better at dueling - this was pure anarchy. All hell had broken loose, and its fires were lapping around this very room. Did Fauna know what she was doing? Vienna was a very good duelist.

Ava stepped back slightly, not sure whether she was actually seeing things correctly. She rubbed her eyes and loked back up, blinking through the blurred vision. But as it settled, once again she saw Fauna and Vienna really giving a go at it, like wild cats on the African Savannah fighting for food. "Hey!" Ava shouted, althoug she wasn't sure whether it was going to carry over all of the noise being made. She wasn't even sure if the girls had noticed she was there.

Vienna scowled as Fauna leapt away. Her spell deflected off the wall and fizzled into red sparks. In a rare moment of annoyance and amusement, she felt her lips quiver into a scowling half-smile as Fauna crash landed into a cabinet. In a move Vienna dubbed as highly unorthodox and thoroughly defiling to the noble art of duelling, Fauna ducked behind the cabinet and disappeared from view.

“You can’t be serious!” Vienna scoffed and threw up her hands in dismay. She stepped sideways in search of a better angle but found none. This was just depressing. Vienna shook her head and raised her wand. She was just about the blast her way through the piece of lousy furniture when someone flung the door open. Vienna stole a quick glance at the intruder. In the entranceway stood one Ava Grosvenor, eyes shut and smiling rather smugly.

She would have paused to say hello but Fauna took this opportune moment to send a body-bind spell her way. Vienna decided it was time to show her just how a real duellist deflects a spell.  Resourceful as always, she pointed her wand at the dummy which Fauna had been using earlier for practice and summoned it towards her.

“Accio dummy!”

The dummy flew across the room and took the full brunt of Fauna’s spell. Its polyester limbs stiffened and locked together. The force of the spell smashed the poor thing against the wall and it fell onto the ground in a painful heap. Ava’s indignant exclamations of dismay were drowned out by the dummy’s nonsensical mutterings.

“Trajectory of spell, north-east twenty-five degrees. Force, maximum. Intensity of pain inflicted, Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow…”   

Vienna did not wait for the dummy to finish its report. As Fauna stepped away from the cabinet, she aimed another spell at the girl’s wobbling figure.

“Expelliarmus!”

A jet of blue light sailed towards Fauna. Vienna took the moment to address Ava but kept her steely gaze trained on her opponent, “I can explain. Later. When she’s finished off—”