The father and son assembled the cloth panels at the back of the stage, the sides, then the front. Harry wondered how he would see anything through the cloth. But when the last panel was up, all the cloth became transparent.
Harry smiled. The more he learned about magic, the more wonderful it was. Though most witches and wizards seemed to have a flair for drama.
"So, let's observe what happens. We'll go through this slowly so you can see and appreciate if you ever make it to a professional duel." The father and son took up positions on either end of the short stage. "The bow. The count. The beginning."
And they proceeded to exchange spells wordlessly and with non-standard wand motions, Harry noticed. It seemed fast, but he saw that both duelists were deliberate and cautious and weren't moving often nor standing completely still.
Harry tried to guess at what the spells were. Stunners and petrifying spells, surely. A disorientation spell. No fireballs, no lightning. No transfiguration, either.
The son ricocheted a spell off the enchanted barriers. The father smiled. They sped up and the spells flew more often and faster.
Harry could barely see the exchanges now.
The son flicked his wand about ten minutes after this demonstration started. The father stepped to the side a few inches, but some force wrenched his wand from his hand and the thin stick of wood flew through the air. The son caught the wand.
Everyone in the room applauded.
Both men bowed to each other, then the son began taking down the enchanted cloth.
The father stepped off the platform.
"That was a short one with the limited rules. No transfiguration. No explosive or blasting spells. It can become considerably more violent, if that's your interest. We chose not to risk damaging this room, which is quite beautiful. Other styles have other rules, of course."
Interesting, Harry thought.
"The different styles of dueling are well covered in the formal dueling codes and other volumes, so we'll skip past them. Perhaps I should tell you about spells to learn and practice? That is also covered in the standard references. I'm sure Hogwarts has copies, even if they are quite dusty and unused. I would rather talk about some things that are less well known."
Harry could see Hermione beaming in the front row. Both of her speakers had followed her instructions and seemed glad to have that brief to fulfill. 'Give away your secrets.'
"Remember how the duel ended? I leaned to one side, but my son had cast a complicated variant of the disarming spell. The beam of light was a distraction and the real spell which hit me was colorless. Yes, people can do this. Study your arithmancy well. It's not required to modify a spell, but it can help."
Harry was glad he was trying magic math, but he wasn't impressed by the first class of arithmancy. It was going to be a bore. Self-teaching again...
"So the first lesson in dueling or fighting or anything: don't get hit. Whether you have the speed and grace to move yourself – or something to duck behind. Magical shields are funny things. And spells can be modified to slip past them. I have a dozen variants of my favorite spells that will."
Hermione was taking notes now at a furious pace.
"The second lesson. The spells you learn from school and your spell books are an excellent place to start. But just because you learn a spell and get good with it doesn't mean you're done with it. Could it be better? Of course it could. If you're a farmer needing to pin down a predator preying on your hens, you'll find the petrifying spell rather poor against creatures, even non-magical ones. You'll need to pay a spell-crafter to change it for you – or learn to do it yourself. There are ten thousand situations where a spell isn't quite right for your needs, whether in a duel or in your daily work. So you'll need to adjust it. Magic is flexible, if you know how to make it flexible."
Harry thought all his effort with his adventuring spells was doing just that. He hadn't intended to adjust them – though perhaps he should – but his familiarity with them allowed him a wider range of applications. Now he would have to stick it out in arithmancy.
The son had finished taking down the shields. He closed the case and sat down on the platform to listen to his father.
"Don't get hit. Don't be pleased just knowing a spell. Work the spells you use until they're easier than breathing, better a spell like that than thirty you can barely pronounce. Modify spells to suit you better. These are my most important lessons and not ones I see emphasized in the dueling literature... I have many other lessons, but perhaps I might know what the students in this room would like to learn about."
.....
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