Ebele stood in the room listening as the champion challenge instructions were issued out. She wanted to cheer her school on and did not want to miss anything. Instead of running to her room for a pillow to sit on, she folded up her thick jacket and placed it on her seat. "You can do it River and Zala!!" She called out to the two girls as they presumably discussed what they were about to do.

I have a question about this task, do we make one post including both champions working together or we would make individual posts of the champions working together?

one post with both working together please!

Alright thank you! ^_^

[spoiler=Theresa and Lenore - Hogwarts Duel]

[img align=left]https://i.imgur.com/zDbNYa8.png[/img][img align=right]https://sapi.subeta.net/shared/305320.png[/img]As the heads of the schools announced the specifics of the second task, the two champions from Hogwarts listened. Though their reactions differed, their thoughts were the same: Teamwork was not going to be fun. Terry rolled her eyes while Lenore narrowed hers. Both of them sighed.

The girls looked across the clearing and spotted one another but it was Lenore who took the plunge and moved first. As she walked toward her fellow champion, she wondered whether she could just stun the girl and get on with the duel on her own.

“Probably wouldn’t be allowed.” she said under her breath. “Shame.”

Terry, who had been spared the ordeal of actually approaching her teammate, waited where she was and worked through her own thoughts. Where is my luck? I thought challenges were an individual thing? She hated the idea of being forced to deal with another person, especially one that she didn’t know properly. What were her strengths? Her weaknesses? She saw that the girl was getting close and wondered what annoying thing she would say when she got there.

“What are your best and worst points?” Lenore asked matter-of-factly and without preamble.

Terry’s expression didn’t change but the light that flashed in her eyes spoke to her irritation. As expected, this blonde girl (What was her name? Leonore? Lenore?) had said something to instantly annoy her.

“I wanted to ask you exactly the same,” Terry snapped. “I don’t want you dragging me down on the task, so we had better win because I don’t like losing.” After a sigh she added, a bit more composedly, “My strength in dueling is defense but I’m also good at attacks. My specialty is the lasso spell which will leave my opponent hanging upside down, tied up by a magical rope. It’s hilarious and genius. Now you tell me yours.”

Lenore was slightly taken aback at the comment “…don’t want you dragging me down…” but as Terry went on to explain her strengths she forgot about the rudeness. The lasso spell that Terry had mentioned was fairly advanced and dead useful. And the girl obviously wasn’t one to waste time on formality which was just fine with Lenore. Practicality was more important right now. Practicality and winning.

“I take the offensive whenever possible. I hit hard and watch for weaknesses which can be exploited. Everyone has them so don’t miss an opportunity to let your enemy’s shortcomings do the work for you.” Lenore realized that she had just quoted her father word-for-word. This made her feel both scared and a bit proud at the same time, though she didn’t let either of those emotions show. Instead she allowed her eyes to move up and down, looking over Terry thoughtfully, as though assessing a painting or a new piece of furniture before buying. What she saw didn’t impress her. The girl had a mass of purple hair and glasses that made her look anything but threatening. Not seeming to notice or care that she was being silently appraised, Terry continued the conversation.

“Observation is a great quality and very useful. I don’t normally attack fiercely at first so I can take the time to learn my opponent’s vulnerability. Of course, some people are harder to read than others and we don’t want to underestimate anyone. If we do, it can be our ruin which is why I prefer to go slower on duels.” She paused. “But I suppose each has their own technique.” She said this last part slowly, obviously not impressed with Lenore’s ‘hit hard and fast’ style. After a moment, she added. “Somehow we have to make this work. I’m not a fan of team play, I admit, but since we have to do it, it’s better if we make an effort.”

“I agree with that last part wholeheartedly.” Lenore said. She pursed her lips and resumed her appraisal of the other Hogwarts champion. “Can you make a decent shield?”

“Excuse me?” Terry raised her right brow. Being asked if she could make a decent shield, as if her capability was even a question, had insulted her. “I said my strength was defense and shields are one of my specialties. Now, can YOU make a decent shield? Actually, don’t answer that. I’ll just duel you now and find out.” she smirked. “Oh wait, we can’t now. You have to be in one piece when the task starts.”

Lenore just stared for a moment after Terry’s little outburst. She had asked a question, she hadn’t meant to offend the girl. She noted mentally that she would need to be careful not to set Terry off. Fortunately, Lenore wasn’t quick tempered and could keep a cool head.

“Just wanted to be sure of what I was getting into.” Lenore said calmly. She completely ignored the question about the shield charm and shrugged off the threat. “And we don’t have time for a practice duel anyway.”

Terry regained her composure with a rapidity that surprised Lenore.

“You’ve probably figured it out by now but we can’t exactly learn teamwork in a half hour.” Terry said. “I think we should just pick one opponent each and defeat them as quickly as possible because we have more probabilities that way than trying teamwork without practice.”

Lenore nodded her agreement. “You’re right. If we’re both better at working alone then it makes sense to do it that way.” She thought for a moment and then added, “I’ll take out the defense. If you’re specialty is defending, I want-… sorry, you may want to take on the aggressor.” she finished, hoping not to offend the girl again.

It was Terry’s turn to nod. They finally had something planned, even if it wasn’t much.

“Very well, let’s hope the two we have to fight are a good match for us. Wouldn’t want this to be boring.” She paused and then said more quietly but without a trace of embarrassment, “I’m sorry if I was a bit too harsh. I tend to get irritated easily and working out of my comfort zone doesn’t help either.” With a calm expression she extended her hand. “Let’s do this, Hogwarts depends on us.”

Lenore took the girl’s hand and smiled. “Then let’s give them a good show.”

Lenore and Terry parted ways. There was still a bit of time left before the duel started so Lenore began to mentally prepare herself. She needed to get into the right state of mind if she was to function properly. The first thing that she needed was to get into the right outfit. Clothing always changed her mood and her standard school uniform just wasn't doing anything to make her feel like a champion. She raised her wand and summoned a few items from her dormitory. It took them a few minutes to make their way down to the clearing but when they did, they flew neatly stacked into her arms. Among them were a green cape, gloves, and over-the-knee boots. Taking the lot, Lenore ducked behind some nearby trees and cast a disillusionment charm on herself. The warm, trickling sensation that began at her head and made its way down her body told her that she would be safe from prying eyes. Quickly she changed into her new outfit, causing her school robes to disappear with a flick of her wand. She then took the charm off of herself, and stepped out of the cover of the trees. 

Newly clothed and starting to settle into the idea of the upcoming challenge, Lenore looked around at the crowd. The excitement over this task was higher than for the first by a long shot. Dueling was much for fun to watch than potion brewing and every student here knew it. There were already banners waving over the crowds, cheering on the champions from various schools. In addition to the Hogwarts crest, there were several smaller ones heralding both Slytherin and Ravenclaw houses in honor of the two champions. Lenore smiled and was glad that she was separated from the main of the student body. Being part of that large, noisy crowd would have driven her mad. 

A little ways off, Terry was doing some preparation of her own. She was not someone to get nervous when it came to tasks. She felt confident enough that she would succeed. This task in particular, however, she was certainly not at peace with due simply to the partnership aspect. To calm herself she didn’t think of family or friends. That wasn’t part of her personality. Instead, she revisited in her mind all of the spells, charms, and defensive magic that she knew. It was not as though she was likely to forget any of it under pressure but it helped all the same.

This review didn’t cover anywhere near all that she knew, there simply wasn’t enough time for that. She did feel more relaxed however and turned her attention to where the three dueling areas had been set up. Once she spotted Appoline Persnickety, she knew where the Hogwarts duel would be. The headmistress was standing serenely in front of the center arena, chatting with a few fellow staff members.

Terry saw that the champions from the other two schools were beginning to move toward their own areas, where their own headmaster or headmistress was standing sentinel. The idea of being trapped inside one of those arenas didn’t seem appealing to her yet those were the rules of the task. She thought again of how much calmer she would be if the task had been an individual one, but for some evil reason the judges had decided to test teamwork. How cute. she thought with sarcasm.

Lenore stepped up beside her teammate and looked at the area before them. It was almost time. She pulled a couple of chocolate cauldrons from her pocket and popped one into her mouth. She bit into it and felt the fire whiskey pool out, sending a warm sensation down her throat. She grinned.

As if as one, the two girls stepped up to their platform and through the barrier, which wavered slightly as their bodies touched it. Terry shuddered a bit and Lenore’s eyes widened. It felt a lot like stepping through cool water and neither girl would have been surprised to come out the other side wet. They found themselves completely dry however and stepped into the center of the platform.

“One more minute until our opponents arrive.” Terry informed Lenore without knowing if she cared for the information or not. Probably she already knew. Lenore just tossed her a chocolate cauldron in response. Terry caught it and wasn’t sure what she wanted to do with it. It was easiest just to eat it so she put it in her mouth and chewed. It wasn’t bad.

“Thanks, that will fire me up a bit.” she said. “Though it’s water that I could really use…oh, I know.” She used her wand to conjure water with the Aguamenti spell, catching it neatly in a glass which appeared in midair. She offered some to Lenore who just shook her head and then they both waited for the duel to start.

They didn’t have to wait long. Thirty minutes exactly after the announcement of the second task, their opponents entered the sealed space. They were two men, both adults and both fairly young. But that’s where their similarities ended. One of them, who looked to be roughly thirty, was rather short and had large glasses that hid a slightly pompous expression that instantly made Lenore wince. Terry, on the other hand, took little outward notice of him; her eyes were fixed on the second man who appeared to be in his early twenties. He was tall with hair that was spiked up artfully, a sleeveless shirt of mostly pink that showed off his toned arms, and a confident grin.

“Greetings ladies, my name is Milo and I will be one of your opponents.” the second man introduced himself. “Good luck beating me. With his last words he curtsied and smirked.

The older man simply gave a small stiff bow and said, “Samuel. It’s a pleasure.”

Lenore didn’t even hear Samuel introduce himself. The moment that Milo had begun to speak she had forgotten about the older man entirely. Her heart had skipped a beat and she had felt a subtle warmth creep up in her pale cheeks. He was gorgeous. As he finished with his little curtsy, what had been warmth in her cheeks became full flames and she had had to squeeze her eyes shut tightly. She took a deep breath, the first she had taken since Milo had stepped into the area, and she mentally chided herself. Get it together, Lenore! You are not going to lose this to a pretty face.

Terry’s reaction to Milo was equally as strong but in the exact opposite of directions. She found the man annoying instantly. It irked her when he had said ’good luck beating me’ as if he were unbeatable, and no one was unbeatable.

“Good luck to you too.” Terry responded, looking directly at Milo with a bland expression on her face and a slow bow. Milo took her lack of expression for nervousness but in truth, this was just her natural state. Without even a glance at what she was doing, Terry raised her wand and cast a silencing charm over the area. That would help both girls to be less distracted.

Samuel had been momentarily forgotten, outshone by his more flamboyant partner. But then the whistle blew and there was no more forgetting. All four duelist sprang into action.

Both girls knew the details of the task. One opponent would be the aggressor and one would be defense. Unfortunately, they hadn’t been able to figure out which one was which before the duel started and therefore couldn’t guarantee that they were each fighting their chosen type.

At this first juncture, luck was in their favor. Terry had instinctively faced Milo the second the whistle sounded, just for the chance to wipe the silly grin off his face, and he had responded with a volley of offensive spells. She countered them quickly. This was the one she wanted. Her first attack was a simple disarming spell which he easily dodged.

“Best you can do?” Milo smirked. “I fear for you then - that was very pathetic.” He attacked again, making Terry take the defensive. She decided to let him go ahead and play while she observed his moves and tendencies, as well as got a feel for his strength.

“Aren’t you going to try to beat me?” He asked in response to her lack of attack. “This is getting boring, I may start playing hard if you don’t get out of your comfort zone.”

“You talk too much boy.” Terry said simply, with her usual emotionless face, but she sent out an attack so fast and unexpected that he had to jump in order to doge it.

“Now you’re getting serious.” Milo laughed. “Come at me girly - don’t waste my time.” He attacked more fiercely, sending spell after spell at high speed but Terry dodged each one - even when she had to fall to the ground to do so - and even managed to attack once or twice between defenses. Still, she was making no real progress. Milo was stronger than he looked which just irritated her more. And he still wouldn’t shut up.

“Do you ever change your expression, girlie? Give me a smile. Hey, even a growl would do.” He winked.

“Silence.” Terry said, still without emotion. “Look it up in the dictionary. Would do you good to learn the meaning.”

“Dueling 101. It would do you good to learn the tactics.” Milo responded with another of his smirks. He couldn’t read the girl but was pretty sure she was pissed. He rained down an avalanche of spells over Terry and even shot a few toward Lenore but Terry covered her quickly since she was focused on glasses guy.

“Not so bad for a little girl.” Milo commented.

On the other side of the arena, Lenore was busy with Samuel. She had been a moment late in starting as she had still been trying to get Milo out of her head. When the whistle had sounded, she had raised her wand to cast a silencing charm, only to find that Terry had already done it. She had been grateful for the quiet and even more grateful that Terry had chosen to fight Milo, not only because he had turned out to be the aggressor but also because she would be less distracted by him. Now she turned her attention to the guy with the glasses.

She put up a barrier in front of herself and shot out a couple of hexes over the top. She hit first with the furnunculus curse and followed right after with the blinding hex. Her opponent countered then effortlessly and then sent out a counter-curse to shield his partner from whatever Terry had thrown at him.

“You’re quicker than you look.” Lenore said as she sent of

[spoiler=Ilvermorny Duel starring Bran and Corvus and featuring surprise Guest Stars!]After the headmasters had announced the second task, Corvus and Brandon turned towards each other.

“Now that’s going to be interesting,” Corvus stated amused. He took the red oak wand out of his pocket and stroked a hand lightly over the smooth wooden surface. A duel was something he really loved and the wand that had chosen him years before made a very fine dueling wand due to the type of wood. Both were truly a perfect match. He knew that Brandon was ambitious as well and a fine duelist, too.

“I hope we don’t have to feel sorry for our opponents,” Bran replied with a grin and Corvus laughed. “Because I don’t plan to,” the blond boy stated. “We’re going to win this.”

“I’d say that you need to go for the offensive spells,” Corvus chuckled. “I tend to over think things...not like a certain Thunderbird student. No offense.” He made a few sparkles with the wand in his hands to test the functionality.

“None taken,” Bran replied amused, “I was just about to suggest the same thing…but I might have worded it slightly different.”

Corvus laughed at this.

Just moments later, an American witch with tanned skin arrived in front of the boys and smiled. “Hello, my name is Derivia Barnett,” she introduced herself. “I’m here for the weighing of the wands. It is my job to make sure they function correctly,” she said. “I’m so excited. I’ve been making wands for a while but it’s an honour to be invited to the Tri-wizard tournament. Shall we begin?”

Before either boy could respond, Mrs. Barnett took the wand out of Bran’s hands and twirled it between her fingers carefully. It emitted numerous small blue and green clouds. She eyed it carefully and stroked a finger over the wooden surface.

“Well well,” she said, “rowan wood…very protective and never known to be in the hands of a dark witch or wizard. A fine wand for dueling, especially for defensive spells, and yet it is enhanced by the dragon heartstring core making it almost a contradiction of itself as the core is more powerful and easier to turn to darker magic. However, I feel this wand to be in perfect condition and in tune with you.” She regarded Bran a moment before giving his wand another slight flick. “Yes…slightly yielding as well...this wand is in perfect condition and capable of great things. Use it well.” With a smile of delight, she gave the wand back to Bran.

“I checked the wands of your opponents yesterday evening and it is certainly interesting to get to know you by your wands.” Mrs. Barnett said with a chuckle as she held out her hand for Corvus’ wand as the young man had tucked his into his sleeve after seeing the way Bran’s wand had been pulled from his hand.

Corvus reluctantly handed her his wand with a slight frown and a serious expression. He didn’t like to be analyzed, especially not by strangers.

“Oh!” she exclaimed, “now this is strange. You live in America, but your wand is made by Ollivander.”

Corvus nodded. “My family is originally Scottish. It was an indisputable condition that my wand would come from the greatest wandmaker in the UK,” he explained. The comment made Mrs. Barnett look at him with a slight pout, but she didn’t comment further about how, where, or why Corvus had acquired his wand.

“Now...what do we have here…” the witch murmured as she began examining the wand, “Red Oak. A perfect dueling wand suited to those who are quick-witted and adaptable, able to think on their feet and reaction swiftly.” She looked at the boys. “You two will surely make a great duo in any duel.” She waved the red oak wand and a few sparks emitted from the tip of the wand. “Dragon heartstring as well. A very offensive duo we have here,” Mrs. Barnett pronounced. “Hmm…unbending flexibility,” she stated with another light flick of Corvus’ wand. “So you won’t back down, hmm?”

Corvus narrowed his eyes for a moment. “I’m just ambitious,” he replied and wished for the weighing to be over.

Bran grinned slightly at the slight annoyance of Corvus and found it somewhat amusing.

“Whatever pleases you. Good luck to you both.” Mrs. Barnett concluded and gave the wand back to Corvus, before moving on her way. Once she had completed her own task, the witch took a seat to watch the champions at their tasks.

“Finally that’s over,” Corvus whispered and polished his wand, not only removing the slight smudges, but reconnecting with it.

Bran chuckled. “It was pretty obvious how annoyed you were,” he said.

“You think someone else noticed?” the dark-haired boy asked a bit worried, glancing around.

“Even if they did, unless she talks, you’re safe,” Bran said, amused.

There was a brief commotion and as whispers and a few gasps sounded, Corvus turned around just in time to witness the arrival of the champion’s opponents outside the northern wall of the castle. His facial expression switched from surprise to disbelief when the opponents for the champions of Ilvermorny stopped in front of them.

“Lynnie?!” exclaimed Brandon before Corvus could say anything. He shook his blond head. “No, you can’t volunteer! You’re too young!” he said, with a hint of worry in his voice which he wasn’t able to hide. What in Merlin’s name were the headmasters thinking?? And how was he supposed to battle his sister? What if she was injured in the duel?? How would he explain that to his parents? He’d looked after Lynnie for so many years it was ingrained in his being. And now…now he had to cast spells at her? He was beginning to regret ever putting his name in the Goblet.

But Lynnie — Lynette Calder — laughed at Bran. “I’m old enough according to the headmasters,” she said. “Are you afraid to lose against your little sister in front of all the students?” she replied cheekily and then added insult to injury by tacking on, “In front of all these girls?” She loved teasing her brother and grinned at him.

Brandon shook his head. His reputation was on the line now. Okay, so much for feeling horrible and as if he’d never be able to lift his wand against the little pest. He couldn’t wait to throw a harmless, but humiliating, jinx her way now. Taunt him, would she?? “Of course I’m not afraid, because we won’t lose.”

Lynnie chuckled and reached into her pocket to get her pine wand.

Corvus on the other hand stared at the second opponent as if he couldn’t believe his eyes. “Lizzie?” he asked confused. “Why are you here?”

Elizabeth Covington grinned. “I should think that was pretty obvious. I arrived at Ilvermorny between the first and the second task. When I was asked to help with the second task, I just couldn’t let the chance slip away. The chance to bring you down to earth,” she replied with an amused look.

Corvus looked at her as if he were having a hard time understanding her. His face gave him away.

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. “You have two choices…you can duel against me,” she said, “or you can decide to be a classic gentleman and simply give up now, leaving your poor co-champion to have to duel both Lynnie and me on his own.”

“I won’t give up!” Corvus replied quickly, a flicker of determination and ambition in his eyes which made Elizabeth grin.

“Just what I wanted to hear,” the young witch from Hogwarts said. With those words, she slowly walked to the dueling area for Ilvermorny while glancing briefly over at the other champions. She noted the students from Hogwarts, both the champions and the spectators. However, she didn’t feel like talking to them now or later. Now was the time to focus on the coming duel.

Corvus looked at Brandon who still seemed not to be happy with his sister as their opponent, but he had the feeling that Brandon had accepted it.

Brandon returned the dark-haired boy’s look with one of his own. He hadn’t missed the Slytherin pin on the newcomer’s robes. “How do you know that girl from Hogwarts?” he asked Corvus curiously. “I mean, you seem to have known each other pretty well for her to speak to you like she did,” Brandon added. The girl had been teasing Corvus a bit, and Corvus was not the type of person who got teased by a stranger.

Corvus looked over to Lynnie and Elizabeth as they took their places in the dueling area. It seemed that Elizabeth was explaining some spells that she considered useful for the task; the two girls were conferring in quiet voices and with a few glances at the boys. He nodded shortly at Bran’s questions and comments. “We do know each other. We’re engaged,” he explained with a certain pride in his voice.

Brandon’s eyes widened in surprise. He recalled Corvus mentioning that he had an arranged engagement set up, but he’d never expected to meet the girl. Then again he’d never expected to have to face his little sister in a duel. “So they’re using the ones we care about most against us,” he said quietly. His mind went back to another famous Tri-Wizard tournament and he added, “Instead of having to rescue them, we have to fight them.” He took a deep breath and readied his rowan wand. “Don’t let your feelings get in your way.”

“That's rich, coming from you,” Corvus replied and laughed dryly. His answer caused Brandon to grin and give a little shrug.

The two took their dueling stances and waited for the headmaster’s sign to begin with the second task.

With another BOOM from Professor Fontaine’s wand it was time to start.

After the duellists had bowed to each other, the atmosphere was tense. A wizard duel was always so exciting.

Lynnie started things off quickly by casting a shield charm — Protego Maxima — as Elizabeth had instructed her. Though it was a difficult charm, Bran’s younger sister was able to produce quite a strong shield for the girls. She was gifted with different charms and spells and was delighted that the Protego had worked so well. Now she only had to maintain it for a while.

Corvus on the other hand had no time for basic spells like Protego, even though it was useful, and he had volunteered to be the defensive part for this duel. He had his own attitude when it came to dueling and this was no exception. Instead of a shield charm, he began dodging the spells Elizabeth used.

Bran was a bit surprised that Corvus neglected any type of protection charm, but the blond boy swiftly brought his focus back to the duel and began trying to bombard and break the shield Lynnie had created. It was stronger than he had expected as his sister was quite persistent. Deep down there was a part of him that was proud of Lynnie, but there was no way he’d let on to that fact, especially not now. Bran still had to rely on Corvus for their defense, although he was a bit worried that they didn’t have any shield.

Elizabeth knew that Corvus normally scorned shield charms and she used that an advantage for Lynnie and herself. A flash of violet hit Corvus out of nowhere, and he wavered a bit before he started to laugh.

Corvus looked at Elizabeth, who had a smug smile on her lips, but he was still laughing…and couldn’t seem to stop!

“I always said you should laugh more," the Slytherin girl exclaimed in an amused voice, her wand still pointed at him.

With a hand to his sides, Corvus tried to suppress the laughter, but the tickling charm continued. It only stopped…FINALLY in Corvus’ opinion!... when Bran used Flipendo on Elizabeth, knocking the girl backward. She fell to the ground. Corvus’ laughter slowly faded, partly as the charm dissipated and partly because he wasn’t used to seeing his fiancée hurt. True, it wasn’t much of an injury, but it made him stop and stare for a moment.

As Corvus’ attention was focused on Elizabeth, Lynnie rushed over to help her partner back to her feet.

Bran was already pointing his wand at the girls, but paused as he saw Corvus appearing frozen.Of course he has to play the gentleman right now, Bran thought quite annoyed. “Come on, Cor!” he said insistently. He had been worried that his own feelings would hinder him, but he hadn’t considered that the ambitious Horned Serpent boy might actually have a soft spot too. Bran didn’t want to lose, especially not yet, and not in front of everyone.

The dark-haired boy glanced over very briefly at Bran’s yell. He bit his lip, then nodded and focused again. It was a Tri-Wizard task after all. He couldn’t afford to let down his guard.

Bran seemed pleased that Corvus was back in the duel and fired a well-placed Bombarda Maxima at the shield charm. It completely vanished and the two girls were vulnerable to attack. Bran and Corvus flashed a look at each other before firing two different spells, simultaneously, in the direction of the girls. Lynnie quickly reacted and whispered a Fumos which created a defensive cloud of smoke, but since she wasn’t using her full concentration on it, the combined spells from Bran and Corvus swished through the smoke and hit both girls who fell back.

“Did we get them?” Bran whispered curious and looked to Corvus who looked as clueless as his companion. Moving in unison, the boys started over to the cloud of smoke. While Bran seemed to get faster with every step, Corvus suddenly paused.

This was too easy, he thought. Lynnie could be probably knocked out by the spell, but he knew Elizabeth well enough to know better. His eyes widened in the sudden realization that their opponents could be still prepared to fight. The thought came a split second too late however as a green light traveled fast out of the smoke. Suddenly, Corvus found himself hoisted into the air by his ankles and below him he saw an amused smirk on the face of the person who was holding a vine wand — Elizabeth, who was now whispering something into Lynnie’s ear.

He gasped with surprise and tried to get down to the ground again, but it was effortless. Bran was shocked for a moment and looked at his partner struggling in mid-air. Lynnie used this moment to cast a Protego Maxima charm and shortly after that a Fianto Duri. This was a defensive charm used to strengthen shield spells.

Bran attempted to recover and attack, firing a quick Jelly-Legs-Jinx towards the girls, but the spell was repelled by the protective shield which had been erected seconds before his jinx. The Jelly-Legs-Jinx ricocheted off the invisible barrier and would have hit Bran if he hadn’t leaped to the side and rolled, coming up on his feet and whirling to face not his opponents, but Corvus, wand at the ready. The dark-haired boy’s eyes widened as his partner pointed the rowan wand at him. “Trust,” Bran said softly, before calling louder “Liberacorpus!” Corvus was brought back to his feet again.

However, before they had any time to take their stance again, the word ’Expelliarmus’ echoed through the air in Elizabeth’s voice and a scarlet light hit Bran unprepared, causing his rowan wand to drop out of his hand. A flash of surprise and wounded pride was on his face, but he knew the rules of this task well. If somebody was disarmed, the witch or wizard would be considered defeated. He bit his lip and decided to back off.

“It’s up to you now,” he said to Corvus and sighed. Defeated by two little girls. Sometimes, Bran cursed his tendency to not only rush in headlong, but also to help out others. He should have been a bit more careful. With another deep sigh, he looked back at the remaining three people on the field.

It seemed that the three had given each other a little break. Corvus was concentrating on turning the tables and the girls were really enjoying their small victory.

Elizabeth then took a step forward, and even more importantly, inadvertently moved from behind the barrier of the shield charm. Corvus grinned slightly at this opening. He pointed his wand at her and a turquoise light struck her, slowing her down. The Impedimenta jinx worked well.

Lynnie looked a bit confused and tried to quickly run through a list of spells in her head that would possibly help. Before she could settle on one, Corvus made his next move.

“Ebublio!” Corvus then said and a brilliant purple jet of light accompanied by purple flame and smoke emitted from his wand, leaving Elizabeth trapped in a giant bubble that was floating slightly in the air. She struggled to get out of it and Lynnie tried to pop