[Harley and Liz] Practice

[Miranda Alleyne]

Around 4am the trainees at the Grogan Stump Institute had been pulled out of bed and been taken for a five kilometer jog around the country-side, lead by their trainees. They stayed on beaten, rough track fit mostly for single file and just looped around the very edges of the facility. When they arrived back at the facility, they found a raised wooden platform standing in front of several large circles covered with sand. All the trainees recognised this. They were going to duel each other.

Miranda ran up to the platform, standing on the top and looking over the much smaller group of trainees. Around ten remained of those who had arrived three years ago, and some of those still wouldn't make it. She wasn't exactly proud though. It was an accelerated course and she honestly didn't think any of them were fit to graduate.

"All right ladies!" she shouted, her voice booming over the panting, sweating group. "Your final assessment is coming fast and it ain't going to wait for you to catch your breath. Unless you want your ass kicked out, pair off and start dueling. Those who lose the duel make breakfast." Breakfast wasn't the real punishment, of course. All the hot water would be gone, something the trainees could of remedied but never did. It encouraged competition, for the hot shower.

Harley and Liz were paired off and quickly moved inside one of the dueling circles. Within ten seconds, Miranda had blown her silver whistle, signaling the beginning of the duel.

[Lizzie Porter]

After the five kilometer jog Lizzie saw the dueling rings in front of her, she rolled her shoulders trying to calm her racing nerves. She knew that this was an important duel and she had to keep herself ahead of the game. Lizzie took her position in the ring and looked up at her opponent. Smiling a little when she saw it was Harley, soon after though she took her stance waiting for the whistle to start the match.

When the whistle blew she took aim and quickly sent a reducto curse towards her friend and the rolled to the left.

[Harley Duke]

Harley cracked his wrists when he had stopped jogging, breathing deeply, he wiped the salty sweat out of his eyes. He paid rapt attention to Miranda as she spoke, knowing from experience that something a little more arduous than the jog he'd just finished was coming up. One look at the dueling circles told him all he needed to know, and he smiled internally at the thought that here, at least he was in his element. As he paired up with Lizzie he felt a twinge of disappointment, here he would not be allowed to go all out, or else he would never hear the end of it.

Harley took his place in the ring, and whipped out his wand, adrenaline spiking in his system as he did this. He took up his favourite dueling stance, and waited for the whistle. When Lizzie cast her spell he reacted without thinking, "Protego" He said, as his heartbeat thundered in his ears, almost drowning out the sound of the spells colliding. He took one step closer to Lizzie, and thought 'Stupefy', his wand slicing through the air to deliver his stunning curse.

[Lizzie Porter]

Lizzie would be lying if she said she hadn’t expected Harley Duke would play hard ball with her. He was just toying with her because he probably didn’t want to hurt her. She sighed a little, hurt but not against hurting him to show him she was tough. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t been part of the Battle of Hogwarts. She was still a defender of the Castle and had fought many death eaters. Grinning as she easily dodged his spell then she cast her patronus, simply sent as a means to distract Harley she smiled slightly as right after it she sent a silent ‘Confringo’ towards her opponent.

She wasn’t about to assume she had won. She knew that this was far from over but it was something she was hoping she could have the chance to finish soon. Lizzie knew that if it came down to physical strength she would lose against Harley, not that it would bother her if it lasted that long. She was willing to prove just how strong she was and do whatever it would take to win.

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Word Count: One Eight Five
Status: Complete
Tag:Harley
Music: Mix
Outfit: Click Here
Notes:

[Harley Duke]

Harley twisted away from her spell, noting the heightened aggressiveness in her stance, and decided to step it up a notch. He was a good dueler, and his natural Defencive Precognition made him all the more formidable, nevertheless, he couldn't afford to be cocky. He didn't know what the point of the Patronus was, for all points and purposes, it had no effect on him. Harley began to summon concentration, as summoning spell had never been his best area, however, this one was useful. Harley stabbed his wand towards Lizzie and thought Incarcerous, watching the thick ropes lash out to constrict Lizzie. For a little added drama, Harley swished his wand upwards and thought Levicorpus.

[Lizzie Porter]

Once again Lizzie was grateful she was very quick as she dodged the robes meant to bide her, she was however unable to dodge the Levicorpus spell and she felt herself being pulled into the air by her ankles. “Bloody Hell” She cursed at her luck before she cast the counter jynx Liberacorpus and felt herself land on the ground. This wasn’t the way she wanted this duel to go she wanted to beat him and show him that she wasn’t just a weak girl, she was a woman who had faced Death Eaters and the way she was fighting it was hardly noticeable and she felt embarrassed.

Squaring her shoulders she took a calming breath and began to concentrate. Lizzie knew that she had to make these next few moves quick otherwise she wouldn’t last much longer and she wouldn’t be able to look Harley in the eye for several days. She had to believe she could beat the man who was probably the best dueler in their training group. Raising her wand Lizzie sent a silent Jelly Legs Jynx just barely to his right then another silent Impedimenta[/] Just to his right. Finally she called out clearly and powerfully “CONFRINGO”. Which she aimed Directly at Harley, she knew that one of them had to hit him though she knew it wouldn’t be the blasting curse but depending on where he moved he was sure to be struck by one of the others.

Come on. I have to do this, I know I can beat him I just have to outsmart his abilities and his talent. Come on Lizzie pull it together.

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Word Count: Two Seven Five
Status: Complete
Tag:Harley
Music: Mix
Outfit: Click Here
Notes:

[Harley Duke]

Aug 10, 2009 20:41:56 GMT -7 Lizzie Porter said:

Come on. I have to do this, I know I can beat him I just have to outsmart his abilities and his talent. Come on Lizzie pull it together.

((Not to mention abnormal, and unfair magical advantage.))

Harley felt the spells coming towards him, and knew instinctively not to try strafe to the side to avoid the spells, instead, he decided on a little bit of drama, and quickly thought up a plan so amazingly stupid, it was perfect. Pointing his wand at his feet, he thought Levicorpus, causing himself to be jerked into the air, and to keep Lizzie on her feet, sent a random Tickling Curse in her direction. Upon the spells passing below him, he countered his own curse, and dropped gracefully, despite his mass, to land in a defencive position, rather closer to Lizzie than he had been previously.

Back on his feet, he lunged towards Lizzie, letting out a shout, not realising that he was beginning to get aggressive. He swiped his wand towards her, thinking. Diffindo, the kinder alternative to using a curse like Sectumsempra but with his power, would still cause brutal damage. Harley began to think like a combatant should, efficient, cold, and cruel, he saw Lizzie, as a target, a mere obstacle that he had to pass.