Dueling Tactics- Beginner Class 2

[selkie]

In spite of her strong feelings that this lady had misplaced her aggressions when randomly attacking first years, Sadie listened to the two answers that these students gave and thought about what the question must be. Something to do with the homework they had had...? what could they have done better? The Gryffindor thought that not signing up for this class would have been a start.

But something that the teacher had said.... outcome, then situation... then the girl had mentioned figuring that the opponent knew the room... Then spells that could have been used... Did she really mean attacking the teacher? That would have been suicide! The woman was older, obviously more experienced, an Auror for crying out loud! Maybe that was the answer, then. Think about what you want to achieve rather than just hiding and hoping for the best. And an attack plan wouldn't suffice in that situation, more like a distraction accompanied with an escape route.

But what if she was way off base? Well, the T.A. hadn't turned anyone into a shrivelfig yet...maybe Sadie could try her luck. Swallowing gravely, she hesitated before raising her hand into the air to offer her two cents.

"Er... You said 'think outcome then situation', so would that mean that attacking you in the first place would have been a mistake? You have to evaluate your opponent before you do something stupid, and then decide when to cut and run. The best thing we could have hoped for last time was to throw a distraction, which you may have seen through anyway, but at least try to find a way to escape?"

Immediately the Gryffindor winced, her grasp on her wand tightening. The last thing she should have done was call attention to herself again. But at least she took comfort in the fact that the unforgivable curses couldn't be used to punish a student, as they were quite illegal... Hey, wait a minute... maybe Sadie had learned something from this class afterall...

[Hermione Chambers]

It seemed that becoming a bit more menacing had worked out for me. Suddenly, the class had sat up and started paying attention, a few even being so bold as to finally answer my questions. When the one girl talked about planning, I had to hold myself from grounding my teeth and growling at her. How stupid is that. You can't plan in dueling situations unless you're springing the trap and that's not the situation we're analyzing at all.

Thankfully, my biting words were held back by a Slytherin echoing my sentiments. As I was about to compliment the Slytherin on her correction, a Gryffindor spoke up and gave the exact answer that I had been looking for. My frown/scowl dissipated slightly and more of a smile graced my face.

"That was exactly the point I was trying to make. When the odds are stacked against you, there is nothing wrong with retreat. Hiding is not dishonorable, though that seems to be a popular attitude. I'd rather that you learn how to stay alive rather than be reckless. Perfect answer, 10 points to Gryffindor."

[xxbrokenheartxx]

Auror Chambers seemed to be annoyed by Melissa's answer, and Aaryn resisted a grin. She wasn't about to make her friend feel bad. She seemed a tad relieved by Aaryn's answer and another Gryffindor, that she had seen around a bit, gave an answer that seemed to make Auror Chambers happy. It had made sense. This class was finally going somewhere, but still, this Q&A session was kind of boring.

She supposed it was better than Auror Chambers trying to kill them. She was surprised that Auror Chambers was mad at her, after reading the homework she had sent in. Perhaps other teachers had told Auror Chambers about Aaryn, and Auror Chambers expected it. She'd do something different, for this next homework.