A Study of Magical Society, Part 3: Duelling Etiquette

Our society has often been described as "a bunch of adrenaline junkies and entertainment addicts inflicted with a pronounced lack of common sense". This author would like to fully disagree with that statement, but he can not, in good conscience, do so. It is the truth.

The wildlands aside, one of the most common examples of magical entertainment is duelling. Any newly arrived late immigrants might be inclined to believe duelling to be a most civilised practice, following strict rules and regulations. In a way, this is true: there are strict rules, which magic actually enforces.

Two of them, to be exact.

The first rule states that any official duel must have an authorized and qualified judge presiding over it. Although just about every duel is therefore unofficial, the few official duels still generate a steady income for the Judges' Guild.

The second rule prevents the duellists from permanently harming one another.

There are, of course, quite a few unofficial rules, too. One of the more subtle rules concerns betting. Officially, betting is frowned upon. In reality, though, it is seen as an insult if less than a total amount of fifty galleons are placed as bets. This might be due to the common practice of giving the victor five percent of each bet in the loser's favour.

Among the first peculiarities of duelling to be observed by those unfamiliar with duels is the fact that wands are rarely seen in magical duels. They are, in fact, frowned upon, as is any direct magic. Magical duels are fought mostly by augmenting either the oneself or a weapon, but almost never by casting direct spells at a foe. Doing so is seen as an act of weakness. [1]

One of the more common objects to be enchanted is, oddly enough, a bottle. This is due to the amount of duels (and full out bar fights) started in bars, which might, in turn, be influenced, by the amount of money drunk observers tend to bet. [2]

Among the more noteworthy enhancements of this particular kind of objects are more obvious ones, like impact enhancement, accuracy boosts and, oddly enough, combustion, but also more obscure ones. One of those, which made a bottle bounce back stronger than it impacted a surface, took the barkeeper of the Giddy Leprechaun over twenty hours to catch and disenchant.

One of the most ineffective enchantments in duelling is actually a default spell in any fights started in the Dragon's Breath. It boosts the alcohol content of the drink within the bottle. As a result, any fire based magic is forbidden in that specific bar.

If one is interested in learning the fine art of duelling, visiting one of the many pubs and bars and simply participating in the fights (which will definitely start regularly) is always a good start. There are two Exceptions to this rule, though, which any newcomers should be aware of.

First, if any of the participants has red hair, do not enter the fight. Take out a notebook and watch, instead; the amount of profanity and dirty tricks one can learn from any fight with a Weasley is truly astounding.

Second, do not participate in any bar fights on new moons. The Pirate Guild likes to participate in fights on those days, and while they are simply very skilled fighters, they feel obliged to relieve those they defeat of the burden of any money they might carry.

Nowadays, bars, pubs, taverns and similar establishments tend to be located in separate realms in order to reduce the amount of collateral damage done on a daily basis.

[1] Please be aware that this explicitly only applies during the duel or fight itself. Minor transfigurations or similar spells to embarrass the losing party are encouraged. In fact, it is seen as good sportsmanship to shake hands and congratulate each other on a good duel only after such spells have been cast. After that, it is common practice for the victor to buy a drink for the loser and himself, to prepare for the next round.

[2] Never accept a bet involving anything but money. Considering the amount of alcohol consumed in such establishments, magical oaths are not valid when given in the realm of a pub/bar/..., and even speaking of such bets is a sure way to lose any respect you might have earned. Also, only accept bets for money the other party actually carries with them.