"Happy Valentine's day, everyone!" Principal Mercia announced on Valentine's day, eliciting a number of groans, including one from me. I was not looking forward to it. "Hey, you all knew it was coming when I announced it and handed out the arrows. Now, go ahead and throw them up into the air."
Before tossing mine into the quickly growing swarm, I turned to my friend. "Lily, has anyone ever been sent to Dr. Ocsid's office because of a valentine arrow?"
"Not that I know of. Why?" Lily asked as she tossed her arrow up, where it joined the others, slowly floating about.
"I hope that doesn't happen to me." I tossed my arrow up.
"And now, let's finish the delivery," Principal Mercia said. With a downward flick of her wand, the arrows up above all pointed straight down, then flew around and started embedding themselves in the tables.
As I feared, there were a lot of arrows that landed in front of me. I was no arithmancer or mathmagician like Frank was, but it definitely looked like I got over a hundred of them. "Joy."
"Well, that's not entirely unexpected," Principal Mercia said. "As soon as Weiss finishes taking all the arrows out of the table in front of her, we will have breakfast."
As Lily and I worked together to take the arrows out and put them in my storage chest, I could hear Noir get mad, probably at me.
Finally, the last arrow was put away for me to read later, and breakfast was on. There was a lot of heart shaped food, but it all went down and filled me up the same.
"Before we start on today's potion, let me dash the most terrible idea you may have right now: we will not be making love potions," Professor Scarab said. "Yes, they do exist, but they are temporary in their effects, and are a few years above your level. To those of you who are hoping to get Weiss's affection that way, and you may even try, I can only hope there are enough beds in Dr. Ocsid's office for all of you."
"I like her," I thought as the sounds of numerous disappointed groans and a steaming Noir echoed throughout the room. "I just wish I wasn't so popular."
"As for today's potion, we will be making Murtlap Essence, a potion that makes those nasty cuts and angry bruises heal right up, and can save you a trip to Dr. Ocsid's office."
As I started putting the potion together, I couldn't help but get the feeling that Professor Scarab chose it for a reason.
"Snowflake."
"Noir."
"I am going to ask you again: what did you do to become so popular? And don't you dare hide anything this time, or I will force you to drink a veritaserum and tell me the truth that way."
"Hey, back off from her," Phoebe firmly stated as she stepped in front of me. "She's already told you that she doesn't know, and a veritaserum would only get you the same answer."
"You really think you can stop me? You are but one Virtus girl, and a foolish one at that. If you were smart like us, you would know to stay out of my way."
"Weiss is my friend, and I won't let you insult her anymore."
"A shame you didn't learn the first time." Noir snapped, and eleven Stupefies were fired at Phoebe. After the barrage, Phoebe managed to stand for a few seconds before falling to the floor, and I could only imagine her having a defiant expression through it all. "Too bad you can't back it up." She used a levitation spell to send Phoebe sliding across the floor and towards the forming crowd before turning back to me. "Let that be an example of what will only be the beginning if you don't tell me what I want, Snowflake."
"I've already told you everything there is." Noir didn't follow me as I walked over to Phoebe, the crowd backing off. Noir's treatment had not been kind to her, and she was sporting a nasty scrape on her face. "Didn't think I'd have to use this so soon." I pulled out one of the Murtlap Essences I'd made and bottled in class, opened it, and started putting it on the scrape. Almost immediately, the wounds started to close, and in a matter of seconds, it looked like there was never a wound at all.
"Oww. . ." Phoebe groaned out after a minute.
"You okay?" I helped her get to her feet.
"I will be." Her breathing was loud, slow, and heavy.
"Hey, what happened here?" Nelson asked when he arrived.
"Noir's crew hit Phoebe with eleven Stupefies while she was defending me," I explained.
"Eleven? I'm surprised she's even conscious." He turned to the crowd around us. "Get going, everyone! Everything's under control." Slowly, the crowd dispersed, leaving just the three of us. "You're sure it was eleven?"
"That's how many she has at her command, and they all fired once."
"I'll trust you on that. You know, if you'd have punched her in retaliation, I wouldn't have really punished you at all. I just wish there was some way to get at Noir so she couldn't get us back. Oh, Phoebe, in light of this event, you can skip today's hour of exercise."
"Heck no," Phoebe said.
Nelson shrugged. "Well, if you don't want to skip, you can do that too. It is your choice, after all. That being said, I don't want you working towards your hour right now. You're in no condition for that."
"Don't have to tell me twice."
"I'll take her somewhere to recover," I offered.
"That's the second time you've done that for me," I said after a minute on a balcony. It didn't take long for me to realize it was the same balcony she had shielded me at before.
"It wasn't as bad as the first time," Phoebe groaned out. "Maybe it's because I've been working out?"
"Or maybe because Noir didn't launch a Stupefy at you this time."
"Maybe both."
"I need some way to get her off my back, or at least leave me alone. Hey, what's the Veritaserum stuff she mentioned?"
"It's a potion that forces you to tell the truth to any question."
"That's powerful."
"Yeah."
"Today, we will cover what wizards cal No-Maj Style Duelling," Professor Smith opened class with. "Or, as they call it, good old fisticuffs." He put his fists up as if he was getting ready for a boxing match for a moment. "This can be and has been the defeat of numerous wizards. Some of you may believe that wands are superior to fists, but remember this: wands are held in fists."
"That's a good point," Laura quietly said to me, and I nodded in agreement.
"There are many unarmed combat styles that no-majes across the world have developed. Karate and Tae Kwon Do are two of the most well known and popular martial arts. I am not skilled in them, I will admit. Now, my first year students, you have a chance to earn some free extra credit. All you have to do is fight me in a no-maj duel and put in a good effort. You don't have to win, but you do have to try. And to the girls, I will not go easy on you. Once again, this is entirely optional."
"I'd like to try," Melissa announced, likely at Noir's orders.
"Ah, a volunteer. Excellent. Come set your wand on my desk and we can get started." Melissa made her way up to the front of the room, set her wand on the desk, and got ready to fight. "Now, come at me!"
Melissa made a fist and ran towards Professor Smith with a battle cry. He easily dodged her attack, stepped on her foot to hold her in place, slapped her across the face twice, then punched her in the gut. She groaned and started to take a step backwards, but fell on her back with her foot being pinned.
"And that, everyone, is what can happen if you aren't knowledgeable in unarmed combat," Professor Smith explained as he picked Melissa back up. "It was also an example of dirty fighting, specifically how I held her in place by stepping on her foot. She was sloppy in her efforts, and left herself wide open to my counterattack. Ten extra credit points to Melissa for the attempt. Now, does anyone else want to try?"
As more students tried to land a blow on Professor Smith and get summarily knocked down, Jack leaned over to me. "Are you going to try, Weiss? You have those weighted gloves."
"Nah," I said. "I don't feel like it."
"Come on, you're probably the strongest witch in the room."
"No thank you."
"Please, Weiss?" Laura asked.
"I said no."
"Haven't you been training or something?"
I sighed. "Fine, I'll give it a try." I took the weighted gloves off and set them on my seat before going down.
"Ah, Miss Schnee," Professor Smith said as the last of the previous students were taken away. "I do hope you can provide a challenge, especially since you've had the chance to observe me, and I am a little tired."
"It wasn't necessarily my choice," I said as I took my robe off and set it on his desk.
"I see. Now, come at me!"
I did not rise to the obvious bait everyone else had fallen for, and instead stayed back. "How about you come at me, bro?"
"You've got some spirit." Professor Smith closed the distance very quickly and landed a palm thrust on my forehead, making me stumble back a bit. Thankfully, my aura was able to tank the hit, I quickly recovered, and when he went in for another strike, I leaned to the side and threw a punch at him. When my fist connected with his body, he stumbled back a few steps, though more from surprise than any actual harm I may have inflicted. "Can't say I was expecting that." A smile came to his face. "This is more like it!"
I took the initiative and started rapidly throwing punches at him. Most of my attacks missed or were deflected, but a few landed. Eventually, I ran out of steam, and had to stop. "I yield."
"Ten extra credit points for you, Weiss," Professor Smith said as he handed me my robe and sent me back to my seat. "I take it there's no other takers? Very well. While a duel between two wizards can last long enough for spectators to gather, have lunch, and place bets, no-maj fights are usually quick, messy, and to the point.
"One thing Weiss did differently from everyone else who tried was to take off her robe. Multiple times before her, I took advantage of the robes on your uniforms. They may be loose, but they fit well enough and flow enough that it was easy enough to grab an arm, or the shoulder cape."
"How did you do that, Weiss?" Phoebe asked as I put the weighted gloves and my robe back on.
"I fought without Myrtenaster," I simply said. "Not that my training did much good."
"Something else Weiss did was catch me by surprise with her first successful punch," Professor Smith said. "Sometimes, it isn't raw power or speed that decides a fight, but a single surprise move that turns things around. If you get into a no-maj duel, you must avoid tunnel vision. There may be more than one opponent you have to fight, and honor is something you will have to set aside in favor of survival."
"You know, no-maj duelling does sound pretty useful," Laura said as we left for lunch. "It is rather violent, but it's quick."
"And it can keep a wizard distracted enough that they can't cast properly," Jack added.
"If you can get close enough."
"Snowflake!" Noir's shout rang out. "I challenge you to a no-maj style duel!"
"Well, that's a surprise," I said as a crowd started forming. "Laura, can I turn the challenge down? I just want to get to lunch and she'll probably cheat by having support from her crew."
"Well, you can, but it's generally seen as a great blow to one's honor to turn down a duel," Laura answered.
"Or you could dismiss the challenge and, if you say the right thing, tarnish Noir's image," Jack offered. "Then you'd be right on your way to lunch."
"I like that idea," I told Jack before turning to Noir. "I don't have time to deal with you, Noir. Now, if you'll excuse me-"
"We all know you have time, Snowflake," Noir retorted. "Now accept my challenge!"
"You're really not going to let me go, are you? I guess I'll have to accept your challenge so I can get to lunch."
"There we go." As Noir gave her wand to Natasha, I gave Myrtenaster to Laura. "Now, let's duel!" As soon as we were both in position, waiting for the other to make a move, the tension in the air built up.
At some unspoken signal, we both ran at each other at the same time. Noir's first punch was very easy to dodge, and very clumsy, leaving her open for me to throw a weighted right hook at her smug face and send her reeling sideways. "That was too easy."
To my surprise, Noir recovered, and didn't look like she'd taken the blow at all. "Think again!" She was soon on the offense, trying to get me.
As I avoided Noir's surprisingly fast attacks, I did what she told me and did some thinking. "She's definitely cheating. She shouldn't have been able to stay standing." I found an opening and went for a backhand slap, hoping to hit her like a brick with the weight on my arm. The move connected, and she stumbled again, but didn't go down. "At least she's not doing much damage to my aura."
"Is that it, Snowflake?" Noir taunted through slightly heavy breaths.
"How are you tanking my attacks?"
"I guess I'm pretty tough too," Noir almost casually said with a shrug. "I even know about your weighted gloves."
"I guess it's time for the boots. I don't think she knows about them yet."
Before the fight could continue, Professor Duelington showed up. "Alright, break it up, you two!" A shockwave between Noir and me sent both of us flying back towards our starting sides. "Now, will somebody tell me what's going on here?"
A Callidus student next to him answered. "Noir challenged Weiss to a no-maj duel. We just learned about it in class today."
"I see. I call this duel to an end right now, ending in a draw. Everyone, get going to the dining hall for lunch."
"Oh come on!" Noir shouted.
"Thank you," I said. As I rejoined my friends, the Professor gave me a nod, and I got the impression that he wanted to talk to me after lunch.
After the last of us took our seats, including Barb on my head, Principal Mercia stood up and gave a serious announcement. "It has been brought to my attention that there was a no-maj style duel in the hallway between two students. I will not name them, though I'm sure you will figure it out on your own. While, remarkably, neither party has any injuries, I must remind everyone that duelling in the halls, whether no-maj or magical in nature, is against the rules. If you really want to duel, there are rooms just for that in the Virtus hallway. Now it's time for lunch."
As lunch started, Lily turned to me. "Do you know who was in that duel?"
"Noir challenged me," I said as I built a couple of sandwiches. "I didn't want to accept it, but I knew she wouldn't let me go until I did, so I caved and got into the fight."
"Did you get any good hits in?"
"Yeah, but I think she had some kind of defensive charm or spell going. There's no way she could have taken a hit from my gloves and stayed up, and I think I got two good hits in on her face." I held one completed sandwich up for Barb while I started on mine.
"I've seen a couple other students with them recently. Did you have something to do with that?"
"They're part of a club I'm in. No-Maj Style Fitness. I like it."
"Can't say I've heard of it."
I shrugged and continued on with my lunch.
"Did you want to talk to me, Professor Duelington?" I asked after lunch.
"Briefly," he said. "I'm just going to let you know that, normally, duels of any kind in the halls results in loss of house points at a minimum, and further disciplinary measures are taken depending on behavior."
"But Noir."
"Yeah. None of that happened to her because of what she could do in retaliation, and I'm letting you off the hook because I could tell you didn't want to get in that fight."
"It should have been over with the first punch I threw."
"My guess is that she did some rules lawyering. Just because the style does not use wands doesn't mean others can't use theirs."
"That's what I'm thinking."
"Hm. Alright, we're done, and if anyone asks, you got a stern lecture."
"I promise not to start any fights, Professor."
"At least outside the duelling rooms in the Virtus halls. Outdoors is an acceptable place too. Have a good day."
As Professor Duelington left, I went to the no-maj fitness clubroom to put some time in towards my hour or two for the day. I was still frustrated at Noir and the cheating she had to have done to survive my attacks like she did, and I used that as motivation to workout harder.
"No, I will not teach anyone any love spells," Professor Lovebreed opened class with. A chorus of disappointed groans and one sigh of relief (mine) came from the class. "Instead, we're going to do something else. We will start practicing elemental spells. Fire, ice, lightning, wind, water, earth, and more."
"I can already use those," I thought as she started going over the wind spells. "Then again, they could be useful later on."
Nobody left the class without windblown hair. Only the boys who kept their hair very short got out looking unaffected. "Hey, Jack?" Phoebe asked.
"Yeah, Phoebe?" Jack asked back.
"Do you have hair care stuff in your chest?"
"But of course. In fact, I just finished building a salon. Use it as you see fit."
I tried to move away, but Laura grabbed my arm and pulled me with her and followed Phoebe into the chest. "Please don't let this turn into another bath trip. . ."
I sat off to the side while Laura and Phoebe brushed their hair back into shape. "Hey, Weiss?" Laura asked.
"Yeah?"
"You've got a wind crystal in your sword, right?"
"Yeah."
"What would happen if you used that and a wind spell together?"
"Hmm. . . Probably a lot of wind."
"More importantly though. . ." Phoebe started. "We need to get your hair cleaned up."
"It's fine. You don't have to do that."
"Ah, but we must~" In a matter of seconds, I got pulled up from my spot by both of them, sat down in another chair, and I suddenly felt like I was at the barber shop. "Now, how do you want us to do this? We're going to get your hair into shape."
I resigned myself to the treatment with a sigh. "If you must. A simple cleaning will do."
"That's it?" Laura sounded disappointed.
"Yes."
"That's about all we have time for," Phoebe pointed out before she started brushing one side of my hair, soon followed by Laura doing the same on the other side. "Sheesh, Weiss. You really take care of your hair like a boy. And you missed a lot of Barb's crumbs from lunch."
"Well excuse me for having lower standards of satisfaction with my hair and a pet that likes to eat up there. And couldn't you just cast Scourgify to clean everything up?"
"That won't get the tangles out." As if to emphasize her point, she hit a snag and it hurt a little bit. "See? Laura, how's your side?"
"Pretty good," Laura reported.
"Alright. Go get some shampoo." As Laura left, Phoebe put the brushes aside and started soaking my hair with a strong spray bottle.
"What scent do you want, Weiss?"
"Nothing fruity or flowery," I flatly said.
"Hmm. . . Ah, here's one called Morning Frost. That sounds perfect for you."
"That sounds fine."
A minute later, my hair was lathered up and getting vigorously cleaned. While I wasn't comfortable with getting dragged into the hair cleaning, it wasn't all that bad either, and I found myself relaxing a bit. "So, Weiss, who did you give your valentine to today? Was it Jack?"
"No, it wasn't."
"It was me," Laura answered. "Hers was the only one I got, and she thanked me for not treating her like a big deal celebrity. I don't mean to sound rude, but how can you thank someone for not doing something?"
"Everyone treating me like a celebrity gets on my nerves," I explained. "It's gotten better, but you heard the groans in potions and spells class today. If you were treated like a celebrity like I have been, you might understand."
"So I'm the exception and you're thankful for that?"
"Yes."
"Come on, I still treat you like a friend," Phoebe said.
"You were in on the hype too. Laura wasn't. Can we just get my hair done and get out of here?"
"Killjoy."
As the wash continued, I found myself enjoying the Morning Frost scent, not that I would tell anyone that.
The wash turned into a miniature hair treatment, ending with Phoebe putting my hair into a ponytail on the right side of my head. I didn't like it getting put back there, but I didn't feel like raising a fuss over it.
We left Jack's chest a few minutes before broomstick flying class, already outside. "And how was the hair care area, Ladies?" he asked as we got out.
"It was excellent," Phoebe said. "We wanted for nothing but some more time and a bit of a better attitude from Weiss."
"Hey!" I protested.
"There you are, Snowflake!" It didn't take a genius to figure out who shouted that.
I sighed. "What do you want, Noir?"
"I'm just letting you know that our no-maj style duel will still happen, and we will use one of the duelling rooms in the Virtus hall. By next Saturday, it will happen."
"And you won't let me get out of it, will you?"
"It will happen. Don't worry, I'll let you know the night before the duel happens." Without another word, she turned and walked off.
"She's going to find a way to cheat the rooms, isn't she?" Phoebe asked.
"I think you're right," Laura agreed.
"Should we prepare some countermeasures?" Jack asked.
I turned to my friends and raised my hand. "Can you explain what you mean by cheating the rooms?"
"The dueling rooms have layers of enchantments in them to ensure that all duelists are purified," Phoebe explained. "That is to say that, depending on the agreed upon rules, nobody enters with curses or enchantments that would give an unfair advantage. A no-maj style duel puts a high level magic nullification field into effect, preventing duellists and observers from casting in or on the field."
"So it basically enforces fair play?"
"Yes, and the rules can be adjusted as well, but never for just one side, and never with arbitrary standards."
"Five Dragots says that she's going to try to find loopholes in the rules," Jack said.
"We'll be there to watch you, Weiss," Laura said.
"And you're not going to cheer me on?"
"Considering that it's Noir, I don't think that will be needed."
Professor Samuels suddenly showed up, and class began. "Today, we'll be playing reverse tag. One of you will be it, and your job will be to avoid everyone. Scatter out around the grounds, and I'll release the golden snitch. Whoever it goes to will be it, and the chase will be on."
"Please don't let it be me," I quietly begged.
I sat on my broom just over the ground, waiting to see the snitch, whatever it was. I didn't have to wait for long before Professor Samuels released a flying golden ball. It buzzed around her a bit before flying off to a Perseverantia student, who quickly took off, followed by everyone else.
The person being chased changed every few minutes when they got caught. There was no shortage of crashes, either. Eventually, I managed to catch a Callidus student, then I was It. For a moment, I was stared down by the near totality of my first year classmates. "Nope." I accelerated to top speed and was soon flying away from everyone.
With the lead I had, I decided to head into the forest. After only a couple seconds of flying, I went up to the canopy and found a little opening where I could hide. A few seconds later, I saw everyone fly by under me.
"Hmm, interesting," a female voice said from next to me.
I slowly turned to the source, and my breath caught in my throat when I saw the tall, pale woman in a black dress. "Salem?" I quietly asked before quickly drawing Myrtenaster.
"Hello," she politely and quietly greeted. "Weiss Schnee, I presume?"
"What do you want?"
"A hostile tone like that is unbecoming of you, but I'll answer anyways. I'm doing some exploring of the local magical areas."
"You're a villain!"
"No, I only look like a villainous character, just as you look like a heroic character. Wasn't it a no-maj that said someone should be judged not on appearances, but actions and character instead? What have I done to earn your ire?"
"Well. . . Uhh. . ." As I was drawing a blank, I lowered Myrtenaster.
"Exactly. I have done no wrong. If you don't mind, and I'm sure you have the time for it, I'd like to ask you a question or two."
"And if I choose not to answer?"
"I won't force you to answer. Now, is the weather in Missouri always crazy?"
"Uh, yeah. I don't know why, but it is."
"I see. Have you ever had a Christmas without snow?"
"Yeah. It happens. Why are you so interested in the weather?"
"I experienced some crazy weather changes a few months ago and thought it was cursed."
Despite her casual tone and posture, I was still on edge around her. "Is there anything else you want to know?"
"How's your education going?"
"I'm not going to answer that." I put Myrtenaster away, since I felt she wouldn't do anything.
"Fair enough." Shouts of students from below, all wondering where I was, reached our ears. "One more question: if you could make anything fictional become real, just for you, what would the first thing be?"
"I. . . There's a lot of cool things to choose from. I'd need to organize a list of what I wanted to make before choosing, and do some research."
"I see. I suggest you fly back to your Professor before they think to look up."
I had just mounted my broom when a question came to mind. "You have a wand, right?"
"I do." Salem produced her wand, a long, pointed, white one with engravings I could only make out from the small shadows the light cast across it. "Fourteen inches of solid unicorn bone from the spine, shaped and crafted by my hand."
I sighed. "Why do you have the cooler wand?" I flew off before she could answer me.
As Salem watched Weiss fly off, she answered the question, though nobody else heard it. "You've got the cooler wand, Schnee girl." With a flick of the bone wand, Salem apparated away.
I landed in front of Professor Samuels, the conversation with Salem running in the back of my mind. "Hi, Professor."
"Hello, Weiss," she replied. "You've been it for a good few minutes now. How did you lose everyone in the forest so easily?"
I shrugged. "I had a head start, high speed, and nobody looked up."
"You do realize the objective of the lesson is how to avoid everyone while flying, right?"
"And I did. I avoided everyone. Hide in the right spot, and everyone will move on."
"As I've seen before. You are not the first to do that, nor will you be the last. It's almost time for class to end. Go round everyone up and bring them back here."
"Yes, Professor." I got back on my broom and flew off to find my classmates. The first one I found was the last one I wanted to find. "Hey, Noir."
"SNOWFLAKE!" Noir's angry shout drew everyone's attention, and I took off back the way I came. "GET BACK HERE!"
As we approached Professor Samuels, she cast a spell and the words 'Class Dismissed' appeared over her. I glanced back and saw most of the students break off from the chase and head towards the castle. Noir and her crew, however, didn't. "Figures. Hmm. . ." I quickly figured out a route and flew into the castle. After a few twists and turns, I landed where I wanted to and went into the No-Maj Fitness Clubroom.
"Hello, Weiss," Amara said as she did some bench presses. "I've been meaning to thank you for these gloves. They're awesome."
"You're welcome," I said as I put my broom away and started on my workout, bench pressing my own set of weights.
"I heard you and Noir got into a no-maj duel earlier today."
"She challenged me."
"I heard that too. Did she really take some punches from you and stay standing?"
"She was probably cheating. Some kind of invisible shield spell or something. She's set me up for a duel sometime soon in a duelling room in the Virtus hall. Probably trying to figure out how to rig the rules in her favor."
"I see." Amara set her weights down and sat up. "Then we'll just have to get you trained up so you can beat her when she's cheating."
I set my weights down. "Seriously?"
"Yes."
"Than-" I hit my head on the weight bar as I sat up, then tried again and succeeded. "Every time."
I met Amara at the punching bag I usually used. "Brick is better at this than I am, but I'll teach you how to properly throw a punch. Show me how you do it first."
"No announcement, let's have supper." With the quick announcement done, the food appeared and supper was on.
After getting ready for bed, I sat down at the desk in the office in my chest and started sorting through the arrows. Some expressed admiration for the fact that I was Weiss-freaking-Schnee, and a few of those seemed to be straight up love confessions. "No interest at all." Other letters were more respectful, mostly thanking me for not joining Noir and her crusade to unite every first year under her banner.
Jack and Phoebe's letters stood out to me, partly because they were my friends, but more because their letters were more of an apology for how they reacted to me after Christmas break. "Well, at least they learned." Laura, however, didn't give me her arrow. I had no idea who she gave it to, and I didn't really care either.
Once I'd thrown away the letters and put the arrows away for potential use later on, I left the chest to go to sleep.
