Chapter Three

The next day, when the group of Auror trainees walked into the room, Moody was already there. The highly polished wooden floorboards had been replaced by a soft, fluffy carpet.

"Alright then!" Moody said, as the last wizard entered the room, closing the door behind him. "Today, like I said, we'll be practising Stunners. They are one of the most useful spells when you're duelling. By using it, you can often gain the upper hand over your opponent, because you're temporarily disabling them.

"Today, we'll go over the basics of casting a Stunning spell, and instead of duelling me, you'll partner off and practise the spell on each other, without resistance. Later in the course, we'll study what you can do to repel and defend yourself against various Dark creatures, curses, hexes and jinxes. But for now, we're just refreshing the basics. And no, you can't choose your partners. I've already decided who's going with whom. The decisions are final, no arguing. Before we begin, I'll let you know the pairs."

The young witches and wizards groaned, looking around at their friends hopefully.

"Ariadne Honeysuckle and Sean Greentree." The two nodded in each other's direction.

"Stella Thatcher and Sherry Hatfield." Sherry looked slightly uncomfortable until Stella smiled encouragingly at her.

"Matthew Lynch and Michael Caddock." Michael clapped his friend's shoulder, grinning.

"Nymphadora Tonks and Stefan Davenport." The young witch and wizard looked at each other apprehensively. After a moment, Davenport walked over to Tonks, extending a hand for her to shake. 'Hello,' he greeted her.

"Wotcher, Stefan," was the reply.

Moody cleared his throat loudly. "Now that that's all sorted out, let's get started. Stunners are quite simple to cast. Just point your wand directly at your partner and say 'Stupefy'. If you've done it correctly, your partner should be rendered unconscious for a moment, hence the carpet. Find yourself a spot in the room and get started. Make sure you're at least two metres away from the pairs either side of you, in front of you and behind you."

With that, Moody moved to the side of the room, and the pairs scrambled to find a spot. Tonks and Davenport looked at each other awkwardly.

"Should we find a spot, then?" asked Davenport.

"Oh, yeah. Let's go over here," Tonks replied, gesturing to a large space in the centre of the room.

As they drew their wands, Davenport said, "Ladies first."

Tonks nodded. "Alright then. On the count of three. One, two, three! Stupefy!"

Tonks grinned as Davenport was sent backwards, almost colliding with Sherry Hatfield, who, after a few attempts, had managed to Stun Stella Thatcher.

After a moment, Davenport got up, rubbing his back. "Geez, I've already got a lovely purple bruise from yesterday. I don't need another one," he teased Tonks.

She shrugged. "Well, if you hadn't been so stuck up..."

"Sorry about that, Tonks. I guess I was just jealous. You're really talented," Davenport said seriously.

Tonks looked at her feet, hair turning a fiery shade of red. "Thanks."

A collective gasp went up from the rest of the group. "You're a Metamorphmagus?" asked Sean Greentree.

"I heard they're really rare," commented Michael Caddock in amazement.

Moody walked over to her. "Whyever didn't you tell anyone?" he said.

Tonks looked at the carpet, which seemed to have suddenly got a great deal more interesting. "I didn't think it was a very big deal. I didn't want anyone making a fuss about it."

Moody just looked at her silently for a moment. With Moody's electric blue eye seeming to bore into her soul, she felt very uncomfortable. Turning away, Moody barked, "Well, don't just stand there! Keep practising!"

For the remainder of the session, Tonks and Davenport practised silently, save for counts of three, thanks for aiding each other in getting up, and one making sure the other was ready.

It seemed to Tonks like an age before Moody said, "That's enough for today. Off you go." She jumped as he added, 'Oh, and Tonks, I'd like a word with you before you leave."

Tonks nodded silently, making her way over to the older wizard, watching the last few people exit the room.

"Nymphadora, I don't want other people's opinions getting in the way of your training. You have plenty of time to worry about that after the course is over."

Tonks nodded. "Alright. I guess I just need thicker skin."

"Good attitude," Moody said approvingly. "You can't let all that affect you. It needs to be water off a duck's back. That's what Aurors have to do. They can't let their personal lives get in the way of their work."

"Okay. Thanks."

Moody nodded, apparently satisfied. "Off you go, then. I can't keep you here all night."