Chapter 4
The duelling competition was likely to most nearly involve the combined sixth; there may have been legends like Willow Prince and David Fraser who had taken on the best of Durmstrang when they were only fourteen but it was anticipated that the First Peak Marauders were likely to contribute the greater number of the duelling team. And as Flo said to Fred the Upper Sixth were a bit of a dead loss; Mungo Fraser being the exception. Marius Schreiber had the potential but he had not spent years honing duelling skill in formal OR informal contest; and though the Muggle Marauders had the will and the skill to be very able fighters against evil, they had not the raw power of some, despite being blooded and really did not actually care enough to try. The Lowther twins were quidditch mad; and had received a few offers already from both English and continental teams; Rory was likely to take little interest in an opponent who was not vegetable in nature – though Fred did suggest that he might transfigure his opponents into Snargaluff trees – and Randolph was fairly obsessive about his painting. As it was a source of some considerable income to him already this was fair enough; especially as he had helped write the textbooks. Milos Milic, who had defected from Durmstrang in the first place might be interested in duelling, but none of the girls were, which as Flo said left it in the hands of AHHa and co.
AHHa and co WERE keen on carrying the fight against the new and more Eastern Odessa into their pure blood school, run by the cousin of a one-time deatheater; Sergei Dolokhov, the headmaster of the Pure-blood School of Sorcery – as the title of the school translated – was the cousin of Antonin Dolokhov who had been killed by Lucius Malfoy and who had died very surprised.
Not all the Lower Sixth were interested in duelling.
Hanna-Leena Tommila was not for one. She was interested in doing her best for having been given a scholarship to stay on in the sixth; her mother had left enough money to cover her education to the level of OWL and she was by way of being Severus' ward. She was also a very fine potioneer, and Severus had permitted her to pay her way by helping him brew the yearly potions for the various aliments likely to strike; Pepperup Potion, snow-blindness cure, Bruise Ease and so on. She had helped most holidays though she had been spending some of each holiday recently with Rose Hubble, her best friend – and had made sure that both Rose and her little sister arrived without forgetting anything this time – and Denis Hubble had suggested to Severus that Hanna would always have a home with them. As there was another daughter below Grace, this was generous as the Hubbles were at the lower end of the income bracket that usually chose the school; but there was enough so that the Hubbles need not be burdened with an extra set of school fees on top of the keep of the girl. And Severus had told Hanna that she should accept the invitation as she chose and take the time she needed then to find her way in the world. He had already suggested that she might have a job any day with his cousin Pete, who owned an apothecary's shop; and Hanna was overwhelmed with all the kindness that had been shown her in Prince Peak.
It had not stopped her resentment of her step uncle, who had hoped to make her skivvy herself to death so he could inherit the small amount of money her mother had left; but her feelings for him were no longer the black rage and hatred, merely the contemptuous near indifference that one could feel for one who no longer had the power to hurt. Hanna no longer wanted to kill him; she merely planned to use the chanting she had been studying assiduously with the application of Finnish naming magic, having obtained a ritual sample from him by writing to him a letter that she was able to continue her studies because she was cleverer than he. It had been a nicely weighted letter designed to make the man lose his temper and write back in a rage; plenty of emotion on the page to tie a nice little curse to him so that when she had completed the ritual he would be subject to the arachnonunculus curse and have all his skin covered with spider legs. In Finland he would find a curse breaker who understood naming magic who would eventually break it; but in the meantime, the arachnonunculous curse allied with the tarantallegra curse and the honky-tonk twinkle toes curse should keep him busy, with his skin eruptions dancing wildly and playing 'Witch are you' by The Toowhoo, a rather old British wizarding group admired by Severus and better known for the song 'Snitch Catch Wizard' which was often played at quidditch matches. Hanna was a methodical girl and preferred using potions or chanting for the results she desired rather than casting spells as such; and was not in the running for the duelling team. And she cared little since the only jinxes she cared about – those on her uncle – were about to be loosed on him.
BEFORE her seventeenth birthday so she was still a minor.
oOoOo
Yelisaveta Koldunova was not going to try for the duelling team either. Orphaned by the Odessa of the Ukraine she had more reason to hate them than most but she was not a fighter. Some of the other personal enemies of Odessa were the Zorn twins; Svetlana, born a muggle, was never going to be one of the top six in the school but Sandalla was keen to show Russian racists a thing or two. And when she wrote home about it, she had a brief disagreement with her father who at first was reluctant for her to risk herself; for she was his heir. Sandalla wrote back scornfully shat she did not believe that she sprang from stock that were cowards and who failed to show the right way; and Prince Irun acquiesced.
Competition was hot.
For some, like Sandalla, it was personal; for the Jorkins twins, opposing any death eaters was a memorial to their aunt Bertha; for Vya Kalinka it was a way to fight off the subjection in which she and her family had been held. Vya had recently perfected a larger style form and wore it proudly. For Silvina it was a matter of pride to represent the Snape family; for AHHa it was a case of showing that he was the de facto leader of the Marauders of his age group. For Mungo it was a question of following in the footsteps of his illustrious adoptive father; and for Yrdl Breuer in the fifth it was a case of being a German goblin with ability.
The final team was a tough choice; but it was decided purely on points accrued in the competitive playoffs in the evenings of the first two weeks.
"And it's been very close" said Severus as he announced the results "Actually there has been less than twenty points between the top twenty; some of whom are only in the fourth. After the top six, the next ten which comprises all the rest of the lower sixth and fifth who were contenders, lie within seven points. Six of you are equal seventh. Which being so, though you may not get to go this time, I'd say any one of you should apply for the Triwizard next year. All right, I'm getting to the team; Mungo Fraser will captain it, as the oldest, with Angel Hallow-Hellibore, whose name I pull out and dust off for the occasion, Sandalla Zorn, Silvina Snape, Vya Kalinka and Yrdl Breuer. On consultation with the referees the first reserve is Granville Jorkins for originality. You're up against – I should imagine – Marauders from Durmstrang; it will be tough. Do your best against your colleagues in Durmstrang and have fun; and reduce the bloodsnob Russians to drooling incompetence. Agata Bacsó HAS assured me that she is refereeing and will disqualify anyone who tries to refuse a match on grounds of race. It should be quite amusing to watch their faces" he added cheerfully.
"Sir, will I be arrested for wand carrying?" asked Vya "Because the Germans are not in line with us about educated elves?"
"You will find that the law was carefully worded by Jade" said Severus "To the effect that all beings who fulfil the conditions may bear a wand; I shall provide you and Yrdl certificates of being in education; you will, also, carry your OWL certificates. I shall make sure they, and your certificates of education, are enchanted to be indestructible and to return to you by apportation on your command. Not that I distrust Madam Bacsó or her staff; but if Dolokhov thinks he can make trouble he will try to do so. Brush up your most amusing curses my children. Let us defeat them with laughter. I could wish it was to be broadcast on Wizarding Wireless Vision as Durmstrang's quidditch matches are starting to be so broadcast, having been long broadcast by Wizarding Wireless; but even so word will get around."
"We'll do our best against Durmstrang of course too sir" said Yrdl "But if they're Marauders they have a chance of winning matches and showing that it is more flexibility and openness that leads to ability. So they aren't so likely to hate us and lose the tentative good will we have."
"And being marauders they will also expect you all to do your best to do your worst" said Severus. "I hope you enjoy meeting them and being a part of a friendly match – at least so far as the Durmstrangers are concerned."
oOoOo
The Duelling Team apparated to outside the anti-apparating zone of Durmstrang before breakfast where they were met by the English Customs Club – the Durmstrang version of the MSHG – whose blooded members felt them arrive.
"The other school's due to arrive mid morning you know sir" said Zlatko, as Head Boy to Severus.
"I know; but Durmstrang lays on good breakfasts and we thought you might like to get to know some opposite numbers of marauders and friends" said Severus.
The ECC had no problem with non humans; and Zlatko went ahead to warn both the head and the kitchen elves that there were seven extra to breakfast; and proceeded to sort out the visitors with appropriate friends. Yrdl, the baby of the Prince Peak team was soon chatting happily with Zyrillis, who was the baby of the Durmstrang team and her own age, fifteen; Mungo was to sit with the Asimov twins; and Xanthe and Xanthippe Eulenspiegel took the rest along with them.
Aglaia Hallow of Durmstrang's lower sixth stared as Zyrillis showed Yrdl into the great hall.
"Merlin's beard a GOBLIN in school robes? Those depraved types have sent a GOBLIN?" she spoke in English in her shock.
Yrdl regarded her.
"You are on the duelling team perhaps, Fraulein?" she asked.
Aglaia scowled.
"She isn't" said Zyrillis "Didn't make it; resents me doing so for being a year younger."
"Ah?" said Yrdl. "Those older than me had the manners to congratulate ME. But of course such things as ability and manners are so soon eroded by all that high-class pure bred bitchery – excuse, I mean WITCHERY of course."
Naturally Aglaia went to strike Yrdl; and consequently later spent a very uncomfortable time being interviewed by Attila Nagy about why her hand was a bunch of rather limp rhubarb when she found that she had to seek help.
As Yrdl had merely glanced at her hand this added insult to injury; but Aglaia contented herself with muttering.
Eve Cherrytree, expelled from Prince Peak and now in Zyrillis' class, murmured to Yrdl
"I don't like you Breuer, and I don't much like goblins and I don't like marauders much either; but I'm not half pleased to see that cow put in her place!"
Yrdl smiled an austere little smile.
"I don't like you either Cherrytree but so long as you don't actually give voice to your racist views I shan't turn you into a cabbage."
"Well I guess civilised goblins like you are better than some of the blood snobs" said Eve.
"Civilisation is a matter of upbringing" said Yrdl. "Do you think she's going to have conniptions when she realises that Vya is on the team too? I've never actually seen anyone having conniptions, it should be highly amusing."
It has to be said that Eve actually giggled spitefully.
It has also to be said that she had learned that Yrdl was a nicer classmate than many of the more bloodsnobbish of Durmstrang. She would hold obstinately to her stated views on the surface, but below those projected ideas she had actually had an original idea or two.
oOoOo
Aglaia stared in horror as Vya was one of those of her own age brought forward by the Eulenspiegel twins; but she said nothing. Having one of her hands as vegetables was bad enough; she was afraid of the twins as well as of the English duellists ganging up on her!
Agata Bacsó smiled austerely at the visitors as the school rose for the staff.
"We welcome the first contingent of visitors who have admitted to coming to gatecrash our excellent breakfast; there are too Marauders on their team who wish to meet our own Marauders. Severus, will you introduce your team?"
Severus proceeded to do so; each contestant standing as he said their name.
"We look forward to an enjoyable match, Agata" he said.
"Indeed" said Agata "The Russians should be in for several shocks. MY team are Zlatko Asimov; Zlatka Asimova; Xanthe Eulenspiegel; Xanthippe Eulenspiegel; Alexand Amsel; and Zyrillis Genauschüren."
"An excess of twins to be sure!" said Severus "Our lower sixth twins were among the six who were equal seventh; one point below the two at equal sixth. It was a close run thing."
"Oh I don't think we yet boast your DEPTH of able duellists" said Agata "But I think you will find those on the team very capable."
"I hope so" said Severus "It's more fun when it isn't a pushover. I believe I'm getting most of them for postgraduate studies too at some point; it will be interesting to watch their styles and assess their capabilities."
The judges arrived just after breakfast; it was too their responsibility to see the piste set up and the protective charms in place. Severus wandered off to the staffroom to discuss potions with Cacilia Von Freyer Nagy while the youngsters assimilated with their counterparts.
This involved AHHa claiming kinship with Aglaia and taunting her in the disguise of kindly questioning about her predilections and prejudices until Xanthippe whacked him across the back of the head.
"You really are a marauder" said AHHa gloomily; Xanthippe had only beaten Sandalla to it by a matter of seconds.
Silvina got stolen by the Musical Marauders who had no business to cut out a big girl from the sixth form common room since they were in the third year at Durmstrang.
"Is it true you've been doing research into music in magic?" demanded Corneliu.
"I have" said Silvina "And what's more I was planning on using it for the duel."
"COOL!" said Sigismund. "You're one of the famous ones in the line of inventing stuff; AND we've heard your stuff played on Wizarding Wireless so we're real fans and can we have your autograph please?"
Silvina laughed and complied. They were a sincere bunch of babes.
"We're working on some of your pain-stopping tunes with Professor Potishev" said Zoltan "And we played your bit about walking in the pastures for fun; may we do it for a broadcast concert please? Only you have to have the composer's permission."
"You may certainly have it; and I wish you all the best in playing it" said Silvina "I was very happy when I wrote that; and I trust you to get that feeling across. Becoming a marauder and actually having family has been the best thing that ever happened to me and I'm really proud to be here representing my dad, as Professor Snape now is, and all my siblings. I'm not good enough for the Triwizard but I'm a handy duellist."
The Jade Fag Marauders stole Silvina at that point for news of her sister, their beloved Jade; and Silvina laughed and passed on all the news she knew.
oOoOo
And then the Russians arrived.
oOoOo
Dolokhov was escorting four girls and two boys who all looked very haughty. They were all Great Russians.
"Agata" said Dolokhov. "Anatoli Serpmesyatsov; Spartak Bierya; Nastya Kostikova; Leesitsa Zloyina; Domna Motyilekova; and Venera Koovshina."
He frowned and Severus handed out a cuff to AHHa for whispering rather too loudly that they all sounded like particularly loathsome diseases. Which remark might not have been so unfortunate had not half the Durmstrang contingent also dissolved into giggles over it.
"Sergei" said Agata; and introduced her contestants. Her contingent bowed or curtseyed politely as introduced.
Severus smiled his thin smile and introduced HIS contestants who made sure to outdo the Durmstrang crew in the beauty of their bows and curtseys. It was a matter of principle.
Dolokhov stared.
"You bring ANIMALS?" he demanded.
"No; we have no familiars with us" said Severus. "I DO trust you are not referring to my non human children? After all they are wanded according to the law in Germany and we ARE after all in Germany."
"You can't expect my children to meet such as them!" cried Dolokhov.
"Well if they do not care to meet any against whom they are drawn it will be a nice easy win for my children who will win by default since a refusal to duel constitutes disqualification from that match" said Severus, still smiling, a dangerous smile, his eyes glittering like polished jet. "I shall however resent on their behalf the chance to collect extra style points."
Dolokhov ground his teeth; to have a win called by default if his children refused to meet these creatures was not to be born!
"Agata, surely you will not agree to this farce?" he appealed to Madam Bacsó.
"Sergei, the rules of Duello are laid down; a refusal to fight constitutes a resignation from the match and an automatic win to the other contestant" said Agata. "The youths are legally members of the Prince Peak Academy; enrolled students and the older of the two, Fraulein Vya Kalinka, also holds nine ZP equivalents and at good grades."
"How can you say FRAULEIN of a slave?" he almost spat.
"Gospodin Dolokhov" said Vya, who used Russian to address him, "I am not a slave or I should not wear clothes; I am a free elf of good family and if you continue to insult me I shall call duel on you here and now. To call me any but Fraulein, Miss or Gospoza implies that you wish to take away my character and imply that I am dishonoured. This is a slur on my character I will not accept. I await your apology."
"If you think I am going to apologise to a filthy….."
He got no further but wriggled in the air as a woodlouse.
The entire of Durmstrang laughed.
"Release Herr Dolokhov if you please, Fraulein" said Agata "He is my guest. He was improper to speak as he did and on his behalf I apologise to you."
"At your command" said Vya, sweeping a beautiful curtsey. Dolokhov fell to the floor in his normal form while she was still occupied with curtseying.
"It didn't do it; Snape did it to make it look good" muttered one of the Russian girls. "You'll see; when we get it on the piste."
Dolokhov was furious; Agata took his arm in a grip like a vice.
"About to make a fool of yourself as my deputy and his satellites made fools of themselves against Harry Potter and friends?" she said softly. "TRY to behave with SOME decorum; if you cast unforgivable curses I SHALL have you arrested."
Dolokhov glowered.
oOoOo
The piste was set up and the draw made. Mungo was to go first against the Russian girl Domna who had gazed with undisguised horror and some considerable respect at Vya for the woodlouse transfiguration; and who had muttered to one of her fellows that an elf who could manage transfigurations as well as charms was probably going to be a hard challenge.
The other girl had nodded thoughtfully.
Mungo and Domna shook hands before they mounted the piste.
"I'm not human either" said Mungo cheerfully "I'm adopted because my real father was an animagus who misbehaved with a bitch; so I really AM part animal. Care to make anything of that?"
"I suppose you cannot be blamed for the disgusting behaviour of your father" said Domna "Your adoptive family must be very tolerant."
"Not of him" said Mungo "Dad – who's also a dog animagus – chased him halfway across London. Professor Khan of Hogwarts believes such manimagi may be the origin of the Indian Rakshasa, which is one of the few shapeshifters to have no ties to the fey. Werewolves are one of the others; lycanthropy being a disease. I'm writing a book on shapeshifters of the world."
"It sounds fascinating" the girl actually sounded as though she meant it. "What you are disgusts me but I honour you that you try to overcome it; though I am not sure if you tell me in order that we do not fight under false pretences or because you wish to shock me."
"Oh a little of both old bean" said Mungo.
They had mounted the piste; and Agata had her wand raised. She spoke the time honoured words; dropped her wand; and they began.
Domna began with the disarming spell followed by the blasting curse; Mungo let his wand go and blocked the blasting curse with a negligent wave of the hand. He turned Domna into a penguin.
The penguin was furious; and fought to return to its normal form, managing a human head and a rather feathery uniform just as the count hit nine.
"Well done" said Mungo, countering her rather erratic stinging hex as she summoned her wand back to where it had dropped from her flipper, and absently hovering as she cast flames to set fire to the piste. He summoned water to dowse the flames and simultaneously bound, langlocked, tickled and disarmed the partial penguin. This time the count reached ten without Domna managing to extricate herself.
Domna was awarded nine points for style and five for originality; Mungo was awarded six and nine in addition to his ten points for a win. He bowed to Domna and graciously undid the rest of the transfiguration. She had, after all, been polite enough.
Zlatka was the next to go; she had drawn AHHa.
This was a stiff battle with – at least to marauders – fairly conventional wand work from both. Zlatka countered the chant AHHa tried to set up and added a twist of her own that left him rotating longitudinally parallel to the piste. He failed to escape before the count was over and left to be de-jinxed.
It was a consolation that Zlatka needed chanting over too to remove the cacti from the ends of her hands. AHHa scored six and seven, and as Zlatka scored seven and six did not feel too bad about it.
The Russian girl called Venera was next; she was against Sandalla.
"At least I fight a human" she said "I suppose you are some specie of mudblood or bloodtaint?"
"Actually" said Sandalla sweetly "MY bloodline is better than any of you young countries can manage; we of Zorn trace our bloodline back to Atlantis. But I have also been brought up to recognise that such vanities are but the futile inanities of lesser beings who would place emphasis and importance on their petty arrogances for their failure to actually amount to anything much."
Venera let fly with the blasting curse before Agata dropped her wand.
"THAT is a disqualification" said Agata.
Sandalla had absently blocked.
"Madame Bacsó I would fight it nevertheless to show my infinite superiority" she said, with a curtsey.
"Such is your right" said Madam Bacsó "But if she makes another false start she will be banned from the rest of the competition as well as this match."
Venera was careful to make no such error! She attacked with no finesse, though her partial transfiguration of Sandalla before the other girl resisted the change and fought herself back was unusual for a continental duellist. Sandalla used levicorpus with the tarantallegra curse and the honky-tonk twinkletoes curse and left the girl dancing upside-down on one foot to the tune of 'Black Bear' in honky-tonk time, which would have surely earned her a good cuff from Seagh had he happened to be there and gained her a poking from Mungo. Venera did not manage to escape; and Sandalla had a win. She scored nine and six; Venera scored only four for style though her attempts at transfiguration gave her eight. The German judges seemed to consider using transfiguration worth high points.
Next it was Zlatko versus the boy Spartak.
"You Germans may put a good face on it but when our troops have restored order such farcical happenings will be pushed aside" said Spartak.
"Actually old boy I'm not German" said Zlatko "I'm Bulgarian; like Viktor Krumm, that famed fighter against Odessa and all it stands for."
"Then you will be one of the first to die under the cruciatus curse begging for death" said Spartak.
"In your dreams, Rus" said Zlatko "You're on the run and your treaties with the fey have been thoroughly disrupted. You breed for pure-blooded moronic asininity. Were we going to mount the piste by the way, or were we just going to exchange insults until you collapse in spluttering incoherence because I'm too erudite for you?"
This was rapidly a grudge match; at least on Spartak's side.
The boy's wand work was good; it was not his fault that Zlatko was just extremely good at defensive spells; and Spartak's attempts to use a tripping hex allied with the body-moving charm might have succeeded had not Zlatko learned enough from the ECC to flip as he tripped and land under his own volition before he could be dragged anywhere for having tucked to gain speed in the tumble. And rapidly Spartak was covered in pustules that swelled and exploded maggots out of them while he vomited slugs and bats poured out of his nose while a fluorescent stream poured out of his bottom to fill a bubble that rapidly filled and lifted him as it transformed into hydrogen.
"He is FLOATING!" cried one of his team mates. Zlatko grinned, recalling the first time he had seen the dirigible fart curse, cast on Heinrich Nachtigall by Jade Snape, which had proceeded at the normal rate for not having had the digestive processes speeded up. He absently turned Spartak's fingers into tiny Pekinese dogs which promptly started biting each other and him to deprive the boy of his wand.
It was a very noisy but rather decisive win and Zlatko scored seven and ten points on top of his win. Spartak had been fairly able with his wand work and scored eight and seven but he needed a lot of dejinxing.
oOoOo
Silvina was up next, facing Xanthe, the quieter of the Eulenspiegel twins. Xanthe's wand work was good and Silvina had to work hard to counter her most original curses, and had to restore her robes from being rather sudden cacti. Silvina started whistling and the knowledgeable Musical Marauders began to applaud politely before Xanthe realised that the piste had suddenly grown briar roses to enclose her and were gently starting to squeeze. She chanted rapidly to drive them back but Silvina had added counterpoint by then with her wand independently enchanted to tap out a rhythm .
"I concede!" shouted Xanthe "You have me beat, Silvery Snape!"
Silvina scored only five for style – she had scarcely used her wand and the judges were not sure how to award points – but was given a full ten points for originality.
Xanthe scored eight and nine – she WAS good – and shook Silvina's hand.
"That was scary" she said.
"I read too many fairy tales I suppose" grinned Silvina "If I hadn't like you I'd have grown the briars from the inside out."
Xanthe shuddered.
"You Snapes are inordinately ruthless" she said.
oOoOO
Vya was next to go, drawn against the Russian girl who had agreed with Domna that a house elf able to do transfiguration bore watching. Her name was Leesitsa.
Leesitsa was fast off the mark, pouring spells into Vya, who set her teeth and defended, earning some applause even from the Durmstrang contingent who were NOT certain they liked the idea of educated elves when she twisted an everdancing curse back onto the caster. Leesitsa quickly got herself out of it and threw a curse of binding twisted with a silencing charm and a disarming charm. Vya was bound, and the bindings had a twist on them that if she wriggled they burned. Leesitsa turned away looking pleased; and Vya turned her not inconsiderable will to the task of apparating clear out of the bindings and, still silenced and wandless, turned the Russian girl into a teddy bear.
The count had reached seven; and Leesitsa had thought she was in for a win, tough though it had been. Her chagrin was apparent when her own count reached ten; and Vya turned her back.
"You are very skilled" said Leesitsa unwillingly.
"I have had good teachers" said Vya "Though it is harder to duel for amusement when we must be careful not to actually hurt any of you because you are not an enemy. Or at least, you are not come as the enemy; whether you are or not is a matter for your deepest soul. You should not feel too bad; the great Hermione Granger was caught out similarly after she believed she had incapacitated her opponent; but he, a boy named Arsène Le Fèvre, went on to be a famous duellist. He studied advanced magic techniques for a year under Professor Snape a couple of years ago and he has not beaten Madam Granger, who teaches us Arithmancy, in a duel since. She hates losing."
"I also hate losing" said Leesitsa.
"Then you should consider on which side to be when the free world moves against the Odessa of Russia" said Vya. "You do not care who or what I am; you care about how well you do. You should realise that elves who perform their magic for love and willingly cannot help but be more powerful than those who are miserable; even as you will find that things that make you unhappy distract you from your work. You have much opportunity to be great in Russia with the right application."
"You are insolent; but I hear your words" said Leesitsa. There was a shrewdness to the girl that might be worked on, thought Vya; she was hard, probably moderately callous and deeply suspicious of everyone. That probably included Odessa. If she might choose her side out of enlightened self interest it was better than having an efficient girl as an enemy.
There was a break for refreshments before the rest of the first draw continued; ten minutes for drinks and biscuits and comfort breaks; and when the Eulenspiegel twins volunteered the information that they had helped make the biscuits, AHHa mimed dying and was variously poked by his friends and the German School's marauders alike!
And then they resumed.
I hope some people got the musical jokes…