Still behind, so behind. Thanks to the 10 visitors! :D I'm happy people are reading even if not reviewing.

I liked the end of this chapter more than the beginning. Hmm, I might lead on from it again next chapter, get the boys' PoV.

Balkov turned to Max. "If you wouldn't mind?"

Max barely had time to look bewildered before Balkov had said "Expelliarmus!" and Disarmed him. Balkov wordlessly made Max's wand, which had been on a trajectory to about four feet away, land in Balkov's hand.

He twiddled the wand and looked at it closely. Hilary was struck by his sudden resemblance to Ollivander, except that his lip was curled with something that could have been distaste. "Ah, rowan and unicorn. It suits you." He threw the wand back. Max caught it, and tried to surreptiously wipe it. Hilary winced in sympathy.

"There's one more piece of theory I'd like you to know before you can start practising on each other for the rest of the hour. When you Disarm somebody, there is a chance that their wand will switch allegiance to you."

Stunned silence greeted that remark. Hilary found herself gripping her wand tightly. Suddenly she didn't want to duel any more.

"It doesn't tend to happen in duels, certainly not your usual school duel, because your wand knows when it is being used in earnest, and it knows when it has been won in earnest. Certain wands switch with more or less ease than others. But as a general rule, if you genuinely defeat another wizard in combat, his wand will work well for you – better than other wands you may have borrowed in the past."

With that, Balkov stepped back and gestured for them to start practising. Hilary faced Tyson, and could tell from his face that he was almost as uneasy as she was.

For the rest of the hour, they took turns trying to Disarm each other. Balkov didn't say a single word more, but his mere precsence kept them all grimly practising when they actually really wanted to talk.

Predictably, Kai managed to Disarm Julia about fifteen minutes in, but as if to put some of the sting back in for him Balkov pointed out that Julia had been nearly half a second faster to point her wand accurately at Kai, so if she could have made the spell happen she would have Disarmed him first.

Shortly afterwards, Ray and Mariah used the spell simultaneously and knocked themselves backwards onto their bottoms without any Disarming at all. That caused a lot of snickering, but again Balkov's presnce stopped any good joking around.

Kenny and Mathilda had made exactly no progress at all, and were both bright pink in the face. They both hated semi-public things like this. It was different in a normal classroom experience, which they generally shared with another House so there were more people. More voices shouting, fruitlessly or otherwise. Kenny was also suffering from the relatively non-academic method with which they had just been taught: he dealt best with new spells when given the theory the week before, to pick it apart and understand why the wand had to be moved like that, why the emphasis had to be on the third syllable, etc.

Professor Dickenson had wandered over to Max and been a practise dummy for a few unsuccessful Disarmaments, but now they were just talking.

Hilary didn't expect much of herself, given that her heart was most definitely not in it – she didn't want to steal Tyson's wand! - but much to her surprise with about seven minutes to go her weak, colourless spell hit Tyson and jolted his wand onto the floor. Tyson shouted the incantation and her wand too fell out of her hand, although she was sure that it was just because she was distracted.

Neither of them were pleased or proud like they were when they managaed spells in other lessons. Hilary scooped up her wand and stuffed it into an inside pocket of her cloak. Some absurd idea about it being able to hear her heartbeat and recognise her floated through her brain. Tyson was slightly more rational, quite the feat for him, but his knuckles were white on his wand.

As they headed to the Great Hall for dinner, Mariah said in a half-annoyed, half scared whisper, "That was weird." Hilary agreed fervently and Mathilda complained that she never liked that sort of stuff anyway, but Julia just laughed and said,

"Well, I thought it was ok. I'm sure Cloak-Man's bark is worse than his bite."

Mariah rolled her eyes. "You're just pleased he said you were faster than Kai."

Julia squared her shoulders. "Yeah, I am pleased! I think I could be good at duelling, you know?" This was the first time that they had heard Julia say that she wanted to do well in a subject, rather than her usual aggressively cheerful acceptance of however she was doing at the time. Even though it wasn't a school subject, it was still quite an event.

"Yeah, Julia, I definitely think you could be really good; didn't he say that being fast and good at dodging were two very important duelling skills?" Hilary elbowed Mariah hard in the side to get her to realise the plan and agree.

"He definitely said that," Mariah offered, stamping silently on Hilary's foot in return.

"Being faster than Kai is impressive," Mathilda said, catching on a little late but gamely joining in. They were all fed up of how Julia didn't care about school, which ... ok, actually they were all still sore about getting stressed and worried about first year exams while Julia sat on her bed and threw spoilt pieces of parchment at them while telling them they were being silly.

Maybe they were being bad friends for deliberately trying to drive her into something that she could get stressed about too, but never mind that for now.

Late that night, when they were all changed into nightwear and the lights were out and everybody was in bed apart from Mariah who was looking for a lost quill, Mathilda said, quietly, what they'd all thought all evening:

"Do you reckon the teachers know about Kai 'borrowing' people's wands, then? Do you reckon that's why we were the first House to get that lesson?"

Mariah grumbled, "Probably", from half underneath her bed. "Don't sugar-coat it, Maddy, call it stealing."

"He hasn't done it this year, though," Julia pointed out.

A thought popped into Hilary's head and chilled her all over and spilt from her mouth even though she literally clenched her jaw shut to resist the compulsion: "Yeah, but now he knows how to make the wands his."

Mariah must have tried to whip her head up to stare at Hilary, because there was a loud bang and some creative swearing for a twelve year-old.

"Thanks for that, Hil," Julia muttered. "Oh well. Guess I'd better get good at duelling fast, hey?"

All opinions welcome!

xIlbx