A Duel at Dawn [Ro]

[Max Kameren]

As the sun rose on Godric’s Hollow a hush permeated each home like a gust of wind. It was deceptively charming, considering its tragic past as a battlefield in Wizarding wars. In the seventeen years since the last battle, the quiet town had gone back to normal; the house that had been destroyed was rebuilt, and the family inside grew and shrank again.

The salmon-colored brick house in question was empty at the moment. The Kameren family had scattered to the winds this morning: Arianna was at the Department of Mysteries, Evie was at her gifted school in London, and Violet was at a friend’s house. It was strange when the house was quiet. At times Max thought the walls themselves radiated Kameren-family one-liners. The eeriness of it put a shiver through Max as he picked up several objects in his late father’s office. He stepped heavily as he headed out the back door, trying to fill the house with some sort of Kameren-generated noise.

Out the back of the Kameren house was a small forest, in the center of which was a small clearing with a hill. The area was protected to be magic-safe, and served as a play area throughout Max’s childhood. Growing up the children of Godric’s Hollow sled down the hill and played night games in the forest. This was the same clearing where Curse Kameren taught Max and Eden how to duel. It was a quiet, private and safe space for a morning dueling lesson; it perfectly suited Max’s needs.

Finding time for both Max and Rowena to get away from St. Mungo’s was nearly impossible, especially without attracting the attention of their nosey colleagues. Max resolved to work around their schedules instead; they both worked later mornings on Tuesdays, so he convinced Rowena to get up early for a dueling practice. The Dueling Dragons wasn’t open at this hour, so Max made do with the place he’d learned at. The morning was brisk and misty for summer. Max buttoned up the front of his warm flannel, checking for his wand in his pocket. He tossed several of the objects he’d taken from Curse’s office in the grass at various intervals. Satisfied, Max turned on his heel, his mind set for Rowena’s.

Max appeared in an alley around the corner from Rowena’s home, putting his hands in his pockets as he exited and turned the corner for her front door. The early morning left the London street oddly quiet, too. He rang the doorbell, feeling for her aura to make sure she was awake. Had she forgotten?

[Rowena Jones]

Rowena actually thought she might murder her cat if he didn’t shut up with his bloody wailing. She growled as she rolled over to look at the time. 3:23 blinked back at her and she groaned. Spice had recently decided that the other cats in the neighborhood weren’t respectful enough of him and had started fighting so Rowena had logically decided to keep him inside for a few days until he calmed down. The large cat had not appreciated her thoughtfulness and retaliated by standing by the door and making the most atrocious noise. All night.

With an annoyed sigh, Rowena swung her legs out of bed, grabbed her fluffy dressing gown and padded downstairs. She was awake now, she might as well get some work done while she had a few hours to spare. She smiled as she thought about what was happening later that morning. Private time with Max. And he was going to teach her some dueling skills. The young witch was excited to learn something new. And get to kiss Max. The hallways of Mungo’s weren’t exactly the most conductive to romance. She settled into her armchair, grabbing a few folders from the coffee table.

Time flew quickly as she read through her notes and marked several points to come back to and develop. She yawned as the sky began to lighten, stretching contentedly. Being awake this early was so peaceful, a big difference from her life at the hospital where chaos seemed to reign at every corner.

What time had Max said again? It had been early but surely not too early. 7 sounded about right… It was only 5:56 now so she still had some time. And then the doorbell rang and proved her wrong. Really? They’d agreed on 6? She yawned again. Damnit. She still needed some coffee if she was going to be any use, but she couldn’t help the giddy excitement that went through her at the thought that Max was here.

She padded over to the door and pushed Spice out of the way with her leg as he tried to escape to reestablish dominance in his kingdom when she opened it. She smiled sleepily as she saw Max standing on the steps to her home and moved aside, grabbing the cat as he made another dash for freedom.

“Hey. Sorry I’m not ready. I thought we said 7. I just need coffee and to get dressed,” she said as she shuffled awkwardly back inside holding the huge weight of the Maine Coon. It wouldn’t take her long. Ever prepared, she’d chosen her clothes last night and laid them out ready for the morning. “Do you want anything? Help yourself if you do.” she asked as she waved her wand towards the kitchen to prepare the hot drink and started up the stairs to her room. She quickly threw on her chosen outfit and tied her hair up in a messy bun before returning downstairs, grabbing her coffee and reaching up to give Max a kiss.

“Ok! Ready now.”

[Max Kameren]

“Hey. Sorry I’m not ready. I thought we said 7. I just need coffee and to get dressed,” she said as she shuffled awkwardly back inside holding the huge weight of the Maine Coon.

Max smiled teasingly, shaking his head as he followed Rowena into her home. "I need to start sending you reminders before I come over." Either way, Rowena right in the morning was a pleasing sight for him. He watched her shuffle around the kitchen preparing her coffee, his green eyes following her with an affectionate spark. 

“Do you want anything? Help yourself if you do.” Max shook his head. He leaned against the door frame of the kitchen with his arms crossed, patiently waiting. She brushed past him to go up the stairs; Max could feel her aura above him, moving sleepily around to prepare for their duel. The whole time Rowena dressed Spice sat at the door, staring at Max and yowling loudly. Curious, Max glanced up at the ceiling where Ro was and back down at the cat. He took a hesitant step towards the petulant animal, but stopped himself when Rowena rejoined him downstairs. She returned with coffee, reaching up to kiss him hello.

“Ok! Ready now.”

Max wrapped his arms around her, pinning her and her coffee into his chest. "Alright, then. Hold tight!" He twisted on his heel and the two healers apparated into the center of the Godric's Hollow field. 

The sun had just begun to breach the horizon in the clearing, breaking into pieces between the trees. Max took a step back from Rowena so she could examine their surroundings, pulling out his wand. "So, dueling practice then? Or do you need to finish your coffee first?" He smirked, crossing his arms with his wand facing up. "I need to know what kind of experience you have, first. When you're ready, I'll just parry you and you can show me what you've got." He grinned. "Sound good?"

[Rowena Jones]

Rowena smiled when they popped into existence and she looked around. The sun touched her face as she took in her surroundings, the cool dawn air helping to wake her up again.

"So, dueling practice then? Or do you need to finish your coffee first?"

She grinned at him, first taking a quick tentative sip and then downing the hot drink. She was used to almost scalding coffee after years of too quick breaks at the hospital. “Nope, all done. Let’s do this!” she said, competitive edge out in full force. The last time Max had seen her in a somewhat dueling capacity she’d been more of a nuisance than a help. She was determined that this time, she’d at least not make a total fool of herself.

"I need to know what kind of experience you have, first. When you're ready, I'll just parry you and you can show me what you've got." He grinned. "Sound good?'

Hmm. Well that would be no experience at all. Not really anyway. She didn’t think Defence Against the Dark Arts classes really counted. Theoretically she knew the spells. She’d even done some extra reading to make sure she had a good arsenal of them at the ready. All she had to do was cast them and hit Max. It couldn't be that hard. Confident, Rowena nodded.

And then faltered. Should she just do one spell? Or do a group of them. Binding spells? Or hexes? Making Max laugh seemed like a stupid way of winning a duel but Rictumsempra had been suggested in the books she’d read. Damnit. This dueling malarkey was way more complicated than she’d first thought.

“Petrificus totalus?” she finally said, the spell shooting its way hesitantly towards Max. “And I guess… Furnunculus!”

[Max Kameren]

Max bent his knees and held his wand in front of him in a defensive position, ready to throw whatever spells she would send him to the side. He smiled as he amber eyes met his emerald with confidence... then swiftly took a nosedive. "Uh-oh," he breathed, quiet enough so Rowena couldn't hear him.

“Petrificus totalus?” she finally said, the spell shooting its way hesitantly towards Max. It meandered through the air, diving into the grass about a meter in front of him. Max straightened, arching a curious brow. What just happened there? Had it been a mistake? Max was pretty sure he'd seen Evie cast stronger spells on accident. Maybe this was just a warm up? He gripped his wand, ready to receive the next one.

“And I guess… Furnunculus!”

The boil-inducing spell was slightly better, shooting straight for the first half of its journey towards Max until Rowena's uncertainty sent it driving wide to the right. Max didn't even bother holding up his wand, just watched as the golden light disintegrated into the dirt. He looked from the spell to Rowena, eyebrows disappearing in his dark hair in surprise. 

With out a word Max closed the gap between them, a sweet smile breaking out on his face. He caught Rowena in a tight hug, kissing the side of her head. "Ro... you're so bad. It was actually adorable, how bad you were." He pulled away to watch her scowl at him at arms-length, his mischievous grin widening with the souring of her aura. How could she be so, so good at healing and this bad at dueling? His emerald eyes narrowed and he shook his head, still smiling. "God, you're cute. That was so bad, though. Really bad. But you're great."

With a laugh, Max waved his wand and one of the devices he'd laid in the grass sprang to life; a brass disc opened up and assembled itself as a six-food metal hoop, its stand digging into the earth. Within the center of the hoop a target glowed, projecting other smaller targets around the hoop in shifting geometric patterns. They were portable dueling targets; Curse had smuggled them out of the Ministry decades ago when he left.

"Alright time to actually help, sorry." Max lined himself up behind Rowena, looking over her shoulder as he positioned her in front of the target. "The spells are a bit different, but you need the same confidence you cast with at Mungo's. The more sure you are, the more accurate and fast the spell will move when you throw it." He focused on the target ahead of them, leaning in to speak lowly in her ear. "Try it again. At the main target."

[Rowena Jones]

Fuck. Fuckity fuck fuck! So much for not making a fool of herself. She watched miserably as her spells didn’t even get to Max. What the hell was wrong with them? She could levitate a man several stories in the air, she could restrain troublesome patients, but try and do a few offensive spells on Max and she was as useless as a toddler with a plastic wand.

She looked up as Max came towards her and scowled darkly at his smile. Of course this was amusing to him.

"Ro... you're so bad. It was actually adorable, how bad you were."

She couldn’t help the small stomp of her foot. It was not adorable. It was embarrassing and frustrating and did he really need to point out how bad it actually was?!

"God, you're cute. That was so bad, though. Really bad. But you're great."

Apparently he did!

“Flattery will get you nowhere Kameren,” she growled in annoyance. “You’re just being a bad teacher! You can’t expect me to just be able to do it! I can’t! That’s why I asked you to help,” she said, glaring at him as he laughed. “Don’t laugh at me you infuriating man!”

Rowena started as something moved and suddenly she was faced with… a contraption of some kind. “What the fuck is that?!”

"Alright time to actually help, sorry." Max lined himself up behind Rowena, looking over her shoulder as he positioned her in front of the target. "The spells are a bit different, but you need the same confidence you cast with at Mungo's. The more sure you are, the more accurate and fast the spell will move when you throw it. Try it again. At the main target."

Still grumbling, Rowena turned to study the target. “Can I try again on you instead? I really think I could hit that smarmy know-it-all head of yours now.” She mumbled. “It’s so big, I don’t think anyone could miss it. No? Later then,” she smirked up over her shoulder at him before straightening up and focusing on the target in front of her.

Confidence. Sure. She had that. She could do this. “Stupefy!” The red light flew out from her wand and exploded against the metal ring. “Does that count?” she asked, turning to look at him.

[Max Kameren]

“Can I try again on you instead? I really think I could hit that smarmy know-it-all head of yours now.” She mumbled. “It’s so big, I don’t think anyone could miss it.”

“If I wasn’t such a know-it-all you wouldn’t be learning at all today, so shoot the target Dumbledore.” He clapped her on the shoulders, shaking her sideways to try to loosen her up.

“No? Later then.” A slight smile pulled at his lips behind Rowena as he felt her aura bounce back into her regular confident self. “Stupefy!” The red light flew out from her wand and exploded against the metal ring. As he watched Max jerked his head to the right, trying subconsciously to direct the spell a little further onto the target.“Does that count?”

“Yeah! Big improvement.” Max spun on his heel around to Rowena’s side, taking her wand hand in his and examining her grip. “How do you usually hold your wand?” He shifted her wand further into her palm, laying her thumb straight along the handle. “When I was a kid, to help learn how to aim I would hold it like this and extend my thumb up, like this.” He gently bent her thumb back, straightening out her arm. He resumed his place behind her, stooping to see the target more easily from her perspective. “As long as your grip on your wand is still solid, you can use your thumb as a makeshift guide to aim more easily. It’s not exact, but in a duel you’re moving so quickly that it’s a faster way to visualize where the spell’s going.”

Max straightened, pulling out his own wand and holding it the same way he’d shaped Rowena’s hand. He closed one eye to aim, holding out his wand-arm and shooting his own Stupefy at the target. It hit the center, disintegrating into red sparks. He shrugged, tossing his wand back in his pocket. “Does that make sense? Not particularly formal, just a trick I picked up in target practice.”

“Oh! And spells,” Max started when he thought of something he’d thought of but forgot to mention, laying a hand on her shoulder before she shot at the target again. “In most duels - well, if you’re not trying to kill anyone - Stupefy, binding curses, expelliarmus, a battering curse maybe if you’re trying to get space between you, and other spells to subdue your opponent are best. Furnunculus is fun at Hogwarts, but in an actual duel it won’t really stop your attacker.” He shrugged, smiling wryly. “Death Eaters don’t really care if they’re ugly. Why they wear the hoods.”

[Rowena Jones]

“You’re such a show off,” Rowena teased as he shrugged, tossing his wand into his pocket. “Makes sense, but don’t know that it’ll work. It feels odd to hold my wand this way.” She readied herself to try again, but a hand on her shoulder made her pause.

“Oh! And spells. […] Furnunculus is fun at Hogwarts, but in an actual duel it won’t really stop your attacker.” Max shrugged, smiling wryly. “Death Eaters don’t really care if they’re ugly. Why they wear the hoods.”

“See! That’s what I thought!” she exclaimed with a huff. “Stupid book telling me to do stupid spells.” She continued mocking the book, “Oh you’re trying to kill me? One second, let me just make you laugh with this Rictusempra…” she snorted in amusement and looked up at Max, eyes shining and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

This whole thing may be frustrating and Max might be annoying in his easy ability to do it, but she was enjoying just being outside and spending time with him. “Ok. Let’s do this,” she said with determination.

She turned back to face the target, her thumb where Max had told her and took aim. It didn’t feel particularly comfortable changing the way she held her wand. Rowena was a creature of habit and she’d been holding it a certain way for over 15 years. But Max was the expert so she would try it his way. For now.

“Expelliarmus!”

The spell went straight, but her unease at the new position sent it straight past the target and she growled in annoyance. She tried a few more, but her arm cramped and they all flew a little wide. “Nope! I can’t hold it like this. It’s not fluid enough for me.” She said decidedly, shifting back to her normal hold, where she grasped the wand loosely between her fingers, little finger out instinctively. This aiming thing was going to be a problem. Her day to day use of magic was usually very specific, concentrated and close. And they hadn’t even touched on moving targets yet! She didn’t think her opponents would just stand in one place and play nice.

She narrowed her eyes at the target, getting angry at the stupid thing for not letting her just hit it once! Out of frustration she sent a blasting curse at it, followed by Expulso, not aiming or really caring at this point but just trying vent some annoyance. One last Reducto raced after her first two spells. There was a muffled THWUMP as the Confringo spell hit the dirt sending grass and mud into the air and Ro turned away with a sigh.

“Maybe I should just stick with Healing. I’m obviously not a fighter,” she said to Max, missing the satisfying sight of her remaining spells hitting the target.

[Max Kameren]

“Oh you’re trying to kill me? One second, let me just make you laugh with this Rictusempra…”

Max’s eyes rolled up as he entertained the idea of correcting her. Rictumsempra was actually a pretty useful spell when it was cast strongly enough; Max had incapacitated people in duels before with it, forfeiting as they roll laughing in tears on the ground. Eh, best not, he decided. He was fairly sure if he corrected her one more time right now she’s test it out on him.

“Ok. Let’s do this. Expelliarmus!”

The spell had good form but was in the wrong direction, and Max grimaced as the spell escaped her wand and missed the hoop. He flinched slightly with each failed spell; it was painful to watch. Max was bad at watching people do something he knew how to do badly, and the urge to step in and correct was strong but he knew Rowena needed to figure it out herself.

“Nope! I can’t hold it like this. It’s not fluid enough for me.” She said decidedly. Max nodded in agreement. That was fair, his version was very different from the way Rowena usually held her wand. Before he went largely wandless he would get taunted by his family for the ham-fisted way he held his wand anyway, but it was helpful to him so he passed it along.

He could feel her frustration growing with each miss and Max wasn’t sure how to help. Target practice was just that: practice. When she did it a thousand times, it would be easy. However, Rowena didn’t strike Max as the kind of person who was used to having to work hard to be passingly good at something. Either she was the best, or she didn’t do it at all. He stood behind her and watched on as each spell became more desperate to hit the target, inching closer with each cast. “Keep going, you’re going to get it.”

“Maybe I should just stick with Healing. I’m obviously not a fighter,” she said to Max.

Rowena turned at the perfect time to miss her hit the mark. He grinned and grabbed her by the shoulders, spinning her around to catch the last few sparks before they faded away. “See? You got it! It’s just a practice thing, it’ll come more naturally the more you do it.” His hands moved to wrap Rowena in a bear-hug from behind. “Soon you’ll be just as terrifying in a duel as you are to the orderlies at work.” He teased, resting his head on top of hers for a moment before letting her go.

“Do you want to try moving targets, or keep practicing at this?” He checked his watch to make sure they weren’t running late for their shifts. He arched at her, questioning; they still had time if she wasn't too frustrated to keep going.

[Rowena Jones]

“I did?” Rowena asked then laughed in satisfied relief as she saw the last few sparks fade. “I did!” She leaned back against Max as he hugged her, enjoying a few seconds of contact.

“Soon you’ll be just as terrifying in a duel as you are to the orderlies at work.”

She grinned still on a high from having actually hit the bloody target. “I’m not terrifying! I just expect them to do their job properly. Not my fault if they’d prefer to gossip in the corridors…” Rowena turned to look at him as he let her go.

“Do you want to try moving targets, or keep practicing at this?”

‘Well let me see if I can hit it on purpose first! I wasn’t trying on those las…” Rowena stopped midsentence. Was that it? Had she been overthinking it? Healing came so naturally to her that she barely questioned her casting anymore. It was an extension of herself, instinctive. She trusted in that she had all the knowledge she needed, that she was capable of doing whatever needed to be done. Trying something new had made her hesitant which in turn made her fall back to by the book casting, rigid and unfeeling.

She was good at Spells. Excellent in fact. The young Healer recalled that day of the Lobster Claw man and his friends and a small smile played on her lips as she remembered that was the first real moment she’d begun to see Max differently. But she’d also cast an excellent Body Bind that day. Quickly and efficiently, because it had been required. She hadn’t stopped to think about it.

Rowena turned back to stare at the target. To test her theory, she stood as she had been, rigid, taking careful sight of the target. Her Stupefy went wide again, but this time she’d expected that. She still let out a little annoyed mutter. It was hard to not overthink things faced with a still target that was just waiting for her to attack it. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes trying to remove herself from the unthreatening field and trying to imagine a scene in which she would be forced to act. That she’d frozen up a little in the past few encounters with attackers was something she’d have to address later. For now, she wanted to hit that bloody target.

Eyes still closed and wand help loosely in her hand, she tried to banish all thoughts of rules and regulations and how to’s. She didn’t need the books in this case. She already knew how to cast spells. She knew how to aim. 'Stop thinking so much… It's just another unruly patient you need to subdue.'

Her wand lifted. She knew where the target was now. She’d cast enough spells at it. As she opened her eyes, three spells erupted from it, in quick succession… and all of them hit. Not perfectly dead centre. But they hit. Rowena let out a woop of joy.

“I’ve got it Max!” she said happily, reaching up for a kiss to celebrate. “But is there any way we can make it more realistic or something? Turns out I’m too stuck in my head but it’s hard to not think about it a lot when it’s just waiting for me to hit it…”

[Max Kameren]

The determination in Rowena was energizing. Max smiled in admiration when she decided to take another crack at the targets; with a wave of his wand, two more brass posts shot up in the grass for her to practice on.

"Good luck," he smiled mischievously as he took several paces back and sat on the hill behind them at an incline. His sharp green eyes watched as she arranged herself the way she wanted. He raised an eyebrow in surprise as she centered herself and quieted her aura, her eyes closed. Max never thought he'd see the day where Rowena willingly cast worry out of her mind. And it worked, too; each spell she cast hit the target. He grinned as she cheered, pushing himself up from the hill to congratulate her with a peck on the lips.

“I’ve got it Max!” He laughed with her excitement, leaning down as she reached to kiss her again more strongly. “But is there any way we can make it more realistic or something? Turns out I’m too stuck in my head but it’s hard to not think about it a lot when it’s just waiting for me to hit it…”

"Duel each other."

A third voice suddenly joined them; Max jumped with the recognition of another aura. It was rare someone could sneak up on Max Kameren, but if anyone could it would be her. A feral-looking auburn-haired child stepped out from behind a tree in the forest into the pale morning light, smirking as her emerald-green eyes darted between the two healers. "Who's your friend, Max?"

Shit. Max had only chosen this spot after checking multiple times with his family to make sure they weren't around. He wasn't quite ready to introduce Ro to the oft-overwhelming Kameren clan yet, but for one of them it was apparently time if he wanted to or not. He turned around, cocking his head downward at his youngest sister. "Why aren't you in class?"

"Cancelled, the robotics team is abroad for a competition." Evelyn Kameren plopped down in the grass just outside the forest, her eyes unmoving from Rowena. "Who's your friend Max? Did you teach her the weird way you hold your wand?"

"It's not - " Max smacked his forehead in exasperation, giving up and changing the subject with his ears burning red. "Ro, this is Evie, my youngest sister. Evie this is Rowena, my..." he paused for a moment as he stalled for the right word. They hadn't really had this conversation yet, which was a big part of why he hadn't wanted to introduce her to the family this early on. Were they an 'official' couple, or were they just dating? Not something he wanted to talk through with his 11-year-old sister as an audience. "Friend." He consciously winked in Rowena's direction, pleading with her to go along with the label for now.

"Hi, Ro." Evie smiled and waved half-heartedly at the girl, not for a second believing that they were just friends. She looked between the two without moving from her spot in the grass. "So are you two gonna duel, or what?"

[Rowena Jones]

"Duel each other."

Rowena started as an unknown voice interrupted them and turned quickly to find its source. A feral-looking auburn-haired child stepped out from behind a tree in the forest into the pale morning light, smirking as her emerald-green eyes darted between the two healers. "Who's your friend, Max?"

It didn’t take a genius to figure out that this must one of Max’s sisters, those eyes couldn’t belong to anyone not related to him. A small frown appeared on Rowena’s face. She’d got the distinct impression that she was not going to meet Max’s family anytime soon, which after reflection, she’d been OK with. They had enough to deal with at work with all their inquisitive co-workers. But surely Max wouldn’t have brought her here unless he’d been sure they’d be alone.

"Why aren't you in class?" Max asked, confirming Rowena’s suspicions that this was not supposed to happen.

"Cancelled, the robotics team is abroad for a competition." Evelyn Kameren plopped down in the grass just outside the forest, her eyes unmoving from Rowena. "Who's your friend Max? Did you teach her the weird way you hold your wand?"

Rowena giggled despite the unexpected circumstances, glad she wasn’t the only one who did not like Max’s wand holding. It was just weird.

"It's not - " Max smacked his forehead in exasperation, and Rowena’s smile grew wider as she watched a young child embarrass Max thoroughly. Now she knew how he’d felt when her father had embarrassed her that day in the hospital. It was pretty fun and nice to have the tables turned for once.

"Ro, this is Evie, my youngest sister. Evie this is Rowena, my..." he paused for a moment as he stalled for the right word and Rowena’s smile faltered. "Friend." She wasn’t annoyed at the label. Merlin knew she had no idea what they were yet. They spent half their time trying to convince the hospital staff that they were just friends, and yes, they used to hate each other but just because they weren’t cursing each other at every corner, it didn’t mean they were snogging in every closet. Just because the staff were right didn’t mean they needed to know that. Rowena was quite happy with her relationship, whatever it was, being out of the spotlight. So no, she was not annoyed at Max for that… but she was a little exasperated at how bad that lie had sounded. It wouldn’t take a child to see right through that one. She rolled her eyes at the Potions Master and looked back at Evie with a wry shrug.

"Hi, Ro." Evie smiled and waved at her, prompting Rowena to wave back. She wasn’t terribly sure how to act around children, being an only child and only really ever interacting with sick children, which Evie decidedly was not. Today was apparently a day for being pushed out of her comfort zone.

"So are you two gonna duel, or what?"

“Uhh,” Rowena looked at Max anxiously. “I’m pretty sure your brother would wipe the floor with me if we dueled… You missed me completely failing to even hit him the first time. While he was standing still.And he wasn't trying to attack me.” She said, though she privately kind of wanted to try. At least she would if she didn’t have an audience. An audience that was Max’s little sister. They may have only recently started dating and Ro still wasn’t sure how far it would go, but that didn’t mean she didn’t want to make a good impression. “Maybe if he agrees to take it a little easy on me?” She turned to look at Max imploringly. “As a favour to a friend?” She smirked.

[Max Kameren]

"So are you two gonna duel, or what?"

“Uhh,” Rowena looked at Max anxiously. “I’m pretty sure your brother would wipe the floor with me if we dueled… You missed me completely failing to even hit him the first time. While he was standing still. And he wasn't trying to attack me.”

"I know, I saw that too." Evie grinned mischievously, internally proud of how long she'd been able to evade her brother's detection with his sixth sense. "You can take him, though. He likes you too much to fight you." She met her brother's hard gaze with a laugh; she was teasing, but she was right.

“Maybe if he agrees to take it a little easy on me?” She turned to look at Max imploringly. “As a favour to a friend?” She smirked.

Max rolled his head from shoulder to shoulder, getting ready. "Alright, fine. I'll stick to my wand, no two-handed casting."

"And no silent spellcasting for you!" Evie's thin finger pointed authoritatively at Max.

"Fine." Max sighed.

"And no shield spells!" She laughed as Max threw his hands up in exasperation. "Only dodging, you need to be a moving target for target practice!"

As much as Max wanted to argue, that was a valid point. "...Fine. Anything else, your Highness?"

"Ro gets first strike." The precocious 11-year-old winked her sharp green eye in Rowena's direction. "And Ro's rules are anything goes!"

"Who's side are you on?!"

"Not yours, obviously." She grinned evilly as she raised her tiny hand to the sky, emitting a small handful of purple sparks into the air. "And... Go!"

Max slid into a defensive position, ready for Rowena's first attack.

[Rowena Jones]

Rowena's smile had grown wider with every new rule Evie had imposed on her brother. She might actually have a chance now. She thought quickly as they spoke so that as soon as the purple sparks appeared from Evie's hand she sent three successive Bombarda's towards Max. Knowing her aim wasn't great meant she was going to have to be creative so she didn't aim these at Max but rather towards the floor near him. If they did hit him by accident, that worked too. Her earlier miss had sent the dirt flying everywhere, so she hoped this would do the same, creating enough of a distraction that the following Stupefy and Petrificus Totalus might hit him before he could dodge out of the way.

She might be a crap shot, but she prided herself on her ability to cast spells quickly. It was often a necessity in her job.

[Max Kameren]

"Oh shit," Max scrambled out of the way as the ground quaked under his shoes with Rowena's Bombarda curses. He squinted in the dust, gripping his wand and trying to find Rowena in the haze for an Expalliarmus. He managed to shoot one out in Rowena's direction before having to duck to avoid a Stupefy.

"Ventus Duo!" Max emitted a tornado of wind that blew Rowena's dust out of the forest. Having to say the spells was wearing on Max, making his spellcasting slow. He twisted to the left to avoid Rowena's Petrificus Totalus and cast a grid of five of his own: one to her center, one by each shoulder, and one by each knee so she couldn't escape by turning away. "Expelliarmus! Stupefy! Incarcerous! Relashio! Locomotor Mortis!"