Classes start

"Oi Tom, wakey-wakey, stop standing there and get moving we don't have a lot of time remaining." Percival reminded me as he slapped my back gently. I shook my head to disperse the thoughts and joined the others as we headed down the east corridor. The walls were adorned with massive paintings of landscapes, armies, castles, cities. It was a magnificent view. There was also incredibly detailed maps of enormous proportions jotting down every single little detail within a city, country or continent.

This Chadwick dude really lit a fire under peoples hearts. To inspire so much dedication within others far into the future. That was something to look up to. We soon came upon another intersection.

"So, straight ahead is the history related classrooms. To the left is anything relating to magical beast or battling, and to the right is anything relating to topography and such. So, we need to head left this time." Jenna explained to me.

I nodded in acknowledgement and followed behind the group. Soon, dozens of doors, 2 meters in height appeared. Made of redwood with a name and number plate. To the left was common magical beast studies rooms 1-10.

Beyond that was intermediate and profound magical beast studies. They totalled 30 classrooms in total. To the right, defence against the dark arts, common, intermediate and profound once again. Usually, first and some second years who found it difficult would stay in the common studies. The higher your scores the higher the quality of knowledge you would be able to have access to.

A simple system. And an effective one. Since there was no point in teaching people something if they couldn't even comprehend the basic version. So with that in mind, we all walked towards the intermediate rooms and entered the 7th one. It was all on Jenna's notes. She was incredibly organised.

Abby on the other hand was almost skipping as she looked at the doors with a fervent gaze. this only made everyone else chuckle softly. This was, according to everyone else, a normal sight. She only had eyes for duelling and combat orientated classes. Anything else would bore her to death.

As we walked in, the sound of people chattering could be heard. Students with the same house colour as ours were seen seated at their desks, on their desks or huddling around desks. It was a lively atmosphere that brightened up the room.

There was no seating arrangement since that was for little children. We all chose seats that were close to each other and the ones that were taken, we asked if they could move. There was no sign of arrogance or disapproval, mainly because when they saw me, they freaked out.

A handy thing to have. Abby sat at the front left most seat like a good little girl. Jenna sat beside her with a less excited look. She preferred books and science over battling. Robert was right behind Abby like a good little dog- boy-man ah! Whatever. The kid was too far gone to care about acting like a normal person. He was two completely different people. And the one he was depended on whether Abby was around or not.

Then there was Percival who sat behind Jenna, I sat behind him with Fred right behind Robert. John was all the way at the back with a comb, a mirror and perfume making sure he was nice and pristine. I swear the dude was a doll. It was too much, I even had to open the window so that the perfume didn't stink up the place. Although it smelled good at first, he used half the fucking bottle. It was too much.

As we all took our seats and chatted about trivial stuff, the big wooden door was slammed open and a muscular man in his mid-30s walked in. He had a thick moustache that curled at the ends, thick eyebrows that cast a shadow over his eyes. If I had to give a comparison, he looked like a magical Mario.

"GOOOOOOOD MORNING CLASS!" He yelled as he stomped over to his desk. his deep voice reverberated inside the room making the students slightly uncomfortable.

"My name is Walter Blight, winner of the 233rd national duelling competition, participant in the suppression of the invasive Cherokee devils that overrun Ashe County several years ago earning me the title of master combatant. Winner in the intercontinental tournament between Ilvermorny and Mahoutokoro." He introduced himself.

I was genuinely surprised as were some of the students. Abby was on the brink of kissing the man's shoes as she bounced in her seat. clearly overexcited at having a good teacher.

I was curious about his first two achievements.

"Sir," I announced while raising my hand.

"Yes young man, what can I do for you?" asked Walter with a wide smile.

"Can you explain what the national duelling competition entails? And what happened with the Cherokee devils?" I asked.

Walter's eyes went wide for a moment. He looked at me for a couple of seconds before nodding as if he realised something.

"You must be the new transfer student that caused quite the spectacle yesterday. Thomas Knight if I remember correctly. The headmistress praised your combative abilities. I'm most eager to have you in my class." He said before pausing. The students were astonished at his words, they all understood what being praised by the headmistress meant. I did too, which was why I could only smile awkwardly.

"Now! For your questions, the national duelling competition is a tournament held every two years in the school's arena. It invited every wizard around America to enter and test their metal against each other. The winner, like myself, gains a trophy, a luxurious reward and recognition within the wizarding community. Since the winner is crowned the best duellist in the country at that point in time.

Naturally, there might be people that can beat the champion but chose not to participate, but since the tournament is inviting everyone of all ages, there is no excuse. So the title is fair. I hope that cleared that up for you.

Moving on to the second question…