Battle of Wit (Simon)

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Word had spread through the castle like wildfire. Masked figures were attacking the ground and while the aurors had been assigned to fight them off outside, staff had been told to block off passages to the common rooms and to keep students safe. Things weren't looking good. Haymitch was in the hall of moving staircases, planted on a landing so that he would stay rooted in one spot. Another teacher would likely be along shortly but they were to defend this area from any sort of intruder and keep students off of the stairs and out of harms way. Haymitch stood with his wand at the ready...

That was when the first explosion hit somewhere in the castle. He could hear it reverberate off the walls and his eyes immediately began to scan over the large hall of pictures, waiting. Something or someone could crash through at any moment. Another crash sounded and it seemed as if it came from an upper level and then... a part of the wall above Haymitch's left came crashing through the ground as a masked figure followed through on a broom and began shooting spells. He was followed by at least two more hooded figures. As that was happening, students behind Haymitch who had tried to use the stairs he was blocking looked up in horror and let out yells of fear. "Get back! NOW!" Haymitch bellowed at the students who immediately retreated into the corridor they came.

Haymitch watched as the three hooded figures began shooting spells around the multi-level hall, not caring where they landed. Haymitch was angry. This was his home for the last 35 some years and they were not about to take it from him.

simon sixten svendsen
ooc: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

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From his office, high on the sixth floor, Simon could hear the initial sounds of the invasion, though - being on the sixth floor - it took him far too long to know exactly what was going on.  Though, when he did realize what was amiss, Simon wasted no time getting into action.  From his desk, he procured two sticks of chalk, his recently filled drinking flask, and as many vials of different contents as his jacket could carry.  

Running into the hallway, wand already drawn, he was nearly run over by a masked man riding on a broom.  His initial volley of stunning spells missed entirely, but he was able to follow the masked intruder to the school's stairwell. Down below, he could see the Potions Professor, Haymitch, dealing with more masked people and a few students whom were soon sent away into a corridor.  

Simon took a quick swig from his flask and held his irritation behind a scowl.  He may have been the new-ish guy around, but Hogwarts had a way of growing on people.  The three masked goons nearby Haymitch were now casting spells hither and yon about the hall, obviously not caring about the result.  This, Simon could not stand for.  He tucked his flask up into his sleeve and started for the stairs. 

Something behind him made a noise.  He turned to see another broom-mounted intruder flying directly for him, firing off numerous fireballs in the process.  Keeping the scowl, Simon parried the bolts before reaching into his coat for one of his glass vials.  He threw up a defensive ward and watched as the man turned his broom away and down the middle of the Grand Staircase.  Simon jumped down after him - wand held firmly in his teeth - and with a spell, pulled himself close to the man. Grabbing onto the broom, he cracked the vial, this one full of water, across the intruder's head and cast a freezing spell in the same locale as soon as he could take hold of his wand once more.

Simon didn't watch as the intruder flailed off of the broom and into a set of stairs from the ice buildup. He instead guided the broom swiftly down to where he could jump off and land at Haymitch's side. 

He tossed his flask to Haymitch and began to draw something on his palm with chalk. "Ello, Haymitch." he greeted nicely, still scowling at the masked intruders. "What do you say we bag these clowns?"

@haymitch

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Haymitch's wand was at the ready in his right hand as the three masked figures flew around the hall and without a second thought, he shot off a few stunning spells toward them. Two of them easily dodged the spells but one was not so fortunate as he had got caught between the crossfire of Haymitch's stunning spell and what seemed to be a rogue fireball that had come from a different direction. Whatever it was, one of the masked figures was down for the count.

At the sight of the fireball, Haymitch's eyes followed where it had come from and he saw the new Alchemy professor, Simon Callahan, had joined in battle as well. It was a brightening thought to know that the professors of Hogwarts cared for the school as much as he did, even the newer ones like Simon. Haymitch watched, his wand still at the ready, as the man now pursuing Simon made his entrance into the hall and Simon jumped after the man whom was on a broom. That happened to make Haymitch's eyes widen slightly but what happened next he wasn't able to see as the two who had dodged his own spells came back around to throw more curses. His wand arm moved up and down, dodging and blocking the spells they threw at him. Haymitch then quickly parried forward and cast expulso at one of the men. Missed again. They were fast on their brooms.

The two figures were just beginning to circle back around when Simon appeared at Haymitch's side. Raising an eyebrow at the Alchemy professor for a moment, he gladly caught the flask that he threw to him. Taking a swig himself then wiping his upper lip with his robe sleeve. "Evening, Simon," he said as if he were now greeting an old colleague. "Yes... Give 'em a taste of how it's done in the states, eh?" He smirked and braced himself for the next round of spells the men began to cast at them.

simon sixten svendsen

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Simon laughed at the idea. How it's done in the states? That was certainly a topic up for debate, but now was not the time. Finishing the quick scribble on his hand, he slipped his chalk in his pocket and raised his wand into a ready position.

"I'm sure you've heard," he said as the masked men began to draw near. "Americans have a thing for fire."

Simon touched his wand to the chalk drawing upon his hand and then spread the two, a burst of flames appearing at both points. Flicking both his hand and wand downwards, a flaming rope extended from each. Simon threw both hand and wand upwards, sending the ropes out to intercept the lead intruder and their broom. As soon as the fiery ropes had wrapped around both, Simon muttered, "Engorgio" and pulled his arms to one side, causing the flaming ropes to expand and entrap their target while forcing them into the stone wall. This caused the intruders following to slow down, a fact which Simon trusted Haymitch would take advantage of.

"All your's." he quipped, letting the ropes detach from his hand and wand.  Simon checked the rune on his hand and shrugged.  It would last at least one or two more spells before needing to be redrawn. 

@haymitch

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Haymitch stood at the ready, his legs spread shoulder width apart as he awaited the next round of spells. But first, he let Simon work his own magic. The Alchemy professor seemed to have scribbled something on his hand in chalk, something that made Haymitch raise an eyebrow, but shortly after a burst of flamed rope extended out toward the lead masked figure and as he cast another spell, Haymitch was impressed to see that such magic had pinned the target up against the wall; in turn slowing the others down. "Bravo!" He called aloud to Simon as he then took a step forward with his wand out and ready.

The Potions professor flicked his wand ferociously in the direction of the oncoming masked being, casting Impedimenta on them and immediately slowly them down on their broom as if they were now going in slow motion. As the target was slowed, Haymitch gave another flick of his wand. "Incarcerous!" He shouted, and ropes came shooting out of the wand tip and bound themselves around the masked target, taking them right off of their broom and toppling to the ground a flight below where the other masked person was pinned to the wall.

With a smug grin, Haymitch turned to Simon. "A good show," he commented, bowing jokingly at his partner. "I'd say we better make our way down to the ground level, see if anyone else is stuck on the stairs." He nodded in the direction of the nearest flight of stairs that led downward to the lower levels.

simon sixten svendsen