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Even amongst the witches and wizards of Hogwarts, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor stood out as an oddity. He wore robes, yet his brown and tan garments seemed more monastic than magical. He spoke English, but had an unplaceable accent that oscillated between Scottish brogue and American television. Perhaps most strange of all however, was his wand, or lack thereof. There was the metal cylinder which hung from his belt, but no student had ever seen him cast any spells with it. It more resembled a Muggle torch, but as the few people who had read beyond the first three pages of Hogwarts, A History could tell you, that sort of thing did not work in Hogwarts.
So it was with a mixture of curiosity and scorn that the first batch of students entered the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Being that this group consisted of Gryffindors and Slytherins, you can guess for yourselves who held what opinions about this new Professor Kenobi. Certainly, his name did not immediately sound familiar to the pureblood crowd, and he did not strike a very impressive figure, with greying hair and beard. If previous years were any indication, Dumbledore's hires for this particular position were rather hit or miss.
By sheer chance, or perhaps something more than chance, this particular set of Gryffindors and Slytherins were in their fifth year, and among them were a particular pair of boys. While their houses were historically stubborn rivals, these two despised each other with an intensity that had not been seen between Hogwarts students since 1978. When one invariably started fighting with the other, the rest of their fellows tended to join in, with all the youthful strength and confidence of adolescence and none of the restraint of adulthood. As of the past year, some of the teachers had taken to calling this group of students "the powder keg."
"Hello there." Fortunately for Ben Kenobi, and for Hogwarts, this was not his first time teaching unruly students. To the gathered students' surprise, all of the desks were pushed to the sides of the classroom, leaving the wide area in between open. Professor Kenobi sat at the front of the room, on the dais in front of the teacher's desk. He looked quite odd, a grown man sitting with his legs splayed out in front of him like a first year might. He gestured to the floor in front of him. "Please, have a seat. I assure you, the floor is clean."
With a bit of chatter, and some grumbling from the Slytherins, the fifth years obeyed, sitting on the smooth, worn floorboards. The professor waited until the conversation between students had died down, and simply observed the teenagers sitting before him. There was a clear division between the Gryffindors and the Slytherins, but a variety of expressions amongst all of the students. Some looked disdainful, others intrigued. A bushy-haired girl in the front had a roll of parchment and quill out, ready to take notes, while the redhead by her side looked vaguely bored. The skinny boy with messy hair next to them was glaring daggers at a blond boy who was sneering openly back at him. The silence stretched on as the professor surveyed the room, becoming restless and uneasy. Was he going to just sit there the whole class period?
"What can you tell me about wandless magic?" Professor Kenobi finally broke the silence.
The bushy-haired girl reacted first, her hand shooting into the air, still clutching the quill. It was quite fortunate she hadn't yet dipped it into the inkwell, or she would likely have spattered ink everywhere. The professor did not have time to pursue this line of thought however, as the blond boy spoke up without waiting to be called on. "My father says it's a waste of time. No self-respecting wizard would be caught dead without their wand."
"Thank you, Mr...?" The professor trailed off with a questioning tone.
"Malfoy. Draco Malfoy." The blond boy replied with an imperious look.
Small as it may be, Ben recognized the preemptive response for what it was: a test. Speaking out of turn was a very minor breach of etiquette, one that only the most stringent of instructors would feel compelled to punish. If Ben were to punish the student, he'd be showing that he was someone who stood on ceremony and was self-important or insecure enough to try and crush even miniscule disobedience. If he didn't address the issue at all, he'd be seen as a pushover.
But that was only the surface. Ben knew full well who Draco Malfoy was, as well as his father. Whether Lucius truly held the opinion that his son had espoused was immaterial, but he was an important man whose words carried the weight of wealth, and according to Draco, they scorned the subject that Obi-Wan had brought up. It was both a probe and a challenge of sorts, a multi-layered statement in a single move.
And so very, very clumsy and immature. Even if he had not been called "The Negotiator" in a previous life, Ben had taught enough rebellious teens that he could see right through the attempt. Then again, adolescents were not exactly known for their subtlety. Fortunately, this professor had more tactics at his disposal than a heavy-handed show of authority.
"That may be so, Mr. Malfoy. But the wizards of the Uagadou School of Magic, among many others, might be inclined to disagree with you." Ben had never ventured outside of Britain, for that matter, but he'd done enough research to know that this much was true. "But I see you are not convinced. Perhaps a more practical demonstration is in order." He got to his feet, and gestured for his students to do the same. "Might I have a volunteer? Someone who is quick with their wand and knows more than a few dueling spells. The rest of you please move to the back of the classroom."
As expected, Draco Malfoy stepped forward without waiting to be called upon, drawing his wand and whipping it back and forth in readiness. The corners of Ben's mouth twitched upwards, but the movement was hidden behind his beard. Ah, the eagerness of youth. The professor unclipped the metal tool from his belt, placing it gently onto his desk, then turned to face the Slytherin. "Thank you, Mr. Malfoy. Now, you will have three minutes during which you may use any legal spell to try and incapacitate me. Every spell that you land on me will earn you ten points."
Professor Kenobi seemed to hesitate for a moment, then his expression cleared, as if remembering something he'd forgotten. "Ah, one other thing. Might I borrow your tie?" He addressed this question to the redheaded student who'd looked bored earlier. Ron Weasley had left his tie undone, and he now pulled it from around his collar, stepping forward to hand it over to the professor with a confused shrug. The students broke out into whispers as Professor Kenobi then used the scarlet and gold tie as a blindfold, knotting it securely around his head. "You may begin when ready, Mr. Malfoy."
The blond boy wasted no time, immediately pointing his wand at the professor with a shout of "Flipendo!" A burst of orange light soared from his wandtip at Professor Kenobi, who merely swayed to the side, the spell passing harmlessly over his shoulder to splash against the back wall. His feet had not even moved from where they were planted on the ground. The other students whispered amongst themselves, wondering how he'd managed to dodge the spell without seeing it.
"Everte Statum!"
"Depulso!"
"Rictusempra!"
The next three spells came in quick succession, and all three failed to hit the professor, who still had not moved his feet, merely swaying from side to side to avoid them. As the silver jet of the Tickling Charm whizzed past him, Professor Kenobi finally lifted his left foot from the ground, moving to stand sideways. A split second later, Draco's "Tarantallegra!" shot past the professor's knee.
The whispering from the watching students grew louder upon seeing that. Had the professor actually sensed the spell before taking that step? Some were even saying that he'd begun to move before Draco had said the spell. Others claimed that the professor had probably heard the first syllables of the spell and guessed what it would be.
Draco began casting his spells faster now, only barely pausing to take a breath in between. Jinxes, hexes, and even a curse or two flew from his wand, aiming for the bearded man, who continued to evade every one of them with alacrity, brown robe swirling around him. Professor Kenobi moved with the speed and grace of a seasoned Quidditch player, though the dueling fans among the students noted the economy of his movements, how he never moved further than necessary to avoid a spell. An already impressive display of skill made even more so by the fact that the man was blindfolded.
The Slytherin's face was beginning to turn pink, either from embarrassment or lack of breath. He'd been casting nearly nonstop for over two minutes now, to no avail. He'd figured the professor had a wandless trick or two up his sleeve, but this was utterly perplexing, as he hadn't seen or heard the man cast even a single spell of his own. Perhaps a Supersensory Charm, cast on himself beforehand? Not that the information would do Draco any good, if he couldn't even hit the man to undo the spell. No, he needed another tactic, something less direct perhaps.
Draco knew the Supersensory Charm enhanced one's senses and allowed them to perceive their surroundings even without sight. That could explain how Professor Kenobi was dodging all his spells while blindfolded. But he also knew that the Supersensory Charm had a tendency to disorient if there was an excess of movement around the user. A strategy began to form in his mind. But first, to limit the professor's escape.
"Aguamenti! Glacius!" One of the most rudimentary spell-chains used in dueling, favored for its speed and simplicity. It was normally used to freeze one's opponent, but Draco aimed his wand at the floor around the professor instead, creating a layer of ice. Even if it didn't trap the man's feet, it would make it difficult for him to dance around without slipping. Next, the Slytherin pointed his wand at a textbook one of his classmates had left on the floor. "Bombarda! Depulso!"
The book exploded into a mass of paper scraps, which scattered around the room, floating through the air. On top of blowing the book apart, the Exploding Charm had the added benefit of a loud BANG, which would surely disorient the professor because of his enhanced hearing. Draco's own ears were ringing from the noise.
His opponent stood on a layer of frozen ice, scraps of paper floating around him like confetti. Surely, he was probably stunned by the loud noises and multitude of objects around him. Draco grinned, and pointed his wand. He only knew one silent spell, but it would be enough. A red jet of light blossomed out from the tip of his wand, silently streaking through the air towards the professor's chest.
Professor Kenobi reached towards his desk, and the metal cylinder which he'd placed there soared into his right hand. There was a snap-hiss noise and a brilliant blue beam of light burst from the end. A few students screamed at the sudden appearance. In one swift motion, he brought it around to intercept the red spell, which bounced off the blue light at the exact perfect angle to return directly at its caster.
The room fell silent as Draco Malfoy's wand flew into the air and landed neatly in Professor Kenobi's left hand. The blue light shrank back into the metal cylinder, which the professor hooked back onto his belt. Removing his makeshift blindfold, he handed the wand in his hand back to its stunned owner, and patted the young man's shoulder. "Well done, Mr. Malfoy. Take twenty points, for quick thinking and resourcefulness." Turning to the rest of the students, he spoke up. "Before we continue, any questions?"