practice makes ## perfect ##(lily & Zane

[James Sirius Potter]

James surfaced and swam to the edge and climbed out. He cut the charm off and shook himself spraying Zane in water. "Woops sorry mate." he said smiling. He muttered the incantation and pointed his wand to himself and he dried off. He smiled at Zane and Lily. He looked round at Lily and Zane wondering whether to stay and practice tackling the boggart.

[Zane Lestrange]

"Urgh, yeah thanks..." Zane said with a smile as he brushed the droplets of water from his face. He saw James glance at the cupboard, but decided not to mention anything about the Boggart. "Well I think we're done for today unless you can think of anything...James?" Suppose we could have a duel of sorts, that could well happen in the task, any of the other champions could turn on them. Mind you they're both decent duelists, so I'm sure they'd be fine. Maybe next time I'll bring some plants to identify or something like that...

[James Sirius Potter]

James spotted that Zane had seen him looking at the cupboard and scowled "I'm just trying to figure out why it was impossible for me to fight it." he said through gritted teeth. He looked away feeling ashamed of himself. The other two could fight them. He felt threatened, weakened by it. He was brought out of his anger by Zane asking him about anything else "Err the only thing would be like a practice duel, but I couldn't duel Lily and you couldn't duel her so it's pointless." he said thinking aloud.

[Lily Potter]

Lily smiled, letting the spell drop. She pushed herself from the water, ringing her hair out. She quickly thought the spell that James had used. She shuddered as she was dried off, pulling her wavy hair back into a high ponytail. She laughed softly as she heard the boy's conversation. Smirking she walked closer, well closer to Zane that is. "Your just to scared, 'cause you know I'll beat you." she said, winking at her older brother. Her wand still in her hand, she considered sending a Bat Bogey Hex toward him, but thoguht better of it. "Well then! What are we to do know?" she asked, looking at Zane.

[James Sirius Potter]

James was still looking at the cabinet. He heard what Lily said and shook himself out of his thoughts "I am not in the slightest bit scared Lily. I am confident that I would beat you if we were to duel. I just don't wanna hurt you." He didn't put his wand away and held it tight on tenterhooks for an attack.

[Zane Lestrange]

"Hmm good idea James..." he smiled, looking from Lily to James and back to Lily again. "Well if you aren't willing to duel, I have another idea, mind you I think a duel would do you some good..." He stepped back and sat on the edge of the swimming pool sized bath, with a look on his face which simply read, ready when you are. He doubted they would try any complex spells, mind you he had seen siblings duel before and that has got more and more heated as time when by. Each one determined to better the other.

[James Sirius Potter]

James glared at Zane but also smirking slightly as if to say "thanks a lot." Even though he was confident tat he would outclass her, he didn't want to hurt her. He smiled slightly and turned back to face Lily and cast a powerful shield to keep his defenses up. He looked straight at Lily and watched her waiting "Ready when you are Lils." he said watching her waiting attempting to anticipate the spell ahe would cast first.

[Lily Potter]

Lily looked at Zane, her eyes narrowing in cute anger. She just couldn't get angry when he wore that crooked smile of his. She looked at James, knowing full well she would lose. Better to try than to give up before trying. She took a deep breath, readying herself for his charms and curses. Not an easy thing to do when your a Fourth year dueling a Seventh year. She cast a damn good shield around herself. She knew that the most obvious spell she could cast would be anticipated easily. She kept her face perfectly calm, as she did in most all her duels. Taking another deep breath she cast her first spell. She thought the incantation to the Bat Bogey Hex, followed by Langlock, Expelliarmus, and finally Impedimenta. Smiling with her many well thought out and cast curses and hexes, Lily began to gaurd herself, making sure she was focusing on her shield charm.

[James Sirius Potter]

As James had predicted, she started with a shield charm and then her trademark bat bogey hex. He deflected the three spells easily. As he saw her go onto the defence he smiled. He needed to think of a spell to cut through the shield charm without hurting her. He smiled as the right one came to him and raised his wand thinking "deprimo" which was to blast a hole in her shield charm and quickly followed it up with "stupify."

[Lily Potter]

Lily saw the flash of light and felt her shield drop. Quickly, well faster than any spell she'd ever cast, she threw on another shield charm. It was just in time too. Not a second too soon she had her shield up when James' spell hit her. She staggered back a step, casting another, stronger shield around herself. Good idea James, but not good enough. Quickly, she uesd his stragtey aganist him. Only, she didn't just use one spell to blast a hole in his shield, but four times. Four times she thought the same curse used aganist her and four times it blasted holes in his protection. "Expelliarmus! Everte Statum! Confundo!" she thought, sending the spells perfectly through the shield. Smiling, she cast another shield, fearing the hexes and jinxs her brother might send, after all, he was a seventh year and knew more than she.

[James Sirius Potter]

James smiled surprised by her speed. He was just about to complement her when his shield was broken by the first. At speed he casted another, then another, then another. He saw the three curses coming towards him and dived out of the way. He rolled on the floor quickly and stood up sending two shield brakers and a curse which acted like a punch which was immune to shield charms.

[Lily Potter]

Lily ducked the first spell, but was unlucky in missing the second one. It hit her square in the forehead, sending her to her butt. She grabbed her throbbing head, determined to beat her brother. She quickly sent the same curse at her brother anoth three times before sending an great, strong Bat Bogey Hex. She shook her head, not quite able to stand up yet. She cast another shield around herself. She wondered how badly bruised her head must be as she touched it and whimpered.

[/size]

[James Sirius Potter]

James was thrown off his feet and growled as he was hit by a shield breaker. He quickly got up and saw the strong bat bogey hex and blocked it straight away and just in the nick of time too. He sent two shild breakers followed by a stunning spell, the impediment jinx and the same punch spell determined not to show his apponent any chink in his defences, even if this was a friendly duel. He had known from the start of the duel that both him and Lils were fighting to win. He was determind not to crack first.

[Zane Lestrange]

Zane watched the duel intently from the safety of the sidelines. However, it was proving more competitive than he had first imagined it would be. It was hard enough seeing the siblings duelling each other, but the looks on both of their faces indicated that they did not want to be the one to surrender. Looks like neither one is going to surrender, I guess I'll just have to step in or this is going to go on forever... Zane walked over to stand in the space between the two siblings, "Enough," he said, holding both his hands up to stop the duel.

[James Sirius Potter]

James was waiting on tenterhooks for Lily's retaliation. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Zane get up and walk towards them. When he stepped in the middle and told them to stop he lowered his wand feeling slightly out of breath. He gave Zane a look to say "I told you so." he knew that the fact that the duel was spiralling to full scale was the reason he stopped. He looked at Zane "Any feedback?" he asked. He already had a few points both positive and constructive for Lils.