Incognito

✑ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏.𝟔

𝚂𝚕𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗 𝚃𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚄𝚗𝚒𝚝
𝟶𝟾:𝟻𝟼 𝚊.𝚖 I

"Come on, Newbie! Are you even trying?!"

"Fuck! Of course, I am!"

Dorcas grunted in frustration.
"Then hit me, dammit!"

Lily narrowed her eyes, wondering if Dorcas was making things too easy for her. She had been in Slytherin for three days but this morning was the first she'd worked with Dorcas, and today she was supposed to be learning the ins and outs of Slytherin combat (which was apparently different to Gryffindor combat), she would be learning, that is, if she could actually manage to land any of her shots on Dorcas who really earned her name as she darted back and forward like an attacking snake.

"I'm fucking trying!"

"Good!" The taller girl replied, a slow grin spreading across her cheeks, "get angry, control it."

Lily attacked again and Dorcas rolled to the floor and was up before Lily could blink, bouncing from foot to foot.

"See? That was good, now lead with your other side, give me a shock."

"I won't shock you if you tell me what to do," Lily replied with an underlying layer of snark.

"Good! Now, circle while I explain this to you."

The two girls began circling each other, on guard.
"Do you know why you've not been able to land a shot on me in an hour?"

"Because you've been a Slytherin for years?"

"No."

"Because you've been telling me what shots to take."

"No. Falcon, actually think please."

Lily allowed her mind to zero in on the last hour they'd had, the moves she'd played, the responses from Dorcas.
All of a sudden she smiled, meeting the Slytherin's eye with a hint of satisfaction.
"Because you haven't tried to hit me yet."

"Exactly. Why is that important?"

"Because if you haven't tried to hit me then I can't read your tells: what side you favor, when you go high, when you go low, when you dodge and when you attack. I don't get to see what weaknesses in me you try to exploit and I can't tell what your weaknesses are for me to exploit."

Dorcas was laughing now, "see? You could be a Slytherin, no doubt. Do you see the difference between Slytherin combat and what you perceive to be Gryffindor combat?"

"I think so."

"Slytherin combat training focuses on how to read an opponent; how to spot their weaknesses and how to exploit them. The first rule of a fight is never to make the first move. This is why we take you on in Slytherin first before we throw you to the Gryffindors– the absolute fight hungry savages they are."

Lily laughed but did not drop her guard as they continued to circle each other.
"So what have you read about me?"

Dorcas took a moment to answer, seeming to organise her thoughts.
"Within the first minute and a half of this fight I knew you favoured your right hand but your left leg; I knew you preferred to aim high– probably because of your height but we're going to teach you to aim low because that'll suit you best; I also knew you prefer to parry than roll; and that you deliberately avert your gaze away from the shot you're about to take."

"Wow, that's... really impressive."

"It takes practice but you'll get there in no time." Dorcas stopped circling and Lily followed suit, both girls panting heavily from the fight.
"That was a great first effort. Once you've caught your breath I'm going to go on the offensive and give you a series of signals– you're going to tell me what my fighting style would be if you saw me doing any of these things in a real fight. Sound okay?"