Gryffindor's next two matches would be after the Christmas holidays and before the final exams, so they were still a little way off. Tris would have to put off his hopes of watching the fun between Harry, Cedric, and Cho.
Fortunately, some other entertainment arrived first.
On Monday of the second week of November, a new notice appeared in the Common Room, attracting almost everyone's attention.
"A Dueling Training Class? He actually got it set up?" Draco stared at the notice in amazement.
Tris was surprised, but not all that surprised.
The notice was simple. At eight that Saturday evening, a new class open to everyone would be held on a trial basis in the Defense Against Dark Magic classroom: the Dueling Training Class. Its purpose was to teach underage witches and wizards how to respond to attacks from other magic users.
In other words, it would teach them how to fight other witches and wizards.
The young students were thrilled to see this.
Most young witches and wizards in Britain attended Hogwarts, but some went to Durmstrang and Beauxbatons instead, precisely because both schools offered courses on magical combat.
Durmstrang taught dark magic openly, without even trying to hide it.
Beauxbatons was less direct, but it also offered courses related to magical combat.
Only Hogwarts had no such classes. All it offered was Defense Against Dark Magic, which emphasized theory and focused on self-preservation. Many wizarding families were unhappy about this.
Draco often said he should have gone to Durmstrang, and that wasn't an entirely baseless claim.
Now that they had heard Hogwarts was starting a Dueling Training Class, the students were beside themselves with excitement. They discussed it with one another as soon as each lesson ended.
Tris's first class on Monday was Transfiguration, which he shared with