Ned's smile returned now that Alice had agreed to continue. He was certain her Charm work was likely potent, not that he was terribly worried about being accidentally blasted into a wall. Dueling came with risks he was fully aware of. It wouldn't be the first, nor the last time someone had done so.

"Alright, on my count, then," He suggested, raising his wand, even though he wasn't going to cast a shield charm this round. He wanted to see if, the addition of the cushioning charm, would increase Miss Dawson's confidence enough to perform the spell correctly. Once he was more sure of that, then he'd add in a bit of defense. "Three, two, one..."