Year 2

"Are you going to the dueling thing?"

"You mean the class? No way."

"Why not?"

"Well, my dad and Uncle Harry are going to be there, teaching, and…"

"Ah, I see. Might be kind of awkward, huh?"

"Yeah."

Silence.

"I'm not going, either."

"Why?"

"For one thing, I know that every Gryffindor's going to want to be my partner and stun me senseless."

"Oh."

"And, for another thing, you're not going, so I have someone to talk to."

"Cool."

"Yeah."

Silence.

"Why don't we just go? And be partners? So my dad and Uncle Harry might not bother us, and the Gryffindors won't bother you."

"Well…what about the Ravenclaws?"

"I'm in Ravenclaw. They daren't mess with us then."

"And the Hufflepuffs?"

"They're wimps. No offense, of course."

"You know, okay. I'll go."

"Okay."

Silence.

"Why isn't anyone in here, is-

"Look at this flier, Malfoy, it says-

"It was yesterday."