"Are you mad Hermione? That's the stupidest idea I ever heard and I grew up with Ron as my friend"

Ron turned to glare at Harry. "Oi! I'm not stupid"

Hermione ignored him and looked at Harry. "I can't see any alternative. We need the ingredients to make the potion, and Snape will surely have them. I mean, if it is Malfoy, we need to know. I don't know about you two, but I'd like to know who it was that attacked Colin. I don't want it to be me next" She finished and looked between the two of them passionately, obviously waiting for them to disagree.

"I want to know too Hermione, he was sneaking out to see me, remember? But what you suggested is suicide. I'd rather crash Sirius' beloved motorbike than do something that stupid in Snape's lesson. He'll probably kill us all" Harry countered quietly, well aware that they'd probably end up doing it anyway. He might disagree with her, but he couldn't think of an alternative.

"Well, I think it would be best if I do the actual stealing, he doesn't hate me like you. If you just distract him, I'll be able to sneak in, grab the stuff and then sneak back out"

Harry smiled weakly. Distracting Snape was probably as safe as poking a sleeping dragon in the eye.

Amazingly, it had worked. Harry had chucked a firework into Malfoy's cauldron, which had promptly exploded. In the resulting chaos, Hermione had managed to sneak out and steal the ingredients, making it back to her seat before Snape even noticed she was gone. He was far too busy administering the antidote to everybody who had been splashed by Malfoy's swelling solution. He'd then looked at Malfoy's cauldron and pulled out the charred remains of the fireworks. Harry had been terrified, but had still managed to stare innocently at Snape when he'd threatened the perpetrator. He'd felt quite pleased with himself, until he got to Defence against the Dark Arts. He quickly piled his books in front of his face and doodled on a piece of parchment for the whole lesson, only just listening to Lockhart harping on about a village he'd rescued from a manic troll. He was beginning to understand Sirius' and Remus' reactions to his book list.

"Did you see the notice earlier? On the notice board?" Seamus asked as the Gryffindors wandered down the Grand Staircase for dinner. They'd just come out of Astronomy, and Harry for one was keen on warming up.

Dean saw Hermione and Ron both shake their heads and then he blurted, "Someone's starting a duelling club…tonight!"

His announcement was met with noises of interest as they all took seats at the Gryffindor table and began to pile food on their plates. Ron soon spoke up, forcing his words around a mouthful of roast potatoes. "Surely Slytherin's monster can't duel"

Harry couldn't help but agree with him as Hermione replied. "Maybe not, but it's still useful to know about duelling. I bet if we'd known how to duel last year, we wouldn't have got in so much trouble"

Harry winced at the reminder. Once they'd assured themselves that he was OK, Remus and Sirius had both been furious. Remus had shouted himself hoarse and Sirius had made him write a letter of apology to Dumbledore for his stupidity and had then taken his broom away, leaving him with nothing to do except his homework. It was torture. he didn't get his broom back until after they returned from Rome. Ron snorted in derision, snapping Harry out of his self-pity.

"What were we meant to do? Duel with the Devil's Snare? Or maybe the chess set?"

Hermione opened her mouth to retort angrily, but Seamus cut across her. "Who do you think will be teaching the duelling club? I heard something about Flitwick being a champion dueller"

Harry shot Seamus a grateful look. "I honestly don't care as long as it's not Lockhart"

Hermione joined in the conversation, her voice taking on the shrill tone that it normally did whenever anybody insulted the wavy haired professor. "I don't understand why you're all so mean about him. Personally, I find him a fascinating teacher"

Ron spoke in an undertone. "Only because you fancy him"

Hermione blushed fiercely. "Ronald! I do not! I merely admire his accomplishments"

Ron snorted again and whispered in Harry's ear, "By accomplishments I think she means his hair"

Harry tried to hide his laughter by taking a too large bite of his Yorkshire pudding, causing him to choke on it. Ron thumped him on the back and the rest of the evening passed peacefully. They joined the mass of students waiting outside the Great Hall, Harry suddenly becoming an authority on duelling because he grew up with an auror. All questions stopped however, when the doors to the Great Hall creaked open dramatically. The students all wandered in, muttering amongst themselves as they stared at the golden stage against one wall. Harry was feeling quite cheerful until the man whose company he most dreaded waltzed in, followed quickly by Harry's other least favourite teacher.

Harry groaned as Lockhart began to talk. "Gather round, gather round! Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent" He smiled broadly at the assembled students, Harry fought the urge to vomit. "Now, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little dueling club, to train you all in case you ever need to defend yourselves as I myself have done on countless occasions — for full details, see my published works. "Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape," He grinned again and gestured in Snape's direction. "He tells me he knows a tiny little bit about dueling himself and has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration before we begin." He paused dramatically. Ron rolled his eyes. "Now, I don't want any of you youngsters to worry — you'll still have your Potions master when I'm through with him, never fear!"

Harry was watching Snape closely. His black eyes were glittering maliciously and his upper lip was curling slowly in dislike. Harry knew for a fact that he would have run a mile if Snape were looking at him like that. Harry wasn't sure if it was bravery or stupidity that was keeping Lockhart smiling as they walked on to the stage.

Ron leant over to mutter in Harry's ear, "Wouldn't it be good if they finished each other off?"

Lockhart was still smiling as he bowed with a flourish and raised his wand. Snape merely jerked his head impatiently as Lockhart began to speak again. "As you see, we are holding our wands in the accepted combative position. On the count of three, we will cast our first spells. Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course."

Snape bared his teeth as Lockhart cried "One – Two – Three! –" And whipped his wand through the air. He shouted "Expelliarmus!" and watched with poorly concealed satisfaction as the jet of scarlet light hit Lockhart and threw him backwards into the wall, catching his wand deftly as it soared through the air. Some of the Slytherin's cheered, but most girls gasped in horror as Lockhart groaned and climbed unsteadily to his feet, his hair sticking out at all angles from his head.

Snape threw Lockhart back his wand as he staggered back onto the stage. "Well, there you have it! That was a Disarming Charm. Yes, an excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape, but if you don't mind my saying so, it was very obvious what you were about to do. If I had wanted to stop you it would have been only too easy — however, I felt it would be instructive to let them see…"

Lockhart then announced that they should pair up and practice amongst themselves. Ron nodded at Harry, who drew his wand. Before he could aim it at Ron, Snape appeared. "Time to split up the dream team, I think," he sneered. "Weasley, you can partner Finnegan. Potter, partner Malfoy"

Malfoy strutted over, sneering at Harry as they both nodded quickly at each other and pointed their wands. Lockhart counted down and the hall was suddenly filled with bangs and cries. Harry managed to get in a bat-bogey hex and a tickling curse, while Malfoy hit him with a jelly legs jinx.

Snape shouted for them to stop and everybody in the hall instantly froze, except for Malfoy, who continued to laugh uproariously. Snape righted the two of them and Harry stared around the hall in alarm. Ron was holding a rather pale Seamus, Hermione and her partner were frozen in an open brawl, and a few students were clutching bleeding noses.

"Dear, dear. I think I'd better teach you how to block unfriendly spells," Lockhart announced, trying not to shudder at the dark look in Snape's eyes. "I think we need a volunteer pair, Professor Snape?"

Snape grinned maliciously. "Potter! Malfoy! Come here!"

Harry walked forward anxiously, trying to ignore the feeling of dread settling in his stomach as he watched Snape whisper something in Malfoy's ear. They turned to face each other, the arrogant smirk on Malfoy's face making him feel cold. Lockhart turned to Harry. "When Draco points his wand at you, you do this." Lockhart tried to perform a strange wiggling move with his wand, but it flew out of his hand and struck Ernie MacMillan on the nose.

"Whoops— my wand is a little overexcited—"

Harry fought the urge to roll his eyes as he and Malfoy faced each other. Lockhart counted them off and Malfoy whipped his wand into the air, shouting. "Serpensortia". Harry stared in horror as a large black snake shot out of the end and landed in front of him. It moved towards him, its eyes fixed on him, its thin red tongue flickering in and out as it tasted the air.

Snape moved forward to remove the snake, but then froze as Lockhart strode forward and pointed his wand at the snake. The snake flew into the air with a loud bang and then landed in front of Justin Finch-Fletchley, hissing furiously.

Even looking back, Harry wasn't sure what possessed him to do what he did next, but he stepped forward and shouted, "Leave him alone!" Inexplicably, the snake did as Harry said and stopped, leaving Snape to step forward and vanish the snake. It was only then that Harry looked up, expecting to see smiles and relief on the faces of those in front of him. He didn't get that. The students all looked terrified, and some of them were glaring at him. Justin shouted, "What do you think you're playing at?" and a few of the students looked like they agreed with him. Harry frowned and looked around. Snape was watching him shrewdly, as if trying to work out what had just happened.

Harry heard an ominous muttering and the glares intensified. Harry shifted awkwardly. He didn't understand.

Please review