CHAPTER 37
With only a week until Christmas the school was abuzz with excitement and little work was being accomplished: except when it came to Potions. Gryffindors and Slytherins arrived at their DADA class and they found a note directing them to go to a different class room. The new classroom had a large stage and both the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff second years were in there.
"Can you all hear me? Can you all see me?" Professor Lockhart called out from the stage.
"Last month's little duelling session in the class between my Slytherins and Gryffindors got me thinking and yesterday I talk it over with the Headmaster and he agreed with my idea of you all learned the proper art of duelling. Professor Snape says he know a little bit about duelling, and has volunteered to help me out with a few demonstrations before I pair everyone up. Not to worry," Lockhart smiled vainly, "you'll still have your Potion Master when I'm through."
"This is my dad's way of kicking Lockhart's arse without causing tension between himself and Albus," Harry quietly laughed to Ron.
"How bad do you think he's going to hurt him?" Ron grinned broadly.
"He won't do anything illegal. But I think Lockhart will be feeling it for awhile," Harry continued to laugh.
Snape's intention was masked by his unemotional facade when he and Lockhart exchanged bows.
"On the count of three," Lockhart remarked to Snape.
"One...two...three," Lockhart called out.
"Expelliarmus," Snape spouted, sending Lockhart flying backwards; landing heavily on his butt.
"Do you think he's okay?" Hermione asked through her fingers, her hand still covered her mouth with shock.
"Who cares?" Ron and Harry snickered.
A very unsteady Lockhart got to his feet. "Well, there you have it. An excellent disarming charm," he smiled weakly as he got back up on the stage. "I could have stopped it easy enough, but I thought it best that you all see Professor Snape's technique."
"I think you teach them to block unwanted spells first," Snape sneered at Lockhart.
"An excellent idea Professor Snape," Lockhart smiled. "I need a pair of volunteers to come up and demonstrate their blocking abilities."
"As I recall, Harry you and Mister Malfoy seemed to be the best at duelling. Come on up here and show the others your skills," Lockhart grinned at the boys.
When both boys were on the stage, Draco whispered to Harry: "Should we miss and hit him by mistake?"
"With dad's watching?" Harry moaned.
"Lockhart just told on us for duelling in his class and accidents happen," Draco giggled.
"Now Harry you block and Mister Malfoy will try and disarm you," Lockhart told the boys.
The boys bowed and grinned at each other. "Levicorpus," Draco whispered as they bowed.
"On the count of three," Lockhart mentioned.
"One...two...three," Lockhart called out.
"Levicorpus," Draco yelled out, and Harry quickly ducked.
Lockhart was turned upside down before he could react.
Everyone burst into laughter.
"Finite Incantatem," Snape pointed his wand at Lockhart letting the man crash to the floors and then Snape scowled angrily at Draco and Harry.
"Harry you are supposed to block Draco by using a spell not ducking," Lockhart said to Harry.
"But I know I can move faster than Draco. I thought the exercise was to avoid being disarmed," Harry chuckled.
Lockhart set the boys up to start again. "This time try to disarm each other," he informed them as they lined up to duel again. They bowed and walked a few feet away from each other.
"One...Two..." Lockhart counted, but Draco threw a curse before Lockhart said three.
"Serpensortia," Draco growled and a snake flew out of the end of his wand, landing at Harry's feet.
Harry froze.
"No worries, I'll get rid of it," Lockhart boasted and waved his wand at the snake. Instead of making the snake disappear, Lockhart managed to send the creature soaring up several feet before it crashed back down. The snake spun to attack whoever was closest.
"Leave him," Harry shouted at the snake as it loomed near Justin. "No one is going to hurt you."
The snake suddenly relaxed; its striking stance gone, it seemed content to just watch Harry come to it.
Snape stepped forward and flicked his wand at the snake, causing it to disappear in a puff of smoke.
Harry then realized everyone was staring at him with shocked and even terrified expressions.
"Class dismissed," Lockhart said without his usual smile and gleefulness.
Harry watched as his school mates scrambled for the exits, trying to avoid getting to close to him. Ron, Hermione and Draco, however stayed near Harry and waited for everyone one else to leave. Even Lockhart squeezed his way out with some of the students.
"Why didn't you tell us you were a Parselmouth?" Ron asked Harry.
"A what?" Harry inquired with his face scrunched up with confusion.
"A Parselmouth," Ron repeated.
"You can talk to snakes," Draco added.
"I talked to one at the zoo once," Harry grinned. "I bet loads of people can talk to snakes, or other animals."
"It's not a common gift Harry," Hermione told him.
"I didn't want it to bite anyone," Harry told his dad.
"That's what you said to it," Ron remarked.
"Yeah, you hear me," Harry scowled at his friend.
"I heard you speak snake language," Ron told him.
"How could I speak another language? I don't know any other language," Harry snapped, getting frustrated with the whole conversation.
"Harry come with me, and you three get to your next class," Snape ordered them.
Draco, Hermione and Ron headed for one exit and Snape and Harry took a different one. Harry silently walked along beside his dad and he soon realized they were heading for Dumbledore's office.
Big emerald eyes looked up to onyx ones before they mounted the spiral staircase.
Snape put his arm around Harry's shoulder and gave a little squeeze. "Albus might be able to explain a few things for us."
"Severus, Harry," Dumbledore smiled when they entered. "Did something go wrong with Professor Lockhart's duelling class?"
"Not exactly," Snape remarked with a hidden grin.
"What did you do to the pore man?" Dumbledore scowled at Snape, but his eyes kept their little twinkle.
"I knocked the poofy git on his ass, but he's fine," Snape replied and Harry giggled, Snape leered down at Harry: "You will not repeat that reference."
Harry just continued to grin.
"Other than Salazar and You-Know-Who, do you know of anyone else that spoke Parselmouth?" Snape questioned Dumbledore.
A rather serious look came over Dumbledore's face as he joined the other two in the chairs near his desk.
"Can you speak Parselmouth Harry?" Dumbledore questioned the boy.
Harry peeked up and over to his dad beside him.
"It okay Harry," Dumbledore smiled warmly at the boy and his dad nodded in agreement.
"I guess. I can talk to snakes, but I didn't know I spoke a different language," Harry told the man.
"Perhaps when Voldemort tried to kill you, he inadvertently transferred some of his powers to you. I can't be sure of that, but it is a good theory," Dumbledore said in a rather serious tone. "The shield you produce is rather advanced for someone your age. And your ability to send your attractors back with wandless magic is also rather unique. You may come from a very old and powerful family, but I think there is more to it them that."
"Voldemort lives in me?" Harry screeched and touched the back of his head.
"No Harry," his dad said and reached out and pulled Harry's hand away from his head, while Dumbledore put a reassuring hand on Harry's leg: "Not like Quirrell."
Harry's eyes were darting back and forth between Dumbledore and Snape.
"I think you might have some of his powers, not some part of him," Dumbledore explained.
"I just want to be normal," he whimpered, lowering his head and mumbled: "I'm a freak again." His words were not meant to be heard by anyone.
"You are not a freak," his dad snapped, lifting Harry's head back up. "You are just more gifted then others."
"Before you were born, there was a prophecy said in regards to Voldemort," Dumbledore began to explain. "Some of that prophecy was revealed to Voldemort, but not all of it," he remarked and the two adults exchanged glances. "It mentioned that Voldemort would be destroyed by a child born at the end of July. Voldemort was not informed of other things that were mentioned in the prophecy and one of those things was that he would mark this child as his equal. That could mean in time you will develop skill that he himself possesses or he somehow knew you were the one that was born with skills like his own."
"Then I am going to turn into him," Harry exclaimed on the verge of tears.
"No Harry," Dumbledore said softly, while Snape jumped to his feet screaming: "Don't ever say that."
"Harry listen," Dumbledore drew Harry's attention back to him; rather than the irate Potion Master. "You possess something that Voldemort never has possessed or ever will possess," the old man smiled at Snape and Harry; who both gave him confused expressions. "You have love in you. Not just the love your mother gave you when she sacrificed her life for you, but also the love you give to those you care about. The shield you produce that keeps those you care about from being harmed, I believe that is your love protecting them. Voldemort would never weaken himself to protect anyone. You have friends and family that stand beside you out of love. He has followers that follow him out of fear for their own well being. You will never be like him," Dumbledore told Harry with seriousness in his voice.
"Why did you join him?" Harry asked his dad.
"I was young, foolish and angry with the world," Snape admitted.
"Since you've missed more than half of your class, I think you should just go to the Great Hall for lunch," Dumbledore smiled at Harry.
"Yes sir," Harry smiled back and got to his feet.
"We could have lunch together," Snape said to Harry.
"Kay," Harry replied, his smile fading slightly. Harry had questions for his dad; but was worried that if he talked to him about the voices or the elf in his dreams that he would in fact have to leave Hogwarts.
"Did you want to talk about what's bothering you?" Snape asked Harry as they made their way to the Great Hall.
"Huh?" Harry responded, looking up but not directly at Snape. His dad's voice had combined with a whispered voice that had said something about finding the mudbloods.
"Are you bothered by something Albus said?" Snape questioned Harry.
"No," Harry whispered, trying to hear the distant hushed voice: "My turn for lunch." Harry heard from the wall next to where him and his dad were walking.
"Harry," Snape called as Harry stared at the wall beside him.
"Tell me what you're listening to Harry," Snape whispered his order. Snape knew something on the other side of the wall was distracting Harry.
Harry's head whipped up and he stared at his dad with wide eyes of shock.
Snape kneeled down so he was eye level with the boy. Harry glanced into his dad's eyes then looked away. "I cannot help you if you don't talk to me," Snape kept his voice low and calm.
"Sorry. I...I was just...ah...thinking," Harry fumbled, trying to think of what to say.
"Were you thinking about something or listening to something?" Snape asked flat out.
"Hearing voices is not a good thing, even in the wizarding world," Harry repeated Hermione's words.
Snape stood back up, put his arm around Harry steered him in the other direction: "I think we should have lunch at home."
"It's not like the voice is telling me to do anything. I'm not crazy, please don't send me to 's," Harry stopped dead in his tracks.
"I'm not sending you anywhere," Snape scowled angrily. "We are going home so we can talk about this with no one else hearing about it." Snape gave Harry a nudge and got him walking again.
"I know you don't trust adults and I don't blame you for that," Snape said softly. "You are not crazy, you are not a freak. Just because your friends can't hear what you hear, doesn't mean there's something wrong with you."
Snape took Harry down to his private lab and summoned a silencing charm around the room.
"What you say to me stays between you and I, unless it's necessary to involve Albus," Snape said to Harry and a chair slid across the floor to where they were standing.
"Have a seat," Snape told Harry and he went over to one of his storage rooms and pulled out some potion supplies.
"What are you making?" Harry questioned as Snape placed items on the counter in front of him.
"Remember Draco's potion that allowed him to hear things like an animal?" Snape smiled at Harry.
"You want to hear what I hear?" Harry squeaked with surprise. "I don't hear it all the time, only sometimes."
"What does it say?" Snape began to question, while he cut up ingredients.
"Today it wanted lunch," Harry replied. "I've heard it say it wants to kill."
Snape stopped cutting the leaves he had on the counter. He turned to Harry and held Harry's face so he could look right into Harry's eyes: "Promise me you won't go looking for the source of the voice."
"Kay," Harry held his dad's stare.
"You've gone looking for it haven't you?" Snape's eyes flashed with anger and Harry quickly looked away.
"Look at me," his dad ordered.
Harry looked back at his dad and gave a few nervous blinks.
"Promise me," Snape commanded.
"I promise," Harry said confidently.
"Thank you," his dad smiled.
"Tell me about the voice," Snape asked nicely rather than using his ordering tone of voice; then he began preparing the potion.
"The first time was when I was in detention with Lockhart," Harry began.
"Professor Lockhart," Snape corrected, just like he did every time Harry neglected to mention the man by his title.
"That git is a menace, not a Professor," Harry huffed.
"Harry," his dad snapped. "I would prefer we discuss the voice. But if you would like to have a lengthy discussion on having some respect for your elders; including a duelling war between Gryffindor and Slytherin during Professor Lockhart's class, or the candy he was given or today's little stunt you and Draco planed. Everyone else might have thought it was an accident, but I know you two better than that," Snape had stopped his potion preparations and looked at Harry with a hint of anger in his tone and eyes.
"The second time I heard the voice," Harry opt to carry on with his story, "I was on my way to Lock... Defence Against the Dark Arts class. That's when we found Mrs. Norris," Harry explained. "The voice has something to do with the chamber of secrets, doesn't it?" His voice held excitement.
"I don't know that and Albus told you not to get involved," Snape cautioned, returning to his potion making.
"What if you make the potion and still can't hear what I hear? Maybe my hearing a voice is another stupid thing I got from Voldemort," Harry sneered.
"Albus can't say for sure that you got the ability to speak Parseltongue from You-Know-Who. Maybe you just possess the gift. Not all wizards are created equal. Two Muggles can bare a wizard, just as a wizard and a witch can bare a squib," his dad explained. "If this potion does not give me the ability to hear what you hear; then you will have to help me find the source. If you have to help me; than you will follow my instructions to the letter, without hesitation or argument."
"Kay," Harry bounced with excitement.
"This is not a game Harry," his dad barked and Harry's excitement came to an immediate stop.
"Yes sir," Harry quietly responded.
Snape moved next to Harry's stool and put his arm around the boy and gave him a tight squeeze: "Sorry. I didn't mean to yell that loudly. I just need you to understand that this is not a game. You said you heard the voice say it wants to kill. If the voice belongs to whomever petrified Mrs. Norris and that little Creeve boy, then it's very dangerous."
"I know," Harry mumbled. "I just really like the idea of doing something together. I never had a dad to do stuff with."
"How about you and I go do something this weekend that doesn't involve anything dangerous," Snape smiled down at his son.
"Kay," Harry's chipper little voice came back.