As the stone wall that guarded the entrance of the Slytherin Common Room swung open for Jade and Gretta, Jade immediately noticed the large group that was surrounding the notice board.
"What-" Jade began but Blaise turned around from the outskirts of the group and quickly grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer while Gretta followed close behind. Jade looked at the parchment that had been tacked onto the board,
"A dueling club sounds interesting, doesn't it?" Blaise asked her as her eyes scanned the words written on the parchment.
"The first meeting is tonight?" Jade asked and Blaise nodded, "Well, that definitely does sound interesting." She agreed, "Begins at eight." She smiled at Gretta, "Are you coming?" Gretta looked back at the announcement, "It'll be fun." Jade nudged her shoulder slightly, her own excitement growing by the minute.
"Okay." Gretta nodded, "Yeah. I like practice."
"Atta girl." Jade praised but looked up as Pansy and Ava passed them and glanced at the parchment themselves. Pansy glanced at Jade and Gretta and didn't even wave hello as Ava pulled her away, squealing about how excited she was to learn dueling from the great Professor Lockhart. Pansy gave a weak smile at her friend, not bothering to tell her that her crush on Lockhart had stopped a while ago.
"Should we go save her?" Blaise whispered to Jade as they watched Pansy try to seem interested in what Ava was talking about.
"No." Jade sighed as she folded her arms under her chest, "She wants to give me the silent treatment. Let her suffer." Blaise chuckled as Jade narrowed her eyes,
"She's ruthless." He pointed at Jade as he whispered to Gretta, who gave him a large smile.
"It's just Ava," Jade commented as they made their way to their usual spot on the couches near the fireplace.
"I think we can agree 'just Ava' is bad enough." Blaise slumped down across from Jade and Gretta on the opposite couch.
"What's bad enough?" Draco asked as he took a seat next to Jade,
"Being around Ava Lane," Blaise explained and Draco agreed as he hissed air in through his teeth.
"Who's the unlucky person?" He asked as he looked around trying to find Ava, trying to find the source of the loud screeching laughter. "Parkinson?" He gasped, "Why's she over there?" He asked,
"She's mad at me." Jade sighed as she also glanced over. Draco looked at Jade,
"Don't worry, Maddex. I'd take your company over hers any day." He meant it as a compliment but Jade just narrowed her eyes at him,
"Well, I would hope I'm more pleasant than her." Draco's smile fell slightly and looked to Blaise for help.
"No, I meant-"
"What he was saying was-" Blaise interjected but Jade rose from the couch, which signaled Gretta to stand as well,
"I know what he was saying!" Jade huffed and the girls both left the Common Room to see if dinner was ready yet. Draco was confused and watched Jade walk off with her little mini-me.
"Mental, that one." He gestured after her,
"Yeah." Blaise sighed and slapped his thighs before rising and going after her. Draco rolled his eyes as he followed Blaise,
"I just sat down." He mumbled to himself.
The Great Hall was full of loud voices as always but Jade and her friends didn't speak which made their dinner awkward. Blaise knew Jade was being snippy because she was upset she and Pansy hadn't talked for a few days but Draco didn't get what the problem was.
"What?" He asked as he caught Jade glaring at him again, "You took something I said out of context!" He sighed as her expression remained the same. "Don't be mad at me because Parkinson picks annoying friends." Gretta's eyes widened and she quickly looked at Jade. "No, I didn't mean you-" Jade huffed as she looked down at her food, "Would you quit?" Draco looked to Blaise once again for help and he raised his hands to show he wouldn't jump in this time, "If I thought you were annoying I wouldn't be your friend, now would I?" He asked her,
"I think you're plenty annoying but I'm still yours," Jade told him as she picked around her plate with her spoon.
"Yet another reason why you're a better person than I am." He tried again and this time she looked up at him without her recent glare. "Parkinson will realize she was wrong soon, no one can hang out with that banshee for long." Jade smiled down at her plate.
"She does sound like a banshee doesn't she?" She asked as she raised a spoon full of mashed potatoes to her mouth, thinking back to her annoying laugh. Gretta noticeably relaxed as the tension quickly faded and their conversation turned humorous for the rest of dinner. Once dinner was done they reluctantly returned to the Common Room, everyone waiting for eight o'clock to come.
"Let's go," Jade told her friends once the grandfather clock in the Common Room rang when it hit eight. She practically leaped out of her seat and joined the group of Slytherins who were leaving. Not many students stayed behind, with the possibility of a monster roaming the halls at night everyone felt safer learning a bit of dueling magic. The Great Hall had been rearranged when they arrived, the long tables where the houses sat and ate were gone and a golden stage appeared along one wall. Most of the students from the other houses were there as well, all clutching their wands and talking excitedly to one another.
"Now that we're all here," Lockhart announced as he jumped up onto the stage and the Hall quickly quieted down. "Gather round! Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me?" He asked as he flashed a smile at the students, the girls nodding and smiling back up at him. "Excellent! 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." Jade rolled her eyes, maybe she wouldn't really learn anything if Lockhart would be the one teaching them. "For full details, see my published works."
"I'm leaving." Jade turned to go and Blaise grabbed a hold of her arm and pulled her back.
"Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape." Lockhart smiled and gestured to the other side of the stage where Snape was looking around with an irritated expression on his face. Students began whispering at the sight of him but Jade was glad he was there, Lockhart shouldn't be allowed to teach on his own, he could burn the castle down. "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. Now, I don't want any of you to worry, you'll still have your Potions master when I'm through with him,"
"I don't doubt it," Jade mumbled as she watched the yellow peacock strut his way to the far end of the stage.
"Never fear!" Lockhart turned to face Snape and they bowed to each other, Lockhart bent down deeply while twirling his hands and Snape just nodded his head. They raised their wands in front of them like swords at the same time. "As you can see, we are holding our wands in the accepted combative position," Lockhart announced to the students who were watching silently. "On the count of three, we will cast our first spells, neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course." He announced but Jade had a feeling he was saying it more to Snape, Jade would have reminded the Professor herself if he was staring at her like the way he was staring at Lockhart. "One... two… three." Both of them swung their wands above their heads and pointed at each other. Lockhart didn't even have time to say his incantation before Snape had already sent a Disarming Charm at him.
"Expelliarmus!" Snape cried and a dazzling flash of red flew towards Lockhart and knocked him off his feet. Gasps filled the room and a few chuckles here and there, Jade being one of them. Lockhart had flown back on the stage and was sprawled out on the floor. The Slytherins cheered for the Head of their house as Lockhart slowly picked himself back up.
"Well, there you have it!" Lockhart chuckled lightly, "That was a Disarming Charm, as you can see I've lost my wand." He said as he looked around the stage for it. A Gryffindor girl came to the edge of the stage and held a wand up towards him shyly. "Thank you, Miss Brown." He smiled as he took back his wand, "Yes, an excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape, but if you don't mind me 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."
"Oh, please," Draco mumbled as Lockhart tried to protect his fragile reputation and ego.
"However, I felt it would be instructive to let them see…" Snape himself was mirroring the expression of his students; irritation and disbelief. "Enough demonstrating!" Lockhart announced with a wave of his hand, "I'm going to come amongst you now and put you all into pairs. Professor Snape, if you'd like to help me." Lockhart quickly jumped off the stage and the Hufflepuff girls flocked to him. Snape took his time and completely ignored the Ravenclaws as he made his way over to the Slytherins.
"Mr. Zabini with Miss Parkinson." He touched both of their shoulders and lightly pushed them away to focus on who was left. "Mr. Goyle with Miss Bulstrode." He pushed them away, "Mr. Crabbe with Miss Lane." Draco gave Crabbe an apologetic look and Crabbe tried to look around for someone else he could partner with but Snape was already shooing them away. "Mr. Nott with Ms. Montgomery." Snape then looked at Draco and Jade who were standing next to each other, "Mr. Malfoy-" He started but then paused and looked up past the Slytherins and abandoned them. He walked towards the Gryffindors and stopped in front of Ron and Harry. They couldn't hear what he was saying but he sent Ron off and directed Harry and Hermione back to the Slytherins. "Mr. Malfoy with Mr. Potter." He pushed Harry towards Draco and Draco's face split into a sinister grin. "Miss Maddex with Miss Granger." Jade gave Hermione a small smile as she stiffly made her way to Jade's side.
"Face your partners!" Lockhart called as he ascended the stage again to get a better look at all of the pairs. Jade took a few steps back and turned to face Hermione, she glanced over at Draco who was still smiling at Harry. "And bow!" Jade bowed, not really focusing on her own duel because she was more invested in Harry and Draco's. The two boys barely nodded their heads, never taking their eyes off one another. "Wands at the ready!" Jade pulled her gaze away from them and focused on Hermione as she pulled her wand in front of her. "When I count to three, cast your charms to disarm your opponents, only to disarm them, we don't want any accidents." Jade shot one last meaningful look at Draco but it was useless, he wasn't focused on anything other than Harry. "One… two…" Before Lockhart could get to three, Draco hit Harry with a spell. Harry stumbled back, but it looked like he stumbled more from shock than pain.
"Rictusempra!" Harry shouted as he pointed his wand at Draco and a silvery stream of light hit Draco in the stomach and he doubled over as he wheezed.
"I said disarm only!" Lockhart called as he looked over the other pairs who were practicing near him. Draco sank to his knees and Jade stepped to help him but Snape tisked at her to stay put. Jade shared a concerned look with Hermione.
"Tarantallegra!" Draco gasped as he pointed up at Harry and Harry's legs began to jerk around and he struggled to try and stay upright. Draco groaned/laughed in pain as he clutched his stomach.
"Stop! Stop!" Lockhart screamed at them but Snape stepped in,
"Finite Incantatem." He sighed as he flicked his wand at the two of them and Harry's legs stabilized and Draco gasped in a deep breath and coughed. Hermione quickly went to Harry's side and made sure he was alright, Jade looked at Snape and he nodded slightly. Jade helped Draco stand up,
"Thanks." He muttered and Lockhart burst through a small group of students,
"I think I'd better teach you how to block unfriendly spells." Lockhart looked at Snape but then quickly looked away. Jade looked around to see pairs of students helping each other up or observing something on the other, Ron was apologizing to Seamus who had ash on his face as if he had just blown something up again. "Let's have a volunteer pair…" Lockhart looked around for a pair that didn't look too worse for wear. "Longbottom and Finch-Fletchley, how about you?" He smiled at them,
"A bad idea, Professor Lockhart," Snape sighed as he glided over to Lockhart, "Longbottom causes devastation with the simplest spells. We'll be sending what's left of Finch-Fletchley up to the Hospital Wing in a matchbox." Neville's plump face turned pink as he tried to sink into his cloak. "How about Malfoy and Potter?" Snape gave a twisted smile and Jade's mouth fell open as she began to object but then thought better of it, she didn't want to speak against Snape, especially in front of all of those people. Surely Lockhart would object against this idea because of how they had just gone at each other,
"Excellent idea!" He beamed back at Snape and Jade glared at him, he couldn't do anything right. Lockhart took Harry and they went up on one side of the stage while Snape gestured Draco towards the other. "Now, Harry," Lockhart raised his voice so the whole Hall could hear him, "When Draco points his wand at you, you do this." Lockhart then raised his own wand and tried to demonstrate what Harry should do but dropped it halfway through. Jade caught a glimpse of Snape's smirk as Lockhart scrambled to pick up his wand. "Whoops, my wand is a little overexcited." He explained to the crowd as Snape bent down and whispered something in Draco's ear.
"Professor, could you show me that blocking thing again?" Harry asked Lockhart,
"Scared, Potter?" Draco smirked,
"You wish." Harry narrowed his eyes at Draco and Lockhart slapped Harry's back with a chuckle,
"Just do what I did, Harry!" He said as he smiled out to the crowd,
"What, drop my wand?" Harry sighed and Jade smiled at his quick comment but Lockhart didn't seem to hear it as he took a few steps back,
"Three, two, one… go!" He shouted and Malfoy actually waited this time to raise his wand and yell,
"Serpensortia!" Jade gasped as a black snake shot out of the end of Draco's wand and fell with a thud onto the stage between them and coiled in on itself. She didn't know what spell he had just used, they hadn't learned it yet. That must've been what Snape whispered in his ear. A few students that were closest to the stage backed up, girls near Lockhart screamed and cowered behind him.
"Don't move, Potter." Snape said with a lazy smile, "I'll get rid of it." Harry stood there, eye to eye with the hissing snake.
"Allow me!" Lockhart smiled at the girls behind him before brandishing his wand at the snake and then there was a loud bang that made Jade flinch. The snake was gone, but a tug on her sleeve from Hermione made her look up and she watched with wide eyes as the snake hadn't disappeared, it just shot into the air and was now falling back down. The snake landed in the middle of the crowd of students and many ran backward until the snake was in a wide circle of its own. The snake was angry, hissing loudly and baring his fangs around at the students in front of it. The snake began to slither towards the Finch-Fletchley boy with the strong chin, Harry hurried towards the snake and he hissed at it. The snake froze and turned to look at Harry. Harry began speaking, or rather hissing, to the snake and it looked like the snake understood what he was saying. Harry turned to the scared boy and grinned.
"What do you think you're playing at?" He asked with a shaky voice. Jade watched the exchange closely, she didn't understand what had just happened. The boy turned and stormed out of the Great Hall. Jade watched as Harry's grin fell and was replaced by a look of confusion. Snape stepped forward and waved his wand, the snake vanished in a small puff of black smoke. Snape himself turned to look at Harry as the rest of the crowd did. Whispers broke out in groups,
"How'd he do that?" Gretta asked Jade in a low voice but Jade didn't take her eyes off of Harry.
"I don't know." She answered honestly.