Chapter 21: Disaster in Dueling
It was a few days later that I found out the peculiar happenings were being blamed on me. I was in the library with Ron, waiting for Harry, Trunks, and Tom, who all had been held back in Snape's class to scrape the tubeworms off from the desks. Jupiter, Susan, and Hermione had all finished their homework long ago and were looking for some books to read for fun in the long, winding aisles of the library. Draco was in his common room, looking for a quill to do his homework with.
"Hey, Hermione, can I read your paper for Professor Binns?" I called to her softly.
"Certainly not, Angel, how will you learn?" she called back. I gave an exasperated sigh as I measured my report once again.
"Good, only two more inches to go," I said as I started writing again, at a speed only Trunks and I could move.
"You're lucky, I've still got eight inches," Ron told me. Draco came into the room a few moments later.
"Both of you are lucky, I've still got all my Potions homework left," he said. The homework was due the next day.
"Really?" I said, surprised. "I always do Snape's homework first so I don't have to think about him for another few hours." Then I saw Justin Finch-Fletchy, a boy from Susan's house that she knew well. I knew him only because we had Herbology with him and he was in the book.
"Hey, Justin, how's it-" I started to say, but the minute he saw who was speaking, he did a military-like about face and was gone before I could finish completely. "-going? What's up with him?"
"Don't pay him any attention, I dunno what his problem is today," Harry told me as he came up to us. "He did the same thing when I said hello earlier."
"Really?" I asked, looking after him, my eyes flashing a little in the light. I knew what it was, but I didn't say anything. The Hufflepuffs thought that Harry and I were the culprits behind the cat's near-demise.
Hermione groaned as she came back toward us, a feeble expression on her face.
"All the copies of Hogwarts: A History have been checked out! And there's a waiting list, too," she flopped into the seat opposite me as I rolled up my homework and tucked it into my notebook for History of Magic. "I wish I hadn't left my copy at home, but I couldn't fit it into my trunk with all the Lockhart books."
"Why do you want it?" I asked, though I full well knew the answer.
"To find out what the Chamber of Secrets is, I know I've read about it in there," she exclaimed, her face in her hands.
"I know it," I said and suddenly, I felt the eyes of every last student in the library turned to me.
"What?!" Trunks yelled, "Angel, why didn't you tell us before?"
"I-I-um..." my face began to turn a brilliant red as I sat in my chair, everyone's attention to me.
"How do you know it?" asked a very troubled-looking Justin.
"Simple. It's a very duh format by now that I read the stories in this book. I know quite well everything that is supposed to happen, and this is one of them," I said and found the entire room hanging on my every word. "Jeez, you guys look like...I'm not going to go there. Anyway, we all know that this school was founded a thousand years ago with no precise date by four people: Godric Griffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and Salazar Slytherin. The basic facts tell us that there began a rift between Slytherin and the others because he wanted to be selective on the students accepted here. There was a huge fight between him and Griffindor on the subject and Slytherin left the school. Legend goes that Slytherin built a hidden chamber in the school in which he placed an awesome beast who would be released by the Heir of Slytherin years later to destroy the Enemies of Slytherin, namely, the other three houses and any Muggle-born kids." I shrugged when I finished. "Of course, there's only been one heir since then and that was fifty years ago. But I know that the same person is back and he's released the beast yet again."
This information was rapidly spread across the school. Some classes were so nervous that many were given detentions for unintended magic.
Few, if any, continued to believe any of our "dream team", as Snape called us, were the Heirs.
***
The next Quidditch match of the season would soon begin. Flint seemed to be most annoyed that our team had been practicing non-stop since November as we stepped out onto the field in our scarlet team cloaks.
"Good thing I talked to Dobby before this," I muttered under my breath.
"Did you say something, Angel?" Katie asked me.
"Nothing, it was nothing," I said quickly. Both Alicia and Katie looked at me strangely and I avoided their gaze as I stooped to pick up my broom from the bench.
"On my mark," Madam Hooch said as we had mounted our brooms, "Three...two...one..." And we kicked off with a roar from the crowd below. Trunks waved up at me as I moved to intercept the Quaffle. Harry soared over my head and was dodging a Bludger.
I accepted the Quaffle from Alicia and flew true toward the Slytherin Keeper, who also sat on a Nimbus Two Thousand.
"This game has gone off on a smooth start as Angel Galis, one of Griffindor's prize Chasers, moves to put the Quaffle past- GRIFFINDORS SCORE!" Lee Jordan commented as I let out a whoop and did a twist in midair as I accepted the Quaffle back once more.
However, I didn't have long to bask in my glory, because a Bludger was headed straight for my head.
"AH!" I shouted and dodged underneath it. George came over and hit it toward Flint but the Bludger did a sort of about face and came back for me. I turned a little and saw Harry do some kind of twist to avoid another Bludger.
"Someone's fixed...these Bludgers!" George shouted as he hit the Bludger away once again. I threw the Quaffle to Alicia and spun out again, going as fast as I could. The Bludger must've been fixed to my energy signature and been made stronger, because it brushed past my head moments later. I looked over to see Harry and Fred battling with the other one.
"Oliver!" I cried as I shot over the Bludger again, George attempting to hit it but failing quite miserable.
"What is it?!" Oliver shouted as he tossed the caught Quaffle to Katie. He looked up and saw immediately what it was. He called for time-out and we flew to the ground, still dodging the mad Bludgers.
"What's going on up there, Angel?" Oliver yelled as Fred knocked one of the Bludgers away from us once again.
"I don't know, someone's fixed those Bludgers to come after Harry and me," I told him. "Leave it to us, Fred and George, you guys block them away from us and Harry can catch the Snitch. I'll help him out. Katie, Alicia, this is you guys' time to shine." Oliver looked uncertainly at me, then nodded. Katie and Alicia mounted their brooms, holding the Quaffle at ready.
We began the game again, this time with Harry and I beside each other and Fred and George above and below us.
"Ready to catch a Golden Snitch, Harry?" I asked him.
"You bet, let's go!" he grinned and we sped off, dodging the Bludgers all the way. I searched around the air for the tiny golden ball and found it immediately behind Flint.
"Harry, there it is!" I hissed in his ear. He nodded and we took off for it, Fred and George streaming after us as the Bludgers tried again and again to get past the selectively permeable twins.
Unfortunately, in our haste to catch the Snitch, we got a little ahead of them. The Bludgers both got past them and flew true for once in the game. As Harry caught the Snitch and I cheered him on, they hit.
Isn't it just ironic that both of us broke our right legs?
Luckily, I'd told Lockhart not to try and mess with us, so Harry and I got away with our bones this time.
Trunks came up to me, looking downright angry.
"Angel, why did you continue the game?" he growled at me as he helped me to my feet. I put my arm around his shoulder and Jupiter came over (the tallest in our group besides Trunks) and helped with the other arm.
"Here, lean on us," she said, supporting my other leg. I winced in pain as I hobbled along with them up the stairs to Madam Pomfrey's. Harry was being helped by (gasp!) Draco and Ron. Hermione was babbling behind them, much in the way that Trunks was seething toward me about what I'd done.
"I can't believe you, Angel, that Bludger could've killed you! I was getting an energy signature from it, I think Dirken was inside that Bludger and Harry's too," I looked at him, startled.
"Do you really think it was Dirken in that thing?"
"I've no doubt," Trunks growled, observing my face in what was unmistakably fear, anger, and disbelief all in one. Tom walked beside us, as well as Ginny, all completely silent.
"Are you all right, Angel?" Ginny asked softly.
"Yeah, I think so, little one," I told her grimly. "My leg's broken, no doubts there, but Madam Pomfrey can fix it up quick." I gave her a wink then winced as a throbbing pain hit me like a tidal wave.
***
"Madam Pomfrey can fix it, huh?" Trunks asked me moments later as we sat in the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey had just told me that my bone had been shattered, not snapped. Harry's too had been shattered. We'd be in the hospital wing for a whole night because of it.
"Yeah, she just can't fix it as fast as I thought," I told him grimly. I sighed, staring out at the window. Night had fallen and Trunks would have to leave Harry and I alone before midnight if he didn't want to get into trouble with Filch, who had a bad enough temper with his cat out of commission as it was. "You'd better go, Trunks, before the clock strikes." He nodded and smiled a little.
"One last thing, Angel." He knelt down and gave me a kiss on my forehead. "I'll see you in the morning." I nodded and let my head hit the pillow, asleep before I hit it.
***
I raced through the Forbidden Forest, running away from a growling, barking noise behind me. There was four lights ahead of me, green, blue, yellow, and red. I forced my aching muscles faster to reach them. My heart beat against my chest so hard I thought it would explode out of me and I would die. Yet on I ran, faster and faster, the speed I was going was incredible, even for me. Whatever was pursuing me could tear even me apart and I knew very well that I wasn't invincible. I wasn't invincible, even with Trunks running beside me.
The barking followed be, invading my ears and making me squeal in fear as it chased me at a pace I found to be even more exhausting. Trunks shouted at me from a little to my left.
"Keep running, Angel, I'll hold him off!"
"Keep going!" Jupiter called as well, from my right.
"We won't let him take you!" Harry shouted, from ahead. His hand reached out and he pulled me onto his broomstick.
"I'm going to get you, Angel," came the voice I knew as Dirken's. "And you can't escape me once you've become mine."
"Go, Angel, go!" Ron and Hermione cried from their own brooms. Trunks flew on his own to my left and I could see Draco off in the distance ahead.
Harry and I flew directly into a bit of glass and I saw him fall into the Forest. I heard him break his arm before he landed on the ground, floating slightly as Hermione used some charm to slow his rate of descent.
"I have you now," I heard Dirken say. I floated in midair, not by my powers, but by his, I knew. I rose into the sky and Trunks after me.
"Angel!" Trunks shouted at me. I wouldn't respond. I was a shell, unable to respond to anything. I could see what was going on, hear it, feel it, but I wasn't in all actuality there. "Angel, wake up! Snap out of it, Angel, he's going to get you! ANGEL!!!"
I sat up with a start. I was in the hospital wing.
"Dirken! It was Dirken, he has me! Trunks, help me!" I cried, not knowing that I wasn't still within my dream.
"Angel, snap out of it!" Harry shouted in my ears.
"Whoa what!" I exclaimed loudly and everything crashed down upon me faster than a lightning bolt. "Trunks! Where's Trunks, is he all right?"
"Angel, Trunks is fine, he's in the common room," Madam Pomfrey told me as she entered the room.
"No, he's not!" I shouted, listening to his shouts in my mind. "He's having a bad dream, like I was! Somebody's got to wake him up!"
"What's all this, then?" Dumbledore said as he entered the room, wide awake and looking as though someone had slapped him.
"It's nothing, Headmaster, only a nightmare, really, I should-" Madam Pomfrey began, but I stopped her.
"Professor, we have to wake Trunks up!" I crowed.
"Wake him up?" he asked uncertainly. Then it was as if it had dawned on him. "Oh, yes, come with me. Her leg has healed, hasn't it, Poppy?"
"Well...yes...but..." Madam Pomfrey was looking completely flustered.
"Good, then, come along, Harry, Angel, we might want to get you two into your common room before the entire Tower wakes up," Dumbledore said with a wink.
"AH!!!" Came the shout of yet another person.
"Who on Earth..." I said as I got out of my bed and walked out the hospital wing. I, too, nearly screamed at the sight, for there, on the floor before me, was Colin Creevy, Petrified just as Mrs. Norris had been.
"PROFESSOR!" I cried up the steps, a bit too loudly, but I was frightened and a little queasy, mind you.
"Angel, it can't be that bad that you have to-" Dumbledore began as he came down, but then he stopped short upon seeing Colin. "Oh, dear. Dear, dear, that is not good. Not good at all." He called Madam Pomfrey out and together (they did not need my help, otherwise I would've carried him up there myself) they hefted the shrimpy first year into a bed.
"Well, there's no doubt about it now," I said with a sigh. "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened yet again." Dumbledore nodded gravely and we walked to the Tower in silence. I gave a start as I realized that Trunks had already woken up from his dream and I hoped that he hadn't woke up the entire Tower.
When we reached it, however, we found that only Tom, Jupiter, Ron, and Hermione were up and in Trunks' room, trying to get through to him, but having no such luck.
"Angel! Harry! I thought you guys wouldn't be back until tomorrow!" Ron exclaimed upon our entrance.
"I failed her," Trunks moaned from the bed, his head in his hands. "I failed her. Dirken got to her and I failed to get to her. The universe is doomed, I failed her. Angel..."
"Trunks, I'm right here," I told him. It didn't seem to do much good, because he kept mumbling into his hands how he'd failed me.
It took a lot longer to console Trunks than it had me, believe us all. When he'd finally come back to reality, he wouldn't stop hugging me and telling me he was sorry for everything and anything, though he's never really done anything to apologize for. When they were certain Trunks would be all right, the others slowly left us. Dumbledore was the last to leave, a smile hidden under his silver beard.
"I'm sorry, Angel, I'm so sorry, I couldn't help you," Trunks moaned pitifully. Great tears fell down his cheeks and I sighed as I stared at him.
"Don't act like me, Trunks," I told him. "You're supposed to be my strong link." I licked his tears away like he'd once done for me and he laughed pathetically as I tickled him. I scooted into his lap and gave him a kiss before forcing him down under the covers.
"Now go to sleep, or neither of us will have any," I growled at him. He swallowed and nodded before closing his eyes and falling asleep
I watched him a few moments more before laying my head upon his chest and, listening to the melody of his breathing in conjunction to his heartbeat, fell asleep, the stars in our bewitched room twinkling over us.
***
The school finally got around to finding out about Colin the next morning. However, this made the Hufflepuffs (or the majority thereof) certain that Harry was Slytherin's Heir, as he had been in the Tower with me when it had happened. The Ravenclaws, on the other hand, seemed to believe it was I who was the heir, even though I wasn't anywhere near related to Slytherin at all.
Stranger still was the thought line that undermined the others' minds.
"If it isn't Harry Potter or Angel Galis," I heard a Ravenclaw girl whispering in the library through the pipes I'd discovered within the shelves, "Then it's gotta be Tom. Tom may have been reborn, but he's still You-Know-Who under that new coat of skin and flesh." I inwardly fumed about this but immediately quickened my step away from the girl in a hurry.
Susan Bones was being pressured worse than ever by her Hufflepuff companions. Though she never really had a friend in her House, there had always been the occasional person to talk to. This stopped instantly. Susan was close to breaking down nearly every step of the way in the castle. We were her only friends and we kept our circle as tight as possible.
We were lucky that we were such good friends, otherwise we never would have made it.
The second week in December came and Professor McGonagall came around collecting the names of those who would be staying for winter holidays. Trunks, Tom, Harry, and I signed up immediately. It wasn't until later that we found out that everyone else with the exception of Ron and Hermione was going home for the holidays. Percy, Fred, and George were nearly desperate to go see their mother, father, and two elder brothers for some reason or another and some were glad to see them leave.
I was glad to know that Draco and Jupiter would be going home to see Mr. Malfoy. They promised to tell him hello for me and to give him a note that told him that I apologized for being so rude to him in Flourish and Blotts.
Another week passed and I didn't expect much to happen. At this particular time in the book, Lockhart had decided to give dueling lessons to anyone who wanted them. I thought that since Lockhart was still taking lessons from me, he wouldn't dare try and give lessons.
That's what I get for thinking. Yes, despite all my warnings, he started a Dueling Club and the poster was posted on the bulletin board to start that night. I muttered under my breath about bakas and their crazy ambitions, with only Jupiter able to understand me. She was laughing hysterically until I told the others what I was talking about.
That was that. All of us went to the Great Hall at eight o'clock that evening, having no doubts as to who had started this course. It wasn't even a surprise to any of our number, at least, that Snape accompanied him.
"What a nightmare," I muttered to myself. The only person who heard me was Trunks and Harry, who were the closest. Both tried, in vain, to stifle their giggles. Snape sneered at us mirthlessly and I grinned back with a happy-go-lucky grin that I was sure I'd gotten from Trunks, who'd probably gotten his from Goku or Goten.
"Gather round, gather round!" Lockhart cried out. "Can you all see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent!"
"He hasn't lost his old spark," I grumbled to myself.
"Professor Dumbledore granted me the permission to start this dueling club in the case that you need to defend yourself! Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape, who has sportingly agreed to have a short demonstration for all you students!"
"Fat chance," I whispered to myself. "Let's hope they finish one another off." Trunks, Harry, and Ron all nodded and Hermione looked torn between annoyance and agreeing.
"We will be aiming to disarm only, not to kill," Lockhart continued, "On the count of three, we will each cast our first spells."
"I wouldn't bet on the 'not killing' part," Jupiter muttered behind me and I nodded in agreement. Snape looked as though he really was wanting to kill Lockhart, and, to tell the truth, I couldn't blame him.
Lockhart counted to three and the minute the "e" part was out of his mouth, Snape shouted his spell.
"Expelliarmus!" I laughed under my breath as Lockhart was thrown violently against the wall in a show of sparks.
"Well," Lockhart said, looking quite ruffled. "That was a Disarming Charm, as you can see, I've lost my wand--Thank you, Miss Brown--a great thing to show them, Professor Snape." Once he had completely sorted out his periwinkle blue cloak again and replaced his hat correctly on his slightly disheveled, but unfixable, blonde hair.
"Well, enough demonstrating," Lockhart crowed. "I'm going to break you off into pairs... Professor Snape, if you might assist me." Snape and Lockhart pushed their way through the crowd, breaking each small band gathered into pairs.
Apparently, Harry and I still had enemies among the Slitherins. Draco may have been on our side, so to speak, but there was still a few unpleasant-looking ones among them.
"Now to split up the dream team," Snape's lip curled as he looked upon Trunks, Tom, Harry, Ron, Jupiter, Draco, Hermione, Susan, and I. I gulped despite myself as I was paired with a particularly chubby Slytherin girl, named Fredrickson. I smiled weakly and gave her a little wave that she didn't even think to return. I looked over and saw Trunks with Susan and was glad that they both had someone friendly to be with (Snape obviously didn't know about her and us) and Tom with Seamus Finnigan. I also spotted a few older kids, including Lee Jordan, who was partnered with Draco. I saw Harry with another Slytherin boy who looked even meaner than Draco had been, or even Crabbe and Goyle, for that matter.
"Face your partners!" Lockhart shouted so he was heard, "And bow!"
I bowed deeply to Fredrickson, keeping my eyes on her and several around me. I raised my wand, prepared to block anything she shot at me. She sneered lightly and waved her own wand a tad.
"Now, on the count of three, cast your first spells...aim only to disarm, we don't want any accidents," Lockhart said again. "Now, ready? Three...two...one!"
"Wingardium Leviosa!" I crowed out and was pleased to see Fredrickson's wand jerk from her great hands and land in my own precariously.
However, I was one of very few that had listened to Lockhart's words. I looked around and saw that many were simply brawling all-out and Trunks was having a tad of trouble with his partner.
"Stop!" Lockhart shouted, "Stop, everyone freeze!" All chaos continued despite his calls for a halt.
"WILL YOU ALL PLEASE STOP?!" I shouted as loud as my voice would carry. The words ricocheted around the room about three times before the echoes finally decided to die out.
"Thank you, Angel, that was most appreciative," Lockhart said as he helped some of the worst cases in the Hall. I nodded in grim acknowledgment.
"Here you go, Fredrickson," I said to my partner, tossing her wand back to her. "Sorry about that."
"That's all right," she grunted. Then her eyes lit up a little. "What kind of wand is that? I've never seen nothing like that afore!"
"It's jewel-wood," I told her, running my fingers over the aqua jewel affectionately. "A four-of-a-kind. Only Trunks, Tom, Dumbledore, and me have one."
"Wow, that's soo cool!" she squealed, sounding quite a lot like a piglet on Ritalin.
"Thanks," I said with a grin.
"I think I'd better try and teach you to block unfriendly spells," Lockhart said nervously and I groaned softly under my breath. "Um...Angel, Harry, you and your partners come over here, you'll help me out." My eyes widened slightly as I walked up onto the platform with Lockhart and Snape, followed closely by Fredrickson.
"Now, Angel, when Fredrickson points her wand at you, you do this," I watched carefully as he tried to flip the wand in his hand. I nodded even as he dropped the wand and stooped to pick it up. "Oops, my wand's a little overexcited..." I saw Snape lean over and talk to Fredrickson and then to Harry's partner, a brown-haired boy who looked quite well-built.
"Right then, on the count of three," Lockhart told us. I braced myself. "Three..." I watched Fredrickson closely, to see whatever came out of her wand through to the end. "Two..." I glanced at Harry slightly before returning focus quickly to Fredrickson. "ONE!"
The minute he released the number, Fredrickson pointed her wand at the floor in front of her and shouted loudly, and I was surprised to see that both my partner and Harry's were doing the same spell. "Serpensortia!" Both yelled at the same time and my fear grew deeper than ever.
"Snakes!" I shouted angrily.
"Allow me!" Lockhart bellowed. He flicked his wand and the snakes flew into the air about ten or twelve feet, crashing down a moment later. Mine went to the right and Harry's to the left. We were both frozen, I in anger and Harry in fear. My eyes did widen in pure fright, however, when the snake that had come from Fredrickson's wand exposed its fangs to Trunks, prepared to bite him. Trunks stared at the snake in shock.
"Leave Trunks alone!" I shouted at the snake. "Leave him alone, you fiend!" The snake, to my surprise, coiled itself up into a ball and approached me. I blinked down at it, absolutely appalled. I looked over and saw that Harry had done the same thing, the snake coiled at his feet like a harmless kitten.
"That's scary," Tom said, staring, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, from me, to my snake, to Harry, and his snake.
"Took the words right out of my mouth," Susan whispered.
Snape stepped forward and the snakes vanished with a wave of his wand.
"Move," Ron whispered in my ear, "Come on, Angel!" He tugged on my sleeve and I followed, positively dumbfounded.
"I don't believe it!" I shrieked shrilly and my voice full of disbelief and fright. "I'm a Parselmouth!"
"A what?!" Trunks said hysterically, "Angel, what's going on?! One minute I'm being attacked by a snake much stronger than any normal snake, the next you come over hissing like a cockroach!" (You know, them hissing cockroaches?)
"You mean you didn't know?!" Ron asked, still ashen-faced.
"Of course I didn't know, if I'd have known, I wouldn't have said a word!" I cried, tears in my eyes.
"Does that mean I'm one too?" Harry asked, his face whiter than Nick's.
"Yeah," Hermione told him.
"One question: what the hell is going on here?!" Trunks roared.
"Watch your mouth, Trunks Vegeta Briefs," I told him sharply.
"What's going on?" he asked calmly now, as though we were talking about the weather.
"Harry and I are Parselmouths," I explained, "We can talk to snakes. I don't know how I can talk to snakes now, though, because Harry got his powers through Vold-" I stopped my tongue right there. "Oh my gosh! I got it from Dirken! He got it from Voldemort and he passed it on to me when he tried to kill me last year!"
"My life just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?" Harry asked sarcastically.
"It'll get worse, trust me," I told him grimly. "Come on, I've still got some homework for Transfiguration."
***