Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Chapter 17 – The Duelling Club
News of a second attack spread quickly throughout the school and beyond. Parents of muggleborns and half-bloods were demanding something be done to protect their children, though many pureblood parents weren't so moved. Harry himself worried for his classmates and friends, especially Hermione, and sent several letters home on the subject. In the end, the pressure put on both the school's Board of Governors and the Ministry was enough to see strict new security measures put in place, as well as several aurors stationed at the school. Harry was surprised that Hagrid hadn't been arrested, it being just the type of thing Cornelius would do even with no evidence, but he wasn't surprised to learn that Dumbledore's word stretched so far as to stay Cornelius' hand. Snape, of all people, ended up being a font of information, the professor even going so far as to offer the information without being asked, and it was he who told them that the Ministry had agreed to hold off arresting Hagrid on Dumbledore's word, though he was being watched.
A second attack also meant that the staff were even more vigilant than before and did everything in their power to protect the students, and in one case, even things that weren't in their power.
"Gather round! Gather round!" Lockhart called as he stepped up onto the platform that had been erected in the Great Hall. He was wearing what he no doubt thought was a great outfit for training, along with a cape draped over one shoulder. "Can everybody see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent. In light of the dark events of recent weeks, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little duelling club to train you all up, in case you ever need to defend yourselves, as I myself have done on countless occasions. For full details, see my published works." Lockhart removed the cape and threw it into the crowd, towards a group of sixth year girls that were the most vocal in their belief that Lockhart was truly as amazing as he was in his books. Though even they could not deny he was a horrible teacher. "Let me introduce my assistant. Professor Snape!" Harry, Ron and Hermione looked to each other with wide eyes. That Snape had agreed to help was a wonder of itself, but to do so as Lockhart's assistant? The darkest of looks on the professor's face, however, told them the reason: he was looking forward to trouncing the preening peacock. "He has sportingly agreed to help with a short demonstration. 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." He said with a wink.
"He's dead." Ron muttered.
"So dead." Harry agreed and even Hermione nodded. The two professors walked to the centre of the stage, raised their wands in a salute, bowed, and then walked ten paces away from each other before taking their stances.
"One! Two! Three!" Lockhart counted them down.
"Expelliarmus!" Unsurprisingly Snape was the first to cast a spell, though the trio noted that he'd done so verbally and with more than enough time for Lockhart to counter. Early in their training with him, Snape had brought in a practice dummy and had charmed it to fight him as if it were a real battle, to give them at least some idea of what a true fight would look like, and to show what they had to work up to. As such, they knew that the professor was more than proficient at non-verbal spells and that he had lightning fast reflexes, none of which were on display here. Still, even though he was giving Lockhart a fighting chance, the simple disarming spell, which should have merely relieved Lockhart of his wand, was powerful enough to knock the other man off his feet. The hall gasped, and there were several snickers to be heard, Ron and Harry, as well as a couple of the aurors guarding the large group of students, among them.
"Do you think he's alright?" Hermione asked.
"Who cares?" Ron enjoyed seeing Lockhart knocked down almost as much as Snape.
"An excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape, but if you don't mind me saying it was pretty obvious what you were about to do, and if I had wanted to stop you, it would have only been too easy." Lockhart tried to save face and was met with a raised eyebrow, making his smirk disappear.
"Perhaps it would be prudent to first teach the students to block unfriendly spells, professor?" It was not a suggestion, and Snape managed to make the word professor sound like an insult, which, Harry supposed, it was. Snape was insulted that a man like Lockhart was actually a professor.
"An excellent suggestion, Professor Snape!" Lockhart took control once more. "Let's have a volunteer pair…Potter! Weasley! How about you?" Harry wasn't surprised that Lockhart had singled him out and moved towards the stage, but the next words spoken stopped Ron from following him.
"Weasley manages to cause devastation even with the simplest of spells. We'll be sending Potter to the hospital wing in a matchbox." Snape said. His words weren't true, Snape himself had seen to that, and so the trio were all confused as to why Snape was stopping Ron from joining. "Might I suggest someone from my own house? Malfoy, perhaps?" He turned and ordered the blonde boy onto the stage without a word. Both Harry and Malfoy eyed each other up. They hadn't duelled together since starting at Hogwarts a year ago, and both were looking forward to this.
"Wands at the ready!" Lockhart called when they made it to the centre of the stage.
"Scared, Potter?"
"You wish." Neither offered more than a cursory bow before turning and moving ten paces away and taking their stances.
"On the count of three, cast your charms to disarm your opponent, only to disarm! We don't want any accidents here." Lockhart instructed. "One! Two! Thr-"
"Everte Statum!" Harry had been ready for Malfoy to strike before the count of three.
"Protego!"
"I said to disarm only!" Lockhart yelled, but neither boy listened.
"Flipendo!" If Malfoy wanted to play dirty then Harry wouldn't limit his spells either, though he did keep it simple, nothing with any lasting damage. "Rictusempra!" Harry cast the two spells in quick succession, as Snape had taught him, and the strategy paid off. Draco managed to block the knock back jinx, but hadn't been prepared for the tickling charm that had him rolling on the floor laughing. Harry stood back with a smile, not willing to go so far as to attack his opponent when he was down. At least not in this – supposedly – friendly duel. He looked back to Ron and Hermione, seeing them both laughing along with the rest of the Gryffindors. However, the sudden lack of Malfoy's laughter had him turning back with his wand at the ready. While the charm had hit him, Draco had been able to throw it off quite quickly and was now glaring angrily at Harry.
"Serpensortia!" The Slytherin had chosen a spell to summon his house's emblem, though the snake that appeared was a highly venomous cobra. Harry took a step back, as did the students nearest the snake, as it began to look around confused. Harry had been thinking of a spell to get rid of the snake, but was now just staring at it.
"Don't move, Potter. I'll get rid of it for you." Snape said, stepping forward upon seeing Harry was frozen.
"Allow me, Professor Snape." Lockhart got there first, and his intervention was enough to get Harry's attention.
"No!" He cried, but it was too late.
"Alarte Ascendare!" Harry cursed. How Lockhart thought a spell to send something flying into the air was a good idea he'd never know. Into the air the snake went, though, and when it came back down it was no longer just confused, but angry.
"All these peopless attacking uss with no fears!" Harry froze again, having heard the sentence loud and clear, but wasn't able to put together who had said it as it made no sense; the only ones to have done any attacking were him and Malfoy. "Theys harms uss. Theys will learn!" The cobra had turned towards the gathered students and hissed menacingly at the nearest one, a second-year Hufflepuff named Justin. With the snake's intent to strike clear, Harry stepped forward, realizing it was the snake that had spoken.
"Stop!" He said. The cobra, and everyone else in the hall, turned to face Harry, though it was the snake alone that held his attention. "Justin hasn't done anything to harm you. Don't hurt him!"
"Yous can sspeaks to uss?" The cobra's anger appeared to leave him as Harry now only heard curiosity in his voice.
"Yes." That was an odd question, Harry thought. The snake was speaking quite clearly for everyone to hear. He'd never heard of a spell that allowed the conjured animal to speak, but there was lots of magic he didn't know, and clearly Draco hadn't spent his summer idle to have learned this advanced spell. The entire hall was silent as Harry and the snake eyed each other. The quiet, however, offered enough of an opportunity for Snape to act.
"Vipera Evanesca." A small ball of fire shot out of his wand and hit the snake, causing it to burn up and disintegrate. With the threat gone, Harry turned his attention to his professor, who was eyeing him wearily. Harry's brows knit together, even more so as Snape's look was mirrored by everyone else in the hall. Even Ron and Hermione looked shocked.
"What are you playing at?" Justin asked, sounding both scared and angry all at once.
"What?" He asked, confused, but didn't have a chance to ask anything else.
"This club is at an end." Snape's voice was barely above a whisper, but it was heard by every student, all of them used to the Potions Master speaking in such a tone. "You will all return to your dormitories at once." Nobody moved, all of them, including Lockhart and the aurors, all still staring at Harry. "Now!" The barked order did get results, the students also being used to that tone from Snape; the one that promised pain if they disobeyed. "Potter! Come with me." Harry had gone from confused to completely bewildered, but did as his professor instructed. Luckily, Snape led him to their training room, though he took the long way so as not to be followed, and Ron and Hermione were already there waiting for him.
"You're a Parselmouth?" Ron shouted the moment they entered the classroom. "Why didn't you tell us?"
"I'm a what?"
"You can talk to snakes." Hermione filled in the gap.
"Yeah…but so what? I bet loads of people here can do it."
"No, they can't. It's not a very common gift, Harry. This is bad." Hermione's worried expression, more than her words, was starting to make Harry worried.
"What's bad? If I hadn't told that snake not to attack Justin-"
"Oh that's what you said to it." Ron exclaimed.
"You were there! You heard me!" Harry was moving from worried to angry now.
"I heard you speaking Parseltongue. You know…snake language." His anger left him as quickly as it had come.
"I spoke a different language?" Ron and Hermione nodded. "But I didn't realize…how can I speak a language without knowing I can?"
"I don't know, Harry, but it sounded like you were egging the snake on or something." Hermione admitted. "Harry, listen to me. There's a reason the symbol of Slytherin house is a serpent. Salazar Slytherin was a Parselmouth. He could talk to snakes too."
"Exactly." Ron agreed. "Now the whole school's going to think you're his great-great-great grandson or something."
"But I'm not!" Was Harry's initial response, though his certainty faded quickly. "I…I can't be."
"He lived a thousand years ago." Said Hermione. "For all we know, you could be."
A/N - Sorry for the delay, I got a new job and haven't had time to do much of anything else. Hopefully it'll calm down soon and I can get back to writing!
Review please!
