Sorry it's been so long, midterms kinda took over my life. Anyway, I'm back for now, but I'm disappointed in the lack of reviews for the last chapter. Also, I'm nearing the end of the semester so I might end up buried beneath piles of homework. If you don't hear from me for a while, that's why. RM and I don't own Harry Potter. Read, enjoy, REVIEW! (please.)

Parselmouth

December 17th, 1992

Fourth Year

"Serpensortia!" Draco cried. Harry froze; a snake slithered lazily towards him. Their instructions had been to disarm only, what was he supposed to do with a snake? Before he had time to make up his mind Lockhart strutted past him.

With a flick of his wand, Lockhart sent the snake flying into the air and then crashing to the floor. With an angry hiss, the snake turned towards a young Hufflepuff near the table. The snake opened its mouth wide, ready to chomp down on Justin when all of a sudden there was a low hissing coming from the left of the serpent. The snake stopped and turned towards Harry who started hissing again. The snake blinked and Snape came up behind it, wand out.

"Vipera Evanesca."

Justin looked at Harry, who was feeling a bit proud of himself for having called off the snake before it attacked anyone. "What are you playing at?" Justin asked, terrified, before running from the hall. After that, Snape cancelled the duelling club. It was, all in all, an utter failure.

The girls followed Justin from the hall, trying to reason with him, "C'mon Justin! I'm sure he didn't mean any harm! Didn't you see his face when you yelled at him?"

"No! I was busy getting as far away from Potter as possible!" Justin responded, fear clouding his ability to see Jo's logic.

"He was confused. Didn't you see him when Malfoy set the snake on him? He didn't know what to do with it. Then that idiot of a teacher had to go and make it mad, if Lockhart had only let Snape handle it, but no, instead he flung it 30 feet in the air so he wouldn't look incompetent. Idiot." Leili tried to explain, only to get sidetracked by Lockhart's stupidity.

"If Harry was really such a bad kid don't you think that he would have sent the snake against someone he actually doesn't like? Like, Malfoy, the one who conjured it in the first place?"

"I… well-I-well-I-I-I don't know! All I know is that snake came towards me and Potter, Potter hissed at it and it looked at him like it was waiting for instructions!"

"Yes, it turned to look at him and it waited; it waited. If Harry was evil, don't you think he'd have just told the snake to attack? Not to await further instructions?" Justin spluttered before he walked speedily away from the girls, who were only trying to help.

Jo and Leili stopped, "Harry can talk to snakes. You know anything about that?" Jo asked.

"No, and judging by the look on his face when Justin yelled at him, he doesn't either."