Everyone crowded around the small dueling stage. Leaning their elbows on it, standing on their tippy toes to see what was in front of them, sighing and turning to their friends, muttering on random things, like school and life.
"Alright alright. Gather round!"
Everybody shushed and closed tighter on around the narrow arena, as Professor Lockhart strolled up the dueling ground. "Can everybody see me?" He asked. "Can everybody… hear me?" He asked with a smolder. Lucy and Natsu looked at each other, still a bit creeped out by this teacher. "Excellent." Lockhart whispered, giving a small wink at Erza. She suddenly got shivers, like when meeting a… perverted acquaintance of hers back in Earthland.
"Are you alright Erza?" Wendy asked, looking up at her senior. "Yeah, you look a bit pale…" Levy muttered, biting her lip. "Oh I'm sure she's fine. She's Erza after all." Mira smiled, while Erza was stuttering a bit uncontrollably.
"Now! In light, of the dark events for the past few weeks, Professor Dumbledore has given permission for me to start this little dueling club. To train you all up, in case you all need… To defend yourselves."
"Well at least he did something good…" Gajeel and Levy thought, sweat dropping a bit.
"As I did, many a time. For more information, read my published works." He said with flair, ripping his side cape off and throwing to the side. A girl caught it as she gasped, stroking it a bit. Most of the girls were becoming smitten, while the other students were still trying to figure out how he was this disgustingly popular. "Let me introduce my assistant." Lockhart said heroically, putting his dueling glove on and placed his hands on his hips. "Professor Snape."
As Lockhart gestured to the end of the dueling area, everyone turned their heads and leaned over as Snape rose from the crowd and onto the dueling arena. Almost as if he floated up. "Man, it's almost like he's a slimy snake of some sort." Natsu muttered to Lucy and Gajeel, everyone's heads following as he marched. "Well, it's a good thing he's with us then." Lucy whispered back.
"He has sportingly agreed to help me with this demonstration, now children do not worry! You will still have your potions instructor afterwards." Lockhart chuckled, looking at Snape. Who was not amused. Lockhart gave an awkward cough and took out his wand, holding it firmly in his right hand, marching towards Snape.
The two stopped in front of each other, staring each other in the eye. They both brought their wands up to their faces, and swished it down, their arms forty five degrees away from their sides. Suddenly, they tucked their arms in tight and gave a slight bow. They swiftly turned their backs on each other, and walked away.
Natsu turned his head back and forth between the two teachers, Lucy resting her elbows in her hands, Gajeel's hands on his hips and growling a slight hum as he watched. "Well this oughta be interesting?" Natsu smirked, leaning his elbows on the raised platform. Lucy and Gajeel nodded in agreement. They were so invested in fact, that they didn't even notice the Hermione. Staring at Lucy intensely. Before giving a huff and looking away.
The two teachers reached the end of the platform, and swiveled around, taking a stance.
"One."
Everyone looked at Lockhart.
"Two."
Everyone looked at Snape.
"Three!"
"Expelliarmus!" Snape chanted, before a pure white force flowed from his wand, pushing Lockhart down for the count. "Wooooooaaaaaaah!" He screamed as he flew back, skidding his back. "Woah!" Natsu exclaimed, stepping back a bit. Lucy's jar dropped, Gajeel cracking up with laughter like the rest of the students. "You think he's alright?" Hermione asked, leaning over. "Who cares?" Ron scoffed.
Lockhart popped himself back up and looked at his laughing students. "Right…" He pantend, dusting himself off. He even caught Erza and Mira giggling a bit, Levy and Wendy putting their hand over their mouths with shock. He bit his lip and nodded and turned back to face Snape.
"Excellent idea to show them that Professor Snape, but if you don't mind me saying, it was pretty obvious what you were going to do. And if I had to stop you, it would only be too easy." Lockhart scoffed as he walked towards Snape. Clearly making excuses to make him look superior than what he actually was. "Perhaps it would have been prudent, to first teach the students to block unfriendly spells. Professor." Snape gritted, Lockhart suddenly averting his eyes. Natsu raised his eyebrow, looking in between the two teachers. There was silence between the two, before Lockhart forced a smile.
"An EXCELLENT idea Professor Snape! Let's have a volunteer duo." Lockhart exclaimed, as he turned around and examined the Second Years. "Let's see, let's see, let's see… Ah! Mister Dragneel and Mister Redfox. How about you two?" Lockhart suggested, swinging his arm towards Natsu and Gajeel. "Huh? What?" Natsu asked, pointing at himself, looking at Gajeel. "Yes you! Come on up!" Lockhart invited.
The two faced each other, copying the movements of the teachers before them. They reached the points where their teachers stopped and made a stances with wands in hands. "Now be careful! We don't want any accidents. Three! Two! One!"
"Expelliarmus!" Gajeel chanted, swinging his wand at Natsu. Natsu blocked it by crossing his arms, the spell pushing his feet back. Natsu tsked and swung his wand at his opponent. "Densaugeo!" He yelled, pointing his wand at Gajeel. Gajeel suddenly felt pain in his gums, his teeth feeling like they were growing.
Gajeel looked around the room, everyone's jaws dropped. Levy's eyes and face went black, like the rest of her Fairy Tail peers. "Wha'? Wha' ish i'? Oi! Wha'sh wro' with my spee'?!" Gajeel demanded, pointing at himself. "Pffft….Pfffff! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! AAAHHHH HAHAHAHAHA!" Natsu burst out laughing, double bending on the floor, banging his fist. "Wha' di' yo' do?!" Gajeel demanded. Natsu pointed at Gajeel's face, tears flowing from his eyes. "What the hell is up with your face?! It's hilarious!" Natsu laughed. "Wha'?!" Gajeel demanded.
Lucy slowly held up a mirror, showing what Natsu did. And when Gajeel noticed, he was furious. Natsu made his teeth like horse teeth! Gajeel was growing more and more angry. Everyone in the room could sense it.
"Oh that is it!" Gajeel yelled, jumping on Natsu turning the friendly magical duel into a physical fight. "Oi! What is your deal?!" Natsu gritted, rolling around in a dust cloud with Gajeel. "Hey! Don't fight here!" Lucy yelled at them, slamming her hands on the platform. "That's it!" Gajeel gritted. The two of them stood up, wiping their bruises on their face. Gajeel flicked his wand, his face red with anger.
"Locomotor Mortis!"
"Gah!" Natsu's legs locked together, falling flat on his face, Gajeel laughing at his misfortune.
"Levicorpus!"
"Woah!" Gajeel felt his feet slip underneath him, and the next thing he knew, he was hanging upside down, Natsu laughing at him.
"Rictusempra!"
"Tarantallegra!"
"Langlock!"
Everyone looked on, gobsmacked of what had just happened. Lights from the wands were glowing and zooming left and right, the two boys making each other do stupid stuff for each other's amusement. "Uh, shouldn't we do something about this?" Wendy asked Erza, who was shaking in anger. "Erza…?" Levy asked. "Uh, we might wanna step back…." Mira advised.
"Furnunculus!"
"Ah! What the hell?!" Natsu demanded, feeling painful bumps on his face. Lucy groaned and facepalmed, slowly sinking deeper into the crowd.
"Oh now you've done it! Aguament-"
"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!"
Suddenly Gajeel and Natsu stood up straight, their bodies grey and frozen. They both leaned back, their backs slamming the floor. Erza marched up the stairs and dragged off the two by the collars. "YOU TWO ARE AN EMBARRASSMENT TO HOGWARTS! WHEN I'M THROUGH WITH YOU I'M GONNA-!"
Everyone watched as Erza drag off a paralyzed Gajeel and Natsu, her yelling echoing down the hallway. "...What just happened?" Harry asked. Everyone stayed silent, just trying to digest what had happened. "Why do they always do this?" Lucy thought with a groan, burying her face in shame.
A few seconds passed until Natsu and Gajeel entered the room again, covered in bandages and band aids, grumbling at each other. "Guess the Ferula spell did you good." Lucy sighed, before whacking them across the head.
"Uh…. alright then….Potter and Weasley, how 'bout you next?" Lockhart suggested. The boys nodded and proceeded to make their way up. "Mister Weasley's wand causes damage with the most simple of spells. He will be sending Mister Potter to the infirmary in a match box." Snape said with a grit and slither in tone. Ron stood where he was and looked down, a bit red. "Might I suggest someone from my house?" Lockhart looked at Snape, who gave a stiff shrug. "Malfoy, perhaps?" Snape suggested.
He sharply turned around and gave a forced point at Malfoy and thumb at Potter and Lockhart. Telling him to come on up. Lockhart turned around and looked at Harry. Malfoy lifted himself up and walked towards Harry with a sly smirk on his face. Lockhart made his way behind Harry, wishing him luck.
The two stopped in the center of the arena. Everyone watched intently, as these two had a… rocky, relationship. The two stared at each other with hate, and uneasiness. "Wands at the ready!" Lockhart called out. They flicked their wands up to their face, Malfoy smirking. "Scared Potter?" He asked. "You wish." Harry replied, the Gryffindors smiling and nodding at Harry's response.
They flicked their wands down, but had no respect for each other to even bow at each other. They turned around and made their way to the spot where the other duelists stood and turned around to face each other, taking a stance. "On the count of three, use your charms ONLY to disable your opponent. We don't want any accidents here, or another episode of what happened now do we?" Lockhart muttered, looking at the injured, embarrassed students.
"One…" The boys looked at each other, not even daring to blink. "Two…"
"Everte Statum!" Draco flicked his wand at Harry, causing him to fly back, back flipping a few times before landing on his side. "Harry!" Natsu and Ron yelled together. The Slytherin kids laughed as Harry, Snape having a slight smirk on his face. As Harry got up, he twisted his face in annoyance and anger, Draco's smile disappearing.
"Rictusempra!"
The light from Harry's wand hit Draco so hard that he flung into the air and spun like a mad spinning wheel, and landed butt first in front of Snape. Everyone laughed as Draco looked up, ashamed in front of his house teacher. Snape gritted as he grabbed Draco by the collar and pulled him up, pushing him back into position.
"I said disarm only!" Lockhart yelled, stepping forward a bit. "Serpensortia!" Draco chanted, a snake appearing at the end of his wand, landing in the center of the platform. "Get back!" Natsu said out of shock and habit, holding his arm in front of Lucy. The snake slid towards Harry, hissing and snapping at the students on the edge of the platform.
Draco panted as he watched. "Is that…" Levy gasped. "A snake?" Wendy muttered, hands to her mouth. "Don't worry Potter. I'll get rid of it for you." Snape sighed, stepping in front of Draco and towards the snake. "Allow me Professor Snape." Snape stopped as Lockhart stepped forward. "Volarte Acendali!" Lockhart chanted, a zap emitting from his wand. The snake flew up, everyone watching the snake fly up, and then back down with a thud.
The snake coiled up, hissing at the students fangs exposed. Susan and Ernie gasped, stepping back. Harry suddenly stepped forward, almost as if zoned out.
"Aaaaasssssahhhhhhh….." Harry whispered. The snake looked at Harry, then turned his attention to Zach, Ernie, and Susan, who all stiffly stepped back, not even daring to breathe.
"Asssshhhhiiiii assssooooo sssssiiiaaaahhhh shhhhhiiiiiiaaaaalllll..."
Snape stood there, not believing his eyes or his ears.
"Saaayyyya siiiiettthhh…"
Harry edged closer to the snake, who still had its eyes on the three Huffles. It swayed from side to side, before exposing its fangs to them. Harry softly gasped and slithered more words.
"Saaahhh sitttthhh…."
The snake turned its attention to Harry, who stared at it intensely, the snake closing its mouth, looking at Harry. Suddenly, a zap came from Snape's wand, the snake disappearing in ash.
Everyone sighed with relief, before turning mean eyes to Harry. He looked around, wondering why the looks from everyone. "Why is everyone looking at him weird?" Gajeel asked Lucy and Natsu. "No way…. Pastel Tongue?!" Levy gasped. "What's that?" Mira asked, looking at Levy. "The language of snakes. But… only…. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Mentioned and Salazar Slytherin used Pastel Tongue!" She whispered. "What did you say?!" Erza exclaimed.
"What are you playing at?!" Ernie demanded, Harry still confused what was happening. Everyone gave him looks of disapproval and confusement. Snape and Lockhart especially.
"What the hell is going on…?" Natsu gritted.