A/N: Dueling Club kicks off. I'm sorry for the longer than usual wait between updates, and I hope y'all enjoy my latest offering.
Chapter 30 The Dueling Club
Harry woke the following morning to find Ron, Hermione, Mandy and Anthony all huddled around his bedside. His four guests conversed in hushed voices as Harry opened one eyelid, then the other. As he attempted to sit up, his friends' voices grew silent and four pairs of eyes swiveled in his direction.
"Harry," Hermione was first to speak. "How are you feeling?"
"Water," Harry grumbled, his throat raw and hoarse.
Mandy grabbed Harry's glass of water off his bedside table and muttered; "Aguamenti," filling the glass with fresh water. "Here you go, Harry," Mandy said, smiling as she offered him the glass.
"Thanks," Harry said, giving a tired smile before reaching for the glass and taking a long gulp. He briefly took note of how his arm was mostly better now, his bones having successfully been regrown gaining him back his strength at the cost of his inhuman flexibility.
His four friends watched him drink, and then when he was done, he set the glass back down on the bedside table and expelled a loud sigh. Madam Pomfrey bustled over and deposited a tray of porridge in his lap and shooed his friends away to give him some space. As he ate with his left, Madam Pomfrey cast a number of charms over his right arm. Whatever she saw evidently satisfied her for she said that Harry could leave as soon as he finished his breakfast. Madam Pomfrey refilled his glass of water and told Harry to be careful with his still-healing arm before bustling away to go check on her other patients.
Once she was gone, Harry turned his attention back to his porridge and commenced eating.
"How's the arm?" Ron asked, giving his friend a tired smile.
"Better than before, but still not at full-strength," Harry replied, before wolfing down another bite. "Where are Severus and Lily?"
Mandy's breath hitched and she exchanged a wary look with Hermione. The two girls shared a nod and turned back to face Harry. "She's—erm, she's not well at the moment. She's with Severus and Professor Dumbledore," Mandy replied, wearing a grim look.
"Harry…there's something you should know about Lily. Last night she had an incident with—"
"—If you're going to tell me about how she went into shock, I already know," said Harry, surprising all four of them.
"How'd you find out?" Anthony asked confusedly.
Harry's gaze drifted over to Colin's bed where the boy still rested on his back as stiff as a statue. His smoking camera rested on his bedside table, the film inside it having melted into a black, gooey mess that leaked out the side of it.
"When they brought Colin in—" Harry spluttered a few coughs, prompting Mandy to refill his water glass and offer it to him again. Harry greedily gulped down half a glass' worth, quenching his raw and parched throat, and then set it down again. "When they brought him in…I heard them talking about Lily and how she'd fainted, then been taken back to our summer quarters," said Harry. "Couldn't really sleep that well…so I was awake when Colin was carried in. Heard that the two of them were coming to visit me."
Hermione nodded. "Whatever it was that happened to Colin, Lily was only a corridor behind him, I think, and she was in great shock when Professor Dumbledore arrived at the scene," she supplied.
"Severus is with her now," Mandy added softly. When Harry looked over at her, he noticed that her chestnut hair that was usually straight, was now a mess of curls and frizz that made Hermione's wild mane seem positively tame by comparison.
"You had a rough night too, huh?" Harry asked Mandy.
Mandy nodded again. "You could say that. All of us hardly got any sleep with you in here, and then after hearing about what happened to Lily too…I don't think many of us will be getting much sleep tonight."
Ron, Hermione and Anthony echoed Mandy's sentiment with a series of nods.
Harry idly listened to his friends speak as he ate his meal, and when he was done, he put up the privacy curtain and changed into a fresh set of robes Ron had brought from their dormitory. Harry then thanked Madam Pomfrey for the clean bill of health and left the hospital wing with his friends. They all agreed to accompany Harry back to his quarters to go check on Lily. As they walked, Harry was greeted with a number of well-wishes and smiles from, surprisingly, members of all four houses—even a handful of Slytherins. When Harry arrived back at the entrance to his quarters, he cautioned his friends to wait outside for a moment and only come in if he said so. When they reached the door to Harry, Severus and Lily's summer quarters, Harry rounded on his friends.
"She might still be in a state of shock, so perhaps it's best if you wait out here and then I can come fetch you if it's okay," Harry said.
"All right Harry," said Ron, wearing a small smile.
"Please give her our best," said Hermione.
"And our love," added Mandy, smiling brightly.
"And that she gets well soon…if she doesn't want to see us," Anthony added.
Harry nodded at his four friends, then said; "Wish me luck," and pushed open the door.
As he entered the main living space of their holiday quarters, he was immediately confronted with a rather…unexpected sight. Lily, with Severus by her side, was sat on the couch holding a cup of tea in her shaking hands. Albus was a short distance away on the loveseat, also holding a cup of tea. Professor Snape, who Harry certainly didn't expect to see, was carrying over a pot to the sitting area when his eyes snapped to the door where Harry was stood. Harry resolutely met the Potions Professor's fierce gaze.
"Potter," he snapped. "What are you doing here."
"I was discharged from the Hospital Wing, sir," Harry said evenly. "Madam Pomfrey says my arm is all healed now, and I came back to see how Lily was doing." He rotated his right arm a bit to prove his point.
Snape eyed him shrewdly for a moment longer, before Albus said; "Come and join us, Harry."
Harry smiled at his guardian and nodded. As he came nearer, Lily's bleary eyes met his, but the look she gave him was cold, distant and distinctly fearful. Severus turned to glance at him too and gave a shrug of his shoulders.
"Hey Harry," Severus said quietly. He then lifted his hand to his mouth to cover a loud and unrestrained yawn, one that earned him a glare from Snape.
"How's the arm? Sorry I couldn't come to—"
"—It's fine, Severus," Harry assured his friend. "Really, my arm's all right. Madam Pomfrey gave me a clean bill of health. How's Lily?"
Lily's arms still shook as she lifted her cup of tea to her lips, taking small sips as her eyes stared listlessly at the dormant fireplace. Her usually-vibrant eyes seemed dead by comparison, and her already pale skin looked positively ghostly. Her movements seemed stiff, forced and a little bit jerky; reminding Harry a little of a marionette and an automaton rolled into one.
"Lily?"
She turned to look at him.
"Hmm?"
"How are you feeling?"
"Better."
She even sounded defeated, the usual midlands lilt of her words gone entirely. Her shoulders shuddered and she nearly dropped her cup, but Severus was quick to take it out of her hands.
"I'll be back in a moment," said Harry, before quickly rising off the sofa and walking to the exit. He cracked open the door ajar and spied his four friends' eager faces. "She's not feeling the most talkative at the moment…perhaps you guys had better come back later?"
"Just as well, I'm feeling rather hungry," said Ron, whose stomach gurgled in agreement.
"Give her our best, Harry," Mandy added, smiling sadly.
"We'll see you lot in a while," Anthony and Hermione chorused together.
The foursome turned around and headed off down the corridor as Harry watched them leave; a couple moments later, he headed back into the sitting area himself only to hear Snape speaking.
"Be sure to give her another calming draught before lunchtime," came Snape's voice.
"Rest assured Severus, we will follow your instructions," Albus replied.
Snape nodded curtly. "If that will be all…" Snape's eyes swept over their group, before he turned on his heel and made to leave the room.
Harry quickly ducked out of his way and sat back down on the sofa. After Snape left, Albus' head fell into his palms and he sighed.
"Severus, Harry, I'll be gone for a little while now. If you require any help, please floo call Minerva or ask for a house elf, I must contact and speak with Mister Creevey's parents."
Albus' old bones cricked with age as he got to his feet, he visibly winced as he stood up.
"Will he be all right, sir?" Severus asked.
Not many knew of Colin's predicament just yet, but Severus had clearly learned some when he found out about Lily's condition this morning.
"He will be in time," Albus said calmly. "When the Mandrakes reach full maturity, Professor Snape will be able to use them in a restorative draught."
"Why can't we use magic to age them more quickly?" Severus asked pointedly, his brows furrowed in thought.
"Because it would alter the properties of the mandrake and reduce the restorative draughts' effectiveness. Professor Snape believes that the draughts would be completely ineffective if we were to artificially age them," said Albus.
Severus nodded contritely. "Right. Hadn't thought of that."
Albus gave him a sympathetic look and patted his hand. "I'll be leaving now, children. Do give Minerva a call if you need anything."
Albus gave his charges one last look, before turning and heading for the door.
Once Albus was gone, Lily breathed a loud sigh and slumped into the cushions of the couch. Harry made to come closer but Severus' arm was around her shoulder in an instant, his dark eyes staring intently at Lily's listless verdant ones. Harry felt a twinge of surprise at the intensity of his gaze.
"I'm gonna go work on my History of Magic essay," Severus said pointedly, his gaze never leaving Lily.
"And knowing how you struggle…perhaps you'd better join me."
Lily nodded numbly and got to her feet, following Severus over to the kitchen table. Harry followed them and sat down opposite to Lily. Lily's eyes stared listlessly at the beaten wooden table, while Severus rummaged about in his backpack for a quill, some ink, parchment and his textbook. Severus then neatly laid out his writing materials, quill, ink-pot and parchment all in a neat row. To Harry's great surprise, Severus then lifted his heavy History of Magic textbook above his head, and then slammed it down onto the table. Wham! The entire table shook, the legs rattling as the heavy hardback book smashed onto the surface and threatened to knock Severus' other writing materials to the floor. Lily's previously dead and numb eyes now crackled with lightning and fire as her heated stare all but bored holes through Severus' skull.
"Are you out of your mind? What was that about?" Lily thundered. Her previously dead and numb eyes now crackled with lightning and fire as her heated stare all but bored holes through Severus' skull. "What the hell were you thinking?!"
"Well, it worked, didn't it?" Severus grinned cheekily, Harry almost laughed but didn't for fear of invoking Lily's eire.
"What worked?" Lily hissed, her emerald glare intensifying.
"You were staring into space like a vegetable," Severus said, his tone so plain it was as if he were reciting facts from the world's most boring encyclopedia. "Nothing I said or did seemed to snap you out of your trance, and now you're cured. Personally…I find you can be a bit scary when you get angry, Lily…but I'd much rather you be angry than to just…stare straight ahead as if you'd gone barmy."
Lily's pale complexion blotched red a little. "Well, that's…that's hardly an excuse," she spluttered. "And you'd better remember that I don't take to being startled well, Sev! Remember what happened with Tuney after my tenth birthday?"
"What happened?" Harry asked eagerly, leaning forward in apparent interest.
Lily glared at Harry stiffly to shut up; and Harry wondered if Lily's angry green eyes were at all reminiscent of he looked whenever he was miffed.
"Your precious aunt, Harry…once shocked Lily by accident on her tenth birthday, and Lily just so happened to be carrying her birthday cake from the fridge to the table at the time. Tuney's surprising appearance led Lily to—"
"—You will not tell him," Lily spluttered angrily, glaring at Severus, then at Harry.
Severus smirked at Harry, a silent signal Harry took to mean; I'll tell you the full story later, once Lily's calmed down some and she's out of earshot.
Unfortunately for the boys' sake, Lily seemed to pick up on that and her steely eyes narrowed some more. "You berk, Severus! You're going to tell Harry, aren't you?" she hissed.
Severus neither confirmed nor denied her accusation, merely giving a carefree shrug of his shoulders. That seemed to tick Lily off even more, but as she prepared to catapult a retort off her tongue, she pursed her lips shut and smirked at him. The slight upturn of her thin lips and the wickedly-green gleam in her eyes made Severus shudder and look away.
"Fine then, Sev, you can do that," Lily said lightly, her eyes still gleaming evilly. "But after you tell Harry…perhaps I'll tell a story about how my mum once caught you eating—"
"—You wouldn't dare!" Severus' expression was equal parts horror and scandalized, but Lily's cocky, little smirk told him and Harry that she was perfectly serious about following through on her apparent threat.
"I absolutely would," she crowed, her small smirk widening into a grin. "So, don't even think about telling Harry that."
Severus' glare intensified, but Harry could sense it was more of annoyance than any genuine malice or dislike. "Be right back," said Severus, who stood to his feet and quickly left the room.
The door slammed shut to Severus' quarters, leaving Harry and Lily in stunned silence.
"What was that about?" Lily asked aloud.
"Dunno," Harry shrugged, before picking at a loose thread of fabric on the sofa.
The door to Severus' room swung open about a minute later revealing Severus standing in the frame, holding what looked like a record case.
"I can't believe I didn't think of this earlier," he muttered. "But this'll get you out of your rut, Lily. Have a listen."
Taking care to hide the record from Lily's view, Severus came closer and went over to the record player, where he then placed the record down on the holder and dropped the needle.
"What is it, Sev?"
Severus' dark eyes glared Lily into silence, but his harsh features then softened as his face broke out into a smile. "Just listen."
Harry and Lily strained their ears to the nearest speaker as Severus sat down beside them. As the music began to play, Lily's look of confusion morphed to one of intrigue, then, at last, to abject glee. She turned to Severus wearing a broad grin, one devoid of cockiness or tease, but instead of gratitude.
With no Quidditch or brewing to worry about, Severus, Harry and Lily hung out together in their quarters for much of the morning. Albus returned a while later and gave Lily her calming draught. Albus looked uncharacteristically troubled, leading Severus, Harry and Lily to believe that his call with the Colin's parents hadn't gone over all that well. Still, Albus plastered on a brave smile and stopped to listen to listen to a bit of Led Zeppelin before carrying on to his office. By the time it was lunch, they decided it was time to rejoin the world of the living and exited their quarters and headed to the Great Hall. On the way, they came across Mandy, Hermione and Ron.
"Hey guys!" Mandy said exuberantly, her eyes lighting up as she spotted them.
Ron and Hermione's heads swiveled about and they smiled too as they spotted their friends approaching.
"How are you, Lily?" Hermione asked, her brows furrowed in concern.
"I'm doing okay, thanks for asking," Lily replied. "Sev 'n Harry really helped cheer me up, some."
"What happened last night?" Ron blurted out, unable to help himself.
The dark look that passed over Lily's face immediately made him regret his words. "I don't want to talk about it," she said quietly, which garnered nods of understanding from Hermione and Mandy, and a sheepish grimace from Ron.
"Where's Anthony been?" Severus asked.
"Oh, him? He's in the Great Hall with our Quidditch team," Mandy answered.
Severus shrugged and sighed. "Well, we'd better get going, I guess," he said.
The six friends all set off for the hall, agreeing to sit together at the Ravenclaw table this time around. As they approached the entrance, Harry was soon accosted by members of his Gryffindor Quidditch team.
"Harry, mate!" George bellowed, his arms stretched out wide for a big hug.
"How's the arm feelin'?" Fred asked, grinning broadly.
"It's feeling just fine guys," Harry replied, grinning back at the twins. "How about that win though, eh? We stuck it to those Slytherins real good."
"You were fantastic Harry, absolutely fantastic," Katie gushed, before sweeping him up in a big bear-hug.
Harry let out a startled protest but it was quickly muffled by Katie's robes as she pulled her 'younger brother' against her. Harry kept his arms ramrod straight by his sides like he was a soldier at attention, while Katie's continued praises over his incredible performance washed over him incessantly. While most hadn't seen it, Severus saw the beet-red blush on Harry's face as he was hugged tightly by Katie. Lily and Hermione saw it too, but unlike Severus, they didn't keep it to themselves as they exchanged a knowing smirk with one another. After Katie had her fill, Wood, Angelina and Alicia all congratulated Harry too, and the bright blush that'd risen on his cheeks receded quickly. Lily and Hermione couldn't help but smile at the sight though, but thankfully for Harry's sake, Ron, Mandy and the rest of his teammates hadn't seen it. The team wandered off to the Gryffindor table while Harry turned back towards his friends wearing a broad grin.
To no one's great surprise, the news of the attack on Colin spread quickly throughout the castle like runaway fiendfyre. Colin's petrification really hit Hogwarts' occupants hard, and most found that they missed the sight of his friendly smile and outgoing demeanor; and yes, even his annoying, shuttering camera was missed. In the days and weeks following the attack, Lily slowly came out of her shell, little by little, coaxed out by her friends until she was her normal self. one month on, she was pretty much her old self again, minus the small fact that she hardly ever wandered off by herself and usually stuck by her friends in groups. Even when going to the bathroom, she insisted that either Hermione or Mandy accompany her, both girls were happy to indulge her. Though Lily remained hesitant to be away from her friends, she was far from the only one acting a little…off. Neville spent nearly all of his monthly allowance on Talismans and Amulets that might protect him from the mythical 'Slytherin's Monster' that terrorized the halls, and Ginny was rather shaken up too, she'd been somewhat close with Colin and hearing of his attack rattled her greatly. Despite her fears, she kept to herself most days and grew distant from her friends.
Throughout the month of November, Harry, Severus and Lily kept up with their weekly visits to Hagrid's. Hagrid, of course, congratulated Harry on his first win of the year, and his first against Slytherin. Away from the hubbub of the castle, his hut near the forest proved to be a sanctuary of peace and quiet for Harry and his friends. Severus and Daphne visited Hagrid the most out of everyone, though it was mostly to check up on how their cats were faring living with the friendly groundskeeper. After one such visit, Severus, Harry and Lily left Hagrid's hut behind and headed back up to the castle. Severus had just learned that Daphne sent Diana back home and that she entrusted her parents with her care. Hagrid had a lot on his plate, supposedly, so Severus decided to do the same, to bring Merlin back to the castle. Cuddled in Severus' robe-clad arms was a ball of blue fur, Merlin sleeping soundly in spite of the cold and howling wind. From time-to-time, Lily glanced over at him and ran her fingers through Merlin's fur, while Harry looked on in amusement and shook his head.
"We're nearly back at the castle," Lily whispered, as the trio neared the courtyard.
"Can't wait to be out of this cold," Harry grumbled, tugging his coat around himself a little tighter.
"Me too," said Severus, who did the same. "And I'm sure Merlin feels the same way."
Merlin was still fast asleep, snoring without a care in the world as if the cold didn't bother him.
They entered the castle and stepped into the entrance hall, where Harry noticed Filch by the noticeboard putting up another poster. He pointed it out quietly to his friends. "Wonder what that's about?"
"Beats me," said Severus, who shrugged his shoulders slightly. "I'm gonna bring Merlin back to my dorm, meet you guys down here?"
"We'll come with you," Lily answered.
They all ignored the growing crowd around the noticeboard and wandered up the grand staircase towards Ravenclaw tower. Lily and Harry opted to wait at the base of the tower as Severus answered the knocker's riddle, and after giving the correct answer, he entered the common room. A number of his housemates gave him odd stares as Severus walked through the common room, though most of their curious gazes landed on the bundle of fur in his arms.
"You've brought your cat back?" Gareth asked warily.
"Yes, yes I did," Severus snapped. "And before you complain, I remember you're allergic to cats, just stay clear of him and he won't go near you."
Gareth's dark eyes narrowed annoyedly but he went back to his game of chess with Terry and Severus ignored his two roommates as he went upstairs to the dorm. He ascended the steps two at a time and pushed aside the door to his dorm. The loud noise caused the sleeping ball of fur cradled in his arms to wake with a start, meowing loudly as he lifted his head off his paws. Anthony craned his head towards the door and nodded at Severus.
"You brought Merlin back?" he asked confusedly.
"Hagrid's been busy," Severus answered.
He bent down and placed Merlin in his cat bed. Merlin meowed contentedly and curled up against his favorite pillow and went right back to sleep again.
"And I've missed the bugger too," Severus added, earning a small smile from Anthony.
"Hey, did you hear what Professor Lockhart had to say?"
Severus had been stroking Merlin's glossy-blue fur, but turned to face Anthony and shook his head. "I haven't, no. Why?"
Anthony's brown eyes brightened. "They're starting up a dueling club! I overheard him talking about it at breakfast," he said excitedly.
Severus rolled his eyes. "Hmm…then it wouldn't surprise me if that's the notice that Filch is putting up," he replied. "I'm heading back down there with Harry and Lily. Wanna come?"
Anthony hesitantly looked towards Michael, who was sitting at his desk and writing on some parchment paper. He shrugged and sighed. "I think I'm all right," he muttered, before turning back to his work.
"Sure. Let's go," said Anthony.
Severus waited while Anthony straightened out his bed and sheets before making his way from the room, his friend following him. When Severus and Anthony rejoined Harry and Lily outside Ravenclaw tower, they were quite surprised by Anthony's willing presence. After all, the distance Anthony had put between himself and the rest of the group since Halloween had been a near constant source of confusion for them.
"C'mon, let's go," said Severus, and they all started down the stairs to the Entrance Hall.
Sure enough, when they arrived a large crowd had gathered around the notice board. The news had travelled as fast as ever and Lockhart's dueling club drew quite a crowd. Harry spotted Ron and Hermione, soon after, amidst the crowd, and urged the group over.
Hermione saw them moments later and beckoned them with a broad grin. "Have you heard the news? They're starting a dueling club!"
"We've heard, Hermione, we've heard," said Lily, rolling her eyes. "D'you know who it is?"
"No," Hermione answered, shrugging.
Anthony opened his mouth and then shut it, but didn't say a word. Seemingly, only he knew that Lockhart would be the one supervising the club.
"I say we sign up," Harry said determinedly.
With nods of approval from the rest of the group, they all went to sign their names on the sign-up form, only to see that Mandy Brocklehurst and Tracey Davis had already signed the form near the top. Severus and Lily looked for Daphne's signature, but couldn't find it, and quickly scrawled their signatures down.
"Now that that's settled, we'll meet up outside here at eight," said Lily.
"Sure."
Hermione and Lily wandered off towards the Library; both chattering and speculating as to what dwelling club would be like. Meanwhile Severus, Harry, Ron and Anthony decided that a bit of fresh air was in order, and headed out into the courtyard.
At eight o'clock precisely, the group reconvened just outside the Great Hall before entering together. The Great Hall had been transformed from its usual decor. The four house tables were gone, and in their place, a golden stage was erected along the far wall. Above it, thousands of candles twinkled brightly in the night sky, but the attention of the gathered students was firmly fixed on the person who stood atop the golden stage. Professor Lockhart was grinning broadly, and though much of Harry's friends groaned at his presence, many other students released sighs and gasps of awe when they saw him. Lockhart wasn't on his own for long, though, for another man joined him on the stage a few moments later. It was Snape. Dressed in his usual black, he provided quite the contrast to Lockhart's sparkling, plum robes. Lockhart prattled on with his introduction, listing his numerous accomplishments that lent credence to his ability as a duelist, which enamored the majority of the students who'd gathered before him. Snape hardly said a word, though it was plain as day for everyone to see that he was seething inside. The more Lockhart rambled on, Snape's temper grew, until the point where his jaw was clenched and his stare scorched holes through Lockhart's head. Not that Lockhart seemed to notice or anything.
"Now," Lockhart flounced. "For a demonstration with my esteemed assistant, Professor Snape! Who, I shall be sure to leave unharmed for all those concerned about our dear professor's well-being!"
Snape's lip was bit back in a curl, his younger self watched on in eager anticipation for the dismantling he was certain would occur.
"Oh, my…this is gonna be fun," Ron whispered.
Severus grinned in agreement and the two boys shared a chuckle before turning their attention back to the stage. Harry, Severus, Lily, their friends, and their fellow students all watched on with bated breath as the two Professors walked to opposite ends of the golden stage. Snape stalked imperiously to his end, while Lockhart flounced to his, and when they reached the ends, they turned to face one another in a flourish. Lockhart bowed, and Snape inclined his head a few degrees, and then they drew their wands.
"Merlin…Snape's gonna murder him," Harry whispered. True to his observation, Snape's face was contorted in disdain as he stared down his opponent.
"I think you're right, Harry," Anthony agreed, wearing a slight frown. "Well, Snape's gonna try to at least…Lockhart's a pretty good duelist from what I've read about—"
"—Expelliarmus!" A jet of red light shot out of Snape's wand and barreled towards Lockhart, striking him in the chest.
Lockhart was blasted off his feet, hitting the wall behind him and then sliding down to the floor, slumped. The hall went silent as Snape smirked, stowed his wand, and walked off the stage. He hadn't made it halfway off the stage when Lockhart was on his feet again, smiling, and dusting off his dirty robes.
"An excellent choice, Professor Snape!" Lockhart commended. "Showing them the disarming charm was very wise indeed. Truly an excellent idea to show them that, Professor, but if you don't mind me saying so, it was pretty obvious what you were about to do. If I had wanted to stop you, it would've only been too easy—however, I felt it instructive to let the students see…"
Snape's murderous expression brought Lockhart to a halt, who sighed, and then turned to the crowd with a broad smile.
"Well, then…let's get the show on the road, shall we?"
Lockhart and Snape started pairing up random students. The students were paired with their partners swiftly, and Harry, as luck would have it, was assigned to face Malfoy by Snape. Lily was paired up with Fay Dunbar, Hermione with Tracey, Ron with Seamus, Anthony with Crabbe, and Mandy with Lavender Brown. Harry faced Malfoy, who smirked devilishly at him.
"Face your partners," Lockhart shouted from the platform. "And bow!"
Harry and Malfoy hardly did more than a head-tilt, their contemptuous gazes not leaving each other for even a second.
"Wands at the ready!" Lockhart bellowed. "When I count to three, cast your charms to disarm your opponents—only to disarm them—we don't want any accidents…one—two—"
Without waiting for Lockhart, Malfoy belted out a spell and a jet of silver light shot out of the end of his wand. Harry's eyes widened as the spell hit him and he was knocked flat on his back. Malfoy cackled with laughter, which gave Harry the time to get up, and an idea, too.
"Rictusempra!" Harry bellowed, firing back his own hex that struck Malfoy in the stomach.
All of a sudden, he was bent over in laughter, ugly laughter. Hack wheezes causing Malfoy to double over as the eyes of the Great Hall turned to him, the source of the laughter.
"I said disarm only!" Lockhart shouted.
Harry was tempted to hex Malfoy again, but felt it was unsporting to attack an opponent still suffering from the effects of his first hex. It ended up being a mistake, since Malfoy managed to angle his wand at Harry, and choke out; "Tarantallegra!" and Harry's legs jerked around out of control in some weird, fast dance.
"Finite Incantatem," Snape drawled, and Harry's feet stopped dancing, Malfoy stopped laughing.
They looked up and only then did they see the chaos that'd unfolded around them. Across the Great Hall, incident after incident unfolded before the pair of boys, and for once, Harry and Malfoy truly were in agreement. Everything was a bit of a mess.
"Merlin's beard…my father can't wait to hear about this," Malfoy whispered to himself, but not quiet enough to prevent Harry hearing it.
"My guardian's gonna hear about this too," said Harry, speaking to Malfoy jokingly for the first time.
Malfoy snorted. "No kidding. Seriously, between my dad and your—erm, Dumbledore—we could have this clown fired in no time."
Harry snorted and nearly laughed, but didn't. He wouldn't give Malfoy that to lord over him.
"I saw that," Malfoy drawled.
"Saw what?" Harry echoed.
"You nearly laughed, Potter, don't deny—"
"—Yowee!"
Ron threw his smoldering wand high into the air, the end of it broken as Seamus' out of control spell struck him. The right sleeve of Ron's robes caught fire but Snape was nearby and put it out swiftly. Seamus gaped in shock as Ron's broken wand clattered to the ground, Seamus' inadvertently-incendiary spell having shattered the end of Ron's well-worn wand.
Lockhart gazed out at the madness around him with wide eyes and shook his head. Before he could react, Snape thrusted Ron's broken wand into the owner's hands and raised his wand into the air, bellowing; "Finite Incantatem."
All of a sudden, every spell that'd been active was cancelled, though the effort of cancelling over a dozen spells at once took its toll on Snape, who breathed heavily in the aftermath.
"I think I'd better teach you how to block unfriendly spells," said Lockhart. "Let's have a volunteer pair—Longbottom and Finch-Fletchley, how about—"
"—A bad idea, Professor Lockhart," said Snape, gliding over like a malevolent bat. "Longbottom causes devastation with even the simplest of spells…we'll be sending what's left of Finch-Fletchley up to the Hospital Wing in a matchbox." Neville's round face went slightly pink at the Professor's words. "How about Malfoy and Potter?"
"Excellent idea," said Lockhart. He smiled broad while gesturing Harry and Malfoy into the middle of the hall as the crowd backed away to give them space.
Harry brushed shoulders with Lily, who whispered; "Kick his arse, Harry. Show no quarter." And then Ron, who said; "That idiot Seamus broke my wand, kick his arse after you're through with Malfoy."
Harry and Malfoy stood facing one another, as Lockhart and Snape strode towards them respectively.
"Now, Harry," said Lockhart, "When Draco points his wand at you, you do this."
Lockhart raised his wand and attempted a sort of wiggling action, and proceeded to drop it. Snape smirked as Lockhart picked it up and said; "Whoops—my wand is a little overexcited it seems."
Harry eyed Snape as he went over to Malfoy and whispered something in his ear. Whatever it was caused Malfoy to grin and nod, and a sense of unease quickly washed over Harry. Whatever limited camaraderie the boys had built earlier was gone and Malfoy was back to being, well, Malfoy. "Professor, can you show me that blocking charm again?" Harry asked Lockhart nervously.
Lockhart cuffed Harry merrily on the shoulder. "Just do what I did, Harry!"
"What, drop my wand?" Harry scowled, but Lockhart wasn't listening.
"Three—two—one, go!" he shouted.
Malfoy raised his wand quickly and bellowed; "Serpensortia!"
Harry watched in horror, as a long, black snake shot out of Malfoy's wand and landed heavily on the floor between them. The snake raised its head and snapped its fangs, causing Harry to take a step backwards. His accusing green eyes shot to Snape, but before he could say anything, Snape stepped forward.
"Don't move, Potter. I'll get rid of it for you—"
"—Allow me, Professor Snape," Lockhart brandished his wand and chanted an unknown curse. But instead of vanishing the snake, Lockhart blasted it high into the air and it landed heavily once again on the floor, though now, it looked positively murderous. Hissing furiously, the snake slithered straight towards Justin Finch-Fletchley and reared up with its fangs bared, ready to strike the terrified Hufflepuff boy.
Without conscious though, Harry's feet carried him forward and he strode right towards the snake. "Harry, no!" he heard Lily cry, but he ignored her and bellowed; "leave him alone!"
The snake reared back, turned to Harry, and lowered its head. It laid down in a peaceful heap, as docile as if it were a garden hose and not a killing machine with instincts honed from millions of years of evolution. The snake's dark eyes were fixed on Harry, and though it was non-threatening, Harry remained on edge. That was until he heard a serpentine voice echo in his head; "Okay," and whatever fear he might've felt was gone in a second.
Grinning widely, Harry turned towards Justin and expected to see gratitude or relief on the boy's face—but certainly not anger or fear.
"What do you think you're playing at?" he shouted, and before Harry could say anything, Justin had turned and stormed out of the hall.
Snape stepped forward, raised his wand, and vanished the snake in a small puff of black smoke. He gazed at Harry calculatingly, coldly, and then to Harry's shock, stalked right towards him.
"Potter, come here, now," Snape snapped, and Harry started walking towards the Professor sullenly.
He glimpsed his friends to the side of the hall watching on. Severus in disbelief, Lily and shock, Hermione and Ron in utter confusion. Mandy briefly met his gaze and shook her head quickly. As for Anthony, well, he didn't even meet his eyes, he found the cobbled-stone floor far more interesting to look at. His friends watched on in shock, but as Snape shepherded a shocked Harry out of the hall, Hermione stepped out of the crowd and shouted; "Harry wait!" The doors slammed shut and his friends were sealed away.
"Come," Snape muttered quietly.
"Where are you taking me?" Harry asked resignedly.
Snape raised a brow but said nothing at first, only pulling Harry along by the robe-sleeve towards the nearest set of stairs. "You'll find out soon enough," he snapped. "Now, enough questions and shut your trap."
Harry was tempted to snap back at Snape, but the dark look he received from him convinced Harry to wisely seal his lips shut. Snape's temper was fraying, and whenever that happened, Harry knew trouble would be soon to follow. He followed Snape away from the Great Hall, but the farther he went, the more his worries began to abate for he soon recognized the path he was taking. He was heading to the Headmaster's office, where, hopefully, he'd have a chance to talk to Albus before the whole thing got blown out of proportion. When he finally arrived at the Gargoyle with Snape, Snape barked out; "candy canes," and the stone sentry sprang aside for Harry to enter the office. Snape gestured him forward and Harry hastened to obey, not wanting to give the professor any further reason to be mad at him. When he reached the top of the spiral staircase the door to Albus' office swung open and he was beckoned in. He was invited to sit, and at Snape's immediate prompting, began to recount the incident as he remembered to Albus. All the while, Albus sat back in his chair, stroking his long beard as his twinkling eyes adopted a lost sparkle. When Harry was finished sharing his tale, he waited with bated breath until Albus finally spoke.
"So, what you are, Harry, is a parselmouth," Albus explained calmly.
Harry slumped into his seat and took another sip of his tea. He knew his guardian well enough to know that the tea been infused with a weak calming draught, and he greatly appreciated it if he were being honest.
"A parselmouth," Harry repeated. "So…that's why I've always been able to talk to snakes."
"Have you used this…ability before?" Albus inquired gently.
Harry nodded. "Only once before…but I didn't even remember talking to that snake…or this one in another language," he bemoaned. "It was as if I were speaking English…talking like normal, I don't even know what happened."
"That can sometimes happen…when a Parselmouth's abilities lie dormant for some time, they can forget that they possess that inherent ability," Albus reasoned, stroking his long, white beard.
"So, can other people do it? You said it's a language, right? Can other people learn to speak—"
"—No," Snape said flatly. "You can learn other human languages, sure. But if I were to ask you to learn how to speak Dog or Turtle, would you be able to, Potter?"
Harry shook his head.
Snape didn't answer him. He didn't need to.
"Severus, could you please fetch Mister Snape and Miss Evans?"
Snape, still mad, inclined his head a fraction and strode out of the room with nary a backwards glance.
A short while later, Snape returned with his younger self and Lily in tow. No sooner had the door to Albus' office opened when Lily rushed across the room towards Harry and hugged him. Harry stiffened up like a board and Lily had the sense to release him quickly and take a few, hesitant steps back from him.
"Harry," she whispered, no longer hugging him and now at an arm's length. Her features were a portrait of concern, but not pity, Harry was relieved to see. "What happened?"
Harry explained his talk with Albus, and while Lily nodded and occasionally chimed in with her two cents, Severus sat off to the side quietly, going over every word Harry said in his head.
"So, what now?" he asked, speaking for the first time since entering the room.
"I don't know," Harry answered. "Half the castle probably knows I'm a parselmouth by now…so with that out in the open, does it really matter?"
"Of course it does," Severus snapped, drawing an irritable stare from Harry. "How you use this…ability, means everything. Are you going to flaunt it? Or, are you going to be subtle and never bring it up again?"
"What on earth do you mean?" Harry asked shrewdly.
"Stop being a nuisance and help," Lily muttered. "What Severus means is that…depending on how you show this side of, well, yourself, will affect how people see you. And to be completely honest with you, Harry, people are scared. Even I'm scared."
"I would never hurt you, Lily! Or you, Severus!" Harry declared vehemently, his eyes wide with shock.
"I know that," Lily replied softly. "But I'm worried for you. People haven't taken what happened all that well, and Finch-Fletchley certainly hasn't."
"I was just trying to help," Harry replied morosely. "All I said was to leave him alone, to the snake. And I'll be damned when the snake turned around, curled up, and said 'okay.' I was completely stunned."
"Do you not know what you actually said in that moment?" Severus asked.
Harry met Severus' dark stare firmly and shook his head. "I did not," he answered.
"Truthfully, Harry. It's a very rare ability for one to have," Albus said, causing three sets of eyes swiveled his way. "But it isn't an inherently bad or good ability. It's a gift that certain wizards and witches can harness…and that others can't."
"But what can I do about it?" Harry asked, gazing at Albus with a wild, desperate look in his green eyes.
Albus stared right back at him and inclined his head forward a fraction. "The answer to that, my child, lies with you, and you alone."
All of a sudden, the weight of his predicament made itself known on Harry's shoulders, but the presence of his friends on either side of him reminded Harry that he wasn't alone. And that together, he, Severus and Lily could solve anything. He gave them both grateful smiles, and was relieved to see both return them resolutely.
"You aren't alone, Harry. You've got us," Lily said resolutely.
Harry nodded and then turned in his seat to face Severus, who smirked. "Yeah. What she said."
Despite himself, Harry grinned, and Severus couldn't help but smile back. Their smiles earned them Lily's signature chortle and a loud sigh from their resident Potion's Professor.
A/N2: I hope that interaction between Harry and Draco came as somewhat of a pleasant surprise. I'm not a huge fan of Draco at all, at least his canon self, that is, but I've got plans for him in this fic that'll see him become someone quite different to his canon self. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and thanks for reading!