Previously…
Brethany sipped her drink again, delighting in showing her fangs to watching students. "Just wait, Professor Snape; I do believe you'll be surprised by Mr. Potter's performance tomorrow evening." At the others' enquiring glances, she explained, "Harry gets his shields tested tomorrow. It will be his first time going against a natural Occlumens." There were several murmurs of dread, mostly involving the likelihood of either Snape or Harry being hexed to death.
And Now…
"Harold James Potter, get your arse out here this instance!" Brethany yelled in annoyance, her arms crossed across her chest. She was standing outside of the Room of Requirement, tired of waiting for the boy to come out. The Occlumency test would take place in less than an hour, and she had not seen the teenage boy that day at all. "Harry, Snape will be testing you in forty-five minutes! Now is not the time to hide away and panic! You are not to-" she was interrupted when the door swung open, revealing two rather rumpled and flushed teenagers. "Luna. I really might have known." The young woman rolled her eyes. "I hope you have enough time to clear your mind, Harry, or Professor Snape will have some very good material to taunt you about." The teenage boy flushed, but lifted his chin stubbornly.
"Don't," Brethany cut off whatever Harry had been about to say. "I just hope that my confidence in your abilities is not completely misplaced…I stand to lose ten galleons if you're too distracted to concentrate." The teenager in question stared at her. Brethany rolled her eyes. "I bragged about your abilities to the entire staff last night. The house odds are five to three in Snape's favor that you bollix the whole thing up."
"I've heard that the staff betting pool is very large sometimes," Luna spoke up, ignoring the incredulous look on her boyfriend's face.
"Mm," their teacher nodded. "I've been told that the largest betting pot in Hogwarts' history was on the likelihood of Hufflepuff and Slytherin tying for the house cup in '37. It supposedly involved over 2000 galleons. I'm not quite certain, but I think Professor McGonagall was pulling my leg about the amount." She leveled a glare at the two teenagers. "Regardless of past betting pools, however, this test is more important than that." Harry raised an eyebrow, waiting for the catch line. "Harry, my reputation as a teacher and Occlumens is at stake here, not to mention my ten galleons. If you don't knock Snape out of your head some way, not only will I have lost the bet to him, but he will be justified in thinking that you cannot listen and follow directions." Harry straightened, a gleam entering his eyes. "He's been insisting that you have no talent for either Occlumency or Legilimency, and he's constantly degrading your work in Potions. He believes you to be a good-for-nothing laze-about who is presented with whatever you want on a silver platter, and have no need or desire to work. He thinks you-"
"I think that's enough, Brethany," Harry cut in wryly. "I'm well aware of the fact that Snape hates me."
"Oh, he doesn't hate you, Harry," the young woman continued blithely, an odd tone in her voice. "He despises you." She watched his back stiffen further. "In his words, hate denotes some level of respect to the recipient; it requires some effort to hate someone. To despise someone, however, takes very little effort at all, and is easily maintained." Brethany regarded the young man rather sadly. "Oh, well. I hope you spent at least some of today practicing, but it probably won't have helped. Oh, well…" Harry let out a growl, then stomped down the corridor toward the dungeons. Brethany restrained herself until he was out of earshot, then melted into giggles.
"Do you think it worked?" she asked Luna. The teenage girl smiled mysteriously.
"I think that Professor Snape will be in for a bit of a surprise," Luna murmured. The two chatted idly about classes and Harry for a few minutes, then, "You'd best catch up with him."
"Hm. So I'd better. I promised Madam Pomfrey I would take their wands away before the test." She grinned. "I'll follow slowly, though, so he can have a little time to either cool off or work himself into a good rage. Either way, it'll only make him set his mind on succeeding." Brethany missed the knowing glance the Ravenclaw sent after her.
Several minutes later, Brethany was standing outside Snape's classroom, listening idly to the cursing and swearing sounding from within. Maybe I should go in and break it up, she thought idly. Both voices shouted at the same time, and something exploded. Then again, I could just stay out here and enjoy the show in safety. The room quieted for a moment, then erupted into noise once again. Snape's voice growled deeply, although Brethany was unable to make out the words, and Harry's tenor voice yelled back, interspersed with barely understandable swear words. Hm. Well, they seem to be getting on well together, she chuckled to herself. "So long as they don't kill each other, they should have a great relationship," she continued aloud in a thoughtful voice, then rolled her eyes. "Really, Albus, must you continually try to sneak up on me?"
The Headmaster's form shimmered into view, a bemused smile on his face. "I am simply attempting to keep you on your toes, my dear. It would hardly do for our Defense teacher to be unaware of her surroundings."
"That, and you hope to trick me into telling you how I see through your invisibility charms," Brethany added with a grin.
"I am rather curious, yes."
"It would hardly do for the Headmaster of a school to know everything, Albus," the young woman parroted back gleefully. "You should make sure your students know that there is always something left to learn." A crash from within the room made her wince. "Well, they're still going hard. It reassures me that Harry can hold his own for so long." Snape's voice was heard swearing creatively. "Perhaps more than simply holding his own," Brethany amended. "Snape must be holding back some. It shouldn't be too long before Harry makes him lose his temper." Almost as though brought to reality by her words, Harry yelled something, and Snape was heard to shout in anger. Moments later, both Brethany and Dumbledore felt the burning sensation of Dark Magic being performed. "Ouch," the DADA professor winced. "I don't know what Harry did, but he's managed to tick Severus off quite well."
For several more minutes, crashes, bangs, explosions, and thumps shook the door to the classroom. Yelps, shouts, growls, and the occasional screech sounded from within, and the two listeners had difficulty stifling their laughter at the undignified noises. Eventually, the room quieted down after one last indignant shout from Harry. Brethany and Dumbledore exchanged bemused glances, then quickly entered the room. The DADA teacher stared in shock at the state of the classroom.
"Good Merlin! It looks like a tornado came through!"
It did indeed. The desks and chairs had been completely obliterated, and splinters of wood covered the floor. The area for making the potions was likewise nearly destroyed, and a few twisted, misshapen cauldrons rested to the side of the room. Splashes of magic glowed from the floor, ceiling, and walls, bearing witness to misdirected hexes and curses. In several spots, a black ooze stained the floor and walls where two or more curses had collided and then spun out of control. Most incredible, though, were the two men themselves.
Harry was lying on his back, green eyes staring blearily up at the ceiling, his mouth lax. Although at first glance he appeared simply covered in blood, it all seemed to have come from a small cut above his eye. He lay flat on the floor, his breath still coming in sharp gasps; his entire body shook in the wreckage that surrounded him. Brethany eyed him for a moment in mild concern, then turned to look at Snape. The Potions Professor was propped against the wall, his arms limp at his sides, and his eyes were just as bleary as Harry's. Although there was no obvious blood, a shiny patch of burnt skin covered half his left cheek, and his teeth protruded from his mouth like a beaver's. Neither man's wand was in sight.
"Well, Poppy's going to kill me," Brethany remarked idly. "I didn't think they would actually kill each other; obviously, I underestimated them." At the sound of her voice, both men stirred. Brethany and Dumbledore exchanged understanding glances, and immediately split up.
"Well, Harry, did you have fun?" The teenage boy blinked up stupidly at Brethany's face. "You look quite knackered; it must have been a lot of fun." She began to help him sit up, but at his groan of pain, she hesitated. "Do I want to know what all you've been hit with?" Despite her seeming reluctance, she began casting a diagnostic spell.
"I gave as good as I got," Harry groaned out, squinting upward. "Snape, bastard that he is, cheated to end it." Brethany looked over to where the Headmaster was tending to the Potions Master.
"Brat," the dark man managed to sputter out, before his head lolled back on Dumbledore's shoulder. Brethany stifled a laugh.
"H-he looks like his bones have been vanished…" she stuttered to a stop. "His bones have been vanished?"
"One leg and both his arms," Dumbledore confirmed. "How is young Mr. Potter?"
"Well, none of his bones were vanished, but he can't move his left arm, his right wrist is broken, he has a concussion and two cracked ribs, he's covered with blood, has hair growing out of places I don't even want to think about, and his magical core is rather depleted. Oh, and he's growing scales all over his skin. They're snake scales, Red Egyptian Moss snake, I believe. Very Gryffindor colors." Brethany grinned at the teenager's groan.
"Hm, well, Severus seems to be suffering from a mild concussion as well, various bruises, missing bones, overgrown teeth, several cuts across his chest, a fractured collarbone, a nasty burn on his face, and a rather bad case of constipation." Dumbledore's voice was quite cheerful. "Harry, my boy, you've done a wonderful job at mastering the burning hex, but you might learn to put a bit more power into it. Professor Snape needs some practice dodging, it seems." Brethany stifled a laugh at the groan from both men.
"Time for a trip to the infirmary, boys," the Headmaster beamed. "Severus needs Skele-grow, and you, Mr. Potter, may wish to be rid of all that hair." Both teachers looked down at the teenager in amusement. The curse, whatever it had been, was continuing to sprout up bushy patches of hair all over Harry's body in random patterns. The only place the hair had not appeared was his face, and that was still covered in blood. "You should both be put to rights by morning, especially you, Severus. You have a trip tomorrow night, I believe."
Brethany scanned the destroyed room. "Where in Merlin's name are your wands?" Snape growled and indicated both wands in his limp hands. Brethany struggled not to laugh. "Smashing. Now I won't have to search through all this trash."
They then went about taking the two men to the school nurse. "You do know that Poppy's going to kill me, correct?" Brethany asked casually, levitating Harry up into the air.
"Of course, my dear," the old man twinkled, hovering Snape beside him. Brethany rolled her eyes, then followed his lead through the door, Harry floating behind her.
"So tell me, Harry," the DADA teacher began a conversation, "Did Professor Snape test your mental shields, or did you two just jump straight to insults and hexes?" Beside her, Harry managed a small grin.
"I threw him out," he grunted proudly, his smile twisting into a grimace as he spoke. "You didn't lose your ten galleons." Brethany laughed.
"I knew you would, Harry." She grinned. "So, what started your duel?" The young woman watched as his ears flushed. "He nailed you on the snogging, didn't he?" she asked knowingly. "I told you he would be able to tell." Harry glared blearily at her, then growled halfheartedly. Brethany only laughed. "Served you right." The teenager pointedly ignored her the rest of the way to the infirmary.
Word Count: 2014