"Gather round! Can everybody see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent."

"Full of himself, isn't he?" Amber asked. We nodded. It was an opinion we had formed together without any sort of doubt. The moron seemed to have very little knowledge of what we said to him.

"Now, Professor Dumbledore has sportingly agreed to let me show but a little of my talents. For this demonstration, I have an assistant. Professor Snape." He gestured, and Snape somehow appeared where he was gesturing. Or we weren't paying attention to his entrance.

"He claims to know a thing or two about duelling, so this might get interesting. Now, I don't want you youngsters to worry… you'll still have your Potion's Master when I'm through with him. Never fear."

Only because you're guaranteed failure.

Now, now, let's be somewhat optimistic… ninety-nine precent chance.

And the one?

Snape's mercy.

He's doomed.

"Now, we are holding our wands in the accepted casting positions. On the count of three, we will cast our first spell. None of us will be aiming to kill, of course."

"More's the pity," Harry, Ron and Darion said simultaneously. Amber shrugged.

"Eh, too much hassle to kill him. I'm still working on how best to discredit him."

"Three."

"The killing's started."

"Two."

"Maiming, Harry."

"One."

"Expelliarmus!" Snape cried. A jet of red light blasted from his wand, and hit Lockhart straight in the chest. His wand flew right out of his hand, and landed next to me. I resisted the urge to snap it, thinking that it wouldn't stop him being a fool.

"Excellent plan to show them that Professor Snape. That was the Disarming Charm. I've lost my wand… thank you, Miss Patil. Though, if you don't mind me bragging, it was pretty obvious what you were about to do, and had I wanted to stop you, it would have been too easy…"

"Perhaps it would be best to teach the students how to shield themselves from unfriendly spells, Mister Lockhart?" Snape's tone of voice, and the use of the word 'Mr', was so upstaging of the ignoramus that it was hard to not be on his side.

"…Excellent suggestion, Professor Snape. I was just thinking that. Let's have a volunteer for this demonstration… Potter, Weasley, how about you?"

"Miss Weasley is far too shy around Mr Potter for the demonstration to contain the correct heart. She or Potter could get sent to the hospital wing in a matchbox."

How dare he broadcast my crush to the whole school?!

You don't do that well enough on your own.

Are you being sarcastic?

Actually, yes.

I looked up after I had regained my composure. Harry and Malfoy had just finished bowing, and were preparing to begin the duel. Snape whispered something in Malfoy's ear. Lockhart whispered something in Harry's, and then dropped his wand. Something shot up my spine.

Sorry, I've got idiots working overtime in the hormone department.

Huh?

"Serpensortia!" Malfoy had cast his spell, and a snake issued from his wand, dropping to the floor with a thud. I was petrified. In the metaphorical sense.

"Don't worry, Potter. I'll get rid of it for you."

"Allow me, Professor Snape. Alarte Ascendare!" The snake, instead of disappearing, shot into the air, and dropped to the floor.

I don't know what I was doing. I couldn't help but do it. I shouted, "Leave him alone!" Harry cried, "Get back!" at the exact same time. The snake looked between us, confused. It slithered backwards a few inches.

"Vipera Evanesca," Snape murmured, destroying the snake. But all eyes were on me and Harry.

"What are you playing at?" was echoed around the room. I felt my brother pull on my arm, and dragged me urgently. I knew that Amber had Harry.

"You're a Parselmouth? Why didn't you tell us?" Ron asked.

"Wait, what did you call me, Ron?" I responded, furious.

"A Parselmouth. You can talk to snakes." I looked at Ron, completely befuddled.

"Listen, Ginny… I know this seems hard to believe, but this is bad," Amber told us.

"Why? I was only trying to defend Harry!"

"And I thank you for that, Ginny."

"OK, I'm going to put this easily… do you know why the symbol of Slytherin House is?" Darion asked.

"…Because snakes are cunning and easily escape from their crimes?"

"Because Salazar Slytherin was a Parselmouth. The ability is incredibly rare: the whole school's going to think you two are Slytherin's great-great-great grandchildren or something," Hermione pointed out.

"But we're not!"

"No. You'd be much further than around five generations."

"You miss my point, Darion!"

"Listen, Harry, Ginny… I know this sounds bad, but you'll find your statement hard to prove. Salazar lived over a thousand years ago. It'll be impossible to trace his descendants."

Any reason for Ginny over Harry? No. I just wanted a Ginny chapter sooner than normal. She has a few limitations that Harry and Amber don't, so she needs all the mollycoddling she can get (pun intended).

Random fact of the day: I got an immunization sprung upon me today. Not only did I miss out on Creative Writing, but the thing hurts like all benadeel. Never follow in my footsteps: keep well informed about all needles you are on the receiving end of.

And, in advance, I might update the next chapter today. I have over two hours. The fact it'll be long may not matter: look how fast I read. Or not. You can't see how fast I read.

Neither can live while the other survives.