Chapter 19:
Normal Pov
It was December, and whatever confrontations Juliunna had had with Harry, were tense. "Hello." She would say, and then run off to the safety of the Slytherin pack waiting for her. Harry had gotten closer to Hermione and Ron, and had fallen into the odd habit of taking their word over hers. After all, he had witnessed Juliunna's many attempts to bully Hermione and Ron.
"Potter." Juliunna said. Harry looked around and into her eyes. She was glaring at him. She leaned forward to whisper. "Whatever you plan on doing, let me remind you that it would be prudent to forget it." Juliunna smirked, crossing her arms. Harry paled. How had she known? Yes Draco and her were sitting directly behind the trio, but they weren't exactly easy to spy on. The trio had been whispering so close together for the whole Potions class.
"We're not doing anything."
"Alright." She said. Harry looked ahead at the board. They hadn't even begun to talk about the plan yet. Where could she have-!
"The walls have ears Potter." Juliunna smirked. "And you three aren't the only ones with access to the Moaning ghost's bathroom." Juliunna said. When the trio looked behind them, shocked, she winked at them and then looked back down to the swelling solution she and Draco were brewing together. Draco oddly enough had nothing to say to this subject, but he did share a small smirk with his sister before looking back down to the potion. The trio looked up ahead as she left Draco's side and strode to the front of the room.
Harry watched as she reached Professor Snape and leaned forward slowly, whispering in his ear. He couldn't hear what they were talking about.
"Uncle, you should know that the Potter boy is planning to create a distraction so that the Granger girl can sneak into your private stores. Just want to let you know." She said with a smirk. Snape looked up at the trio with a glare, who were growling.
"I say let them." Juliunna added. Severus looked up, shocked. "What?"
"Trust me Uncle Snape, Harry Potter is involved in this. And I am sure that his intentions are purest." She said with a small smile. Severus snarled at her.
"His ignorance is livid-!"
"Shut up." Juliunna said, smiling. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Severus's shoulders as a huge booming sound entered the room. The students around them were drenched in an enormous amount of Swelling Solution. When Severus looked up, he noticed that the Granger girl had disappeared from the trio's seat. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley were trying to look innocent.
"Thank you Uncle." Juliunna said, releasing him. She walked back to her seat as Severus stood, ready to give the students a solution that would stop their sudden swelling. Most of the Slytherins had been hit. And it took Severus gripping into his wrist tightly to stop himself from snapping out at Harry as he left the room. Juliunna was smiling at him softly, but followed her brother out of the room excitedly.
…
A week later, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were walking across the entrance hall when they saw a small knot of people gathered around the notice board, reading a piece of parchment that had just been pinned up. Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas beckoned them over, looking excited.
"They're starting a Dueling Club!" said Seamus. "First meeting tonight! I wouldn't mind dueling lessons; they might come in handy one of these days ...
"What, you reckon Slytherin's monster can duel?" said Ron, but he, too, read the sign with interest.
"Could be useful," he said to Harry and Hermione as they went into dinner. "Shall we go?"
Harry and Hermione were all for it, so at eight o'clock that evening they hurried back to the Great Hall. The long dining tables had vanished and a golden stage had appeared along one wall, lit by thousands of candles floating overhead. The ceiling was velvety black once more and most of the school seemed to be packed beneath it, all carrying their wands and looking excited.
"I wonder who'll be teaching us?" said Hermione as they edged into the chattering crowd. "Someone told me Flitwick was a dueling champion when he was young - maybe it'll be him."
"As long as it's not -" Harry began, but he ended on a groan: Gilderoy Lockhart was walking onto the stage, resplendent in robes of deep plum and accompanied by none other than Snape, wearing his usual black. Juliunna, much to Harry's glee, was standing next to Snape, drawling loudly. Everyone in the room was silent, watching her speak.
"Excuse me kids, I just want to say something. After Filch's cat is petrified, our lovely Headmaster Dumbledore says he strongly recommends caution. At this point, there should at least be some beefed up security, and possibly some education about petrifaction." Juliunna started, taking a deep breath. Lockhart moved forward.
"Um sweetie, maybe its not a good idea to make fun of the Headmaster's decisions-!"
"Stop if Lockhart. This is interesting." Snape said, smirking. Juliunna smirked around at the students who were all looking to her, rapt with attention.
"Now, the schools very own Colin Camera boy is petrified and Dumbledore now says, 'The students are in great danger. Tell them Hogwarts is in danger. It is as we feared, the Chamber of Secrets has indeed been opened again'. The answer? Let's teach students self defense techniques. But not against some possible monster which might know something like, I don't know, petrifacation… But against each other! And using this guy Lockhart," Juliunna said, pointing to Gilderoy, whom smiled. "Who by this time everyone knows is a fraud." She said, and Gilderoy Lockhart gasped as everyone laughed at him.
"So everyone, let me just tell you. This school is running into the ground. Dumbledore… He's doing a great job." Juliunna said. And everyone was looking at her, a serious aura in the air.
"Alright. Sweetheart go down there, you've made your very good point." Snape said, patting her on the back. Juliunna smiled and skipped down to her brothers side.
Lockhart waved an arm for silence and called, "Gather round, gather round! Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent!" He said with small smile, however hardened.
"Now, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little dueling club, to train you all in case you ever need to defend yourselves as I myself have done on countless occasions - for full details, see my published works.
"Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape," said Lockhart, flashing a wide smile. "He tells me he knows a tiny little bit about dueling himself and has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration before we begin. Now, I don't want any of you youngsters to worry - you'll still have your Potions master when I'm through with him, never fear!"
"Wouldn't it be good if they finished each other off?" Ron muttered in Harry's ear.
Snape's upper lip was curling. Harry wondered why Lockhart was still smiling; if Snape had been looking at him like that he'd have been running as fast as he could in the opposite direction.
Lockhart and Snape turned to face each other and bowed; at least, Lockhart did, with much twirling of his hands, whereas Snape jerked his head irritably. Then they raised their wands like swords in front of them.
"As you see, we are holding our wands in the accepted combative position," Lockhart told the silent crowd. "On the count of three, we will cast our first spells. Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course."
"I wouldn't bet on that," Harry murmured, watching Snape baring his teeth. "Hurt him Uncle Snape!" Juliunna yelled. "Make him walk on his own ears!" Juliunna said, jumping up and down with a clap of her hands. Snape smirked.
"One - two - three -"
Both of them swung their wands above their heads and pointed them at their opponent; Snape cried: "Expelliarmus!" There was a dazzling flash of scarlet light and Lockhart was blasted off his feet: He flew backward off the stage, smashed into the wall, and slid down it to sprawl on the floor.
Malfoy and some of the other Slytherins cheered. Hermione was dancing on tiptoes. "Do you think he's all right?" she squealed through her fingers.
"Who cares?" said Harry and Ron together.
Lockhart was getting unsteadily to his feet. His hat had fallen off and his wavy hair was standing on end.
"Well, there you have it!" he said, tottering back onto the platform. "That was a Disarming Charm - as you see, I've lost my wand - ah, thank you, Miss Brown - yes, an excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape, but if you don't mind my saying so, it was very obvious what you were about to do. If I had wanted to stop you it would have been only too easy - however, I felt it would be instructive to let them see . . ."
Snape was looking murderous. Possibly Lockhart had noticed, because he said, "Enough demonstrating! I'm going to come amongst you now and put you all into pairs. Professor Snape, if you'd like to help me -"
They moved through the crowd, matching up partners. Lockhart teamed Neville with Justin Finch-Fletchley, but Snape reached Harry and Ron first.
"Time to split up the dream team, I think," he sneered. "Weasley, you can partner Finnigan. Potter -"
Harry moved automatically toward Hermione.
"I don't think so," said Snape, smiling coldly. "Mr. Malfoy, come over here. Let's see what you make of the famous Potter. And you, Miss Granger-!"
"Uncle." Juliunna snapped, interrupting him. Snape turned to her, smiling nastily. "Yes princess?"
"Uncle, I have a suggestion." Juliunna said, walking forward with a smirk. "Can I duel with Granger?" She asked him.
"Yeah. Go ahead Princess. Granger your with Miss Malfoy." Snape said with a sneering smirk.
Malfoy strutted over, smirking. Juliunna walked forward, her smile serene. The color drained from Hermione's face.
"Face your partners!" called Lockhart, back on the platform. "And bow!"
Harry and Malfoy barely inclined their heads, not taking their eyes off each other.
"Wands at the ready!" shouted Lockhart. "When I count to three, cast your charms to disarm your opponents - only to disarm them - we don't want any accidents - one ... two ... three -"
Harry swung his wand high, but Malfoy had already started on "two": His spell hit Harry so hard he felt as though he'd been hit over the head with a saucepan. He stumbled, but everything still seemed to be working, and wasting no more time, Harry pointed his wand straight at Malfoy and shouted, "Rictusempra!"
A jet of silver light hit Malfoy in the stomach and he doubled up, wheezing.
"I said disarm only!" Lockhart shouted in alarm over the heads of the battling crowd, as Malfoy sank to his knees; Harry had hit him with a Tickling Charm, and he could barely move for laughing. Harry hung back, with a vague feeling it would be unsporting to bewitch Malfoy while he was on the floor, but this was a mistake; gasping for breath, Malfoy pointed his wand at Harry's knees, choked, "Tarantallegra!" and the next second Harry's legs began to jerk around out of his control in a kind of quickstep.
"Stop! Stop!" screamed Lockhart, but Snape took charge.
"Finite Incantatem!" Professor Snape shouted; Harry's feet stopped dancing, Malfoy stopped laughing, and they were able to look up.
A haze of greenish smoke was hovering over the scene. Both Neville and Justin were lying on the floor, panting; Ron was holding up an ashen-faced Seamus, apologizing for whatever his broken wand had done. And Harry and everyone else was shocked to see Hermione was gone. Where she once stood was now a small layer of smoke.
"Where is she?" Ron snapped at Juliunna. She looked up at the ceiling, and slowly, everyone else did too.
Hermione was standing upside down on the ceiling, a red and sticky substance coating her feet and sticking her there. "Blimey!" Ron said. Juliunna raised her wand and gave it a wave. A small trampoline appeared directedly underneath Hermione. With another wave, Hermione was falling through the air. She landed feet first on the trampoline, but crumpled under the sudden weight and fell onto Harry, knocking him down.
"Well, that wasn't hard at all." Juliunna said, shrugging lightly. The smirk that rested upon her face gave Harry slight chills. Slowly, he and Hermione stood up.
"Dear, dear," said Lockhart, skittering through the crowd, looking at the aftermath of the duels. "Up you go, Macmillan ... Careful there, Miss Fawcett ... Pinch it hard, it'll stop bleeding in a second, dang it-!
I think Id better teach you how to block unfriendly spells," said Lockhart, standing flustered in the midst of the hall. He glanced at Snape, whose black eyes glinted, and looked quickly away. "Let's have a volunteer pair - Longbottom and Finch-Fletchley, how about you -"
"A bad idea, Professor Lockhart," said Snape, gliding over like a large and malevolent bat. "Longbottom causes devastation with the simplest spells. We'll be sending what's left of Finch-Fletchley up to the hospital wing in a matchbox." Neville's round, pink face went pinker. "How about Miss Malfoy and Potter?" said Snape with a twisted smile.
"Excellent idea!" said Lockhart, gesturing Harry and Juliunna onto the stage into the middle of the hall as the crowd backed away to give them room.
"Now, Harry," said Lockhart. "When Juliunna points her wand at you, you do this."
He raised his own wand, attempted a complicated sort of wiggling action, and dropped it. Snape smirked as Lockhart quickly picked it up, saying, "Whoops -my wand is a little overexcited -"
Snape moved closer to Juliunna Malfoy, bent down, and whispered something in her ear. Juliunna Malfoy began to smirk too the longer Professor Snape talked. Harry looked up nervously at Lockhart and said, "Professor, could you show me that blocking thing again?"
"Scared?" Juliunna smirked at him, branding her wand with a twirl.
"You wish," Harry laughed, and Juliunna twirled around as Professor Snape left her side. "Ready." She said.
Lockhart cuffed Harry merrily on the shoulder. "Just do what I did, Harry!"
"What, drop my wand?"
But Lockhart wasn't listening.
"Three - two - one - go!" he shouted.
She raised her wand quickly and bellowed, "Ex-spell- eee-armous!" Juliunna shouted loudly, pointing her wand at Harry. Harry's wand flew out of his hand and blew him backwards, sliding on his back against the floor.
"Yeah!" Malfoy and the Slytherins shouted, clapping their hands. Juliunna smirked.
"So Potter, what does it feel like to know that no matter what, you will never be as powerful as the tiny Slytherin snake girl you once befriended?" She asked with a smirk. Harry went rigid as Lockhart address the students. "Now see kids, that is a pretty correct explanation of the disarming spell. Now Miss Malfoy, why don't you try and give Harry a spell he can actually block-!"
Harry, out of anger, jumped up and pointed his wand at her hard. "Stupify-!"
Juliunna raised her wand, blocking the spell. "Alright Potter, you want to play? Sectum-Ex-Machima!" Juliunna screamed, swishing and flexing her wand. The crowd screamed. Harry was lifted off his feet, dropping his wand completely as he flew into the air. He flew high and fast as he slammed into the ceiling. She brandished her wand around in little circles, watching Harry fly around as if he was a car on a racetrack.
'Stop it!" Hermione screamed at Juliunna, who let out a cackle. "Sure." She said. She lifted Harry from the spell, who went flying to the ground.
"Appearance-! Exito-! Tiss-Arious!" Juliunna yelled, brandished her arm one more time. The trampoline appeared on the stage, much bigger and glittering with some kind of protection spell, and Harry fell onto it, bouncing off and landing on his feet.
"Whoa!" Harry said.
"Well, that was fun." She smirked, and then walked off the stage to her brother, who they both shared smirks with.
Draco ran forward onto the stairs before Lockhart could say anything. "I volunteer!" He said excitedly. Harry and him got into proper dueling position, and then Lockhart nodded encouragingly to Harry.
"Very well. One, two, three-!"
"Serpensortia!" Draco shouted. Juliunna leaned forward, frowning.
The end of Draco's wand exploded. Harry watched, aghast, as a long black snake shot out of it, fell heavily onto the floor between them, and raised itself, ready to strike. There were screams as the crowd backed swiftly away, clearing the floor.
"Don't move, Potter," said Snape lazily, clearly enjoying the sight of Harry standing motionless, eye to eye with the angry snake. "I'll get rid of it ...
"Allow me!" shouted Lockhart. He brandished his wand at the snake and there was a loud bang; the snake, instead of vanishing, flew ten feet into the air and fell back to the floor with a loud smack. Enraged, hissing furiously, it slithered straight toward Justin Finch-Fletchley and raised itself again, fangs exposed, poised to strike.
Harry wasn't sure what made him do it. He wasn't even aware of deciding to do it. All he knew was that his legs were carrying him forward as though he was on casters and that he had shouted stupidly at the snake, "Leave him alone!" And miraculously - inexplicably - the snake slumped to the floor, docile as a thick, black garden hose, its eyes now on Harry. Harry felt the fear drain out of him. He knew the snake wouldn't attack anyone now, though how he knew it, he couldn't have explained.
He looked up at Justin, grinning, expecting to see Justin looking relieved, or puzzled, or even grateful - but certainly not angry and scared.
"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, waved his wand, and the snake vanished in a small puff of black smoke. Snape, too, was looking at Harry in an unexpected way: It was a shrewd and calculating look, and Harry didn't like it. He was also dimly aware of an ominous muttering all around the walls. He met Juliunna's eyes, and for the first time this year, she waved at him, smirking wildly. He was too shocked to wave back. Then he felt a tugging on the back of his robes.
"Come on," said Rods voice in his ear. "Move - come on -"
Ron steered him out of the hall, Hermione hurrying alongside them. As they went through the doors, the people on either side drew away as though they were frightened of catching something. Harry didn't have a clue what was going on, and neither Ron nor Hermione explained anything until they had dragged him all the way up to the empty Gryffindor common room. Then Ron pushed Harry into an armchair and said, "You're a Parcelmouth. Why didn't you tell us?"
"I'm a what?" said Harry.
`A Parcelmouth!" said Ron. "You can talk to snakes!"
"I know," said Harry. "I mean, that's only the second time I've ever done it. I accidentally set a boa constrictor on my cousin Dudley at the zoo once - long story - but it was telling me it had never seen Brazil and I sort of set it free without meaning to that was before I knew I was a wizard -"
"A boa constrictor told you it had never seen Brazil?" Ron repeated faintly.
"So?" said Harry. "I bet loads of people here can do it."
"Oh, no they can't," said Ron. "It's not a very common gift. Harry, this is bad."
"What's bad?" said Harry, starting to feel quite angry. "What's wrong with everyone? Listen, if I hadn't told that snake not to attack Justin -"
"Oh, that's what you said to it?"
"What d'you mean? You were there - you heard me -"
"I heard you speaking Parseltongue," said Ron. "Snake language. You could have been saying anything - no wonder Justin panicked, you sounded like you were egging the snake on or something - it was creepy, you know -"
Harry gaped at him.
"I spoke a different language? But - I didn't realize - how can I speak a language without knowing I can speak it?"
Ron shook his head. Both he and Hermione were looking as though someone had died. Harry couldn't see what was so terrible.
"D'you want to tell me what's wrong with stopping a massive snake biting off Justin's head?" he said. "What does it matter how I did it as long as Justin doesn't have to join the Headless Hunt?"
"It matters," said Hermione, speaking at last in a hushed voice, "because being able to talk to snakes was what Salazar Slytherin was famous for. That's why the symbol of Slytherin House is a serpent."
Harry's mouth fell open.
"Exactly," said Ron. "And now the whole school's going to think you're his great-great-great-great-grandson or something -"
"But I'm not," said Harry, with a panic he couldn't quite explain.
"You'll find that hard to prove," said Hermione. "He lived about a thousand years ago; for all we know, you could be."