𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℙ𝕠𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕋𝕨𝕚𝕟𝕤||𝔻𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕠 𝕄𝕒𝕝𝕗𝕠𝕪 [𝟚]

Dueling Club

Harry, Hermione, Ron, and I were in the girls' bathroom. Me and Hermione were sitting on the ground, making the Polyjuice Potion together while my brother and Ron watched us.

"Again? You mean, the Chamber of Secrets has been opened before?" Hermione asked. We had just told her what we've heard from Dobby.

"Of course! Don't you see? Lucius Malfoy must've opened it when he was at school here, and now he's told Malfoy how to do it." Ron said.

I scoffed and shook my head.

"Maybe. We'll have to wait for the Polyjuice Potion to know for sure." Hermione shrugged.

"Enlighten me. Why are we brewing this potion in broad daylight, in the middle of a girls' lavatory? Don't you think we'll get caught?" Ron really was clueless, wasn't he?

"Never. No one over comes in here." Hermione said.

"Why?" Ron asked, looking curious.

"Moaning Myrtle." I said.

"Who's Moaning Myrtle?" 

There was a loud cry and Moaning Myrtle came out, coming face-to-face with Ron.

"I'm Moaning Myrtle! I wouldn't expect you to know me. Who would ever talk about fat, ugly, miserable, moping, moaning Myrtle?" she sobbed. Then, she dove head-first into a toilet.

"She's a little sensitive." I glanced at the toilet.

𓅓𓆙𓅓𓆙𓅓𓆙

Draco, Blaise, Pansy, Daphne, Isabella, Vincent, Gregory, and I were in a Dueling Club that Lockhart had created. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were standing across us, on the other side of the golden stage.

"Gather round! Gather round! Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent. In light of the dark events of recent weeks, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little Dueling Club, to train you all up in case you ever need to defend yourselves as I myself have done on countless occasions -- for full details, see my published works." Lockhart announced loudly.

"Let me introduce my assistant...Professor Snape!" we clapped happily. "He has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration. 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!" Lockhart smiled broadly.

Lockhart and Snape faced each other and bowed. They turned, walked a few paces, then spun, wands poised like swords.

"As you can see, we are holding our wands in the accepted combative position. On the count of three, we will cast our first spells. Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course." Lockhart said.

"One, two three" Lockhart counted.

"Expelliarmus." Snape easily disarmed the DADA professor.

"Do you think he's all right?" Hermione glanced at Lockhart with a worried look.

No one cares, Hermione.

Harry and Ron must have been thinking the same thing, because they both chorused, "Who cares?" as they stared at Lockhart who was still on the ground.

"Well, there you have it. That was a Disarming Charm. As you see, I've lost my wand." Lockhart stood unsteadily.

Hermione gave his wand back. "Ah, thank you, Miss Granger. 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..." Lockhart chuckled.

"Perhaps it would be prudent to first teach the students to block unfriendly spells, Professor." Snape said emotionlessly.

"An excellent suggestion, Professor Snape. Let's have a volunteer pair. Potter, Weasley, how about you?" he called, pointing to my brother and Ron.

"Weasley's wand causes devastation with the simplest spells. We'll be sending Potter to the hospital wing in a matchbox. Might I suggest someone from my own house. Malfoy, perhaps." Snape motioned for Draco. 

He stood up and came up. Harry and Draco eyed each other malevolently. They bowed to each other, both grudgingly.

"Scared, Potter?" Draco smirked.

"You wish." Harry stood straighter, looking at Draco with fierce eyes.

"Wands at the ready! When I count to three, cast your charms to disarm your opponent -- only to disarm. We don't want any accidents." Lockhart said. I had a feeling, that they wouldn't follow those rules. I was proved right: "One, two-" Draco fired immediately. "Everte Statum." 

It sent Harry flying back.

Harry, standing up, shouted, "Rictusempra!"

Draco was also sent back. Snape picked him up by his collar, and whispered something in his ear.

"I said disarm only!" Lockhart called.

Harry and Draco ignored him, obviously. Draco smiled a snake-like smile and raised his wand.

"Serpensortia!" To everyone horror, including mine, a black snake shot from his wand. Snape smiled with amusement. 

"Don't move, Potter. I'll get rid of it for you." Snape came closer. 

"Allow me!" Lockhart pushed his way through. "Alarte Ascendare!" It did nothing, whatsoever, except that the snake flew into the air and landed down again.

The snake moved to a Hufflepuff boy, Justin Finch-Fletchley, trying to attack him. 

"Leave him!" Harry yelled.

I spoke up too. "Stop, and leave him alone!"

The snake hovered for a moment. "Vipera Evanesca." Snape said, and the snake vanished.

Everyone was looking at me and my brother, like we were monsters. 

Even Pansy, Daphne, and Isa looked horrified.

Ron still looked shocked as he pulled us out into the hallway, with Hermione following. 

𓅓𓆙𓅓𓆙𓅓𓆙

"You two are Parselmouths! Why didn't you two tell us?" Ron questioned.

"We're what?" I asked, confused.

"You can talk to snakes." Hermione explained.

"I know. I mean, we accidentally set a python on our cousin Dudley at the zoo once. But so what? I bet loads of people here can do it." Harry shrugged.

"No. They can't. It's not a very common gift, guys. This is bad." Hermione shook her head.

"What's bad? If we hadn't told that snake not to attack Justin --" I got off.

"Oh, so that's what you two said to it." Ron said.

"You were there! You heard us!" Harry exclaimed.

"I heard you speaking Parseltongue. Snake language." Ron shrugged.

"I spoke a different language? But I didn't realize--how can we speak a language without knowing we can?" I asked.

"I don't know. But it sounded like you were egging the snake on or something. It was...creepy." Hermione shivered. "Guys, listen to me. There's a reason the symbol of Slytherin house is a serpent. Salazar Slytherin was a Parselmouth. He could talk to snakes too." As Hermione said this, she glanced at me.

"Exactly. And now the whole school's going to think you're his great-great-great grandchildren or something." Ron said.

"But we're not. We... can't be." Harry looked confused and nervous at the same time.

"He lived a thousand years ago. For all we know... you could be." Hermione said.

(A/N: Should I have wrote that Draco landed on his arse? Eh. Anyway, I want to go back to calling Draco's henchmen Crabbe and Goyle. It's too weird otherwise.)

Word count: 1065