Window into the Past

🌙19🌙

***

Harry, Ron and Hermione waited outside and saw my baggy eyes and tired face. "Oh Joy," Harry sighed. "I'm okay, it wasn't that bad," I lied.

I looked up at them, wincing. "So plan?"

"We have to steal stuff from Snape but that'll be impossible," Hermione pouted. "Hmm, I have a plan," I smirked. "Trust me, apart from the agonising pain, I do come up with good plans."

"Do share," Ron urged me. "Double Potions, one of us needs to create a diversion while one commits theft."

"I'll do the stealing," Hermione offered. "I'll do the distracting," Harry volunteered.

We were making Swelling Solutions in that class the next day. Snape came by our cauldrons, one by one and looked at mine. "Not a complete disaster, Jones," he mumbled.

Closest thing to a compliment I'm going to get from Snape. I saw Snape's back to us. I nodded at Harry.

He had the firework ready and I whispered an incantation, igniting it.

Harry flicked it into Goyle's cauldron and winked at me. Goyle's cauldron exploded and Hermione took the opportunity and ran for it.

"SILENCE!" Snape bellowed. "For anyone who got hit, come here."

Me, Ron and Harry ducked on time so we didn't get splashed. Hermione came out and gave us the nod, letting us know the plan worked.

Snape looked in Goyle's cauldron and growled. "Whoever did this, I'll make sure they get expelled."

Harry gave me a fearful look, worrying that Snape might have known it was him.

***

I took a swig of pumpkin juice from my flask and I stopped at the noticeboard.

"Hey, come look at this!" I said to Ron, Harry and Hermione. "Duelling Club, could be handy, should we go?"

"Yeah, someone needs to take you on if you wolf out on us," Ron joked. I elbowed him in the ribs. "So funny, I meant a certain thing in a certain place."

"I wonder who's teaching us," Hermione mumbled. "We'll find out at eight, I guess," Harry shrugged.

Much to mostly everyone's dismay, Lockhart was teaching us..along with Snape.

"Oh no," me and Harry groaned at the same time. "Everybody gather around! Can you all see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent," Lockhart smirked. "Professor Snape has kindly agreed to be my assistant, he knows a tiny bit about duelling himself. Don't worry, you'll still have your Potions master by the time I'm through with him."

"Fingers crossed they take each other out," I whispered in Harry's ear. "On the count of three, one, two three..."

"Expelliarmus!" Snape cried and pointed his wand at Lockhart. Lockhart was thrown backwards and his wand flew out of his hand. "Ah, clever, a Disarming Spell, I knew that was coming, very obvious."

I rolled my eyes so far back, I think I might have caught a glimpse of my brain. "Enough demonstrating, partner up!"

I was about to go partner with Hermione but Snape made her partner with Millicent Bullstrode and me, Pansy Parkinson.

Crap.

Harry was with Malfoy while Ron was with Seamus. "Ickle wickle baby Jones gonna wet her nappy?" Pansy taunted me. I rolled my eyes again, not bothering to reply.

I had my wand ready. "One, two, three."

"Expelli.."

I didn't get to finish as Pansy literally tackled me to the ground. The girl was strong and had me pinned to the ground. "Get off!" I tried to push her off me. She hit me in the face and held me down. "Gonna go crying to daddy? Oh wait, you don't have one."

"Shut up, flat face," I retorted. I stuck out my arm as she hit me again and reached for my wand. "Stupefy!"

Pansy went flying off me and landed on her arse. Ron offered me his hand and I took it as he pulled me up.

"Professor Snape!" Pansy moaned. "Look what Jones did to me!"

"Oh for Merlin's sake," I muttered under my breath. Snape looked at her, then at me. "Well, Jones is bleeding, you are not, from the way I saw it..it was self defence on Jones' part."

I had my fingers crossed inside my mind. I was actually going to set something on fire if I got punished. She hit me!

"Well, I saw the incident, Jones didn't touch her," Justin Finch Fletchley told him.

Technically not true.

"Five points from Slytherin," Snape finally decided, which surprised me. "Jones, sit out for now."

I sat down on a bench and watched the others. Hermione came over and sat beside me after her beatdown. "Your nose and lip are bleeding," she gave me a tissue and I pressed it against my bleeding nose. "I did hit her," I whispered. I uncurled my fist and showed some dark hairs. "Essence of Parkinson."

I shoved them into my pocket. "Clever," Hermione chuckled. "Some of Millicent's got onto my robes."

"The girl can pack a punch," I laughed. "You should tell your dad that Snape sided with us for once because he saw someone punch you in the face," Hermione giggled. "The less he knows the better, he made me promise not to got looking for the Chamber of Secrets," I mumbled.

"And?"

"Hermione, I am the worst at keeping promises," I pointed out. "Does it hurt?" she asked me. "Compared to full moons, it's like I got tickled with a feather," I mumbled.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE PLAYING AT?!" Justin yelled at Harry. Harry looked frozen and Ron dragged him out.

Me and Hermione got up and followed close behind. "What's going on?" we called after them.

Ron or Harry didn't say anything until they came back to the common room.

Ron pushed Harry into a chair, starling him. "Why didn't you tell us you were a Parselmouth!"

"Hold on..WHAT?!" I freaked out. "You can talk to snakes?"

"Well..yeah, I accidentally set a boa constrictor on Dudley once at the zoo, it told me it wanted to go to Brazil," Harry explained to us.

"Brazil?" Ron cocked his eyebrow. "So what? Loads of people can do it."

"No they can't, it's not a very common ability," I explained to him. "It's bad."

"But I told the snake not to attack him!"

"Oh, that's what you said," Ron mumbled. "You heard me!" Harry exclaimed.

"You spoke Parseltounge, snake language, you sounded so creepy, it sounded like you were egging it on," Ron told him.

"I spoke a different language?"

After an awkward couple minutes of silence, Ron and Hermione went to the dorms, it was me and Harry alone in the common room.

"I don't understand," Harry sighed. "Salazar Slytherin was a Parselmouth, that's why the symbol is a serpent, the school will think you're the Heir of Slytherin."

"But I'm not!" Harry insisted. "I believe you Harry, but it was a thousand years ago..it's possible," I said sadly.

Harry sighed and leaned back, disappointed. "I know that's not the answer you're looking for, but I don't think you are, you're in Gryffindor.."

"But the hat considered putting me in Slytherin," Harry confessed. "I know you're not the Heir," I told him. "That's great, but you're the only one who does," Harry muttered. "Are you alright? After Parkinson punched you?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry," I smiled, patting him on the shoulder before I went to bed.