THE NEXT DAY, HARLOW sat alone silently at a table in the library, she was reading a book. her hair was in a messy bun with a few hairs falling out of it. she heard a noise coming from next to her and saw the chair next to her being pulled out. she looked at who was pulling the chair, it was cedric. when harlow realized it was cedric she turned back to her book and flipped the page.
he sat down in it and stared at her and then looked down at the book she was reading, "pride and prejudice, huh?"
harlow didn't look at him, "what do you want cedric?"
"i just wanted to talk about last night." stated cedric.
"that's funny cause i don't." harlow flipped to another page.
"can you at least look at me?" he asked.
she finally turned to face him and slammed her book closed, "no cedric, because whenever i look at you i see the look on your face when you were fucking her."
cedric looked down, "you weren't supposed to walk in."
"but i did." harlow said.
"you could've knocked." he told her.
harlow scoffed, "trust me if i could go back in time just so i could knock instead of walking in i would."
"god harlow, why are you so upset?" he asked.
"because-" i thought you liked me. she wanted to say, but she held her tongue, "you know what, i'm not cedric."
"so then we're good?" cedric asked.
harlow gave him a side eye, "if i said no are you just gonna go fuck stella again?"
cedric smirked, "maybe."
harlow rolled her eyes, "douche bag." she pushed her chair out and stood up, she turned to leave but cedric grabbed her hand.
"sit down." he said, "please." she sat back down reluctantly, "i'm sorry"
"it's fine." replied harlow.
"so we're fine?" asked cedric again.
harlow nodded, "yeah, whatever."
he gave her a suspicious look, "okay, cool. why were you even coming into my dorm in the first place?"
"i wanted to see if you were okay with me going to the dance with anthony, you seemed pissy before." she told him.
"i seemed 'pissy?'" he laughed, harlow nodded, "i wasn't i just don't want you to get hurt by him again lo," he placed his hand on her lower thigh. "you're like a sister to me, i'm just a little protective that's all. you get that right?"
she gave him a forced smile, "yeah, totally."
ϟ
harlow and cedric walked into the great hall together, they saw a group of students gathered around one long table. there were stairs that led up to the table.
"so why are you here with me again?" harlow asked.
"i had a free period, professor lockhart and professor snape needed assistance, and i needed to get back in their good graces." he explained.
"oh yeah, because of that freak out you had about me to professor snape." she laughed.
"i was defending your honor." he smiled.
"my savior." she joked.
"gather round!" yelled professor lockhart "gather round!"
they walked up to the rest of the students, harlow ending up between pansy and cedric.
professor lockhart walked up the steps and onto the table, he was pacing back and forth slowly, "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,"
harlow stood on her tippy-toes and brought her mouth to cedric's ear and whispered, "he makes it seem like we had a choice of being here."
cedric let out a small laugh as professor lockhart began speaking again, "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. let me introduce my assistant professor snape. 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!"
"hopefully not." muttered harlow.
cedric laughed, "shhh."
professor snape emerged from the crowd and stepped up onto the table, they both drew their wanda and pointed them at each other.
"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." said professor lockhart.
"it would be so much more fun if they would though, two birds one stone." harlow partially joked.
"you're a horrible person." cedric joked back.
they both turned their backs to each other, "one, two, three," with each number they took a step apart, on three they both turned around.
"expelliarmus!" shouted professor snape, a flash of red light bursted out towards professor lockhart and blasted him off his feet and into the wall behind.
harlow and cedric couldn't contain their laughter, "that was a tragic turn of events." cedric laughed.
"you're just as bad as me, diggory." she smiled.
professor lockhart rose shakily, "well, there you have it. that was a disarming charm. as you see, i've lost my wand." hermione picked up his wand and handed it to him, "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."
"bullshit, he's bluffing." cedric said.
"obviously."
professor snape spoke up, "perhaps it would be prudent to first teach the students to block unfriendly spells, professor."
"an excellent suggestion, professor." replied professor lockhart, "snape. let's have a volunteer pair. potter, weasley, how about you?"
professor snape shook his head, "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."
the two boys eyed each other viciously. professor snape and professor lockhart walked off the table and harry and draco took their place.
draco turned to harry, "scared, potter?"
"you wish." spat harry.
"wands at the ready!" ordered professor lockhart, they both raised their wands.
they turned their back on each other and walked ten paces, they turned around, wands still raised.
professor lockhart began again, "when i count to three, cast your charms to disarm your opponent only to disarm. we don't want any accidents. one, two-"
draco fired his wand early, sending a white light directed towards harry, knocking him off his feat. draco smirked as crabbe and goyle burst out into laughter.
harlow rushed over to the side of the table nearest her brother, cedric followed after her, "harry-"
harry got back up and drew his wand out, "rictusempra!"
a burst of silver light hit draco in the stomach. draco was hit up into the air, spinning he came back down hitting the table. he sat up, wheezing. snape took his by his robe and stood him back up.
"i said disarm only!" denounced professor lockhart.
professor snape pushed draco towards harry as they pointed their wanda at each other once more.
"serpensortia!" commanded draco. a gust of magic came from his wand and a long black snake shot out of it. the snake slithered toward harry.
professor snape began to walk towards the snake, "don't move, potter. i'll get rid of it for you."
"allow me!" said professor lockhart, stopping snape in his tracks. lockhart flicked his wand. with a bang the snake few into the air and hissed in rage.
"stop!" harlow called out, rushing near the snake, "you're hurting it!"
the snake slithered near harlow and the hufflepuff boy next to her, justin finch-fletchley. the students screamed in horror, as harry calmly walked towards harlow and the snake.
just as the snake was about to strike justin harlow said something that sounded like a series of hisses. "stop it."
the snake listened and put its head down in obedience, "good boy." she said the snake, still speaking in what sounded like a foreign language.
harry walked up to them both and said something in the same language as harlow was speaking, "now leave him."
the snake stood there frozen, professor snape drew his wand, a blast of light destroyed the snake.
"you can all go now-" professor snape began.
harlow cut him off, "no, wait, i wanna duel draco."
"harlow what are you doing?" said cedric.
"miss potter after the display that was just known i don't think your request would be wise-" he began again just to get cut off by harlow again.
she jumped onto the table, "that's good and all but it wasn't a request."
harry jumped down from the table as draco gulped, silently afraid.
harlow walked up to him, "what's wrong? scared, malfoy?"
he snickered, "never, not of you. you probably duel like a girl anyways."
harlow scoffed, "i'm gonna beat your annoying little misogynistic ass."
professor snape and professor lockhart both moved off of the table. draco and harlow turned away and took ten paces away from each other.
professor snape cleared his throat, "one, two, three."
the two of them turned towards each other, wanda drawn, draco who seemly decided to play by the rules this time uttered, "dirumpo."
harlow's wand snapped in half and grabbe and goyle laughed at her, she scoffed again and raised her hand. draco began hovering above the table. he was crawling at his throat trying to get rid of the imaginary hand that was choking him.
"miss potter," professor snape ran over, "miss potter, you're hurting him."
professor snape tried to shake her, but she was in a trance. "harlow!" he called out.
harlow moved her hand, making draco slam into the wall. he fell down and there was a draco-sized imprint in the wall where he hit it. he was gasping hard.
"hurting him was kinda the whole point." she snaped at her professor. she jumped off the table and walked up to draco. she bent down to have her face meet his "don't ever fucking hurt my brother, ever again."
he nodded profusely in fear, "i won't, i promise."