News had been all over school now for a couple of days about Professor Lockhart starting up a dueling club. Of course, every student was interested. Harry and I were enthralled by the idea. Though, not totally happy about Lockhart being the teacher in charge. My liking for the man had dwindled dramatically after taking away the bones in my leg and all. But nonetheless students piled into the Great Hall. A great long table had been placed in the center of the room with a long cloth covered in Moon phases. Gilderoy entered the room and walked up onto the table.
"Gather round! Gather round. Can everybody see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent." He grinned widely. "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."
He tossed his cloak out into the crowd of students, mostly girls in that corner, who all gasped. Angelina Johnson was actually the one who caught it.
"Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape." Lockhart announced proudly. We all leaned forward to see him walk up the side of the table. "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." He winked.
"I'd more worried about Professor Snape sending Lockhart to the hospital for the rest of the year." I chuckled quietly to Harry and he snickered. Ron chuckled lowly next to us and Hermione smacked my arm. I scowled at her and rubbed my arm.
The two teachers walked to the middle of the table and raised their wands to their faces and quickly put them back down to their sides. They bowed and then walked away from each other about five large steps. When they turned they were facing each other and standing in their dueling poses.
"1, 2... 3!" Gilderoy smirked. He was about to wave his wand, but Snape was much faster.
"Expelliarmus!"
A beam of light swooped out from his wand and hit Lockhart in the chest, sending him hurtling backwards onto the floor. A lot of the students laughed, including Ron, Harry and I. Hermione cringed.
"Do you think he's alright?" She asked concerned.
"Who cares?" Ron snickered.
Lockhart slowly got up from the table, off his back.
"Excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape, but if you don't mind me saying, it was pretty obvious, uh, what you were about to do. And if I had wanted to stop you, it would have been only too easy." He chuckled nervously.
"Perhaps it would be prudent to first teach the students how to block unfriendly spells, Professor." Snape replied in his normal monotone voice. He seemed slightly amused but the whole thing.
"An excellent suggestion, Professor Snape!" Lockhart exclaimed after a moment. "Uh... Well, let's have a volunteer pair! Uh, Potter, Harry, Weasley, Ron, how about you?" Lockhart called upon the boys who looked really excited. Harry quickly made his way by us up to the table. Before Ron could even move, Professor Snape spoke.
"Weasley's wand causes devastation with the simplest spells. We'll be sending Potter to the hospital wing in a match box. Might I suggest someone from my own house? Malfoy, perhaps?"
Snape quickly turned around and pointed at Malfoy and gestured for him to get up on the table. He looked much to smug for my liking. Professor Lockhart looked uneasy as he walked back towards out side of the table.
"Good luck, Potter." Lockhart said.
"Thank you, sir." Harry nodded and walked towards the middle of the table.
Harry and Malfoy stared each other down as they met in the middle of the table.
"Wands at the ready!" Lockhart called out.
Harry and Malfoy copied Lockhart and Snape's traditional duel greeting. Moving their wands to their faces in front of them and then giving a small bow.
"Scared, Potter?" Malfoy scoffed.
"You wish." Harry huffed back. They walked away from each other about five large paces and turned.
"On the count of three, cast your charms to disarm your opponent, only to disarm." Lockhart warned. "We don't want any accident's here. One, two..."
"Everte Statum!" Malfoy casted before Lockhart had finished his count down. The spell knocked into Harry, sending him twirling though the air and landing roughly back down on the table.
Malfoy grinned at what he had done and the Slytherin's, especially Crabbe and Goyle laughed at Harry's pain. Ron, Hermione and I cringed for Harry, but were rather happy to see him get back up so quickly. Both boys took their stances again in aggressive manners.
"Rictusempra!" Harry casted quickly.
Draco, now flew through the air and tumbled back to the ground, roughly landing on his behind. He weakly looked up to Professor Snape since he'd landed in front of him. Snape glared and roughly grabbed Malfoy's robes from the back, hoisting him back to a standing position.
"I said disarm only!" Lockhart yelled.
"Serpensortia!" Malfoy angrily shouted.
A large black snake appeared from his wand landing on the table in the middle. Many students backed away as it raised it's head and started hissing, and slithering in a aggressive type manner. It slithered towards Harry and Professor Snape walked forward.
"Don't move, Potter. I'll get rid of it for you."
"Allow me, Professor Snape." Lockhart stepped forward almost as though he were jealous and trying to show off. "A large Ascendare!"
I cringed as he did nothing but send the snake high into the air, making it even more upset. It landed back down in front of me and a hufflepuff boy in our year, we'd come to know as Justin-Finch-Fletchly. He too was a muggle born. The snake hissed angrily and turned. Only I didn't hear hissing. I heard words. I didn't quite realize it, though. The snake was angry and confused. Harry walked up to it slowly.
"Sia hussa she." Harry spoke and the entire room seemed to freeze. I was much to focused on the snake that was now focused on Justin. It slithered forward and hissed, showing its fangs as a defense mechanism. "Sia hussey heth." Harry chanted. But the snake was still far to angry to notice him. It got even closer and everyone else backed up. I felt Ron's hands on my arms pulling me away but I wiggled out of them.
I stepped forward and looked the snake in the eyes. Without barely registering what I was doing.
"Sia hussey heth!" I scolded the snake even harder at the same time as my brother, making the snake leave him alone.
The snake looked at me and then turned to look at Harry. Before calming slightly. When we both looked up and smiled at Justin, not only was he now moved away from us both but the entire staff and students looked at us weirdly. Like they were afraid. Even Ron and Hermione looked a bit scared.
"Vipera Evanesca." Snape cast slowly, making the snake fizzle out and disappear into thin air.
"What are you two playing at!" Justin shouted angrily. Harry and I both frowned. I mean we'd just saved the kids life.
When we looked around to see everyone giving us strange looks, Harry and I both decided to quickly leave the hall. We ran straight for the common room with Hermione and Ron quickly following behind.
"Olivia! Harry! Wait!" Ron called out behind us. He ran forward and grabbed our shoulders making us stop. "You're both a Parselmouth?! Why didn't you tell us? Why didn't you tell me?" Ron asked quickly.
"A what?" Harry questioned them.
"You can talk to snakes." Hermione answered him.
"We know." Harry and I said together confused.
"We mean, we accidentally set a python on our cousin, Dudley, at the zoo once." I relayed to them. Ron and Hermione both looked even more concerned as I spoke even more which made me frown. "It only happened once and he was being a rather big git. But I don't believe we're Parselmouths, it's a really rare gift." I shook my head in denial.
"Exactly, Liv." Hermione pointed out. "Not many people in the wizarding world can do what you two just did. This is really bad."
"What's bad?" Harry asked angrily. "If we hadn't told that snake not to attack Justin..."
"Oh! That's what you said to it!" Ron interrupted Harry, making the both of us look at him strangely.
"You were there. You heard what we said." I argued.
"No, I heard you speaking Parseltongue, you know Snake language?" Ron gave me uneasy eyes as he explained what he meant.
"W-We spoke a different language?" Harry and I stuttered, even more concerned now then ever. We both began to babble at the same time over how we had no idea what the heck was happening to us or why we could even speak in snake without knowing it.
"How can we even speak a language without knowing we can?" Harry asked the most logistical question.
"I don't know, Harry. But it honestly sounded like the both of you were egging the snake on or something. Liv, Harry, 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."
"Exactly." Ron piped up. "Now the whole school's gonna think that your his great-great-great grandson and granddaughter or something."
"But we're not!" I huffed desperately.
"We can't be." Harry agreed sadly.
"He lived a thousand years ago." Hermione looked at the both of us sympathetically. "For all we know, you could be."
"I don't want to be a Parselmouth. I already wish, daily, the whole world didn't know I was Olivia Potter! Why do we have to add this to the list now too?" I whispered and ran to the dorms.
Harry tried to run after me, but Hermione quickly stopped him and shook her head. She leapt up the stairs after me and found me in our room with tears coming out of my eyes.
"Oh, Liv." Hermione sighed.
"Please, not now, Hermione." I shook my head and wiped my eyes. I pulled my knees to my chest. "I just want to be left alone."
"I believe the last time I said that, I had this very stubborn friend who wouldn't let me be alone." She smirked and sat on the end of my bed. "What's wrong, livy, tell me. Please."
"Hermione, i'm already a total weirdo! Too smart for my own good, famous and I don't want to be. Now to add to it all I'm a freak with a possible connection to the house I didn't want to be placed in. The whole school's going to be talking about it and they're going to think even more than they already do, that Harry and I are the ones causing these attacks. But we're not." I cried and she rubbed my back, also giving a big hug.
"The thing you need to remember is that no one else opinion of you much matters, except your own. And I don't want to see my best friend hating themself for something you've had no control over. One of the smartest and brightest witches I know once told me, that you shouldn't let others opinions about you, bother you. You're almost as smart as me," She joked and I couldn't help but chuckle. "brave, caring, and so what if your famous, or different. You have people who love you regardless of those things. Like your brother, myself and even Ron." She teased and I wiped my eyes. "I love you, Olivia, like the sister I never had."
"You do?" I sniffled.
"I do." She nodded and we hugged each other tightly. "I promise you, we will get this figured out. Together."
"Together." I repeated with a nod and a look of determination on my face.