Hospital Wing
(Harry fidgets in the darkness, half-asleep, then... his eyelids flutter slowly open... From the shadows that cling to the ceiling... to the lattice-work of moonlight that burns softly on the walls around him... He senses something... a presence... when five bandaged fingers enter Harry's field of sight, bringing a sponge to his brow. Harry bolts upright, finds...)
Harry: Dobby!
Dobby: Harry Potter came back to school. Dobby warned him. Harry Potter should have listened to Dobby. Harry Potter should have gone back home when he missed the train.
(Harry pushes the sponge away)
Harry: It was you! You stopped the barrier from letting Y/n, Ron and me through!
Dobby: Indeed yes, sir. Dobby hid and watched for Harry Potter and sealed the gateway.
Harry: You nearly got Y/n, Ron and me expelled!
Dobby: At least you would be away from here. Harry Potter must go home! Dobby thought his Bludger would beenough to make Harry Potter see --
Harry: Your Bludger? You made that Bludger chase after me?
Dobby: Dobby feels most aggrieved, sir.
(He starts waggling his fingers)
Dobby: Dobby had to iron his hands...
Harry: You'd better clear off before my bones come back, Dobby, or I might strangle you!
(Dobby smiles weakly)
Dobby: Dobby is used to death threats, sir. Dobby gets them five times a day at home.
Harry: I don't suppose you could tell me why you're trying to kill me?
Dobby: Not kill you, sir, never kill you! Dobby remembers how it was before Harry Potter triumphed over He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. We house elves were treated like vermin, sir. Of course, Dobby is still treated like vermin...
(Dobby honks his nose on the filthy pillowcase he wears)
Harry: Why do you wear that thing, Dobby?
Dobby: This, sir? 'Tis a mark of the house elf's enslavement. Dobby can only be freed if his master presents him with clothes. The family is careful not to pass Dobby so much as a sock, sir, for then he would be free to leave their house forever.
(Dobby's ears quiver, detecting footsteps. He whispers to Harry)
Dobby: Terrible things are about to happen at Hogwarts! Harry Potter must not stay here now that history is to repeat itself!
Harry: Repeat itself? You mean, this has happened before?
(Dobby seizes the Skele-Gro, beats himself about the head)
Harry: Tell me, Dobby? When did this happen before? Who's doing it now?
Dobby: Dobby cannot say, sir. Dobby only wants Harry Potter to be safe.
Harry: No, Dobby! Tell me! Who is it?
(CRACK! Dobby is gone. Shadows flicker beyond the curtain encircling Harry's bed. Harry slumps down... peers through a slit in the curtains. Dumbledore, in a nightcap, and McGonagall, in a tartan robe, heave a small statue onto an empty bed. Seconds later, Madam Pomfrey bustles in)
Madam Pomfrey: What's happened?
Dumbledore: There's been another attack.
(Madam Pomfrey gasps. It is not a statue lying there. It is Colin Creevey, camera still clutched to his eye)
McGonagall: Perhaps he managed to get a picture of his attacker...
(Dumbledore opens the camera. A jet of steam hisses forth)
McGonagall: What does this mean, Albus?
Dumbledore: It means our students are in great danger, Minerva. Mr. Creevey was fortunate. If not for this...
(He holds up the camera)
Dumbledore: He would surely be dead.
McGonagall: What sould I tell the staff, Albus?
Dumbledore: Tell them the truth. Tell them Hogwarts is no longer safe. Tell them it's as we feared. The Chamber of Secrets is indeed open again.
-----Time Skip-----
(The womens bathroom is a old gloomy place. Cracked mirrors. Chipped sinks. Guttering candles. Y/n, Harry and Ron huddle over a small, bubbling cauldron, as Hermione adds strange ingredients)
Hermione: Again? You mean, the Chamber of Secrets has been opened before?
Ron: Of course! Don't you see? Lucius Malfoy must've opened it when he was at school here, and now he's told Draco how to do it.
Y/n: That might be, we'll have to wait for the Polyjuice Potion to know for sure.
Ron: 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?
Hermione: Never. No one ever comes in here.
Y/n: Why?
Hermione: Moaning Myrtle.
Ron: Who's Moaning Myrtle?
(There is a loud, piercing screech, and the ghost of a young girl comes racing out of the wall. Face to Face with Ron)
Moaning Myrtle: I'm Moaning Myrtle. I wouldn't expect you to know me. Who would ever talk about fat, ugly, miserable, moping, moaning Myrtle?
(Myrtle sobs loudly and dives head first into the toilet)
Hermione: She's a little sensitive.
Y/n: A little?
Great Hall
(In the halls of the castle there is a Notice-board that reads: DUELING CLUB! First Meeting Tonight. In the great hall a golden stage has been erected. Lockhart struts atop it. Y/n, Harry, Ron, Hermione and good number of other students watch)
Lockhart: 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 upin case you ever need to defend yourselves as I myself have done on countless occasions-- for full details, see my published works.
(The boy next to Harry, Justin Finch Fletchley, turns to him)
Justin: That Lockhart's something, isn't he? Awfully brave chap.
(He offers his hand to Harry)
Justin: Justin Finch-Fletchley. Hufflepuff.
Harry: Nice to meet you. I'm --
Justin: I know who you are. We all do. Even us Muggle-borns.
(Justin grins agreeably, looks back to the stage, where Professor Snape has joined Lockhart on the stage)
Lockhart: Let me introduce my assistant. Professor Snape. He has sportingly agreed to help me witha 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!
Ron: What's the fun in that?
Y/n: That's what we call delusion.
(Harry and Ron laugh a little. Lockhart and Snape face each other and bow. They turn, walk ten paces, then... spin... wands poised like swords)
Lockhart: 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.
(Harry eyes Snape)
Harry: I wouldn't bet on that.
Lockhart: One-two-three--
Snape: Expelliarmus!
(A dazzling flash of scarlet light bursts forth and blasts Lockhart off his feet and into the wall behind. Y/n, Ron and Harry smile)
Hermione: Do you think he's all right?
Ron: Who cares?
(Lockhart rises unsteadily)
Lockhart: Well, there you have it. That wasa Disarming Charm. As you see, I've lost my wand.
(Hermione returns it to him)
Lockhart: 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...
Snape: Perhaps it would be prudent to first teach the students to block unfriendly spells, Professor.
Lockhart: An excellent suggestion, Professor Snape. Let's have a volunteer pair. Graves, Weasley, how about you?
Snape: Weasley's wand causes devastation with the simplest spells. We'll be sending Graves to the hospital wing in a matchbox. Might I suggest someone from my own house. Malfoy, perhaps.
(Malfoy and Y/n eye each other malevolently as they take their places onstage. Grudgingly, they bow to eachother)
Draco: Scared, Graves?
(Y/n chuckles a little)
Y/n: Here I thought you couldn't make jokes.
(They turn, walk ten paces, then whirl, wands poised)
Lockhart: Wands at the ready! When I countto three, cast your charms to disarm your opponent- only todisarm. We don't want any accidents. One, two--
(Malfoy fires early, a blast of white light flies towards Y/n who casually blocks it and looks at Draco with an eye brow raised. Y/n raises his wand and sends a jet of Silver light that hits Malfoy dead in the stomach. He doubles up, wheezing)
Lockhart: I said disarm only!
Y/n: Come on, that can't be all you got.
(Draco gets up and glares at Y/n)
Draco: Serpensortia!
(Y/n watches with interest as the tip of Malfoy's wand explodes and a long black snake slithers forth. Snape smiles with amusement)
Snape: Don't move, Graves. I'll get rid of it for you.
Lockhart: Allow me!
(Lockhart flicks his wand. BANG! The snake flies intothe air, hisses in rage, and slithers straight towards Justin Finch-Fletchley. As students scream, Y/n, dead calm, approaches the snake. It rises, fangs exposed, poised to strike Justin)
Y/n: Leave him.
(The snake looks into Y/n's eyes, then turns for Justin)
Y/n: I said... LEAVE HIM!
(The snake hovers a moment more, then miraculously slumps to the floor. Y/n huffs and grins curiously at the snake, he looks at Justin from the corner of his eye, with slight amusement)
Justin: What are you playing at?
(Terrified, Justin backs away. Y/n eyes the faces around him. Malfoy looks shocked. Seamus and Neville's eyes glitter with fear. Ginny bolts the room. Snape waves his wand and the snake vanishes in puff of black smoke, then regards Y/n with a look that is both shrewd and calculating. Ron grabs Y/n's arm)
Ron: Come on. Move. Now.
Gryffindor Common Room
(Ron and Hermione usher Y/n and Harry inside. Y/n glances up, sees Ginny Weasley staring down at him from the top of the stairs. As their eyes meet, she turns for the girls' dormitory)
Ron: You're a Parselmouth! Why didn't you tell us?
Harry: He's a what?
Hermione: Y/n can talk to snakes.
Y/n: I know I can speak to snakes. I mean, I accidentally told a snake to bite someone that bullied me back in my muggle school.
Harry: Does that matter? I bet loads of people here can do it, I could understand what Y/n said.
(Hermione, Ron and Y/n look at Harry, shocked and Y/n intrigued)
Ron: You're a Parselmouth too?!
Harry: Yeah, and if me and Y/n have it then it's normal, right?
Hermione: No. It's not normal and they can't. It's not a very common gift. This is bad.
Harry: What's bad? If Y/n hadn't told that snake not to attack Justin--
Ron: Oh, that's what you said to it.
Harry: You were there! You heard him!
Y/n: They didn't hear anything that normal people could understand, they only heard the launguage of snakes.
Harry: You spoke a different language? But I didn't realize-- how can we speak a language without knowing I can?
Hermione: I don't know, Harry. But it sounded like Y/n was egging the snake on or something. It was... creepy.
(As Gryffindors stream into the room, they eye Y/n warily. Even Seamus, Neville, and Dean Thomas walk by without a word)
Hermione: Harry, listen out me. There's a reason the symbol of Slytherin house is a serpent. Salazar Slytherin was a Parselmouth. He could talk to snakes too.
Ron: Exactly. And now the whole school's going to think Y/n's his great-great-great grandson or something.
Y/n: But I'm not. I can't be...
Hermione: He lived a thousand years ago. For all we know... you could be.
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M2, CHAPTER 7 IS DONE :)
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Word Count: 1768