CHAPTER TWELVE
SERPENT TONGUE
***
"𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗜𝗦 𝗦𝗢 𝗦𝗧𝗨𝗣𝗜𝗗," I whined, following the trio into the Great Hall.
We squeezed through the crowd of people and stood right by the long stage. I've never seen this room without the four house tables so this room looked even bigger. At the other end were my fellow Slytherins, Flint and Malfoy were both having a laugh together so I'm guessing Flint is over the snitch incident.
"Gather round! Gather round!" Lockart bellowed, walking up the few steps onto the stage, "Can everybody see me? Can you all hear me?" He looked at me challenging me to say something, I smirked and crossed my arms, "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 yourself as I have done so myself on countless occasions."
"What is he gonna train us how to professionally run away?" I muttered to Ron who was behind me, looking over my head.
Ron snickered, "Places to hide 101," He added.
He took off his cape and tossed it to a group of Gryffindor girls who were literally smelling it.
"That Lockhart's something isn't he? Awfully brave chap." A Hufflepuff boy turned to Harry, who was beside me. Ron turned around and began speaking to his twin brothers along with Hermione and Oliver Wood. The boy held his hand out to Harry, "Justin Finch-Fletchley, Hufflepuff,"
Harry shook his hand, "Oh nice to meet you I'm-"
"-I know who you are - we all do even us muggleborns," He cut Harry off, Harry awkwardly laughed, Justin then hesitantly put his hand to me, he didn't really want to introduce himself because I was in Slytherin and a lot of Slytherins had an issue with muggleborns but he was doing it to be polite.
"Eloise," I smiled shaking his hand.
"Let me introduce you to my assistant Professor Snape!" Lockhart bellowed, Snape gliding up the steps with his arms folded and a blank face, "He has sportiningly agreed to help me with a short demonstration."
"Sportingly he says," Ron whispered in my ear making me grin.
"Now I don't want any of you youngsters to worry you'll still have your Potions master after I'm through with him. Never fear," He winked at a Hufflepuff girl called Hannah Abbott.
Snape and Lockhart stepped towards each other and bowed, ten turned and took their positions.
"One. Two. Three-"
Snape pointed his wand and bellowed, "Expelliarmus!" Lockhart went flying backwards and fell hard on his back, knocking the air out of him. A lot of students in the room gasped and watch Lockhart struggle to get up.
"Do you think he's alright?" Hermione asked, standing on her tip toes.
"Who cares," Ron laughed.
Lockhart finally got to his feet and brushed it off, "An excellent idea to show that that, Professor Snape, but if you don't mind me saying, it was pretty obvious what you were about to do if I had wanted to stop you, it would only of been too easy."
I snorted a little too loudly, "Oh put a sock in it," I stifled my laughter covering my face that was beat red from holding in my laugh. Snape cracked a smirk and continued with the demonstration.
Ron turned me around to look at him, he too was doing his best to not let his laugh slip from his mouth, "Sh!" He hissed, beaming a smile.
I turned around and looked at Snape.
"Perhaps it would be prudent to first teach the student how to block unfriendly spells, Professor." Snape said.
"An excellent suggestion Professor Snape, let's have a volunteer pair - Potter! Weasley! How about you?" He looked over his left shoulder where the Gryffindors were stood,
"Weasley's wand causes devastation even with the simplest spells, we'll be sending Potter to the hospital wing in a matchbox, might I suggest someone from my own house," Snape's eyes flicked to me, I shook my head, "Malfoy? Perhaps?" He quickly thought of someone else.
It felt good knowing that I would of been first pick, boosts my ego a little.
Malfoy jumped up onto the stage, unlike Harry who walked around to use the steps. The two teachers walked to the very ends of the stage, "Goodluck Potter," Lockhart muttered passing him.
"Thank you sir."
Malfoy shot me a wink on his way way to Potter, I rolled my eyes and continued watching.
"Wands at the ready!" The two held their wand upwards.
"Scared Potter?"
"You wish,"
The people watching all smirked since they knew the two hated each other it would be some sort of show. They turned their backs on eachother and took their place. Ron shot Harry a worried look.
"On the count of three cast your charms to disarm your opponent - only to disarm!" Lockhart spoke up, "We don't want any accidents."
I looked at Ron and Hermione and they stared at Harry with a scared expression, "Relax you two, he'll be fine," I smiled and looked back at Harry.
"One."
"Two-"
"-Everte statum!" Malfoy shouted pointing his wand at Harry. An orange light shot out knocking Hary backwards. Malfoy smirked and Crabbe's horrible laugh was echoed through the hall.
"Cheat!" Someone shouted.
Harry quickly got to his feet and he was not happy. "Rictumsempra!"
Malfoy flew backwards, the Gryffindors laughed and Snape bought him back to his feet, "I said disarm only!" Lockhart shouted.
"Seprensortia!"
Instead of Harry flying backwards a live snake shot out of Malfoy's wand. The people closest to the stage took a little step back.
"Don't move Potter. I'll get rid of it-"
"Allow me Professor Snape," Lockhart came from behind Harry, "Alarte ascendare!"
The snake flew upwards, almost touching the ceiling and thudded back to the ground making a loud hiss.
"It's still there," I stated, looking at Lockhart.
Before anyone did anything the snake began slithering to the edge of the stage hissing. Harry began whispering something that no one in the room seemed to understand. It sounded a lot like a made up language but the snake understood it, I understood it.
"Stop," He whispered.
The teachers and students looked at Harry mortified. The snake stood tall and began hissing loudly at Justin, the Hufflepuff from earlier.
"Don't attack,"
Justin, and the students around him stepped back but Justin didn't move, he looked terrified.
"Don't attack,"
The snake moved closer and closer, Harry kept repeating the same phrase. I stepped in front of Justin slowly. Once the snake made eye contact with me it stayed still and quiet, then laid back down and slithered off.
"Vipera evanasca," Snape said quietly and snake turned to ashes.
Everyone stared at Harry, "What are you playing at?" Justin called from behind me.
"Well I think this was a good starter to the club, er, see you all next time for the next session." Lockhart said over the silence, dismissing everybody.
Harry jumped off the stage in front of Hermione, everyone left the Great Hall silently.
The four of us walked into the Gryffindor common room with out speaking a word to each other until we were completely alone.
Ron was first to break the silence, "You're a parselmouth? Why didn't you tell us?"
Harry looked at him confused, "A what?"
"A parselmouth, you can talk to snakes." Hermione explained.
"You heard me?"
"We heard you speaking parseltongue, snake language." Ron answered.
"I spoke a different language?" The two nodded, "But I didn't realise - how can I speak a language with out knowing I can?"
"We don't know but it sounded like you were egging the snake on or something," Hermione responded,
"He wasn't," I shook my head.
"How would you know?" Hermione looked at me, I was about to say that I understood what he was saying but judging by their reactions I decided not to.
"Because Harry wouldn't do that." I said.
"What's the big deal? I bet loads of people here can do it," Harry added.
Hermione and Ron shook their head, "It's not a very common gift Harry," Hermione reached for the logo on my robes, "There's a reason Slytherin's symbol is a serpent, Salazar Slytherin was a parselmouth, he could talk to snakes too!" She let go of me.
"Exactly, now the whole school's gonna think you're his great great great grandson or something," Ron added.
"But I'm not!" Harry snapped, "I can't be," He added in a softer voice.
"He lived a thousand years ago, for all we know you could be," Hermione said quietly.
Later that evening we all sat in the library catching up on homework, I sat next to Harry opposite the other two and Ginny was just across from them writing in a little black book.
Harry turned around to look at something, and then he looked at the people on our long table, they looked away avoiding eye contact. He shut his books and piled them on top of one another, "I'll see you back at the common room you two," He then turned to me, "See you tomorrow," He walked off not looking back.
"What do you think's gotten into him?" Ron whispered.
"Probably just the stuff that happened earlier," Hermione answered. A voice behind me caught my attention but I couldn't make out what they were saying over Ron's voice.
"Shush." I hushed him.
"Wh-"
"Stop talking!" I hissed and listened closely to what the people one the table behind us were saying.
"So anyway, I told Justin to stay hidden in our dormitory for a little, I mean to say if Potter's got him down as his next victim it's best if he keeps a low profile for now,"
"But why would he want to attack Justin?"
"Justin let it slip to Harry that he was muggleborn - not to mention what happened with that snake, if Snape hadn't of stepped in Justin may of got bitten,"
"And you definitely think that Potter's the heir of Slytherin?"
"Hannah, he's a parselmouth,"
"Yeah Han, everyone knows that's the mark of a dark wizard, have you ever heard of a decent one that could talk to snakes,"
"Yeah they did call Slytherin himself serpent tongue,"
The voice that belonged to a girl spoke up again, she out of the two male voices were the only one that sounded like she was defending Harry, "Harry always seems so nice though,"
"That's what he wants you to think,"
"But he is the one that made You-Know-Who go away,"
"That's probably why You-Know-Who wanted to kill him in the first place, didn't want another dark wizard competing,"
"I guess it would make sense why he gets on so well with that Slytherin girl," The girl, Hannah, spoke up again, I narrowed my eyes to concentrate even more. Hermione and Ron exchanged looks also eavesdropping.
"Merlin Hannah, I didn't think of that. If Eloise-"
"-Sh! She's just there!" Hannah hissed.
"She can't hear us," I smirked at what one of the boys said, "But she probably helps him get into the Slytherin dungeons since he's in Gryffindor and can't get in himself,"
"Well, I've never spoken to her but I'm sure she's nice, she did stick up for Justin and made the snake go away," Hannah said.
"It was weird how it went away, sort of like the snake was scared of her,"
I shut my book and picked up my things, the two infront of me instantly began shaking their heads. "Don't go over there Elle," Ron begged,
"Relax I'm not going too, I'm going to my dorm, actually," I stood up and stepped over the bench.
"See you tomorrow?" Hermione asked.
"Of course," I answered, then looked to her right and smiled at Ginny who looked sort of ill. I walked off and as I passed the table where Hannah was with the Hufflepuffs I smirked, "Hi Hannah," I waved on my way out.
I chuckled to myself until I heard the voice.
Kill... Kill... Let me kill you...
I followed it and then I saw Filch at the end of the hallway talking to someone, I walked closer.
"I'll have you out of this school Potter, you wait and see." He grunted walking off.
I went to the place he was previously stood at and saw Harry kneeling down beside Justin, who was petrified and over them floated a froze Nearly Headless Nick.
"Harry?" I muttered.
He jumped at my voice and began shaking his head, "I didn't do it - I swear I didn't!"
A/N: i loved writing this chapter not sure why but just diddd, few secrets get spilled too ;)