❝︎Ginny Weasley was behind these attacks.❞︎

Year 2-7: Duel

e all gathered around a long thin stage in the great hall. Chatters filled the room as I stood next to Hermione Harry and Ron. Harry stood right next to me and because of the crowd was pushed tight towards me. I felt his hand touch my skin which made me tense up immediately remembering last night. Why did I do that?

"Can everybody see me?" Lockhart asks walking across the long stage. "Can you all.. hear me?" I noticed he was wearing some sort of a prince like outfit, it disgusted me.

"Excellent... In light of the dark events in recent weeks, Professor Dumbledore has permitted me 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 work," The arrogant little scum finished pulling his cloak off and throwing it to the crowd. The girls were eager to catch it and were hit by immediate jealously when one of the Gryffindor girls caught it. I don't know what they see in him.

"Let me introduce my assistant... Professor Snape" we all turned our heads to where Lockhart was pointing at. Surely enough, Snape in his usual black robes stepped up onto the stage with his arms crossed.

"He has agreed to help me with a short demonstration. Now I don't want any of you youngsters to be worried, you'll still have your potions professor when I'm through with him. Never fear." Lockhart says as Snape slowly walked towards him.

They met at the center of the stage looking at each other in the eye raising their wands to their face and down. The proper friendly duel etiquette. They bow and sharply turn their backs against each other walking to each end of the stage raising their wand ready to fight.

"One.. Two... Three!" Lockhart says with a smirk on his face.

"EX....Pelliarmus!" Snape says as soon as Lockhart finished counting. A white blast comes out from Snape wands sending Lockhart flying into the air. The students looked in worry while I laughed, this was the first time I ever liked Snape. Soon everyone else roared into laughter as Lockhart pulled himself back up.

"Do you think he's alright?" Hermione asks concerned furrowing her eyebrows.

"Who cares?" I respond laughing.

"An excellent idea to show them that Profesor Snape but if you don't mind me saying it was pretty obvious what you were about to do, and if I had wanted to stop you it would've been nearly too easy," Lockhart says walking up to Snape on the other side of the stage. I couldn't help but scoff.

"Perhaps it would be prudent to first teach the students to block unfriendly spells, professor," Snape says in his usual emotionless face. I was taught the Protego spell from my father. He taught Fleur and I as self-defense along with a few other spells.

"An excellent idea professor Snape. Let's have a volunteer pair... Ah... Potter! Weasley, how about you?" Harry eager to get up on the stage pushed through the crowd to make his way up.

"Weasley's wand causes devastation with the simplest spells. It will be sending Mr. Potter to the hospital wing in a matchbox. Might I suggest two different volunteers? Clermont and Parkinson, perhaps?" Snape sharply turns around gesturing Pansy to get up on the stage.

"Well I guess we can have two different sets of volunteers, Clermont you can go first," Lockhart says. I looked at Harry who was on the other side of the room waiting to get on the stage. He looked at me with worry in his eyes as so did everyone else. I looked back up at Pansy who was only smirking at me as if she knew she had already won. I kept an emotionless look on my face as I made myself up onto the stage with my arms crossed. Everyone's attention was drawn to the two of us. Pansy and I walked towards the middle as the two professors made their way to the end of the stage.

"Good luck Clermont," Lockhart says as he brushes past me. I nod still keeping my emotionless face as I meet Pansy in the middle.

"Wands at the ready!"

Pansy and I stared at each other. I smirk and winked at her making her lips quiver in anger, feels like I have already won. We sharply put our wands down and walked to each end of the stage raising our wands.

"On the count of three, cast your charms to disarm your opponent. ONLY to disarm. We don't want any accidents here." I could feel everyone's worried eyes on me, at least the Gryffindors. I don't need them to worry, I know I already won this.

"One.. Two-"

"Incarcerous!" Pansy shouted sending a rope out of her wand. A binding spell, quite advance to my surprise. If it had hit me the thin rope would've wrapped around my neck. Although she was too obvious with it.

"Protego!" I said shielding myself making the thin rope disappear as it hit the shield. That spell could've really killed me! That scum.

"Expelliarmus!" I say making Pansy's wand fly into the air and into my hands. The Gryffindor's cheered for me as I walked towards her to hand her back her wand.

"Nice try," I whisper smirking and walking off the stage with an emotionless face as if I was unbothered and back to Hermione and Ron.

"That was AMAZING Evelyn!" Hermione wraps her arms around me.

"You should've seen Snape's face!" Ron says with a huge smile on his face.

"Malfoy, you're up" Snape gestures at Malfoy who gets up on the stage followed with Harry on the other side.

"Same rules apply to you both," Lockhart says as they walk up to the middle. "Wands at the ready!"

"Scared Pottah?"

"You wish"

They sharply put their wands down and walk to each end prepared to fight.

"One.. Two-"

"Everete Statum!" Malfoy shouts as his spell sends Harry flying backward all the way to the end of the stage. It's like it's a tradition for the Slytherins to go out of count. The Slytherins start laughing and even Snape smirks. I looked at him worried as so did many other Gryffindors. Harry was quick to get on his feet pointing his wand at Malfoy in anger.

"Rictumsempra!" A white blast shoots out from Harry's wand and to Malfoy sending him flying backward to Snape. The Gryffindors roar out in laughter as Snape pulls Malfoy up by his robe who frantically gets on his feet ready to cast his next spell.

"I said DISARM only!" Lockhart shouts from behind Harry.

"Serpensortia!" Draco shouts sending another white blast out of his wand. Instead of hitting Harry, however, it shoots out a snake that freely roamed the stage.

"Don't move Potter, I'll get rid of it for you" Snape says walking towards the snake.

"Allow me Profesor Snape, Alarte Ascendare!" Lockhart says brushing past Harry and pointing his wand at the snake. The spell sends the snake flying up in the air and back down only to anger it. We all backed up and I watched in worry as Harry started to walk towards the now angered snake. He started to whisper something, something I couldn't understand, a whole other language. I remember hearing like this before... At the 2nd floor girl's lavatory... With Ginny. Parseltongue.

The snake sharply turned towards a Hufflepuff boy who had been standing next to me. We all watched in silence as the snake slowly slithered it's way towards him, now frozen in fear, as Harry continued to whisper something. I know Harry would never but it almost sounded like he was egging the snake to attack the boy. It showed it's fangs and turned towards Harry.

"Vipera Evanesca" Snape pointed his wand at the snake making it vanish, his eyes glued onto Harry in disbelief.

"What are you playing at?" The Hufflepuff boy asked, his voice still shaky. Harry looked around noticing everyone looking at him in disbelief, even me.

"Class... Dismissed" Lockhart slowly says staring at Harry who ran out of the class, Hermione Ron and I were quick to follow.

~***~

We rushed inside the Gryffindor common room panting and breathing heavily.

"You're Parselmouth? Why didn't you tell us!" Ron asks putting his hand on Harry's shoulder to make him turn to us.

"I'm what?"

"You can talk to snakes," Hermione says furrowing her eyebrows.

"I know, I accidentally sent a Python to my cousin Dudley at the zoo once. Once, but so what? I bet lots of people here can do it"

"No, they can't. It's not a very common gift Harry. This is bad" I told him.

"What's bad? If I hadn't told the snake not to attack Justin-"

"Oh, that's what you said!" Ron sighed in relief interrupting Harry.

"You were there! You heard me!"

"I heard you speaking Parseltongue! Snake language?"

"I spoke a different language...? But I didn't realize- how?"

"I don't know Harry but it sounded like you were egging the snake onto something. Listen to me, there's a reason the symbol of Slytherin house is a serpent. Salazar Slytherin was also a Parsemouth. Now everyone thinks you're the heir of Slytherin." I explained putting my hand on his arm.

"But- I can't be. There's no way"

"He lived hundreds of years ago. For all we know, you could be" Hermione says sympathetically.

"I'm going to the dormitories," Harry says rushing upstairs along with Ron who followed.

"Hermione."

"Yeah?" She turned around looking at me.

"I remember hearing that.. that language. Back in the girl's lavatory on the second floor, you know, with Ginny"

She looked at me with widened eyes.

"Are you sure?"

"100%."

Ginny Weasley was behind these attacks.

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