Chapter Eleven: (Muahahahahahahahahaha!)
The small group of teenagers stormed back up the
stairs as soon as lunch ended, desperate to return to their book. When they
finally made it up the stairs and into the room, they immediately stopped,
looking in on the site before them.
Harry lay fast asleep on
James’ bed, Shadow (Sirius’ owl, for those that may not remember) preening
himself on Harry’s head. However, as soon as the owl noticed the group of
people at the door, he gave a loud hoot and flew slightly into the air.
“Woo, Shadow’s back!”
Sirius cheered immediately, shoving Draco, who had been in front of everyone,
to the side, and quickly taking the note from his owl. “Wonder what Destiny has
to say?”
Draco gave Sirius a
weird look as he moved over to James’ bed. He stared down at Harry’s still form
for a moment, a soft smile tugging at his lips, before he suddenly reached out
and shook the poor boy awake.
“Wha—” Harry, began blankly,
blinking up at Draco vaguely. He reached his hand forward slightly, picked up
his glasses, and quickly put them on. “Oh. You’re back.”
“How astute of you,”
Draco drawled. “Idiot Number Two’s got some food for you.”
Harry blinked. “Who?” he
asked.
“James. Sirius is Idiot Number
One, and Remus is Idiot Number Three.”
“Oh. Makes perfect
sense.”
“Gees, do you want to
eat or not?” James grumbled, shoving two sandwiches in Harry’s hands. “You
wouldn’t believe how much my mom laughed when Draco said he was used to eating
every two hours.”
“You said that to get me
sandwiches?” Harry asked Draco blankly.
“I figured I’d better
help get you your sandwiches, or your stomach was likely to start growling and
totally ruin the book,” Draco shrugged.
“Ha ha,” Harry muttered
dryly before quickly devouring the two sandwiches. James, Remus, and Draco
stared. “The Dursleys don’t like to feed me much,” he explained upon seeing
their surprised faces.
Shaking himself out of
his stupor, Remus handed Harry the goblet of pumpkin juice he had been holding.
Harry quickly gulped it down.
“For such a small
person, you sure do eat a lot,” Remus muttered, shaking his head.
“If the Dursleys didn’t
attempt to starve, I probably wouldn’t be so hungry,” Harry pointed out.
“Hey, James!” Sirius
suddenly exclaimed, bouncing up and down, making them all jump. “I need to talk
to your mum! Destiny wants to meet you! She wants to come over! Can I go ask
your mum?”
“Uh…sure,” James said
rather reluctantly.
“Awesome!” Sirius squealed,
glomped James, and quickly bounced out the door, scarily reminding the writer
of a Tigger without a tail.
“He is so weird,”
Draco said.
Everybody nodded in
agreement and then sat down on James’ bed, waiting for Sirius to get back.
Luckily for them, it wasn’t long before he came bouncing back in, grinning.
“Mum said she could come
over and she could stay as long as we wanted her to stay ‘cause her parents don’t
really care how long she’s gone, and I bet she’ll be here soon after we finish
this chapter!” he squealed out in one breath.
The others stared.
“Oh, she especially
wants to meet you, Rem. I told her I was dating someone, and now she’s really
interested,” Sirius continued in his normal, calm voice.
“So, what’s she like,
anyway?” James asked curiously.
“As bad as me,” Sirius
returned, grinning insanely. “Only she likes Divinations. Things are going to
get really interesting now.”
“As if they weren’t
interesting enough before,” Remus grumbled.
“Of course they weren’t!”
Sirius grinned. “Anyway, let’s get back to the book. I wanna know what happens
next!”
“Yeah, let’s get back to
it,” James agreed. “Read on, Harry!”
“All right,” Harry
shrugged, finding his place in the book. “And this chapter is—” he paused for
suspense “—The Dueling Club!”
“Ooooh, sounds like fun!”
Sirius grinned happily, and Harry began the chapter….
Harry woke up on Saturday morning to find the dormitory blazing
Sirius- Aah! The dorms’re
on fire! Run for your lives!
Remus- ::rolls his
eyes:: Siri, shut up.
Sirius- ::pouts::
with winter sunlight and his arm reboned but very stiff.
Sirius- One would
certainly think so.
James- Apparently.
Sirius- …Shut up,
Jamesy.
James- Would you stop
calling me that already?
Sirius- Uh…nope.
James- …
He sat up quickly and looked over at Colin’s bed,
Sirius- ::gasps:: Harry’s
turned stalker!
James- No. Colin’s
the stalker, remember?
Sirius- Well, yeah, but….
Lily- Sirius, my son is
not stalking him.
Sirius- …If you say so.
Others- ::snicker::
but it had been blocked from view by the high curtains Harry had changed behind yesterday.
Remus- Doesn’t she have
any other curtains to hang around beds?
Harry- Apparently not.
She should get some in a few different colors.
Draco- Like green.
Harry- Red.
Draco- Green.
Harry- Red.
Lily- How about both?
Sirius- Yeah, we could
have Christmas year-round!
James- Woo! Presents for
everyone!
Remus- …How about gold
and silver instead?
Harry/Draco- Yeah. Gold
and silver’s better.
Sirius/James- ::pout::
Seeing that he was awake, Madam Pomfrey came bustling over with a breakfast tray and then began bending and stretching his arm and fingers.
“All in order,” she said as he
clumsily fed himself porridge left-handed.
Remus- Not a very pretty sight, if it’s as bad as Sirius’ attempt was.
Sirius- And I vow never to feed myself with the wrong hand again.
Harry- …I…don’t think I really want to know.
Draco- ::nods his head in agreement::
Lily- You’re right, you don’t. You definitely don’t.
“When you’ve
finished eating, you may leave.”
Harry dressed as quickly as he
could and hurried off to Gryffindor Tower, desperate to tell Ron and Hermione
about Colin and Dobby, but they weren’t there.
Sirius- Well, they wouldn’t want to be disturbed in the middle of snogging, now would they?
James- Sirius!
Remus- Yes, it’s just like when people interrupt me and Sirius. Very annoying. ::glares pointedly at James::
James- REMUS!
Sirius/Remus- ::grin innocently::
James- ::glares at them::
Others- ::roll their eyes::
Harry left to
look for them, wondering where they could have got to and feeling slightly hurt
that they weren’t interested in whether he had his bones back or not.
Draco- Poor Harry. ::pats Harry’s back::
Harry- ::swats Draco’s hand away::
Draco- ::holds his hands up in defense:: Just trying to be sympathetic!
Harry- Well, you’re failing. Miserably.
Draco- ::pouts::
Harry- You’re pouting again.
Draco- I AM NOT!
Others- ::snicker::
As Harry passed the library,
Percy Weasley
Draco- ::scowls::
Peter- What’s up with you?
Draco- Never you mind.
Peter- ::pouts::
strolled out of
it, looking in far better spirits than last time they’d met.
Sirius- Well, gee, I wonder why?
Remus- I don’t know. Might it have something to do with winning the game?
James- No! It couldn’t be!
Others- …
“Oh, hello, Harry,” he said.
“Excellent flying yesterday, really excellent.
Gryffindor has just taken the lead for the House Cup—you earned fifty
points!”
Draco- ::grumbles:: Don’t remind me.
Harry- I earned fifty points.
Draco- ::glares at Harry::
Others- ::snicker::
“You haven’t seen Ron or
Hermione, have you?” said Harry.
Lily- Well, gee, that’s nice! He doesn’t even get a “thank you”, Harry?
Harry- I was preoccupied!
“No, I haven’t,” said Percy, his
smile fading. “I hope Ron’s not in another girls’ toilet….”
Draco- ::grins:: Well, all things considered….
Harry- ::elbows Draco:: Shut up.
Draco- ::grins more::
Harry forced a laugh, watched
Percy walk out of sight, and then headed straight for Moaning Myrtle’s
bathroom.
James- Because, hey, what better place is there to relax?
Lily- The stomach of the giant squid would be good.
Remus- …I think I’d prefer Myrtle’s bathroom.
He couldn’t see
why Ron and Hermione would be in there again,
Sirius- ::makes a coughing noise that sounds suspiciously like “Snogging!”::
Harry- ::glares at Sirius:: Shut up, already!
but after making
sure that neither Filch nor any prefects were around, he opened the door and
heard their voices coming from a locked stall.
Lily- Not a word, Sirius.
Sirius- I wasn’t going to say anything!
“It’s me,” he said, closing the
door behind him. There was a clunk, a splash, and a gasp from within the stall
and he saw Hermione’s eye peering through the keyhole.
Draco- You’d think they’d know what your voice sounded like, wouldn’t you?
Harry- Shut up.
“Harry!” she said. “You
gave us such a fright—come on—how’s your arm?”
James- Well, at least she cares enough to ask.
“Fine,” said Harry, squeezing
into the stall.
Remus- That stall must be pretty crowded now.
Sirius- How do they all fit?
James- It’s magic!
Lily- You think?
An old cauldron
Remus- That they got from where, exactly?
was perched on
the toilet, and a crackling from under the rim told Harry they had lit a fire
beneath it. Conjuring up portable, waterproof fires was a specialty of
Hermione’s.
Remus- I’m good at that too.
Draco- Me too. I like fire.
Remus- Yeah, fire’s cool.
Others- …::give Remus and Draco weird looks::
Remus/Draco- What?
“We’d’ve come to meet you, but
we decided to get started on the Polyjuice Potion,”
James- ::looks thoughtful:: Good excuse.
Ron explained as Harry, with difficulty, locked the stall again. “We’ve decided this is the safest place to hide it.”
Lily- Yeah. There’s certainly nobody going in there.
Harry started to tell them about
Colin, but Hermione interrupted.
Sirius- With a cheer.
“We already know—we heard
Professor McGonagall telling Professor Flitwick this morning. That’s why we
decided we’d better get going—”
Draco- I have the strangest feeling my name’s going to enter this conversation too.
Harry- Yup.
Draco- Gees. You sure do talk about me a lot.
Harry- Yes, well, it’s only because we’re all secretly madly in love with you.
Draco- ::rolls his eyes::
Others- ::snort::
“The sooner we get a confession
out of Malfoy,
Draco- ::frowns:: And there it is!
the better,”
snarled Ron. “D’you know what I think? He was in such a foul temper after the
Quidditch match, he took it out on Colin.”
Draco- Yeah, that’s what I did. Not only was I in a foul mood that I lost, but I was mad at the idiot for wasting his film on Harry.
Harry- I’m sure you’d much rather have him taking pictures of you, Mr. My-Ego-Is-As-Big-As-Jupiter.
Draco- ::grins cheekily:: Actually, I was more thinking along the lines of My-Ego-Is-As-Big-As-The-Sun.
Others- ::roll their eyes::
“There’s something else,” said
Harry, watching Hermione tearing bundles of knotgrass and throwing them into
the potion.
Peter- She shoots! …She scores!
Harry- ::waits a moment:: And now a slam dunk! Granger’s hot tonight!
James/Sirius/Draco- ::look as if they’re doubting Peter’s and Harry’s sanity::
Peter- Muggle thing.
Harry- Basketball. Fun sport.
Sirius- Isn’t that what you were talking about when Wood was explaining Quidditch to you?
Harry- Yup.
“Dobby came to
visit me in the middle of the night.”
Ron and Hermione looked up,
amazed. Harry told them everything Dobby had told him—or hadn’t told him.
Draco- He has a disturbing habit of not telling someone something when he’s trying to tell them something.
Sirius- You must be pretty good at discerning what he’s not telling you by now, then.
Draco- Yeah. Pretty good.
Others- ::look confused::
Hermione and Ron
listened with their mouths open.
“The Chamber of Secrets had been
opened before?” Hermione said.
Draco- Duh.
Harry- ::elbows Draco::
“This settles it,” said Ron in a
triumphant voice. “Lucius
Draco- ::rolls his eyes:: My God!
Sirius/James- You called?
Remus- Would you stop with that already?
James- But I really am God! Remember, Esben?
Remus- It’s your middle name.
James- But it still means God!
Remus- ::sighs:: And what’s Sirius’ excuse?
Sirius- I’m absolutely perfect, therefore I must be God!
Remus- …
Sirius- Well, you’re in love with me, aren’t you?
Remus- …I’m beginning to question why.
Sirius- ::pouts::
Malfoy must’ve
opened the Chamber when he was at school here and now he’s told dear old Draco
how to do it. It’s obvious. Wish Dobby’d told you what kind of monster’s in
there, though. I want to know how come nobody’s noticed it sneaking around the
school.”
“Maybe it can make itself
invisible,” said Hermione, prodding leeches to the bottom of the cauldron. “Or
maybe it can disguise itself—pretend to be a suit of armor or something—I’ve
read about Chameleon Ghouls—”
Draco- ::nods:: They’re really very interesting, actually.
“You read too much, Hermione,”
said Ron, pouring dead lacewings on top of the leeches. He crumpled up the
empty lacewing bag and looked at Harry.
“So Dobby stopped us from
getting on the train and broke your arm….” He shook his head. “You know what,
Harry? If he doesn’t stop trying to save your life he’s going to kill you.”
Sirius- And it took you how long to figure this one out?
* * *
Harry- Ooh, stars!
Remus- That gets old real fast.
Harry- Huh?
Sirius- ::grins:: I started it.
The news that Colin Creevey had been attacked and was now lying as though dead in the hospital wing had spread through the entire school by Monday morning.
Lily- It’s really very
interesting how fast rumors spread around Hogwarts.
James- No, not really.
The air was suddenly thick with rumor and suspicion. The first years were now moving around the castle in tight-knit groups, as though scared they would be attacked if they ventured forth alone.
Ginny Weasley, who sat next to
Colin Creevey in Charms,
Harry- And I knew this how?
Draco- Huh?
Harry- This book is from my point-of-view! I didn’t know I knew that!
Draco- Maybe you forgot you knew it?
Harry- …That’s a possibility.
was distraught,
but Harry felt that Fred and George were going the wrong way about cheering her
up.
Draco- ::rolls his eyes:: Weasleys….
Harry- Oh, shut up.
They were taking
turns covering themselves with fur or boils and jumping out at her from behind
statues.
Lily- ::rolls her eyes:: Oh, yes, that’s very helpful.
They only stopped
when Percy, apoplectic with rage, told them he was going to write to Mrs.
Weasley and tell her Ginny was having nightmares.
Peter- I’d be having nightmares too.
Meanwhile, hidden from the
teachers,
James- Who probably really do know about whatever’s being hidden….
Sirius- Why they never bother to stop it is beyond me.
a roaring trade
in talismans, amulets, and other protective devices was sweeping the school.
Neville Longbottom bought a large, evil-smelling green onion, a pointed purple
crystal, and a rotting newt tail before the other Gryffindor boys pointed out
that he was in no danger; he was a pure-blood, and therefore unlikely to be
attacked.
Remus- Well, not really…. I mean, he’s horrible at magic, isn’t he?
“They went for Filch first,”
Neville said, his round face fearful. “And everyone knows I’m almost a Squib.”
Remus- Exactly what I thought.
In the second week of December
Professor McGonagall came around as usual, collecting names of those who would
be staying at school for Christmas. Harry, Ron, and Hermione signed her list;
they had heard that Malfoy was staying, which struck them as very suspicious.
Draco- It’s suspicious that I’m staying at school? Please, like the Heir would attack me! I had nothing to worry about.
Harry- Why did you stay home, anyway?
Draco- My parents were on business.
Sirius- ::looks at Draco suspiciously:: What kind of business?
Draco- ::flushes:: (mumbling) None of your business.
Sirius- …::eyes widen in surprise:: Uh…
Others- o.O
The holidays
would be the perfect time to use the Polyjuice Potion and try to worm a
confession out of him.
Draco- ::starts looking suspicious, as if suddenly realizing something.
Unfortunately, the potion was
only half finished. They still needed the bicorn horn and the boomslang skin,
and the only place they were going to get them was from Snape’s private stores.
Draco- You could always have ordered them.
Harry- It’d take too long.
Harry privately
felt he’d rather face Slytherin’s legendary monster
Draco- Which you end up doing anyway, of course.
Harry- ::grins:: Of course! I’m the hero, remember?
Draco- …
than let Snape
catch him robbing his office.
Sirius- Which is exactly why you don’t let him catch you.
“What we need,” said Hermione
briskly as Thursday afternoon’s double Potions lesson loomed nearer, “is a
diversion.
All except Harry- Oh boy.
Then one of us
can sneak into Snape’s office and take what we need.”
Harry and Ron looked at her nervously.
James- ::grins:: Wonder if Fluffy’s still around?
Sirius- ::grins:: Yeah! He could eat Snape for us!
Draco- ::frowns::
“I think I’d better do the
actual stealing,” Hermione continued in a matter-of-fact tone.
All but Harry- ::raise their eyebrows (just one for Dracie ^-^)::
“You two will be
expelled if you get into any more trouble, and I’ve got a clean record.
Lily- Amazingly enough.
So all you need
to do is cause enough mayhem to keep Snape busy for five minutes or so.”
Sirius- Mayhem? In Snape’s class?
James- Nice knowing you, Harry.
Harry- I’m still alive, aren’t I?
Draco- Not for long, if things keep going as they are.
Harry- Oh, shut up.
Harry smiled feebly.
Deliberately causing mayhem in Snape’s Potions class was about as safe as
poking a sleeping dragon in the eye.
Sirius- Actually, the dragon probably wouldn’t notice.
Draco- ::smirks rather evilly:: It would. Anyway, I’m more dangerous in the morning than a dragon. You should try waking me up.
Harry- ::grins:: I’ll be sure to do that.
Draco- Well, then I hold no responsibility for whatever happens to you.
Potions lessons took place in
one of the large dungeons.
Sirius- Naw, really?
Thursday
afternoon’s lesson proceeded in the usual way. Twenty cauldrons stood steaming
between the wooden desks, on which stood brass scales and jars of ingredients.
Snape prowled through the fumes, making waspish remarks about the Gryffindors’
work while the Slytherins sniggered appreciatively. Draco Malfoy,
Draco- Ooh, I’m in here again!
Sirius- Damn, Harry, you pay way too much attention to him. ::stares at him pointedly::
Harry-
::blushes:: Shut up, Sirius!
Sirius- ::snickers::
who was Snape’s
favorite student,
Draco- Damn straight.
kept flicking
puffer-fish eyes
Sirius- What eyes?
Draco- An ingredient, idiot.
Sirius- …Oh. I knew that.
Others- ::roll their eyes::
at Ron and Harry,
who knew that if they retaliated they would get detention faster than you could
say “Unfair.”
Harry’s Swelling Solution was
far too runny, but he had his mind on more important things.
Sirius- ::grins:: Like Draco.
Harry- ::smacks Sirius, blushing:: Sirius!
Sirius- ::snickers::
He was waiting
for Hermione’s signal, and he hardly listened as Snape paused to sneer at his
watery potion. When Snape turned and walked off to bully Neville, Hermione
caught Harry’s eye
Sirius- You really shouldn’t be throwing your eyes around like that, Harry.
Others- …
Harry- Um, Sirius, do you by any chance take some sort of medication?
Sirius- No. Why do you ask?
Harry- …Never mind….
and nodded.
Harry ducked swiftly down behind
his cauldron, pulled one of Fred’s Filibuster fireworks out of his pocket, and
gave it a quick prod with his wand. The firework began to fizz and sputter.
Knowing he had only seconds, Harry straightened up, took aim, and lobbed it
into the air; it landed right on target in Goyle’s cauldron.
Sirius- Ooh, good aim!
James- ::looks appreciative:: Maybe you’d be a good Chaser too.
Remus- That’d be cool.
Goyle’s potion exploded,
showering the whole class. People shrieked
Sirius- I’m melting! Meeellting!!!
James- What?
Sirius- ::grins:: Nothing.
as splashes of
the Swelling Solution hit them. Malfoy got a faceful and his nose began to
swell like a balloon;
Everyone except Draco/Lily- ::burst into hysterical laughter::
Goyle blundered
around, his hands over his eyes, which had expanded to the size of a dinner
plate—Snape was trying to restore calm and find out what had happened. Through
the confusion, Harry saw Hermione slip quietly into Snape’s office.
“Silence! SILENCE!” Snape
roared. “Anyone who had been splashed, come here for a Deflating Draft—when I
find out who did this—”
Harry tried not to laugh as he
watched Malfoy hurry forward, head drooping with the weight of a nose like a
small melon. As half the class lumbered up to Snape’s desk, some weighted down
with arms like clubs, others unable to talk through gigantic puffed-up lips,
Harry
Remus- You didn’t get hit?
Harry- ::grins:: Nope.
saw Hermione
slide back into the dungeon, the front of her robes bulging.
When everyone had taken a swig
of antidote and the various swellings had subsided, Snape swept over to Goyle’s
cauldron and scooped out the twisted black remains of the firework. There was a
sudden hush.
“If I ever find out who threw
this,” Snape whispered,
James- Because, you know, yelling isn’t intimidating.
“I shall make
sure that person is expelled.”
Harry arranged his face into
what he hoped was a puzzled expression. Snape was looking right at him, and the
bell that rang ten minutes later could not have been more welcome.
“He knew it was me,” Harry told
Ron and Hermione as they hurried back to Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom. “I could
tell.”
Hermione threw the new
ingredients into the cauldron and began to stir feverishly.
“It’ll be ready in two weeks,”
she said happily.
“Snape can’t prove it was you,”
said Ron reassuringly to h. “What can he do?”
“Knowing Snape, something foul,”
said Harry as the potion frothed and bubbled.
A week later, Harry, Ron, and
Hermione were walking across the entrance hall when they saw a small knot of
people gather around the notice board, reading a piece of parchment that had
just been pinned up. Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas beckoned them over,
looking excited.
“They’re starting a Dueling
Club!”
All but Harry/Draco- Ooooooooooh!
said Seamus.
“First meeting tonight! I wouldn’t mind dueling lessons; they might come in
handy one of these days….”
Sirius- Yeah, maybe Slytherin’s monster can duel.
Harry- No, but it’s pretty damned dangerous.
“What, you reckon Slytherin’s
monster can duel?” said Ron, but he, too, read the sign with interest.
Lily- And why wouldn’t he?
“Could be useful,” he said to
Harry and Hermione as they went into dinner. “Shall we go?”
Harry and Hermione were all for
it, so at eight o’clock that evening they hurried back to the Great Hall. The
long dining tables had vanished and a golden stage had appeared along one wall,
lit by thousands of candles floating overhead. The ceiling was velvety black
once more and most of the school seemed to be packed beneath it, all carrying
their wands and looking excited.
“I wonder who’ll be teaching
us?” said Hermione as they edged into the chattering crowd. “Someone told me
Flitwick was a dueling champions when he was young—maybe it’ll be him.”
James- As long as it’s not Lockhart.
Harry/Draco- ::frown::
Others- Oh boy.
“As long as it’s not—” Harry
began, but ended on a groan: Gilderoy Lockhart was walking onto the stage,
resplendent in robes of deep plum and accompanied by none other than Snape,
wearing his usual black.
Sirius- Like he has any other color robes.
Draco- He’s got green ones.
Sirius- They don’t count.
Lockhart waved an arm for
silence and called, “Gather round, gather round! Can everyone see me? Can you
all hear me?
Remus- You’re louder then Sirius, of course we can hear you!
Excellent!
“Now, Professor Dumbledore has
granted me permission to start this little dueling club, to train you all in
case you ever need to defend yourselves as I myself have done on countless
occasions—
Sirius- ::smirks:: But to know great extent, I’m afraid.
for full details, see my published works.
“Let me introduce my assistant,
Harry- Which doesn’t need to be done, considering that everyone in school’s taught Potions by him.
Professor Snape,”
said Lockhart, flashing a wide smile. “He tells me he knows a tiny little bit
about dueling himself
Marauders- ::smirk evilly::
Sirius- Oh, I think he knows a lot about dueling.
James- Definitely. How else could he be our rival?
Remus- And he’s never beaten a single one of us.
Peter- But I don’t count, because I don’t duel.
Harry- Understandably.
Marauders- ::glare at Harry::
Harry- What?
and has
sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration before we begin.
Sirius- Possibly because he wants to kill you, just like everyone else.
Now, I don’t want
any of you youngsters to worry—you’ll still have your Potions master
Marauders- Damn!
Draco- But it’s to be expected. Hell, Longbottom could beat him!
when I’m through
with him, never fear!”
“Wouldn’t it be good if they
finished each other off?” Ron muttered in Harry’s ear.
Sirius- Actually, that would be great.
Snape’s upper lip was curling.
Harry wondered why Lockhart was still smiling; if Snape had been looking at him
like that he’d have been running as fast as he could in the opposite direction.
Sirius- (blankly) Why?
Harry- Um…he’s only, like, you know, twenty years older than me. I don’t think I’d stand much of a chance at this point in time. I mean, come on, I’m only in second year!
Sirius- Heh. Oh. Right.
Others- ::sigh::
Lockhart and Snape turned to
face each other and bowed; at least, Lockhart did, with much twirling of his
hands, whereas Snape jerked his head irritably.
Harry- Duh. He’s always in a bad mood.
Draco- You try teaching people like Longbottom and see how good of a mood that leaves you in.
Then they raised
their wands like swords in front of them.
Sirius/James- ::jump up and pull out their wands::
Sirius- En garde!(A/N: Uh…me no know spell)
James- Touché!(A/N: dis eider)
Sirius/James- ::proceed to have a fake sword fight with their wands in the middle of the room::
Others- … o.O
(a few minutes later)
James- ::“stabs” Sirius in the heart::
Sirius- ::acts out his melodramatic death…approximately five minutes long::
Others- …
Harry- I’m starting to wish I wasn’t really related to him….
Draco- I don’t blame you.
Remus- Well, look on the bright side, you don’t have a choice but to be related to James. Dating Sirius is all my own decision.
Harry- Heh. Good point.
Sirius/James- ::sit back on the bed, grinning::
Others- ::move as far away from Sirius and James as possible::
Sirius/James- ::pout::
“As you can see, we are holding
our wands in the accepted combative position,” Lockhart told the silent crowd.
“On the count of three, we will cast our first spells. Neither of us will be
aiming to kill, of course.”
Sirius- I bet dear old Sevvie is.
James- I never thought I’d hear myself say this, but… Go Snape!
Others- ::roll their eyes::
“I wouldn’t bet on that,” Harry
murmured, watching Snape baring his teeth.
“One—two—three—”
Both of them swung their wands
above their heads and pointed them at their opponent; Snape cried: “Expelliarmus!”
There was a dazzling flash of scarlet light and Lockhart was blasted off his
feet: He flew backward off the stage, smashed into the wall, and slid down it
to sprawl on the floor.
Marauders- ::cheer::
Lily- ::rolls her eyes::
Harry/Draco- ::look at each other and shrug::
Harry- It’s better watching it.
Draco- Much better.
Malfoy and some of the other
Slytherins cheered. Hermione was dancing on tiptoes. “Do you think he’s all
right?” she squealed through her fingers.
All but Lily- Who cares?
Lily- ::rolls her eyes::
“Who cares?” said Harry and Ron
together.
Lockhart was getting unsteadily
to his feet. His hat had fallen off and his wavy hair was standing on end.
“Well, there you have it!” he
said, tottering back onto the platform. “That was a Disarming Charm—as you see,
I’ve lost my wand—ah, thank you, Miss Brown—yes, an excellent idea to show them
that, Professor Snape, but if you don’t mind my saying so,
James- I bet he does.
it was very
obvious what you were about to do. If I had wanted to stop you it would have
been only too easy—
All- ::snort::
however, I felt it would be instructive to let them see…”
Snape was looking murderous.
Possibly Lockhart had noticed,
Sirius- Please. Lockhart hasn’t got the brains to notice.
because he said,
“Enough demonstrating! I’m going to come amongst you now and put you all into
pairs. Professor Snape, if you’d like to help me—”
James- Oh boy.
Remus- Damn.
Sirius- Shit.
Peter- (sarcastically) Wonderful.
Others- ::roll their eyes::
They moved through the crowd,
matching up partners. Lockhart teamed Neville with Justin Finch-Fletchley, but
Snape reached Harry and Ron first.
James- Of course.
“Time to split up the dream
team, I think,” he sneered. “Weasley, you can partner Finnigan. Potter—”
Harry moved automatically toward
Hermione.
“I don’t think so,” said Snape,
smiling coldly. “Mr. Malfoy, come over here. Let’s see what you make of the
famous Potter. And you, Miss Granger—you can partner Miss Bulstrode.”
Malfoy strutted over, smirking.
Harry- ::grumbles:: You’re always smirking. Or looking murderous. Do you have any other facial expressions?
Sirius- He pouts, remember?
Harry- Oh yeah….
Draco- I
DON’T POUT!
Others- ::snicker::
Behind him walked
a Slytherin girl who reminded Harry of a picture he’d seen in Holidays with
Hags.
Draco- That may be because she is part hag.
Others- Ew…!
Sirius- Really?
Draco- ::nods:: But we don’t talk about that.
She was large and
square and her heavy jaw jutted aggressively. Hermione gave her a weak smile
that she did not return.
Draco- ::shrugs:: Millicent never smiles. Ever. She doesn’t even smirk. Actually, I think she has schizophrenia.
Harry- Well, gee, isn’t that nice?
Draco- ::smirks:: Not really.
Harry- Stop smirking!
Draco- ::smirks more::
“Face your partners!” called
Lockhart, back on the platform. “And bow!”
Harry and Malfoy barely inclined
their heads, not taking their eyes off each other.
Sirius- ::grins suggestively:: Awwww….
Harry- ::glares at Sirius:: Sirius….
Draco- (mutters under his breath so nobody can hear him) Sad thing is, he’s right.
Remus- ::begins choking:: The hell—
Others but Draco- What?
Draco- Damn.
Remus- ::stares at Draco:: Nothing! Absolutely nothing!
“Wands at the ready!” shouted
Lockhart. “When I count to three, cast your charms to disarm your opponents—only
to disarm them—we don’t’ want any accidents—one…two…three—”
Harry swung his wand high, but
Malfoy had already started on “two”:
All but Harry/Draco- HEY! ::glare at Draco murderously::
Draco- Meep! ::moves away from them, attempting to hide behind Harry::
Harry- What the hell are you doing?
Draco- Hiding ahead of time. They’re all going to kill me!
Harry- … o.O
Others- ::laugh hysterically::
Draco- ::pouts::
Harry- ::turns around and pulls Draco from behind him:: Stop that.
Draco- ::pouts even more::
Harry- ::stares wordlessly at Draco for a moment before shaking his head:: And stop POUTING!
Draco- I’M
NOT POUTING!!!!!
Others- ::snicker::
His spell hit
Harry so hard he felt as though he’d been hit over the head with a saucepan. He
stumbled, but everything still seemed to be working,
Sirius- Woah, wait, it didn’t work?
Draco- ::scowls:: Apparently not.
Harry- What spell’d you use anyway?
Draco- ::flushes:: None of your business!
Sirius/Remus- ::snicker::
Draco- SHUT UP!
and wasting no
more time, Harry pointed his wand straight at Malfoy and shouted, “Rictusempra!”
Draco- Why did you decide you wanted to tickle me?
Harry- ::shrugs:: It was the first spell that came to mind.
A jet of silver light hit Malfoy
in the stomach and he doubled up, wheezing.
“I said disarm only!”
Lockhart shouted in alarm over the heads of the battling crowd, as Malfoy sank
to his knees; Harry had hit him with a Tickling Charm, and he could barely move
for laughing.
Draco- ::scowls again::
Harry- Aw, come on, Draco! You look cute when you’re laughing!
Draco- ::glares at Harry:: I am not cute. Hot, yes. But not CUTE!
Others- ::snicker::
Harry hung back,
with a vague feeling it would be unsporting to bewitch Malfoy while he was on
the floor,
Draco- ::rolls his eyes:: Gryffindors!
Everyone else- Hey! ::glare at Draco::
Draco- ::smiles innocently::
but this was a
mistake; gasping for breath, Malfoy pointed his wand at Harry’s knees, chocked,
“Tarantallegra!” and the next second Harry’s legs began to jerk around
out of his control in a kind of quickstep.
Harry- And you made me dance.
Draco- Big mistake, too. It only made me laugh harder.
Harry- ::glares at Draco::
“Stop! Stop!” screamed Lockhart,
but Snape took charge.
“Finite Incantatem!” he
shouted;
Sirius- At least he knew what to do….
Harry’s feet
stopped dancing, Malfoy stopped laughing, and they were able to look up.
James- You can look up while you’re dancing….
Sirius- Not Harry. ::grins evilly:: You know he was too busy watching Draco.
Harry-
::blushes:: SIRIUS!!!!!
Sirius- ::smiles innocently::
A haze of greenish smoke was
hovering over the scene.
Sirius- Really? Why?
Others- ::shrug::
Both Neville and
Justin were lying on the floor, panting; Ron was holding up an ashen-faced Seamus,
apologizing for whatever his broken wand had done;
Harry- Stupid wand.
but Hermione and
Millicent Bulstrode were still moving; Millicent had Hermione in a headlock and
Hermione was whimpering in pain; both their wands lay forgotten on the floor.
All but Draco- ::scowl::
Harry leapt
forward and pulled Millicent off. It was difficult: She was a lot bigger than
he was.
Draco- ::rolls his eyes, but doesn’t say antyhing::
Sirius- I bet everyone’s bigger than you, Harry.
Harry- Oh, shut up.
“Dear, dear,” said Lockhart,
skittering
All- ::snicker::
through the
crowd, looking at the aftermath of the duels. “Up you go, Macmillan…. Careful
there, Miss Fawcett…. Pinch it hard, it’ll stop bleeding in a second, Boot—
“I think I’d better teach you
how to block unfriendly spells,” said Lockhart, standing flustered in
the midst of the hall. He glanced at Snape, whose black eyes glinted, and
looked quickly away.
Sirius- ::grins suggestively (as per usual):: Looks like dear ol’ Sevvie and Lockhart have something going on….
Others- Ugh! SIRIUS! ::smack Sirius::
Sirius- OW! STOP IT, DAMN YOU!
“Let’s have a
volunteer pair—Longbottom and Finch-Fletchley, how about you—”
“A bad idea, Professor
Lockhart,” said Snape, gliding over like a large and malevolent bat.
Lily- ::giggles::
Others- ::look at Lily strangely::
Lily- That’s funny. I don’t know why, but it is….
Others- o.O
“Longbottom
causes devastation with the simplest spells. We’ll be sending what’s left of
Finch-Fletchley up to the hospital wing in a matchbox.”
Draco- True, how true.
Harry- ::smacks Draco::
Draco- LEAVE THE HAIR ALONE!
Harry- ::jumps:: …! ::grins evilly, pounces on Draco, and proceeds to…well, mess up his hair::
Draco- ::screams:: BLOODY HELL! HARRY, GET OFF!!!!!!
Harry- ::smirks:: Nope.
Draco- GET
OFF, GOD DAMN IT! HARRY!!!!!!!
(a couple minutes later)
Harry- ::finally gets off, grinning::
Draco- ::glares furiously at Harry, ineffectively attempting to push his hair back::
Harry- You should leave it. You look better with it down.
Draco- ::stops, mid-push, staring at Harry::
Harry- ::grins sarcastically, and then turns and grabs the book from Sirius::
Marauders- ::are laughing so hard they can’t breath::
Lily- ::is giggling hysterically::
Neville’s round,
pink face went pinker. “How about Malfoy and Potter?”
Marauders/Lily- ::suddenly stop laughing/giggling:: What?
said Snape with a
twisted smile.
“Excellent idea!”
Everyone but Harry/Draco- ::look doubtful::
said Lockhart,
gesturing Harry and Malfoy into the middle of the hall as the crowd backed away
to give them room.
“Now, Harry,” said Lockhart.
“When Draco points his wand at you, you do this.”
He raised his own wand,
attempted a complicated sort of wiggling action, and dropped it.
All- ::snicker::
James- So he wants you to drop your wand?
Draco- Yes, of course. Dropping your wand is the best defense.
James- Nobody asked for your sarcasm, Draco.
Peter- Yeah. That’s my job.
Snape smirked as
Lockhart quickly picked it up, saying, “Whoops—my wand is a little
overexcited—”
Snape moved closer to Malfoy,
bent down, and whispered something in his ear. Malfoy smirked, too. Harry
looked up nervously at Lockhart and said, “Professor, could you show me that
blocking thing again?”
“Scared?” muttered Malfoy, so
that Lockhart couldn’t hear him.
Sirius- (as Harry) I’m stiff.(1) ::promptly breaks into a fit of giggles::
Others- o.O ::back away from Sirius nervously::
Sirius- ::too busy giggling to notice::
“You wish,” said Harry out of
the corner of his mouth.
Lockhart cuffed Harry merrily on
the shoulder. “Just do what I did, Harry!”
“What, drop my wand?”
James- Exactly.
But Lockhart wasn’t listening.
“Three—two—one—go!” he shouted.
Malfoy raised his wand quickly
and bellowed, “Serpensortia!”
Sirius- ::scowls:: Why do the Slytherins keep going first?
Draco- ::glares::
The end of his wand exploded.
Harry watched, aghast, as a long black snake shot out of it, fell heavily onto
the floor between them, and raised itself, ready to strike. There were screams
as the crowd backed swiftly away, clearing the floor.
“Don’t move, Potter,” said Snape
lazily, clearly enjoying the sight of Harry standing motionless, eye to eye
with the angry snake.
Draco- Gee, I wonder why. ::smirks:: I enjoyed it.
Sirius- ::glares at Draco::
Remus- (leans over to Draco and whispers in his ear) And I know it has nothing to do with him about to get bitten.
Draco- ::blushes::
Others- ::stare at Draco and Remus, bewildered::
“I’ll get rid of
it….”
“Allow me!” shouted Lockhart.
Remus- GO AWAY, GOD DAMNIT!
Others- ::stare at Remus::
Remus- …Heh. Sorry. Continue.
He brandished his
wand at the snake and there was a loud bang; the snake, instead of vanishing,
flew ten feet into the air and fell back to the floor with a loud smack.
Enraged, hissing furiously, it slithered straight toward Justin Finch-Fletchley
and raised itself again, fangs exposed, poised to strike.
Sirius- Bye-bye….
Harry wasn’t sure what made him
do it. He wasn’t even aware of deciding to do it. All he knew was that his legs
were carrying him forward as though he was on casters
Peter- On what?
Remus- …For once, I’m not too sure I know. But I guess they make you roll along the ground…or something.
and that he had
shouted stupidly to the snake, “Leave him alone!” And
miraculously—inexplicably, the snake slumped to the floor, docile as a thick,
black garden hose, its eyes now on Harry.
James- NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
Sirius- Well, I suppose you are a Parselmouth after all then.
Harry- Yup.
James- But how? Why?
Harry- ::shrugs::
Harry felt the
fear drain out of him. He knew the snake wouldn’t attack anyone now, though how
he knew it, he couldn’t have explained.
He looked up at Justin,
grinning, expecting to see Justin looking relieved, or puzzled, or even
grateful—but certainly not angry and scared.
Draco- ::sighs in frustration:: Hufflepuffs! Honestly!
Harry- Yeah. Exactly.
“What do you think you’re
playing at?” he shouted, and before Harry could say anything, Justin had turned
and stormed out of the hall.
Snape stepped forward, waved his
wand, and the snake vanished in a small puff of black smoke. Snape, too, was
looking at Harry in an unexpected way: It was a shrewd and calculating look,
Sirius- Rather than the usual glare of absolute hatred.
and Harry didn’t
like it.
Sirius- Because, hey, he was used to the glare, and liked it much better.
He was also dimly
aware of an ominous muttering all around the walls.
Sirius- Around the walls? Wouldn’t it come from the people?
Remus- Sirius, would you please just shut up!
Sirius- … ::pouts::
Then he felt a
tugging on the back of his robes.
“Come on,” said Ron’s voice in
his ear. “Move—come on—”
Ron steered him out of the hall,
Hermione hurrying alongside them. As they went through the doors, the people on
either side drew away as though they were frightened of catching something.
Draco- Please. Languages aren’t contagious.
Harry didn’t have
a clue what was going on, and neither Ron nor Hermione explained anything until
they had dragged him all the way up to the empty Gryffindor common room. Then
Ron pushed Harry into an armchair and said, “You’re a Parselmouth. Why didn’t
you tell us?”
Draco- Weasley certainly is a tactful one, isn’t he?
Harry- Ron.
Draco- I will under no circumstance call Weasley by his first name. Granger you might convince me to do, but definitely not Weasley.
Harry- Why not?
Draco- Guess.
Harry- …
“I’m a what?” said Harry.
All but Harry/Lily- ::snicker::
Draco- You are such an idiot.
Harry- ::glares at Draco:: Shut up.
“A Parselmouth!” said
Ron. “You can talk to snakes!”
Draco- No shit.
“I know,” said Harry. “I mean, that’s
only the second time I’ve ever done it. I accidentally set a boa constrictor on
my cousin Dudley at the zoo once—long story—but it was telling me it had never
seen Brazil and I sort of set it free without meaning to—
Draco- ::grins:: Sounds like fun.
that was before I knew I was a wizard—”
“A boa constrictor told you it
had never seen Brazil?” Ron repeated faintly.
“So?” said Harry. “I bet loads
of people here can do it.”
Draco- (in a disturbingly sing-song voice) Idiot…
Harry- Do you actually want to keep your hair on your head?
Draco- …Meep.
Others- ::snicker::
“Oh, no they can’t,” said Ron.
“It’s not a very common gift. Harry, this is bad.”
“What’s bad?” said Harry, starting
to feel quite angry. “What’s wrong with everyone? Listen, if I hadn’t told that
snake not to attack Justin—”
“Oh, that’s what you said to
it?”
“What d’you mean? You were
there—you heard me—”
Draco- Speak a different language.
“I heard you speaking
Parseltongue,” said Ron. “Snake language. You could have been saying
anything—no wonder Justin panicked, you sounded like you were egging the snake
on or something—it was creepy, you know—”
Harry gaped at him.
“I spoke a different language?
But—I didn’t realize—how can I speak a language without knowing I can speak
it?”
All- …
Remus- Actually, that’s a good question. How does one go about speaking a language they aren’t even aware exists?
Sirius- Eh, think about it later, Rem. We’ve got a book to finish.
Ron shook his head. Both he and
Hermione were looking as though someone had died. Harry couldn’t see what was
so terrible.
“D’you want to tell me what’s
wrong with stopping a massive snake biting off Justin’s head?” he said. “What
does it matter how I did it as long as Justin doesn’t have to join the
Headless Hunt?”
Remus- He’s got a point.
“It matters,” said Hermione,
speaking at last in a hushed voice, “because being able to talk to snakes was
what Salazar Slytherin was famous for. That’s why the symbol of Slytherin House
is a serpent.”
Draco- Didn’t you read A History of Hogwarts?
Harry- No. Why would I?
James- ::grins:: That’s my boy!
Lily- ::smacks James::
James- ::pouts::
Harry’s mouth fell open.
“Exactly,” said Ron. “And now
the whole school’s going to think you’re his great-great-great-great-grandson
Peter- Wouldn’t there be a lot more greats there?
Lily- Four’s plenty.
or something—”
“But I’m not,” said Harry, with
a panic he couldn’t quite explain.
“You’ll find that hard to
prove,” said Hermione. “He lived about a thousand years ago; for all we know,
you could be.”
Draco- That would be a beautiful end to the chapter.
Harry- But it isn’t.
* * *
Harry- See? More stars!
Others- Yay.
Harry lay awake for hours that night. Through a gap in the curtains around his four-poster he watched snow starting to drift past the tower window
Peter- Which one?
Draco- The one in your
dormitory, obviously.
Peter- Heh. Oh, right.
and wondered…
Could he be a descendant
of Salazar Slytherin?
James- No. We’re descendants of Godric Gryffindor. Duh.
Harry- ::looks interested:: Really?
James- Yup.
Harry- Well, that certainly explains a lot.
Others- Huh?
Harry- ::smirks:: You’ll see.
He didn’t know
anything about his father’s family, after all. The Dursleys had always
forbidden questions about his wizarding relatives.
James- Not like they’d know anyway.
Quietly, Harry tried to say
something in Parseltongue. The words wouldn’t come. It seemed he head to be
face-to-face with a snake to do it.
But I’m in Gryffindor,
Harry though. The Sorting Hat wouldn’t have put me in here if I had
Slytherin blood….
Draco- It wanted to put you in Slytherin.
Harry- …
Draco- You should’ve let it. You’d have done good in Slytherin.
Harry- …Shut up….
Ah, said a nasty little
voice in his brains, but the Sorting Hat wanted to put you in
Slytherin, don’t you remember?
Harry turned over. He’d see
Justin the next day in Herbology and he’d explain that he’d been calling the
snake off, not egg it it on, which (he thought angrily, pummeling his pillow)
any fool should have realized.
Remus- Yes, they definitely should have.
Sirius/James- Yeah!
By next morning, however, the
snow that had begun in the night had turned into a blizzard so thick that the
last Herbology lesson of the term was canceled: Professor Sprout wanted to fit
socks and scarves on the Mandrakes,
Sirius- Aww…how cute!
Draco- ::scowls:: I hate Mandrakes.
Sirius- What’s wrong with Mandrakes?
Draco- …One of the damned things bit me.(2)
Others- … ::snicker::
a tricky
operation she would entrust to no one else, now that it was so important for
the Mandrakes to grow quickly and revive Mrs. Norris and Colin Creevey.
Draco- And other people as well, soon.
Harry fretted about this next to
the fire in the Gryffindor common room, while Ron and Hermione used their time
off to play a game of wizard chess.
Harry- Ron said Hermione lost that one too.
“For heaven’s sake, Harry,” said
Hermione, exasperated, as one of Ron’s bishops wrestled her knight off his
horse and dragged him off the board. “Go and find Justin if it’s so
important to you.”
Lily- Good idea.
So Harry got up and left through
the portrait hole, wondering where Justin might be.
The castle was darker than it
usually was in daytime because of the thick, swirling gray snow at every
window.
Sirius- You’d certainly think so, wouldn’t you?
Lily- ::sighs:: Hogwarts really needs to get some electricity. At least lamps don’t go out.
Sirius/James- Huh?
Lily- ::frowns:: You two either need to take Muggle Studies or come to my house someday. … ::suddenly grins evilly:: Actually, you should really come over my house for Christmas or Easter. I’m sure Petunia would be absolutely delighted to meet you four.
Marauders- ::grin evilly::
Shivering, Harry
walked past classrooms where lessons were taking place, catching snatches of
what was happening within. Professor McGonagall was shouting at someone who, by
the sound of it, had turned his friend into a badger.
Draco- Hufflepuffs.
Resisting the
urge to take a look, Harry walked on by, thinking that Justin might be using
his free time to catch up on some work, and deciding to check the library
first.
Sirius- Resisting…resisting….
James- (blankly) Resisting what?
Sirius- …You don’t want to know.
James- …Okay, if you say so….
A group of Hufflepuffs who
should have been in Herbology were indeed sitting at the back of the library,
but they didn’t seem to be working. Between the long lines of high bookshelves,
Harry could see that their heads were close together and they were having what
looked like an absorbing conversation.
Harry- (grumbles) Very absorbing…. Idiots.
He couldn’t see
whether Justin was among them. He was walking toward them when something of
what they were saying met his ears, and he paused to listen, hidden in the
Invisibility section.
“So anyway,” a stout boy was
saying, “I told Justin to hide up in our dormitory. I mean to say, if Potter’s
marked him down as his next victim,
Draco- Jesus Christ. How can anyone believe you’re the Heir of Slytherin? Bloody hell, your best friend is Muggle-born!
Harry- My thoughts exactly. But they’re Hufflepuffs, so….
it’s best if he
keeps a low profile for a while. Of course, Justin’s been waiting for something
like this to happen ever since he let slip to Potter he was Muggle-born. Justin
actually told him he’d been down for Eton. That’s not the kind of thing
you bandy about with Slytherin’s heir on the loose, is it?”
Sirius- But wasn’t that before the first attack?
Others- ::shrug::
Harry- Most likely.
“You definitely think it is
Potter, then, Ernie?” said a girl with blonde pigtails anxiously.
“Hannah,” said the stout boy
solemnly, “he’s a Parselmouth. Everyone knows that’s the mark of a Dark wizard.
Have you ever heard of a decent one who could talk to snakes?
Harry- ::pouts:: You have now.
They called
Slytherin himself Serpent-tongue.”
There was some heavy murmuring
at this, and Ernie went on, “Remember what was written on the wall? Enemies
of the Heir, Beware. Potter had some sort of run-in with Filch. Next thing
we know, Filch’s cat is attacked. That first year, Creevey, was annoying Potter
at the Quidditch match, taking pictures of him while he was lying in the mud.
Next thing we know—Creevey’s been attacked.”
James- Well, you have to admit, that is rather suspicious.
Harry- I’m sure he did it on purpose.
James- Who?
Harry- You’ll find out later.
“He always seems so nice,
though,”
Draco- Ah, but that’s the best mask for someone that doesn’t want to appear evil.
Harry- ::snorts:: Explains everything your dad does.
Draco- I know.
said Hannah
uncertainly, “and, well, he’s the one who made You-Know-Who disappear. He can’t
be all bad, can he?”
Ernie lowered his voice
mysteriously, the Hufflepuffs bent closer, and Harry edged nearer so that he
could catch Ernie’s words.
“No one knows how he survived
that attack by You-Know-Who. I mean to say, he was only a baby when it
happened. He should have been blasted into smithereens. Only a really powerful
Dark wizard could have survived a curse like that.” He dropped his voice until
it was barely more than a whisper, and said, “That’s probably why
You-Know-Who wanted to kill him in the first place. Didn’t want another Dark
Lord competing with him.
Draco/Lily- Oh, please!
Others- Huh?
Draco- People aren’t just born evil. It’s how they’re raised!
Lily- Exactly. You’re not evil just because your parents were.
Others- …
Harry- ::looks thoughtfully at Draco::
Draco- What?
Harry- ::grins:: Nothing.
I wonder what
other powers Potter’s been hiding?”
Harry couldn’t take anymore.
Clearing his throat loudly, he stepped out from behind the bookshelves. If he
hadn’t been feeling so angry, he would have found the sight that greeted him
funny: Every one of the Hufflepuffs looked as though they had been Petrified by
the sight of him, and the color was draining out of Ernie’s face.
Lily- That most certainly is not funny.
Harry/Draco- Wanna bet?
Others- … ::glance at each other nervously::
“Hello,” said Harry. “I’m
looking for Justin Finch-Fletchley.”
Draco- ::snickers::
The Hufflepuffs’ worst fears had
clearly been confirmed. They all looked fearfully at Ernie.
“What do you want with him?”
said Ernie in a quavering voice.
Draco- ::smirks:: Wuss.
“I wanted to tell him what
really happened with that snake at the Dueling Club,” said Harry.
Ernie bit his white lips and
then, taking a deep breath, said, “We were all there. We saw what happened.”
Draco- (sarcastically) Which, of course, explains why you suspect Harry.
“Then you noticed that after I
spoke to it, the snake backed off?” said Harry.
“All I saw,” said Ernie stubbornly,
though he was trembling as he spoke, “was you speaking Parseltongue and chasing
the snake toward Justin.”
Sirius- The damned thing didn’t move toward Justin! It turned around to face Harry!
“I didn’t chase it at him!”
Harry said, his voice shaking with anger. “It didn’t even touch him!”
Sirius- See!? See!?
Remus- Sirius, relax.
Sirius- ::takes a deep breath::
“It was a very near miss,” said
Ernie. “And in case you’re getting ideas,” he added hastily, “I might tell you
that you can trace my family back through nine generations of witches and
warlocks
Draco- Only nine? My family’s been pure-blooded forever.
James- Mine too. Well, until now, I suppose.
Harry- So what am I, a Quarter-blood?
James- Well, no, you’re Pure-blooded, just not pure Pure-blooded.
Harry- What?
Draco- Harry, I suggest you just forget it….
Harry- ::shrugs:: Yeah, I think I will.
and my blood’s as
pure as anyone’s, so—”
“I don’t care what sort of blood
you’ve got!” said Harry fiercely. “Why would I want to attack Muggle-borns?”
“I’ve heard you hate those
Muggles you live with,” said Ernie swiftly.
All but Harry- We all do.
All but Draco- ::stare at Draco in surprise::
Draco- What?
“It’s not possible to live with
the Dursleys and not hate them,” said Harry. “I’d like to see you try it.”
He turned on his hell and
stormed out of the library, earning himself a reproving glare from Madam Pince,
who was polishing the gilded cover of a large spellbook.
Remus- And we care, why?
Sirius- Because it’s in the book.
Harry blundered up the corridor,
barely noticing where he was going, he was in such a fury. The result was that
he walked into something very large and solid, which knocked him backward onto
the floor.
James/Sirius/Remus- Hey, Hagrid!
“Oh, hell, Hagrid,” Harry said,
looking up.
Hagrid’s face was entirely
hidden by a woolly, snow-covered balaclava,(A/N: What the heck is a
balaclava? Is it like a scarf or something?) but it couldn’t possibly be
anyone else, as he filled most of the corridor in his moleskin overcoat. A dead
rooster was hanging from one of his massive, gloved hands.
Sirius- Pleasant.
“All right’, Harry?” he said,
pulling up the balaclava so he could speak. “Why aren’t yeh in class?”
“Canceled,” said Harry, getting
up. “What’re you doing in here?”
Hagrid held up the limp rooster.
“Second one killed this term,”
he explained. “It’s either foxes or a Blood-Suckin’ Bugbear,
Peter- Bugbear?
Sirius- I assume it’s a bug that looks like a miniature bear.
Peter- …Right.
an’ I need the
Headmaster’s permission ter put a charm around the hen coop.”
He peered more closely at Harry
from under his thick, snow-flecked eyebrows.
“Yeh sure yeh’re all right’? Yeh
look all hot an’ bothered—”
Sirius- ::giggles hysterically::
Harry- ::blushes:: SIRIUS!
Sirius- ::continues giggling::
Harry couldn’t bring himself to
repeat what Ernie and the rest of the Hufflepuffs had been saying about him.
“It’s nothing,” he said. “I’d better
get going, Hagrid, it’s Transfiguration next and I’ve got to pick up my books.”
He walked off, his mind still
full of what Ernie had said about him.
Draco- You care what other people think about you too much.
Harry- Shut up.
“Justin’s been waiting for
something like this to happen ever since he let slip to Potter he was Muggle-born….”
Harry stamped up the stairs and
turned along another corridor, which was particularly dark; the torches had
been extinguished by a strong, icy draft that was blowing through a loose
windowpane. He was halfway down the passage when he tripped headlong over
something lying on the floor.
Sirius- (as narrator) And fell flat on his face, snapping his glasses right in half.
“Bloody hell,” Harry grumbled, searching around the floor for his glasses. “I don’t know how to fix them!”
After finding his glasses, Harry slowly stumbled up, putting them in his pocket. Squinting ahead, he nervously began shuffling forward with the result that he ran smack into a wall.
“Today is a really bad day,” he grumbled, rubbing his nose. “Where’s Hermione when you need her?”
Remus- Okay, enough.
Sirius- ::grins:: Okay. That was fun!
Others- ::roll their eyes::
He turned to squint
Sirius- So you did lose your glasses!
Harry- No. I was squinting because it was dark.
Sirius- …Oh. Damn.
at what he’d
fallen over and felt as though his stomach had dissolved.
Justin Finch-Fletchley was lying
on the floor,
Peter- I thought he was hiding?
Sirius- Not anymore apparently.
rigid and cold, a
look of shock frozen on his face, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. And
that wasn’t all. Next to him was another figure, the strangest sight Harry had
ever seen.
It was Nearly Headless Nick, no
longer pearly-white and transparent, but black and smoky, floating immobile and
horizontal, six inches off the floor.
Sirius/James/Remus- Holy shit!
James- What in hell could do that to a ghost?
Remus- I’m not particularly sure….
Sirius- I think I know. It’s a basilisk.
Remus- But it’s gaze kills things!
Sirius- Not dead things! If you don’t look at a basilisk straight in the eye, it only petrifies you! See, there was a puddle of water that Mrs. Norris looked into, Colin had his camera, and Justin saw it through Nick! And remember my Parseltongue theory? It makes sense that it would be a basilisk, because only a Parselmouth would be able to control it! It all fits!
Remus- But why can’t they see it? It obviously sneaks around somehow! And who besides Harry is a Parselmouth?
Sirius- Maybe…Draco!
Draco- Nope. Sorry to burst your bubble, but Harry’s the only Parselmouth in school!
Sirius- ::looks suspicious::
Harry- It wasn’t him.
Sirius- Then who was it?
Harry- You can find out later. I had to wait months to find out, you can wait a little bit too.
All but Harry/Draco- Damn.
His head was half
off and his face wore an expression of shock identical to Justin’s
Harry got to his feet, his
breathing fast and shallow, his heart doing a kind of drumroll
Sirius- ::does a drumroll on Remus::
Remus- Sirius!
Others- ::sigh and roll their eyes::
against his ribs.
He looked wildly up and down the deserted corridor and saw a line of spiders
scuttling as fast as they could away from the bodies.
Sirius- See? There’s another one! Spiders are dead scared of basilisks!
Remus- Okay, okay, then maybe you’re right!
Sirius- ::smirks:: You know I’m right!
Remus- …
The only sounds
were the muffled voices of teachers from the classes on either side.
He could run, and no one would
ever know he had been there. But he couldn’t just leave them lying here…. He
had to get help….
Sirius- My lord!
Harry- Shut up!
Would anyone believe he hadn’t had anything to do with
this?
All but Harry- No.
As he stood there, panicking, a
door right next to him opened with a bang. Peeves the Poltergeist came shooting
out.
Sirius- Aw, shit.
Others- Exactly.
“Why, it’s potty wee Potter!”
cackled Peeves, knocking Harry’s glasses askew as he bounced past him. “What’s
Potter up to? Why’s Potter lurking—”
Sirius- ‘Cuz he fell and went boom?
Others- o.O
Sirius- ::smirks::
Peeves stopped, halfway through
a midair somersault. Upside down, he spotted Justin and Nearly Headless Nick.
He flipped the right way up, filled his lungs and, before Harry could stop him,
screamed, “ATTACK! ATTACK! ANOTHER ATTACK! NO MORTAL OR GHOST IS SAFE! RUN FOR
YOUR LIVES! ATTAAAACK!”
James- Damn him!
Crash—crash—crash—
Sirius- Heeey, onomatopoeia!
Remus- I don’t know how you do it, but you just keep getting weirder and weirder.
Sirius- ::grins:: Sorry. Mummy taught me. My own, not James’. Why do you think I’m such a good story-teller and poet? I’ve got a way with words, and my mom’s an author!
Harry- She is?
Sirius- Sometimes. When she’s not busy wacking Bludgers at unsuspecting Quidditch players or trying to tame me….
Harry- Ah. So she writes mostly when you’re here and at Hogwarts, right?
Sirius- ::grins:: Exactly.
door after door flew open along the corridor and people
flooded out. For several long minutes, there was a scene of such confusion that
Justin was in danger of being squashed and people kept standing in Nearly
Headless Nick.
Sirius- Good, confusion! Run, Harry, run!
Harry- I kinda can’t….
Harry found
himself pinned against the wall
Sirius- ::pouts:: Oh.
as the teachers
shouted for quiet. Professor McGonagall came running, followed by her own class,
one of whom still had black-and-white striped hair. She used her wand to set
off a loud bang, which restored silence,
Sirius- Does anyone else think it’s strange that loud noises seem to be the best thing to shut people up?
Remus- Not really. When people are surprised like that, they’re usually too shocked to say anything.
Sirius- I’m not.
Remus- Yeah, but you’re weird, aren’t you?
Sirius- And damn proud of it, too.
and ordered
everyone back into their classes. No sooner had the scene cleared somewhat than
Ernie the Hufflepuff arrived, panting, on the scene.
James- How did he know what was happening?
Others- ::shrug::
“Caught in the act!”
Ernie yelled, his face stark white, pointing his finger dramatically at Harry.
“That will do, Macmillan!” said
Professor McGonagall sharply.
Peeves was bobbing overhead, now
grinning wickedly, surveying the scene; Peeves always loved chaos.
Sirius- Chaos is fun.
As the teachers
bent over Justin and Nearly Headless Nick, examining them, Peeves broke into
song:
“Oh,
Potter, you rotter, oh what have you done,
“That’s enough Peeves!” barked Professor McGonagall, and Peeves zoomed away backward, with his tongue out at Harry.
Draco- Gee, that
was mature.
Justin was carried up to the
hospital wing by Professor Flitwick and Professor Sinistra of the Astronomy
department, but nobody seemed to know what to do for Nearly Headless Nick. In
the end, Professor McGonagall conjured a large fan out of thin air, which she
gave to Ernie with instructions to waft Nearly Headless Nick up the stairs.
This Ernie did, fanning Nick along like a silent black hovercraft.
James- A what?
Sirius- I assume a craft that hovers….
Harry- Yup.
This left Harry
and Professor McGonagall alone together.
“This way, Potter,” she said.
Sirius/James- But he didn’t do anything!
“Professor,” said Harry at once,
“I swear I didn’t—”
“This is out of my hands,
Potter,” said Professor McGonagall curtly.
They marched in silence around a
corner and she stopped before a large and extremely ugly stone gargoyle.
Remus- Hey, you’re going to Dumbledore’s office!
“Lemon drop!” she said. This was
evidently a password, because the gargoyle sprang suddenly to life and hopped
aside as the wall behind him split in two. Even full of dread for what was coming,
Harry couldn’t fail to be amazed. Behind the wall was a spiral staircase that
was moving smoothly upward, like an escalator.
Sirius- Escapator, you mean.
Harry- ::rolls his eyes:: Shut up, Sirius.
As he and
Professor McGonagall stepped onto it, Harry heard the wall thud closed behind
them. They rose upward in circles, higher and higher, until at least, slightly
dizzy,
Remus- It’s better the second time around. You don’t get dizzy.
Harry- I know.
Harry saw a
gleaming oak door ahead, with a brass knocker in the shape of a griffin.
He knew now where he was being
taken. This must be where Dumbledore lived.
Remus- Smart! But we figured that one out as soon as we saw the gargoyle.
Harry- Yeah, but you’d been there before. This was my first time there!
Remus- That, my dear, is totally besides the point.
Harry- ::rolls his eyes:: I’ll just get on with the book.
(1)”I’m stiff.”—I’m
sorry, I just couldn’t resist. ^^ This comes from reading Rhysenn’s livejournal….
There’s an entry in there that says she had a dream, and Harry’s the one
that asks “Scared, Malfoy?” and Draco replies with “I’m stiff.” ^o^ I had
to put that there, you know I did!
(2)Mandrake bites Draco—Yes,
another thing I just couldn’t resist. You know how it is….
(3)And, for those of you
that didn’t look on the front page, I had two very important things up there:
To tell you a little bit, Destiny will be coming
in...probably at the very end of the second book, and Peter won't be going to
Azkaban, but he won't quite be forgiven either. Sorry for everyone that doesn't
like OCs...but, just to be warned, my AU at the end of the MST
kinda-but-not-really has at least two very important OCs in it. (Though,
important as they may be, they probably won't get much screen time. I think
I've developed a pretty good way of shunting them off to the side. ^-^)
Let's see...anything else to warn you of? ... ::ponders(I love that word):: Oh,
yes, Draco and Harry will be staying until the third book is over, at which
point you'll get your first most-likely-not-so-nice glimpse of one of the
important AU charas, and Destiny...will probably be a lot like Sirius, only
obsessed with Divinations. Which reminds me, I'm going to be doing something
rather odd with the Seer thing. It's gonna be fun. ^-^ (For me, at least.)
And:
For those of you that have already sent in characters for
the AU at the end of the MSTs, I'm thinking of letting you give me another
character. (Please!) However, the catch is that the character has to be male
and not in Gryffindor. I have too many Gryffindors as it is. So
if some of you would please do that for me. I don't feel like coming up with a
ton more charas myself. Use the form found here.... Ah...yeah.... Just please
remember to send your chara to slytherin_marauders@hotmail.com.
So, yeah….That’s it. ^^;
(4)And one last thing….
So sorry about the delay. It’s fourth marking period in my school, and that
means research papers in practically every class. I haven’t got much of a
choice but to do school work, ya know? Ugh, sometimes I hate being 15. -_-
