A Hogwarts Rose Year 2

Chapter 9

Not to long after this Lockhart started a duelling club and I decided to attend, hoping that even with all of Lockhart's blabbering that something useful might come out of it. So the hall was now equipped with a stage instead of the four house tables, many of students had crowded around it waiting for things to actually start. We didn't have to wait long before Lockhart walked up in the stage and the first duelling club meeting began.

'Can you all see me? Can you all hear me?' He asked loudly, we nodded. 'Excellent. In light of all the dark events of recent weeks Professor Dumbledore has given me permission to start this little duelling club to train you all up in case you ever need to defend yourselves as I myself have done on countless occasions, for full details see my published works.' He explained walking along the stage. Then he stopped in the middle and removed his cape, throwing it out into the crowd causing gasps and shrieks from the many fan girls as it was caught by one of them. 'Let me introduce my assistant: Professor Snape.' Everyone turned to look as the dungeon bat walked up onto the stage. 'He was sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration, now I don't want any of you youngsters to worry, you'll still have your potions master when I'm through with him. Never fear.'

The two men walked up to each other and swiftly brought their wand up in front of their faces for a moment before bringing it back down to their sides, then they bent forward stiffly into a shallow bow and straightened up gain. They turned around with their backs to each other and walked five paces along the stage before turning to face each other. They got into their duelling positions and prepared themselves.

'One, two, three.' Lockhart counted.

'Expelliarmus!' Snape said and thrust his wand forward. A gold light burst from the tip of the wand and flew towards Lockhart, when it hit him he flew backwards through the air before landing on his back.

'Woah!' He shouted. I grinned broadly as we watched as he tried to get up.

'Do you think he's alright?' Hermione asked.

'Who cares!' Ron replied happily. Lockhart then got up and walked back to the centre of the stage.

'An excellent idea to show them that, Professor 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 have been only too easy.' He said arrogantly. I looked at Harry and Ron who were rolling their eyes.

'Yeah, so easy that he couldn't do it.' I whispered, the boys snickered.

'Perhaps it would be prudent to first teach the students how to block unfriendly spells, Professor.' Snape suggested.

'An excellent suggestion Professor Snape. Uh let's have a volunteer pair Potter, Weasley how about you.'

'Weasley's wand causes devastation with the simplest spells; we'll be sending Potter to the hospital wing in a matchbox.' Snape replied. 'Might I suggest someone from my own house? Malfoy perhaps.' He said and he signalled Malfoy to get on the stage while Harry walked on to the other end. The boys copied the professors did and stood ready to start.

'Scared Potter?' Malfoy asked as the bowed to each other.

'You wish.' Harry replied then they turned and walked away from each other.

'On the count of three cast your charms to disarm your opponent, only to disarm. We don't want any accidents here. One, two, three.'

'Everte Statum!' Malfoy shouted and Harry was launched into a backflip thought the air before landing on his side. I gasped, the Slytherins laughed and Malfoy smiled satisfied with himself however his smile faded when Harry got up and retaliated.

'Rictasempera!'

Malfoy went spinning horizontally with his arms out and he hit the ground on his bum. I laughed along with the majority of Gryffindor, Malfoy looked up at Snape who was standing over him. Snape pulled Malfoy up of the ground by his robes and pushed him back into the duel.

'Serpensortia!' Malfoy said and a snake came from his wand, I gasped as it slithered towards Harry. Harry looked at it frightened and backed away slightly, then Snape came forward.

'Don't worry Potter I'll get rid of it for you.' He said.

'Allow me Professor Snape.' Lockhart cut in and stepped in front of Harry closer to the snake. 'Alarte Ascendare!' He said and the snake was thrown up into the air before plummeting back down and landing with a thump on the stage. All it had done was make the snake angry. The snake looked around at everyone and hissed. I noticed Harry narrow his eyes and stare at the snake, then he spoke. It was kind of hard to understand.

'Don't attack anyone.' The snake started towards me. 'Leave Stephanie alone.' It ignored him and came to the edge of the stage in front of me. The snake hissed violently and Harry looked scared for me. 'Don't harm Stephanie.' The snake turned and hissed at him. 'You don't need to get angry, just please don't hurt my friend.'

'Calm down, you don't want to hurt anyone I know it.' I added coming forward slightly. The snake turned its attention back to me, slithering forward a few centimetres.

'Where am I? Who are you people?' I asked.

'You are at Hogwarts and we are students. You don't have to be afraid no one-'. I was cut off as Snape got rid of it.

'Vipera Evanesca.' He said and the sake almost looked like caught fire and disintegrated. Everyone stared at Harry and I.

'Thank you.' I said grateful then we were dismissed.

'You never told us you were a parselmouth.' Ron said amazed.

'A what?' Harry asked confused.

'You can talk to snakes.' Hermione clarified.

'I know, I accidentally set a python on my cousin Dudley at the Zoo once.' Ron stared shocked. 'Once, but so what I bet loads of people here can do it.'

'No they can't, it's not a very common gift Harry.'

'Are you sure? Steph can do it too.'

'Of course, you spoke it too.' She said looking at me. 'This is bad.'

'What's bad?' I asked.

'If I hadn't told that snake not to attack Steph-'

'Oh so that's what you were saying.' Ron cut in.

'You were there, you heard me.' He said.

'I heard you speaking parseltongue, snake language.'

'I was speaking a different language?' Harry asked confused, Hermione and Ron nodded. 'But I didn't realise it, how can I speak a language without knowing I can?' Harry asked.

'I don't know.' Hermione replied. 'But it sounded like you were egging the snake on or something. Harry listen to me there's a reason the symbol of Slytherin house is a serpent; Salazar Slytherin was a parselmouth, he could talk to snakes too.' Hermione explained.

'Exactly and now the hole school's going to think you're his great, great, great grandson or something.' Ron said.

'But I'm not! I can't be.' Harry said defiantly.

'He lived a thousand years ago, for all we know you could be.'

'But what about me?' I asked. 'I can understand Harry when he speaks parseltongue and I used to speak to snakes too when I went to the Zoo with my Mum. Admittedly I'm not as good as Harry, but I still can.'

'This definitely complicates things, but I don't know............'

'So what do we do?' Harry asked.