Snape and Lily's daughter

The Dueling Club

It was a Monday. Grace and the girls went to the Great Hall for breakfast and then they would have lessons. Shocking news had spread throughout the school that morning: the muggle-born student Colin Creevey had been petrified. After that news, no one would risk walking around the castle alone.

The girls were passing through the entrance hall to go to dinner when they saw a small crowd around the notice board, so they went to see what it was. The students who were there were reading a piece of parchment that had been pinned up. Harry, Ron and Hermione also approached the board.

"They're starting a Dueling Club!" a second year boy, Harry's roommate, Seamus Finnigan said. "First meeting tonight! I wouldn't mind dueling lessons; they might come in handy one of these days..."

"What, you reckon Slytherin's monster can duel?" Ron said.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione left, leaving the first year Slytherin girls there.

"Wouldn't it be great to learn how to duel?" Melia asked.

"I think it would be extremely useful with everything that's happening at the school." Ella said.

"It's going to be tonight at eight o'clock!" Grace said. "Shall we go?"

All four girls nodded. The girls went to dinner, returned to the common room and then went back to the Great Hall for the Duelling Club. In place of the four House tables was a golden stage.

"I wonder who'll be teaching us?" Ella said. "Someone told me Flitwick was a dueling champion when he was young — maybe it'll be him."

The girls went towards the rest of the students. Then two teachers came on stage. Gilderoy Lockhart, in dark plum robes, accompanied Snape.

Lockhart waved an arm for silence and called. "Gather round, gather round! Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me? 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 — for full details, see my published works.

"Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape," Lockhart said. "He tells me he knows a tiny little bit about dueling himself and has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration before we begin. 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!"

Grace rolled her eyes and whispered to her friends. "I really want to see that."

She also heard Ron muttering something to Hermione and Harry. "Wouldn't it be good if they finished each other off?"

Lockhart and Snape turned to each other and bowed, then both raised their wands as if wielding swords.

"As you see, we are holding our wands in the accepted combative position," Lockhart told the students. "On the count of three, we will cast our first spells. Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course."

"I wouldn't bet on that," Harry murmured.

"One — two — three —"

The two raised their wands above their heads and pointed them at their opponent "Expelliarmus!" Snape said.

A red flash hit Lockhart, who was thrown into the air and crashed into the wall. The Slytherin students cheered, including Grace.

"Do you think he's all right?" Ella asked worriedly.

"Who cares?" Melia and Megan said together.

"Well, there you have it! 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, it was very obvious what you were about to do. If I had wanted to stop you it would have been only too easy — however, I felt it would be instructive to let them see..."

Snape looked at Lockhart with a murderous expression on his face.

"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 —" Lockhart spoke.

The two of them walked among the students, forming pairs. They couldn't mix up the year groups, so the pairs were made up of students from the same year. Snape reached Harry and Ron first.

"Time to split up the dream team, I think," he sneered. "Weasley, you can partner Finnigan. Potter —" Harry moved toward Hermione.

"I don't think so," Snape smiled 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."

The two teachers continued arranging the pairs. Snape couldn't get there in time to put Grace and Astoria together.

"Miss Snape can pair up with Miss Weasley." Lockhart said. Grace was relieved it was only Ginny. "Miss Greengrass with Miss Avery, Miss Rosier with Miss Wilkins."

They continued forming the pairs until they were all formed.

"Face your partners!" Lockhart called. "And bow! Wands at the ready! 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 —"

"Impedimenta!" Grace pointed her wand at Ginny.

Ginny was thrown backwards. "I'm sorry Ginny." Grace apologized.

"No worries, we're here for this anyway." Ginny said.

"Very well, Grace." Snape said as he passed the two.

"I think I'd better teach you how to block unfriendly spells," Lockhart said. "Let's have a volunteer pair — Longbottom and Finch-Fletchley, how about you —"

"A bad idea, Professor Lockhart," Snape spoke. "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. How about Malfoy and Potter?"

"Excellent idea!" said Lockhart.

Draco and Harry bowed and when it was time to cast the spells, Draco exclaimed, "Serpensortia!"

A snake came out of the tip of his wand, it was big and black, ready to strike. All the students watching stepped back, afraid of it.

"Don't move, Potter," Snape said lazily. "I'll get rid of it."

"Allow me!" Lockhart shouted. He casted a spell on the snake, but it only made it flew in the air and fall back on the floor.

The snake angrily turned towards Justin Finch-Fletchley, ready to strike. Then Harry seemed to go into a trance and started talking to the snake in a language that nobody understood. The snake turned to Harry and became tame again.

"What do you think you're playing at?" Justin said, and left in a rage.

Snape, with a spell, made the snake disappear. Everyone was whispering about what they had just seen.