Henrietta Potter || Draco Malfoy

7 - Stranger Things

Strange things started happening around the castle.

I was hearing voices that no one else seemed to hear; Filch's petrified cat was found hanging next to a message about the Chamber of Secrets being opened or some shit; and Draco's hair was somehow looking sleeker and shiner.

It was all rather baffling.

And then there was the incident in Duelling Club.

Lockhart told us to get into pairs. I automatically moved towards Hermione.

"I don't think so," Snape said, smiling coldly. "Mr Malfoy, come over here. Let's see what you make of the famous Henrietta Potter."

I groaned as Draco strutted over, smirking.

"Face your partners!" Lockhart called, "and bow!"

I refused point blank to bow to Draco. We stood still, not taking our eyes off each other.

"Wands at the ready!" Lockhart shouted. "When I count to three, cast your charms to disarm your opponent - only to disarm them - we don't want any accidents. One... two... three..."

I swung my wand over my shoulder, but the cheating bastard had already started on 'two': his spell hit me so hard I felt as though I'd been hit over the head with a saucepan. I stumbled, but managed to right myself, and wasting no more time, pointed my wand straight at Draco and shouted, "Rictusempra!"

A jet of silver light hit Draco in the stomach and he doubled up, wheezing.

"I said disarm only!" Lockhart shouted in alarm, as Draco sank to his knees; I had hit him with a Tickling Charm and he could barely move for laughing. I grinned gleefully at my work, but Draco was quick and, gasping for breath, pointed his wand at my knees, choked, "Tarantallegra!" and next second my legs began to jerk around out of my control in a kind of quickstep.

"Stop! Stop!" Lockhart screamed like a moronic drama queen, but Snape took charge.

"Finite Incantatem!" he shouted; my feet stopped dancing, Draco stopped laughing and we were able to look up.

It seemed Draco and I weren't the only ones playing dirty tricks on one another.

"Dear, dear," Lockhart said, looking around at the students all over the floor. "I think I'd better teach you how to block unfriendly spells. Let's have a volunteer pair."

"How about Malfoy and Potter?" Snape said with a twisted smile.

Good god, this class was hell.

"Excellent idea!" Lockhart said, gesturing Draco and I into the middle of the Hall as the crowd backed away to give us room.

"Now, Henrietta," Lockhart said, "when Draco points his wand at you, you do this."

I stared at him bewilderedly as he gave his wand a complicated wiggle and dropped it.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Snape whispering something in Draco's ear. Draco smirked. I swallowed.

"Professor, could you show me that blocking thing again?"

"Scared?" Draco muttered, so that Lockhart couldn't hear him.

"You wish," I snarled, narrowing my eyes in what I hoped was an intimidating manner.

Lockhart cuffed me merrily on the shoulder. "Just do what I did, Henrietta!"

"What, drop my wand?"

But he wasn't listening.

"Three- two- one- go!" He shouted.

I froze as Draco raised his wand quickly and bellowed, "Serpensortia!"

The end of his wand exploded. I watched, aghast, as a long black snake shot out of it, fell heavily on the floor between us and raised itself, ready to strike. There were screams as the crowd backed swiftly away, clearing the floor.

"Don't move, Potter," Snape said lazily - he was clearly enjoying the sight of me standing motionless, eye to eye with an angry snake. "I'll get rid of it..."

"Allow me" Lockhart shouted. He brandished his wand at the snake and it flew ten feet into the air and fell back to the floor with a loud smack.

It was mightily pissed off and turned its attention towards Justin Finch-Fletchley. Feeling I ought to do something, I yelled stupidly at the snake, "Leave him!" And it seemed to do the job as the snake slumped to the floor.

The reaction was just ridiculous. Draco stared open mouthed at me like an idiot. Everyone else started giving me evils and yelling at me to get away. Ron grabbed my arm, pulling me hurriedly out of the Hall, Hermione on our tail. It turned out I was a Parselmouth and that happened to not be a good thing due to Voldemort being one.

Pfft. They were all acting like complete babies, looking at me as though I were about to kill them all in their sleep or something.

Oddly enough, the only person who did not treat me any differently - other than my two besties, of course - was Draco Malfoy.

So, we came to the logical conclusion that this must have meant that he was definitely the Heir of Slytherin.

Hermione had the ingenious idea of making up some Polyjuice potion so that we could interrogate Draco about it. He had seemed rather gleeful at the mention of the Chamber after all.

The whole thing turned out to be a colossal waste of our time. Hermione would not even come out of the cubical as she had accidentally turned herself into a cat. The daft mare.

And then I found this totally awesome diary belonging to this really hot dude who kept showing me his memories.

Was deeply pissed off when I later found out that I had not been the only girl he had been exchanging ink with that year.

It made it easier to stab his soul though, especially when it turned out he was actually that murdering scumbag who blew up my parents.

Oh well.

Boy, was I glad when that year finished. I just prayed the next one would be less eventful.

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