Sapphire Witch - Under Editing to make it easier to read

Dueling Club

A golden stage has been erected. Lockhart struts atop it. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Y/n, and a good number of other students watch. Lockhart: "Gather round! Gather round! Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent. In light of the dark events of recent weeks, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission 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 works." The boy next to Harry, Justin Finch-Fletchley, turns to him. Justin: " That Lockhart's something, isn't he? Awfully brave chap." Y/n: "He's a fraud." Justin offers his hand. Justin: "Justin Finch-Fletchley. Hufflepuff." Y/n: "Y/n Natalya Maximoff Potter." Harry: "Nice to meet you. I'm --" Justin: "I know who you are. We all do. Even us Muggle-borns." Y/n: "I'm Pureblood since I was conceived through literal magic." Justin: "Really how?" Y/n: "My mother is Wanda Maximoff and my father is Vision." Justin: "That's cool. Have you met the Avengers?" Y/n: "No. I was adopted by the Potters." Justin grins agreeably and looks back to the stage, where Professor Severus has joined Lockhart. Lockhart: "Let me introduce my assistant Professor Severus. He has 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!" Y/n: "We're not worried about Professor Snape! We're worried about you! Kick his arse, Professor Snape!" Ron: "What's the fun in that?" Lockhart and Severus face each other and bow. They turn, walk ten paces, then... SPIN... wands poised like swords. Lockhart: "As you can see, we are holding our wands in the accepted combative position. On the count of three, we will cast our first spells. Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course." Harry: (eyeing Severus) "I wouldn't bet on that." Y/n smacks Harry hard. Everyone stares. Y/n: "I thought we were over this." Lockhart: "One-two-three --" Severus: "Expelliarmus!" A dazzling flash of scarlet light bursts forth and blasts Lockhart off his feet and into the wall behind. Hermione: "Do you think he's all right?" Harry/Ron: "Who cares?" Lockhart: (rising unsteadily) "Well, there you have it. That was a Disarming Charm. As you see, I've lost my wand." Lockhart: (as Hermione returns it) "Ah, thank you, Miss Granger. Yes, an excellent idea to show them that, Professor Severus, 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..." Severus: "Perhaps it would be prudent to first teach the students to block unfriendly spells, Professor." Lockhart: "An excellent suggestion, Professor Severus. Let's have a volunteer pair. Potter, Weasley, how about you?" Severus: "Weasley's wand causes devastation with the simplest spells. We'll be sending Potter to the hospital wing in a matchbox." Lockhart: "Y/n then-" Snape: "Y/n is way too advanced for this to be safe. Might I suggest someone from my own house? Malfoy, perhaps." Malfoy and Harry eye each other malevolently as they take their places onstage. Grudgingly, they bow to each other. Draco: "Scared, Potter?" Harry: "You wish." They turn, walk ten paces, then whirl, wands poised. Lockhart: "Wands at the ready! When I count to three, cast your charms to disarm your opponent -- only to disarm. We don't want any accidents. One, two --" Malfoy fires early, knocking Harry off his feet with a blast of white light. He jumps up, and points his wand. Harry: "Rictusempra!" A jet of silver light hits Malfoy dead in the stomach. He doubles up, wheezing. Lockhart: "I said disarm only!" Draco: "Serpensortia!" To Harry's horror, the tip of Malfoy's wand explodes and a long black snake slithers forth. Severus smiles with amusement. Severus: "Don't move, Potter. I'll get rid of it for you." Lockhart: "Allow me!" Lockhart flicks his wand. bang! The snake flies into the air hisses in rage and slithers straight towards Justin Finch-Fletchley. Y/n puts up a blue barrier between them and the snake. As students scream, Harry --oddly calm -- approaches the snake. It rises, fangs exposed, poised to strike Justin. Harry: (in Parseltongue) "Leave him!" The snake looks into Harry's eyes, then turns for Justin. Harry: (in Parseltongue) "LEAVE HIM!" The snake hovers a moment more, then -- miraculously -- slumps to the floor. Y/n drops the barrier. Harry blinks as if coming out of a trance, grins curiously at the snake, and offers his hand to Justin. Justin: "What are you playing at?" Terrified, Justin backs away; pulling the young Maximoff with him. Confused, Harry eyes the faces around him. Malfoy looks shocked. Seamus and Neville's eyes glitter with fear. Y/n looks amused. Regulus merely raises an eyebrow. Ginny bolts the room. Regulus: "Severus. Are you going to take care of the snake or should I?" Severus waves his wand and the snake vanishes in a puff of black smoke, then regards Harry with a look that is both shrewd and calculating. Ron: (taking Harry's arm) "Come on. Move. Now." Y/n slips out of the boy's grasp before standing next to Regulus. Y/n: "Can people not speak Parseltongue?" Regulus: "No, and it'd be best not to mention it." Y/n: "Can I bring the rest of my animals with me?" Regulus: "Yes. Keep Ruby locked in your room.

~Gryffindor Common Room~

Ron and Hermione usher Harry inside. Harry glances up and sees Ginny Weasley staring down at him from the top of the stairs. As their eyes meet, she turns to the girls' dormitory. Ron: "You're a Parselmouth! Why didn't you tell us?" Harry: "I'm a what?" Hermione: "You can talk to snakes." Harry: "I know. I mean, I accidentally set a python on my cousin Dudley at the zoo once. But so what? I bet loads of people here can do it, like Y/n." Hermione: "No. They can't. It's not a very common gift, Harry. This is bad." Harry: "What's bad? If I hadn't told that snake not to attack Justin --" Ron: "Oh, that's what you said to it." Harry: "You were there! You heard me!" Ron: "I heard you speaking Parseltongue. Snake language." Harry: "I spoke a different language? But I didn't realize -- how can I speak a language without knowing I can?" Hermione: "I don't know, Harry. But it sounded like you were egging the snake on or something. It was...creepy." As Gryffindors stream into the room, they eye Harry warily. Even Seamus, Neville, and Dean Thomas walk by without a word. Hermione: "Harry, listen out me. There's a reason the symbol of the Slytherin house is a serpent. Salazar Slytherin was a Parselmouth. He could talk to snakes too." Ron: "Exactly. And now the whole school's going to think you're his great-great-great grandson or something." Harry: "But I'm not. I... can't be." Hermione: "He lived a thousand years ago. For all we know... you could be." Y/n: "Because that's stupid. The only member left of Salzar Slytherin's bloodline is Lord Voldemort! Everyone knows that." Hermione looks shocked. Y/n goes to her room. 

~Y/n's room~

Ginny knocks on her door. Y/n: "Yeah?" Ginny: "I'm feeling weak...Is that a basilisk?" Y/n: "Oh Ruby! She's taking care of her eggs. I had to remove her from her home because wizards were trying to take her eggs when she went to eat. Dumbledore knows and helped me move her in this morning. She loves meeting new people."