𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌 | 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘗𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳

24 || The Dueling Club

Potions lessons took place in one of the large dungeons. 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. Malfoy, who was Snape's favorite student, kept flicking puffer-fish eyes at Harry and Ron, until I glared at him so fiercely he gulped and looked away.

"Do you have them?" Ron asked me for the thirteenth time. He was pale and sweaty.

"I told you, yes," I whispered irritably. "Now can you stop acting so suspicious?"

I got up from my seat, pretending that I was just going to get more rat tails, but I took the long way around the classroom, dropping tiny orange salamanders in a pattern around Malfoy's cauldron. I walked back, clutching more tails, and Ron's eyes darted over to me. He looked extremely guilty, even though he wasn't the one doing the prank. I hit him on the head with my Potions book.

"Okay, he's just poured it in," I muttered to Harry. Malfoy had filled his cauldron as high as it could go, per the instructions, and Harry handed me a Filibuster's Wet-Start, No-Heat Firework. I tossed it into his cauldron, and it immediately exploded, spraying the Swelling Solution all over the classroom, Crabbe and Goyle, and, mercifully, the floor.

On cue, each of the salamanders swelled up like balloons, and when they came into contact with the liquid, the fireworks inside of them went off. Like tiny rockets, each salamander flew around the room, banging off of walls and knocking over more cauldrons. I had some extras, so I threw them into the fray; the plan had gone off without a hitch.

I didn't have to look over to see if Hermione had gotten the ingredients; my plan had turned out flawless and kept Snape busy for at least ten minutes. Malfoy had gotten a faceful of his Swelling Solution and his head was finally the size of his ego.

"Silence! SILENCE!" Snape roared. "Anyone who has been splashed, come here for a Deflating Draft - when I find out who did this -"

I arranged my expression into one of surprise and distaste. When everyone had taken a swig of antidote and the various swellings had subsided, Snape swept over to Malfoy'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, "I shall make sure that person is expelled." He was looking right at Harry.

When the bell rang, Hermione, out of breath, said; "Nice work, Ash."

"That was quite a distraction," Ron laughed.

"Go big or go home," I shrugged, grinning. "Snape was looking right at you, Harry, I feel like he suspects you."

"It's fine," he reassured me. "He's got no way to prove it was me, because it wasn't."

We hurried back to Myrtle's bathroom, where Hermione handed the ingredients to me and I stirred quickly. I had sort of become the potion overseer at this point--Hermione was definitely the smartest, but I had a weird knack for Potions. It was just something I was good at.

"It should be ready in two weeks," I said happily.

--

A week later, we were walking past the entrance hall when I saw a small knot of people gathered around the notice board, reading a piece of parchment that had just been pinned up. Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas beckoned us over, looking excited.

"They're starting a Dueling Club!" said Seamus. "First meeting tonight! I wouldn't mind dueling lessons; they might come in handy one of these days..."