Chapter Sixteen: The Dueling Club

Hogwarts' first official Dueling Club meeting took place in the afternoon of that first Friday after classes were concluded for the day. The gathering took place in the Great Hall, with the tables cast aside and several platforms raised in their stead.

All of Harry's previous classes had been great, (with the exception of the DADA class, which had been utter rubbish about Lockheart) and he was looking forward to seeing what Dueling was all about. It did mean he'd have to deal with Lockheart for longer than should ever be necessary, but Flitwick and Snape were good teachers at least.

"Come one, come all!" Lockheart shouted grandiosely. "The Hogwarts Dueling Club awaits! Don't be shy—you're sure to succeed under my tutelage!"

Harry repressed a snort, but a number of other students didn't—not that Lockheart noticed.

Once the students had gathered, (a mix of kids from all years) Flitwick cleared his throat. "If I might have everyone's attention? Thank you, thank you. Now, I'd like to explain exactly what this Dueling Club is.

"Dueling as we intend it in this Club is a sport. There are Professional Dueling Teams for almost all countries of the Wizarding World, and tournaments held every four years, similar to the Quidditch World Cup. The spells we utilize are non-lethal and solely for disarmament."

Flitwick let that sink in for a moment. "On the flip side, Dueling is incredibly dangerous and a necessary skill to learn so that you may defend yourself should you be attacked. Defense Against the Dark Arts teaches you the theory of this, and Dueling is the execution of those lessons. It is imperative throughout these sessions that you remember which side of Dueling is which—the sport, or your life."

"Now then, I would like to offer a demonstration to show exactly what a Duel entails—"

"If I may, Professor Flitwick," Lockheart interrupted, smiling. "A display between teachers might feel a little out of their league. Why don't we involve a student to take the nervous edge off? Perhaps myself and Mister Potter?"

Oh great.

Lockheart's gaze found him and with a wide smile, the man gestured for Harry to join them. Groaning, he reluctantly walked up to the platform with the teachers, immediately feeling uncomfortable under all the stares.

Snape was waiting in his corner, looking as enthused about Lockheart's suggestion as Harry felt. The boy muttered under his breath as he reached the Potion's Professor. "Don't suppose you'll let me hex him for this?"

"I would not deduct points," Snape droned.

Flitwick looked uncertain, but rolled with it. "Very well. You shall both cast Expelliarmus. Once again, the goal here is to disarm. We don't want any accidents."

"Do not worry yourselves, everyone," Lockheart announced cheerfully. "I'll go easy on him, of course. The Boy Who Lived will still be in one piece when I'm through with him."

Snape turned slightly so that his mouth would be hidden from the view of his fellow teachers. "Do not be gentle."

Harry sighed and readied his wand, as did Lockheart. Dumbledore's lessons from their first year returned to his mind. He knew how to cast Expelliarmus. He could cast it in his sleep.

"On the count of three," Lockheart declared. "One. Two. Three!"

"Expelliarmus!" Harry shouted in turn with the Professor.

Although the signature red magic burst from both of their wands, Harry's spell exceeded the size of Lockheart's several times over. He was almost thrown back by the force of his own magic, which utterly consumed the rival spell and went on to blast Lockheart so far into the air that he flew over Flitwick and into the crowd of students—who parted to keep the man from falling on them.

Lockheart landed with a loud thud that made everyone wince, and his wand clattered to the floor a few moments later.

Harry blinked at the result, stunned by his own spell's raw force. "Oh."

Right. There wasn't a Horcrux constantly sucking his magic anymore.

"…Is he alright?" Lavender Brown spoke up anxiously.

"Who cares!" Nym started cackling, which broke the stunned silence and resulted in a number of other people either chortling uncontrollably or running over to see if Lockheart was alright.

Snape grasped Harry's shoulder and the boy froze. Clearly, his teacher felt the tension in his student, because he released him almost immediately.

"Ten points to Gryffindor," Snape muttered under his breath. Harry managed a breathy laugh.

"Oi!" Malfoy called, grinning wildly. "Is he even alive?!"

One of the older students was kneeling by Lockheart (who made a very unimpressive groaning sound) and looked up. "He's out cold, but I think he's fine."

Flitwick spun on his heel to regard Harry. "Well. Unexpected as it was, that is what happens when two Wizards of considerably different power duel one another. A good show, Mister Potter."

"Can I go back down now?"

Snape nodded and Harry practically leapt off the platform to rejoin his friends, who chattered excitedly at his success. He felt kind of good about it, but it was still a little much.

"Well," Flitwick looked back at Lockheart's unconscious form and then back at the crowd of students. "This wasn't exactly what I had in mind for a demonstration, but you understand the concept, do you not? Let's have another pair come up, shall we? Ahhh…Miss Tonks, if you would. Professor Snape, could you choose a student as well, please?"

Snape sighed. "Mister Malfoy, front-and-center."

Malfoy and Nym climbed up onto the platform and faced off, wands at the ready. Harry watched with interest; Malfoy was an acquaintance (granted, he was also suspicious of the other boy's father to the extreme) and Nym was a close friend. He was curious to see how a duel between them would go.

"On my mark!" Flitwick announced. "One. Two. Three!"

The words were barely out of his mouth when the two students launched their spells.

"Flipendo!" Nym snapped.

Malfoy ducked under the blast and cast his own magic. "Serpensortia!"

The end of his wand exploded and from the tip, a long black snake shot forth and fell heavily on the floor between him and Nym. It immediately raised itself, ready to strike, and exposed a mouth as black as tar.

Flitwick's voice filled the room. "I said disarm only, Mister Malfoy!"

"I was just making a distraction," he protested.

"A Black Mamba is a rather dangerous distraction," Snape told him dryly.

Said Mamba looked extremely irritated by its surroundings—clearly, it was not pleased to be summoned. The snake let out a deep hiss that made the students back up, but the sudden movement only made the animal more tense.

"Can I catch a break, please?" Harry muttered, stepping forward slowly. "I'll deal with it."

The Mamba focused on him and hissed again, and Harry stopped, switching to Parseltongue. "Stand down."

If anything, the snake looked even more surprised, but it didn't calm down immediately. Nor did it try to speak back to him. It hissed again, exposing short fangs for a snake of its size. Harry knew how venomous they were—he had to be careful.

"It's ok," he tried again. "I won't hurt you. Stand down."

The Mamba pulled its head back, puffing up as much as it could in a threat display. Harry frowned and hissed more strongly. "Stand. Down."

He watched as the snakes pupils dilated, and just like that, it bowed its head low and submitted. Harry cocked his head, curious at the odd response, but decided the threat was gone. He held a hand out close to the serpent, who immediately slithered into his grasp and into the suitcase, (which Harry opened with a practiced flick of his wand) where it would be safely away from the other students.

Harry looked up at Draco, who was staring back. "Don't give me that look, now it's my problem."

"Indeed," Snape broke the awkward silence. "Once again, Mister Malfoy, Miss Tonks. One. Two. Three."

"Expelliarmus!" Nym shouted as Draco jerked back to attention, knocking the boy flat on his back and sending his wand flying. She grinned at her victory.

"That doesn't count!" Draco snapped, though he stayed on the ground.

"I think it counts," Nym replied smugly.

Dinner that evening was an excitable affair, mostly with people spreading the word about Lockheart getting blown away, while a few others discussed the other practice matches in the Dueling Club.

Draco dropped by the Gryffindor table for a minute to speak with Harry. "What are you gonna do with it? The snake I summoned?"

"Hopefully I can send it back to where it came from," Harry said. "I'll ask Mr. Scamander when he comes to Hogwarts. Maybe he can take it."

"Fair enough," he shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Got enough snakes already, have you?"

"I don't think I'd be allowed to keep a Black Mamba at Hogwarts. Too fast, too venomous, too volatile. I had to force it to listen to me at all."

"But Basilisks are easy for you."

"I created Selena," Harry replied. "That's different."

"Whatever you say," Malfoy turned away. "Be seeing you, Potter."

Ron watched the other boy go and shook his head a little. "I can never decide if he's more or less of a prat than I expect him to be."

"Reckon it varies from moment to moment," Seamus suggested.

"I reckon you're right."

"Notice Lockheart's not at the teacher's table?" Hermione pointed out.

"Yeah, because Harry gave him a concussion," Neville grinned.

"Bloody shame, that."

"Absolute catastrophe."

Both of the Twins looked entirely too cheerful about their statements for them to be sincere.

Harry's face warmed. "I really didn't mean to blast him that hard."

"What are you sorry for? That was the best thing I've ever seen," Ron scoffed. "Pompous git had that one coming. Even Snape looked happy!"

"More importantly," Hermione broke in. "You know Flitwick was impressed by you. You're probably guaranteed a spot in the Dueling Club if you want it."

"You think so?"

"Harry," Seamus looked at him with mock seriousness. "I don't know how to tell you this, but you knocked our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher onto his arse. Now granted, he's a git like Ron said, but he's still a Professor."

Harry squirmed under the praise. "I'll think about it. Maybe, ok? Maybe."

Percy Weasley suddenly walked up with a frown on his face, looking at all of his younger brothers. "Have any of you seen Ginny?"

"Last I saw her, she was in the Common Room," Ron answered. "She didn't come down for dinner?"

"Not that I've seen, no," Percy said.

"Maybe she's not hungry," Ron suggested. "I know she was feeling a little homesick, but I didn't want to bother her about it."

"Hm. Well, if you see her, let me know what she's up to."

The older Weasley walked off then to join some of the elder Gryffindors. Harry was a little curious himself. He didn't know Ginny was homesick—then again, the concept of homesickness was foreign to him, so of course he hadn't noticed. Maybe he'd ask Aurelion to spend some time with her. They were fairly close. Closer than Harry was with her, anyways.

He filed the thought away for later and returned to his dinner.

On his way back to the Common Room, Harry was joined by Hermione, Nym, and Draco, the latter two of which were arguing back and forth over their duel earlier in the day. Ron had decided to try and hunt down Ginny with Fred and George, and had promised to see them later.

"I could beat you in my sleep!" Draco snapped at Nym.

"That's why you summoned a Black Mamba to keep me busy, then?" Nym smirked. "Don't feel bad, Draco. I'm a year ahead of you! Of course I was gonna have the upper hand."

Draco colored. "You missed your first shot."

"Well, I had to give you some sort of edge."

"Is that what you're calling it? You missed me by a head!"

"I think she missed," Harry decided aloud, smirking.

Nym whipped her head towards him and raised an eyebrow. "Sure you don't want to re-think that, Harry?"

"Pretty sure I saw you miss."

"Tell her, Potter," Draco grinned.

"Quiet, you," Nym waved his comment away and stared at Harry challengingly. "I think you need to get your glasses replaced."

"Maybe you need glasses so you won't miss again."

"Now listen here you little—"

"Kill."

Harry stopped in his tracks.

"—prat. Harry?"

"Hungry, so…so hungry…"

Harry felt his spine crawl as the force of what he recognized as Parseltongue reverberated through the air and his body. The bloodlust was palpable—he could feel an ancient, terrible wrath in the voice, an old hatred and hunger long forgotten.

The suitcase shook violently and opened with a snarl. Selena's eyes blazed as she burst onto the floor, hissing. "WHO DARES THREATEN—!"

"Whoa!" Draco ducked as Aurelion exploded from the case an instant later and immediately took to the air, almost clipping his face with a lashing tail.

Harry walked to the wall on their right and set his hand against it, then pressed his ear to the stone. Selena was at his feet, tongue flicking out nonstop as she tried to detect the source of the voice and spitting out barely comprehendible Parseltongue in her fury. Aurelion was flying to the ceiling, hissing and circling madly.

"Harry! What's going on?!" Nym demanded.

"I want to kill…I want to feed…I want to eat you…" The force of the hiss again had Harry flinching, causing him to backpedal from the wall.

"I'll feed you death!" Selena let out a shrieking hiss. "WHERE ARE YOU?!"

Harry face was bloodless. "Something's in the wall."

"What do you mean, something's in the wall?" Hermione squeaked.

"What's behind this?" He demanded.

"Nothing, that's just the castle foundations," Nym told him, throwing her hand up in the direction of the wall. "Harry?"

"Something's speaking Parseltongue behind this wall," he breathed. "Something—something big. It's hungry…"

"KILL."

Aurelion hissed above them. "This way!"

He flew down the hall and took a turn, sending Selena and Harry racing after him with the rest of their friends behind them.

Aurelion flew to the end fo the hall, where the path split, and circled again in the air. He hissed in frustration. "It's gone! I cannot sense it!"

Harry looked down at Selena. "Anything?"

"It has fled," she spat, tail tip vibrating intensely. "Whatever it was, it has escaped."

Nym bumped into Hermione as they caught up to Harry and blinked, realizing the other girl had stopped dead. "You alright there, Granger?"

Hermione just lifted a shaky hand and pointed. The other students turned their eyes up and froze.

Upon the huge wall ahead of them was a message written in bright, liquid crimson—still dripping and leaving trails in its wake. Harry felt ice run through his veins.

"What the bloody hell?" Draco muttered under his breath.

Hermione read the message aloud with a weak voice. "'The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the Heir, beware!' It's—it's written in blood…"

It was. Harry could smell the tang of iron even from here. His gazed trailed to an unusual object on the floor and—

"Ms. Norris?" He hurried over to the fuzzy shape and knelt beside it. The cat was frozen in time, fur bushed up and eyes wide.

"Is she dead?" Nym asked, joining him.

"No," Harry frowned. He could feel her breath, but she was stiff. "Whoa, wait—she's been petrified."

Hermione's eyes widened and whipped her gaze away to look at the Basilisk. "Selena?"

"No, the charm is still on her eyes and she's been in the suitcase all day," Harry shook his head.

Selena looked Hermione in the eyes to prove this, who just nodded, satisfied.

Draco looked from the cat to the snake in bewilderment. "Sorry, have I missed something? If she didn't petrify Filch's cat, what did?"

Aurelion flew back down to rest on Harry's shoulders, curling up protectively. Nym looked up and down the halls, which were still empty—for the moment. "Harry, we need to tell Dumbledore about this. Now. Before someone gets the wrong idea."

"Yeah," he swallowed. "Selena, back in the case."

"You expect me to go back in there while that—that thing is hiding around us?" She demanded incredulously.

"Aurelion will be with me, you can't be seen like this," he insisted. "This is already suspicious enough."

"I didn't do it!"

"I know. But everyone else doesn't. Please? Just—just go with it."

She looked immensely displeased, but did as he asked. Harry set the suitcase down, opened it, and let the Basilisk slither back into the magical space.

He shouldered the case, carefully lifted Ms. Norris into his arms, and walked towards the Headmaster's office with the rest of the students.

Dumbledore had sent Snape to investigate the bloody message as soon as he heard about it from Harry and the others. While the Potions Professor was clearing the mess and checking for any sign of the perpetrator, the old wizard performed a check on the charm keeping Selena's dangerous eyes in-check.

McGonagall had joined them, while Professor Sprout took Ms. Norris to the infirmary and told them she would begin preparations for a potion that would cure the petrification.

Dumbledore returned his wand to the inside of his cloak. "The charm has not been tampered with. It holds firm—none of her magic has escaped it."

"Thank you for that statement of the blindingly obvious," Selena snapped.

Draco threw his hands up in the air. "Ok, well if it wasn't her, then what petrified the cat?"

"I don't know for sure," Dumbledore replied. "Not yet. Possibly the same individual who wrote the message on the walls, but I cannot say for certain. I must think on this."

"Albus," McGonagall stepped forward. "This incident might be isolated for now, but—"

"But the health of our students is at risk, yes!" Dumbledore agreed. "Yes. We must tread cautiously."

Harry knelt and rested a hand on Selena's head, brow furrowing. "The message talked about the Chamber of Secrets. Wasn't that made by Salazar Slytherin?"

"So the legend goes," McGonagall inclined her head. "The Chamber of Secrets is said to be the home of a monster. But no such chamber has ever been discovered, not even by the other founders of Hogwarts, nor has any monster been seen. That isn't to say the monster never existed, but…"

"What could even live that long?" Nym demanded. "Slytherin lived a thousand years ago! If he hid something in the Chamber, the bones would be dust by now."

"It was speaking Parseltongue," Harry muttered. "I know I heard it. It's a snake, or something that can speak to snakes."

"And it may be capable of Petrification Magic," Dumbledore said flatly. "The list of creatures who fit that bill are…exceedingly small."

"Tell me you're not suggesting Slytherin hid a live Basilisk in the school," McGonagall breathed.

"My race does live rather long lives," Selena admitted. "But a thousand years is pushing it, even for my kind."

Harry translated, and Dumbledore pursed his lips in thought.

"It's a possibility, but not yet concrete. I'm calling Mr. Scamander to Hogwarts ahead of schedule," the Headmaster decided, pacing. "If anyone can figure out what this creature is, he would be the one. Minerva, investigate the scene with Severus. Find out how Ms. Norris was petrified and if there's a way to prevent such an incident from occurring again. For the time being, curfew is tightened."

He wheeled around to face the Transfiguration Professor. "And find out who opened the Chamber. How. Where. If we cannot find the beast, we must hunt it to its lair."

Dumbledore then looked back to the students. "Harry, keep your ears sharp. Keep Selena hidden. Until such time as the creature is identified and discovered, she may not be safe. Keep Aurelion with you at all times. If you hear anything, let us know."

"Yes, sir," he swallowed.

The Headmaster regarded Nym, Hermione, and Draco. "For now, you will all return to your dormitories. I will escort you there myself. Do not tell the other students. If we panic, we may play into the hands of whoever has done this. Be cautious, but within reason. We'll be hunting the source of this trouble all the while."

"Yes, sir," they replied.

"Good," he nodded. "Come, then."

After leading Nym and Draco to their respective houses, Dumbledore escorted Harry and Hermione to the Gryffindor Common Room. As they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady and gave the password to open the door, Dumbledore folded his hands in front of him.

"Miss Granger? If I might have a word with Mister Potter? I'll send him after you in a moment."

Hermione cast a glance at Harry, who just nodded. She quietly thanked Dumbledore, then walked through the opening to the Common Room.

Harry looked at Dumbledore as Aurelion circled him in the air. The Headmaster regarded Harry in turn for a few moments before he spoke. "Our lessons will begin tomorrow, before Mr. Scamander joins us."

"Sir," Harry hesitated. "If there is another Basilisk here, what should we do about it?"

"I'm not yet certain," Dumbledore admitted. "It will have to be removed, but as for its fate…You heard it speak. What are your impressions of the creature?"

The boy thought about it before shaking his head. "It's…I'm not sure it's all there. It's mind, I mean. It sounded almost—almost deranged. It said it was starving."

"There is a theory," Dumbledore began. "One which no one is certain is truth or mere fiction, that the reason behind the creation of a creature like the Basilisk influences its personality. In the past, they were created many times by dark wizards with foul intentions, and often, the animals reflected that themselves. Selena has proven to be a dramatic variation from the typical persona of a Basilisk, so perhaps this theory has some credibility."

He let that sink in. "If the creature we are dealing with is a Basilisk, then it was likely created by Salazar Slytherin, who was notorious for his Pureblood agenda. The legend has it that he sealed the Chamber of Secrets after a disagreement with the other founders, who believed all children with magic should be allowed to attend Hogwarts. Salazar believed only Pureblood children should be granted this gift, and when he was ousted, he was…displeased. If he created a Basilisk in that state of mind…"

"What if I can persuade it to leave?" Harry asked. "Or get it to agree to live elsewhere? Where we can help it?"

"If it listens, I will help you should the opportunity arise," Dumbledore told him cautiously. "But Harry, be careful where your thoughts lead you. If this creature is as loyal to Salazar Slytherin as Selena is to you, can you honestly tell me you think it will obey a different master?"

"You think we should kill it?"

"I think we should see how it responds should it be receptive to communication with you. If it is, then we can work something out. If it is not…I do not know. Not yet. If Salazar trapped the creature in the Chamber for a thousand years, would it be crueler of us to trap it again, or put it out of its misery? There are no easy answers to these questions, Harry. Whatever the case, it's clear this animal has suffered."

Dumbledore crossed his arms in front of him. "And should it ultimately decide to threaten you and the rest of the school, I will not hesitate to defend us. I cannot take that chance. This creature's power is not restrained like Selena's. It does not yet answer to reason, and it has displayed a willingness to express that power as a threat. Let us be cautiously optimistic, but only within reason. Can we agree on that?"

"Yes, sir."

"I do not want to kill it, Harry. But I need you to understand that if I must, I will. I will not let it hurt those under my care. Is that fair?"

Harry nodded. Dumbledore mirrored the motion and gestured to the Common Room. "Off to bed with you, now. Should I learn anything more, I will let you know."

"Thank you, Professor."

A/N: Oh look, more Serpentine. If you haven't guessed, I'm trying to keep the storyline moving quickly. It'll still be a bit before we discover the Chamber itself, but we're getting there! Look forward to more!