Blake's friend group and she were Disarming each other as they were told to, except for Jennifer and Alicia. They were full on trying to hex each other. From the corner of her eyes Blake saw Hermione Granger being strangled by Millicent Bullstrode and she saw Draco and Harry Potter trying to impress each other with the spells they knew.
"Stop! Stop!" screamed Lockhart, but Snape took charge.
"Finite Incantatem!" he shouted; everyone immediately stopped what they were doing and looked up to the two professors.
"Went quite well, hm?" Blake said to George, who silently agreed.
A haze of greenish smoke was hovering over the scene. Hermione and Millicent Bulstrode were still moving; Millicent had Hermione in a headlock and Hermione was whimpering in pain; both their wands laid forgotten on the floor. Someone leaped forward and pulled Millicent off. It seemed to be difficult: she was a lot bigger than he was.
"Dear, dear," said Lockhart, skittering through the crowd, looking at the aftermath of the duels. "Up you go, Macmillan... Careful there, Miss Fawcett... Pinch it hard, it'll stop bleeding in a second, Boot — I think I'd better teach you how to block unfriendly spells," said Lockhart, standing flustered in the midst of the hall. He glanced at Snape, whose black eyes glinted, and looked quickly away. "Let's have a volunteer pair — Longbottom and Finch-Fletchley, how about you —"
Mitchell and Blake scoffed, they had both seen Longbottom to be very clumsy. And even that was an understatement.
"A bad idea, Professor Lockhart," said Snape, gliding over like a large and malevolent bat. "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." Neville's round, pink face went pinker. "How about Malfoy and Potter?" said Snape with a twisted smile.
"Excellent idea!" said Lockhart, gesturing Harry and Draco into the middle of the hall as the crowd backed away to give them room. Luckily it wasn't Blake. It was unfair if she was chosen over Draco, she was far more advanced than both Draco and Harry.
"Oh, that is going to be fun," Blake grinned to no one in particular.
"Now, Harry," said Lockhart. "When Draco points his wand at you, you do this." He raised his own wand, attempted a complicated sort of wiggling action, and dropped it. Snape smirked as Lockhart quickly picked it up, saying, "Whoops — my wand is a little overexcited —"
Snape moved closer to Draco, bent down, and whispered something in his ear. Draco smirked, too. Harry looked up nervously at Lockhart and said, "Professor, could you show me that blocking thing again?"
"Scared?" muttered Draco, so that Lockhart couldn't hear him. "You wish," said Harry out of the corner of his mouth.
Lockhart cuffed Harry merrily on the shoulder. "Just do what I did, Harry!"
"What, drop my wand?" Harry looked confused and Fred, George and Blake laughed at his reaction.
But Lockhart wasn't listening. "Three — two — one — go!" he shouted
Draco raised his wand quickly and bellowd, "Serpensortia!" The end of his wand exploded. Harry watched, aghast, as a long black snake shot out of it, fell heavily onto the floor between them, and raised itself, ready to strike. There were screams as the crowd backed swiftly away, clearing the floor. Cassius as well as George laid a protective hand on Blake's shoulders, moving her away. Jennifer looked scared as she tried to hide behind Adrian.
"Don't move, Potter," said Snape lazily, clearly enjoying the sight of Harry standing motionless, eye to eye with the angry snake. "I'll get rid of it..."
"Allow me!" shouted Lockhart. He brandished his wand at the snake and there was a loud bang; the snake, instead of vanishing, flew ten feet into the air and fell back to the floor with a loud smack. Enraged, hissing furiously, it slithered straight toward Justin Finch-Fletchley and raised itself again, fangs exposed, poised to strike.
Harry shouted something at the snake. And miraculously — inexplicably — the snake slumped to the floor, docile as a thick, black garden hose, its eyes now on Harry.
He looked up at Justin, grinning, expecting to see Finch-Fletchley looking relieved, or puzzled, or even grateful — but certainly not angry and scared. The expression almost everyone had on their face. Blake understood, 'cause what the fuck just happened?
"What do you think you're playing at?" he shouted, and before Harry could say anything, Justin had turned and stormed out of the hall.
Snape stepped forward, waved his wand, and the snake vanished in a small puff of black smoke. Snape, too, was looking at Harry in an unexpected way: It was a shrewd and calculating look, and Harry didn't seem to like it.
"Okay, everyone's dismissed," Lockhart said, loud and clear over the silence. Everyone started moving, clearly in shock about what just happened. Cassius and George let go of Blake's shoulders.
"That was exciting, wasn't it?" Adrian rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, really fun," Jennifer sarcastically said as she turned to Blake, "Talk to your brother will you? Scaring people like that... Merlin."
Blake grinned at her. "Will do. Imagine, 'Oi Draco, never do that again, please, Jennie almost passed out of utter fear'."
Everyone except for Jennifer laughed. "Not funny, Blake. You know how afraid I am of snakes."
"Just kidding, Jenns," Blake grinned. "I know you're scared shitless of those things."
☽☽☽☽
The last week of the term before the Christmas break had started. Harry being a Parselmouth was the highlight of the week. Everyone seemed to be talking about it. The Hufflepuffs seemed to be afraid of Harry, because of what happened.
People started to think Harry was the heir of Salazar Slytherin, as he was a Parselmouth too. And people thought Harry opened the Chamber of Secrets. The only question — actually, two — Blake had, was did he open the Chamber? If so, how?
On the Friday before the holidays, Herbology was canceled. Because it was snowing really bad and Professor Sprout wanted to fit socks and scarves on the Mandrakes, a tricky operation she didn't entrust to no one else, now that it was so important for the Mandrakes to grow quickly and revive Mrs. Norris and Colin Creevey.
When the free period was over, they heard the news of another attack. A double attack, this time. News spread fast, at Hogwarts. The ones being attacked? Ghost Nearly Headless Nick and Justin Finch-Fletchley. The second year in Hufflepuff who thought Harry Potter set up a snake against him.
The double attack on Justin and Nearly Headless Nick turned what has hitherto been nervousness into real panic. Curiously, it's Nearly Headless Nick's fate that seemed to worry people most. What could possibly do that to a ghost? people ask each other; what terrible power could harm someone who was already dead? There was almost a stampede to book seats on the Hogwarts Express so that students could go home for Christmas.
Draco and Blake were staying, though. Just as Cassius and the twins. Luckily. Jennifer, Miles, Mitchell, Adrian and Lee were all going home.
Harry seemed to be happy most people were leaving for the holidays.
Fred and George, however, found all this very funny. They went out of their way to march ahead of Harry down the corridors, shouting, "Make way for the Heir of Slytherin, seriously evil wizard coming through..."
Most of the time, Lee and Blake walked behind them full of amazement.
Percy Weasley was deeply disapproving of this behavior. "It is not a laughing matter," he said coldly.
"Oh, get out of the way, Percy," said Fred. "Harry's in a hurry."
"Yeah, he's off to the Chamber of Secrets for a cup of tea with his fanged servant," said George, chortling.
"Oh, c'mon, Perc," Blake smirked, "it's called humor. But I don't think you know what that means, now do you?"
Ginny didn't find it amusing either. "Oh, don't," she wailed every time Fred asked Harry loudly who he was planning to attack next, or when George pretended to ward Harry off with a large clove of garlic when they met. Blake really did feel bad for Ginny, because she seemed really affected by the attacks.
