Y/N's POV

"Guys!" Ron shouted as he and Harry burst through the portrait. Me and Hermione couldn't see them at first but when they took the cloak off, I could see them both looking like they had run a marathon.

"What happened?" I asked, slightly concerned.

"Me and Ron were by Snape's Storeroom, grabbing some of the ingredients." Harry started. "We were making our way back when we saw Professor McGonagall and some other teachers carrying someone. They had been petrified just like Mrs Norris!"

There was an eerie silence, then Ron spoke,

"It was Colin...Colin Creevey."

"Holy crap..." I said whilst Hermione gasped.

"Another Muggle-born, we really need to hurry up with the Potion!"

And with that, she rushed up to the dormitory without another word.

"What's up with her?" Ron asked dumbly.

"Dude, she's a Muggle-born! Of course she's gonna be a bit worried about this monster, targeting Muggle-borns!" I said, confused at how someone could be that thick.

The three of us said nothing else and went up to bed.

Soon, the whole school found out about Colin and it sent the whole school, but the Slytherins, into panic. A week later, the four of us were walking across the entrance hall when Seamus, a fellow Gryffindor, ran up to us.

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

"What, you reckon Slytherin's monster can duel?" said Ron, but he, too, read the sign with interest.

"Could be useful," he said to me, Harry and Hermione, "shall we go?"

"I pray Lockhart isn't running it, we won't learn a single thing." I said.

"What's your issue with him Y/N?" Hermione asked me.

"I know!" Harry smirked.

"So do I!" Ron added.

"Yeah, we all know he's a pathetic teacher." I said, glaring at Harry and Ron.

Later, at eight o'clock, we made our way to the Great Hall for the duelling lessons. The long dining tables had vanished and a golden stage had appeared along one wall, lit by thousands of candles floating overhead.

"I wonder who'll be teaching us?" said Hermione as we edged into the chattering crowd. "Someone told me Flitwick was a dueling champion when he was young, maybe it'll be him."

"Like I said, as long as it's not-" I began, but I ended on a groan, Gilderoy Lockhart was walking onto the stage, in his fancy robes and accompanied by none other than Snape, wearing his usual black.

Lockhart waved an arm for silence and called. "Gather round, gather round! Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent! Now, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little duelling club, to train you all in case you ever need to defend yourselves as I myself have done on countless occasions, for full details, see my published works."

"DING! Your published works are lies!" I yelled, I smirked as Harry and Ron laughed along with some other students, whilst Hermione looked mortified.

Lockhart remained calm. "How about you try duelling me, after I'm finished demonstrating."

The whole crowd of students gasped, a Professor had just challenged a second year to a duel.

I didn't say anything as now Lockhart had moved onto a demonstration.

"Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape," said Lockhart, flashing a wide smile, "he tells me he knows a tiny little bit about duelling himself and has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration before we begin. 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!"

Lockhart and Snape turned to face each other and bowed, at least, Lockhart did, with much twirling of his hands, whereas Snape just moved his head ever so slightly. Then they raised their wands like swords in front of them.

"As you see, we are holding our wands in the accepted combative position," Lockhart told the silent crowd, "on the count of three, we will cast our first spells. Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course."

"One...two...three..."

Both of them swung their wands above their heads and pointed them at their opponent.

Snape cried: "Expelliarmus!" there was a dazzling flash of scarlet light and Lockhart was blasted off his feet, He flew backwards off the stage, smashed into the wall, and slid down it to sprawled on the floor. 

Nearly everyone but a few girls cheered. "Do you think he's ok?" Hermione asked worriedly.

"Who cares." Ron said.

"I told you he's a fraud." I laughed.

"Well, there you have it!" Lockhart said, as he got back up. "That was a Disarming Charm, as you see, an excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape, 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, however, I felt it would be instructive to let them see..."

"DING!" I yelled. "Is it my turn yet?"

Lockhart looked at me, and merely nodded, I climbed up onto the stage, the crowd cheering me on. Seconds later, me and Lockhart were standing opposite each other, we both bowed and got ready our wands ready.

"One...two...three..."

"Rictusempra! " I shouted, it was tickling charm that I had learnt. After I had casted it, Lockhart head jolted back at he started laughing, quite loudly.

After a minute or two of the whole school enjoying this, I stopped.

"Can't even beat a second year, pathetic you are. Absolutely pathetic."

Lockhart ignored my comment. "Perhaps I shall teach you how to block unfriendly spells. Y/N how about you stay here whilst I get another volunteer, perhaps Weasley?"

"A bad idea, Professor Lockhart," said Snape, walking over to us, "Weasley is incapable of casting even the most simple spells. Perhaps someone from my own house, Malfoy?"

Snape then motioned for Malfoy to come up, he then stood opposite me and glared at me.

"Scared L/N?"

"You wish Malfoy."

We then walked back and got into our starting positions.

"Three...two..."

Malfoy raised his wand quickly and bellowed. "Serpensortia!"

A snake appeared, a long black one, it looked vicious as it eyed me angrily, ready to strike.

"Don't move, L/N," said Snape lazily, "I'll get rid of it..."

"Allow me!" shouted Lockhart. He waved 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. It now slithered straight toward Justin and raised itself again, ready to strike.

"Leave him alone! Don't hurt him!" I shouted, not sure what else to do. Miraculously, the snake listened to me.

I looked at Justin and smiled at him, instead of smiling back, he glared at me.

"What do you think you're playing at?" he shouted, and before I 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.

Everyone started muttering and I just stood there, frozen until someone started tugging the back of my robe.

"Come on," said Ron, "let's go."

We left and made our way to the Gryffindor Common Room. When we got there, Ron and Harry shoved me into an armchair.

"You're a Parselmouth. Why didn't you tell us?" Ron said.

"What's a Parselmouth?" Harry asked.

"A Parselmouth!" said Ron. "Y/N can talk to snakes!"

"I- I didn't know I could do that. I wasn't expecting to be a Parselmouth." I said, shocked.

"This is bad..." Ron muttered.

"I just told the snake to stop attacking Justin!" I exclaimed.

"Oh, that's what you said to it?" Ron said.

"What d'you mean? You were there, you heard me!"

"I heard him! I understood!" Harry exclaimed.

"Harry...you can speak Parsletongue too?" Ron asked, shocked.

Harry nodded, and looked at me.

"And Y/N, I just heard you speaking Parseltongue," said Ron, "snake language. You could have been saying anything, no wonder Justin panicked, you sounded like you were egging the snake on or something, it was creepy."

"Crap." I muttered.

"This matters, a lot." Hermione finally said, after being silent for quite a while. "Because being able to talk to snakes was what Salazar Slytherin was famous for. That's why the symbol of Slytherin House is a serpent."

"Everyone's going to think Y/N and Harry are his great great great grandsons or something." said Ron.

"But we're not," me and Harry said.

"You'll find that hard to prove," said Hermione, "he lived about a thousand years ago, for all we know, you both could be."