Another Attack (Elijah's POV)
Elijah snapped the book shut, mind racing. He was positive he knew what was ailing his father. And it was close enough to the holiday that he was going to wait to get back home to ask. “Eli!” He head Oscar’s voice coming from behind him and he turned, a smile crossing his face. “Amigo, come on, you’ve got to see this.”
After quickly reshelving the book, he hurried after his best friend to the notice board outside the Great Hall. “Dueling Club? Wicked.” Elijah grinned.
“Right?” Oscar grinned back. “First meeting is tonight, you in?”
“Absolutely I am.”
At eight that night, he followed his housemates back to the Great Hall. The house tables were gone; instead, in the middle was one long platform. Across the empty raised platform, he saw Ryan between the Slytherins and Gryffindors, arguing with Malfoy about something. An audible groan went up from the crowd as their instructor started up the stairs to the platform: Lockhart himself. Elijah frowned, but when he saw Snape following behind and looking more annoyed than usual, he changed his expression. Maybe this would be interesting. 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 dueling 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.” He paused, expecting a laugh, but nobody did. Elijah and Justin shared looks of disgust. “Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape,” said Lockhart, flashing a wide smile. “He tells me he knows a tiny little bit about dueling 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!”
“Hopefully Snape will turn him into a toad.” Oscar whispered, almost scaring Elijah when he felt his hands on his shoulders. “I bet everyone would appreciate that.”
Elijah nodded, ignoring the sudden heat radiating from his face. “I know I would.”
Snape’s scowl was unmatched; never before had Elijah seen that look on his face, not even around Ryan or Harry. After a deep bow from Lockhart and barely a nod from Snape, the men raised their wands. “Expelliarmus!” Snape opened his mouth before Lockhart finished flashing another smile to the crowd.
His wand shot out of his hand and he flew right off the platform, his back hitting the wall behind them. Ryan and the Slytherins cheered loudly for their head of house and Elijah swore he saw an amused smile flash across the professor’s face. Lockhart made it to his feet, unsteady as he straightened his dark purple hat. “That was the Disarming Charm, excellent choice to demonstrate that, Severus.” He took his wand from one of the giggling girls in Ravenclaw. “But, if you don’t mind me saying, it was incredibly obvious what you were going to do. If I had wanted to stop you, it would have been only too easy-” Lockhart’s smile faltered at the rage in Snape’s eyes. “Perhaps some practice from our students is in order? Severus, if you please, let’s put them in pairs.”
“Holmes, you and Ryan can partner.” Lockhart beamed at his niece.
Ryan made her way over, a smirk on her face. “Ready, Elijah?”
“Yes.” He bowed to her and raised his wand.
“Now remember, students, disarm only!” Lockhart yelled above the chatter.
“Flipendo!” Elijah said at the same time as Ryan’s “Colloshoo!”
Ryan flipped backward, landing hard on her back. As Elijah went to help her up, he pitched forward, catching himself before his face hit the floor. “I said disarm only!” Lockhart yelled louder. “Perhaps we should teach them how to block unfriendly spells, Severus! Let’s have a volunteer pair, uh, Longbottom and Finch-Fletchly-” He said after looking toward Elijah for a minute.
“Finite Incantatum.” Ryan had gotten up and ended her shoe sticking jinx. “Thank Merlin he didn’t choose us.”
“I think he wanted to.”
Ryan shuddered. “Ugh.”
“Bad idea, Gilderoy.” Lockhart’s name dripped with hate as Snape joined him. “We’ll be taking Finch-Fletchly to the hospital wing in a matchbox. How about Malfoy and Potter?”
Ryan pushed closer to the stage, her wand in her hand. Elijah followed, elbowing Goyle out of the way. Lockhart and Snape both whispered advice to each boy and they met in the middle. “Scared, Potter?” Malfoy sneered.
“You wish.” Harry’s jaw set.
Elijah glanced at Ryan. She was staring at Potter, mouth slightly open. “Close it or you’ll start drooling.” He whispered. Her face turned beet red but she closed her mouth. “Better quit that or he’ll figure out you’ve got a crush.”
“I do not.” She hissed.
“Sure you don’t.”
“Serpensortia!” Malfoy yelled and a snake shot out of his wand, landing between the boys.
“Don’t move, Potter, I’ll get it.” Snape said, making no move to get rid of it.
“Allow me!” Lockhart boldly started toward it and pointed his wand. A bang went off, and the snake started hissing, slithering toward Justin Finch-Fletchly. Harry moved toward the snake and shouted, “Leave him alone!”
“What do you think you’re playing at?” Justin snapped, angry, and stormed out of the hall.
Ryan’s look of admiration for Harry had turned into confusion. Elijah glanced between her and Harry, and even Snape was looking at him funny. “Why’d Justin get all upset?” He asked quietly as more of the Hufflepuffs shot Harry dirty looks as they left. “All he did was tell that snake to leave him alone.”
Ryan turned to Elijah. “What on earth?”
“You were standing right there.”
“That-” She stopped, staring at him. “Bloody hell. You’re a parselmouth.” She whispered, taking a step back.
“What, no. That’s ridiculous.” Ryan started out of the Great Hall too. “Ryan, what are you on about?” He caught up to her rather quickly. “I can’t talk to snakes.”
“All I heard was Harry hissing at the snake, almost like he was egging it on or something.” She said quietly. “And if you know what he said, than you can speak parseltongue too.”
“I-” Elijah stopped. “That-” He stopped again.
“I gotta go.” Ryan almost ran to the dungeons.
Elijah went back to his dormitory, where all the Hufflepuffs were freaking out about the incident. “Potter is the heir of Slytherin! He tried to kill you!”
Elijah snorted. That snake bite wouldn’t have killed Justin. Maybe Harry shouldn’t have said anything to it; then Elijah wouldn’t have to listen to their panicking. He barely slept that night due to Justin, Ernie, and Zacharias all whispering how they were going to avoid Harry the next day in Herbology class.
Sometime during the night, a blizzard set in, and Professor Sprout canceled Herbology. Most of his housemates took this opportunity to finish homework in the library; he went to sleep finally, only to be woken up by that same, cold voice. Kill...kill…
Elijah looked around; his dorm was empty. He staggered out, still half asleep, and started off to find the source of that voice. As he wandered through the castle, he heard it again. Let me rip...kill… It was coming from somewhere over by the library. He got closer and heard a thud, like something falling. Rushing forward, he saw Harry on the ground, having fell over something- no, someone. Elijah gasped. “Justin!”
Then, he saw something odd. Nearly Headless Nick was floating about a foot off the floor, a black color, frozen. He went to help Harry up and they both looked at each other. “We need to get help.” Elijah said firmly.
“They’ll think I did it.” Harry countered, panic written on his face as he stared at the Hufflepuff on the floor. “I didn’t.”
“I know.” Elijah reassured him. “That’s why we need-”
“Why, it’s potty, wee Potter!” Peeves, Hogwarts’ resident poltergeist, flew by Harry, nearly knocking his glasses off. “And horrid little Holmes! What’re you two up to, lurking about-” Peeves stopped, finally seeing the two Petrified behind them. “ATTACK! ATTACK! ANOTHER ATTACK! NO MORTAL OR GHOST IS SAFE! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! ATTAAAACK!” He yelled at the top of his lungs.
Elijah yanked Harry out of the way as doors along the corridor flew open and he wished he’d moved Justin too, as he nearly got trampled. Professor McGonagall wasn’t far behind, using her wand to silence the crowd. “Caught in the act!” Ernie pointed at Harry, his face pale.
“Oh shove off, Ernie.” Elijah snapped, exasperated. “Did you see him petrify Justin?”
“That will do, Macmillan, Holmes.” Professor McGonagall said sharply.
Peeves still floated overhead, watching as the teachers checked on both victims. Harry stood still, halfway in front of Elijah, shaking slightly. “Oh Potter, you rotter, oh what have you done? You’re killing off students, you think it’s good fun!” Peeves sang above them, doing flips in the air.
Elijah chuckled, amused that the poltergeist was enjoying this. “That’s enough, Peeves!” Professor McGonagall snapped, staring at him.
He stuck his tongue out at Harry and Elijah and zoomed away. Professors Flitwick and Sinistra carried Justin to the hospital wing while Ernie fanned the ghost behind and the crowd began to disappear, leaving Professor McGonagall alone with the boys. “This way.” She said, walking away.
“Professor, I didn’t-” Harry began frantically.
“This is out of my hands, Potter.”