章 70: Harry the Parseltongue

"You really didn't hold back. It felt like you were actually trying to kill me."

"And you? I feel like I killed some of my parallel thoughts from overuse during this fight."

Marie walked over to me and handed me my wand, which had been lodged in the wall.

"I couldn't let it stay stuck. You may not have the same level of talent as me, but underestimating you would lead to my downfall."

"You would've already lost if I had gone all out and used my katana."

"That's what you think."

I rolled my eyes at Marie's remark.

"Since you clearly don't know, let me tell you: every time you use an eye-based spell, your eyes glow just a little brighter. I wasn't going to start the fight until I could tell exactly when you were ready, which gave me a slight advantage."

Marie pouted, giving me a look that seemed to ask why I hadn't warned her about this beforehand.

"For this fight, which truly felt like watching a real duel, I award 10 points to Ravenclaw for each of you. However, you broke the rules by using spells other than Expelliarmus and exposed the students to unnecessary danger. Therefore, I deduct 20 points from Ravenclaw for both of you."

Professor Snape, as usual, managed to find a reason to take points from houses, but he was right. Marie and I had been so caught up in our fight that we forgot there was an audience.

"Now, after this demonstration by these two students, it's time for everyone else to practice. Find a partner and start casting Expelliarmus."

It's surprising that Lockhart didn't claim he could have beaten us if he wanted to.

Marie and I stood alone as the others paired off, and I couldn't help but envy her steady breathing.

"It's because I'm the strongest and can protect you without any worries," she boasted.

I don't even know why she bothers bragging like that.

"Make sure you can beat me before you start spouting nonsense like that."

She made another pout, which I found oddly cute, before turning to observe the other students, likely looking for those with potential in dueling.

Some duels had degenerated much more than usual. Unlike us, who still maintained some control over the environment, it felt like the younger students had forgotten there were people around them.

The worst pair by far was Hermione and a Slytherin girl, who had abandoned their wands and resorted to throwing punches.

"Calm down, calm down!" Lockhart attempted to intervene, but the students had little to no respect for him.

Professor Snape used a spell to separate Hermione and the Slytherin girl. Predictably, he seized the opportunity to deduct points from our house. Then, he announced that Harry and Draco would duel in front of everyone.

I had a bad feeling about this, and sure enough, Draco ended up summoning a snake, causing many students to panic. Before Professor Snape could declare Harry's defeat, Harry began to speak in Parseltongue, much to everyone's shock.

I didn't understand what he said, but now most people will probably believe he's the Heir of Slytherin. This might even be true, as many pure-blood wizards have connections to Slytherin, but others won't think so.

A Hufflepuff student stared at Harry and nervously asked him what he was doing before running away in fear.

Ron and Hermione quickly grabbed Harry and escorted him out of the hall, which wasn't difficult since the other students parted to let them through.

While most of the students were afraid of Harry, I couldn't help but wonder if he could teach me Parseltongue.

I have a feeling that studying this language would be one of the most complicated things I've ever attempted.