Neville's Dueling Club

21 September 1996. Saturday.

 - It's good to have you back at Hogwarts," Neville, Luna, Neville, Luna, and I were walking after lights out towards the abandoned girls' toilet where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets was located. Fleur stayed in the family rooms to cover our absence in case anyone tried to visit. In the event, she had to convince unwanted guests that we'd gone to the Forbidden Forest by breaking for appearances.

 - What do you mean, Nev? - I realised from his intonation that my friend meant something quite different from what the simple words sounded like.

 - If you hadn't come back to the castle, we'd have had to find a place for the dueling club," Luna sang out, moving like she was dancing even under the disguising charms. - 'Professor Flitwick suggested that I might be able to open the Chamber of Secrets...'

 - Even so? - I was genuinely surprised, for so far only Parseltongue-speaking wizards could open the doors of the Chamber of Secrets, and there were only two of them in Britain at the moment.

 - Well," Luna faded under the stares: mine admiring and Neville's affectionate. - The professor says I have a great affinity for the castle.

 - By the way," it dawned on me. - When we get downstairs, I'll tell you something.

 When we reached the abandoned ladies' lavatory, we cautiously peeked inside. Fortunately, the annoying ghost of Crybaby Myrtle, capable of causing a flood in the toilet, was not in the darkened room.

 - Well, here we go. - By shining small lights, we found the right washbasin: over the years I had forgotten which washbasin opened the entrance to the secret room.

 Standing in front of the basin, where a small, almost obliterated snake was carved on the wall, I concentrated.

 - Open," I hissed, but nothing happened.

 - Open up!" I added a touch of magic to the words.

 - Open!" I added a bit of magic to my words, and the walls shook, but the door to the great Salazar's room didn't open.

 - Harry," Neville's voice interrupted me when I was about to give my best. - You're speaking in a normal language.

 - Are you sure? - I backed away from the wall, looking at my friends in bewilderment.

 - Yes, Harry," Luna eyed me curiously. - Try saying something in Parseltang.

 - Okay," I hissed in concentration, but Luna laughed.

 - Either we've all learnt to understand the language of snakes, or you're speaking good old England! Rule the seas, Britannia! - she suddenly sang a line of the British anthem.

 - "Damn it," I said, my mood plummeting. - What could have happened to that damned Parseltongue?!

 - Do you feel a connection to-" Luna hesitated.

 - No... - Suddenly a hunch flashed through my mind. - I think I know what happened.

 - You got rid of something scary back there... in France," Luna said to my surprise.

 - Exactly," I stretched out, thinking hard about what to do now. - I met a very strange person in France, a girl who... pulled Voldemort's Horcrux out of my head.

 The room seemed to darken at the dreadful words. Neville and Luna looked at me with wide-open eyes, the girl nestled against her boyfriend's chest, seeking his protection.

 - You had the Dark Lord's Horcrux in your head? - Neville said, stroking the blonde hair of a trembling Luna.

 - Yes," I looked at my frightened friends with understanding. Scared for me, I could see that for sure. - And this girl was able to extract the Horcrux from my head and then destroy it.

 - That's incredible," Neville said slowly. - I read in the family library that a Horcrux couldn't be extracted from a living creature without killing the host.

 - Well," I shrugged, "I didn't know the details, but Lady Arrataia was able to help me.

 - So your gift of Parseltongue was connected to the Horcrux in your head," Luna said suddenly. - I hadn't noticed it before, but now I've noticed that you've become much freer.

 - But that doesn't solve our problem," I rubbed my forehead with my hand. - It turns out that I can only open this door by breaking through the wall and bringing half of Hogwarts down on our heads.....

 - Then I'll have to try," Luna's frail figure slipped past Neville and me, shrouded like a shield by her scattered blonde hair.

 She stood in front of the wall that concealed the entrance to Salazar's room and stood still for a moment, then put her hands on the rough cobblestones and stroked them, whispering something.

 Neville and I felt the touch of something strange, unfamiliar. Luna's magic was not like Dumbledore's or Voldemort's irresistibly powerful spells, it did not breathe darkness like the Blecks' family spells, nor did it smell of death like the spells of a dead necromancer. It smelled like the scent of forgotten legends, something out of this world, but unimaginably beautiful.

 Suddenly Luna sang, and Neville and I snatched up our wands and cast a silencing spell over the room so we wouldn't be heard from the corridor.

 I couldn't understand the words of her song, though Luna seemed to be singing in plain English, but the meaning of the song eluded me no matter how hard I tried to make out what she was singing about.

 The doors of the Chamber of Secrets opened with a quiet creak, and torches flared under the ceiling and in the opening passage.

 Luna turned round to us, and with a happy squeal threw herself around the neck of a smiling Neville.

 - I did it! - Thin arms encircled the neck of the young man, who managed to hide his wand and pick up his treasure in his arms.

 For a second I allowed myself to admire the embracing friends, their emotions running high, and I was genuinely happy for them.

 - Let's go," Luna jumped to the floor from Neville's arms and ran down the stairs, and we dashed down the stairs with our wands at the ready to catch up with her before she got to the bottom.

 - Unbelievable," Luna exhaled as the doors to the Chamber of Secrets swung open at her words. But the girl immediately clamped her nose shut as a wave of unbelievable stench reached us from inside.

 - Devil," Neville groaned, clutching his wand, "I'm going to be sick!

 Hardly able to concentrate on anything but the horrible stench, I muttered head bubble charms, and dimly glowing spheres appeared around our heads.

 - Thank you, Harry," Luna shook her head in disgust, as if trying to shake off the disgusting smell of decomposition that had greeted us when the doors to the Chamber of Secrets opened.

 - Considering I killed the basilisk that stinks in there, you're going to kill me here now," I joked.

 Neville chuckled briefly, looking with even more respect at the disgusting pile of flesh and scales left in the basilisk's place.

 - How did you manage it at twelve years old? - he finally asked, looking at me and the huge pile of scales.

 - Dumbledore's phoenix helped me, and I was damn lucky," I shuddered, rubbing the old scar from the basilisk's fangs.

 - Was that his work? - Luna's slender fingers touched my arm.

 - Yes," I tucked my hand into the sleeve of my camisole. - Fawkes's tears stopped the poison, but they couldn't heal the wound, and Madam Pomfrey couldn't handle the wound from the basilisk's fang.

 - Yes... - Neville stretched out.

 - Until we get this place cleaned up," I grumbled, "we're not going to be able to hold classes in this stench.

 With a powerful spell, I managed to rip out the two largest fangs of the basilisk. As they flew into the air, they landed in two transfigured rubbish bags.

 - Here," I tossed one bag to my friend. I planned to give the other one to my godfather. - I'd been given a dagger made of the same fang, and it could be used to destroy even a Horcrux.

 Neville carefully hooked the bundle to the loops on his belt.

 - Thank you, Harry," he grinned. - From the smell of it, the rest of the basilisk isn't even good for potions.

 - Did you want a basilisk stew? - I wouldn't risk it.

 - It's so romantic," Luna giggled, "to eat basilisk stew.

 - Insendio! - Neville's wand burst into flames, but all he got was another puff of choking smoke, the basilisk's scales not succumbing to the magical flames.

 - Ignea Sphaeros! - A sphere of fire launched by the young man under Luna's admiring gaze engulfed the corpse of the basilisk and fell powerlessly.

 - Layung semangat! - Streams of sweat trickled down Neville's forehead and cheeks, but the purple flames, which even at first glance seemed deadly, slowly dissolved the remains.

 I put my hand on my friend's shoulder and began to share my own power with him, and Neville visibly relaxed, and the stream of fire from his wand grew even thicker.

 - What kind of spell is that? - I asked with interest as the last remnants of the basilisk carcass dissolved without a trace and the flames licked the stone floor and went out.

 - It's a purple flame spell," Neville wiped his sweaty forehead and sat down on the floor. - I read them in my father's diary.

 - Strong," I said with admiration, looking at the slightly melted floor, pristine after the basilisk corpse had disappeared without a trace.

 Luna waved her wand, gently stroking the boy's shoulder, and a large iridescent sphere hovered above us, emanating a pleasant scent.

 - Oh, no," Neville moaned, but it was too late; it was raining.

 - The moon! - I threw my arms up with a laugh, creating an umbrella out of the almost invisible film of energies.

 - At least it doesn't smell in here now," the girl replied with dignity, shaking out her wet hair and sitting down next to her fiancé, resting her head on his shoulder.

 - I fell for that trick the first time, too," Neville laughed, slowly recovering from his father's energy-consuming spell. - The moon rained it on me when we were walking through the Forbidden Forest.

 - You were so funny, though! - Luna's laughter was the sound of silver bells. She ruffled Neville's hair and helped him up off the floor.

 - So the room is ready for us to hold your club, Neville," I waved my hand, sending another wave of energy in my friend's direction.

 - That's good," he walked around the room, looking at the ugly bas-reliefs. - There is one problem though...

 - Weasley and Ron and Ginny and Granger," I literally hissed.

 - You don't have to hate them. - To my utter surprise, Luna deftly flicked me on the nose. Neville laughed when he saw the look on my face.

 - They betrayed you, but you shouldn't poison your soul with hate," Luna said with sadness in her voice. - It won't make you happy.

 - I understand," I said slowly. - It's just...

 - It's hard," Luna put her arm around my shoulders and then went back to studying the walls. - 'They'll be punished enough if you tell your full story at the club meeting...'

 - You think? - I looked at the girl with some disbelief, who suddenly showed a sensitivity and delicacy that was surprising to me.

 - Tell your story, and let everyone decide what to do with the people who betrayed you. - Luna smiled sadly, stroking Neville's shoulder as she approached.

 - I'll give it a try," I grinned. - Then we should have the first meeting in the Room of Desire.

 - Reasonable," Neville replied. - We shouldn't give Dumbledore the location of our meetings, and the old man knows about the Room of Desire. No one goes into the Chamber of Secrets-" He put his arm round Luna's shoulders, who was smiling, "-without Luna.

 - By the way, I wanted to tell you something... - I remembered my conversation with the Distributor's Hat. - When I put the Allocating Hat on, she asked me for a favour in return... To help Hogwarts find a Headmaster with a great affinity for the castle's magic.

 Our gazes crossed at a visibly embarrassed Luna.

* * *

 - How did it go," gentle arms wrapped around my shoulders as I stepped into the rooms we'd been living in for almost a month now. I noticed Flippe disappear into thin air with a sigh of relief, still carrying the small saber Sirius had made for him. The faithful houseboy guarded Fleur from his brethren, still subordinate to the Headmaster for the time being.

 - Luna has opened the Chamber of Secrets," I had shed my camisole and was now laying out the contents of the many pockets and cells of the bindings on the table.

 - What about you? - Fleur's eyebrows rose slightly, and once again I marvelled at the unattainable perfection of her features.

 - I can't speak Parseltang anymore," I picked her up and spun her around. - Apparently it was a gift from Voldemort's Horcrux.

 - I see. - The girl laughingly wrapped her arms around my neck, snuggling tighter.

 - No-one came round while I was away? - Setting Fleur on the floor, I couldn't resist kissing the little nose.

 - Some freshman girl came by," Fleur smiled. - 'Remember the girl with the ashy curls who sees festrals?

 - Megan Smith? - Stretching my memory, I remembered the girl's name.

 - That's the one," Fleur nodded. - She came by to chat, though I suspect Dumbledore may well have sent her to scout the situation.

 - Mm-hmm," I headed towards the bathroom. - Although she grew up among Muggles, like me, she might well have dropped in for a chat, it's normal for them.

 - For them? - Fleur grinned at my reservation.

 - "I guess it's 'for them' now," I replied firmly. - Muggles and I are too different, though, and we have different roads.

* * *

22 September 1996 Sunday

 - Waiting," Neville leaned back indifferently on the mossy rug that lay in front of the fireplace in the Wishing Room.

 Luna was close to the fire, warming her thin fingers, almost touching the flames, while I was casting de-illumination charms on myself. We decided that using the charms instead of the invisibility cloak that Neville still wore on his night walks would give me more points in the eyes of the dueling club, since the cloak was only an artefact, and the disillusionment charms required a wizard's personal skill.

 - Here I am," Parvati Patil slipped quietly through the door of the room, followed by a smiling Padma. - How this was what was missing from the holidays.

 A sparkling bolt of lightning came off Padma's wand, striking the ceiling.

 - Snape doesn't let you conjure anything other than the spell you're studying in his classes," she said somewhat resentfully.

 Almost simultaneously, the others entered in a noisy cluster: Lavender, Dean, Weasley, Seamus, Colin, Michael Corner, Granger. I noticed, however, that even now, with the reasons for my disagreement with the Weasley and Granger families largely unknown, there was a small empty space around the two redheads and Granger who had joined them.

 Seated on cushions close to the fireplace, the club members looked at Neville expectantly and happily.

 - Ahem," Neville coughed, gathering his thoughts. - We're finally here for our first class after the holidays, ladies and gentlemen.

 The young man grinned, pulling his wand from his sleeve.

 - And today," he said, imitating Umbridge's voice, "we're going to do a little political literacy. Say, "Hello, Professor Neville."

 Everyone laughed at the simple joke: Neville had managed to reproduce almost perfectly the thin voice of the professor hated by all the students.

 - Nevertheless," Longbottom went on, waiting until everyone had finished laughing, his wand still twirling in his hand, and I could see that he was prepared for any surprises that might follow my arrival at the club. - Still, I wasn't entirely joking.

 - What do you mean? - Wiping away her tears, Parvati asked.

 - Today we're going to talk about why Harry Potter left England and why he came back," Neville said without a smile.

 The biscuit he had just taken from the table fell out of Ron's hand.

 With a wave of my hand, I stepped forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Neville.

 - It's good to see you all again," I tried to smile as friendly as possible, especially to those students I had nothing against, like the Patil sisters, Seamus, and the others. At the same time, I could see Ron, Ginny, and Hermione tense up.

 - Why did you decide to tell us your story after all? - Parvati Patil eyed me with interest, as if I were a strange animal.

 - Let's just say," I said, trying to play up to my friend's authority, "Neville convinced me that it would be better for you to hear the story from someone who was directly involved in it, rather than the tales that the newspapers and... the Headmaster usually feed everyone.

 - Don't you dare talk about Headmaster Dumbledore like that! - Granger jumped up, but Ron, sensing by some sixth sense that trouble was on its way, sat her back down on the carpet and put his arm around her shoulders.

 - Okay," I grinned, "I won't. I'll just tell you some episodes from my life, and then I'll try to answer your questions.

 - Will you answer where you put all your brainshitters? - Luna's dreamy voice broke the tension that had built up in the room, and everyone smiled with relief.

 - Well," I shrugged, "I guess Fleur chased them away from me.

 - She can do that," Luna said with a deliberate seriousness, but her eyes glittered suspiciously.

 - I'll start by telling you," I began, "about where I lived for the first ten years of my life.....

 The Dursleys. The cupboard. Insults. Bullying. I didn't give too much detail about my life, knowing that these students would spread my story all over Hogwarts later, but there were enough facts in my words to shake their confidence in the Headmaster. I saw the wide-open eyes of Padma, tears rolling down her cheek, the fright of Colin Creevey, who'd always thought of me as a hero and a knight without fear or favour, and Ron's lips tightening in contempt.

 - And when I got my letter from Hogwarts," I finished the first part of the story quickly, "it was signed 'closet under the stairs'.

 - Devil," Dean Thomas pounded his fist on the table. - So Hogwarts knew where you lived?!

 - Yes," I nodded, pleased that someone else had said those words, which gave them extra weight. - Dumbledore, who had sent me to these Muggles, knew it too.

 There was a look of shock and disbelief on many faces.

 - But why would the Headmaster want-" Parvati began, without any prejudice in her speech.

 - A difficult question... - I shrugged my shoulders. - I have an answer to it, however, first I would like to continue with my story.

 The students' gazes that were literally pressing in on me changed from curious and sympathetic to outright angry, crossed at Weasley and Granger when I got to the episode in the Headmaster's office where I was present under the invisibility cloak. And I noticed with satisfaction that the people who had betrayed me felt uncomfortable under those stares. If I were them, I'd wish the twins had graduated from Hogwarts last year-then there'd be five of them here instead of three.

 By the end of my story, it was as if the audience had split in two, both in their thoughts and even physically as the rest of the club sat away from the frowning redhead and the nervous Hermione.

 - After that, I asked for help from people outside of England, and got that help. - I concluded my story. - And, just so you can see both my point of view and Dumbledore's, it's worth asking one of the Weasleys or Hermione here, for they are, in fact, the Headmaster's loyal servants.

 Silence reigned. I could see that the members of the club were literally torn by contradiction: on the one hand, they had spent almost a year of training, studying, taking the same classes as Weasley and Granger. On the other hand, what I'd told them made them seem like a different group.

 - Ron," Seamus instinctively picked out the weakest link among the frowning Gryffindors, "Tell us why the Headmaster chose your sister to be Harry Potter's wife.

 An almost elusive smile slid across Longbottom's lips: the students believed my story more than Dumbledore's.

 - It's all lies! - a flushed Ginny Weasley blurted out. - I love you, Harry!

 - If you loved me," I chuckled softly, "you wouldn't be discussing with your mother how many more potions of affection and friendship to give me. Remember when I happened to be near the window of the room where you were talking? And then what happened when your older brothers chased me through the forest to catch me?

 - Potter," Ron stood up, shading his sister, "you're going to regret this.

 - Maybe you'll regret it. - I walked towards the tense 'friends'," I plan to do some more interviews about the kind of help I received from the Weasley family in the fight against Voldemort... And how Headmaster Dumbledore planned to ensure I had the support of the 'common wizards'.

 Granger, who had been silent until then, as the most intelligent and reserved, finally couldn't stand it.

 - Headmaster Dumbledore only wished you well, Harry! - I didn't think so: Granger really still believed the old man.

 - And for my own good, he sent me to the Muggles? Interesting concern..." I stopped holding back, and let my rage loose. - Maybe I was the one who signed the envelope that came to me when I was eleven: "the cupboard under the stairs"? What do you say to that, Hermione?! Or did I let a Dark Lord-obsessed teacher into Hogwarts?! Or was I the one who couldn't find Voldemort's dark magic stinking artefact being carried into the Great Hall in Ginny Weasley's own bag?! Or maybe I was the one who had repeatedly erased my own memory every time I did or saw something that displeased the Headmaster?

 A torrent of raw magic slammed into the people who had betrayed me, knocking them back a couple of steps.

 - Could it be that I was the one sitting in a cosy office in the company of aurors and members of the board of trustees while a 12 year old boy fought the Basilisk of the great Salazar! - With a jerk, I revealed the whitish scar on my arm to the eyes of those gathered. - Or was it Dumbledore who risked his life to get your sister out of the Chamber of Secrets, Ron?! Or was it Dumbledore who provided Fred and George with the money to start their own business?

 With every word I said, a wave of magic pushed them closer and closer to the door. Finally I pulled myself together and stopped, turning around to face Neville.

 - It's up to you to decide what you want to do with these people next. - Neville put his hand on my shoulder sympathetically. - If you think they can stay, they will.

 - No," Padma Patil glanced disdainfully at the renegades, ready to fight or flee. - I don't want them in the same hall with us.

 Her sister shook her long hair and stood beside me and Neville.

 - Ron," Thomas walked over and stopped in front of Weasley Junior. - I'm ashamed that I called you mate.

 Ron clenched his fists and lunged for his offender, but Ginny and Hermione deftly caught him and dragged him back into the improvised formation.

 No one spoke up in defence of the three Gryffindors standing near the door.

 - Ron, Ginny, Hermione. - The words came hard to Neville, but he spoke sincerely. - You can no longer attend our dueling club classes.

 Luna, who had been sitting by the fireplace the whole time, as if it didn't concern her at all, stepped into the space between our groups. I saw a tear trickle down her cheek, and Neville twitched beside me as if struck by a blow.

 - You could have been with us," the girl's voice was filled with tears. For almost a year I knew she had been friends with Ginny Weasley. - But you cheated on someone who didn't deserve it.

 - That's a bit pathetic," Seamus Finnigan grinned as the door slammed behind the departing Gryffindors.

 Padma Patil chuckled in agreement, though I hadn't expected such a reaction from this serious girl.

 - There's more to come," I shook my head, as if trying to shake the memories out of her.

 - What do you mean? - Lavender Brown asked me curiously, smiling.

 - When you find out where we'll be meeting now, so as not to give away our meetings to Dumbledore," Neville put his arm around Luna's shoulders, "you'll realise that the time for beautiful gestures is just beginning.

 - And where are we going to gather, Neville? - Michael Corner, clearly partial to Padme Patil, stepped between the twins.

 - In the Chamber of Secrets," Luna's voice sounded detached. - We managed to open the door yesterday.

 - Crazy people! - Lavender almost shrieked, grabbing Finnigan's shoulder. - There was a basilisk in there!

 - Well, the basilisk is still there, as dead as the stones that make up the walls," Neville smirked, pointing at me meaningfully. - Harry had managed to nail it with Godric Gryffindor's sword in his second year.

 Although the story was generally known, the admiring glances didn't escape me, and I shuddered.

 - Luna opened the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets yesterday without any Parseltongue," I said, earning a resentful look from Luna to divert attention away from myself. - So we have a place that's inaccessible to anyone but us.

 - We're going to be there next weekend," Neville continued. - Think about who might join our group to replace those who dropped out today and Alicia who graduated.

 A blinding flash stunned us for a second. Colin Creevey put down his damn camera with a satisfied smile.

 - I've got to capture this historic moment," he laughed wryly. - You've been missed, Harry.

 - Thanks, mates.

 Already on Monday I could see that Luna's words were true. I myself, if I hadn't heeded her advice, had planned to single-handedly catch all the Weasley students at Hogwarts and provoke them into duels. Apparently, the mask of madness that had never fully settled into my mind had made me more vindictive. And this I had to consider...

 Following the unexpected advice of Luna and Fleur, who had joined her, gave me no less satisfaction. To be honest, I hadn't realised the extent of the preparations Sirius and the Alliance people had made to once again make me the banner of resistance to a resurgent Voldemort. And I had grossly underestimated the popularity I had gained in England through their efforts. In the years since the First War, the public had been kept in the dark about the Boy Who Survived, and the annual articles that appeared before Halloween reminded them of my "exploits," which I myself would rather not have done. And in the last year, the propaganda that had been generously paid for by the Sirius families had spread across England, reminding people not only of my role in defeating Voldemort, but also of the fact that it was every wizard's duty to pick up a wand when necessary.

 And now, as soon as word of my misadventures at the Dursleys' and Dumbledore's role in my life spread, thanks to the active unknowing help of Lavender and Parvati, to all four faculties, everything changed overnight for the three people in the castle. At first the change only affected the Gryffindor faculty, where the news had spread from Lavender, who had never been able to keep her mouth shut. That Sunday night, Hermione, who had come up to the first-years as usual to help them with their homework and lecture them on the importance of studying more, found that the children were trying to do their own homework and, if necessary, asking for help from any of the seventh-years, who, surprisingly, did not refuse the younger ones. Granger didn't pay much attention to this and drifted off to sleep.

 Ron Weasley, as usual, who had gathered to play chess or spit stones with a group of seventh years, drink firewhiskey and talk about girls, suddenly found himself on the floor, his jaw sore from a non-magical punch. Jumping up from his seat, Weasley exercised a rare amount of judgement and went after the other Head Girl.

 Even the two Heads, however, who had tried to restore order, were amazed to find that Gryffindor was out of their control, and neither Ron's clenched fists nor Hermione's outrage was having the desired effect.

 Minerva McGonagall, summoned by an irate Hermione, had personally administered punishment to both Ralph Connor, who had nearly broken Ron's jaw, and the rest of the company of seventh years - for drinking the evening's firewhiskey. And, after a moment's thought, I added punishment to the Heads who had failed to fulfil their duties properly.

 So ended the first evening after our meeting in the Room of Requirement, the events of which I was later told about at breakfast by a disgruntled and frowning Neville.

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