A faint, eerie hissing sound seemed to echo through the hall, but it vanished almost as quickly as it had come.
Time stretched unbearably long, but in the next moment, Snape waved his wand, and the venomous snake disappeared without a trace.
Orli finally felt her heartbeat and breath return to normal. She squeezed her eyes shut, took a deep breath, and turned to look at the crowd. Sure enough, the faint hissing sound earlier must have come from Harry. He had tried to drive the snake away, but Hermione had reacted instantly, clamping her hand over Harry's mouth. Thankfully, no one seemed to have noticed that Harry was a Parselmouth; all attention remained fixed on the stage.
# Ron
"What spell was that? Malfoy used Dark Magic!"
From the crowd, Ron's angry voice rang out.
# Ron
"That was Dark Magic!"
# Malfoy
"You're so ignorant. It's just a simple Serpensortia spell."
Malfoy sneered, his tone dripping with disdain.
# Lockhart
"It appears we have a clear winner."
Lockhart's syrupy voice echoed through the hall. Orli shot him a sharp glance. Malfoy's face gleamed with smug satisfaction, as though he were already anticipating some grand reward or recognition.
# Snape
"I distinctly recall stating before the duel, 'Just Disarming Charms.' Clearly, the two participants on stage require significant improvement in their listening comprehension."
Snape remarked, his tone cold and detached.
# Snape
"I trust today's tedious club activity has concluded. I have far too many essays awaiting my attention."
Without sparing Lockhart a second glance, Snape turned and glided out of the Great Hall like a massive bat, his black robes billowing dramatically behind him.
Even after Lockhart dismissed them with a wave of his hand, Harry and his friends were still bristling with indignation on Orli's behalf.
# Harry
"Malfoy blatantly broke the rules! He attacked Orli first—he should've been disqualified!"
Harry fumed. He was frustrated that Orli had stepped in to duel on his behalf, angry that he hadn't been able to help her when the snake appeared, and absolutely livid at Malfoy's smug expression.
# Ron
"If McGonagall had been here, Slytherin would've lost at least ten points."
Ron grumbled, his voice full of righteous anger.
# Ron
"And that spell of his—I've never seen it before. Who else but a Dark wizard would summon a venomous snake to attack someone? Orli went too easy on him. She should've hit him with a 'Furnunculus Curse' and given him eighteen boils on his smug, pale face!"
# Hermione
"That's enough, Ron. Today was far too dangerous. Orli nearly got bitten by that snake, and Malfoy's curse hit her on the head. And Harry—Harry nearly exposed himself as a Parselmouth!"
Hermione said, her voice tight with concern.
Orli stayed silent, her mind replaying the duel over and over.
In the original timeline, Snape had merely disarmed Lockhart with a flick of his wand. But today, he had attacked Lockhart twice with deliberate force, and it was unmistakably intentional.
Why had he done that? Did he have some personal grudge against Lockhart?
In Orli's mind, two little figures were engaged in a fierce argument.
One, grinning from ear to ear, insisted that Snape must have been avenging her, punishing Lockhart on her behalf.
The other scoffed derisively, accusing her of being absurdly self-centered. After all, Lockhart was the kind of person who naturally invited contempt, especially from someone like Snape.
Her breathing grew shallow, and her cheeks flushed with heat. Just then, Hermione tapped her on the arm, startling her.
# Hermione
"Orli, what are you thinking about? You've been zoning out for ages."
Hermione asked, her own surprise evident at Orli's exaggerated reaction.
# Orli
"Oh... nothing, nothing. What were you saying just now?"
Orli asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.
# Hermione
"I was saying we could use the time before curfew to check the library for information on Parseltongue and Salazar Slytherin."
Hermione said, lowering her voice conspiratorially.
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