Snape held his ground, cautious, for he'd spotted a Runespoor—a creature most favoured by dark wizards. Harry, too, stood frozen, unable to pinpoint Snape's location.
Thinking of the Philosopher's Stone, safely tucked away in Dumbledore's office, Snape inwardly cursed the old man for causing such a nuisance. He mistook this 'Potter' for a dark wizard who'd chugged some Polyjuice Potion to steal the Stone. But with Draco still unconscious in the Trophy Room, Snape decided against another hasty attack, instead trying to lure 'Potter' away with words.
"It's not here," Snape said, his voice cold and flat.
Harry, utterly confused, asked, "You're Snape?"
"Don't play coy. The Philosopher's Stone is in the Headmaster's office."
"?"
"I can help you get it, but not today. Dumbledore is still at the school."
"??"
"Surely you weren't sent by... the Dark Lord?"
"???"
Harry had no idea what Snape was rambling about, but he was certain Snape seemed to be someone's subordinate. "Well, well, well, Snape, you big bat! A spy, are we? In that case, I won't hold back!"
"?"
Now it was Snape's turn to be utterly bewildered.
---
Suddenly, Harry shot a beam of white light at Malfoy. Seeing the spell hurtling towards Draco, Snape instinctively fired a red light, blocking it in front of Malfoy. The two spells collided and cancelled each other out.
"Blast it!" Harry cursed under his breath. He'd meant to get Malfoy to safety, but his opponent was clearly prepared.
A tense silence filled the room. Harry realised Snape seemed to have some reservations, hesitating to strike first.
"Master, I can't find his position either," Humphrey hissed.
Harry patted Humphrey's right head reassuringly. Snape's brow furrowed as he watched 'Potter' interact so intimately with the Runespoor.
"How dare you bring a Runespoor to school? It's far too conspicuous."
Harry paid no mind to Snape's words. In his mind, he was replaying Malfoy's tone and movements. He had a strange feeling he could perform that spell himself.
"Serpensortia!"
Sure enough, a much larger black snake materialised, taking up most of the Trophy Room. "Move quickly around the room, but avoid the boy on the floor," Harry hissed in Parseltongue. The black snake whistled as it began to move.
The instant Snape heard the Parseltongue, he realised this truly might be Potter, as the Dark Lord wouldn't tolerate a second Parselmouth among his ranks.
"Potter, dispel this magic at once!"
Seeing the black snake approaching, Snape was forced to cast a Blasting Curse, exploding the black serpent into black smoke. Although Snape swiftly dissipated the black smoke, Malfoy still inhaled a few gulps, his face contorting in pain. Harry, seizing the opportunity, fired a second spell.
"Incendio!"
Harry swished his wand, spreading flames into every corner of the room. If he couldn't find Snape's exact location, a wide-area attack would do the trick.
"Protego! Protego!"
Two shields appeared out of thin air, protecting Snape and Malfoy from the flames.
"Finite Incantatem, you stu—"
"Incendio Maxima!!!"
Harry no longer held back, his full-powered flames quickly engulfed the entire room. With the room ablaze, the Disillusionment Charm failed, forcing Snape to reveal himself. Snape deftly dodged a Stunner.
"Drop your wa—"
"Confringo!!"
The spell hit the Protego shield and ricocheted, leaving a massive hole in the Trophy Room wall with a resounding bang. Snape was truly enraged now; he no longer tried to persuade Harry.
"Stupefy! Wingardium Leviosa!"
Snape launched a Stunner at Harry while simultaneously levitating Malfoy out of the room.
"Stupefy!" Harry retaliated with the same spell.
The two spells met in mid-air, and a contest of magical strength began, neither wizard willing to back down. Harry's face grew flushed; his magical reserves, though vast, were still significantly less than Snape's. Humphrey hissed, desperate to lunge at Snape, but the immense magical pressure kept it rooted to the spot.
Flames still raged through the room, but Snape appeared remarkably at ease. He spoke again, "Potter, drop your wa—"
"Wingardium Leviosa!" Harry silently cast a Levitation Charm with his free hand.
Snape was struck by the unexpected spell. He hadn't anticipated Harry using wandless, nonverbal magic. Snape hung upside down in the air, looking at the familiar face and Harry's raised wand, and then he exploded.
"Sectumsempra!!"
Years of playground scraps made Harry instinctively duck his head, but a gash still appeared on his shoulder. Humphrey fell from Harry's side, nearly sliced in two, but its powerful life force kept it from dying instantly. Harry had no time to mourn Humphrey, for Snape had already regained his footing.
The two wizards locked eyes and raised their wands again.
"Finite Incantatem!!!"
---
It was half past eleven at night. Peeves was grumbling as he floated around the tower. "How shall I torment old Filch tonight?"
Suddenly, he noticed a boy leaving the Gryffindor common room. "Annoying first-year, wandering about in the middle of the night. Heheheh~ Peeves the Poltergeist shall teach you a lesson."
Peeves cackled as he went to prepare water balloons, intending to give the boy a surprise. Peeves lay in wait near the Fat Lady, water balloon in hand, but Harry never returned. Annoyed, he left the Gryffindor Tower to find Harry.
"Oh, a professor and a student are actually fighting!"
Peeves immediately dropped his water balloon, watching the battle below with great interest.
"Who's throwing water balloons in the corridor?!" Nearly Headless Nick flew up from downstairs, fuming.
"Peeves, it's you, you—my goodness!"
Inside the Trophy Room, Harry and Snape were blasting spells at each other.
"I must inform Dumbledore!" Nick flew off in a hurry towards the Headmaster's office.
Peeves watched Nick depart, knowing the good show was about to end, but his eyes sparkled with a new mischievous idea. Peeves took a deep breath and yelled at the top of his voice, "A professor and a student are fighting! Potter's going to die!!!"
After several shouts, Professor McGonagall appeared; it was her turn for night patrol.
"Peeves, I've warned you not to disturb the young wizards' rest at night!"
"Heheheh, I had no intention of waking anyone."
Seeing Professor McGonagall pull out her wand, Peeves quickly raised his hands and bowed to her. "Heheheh, look towards the Trophy Room. Peeves never lies."
Professor McGonagall looked over, full of doubt, then her eyes widened in disbelief.
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