Chapter 306: Hagrid’s Request, the Beast Banishing Charm
Because of what happened at the Duelling Club, Kyle found himself the center of attention for the next several days. Wherever he went, students whispered and stared. The sight of the stone statue wielding a massive axe had left a deep impression on everyone.
When people brought up the Duelling Club, their first thoughts weren't of Lockhart, who had floundered embarrassingly, nor of the array of Charms on display. Instead, they pictured the stone axe raised high in the air. It was the first time they had truly witnessed Kyle's strength in such an obvious way. And, well... there was no denying it—his power was impressive. It was hardly surprising that he'd been awarded the Order of Merlin in only his second year.
Compared to Kyle, the other "Order of Merlin" recipient seemed almost laughable. Lockhart's bumbling series of performances had become a running joke among the students.
Word of the Duelling Club's events eventually reached Professor McGonagall. During Transfiguration, she surprised everyone by directing most questions to Kyle, awarding Hufflepuff ten points for every correct answer he gave. By the end of class, Kyle had racked up a total of 60 points for Hufflepuff—offsetting the 50 that Snape had deducted and leaving the house with a net gain of 10.
Ultimately, the Duelling Club incident didn't disrupt Kyle's life too much; in fact, it even brought him a bit of newfound fame.
But for someone else, the effects were far more significant.
Harry Potter.
According to Mikel and Ryan, after Kyle and the others had left, Snape had called Harry and Malfoy back to the stage. It wasn't clear if Snape had taken the time to give Malfoy a personal lesson, but somehow Malfoy managed to cast Serpensortia and summon a black snake.
When faced with the same snake, however, Harry's response wasn't nearly as smooth as Kyle's had been. Instead, he unintentionally revealed his ability to speak Parseltongue. Normally, this wouldn't have been a big deal, but in the current climate, it was.
Everyone knew that Salazar Slytherin had left the Chamber of Secrets behind, and that Parseltongue was his signature skill. Now, almost everyone viewed Harry as the "Heir of Slytherin," suspecting him of being the one behind the attacks on Filch and Professor Charity Burbage.
But some didn't buy it.