While he would have preferred a much larger audience at Hogwarts, knowing that all his students were at home telling stories to their parents of his exploits made it easy to let that go. Reading about the monster while their children extolled his virtues would boost his popularity out of sight.
Actually, it being the hols, it was better than if school were in session!
The attention he attracted while escorting Hermione and Harry through Diagon Alley did a double duty of showing-the-flag and acknowledging his fans while simultaneously providing a visual of how he was mentoring The-Boy-Who-Lived. And feeding those rumours that the two children were dating. The normal five-minute walk took almost half an hour. Poor Harry looked as if he wanted to melt through the ground to escape.
The Grangers, having met them outside The Leaky Cauldron, were suitably impressed with Lockhart, and their daughter's new station in life. Her new robes were quite impressive.
They had been stunned at the financial and property statements they received by owl from Hermione on Wednesday last. It turned out that Lord Dagworth-Granger had invested in a few businesses that were still operating, or other companies had taken them over them and were obligated to continue paying dividends. There was a modest ten thousand galleons in her vault. It would be more than sufficient to renew the protective enchantments on her properties, should she desire.
Gilderoy had already noticed that while Hermione's hands retained most of their human characteristics, except the nails more nearly resembled claws and were retractable. Her feet, however, seemed more feline-patterned. That is, she walked on her toes with her heels elevated. This made her a bit taller and gave her a rather elegant slinky cat-like walk, while her hips had an exaggerated and very sexy roll as she moved. Harry had also taken note, and suggested in a whisper when they had left Hogsmeade that they should take a few pictures of her walking for her thesis.
Gilderoy snickered. Hermione was just going to have to get used to Harry staring at her bum as she walked — not to mention all the other male students. And probably invest in a few high-heeled shoes to explain her sudden height increase when the transformation finally wore off. He had already altered her current shoes to fit, to accustom her to wearing that style.
Fortunately, the crowd at Diagon Alley distracted her parents too much for them to notice the changes in their daughter. Gilderoy planned to correct that during the day by "accidentally" finiting the glamour. He was sure Sirius would wet himself laughing when he saw the pensieve memory.
Harry's first property was a modest twenty-room London townhouse. The second was a forty-room mansion and country estate in Wales. The country estate had a full potions workshop, a pool, and an extensive library that required they bodily drag Hermione out of it. The French estate was another forty-room mansion not far from the French Rivera, with several hundred acres of vineyard surrounding it. The income from the wine sales easily maintained all the properties and their needs. And kept his vaults growing. At Gilderoy's suggestion, Harry gave the Granger's several cases of the best years' wines, delivered to the Grangers' home by house-elf.
It was at their noon dinner that Gilderoy started slowly removing the glamour. They were almost to dessert when Mrs Granger said, "Hermione! What's happening to you?"
Hermione looked down at her furred hand and dropped her fork, giving her mother a wide-eyed look of astonishment. Mr. Granger was staring just as wide-eyed.
"Ah," Lockhart said nonchalantly, "Nothing to worry about Mrs Granger. That's just Lady Granger's glamour wearing off. I'll restore it later. She had a minor potion accident on Christmas that temporarily changed her into a cat." He smiled winningly at the startled parents. "Rather fortuitous, actually. No one has ever attempted a human-to-cat potion transformation, it was considered too dangerous as the potion was designed only for human-to-human." Her parents looked even unhappier at this declaration.
"It's quite an opportunity for the young Lady to establish herself in the potions community," he continued, smirking at their expressions. "First, because she is just a Second Year and has yet managed to brew a potion normally only taught to Seventh Year students — and many of them cannot succeed with it." He quirked an eyebrow at them to give them a moment to grasp her skill. "Second, because the thesis she is planning to write about her transformation and her experiences will be a true ground-breaker in an area no one has ever researched." He smiled proudly, "I expect that her success in brewing this most difficult potion will give her opportunities she had never foreseen." He leaned back in his chair with an air of satisfaction, as if he were responsible for her achievement.
"For example, her Potions Professor, Master Potioneer Severus Snape, has made her his assistant. Something he has never done before." The parents' expression were slowly changing from alarmed to confused as they tried to sort the implications of both danger and reward. And the fact that their daughter was a cat!
Hermione's expressions were difficult to read during this explanation but her emotions ranged from horror, to pride, to embarrassment. Yes, you can see a cat blush under all that hair, Gilderoy discovered.
Her mum delayed their dessert by dragging Hermione off to a bathroom to "check" things out. Her father just ate his dessert, shaking his head periodically. Whether to clear his thoughts or in shock, Gilderoy wasn't sure. Mrs. Granger returned with a shocked expression, switching to a little smile at odd moments. She even managed to look wistful one time while looking at her husband with a crooked smile. She also kept petting her daughter.
The Dagworth-Granger estate was a much more modest fifteen-room building with a potions workshop that filled the entire basement. Unfortunately, while some of the potions were under a stasis charm, the majority were age-ruined. The equipment, however, was perfect and Hermione pillaged a complete set of potion preparation tools from the stock for use at Hogwarts. If she was going to be Snape's assistant, she'd better have the best tools possible! Again, they had to drag her out of the library. She did snag a duplicate original first-edition to give to Snape.
Gilderoy was correct; the Dagworth-Granger estate protective enchantments were in dire need of upgrading.
The day passed quickly, and Hermione's parents adjusted to seeing their cat-daughter with varying degrees of astonishment gradually easing into curiosity and pride at their daughter's accomplishment. Before they returned to Gringotts Lockhart restored the glamour and they spent the rest of the afternoon examining their finances. They decided that selling selected books from the Dagworth-Granger estate, after copying them of course, would easily fund the upgrades to the protective enchantments. They left it to the Goblins to arrange both. They finished with tea at a Muggle restaurant not far from The Leaky Cauldron.
(⊙_⊙)
The Headmaster was in his office, staring at the stack of Daily Prophet's lying on his desk. That pompous popinjay fraud Lockhart had somehow turned into an accomplished hero at his, Albus's, expense! Dumbledore knew the man was a fraud; two of his acquaintances had had their memories stolen from them for his books. He had discovered this when he noticed that one of the memory-thief's books bore an uncanny resemblance to a story a friend had told him several years before. When he had owled that Wizard with questions, the man had denied any memory of the event. He remembered Lockhart visiting him, but that was all. The other friend reported a similar experience.
A bit more research had revealed the Wizard to be a complete fraud, all of his stories based on experiences of other people. He had stolen their memories for profit! Which seemed to fit in perfectly with his work in Hogwarts as a student, nearly failing in all subjects and only learning those things that would make him look good to his peers.
But this! This was beyond the belief. Almost from the first day, Lockhart had behaved differently than before. Yes, he still seemed to be a self-centred rake, turning every conversation into a platform for bragging and self-aggradation. But there were jarring instances where he was stunningly competent.
His interactions with Harry had been laughable; as he seemed to interpret everything the boy did as Harry trying to copy the grown Wizard's fame. And his detentions had been just as farcical, with long diatribes about Lockhart's books and successes, and how to curry favour with the media and public. But then there had been Neville Longbottoms' patronus. Never in all his years had the Headmaster heard of someone so young successfully casting that spell. Yet Lockhart had taught it to him, and delivered a very effective lecture on magic in the process. Totally out of character.
But then he had accused Ron of being a sadomasochist. When that was pointed out as foolish, he had suggested that Draco and Ron were somehow attracted to each other. While there was nothing wrong with such proclivities, the political damage to both families, should a rumour about the two associating with each other gain wide circulation, was incalculable. And it was patently obvious that the two were not romantically involved! But the ponce insisted on spreading that rumour.
But while he and Snape could look into their minds and know the boys hated each other, the rest of the staff and school had no such assurances. And rumours of the two having a dalliance could ruin his plans for Harry — simultaneously separating the friendship of Ron and Harry while lessening the antagonism between Harry and Draco. But it was such a typical thing for Lockhart to blurt out.
But his involvement with this Lily Foundation was another story. How he had convinced Potter to co-operate was a mystery. And having the proceeds go to students at Hogwarts brought the boy positive press and put the boy in a good light for the public. That was a problem. He had to keep the boy isolated and dependent upon him. Unfortunately, he couldn't object publically without compromising his position as magical guardian — people would question why he had allowed the Muggles to abuse the boy. Claiming he never thought to check, and being unable to explain why he hadn't taught the child about his heritage, would get his guardianship revoked for incompetence. And that would turn into a major political fight as every heavy-hitter in Wizarding England would demand and fight for custody! The only positive to that situation was that he didn't have to worry about Malfoy getting his hands on the boy. And Narcissa seemed completely uninterested in the famous boy.
Albus knew that Lockhart was somehow involved in the destruction of the Malfoys. From the third richest family in Britain to barely above commoners was a breathtaking plunge in financial fortunes in a mere few weeks. How Lockhart had done it was a mystery, but, before his death, Lucius had insisted the man had tricked him into ruin over House points — and that made no sense whatsoever.
And so his favourite foil in the Wizengamot was gone, leaving many of his plans in disarray.
And amid his buffoonish attitude, Lockhart still managed to garner headlines! Accusing Draco of murder, and then sneaking Harry out to an interview with Rita Skeeter. The bad press for Dumbledore wasn't anything he couldn't handle, but it wasted his time dealing with those piddling problems and reassuring his followers, especially those at the edges.
Then the nitwit actually found the lost Ravenclaw Diadem. That was great press for Hogwarts, but Rita had managed to turn it into asking why the great Dumbledore hadn't found the diadem first! As if he had time to waste searching for a useless artefact such as that. He had more important things to do.
The fiasco with that cursed diary had cost him the support of the Weasleys, perhaps permanently. Lockhart anticipating his actions had prevented him from hiding the facts before anyone noticed. And while Dumbledore was a master at wandless silent magic casting, staring at the tip of Lockhart's already glowing wand had denied him the time for any reaction at all except acceptance. And once given, the vow prevented him from acting immediately to retain his most devoted followers.
Their daughter hadn't been that badly damaged by the possession, but his hesitance to assist her had further alienated the Weasleys. And had them call into question his competence. It would take time and effort to recover his position with them, but he could do it. A few compulsion charms, a bit of help here and there, and sooner or later they would fall back into his control. But in the meantime, he was without their unconditional support. And every time he spoke with Arthur about things in the Ministry and the Wizengamot, the Wizard kept him at a sceptical distance, questioning his reasons for every little proposed action.
While Albus started repairing his damaged reputation, Gilderoy had once more appeared an incompetent oblivious idiot. Except — he had shown a rather remarkable duelling ability during that first Dueling Club meeting. That he had managed to secure a tea date with McGonagall had been surprising, but then Dumbledore had never understood the dynamics of how Witches and Wizards interacted. Voldemort he could easily predict, Witches? Not at all.
And now this. The Chamber of Secrets. He had thought that a secret will kept. No one else knew where the entrance was, nor the creature contained in it. Lockhart's pretensions to knowing both had been laughable, and he knew the Wizard had never been even close to Myrtle's toilets in his so-called investigations of the castle.
But now? Lockhart had found it, entered it, and apparently killed the creature! Dumbledore had already been to the entrance this morning, to find still sealed but now concealed behind a simple Notice-Me-Not spell as well. The pictures in The Daily Prophet proved he had been down there.
And the fall-out from The Daily Prophet articles continued relentlessly. Not a day went by that didn't record several howlers berating him for endangering the students so recklessly! Even his so-called allies were keeping their distance and not responding to his floo-calls or owls. In a matter of days, he had lost much of his prestige and influence.
Madam Bones had been thorough, and damn her for getting to him before he had a chance to see those bloody articles in The Daily Prophet. Only after the interview, which had taken all morning, did he see a copy of that worthless rag. And by then it was too late, people had already started talking with each other and comparing experiences. By Friday, he had managed to retain his position as Headmaster only after promising to resign his positions as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and as Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards. And the former had beaten a vote removing him from the office by only a few hours.
A deadly blow to his influence both internal to England and to the world. Especially as everyone saw it as a rebuke of his handling of Hogwarts! Fools, all of them were fools. They didn't understand that the being Headmaster of Hogwarts gave him the power to control the future generations of the Wizarding World. Just look how he had so masterfully arranged things to become the most influential Wizard in the World, looked up to by almost the entire Wizarding World! He couldn't have done that if he were simply the Supreme Mugwump or Chief Warlock — it had taken several generations of convincing Hogwarts students of his greatness that had led to his establishing himself as a great Wizarding statesman.
And now, here was that fraud Lockhart undoing decades of work in a matter of days. Well, appearances were deceiving. While to the public he had lost influence, to the movers behind the scenes he was still a powerful force, crossed at one's own peril. He would claw his way back into power just you wait! In another decade, he will have regained those lost positions and be even more powerful.
Lockhart was a dangerous Wizard, hiding behind a façade of incompetence as a dandy. The Headmaster couldn't directly attack the man without doing damage to himself — after all, he had hired the man. And just look at how well the Wizard was finding things and saving students!
If he tried any attacks at this stage of the game, direct or indirect, they would come off as jealousy or revenge for "perceived" slights and harm only himself. He would have to wait for the furore to die down. In the meantime, he would start rumours about the Wizard's book being stolen memories from other Wizards and Witches. For some, it would ruin their reputations, for what Wizard or Witch wants everyone to know they were the victim of a fraud and cheat? But it was for the Greater Good, after all.
In all the fuss and bother of the Basilisk and the resulting scrutiny of his actions, or non-actions, he missed the small Ministry announcement towards the back of one of The Daily Prophets declaring that Houses Slytherin, Black, Gryffindor, Peverell, Gaunt, and Potter now had sitting Lords in the Wizengamot.
(◎_⊙)
Gilderoy waited outside the Hospital Wing doors and watched as Harry reluctantly left. Curfew would hit in a few minutes and Gilderoy knew Harry planned to hide in a classroom and sneak back to visit with Hermione some more after Madam Pomfrey went to sleep in an hour or so. It was all harmless "petting" at this stage — literally. Gilderoy knew from his passive legilimens that Hermione loved Harry's attention, especially when he scratched her between her ears and on the back of her neck. She wasn't sure what to think about the feeling she got when he scratched at the base of her tail, but they sure were nice! As were the feelings when they compared how her new chest accessories compared to her originals. She resolutely decided not to think about those feeling, and only recorded the results of their investigations in her journal.
They spent most of their time in the Hospital Wing with her telling him about her family and their vacations. He told her only a tiny fraction about the Dursleys.
Harry/Gilderoy waited until Harry was out of sight before removing his disillusionment spell and slipping into the Hospital Wing. He walked quietly to her bed hidden behind screens to provide her privacy. He didn't quiet his actual footsteps, so she wasn't startled when he knocked politely on the edge of one screen stand.
"Good evening, Professor Lockhart," she said, surprised that he came to see her.
"Good evening, Miss Granger." He studied her in the soft candle light. She was reading a book, of course, preparing for the upcoming classes when they started tomorrow. She looked back at him questioningly. The glamour had worn off, so she was her catty self. She and Harry were reapplying the glamour throughout the day every day, as practice for when the other students returned. It would tire them out doing that spell, but it would be good exercise for their magic cores. They both would come out of this stronger than their peers. He hoped to have them doing it silently and wandlessly by the end of the month. If someone hit her with a finite and accidentally revealed her form, they planned to explain it as a prank by the twins.
He sat at the bottom corner edge of the bed facing her, eschewing using the chair. He gave a discrete wave of his wand and put up privacy charms around them. Now, no one could listen, or would even realize he was there talking with her.
"Did you feel those, Miss Granger? You should. You certainly can. It will come with practice. The next time you see someone cast a spell; look for the feel of it on your skin. Some spells will leave a taste in your mouth, others a smell —the result of your brain trying to describe sensations for which it has no references. Most will make your skin seem to move ever so slightly, telling you what was cast and from where. At first, have friends cast the spells on you with your eyes closed. Wait for the feel of the magic. Mr. Potter does that instinctively."
She nodded, her fingers twitching as if she wanted to write down what he had said.
He sighed, a stab of jealousy hitting him. For all the fame and money he had and was going to get in the future, he would never again possess what Harry and Hermione would have. He missed his Hermione. And McGonagall and Sinistra could never measure up, not even together. Hermione's devotion to Harry was unlike any Witch's regard for Gilderoy.
On the other hand, if he succeeded, this Hermione and Harry would have the life they deserved. And with her newfound House and his Houses, they would have an interesting life. Not as interesting as Harry/Gilderoy's, rather boring by comparison, he thought. But boring was the life that Harry had always wanted. The life Harry/Gilderoy would have would be a compromise, neither quite pleased with the result, but preferable to the alternative — especially after he revealed to the pompous poser, the original Gilderoy Lockhart stuck in his head, what would have happened to him at the end of this year. Anything was better than being a permanent nobody in the Spell Damage Ward at St. Mungos!
He smiled at her wryly, "Ah, Miss Granger, how I wish I were your age. I would be giving Mr. Potter a real run for his money. You are a prize well worth pursuing." He extended a passive probe to pick up her emotions. He wanted to do this very carefully, her emotions would provide him the guide he needed.
She stared at him wide-eyed, stunned that anyone would regard her as someone worth chasing, blushing furiously at the idea her idol would feel that way towards her.
"Oh, come now, Miss Granger, did you really think no one realizes how knowledgeable and powerful you are? You understand spells faster than anyone else. You're always the very first to cast a new spell. And while not as powerful as some, knowing how to use the spell correctly is better than sheer power in many situations. And now you're Professor Snape's assistant! Even Mr. Potter has noticed!"
She gave him a disbelieving look.
"Speaking of Mr. Potter, in case you haven't realized, and I think you suspect it, he is quite taken with you. As you already know, he is more than willing to risk his life for you. No greater devotion can be possible. And, in fact, he's going to sneak in here shortly just to be with you, although he will pretend it is just because you are friends and you're in the Hospital Wing, and not because he fancies you."
She blinked up at him from the bed. Reading her expressions was difficult under all that fur, but at least the forward tilt to her ears indicated her interest in what he had to say. That and her emotions clearly revealed her interest.
"What I am about to tell you is in the strictest of confidences. I shan't ask for an oath, just your promise that you shan't reveal what I'm about to tell you."
"Of course, Professor Lockhart," she said, eyes shining and pride growing at the thought he would confide in her. He was, after all, her favourite teacher, surpassing even Professor McGonagall. He was a great teacher, he cared about his students, and he was an accomplished author. He had fought a Basilisk just last week! As an idol, he was perfect for her. And she was star-struck on him something terrible. But she also knew he was an adult and would never see her as anything other than a child and a student. Harry, on the other hand . . . .
"Do you like Mr. Potter?"
She cast her gaze down on the bedspread, "Professor Lockhart!" she said, sightly scandalized and no doubt blushing. She was definitely feeling embarrassed at being caught. She looked back up at him. It was easy for the Witch to separate her admiration for her Professor from how she felt about her very best friend who had risked his life for her.
He raised an eyebrow.
Finally, she said, "Yes," albeit quietly. "But just as a friend," she added quickly. She liked him more than she was willing to let on, he could feel.
He grinned at her, "Would you be opposed to being his girlfriend?"
She stared up at him, clearly caught in a quandary, wary hope spiking in her emotions. "But he doesn't like me like that," she said by way of reply.
"But he does."
She narrowed her eyes, "How do you know that?" she half-whispered. Her emotions swirled, happy at the possibility, worried he was wrong. And while she looked up to the accomplished and published Gilderoy, Harry had saved her life! And treated her like a real person.
He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Mr. Potter has not had a good childhood."
She blinked, frowning at the apparent non-sequitur.
"His family, if you can call it that, actually detest the very sight of him. They have abused him, both emotionally and otherwise."
She leaned back in shock, outrage present in her emotions. How could a family do that? She had suspected things were not as they should be with him, but to have it confirmed . . . .
"He does not know the meaning of love, having never seen it nor experienced it. The only emotion he knows how to show is anger, with which he has plenty of experience. Think back to how he stiffens up when you hug him, how he avoids direct contact with anyone, how he keeps distance between himself and everyone else.
"If someone is within arm reach, they are close enough to hit him, so he carefully keeps just outside that reach. To him, close means pain is coming.
"You and Mrs. Wealsey are the only two who have ever hugged the boy. No loving mother has ever kissed him goodnight on the forehead, no loving father has praised him for doing well. No parent had ever hugged him and told him he is loved.
"Instead, his Aunt has always coldly ordered him to bed and his Uncle violently reprimanded him for achieving better scores than his idiot cousin. There's nothing like being hit with a frying pan or beaten until you can't stand to dissuade you from doing your homework or outscoring your cousin on a test."
"You know he isn't stupid, but he's been trained to never do better than his cousin, and that fear of excelling has now extended to Mr. Weasley. You are an excellent student that anyone smart would use as a model for success, but Mr. Weasley is a lazy, selfish, arse. And that is what Mr. Potter is limiting himself to out of reflex — Mr. Weasley, even though his envy has put him at a distance. Harry's afraid that if he does better, that if he were to challenge you for status as top student . . . well, he firmly believes that his only remaining friend, you, will leave him.
"You can fix that, if you want."
Her mouth fell open in shock.
"He loves you, but he has no idea that he does. He has no yardstick with which to measure it. But, really now, how close do you want to be to someone that you would sneak into the Hospital Wing nightly just to talk with her?
"To him, like and love have little meaning, emotionally. If he understood what it was to like someone, he would tell you how much he likes you. Unfortunately, as you may have noticed, he has no social skills at all. His cousin saw to that, chasing away and beating up any who showed the boy kindness or offered friendship."
Her emotions roiled in outrage.
"You are, quite literally, the first girl he has ever had as a friend, and he has spoken more to you in the last month than to all the girls, and boys, he has ever known. And you are only the second person ever to accept him as a friend. The first was Mr. Weasley. And so he treats you the way he would treat another boy, because he doesn't know any better.
"He divides people into those he trusts and those he does not. He trusts you as he trusts no one else. And while Mr. Ron Weasley is his best friend and he trusts him, he already knows the boy is jealous of his fame and his money, so he downplays and hides both so as not to lose the very first friend he has ever had. And you can see how well that is turning out!
"But Mr. Weasley is a bad influence on Mr. Potter, as you know. Skiving off studying and homework just to play chess or exploding snap is not how you become a great Wizard or Witch, but it is what the lazy Mr. Weasley wants to do. And so he drags Harry down to his level by distracting him from schoolwork. And Harry, afraid to lose his only male friend, endeavours to stay at that level instead of excelling as he could do if he tried only a little bit. He has even remained quiet in the face of some of Mr. Weasley's criticisms of you in order to keep the peace with the other boy." Lockhart shook his head sadly, "Please forgive him for those lapses."
She half-nodded, mulling over what he had said and seeing the truth in his description of Ron's friendship and its impact on Harry's studies. Anger at his relatives' treatment echoed in the background.
"What you must do is wean him away from Mr. Weasley by providing incentives to stay with you, Mr. Longbottom, and Miss Lovegood. Simply telling him he needs to study or do homework shan't do the job.
"Ask him to teach you how to fly, and then make that the reward for doing well — you'll spend time with him flying. He will love you for it, even if he doesn't know that's what you call that feeling."
She was shaking her head. Fear of flying almost overcame her hope at being with Harry.
He smiled at her. "I know you dislike flying on a broom, Miss Granger, but you should regard it as a necessary life skill. You don't have to be able to do a Wronski Feint, but you should be able to ride well enough to escape an attack by a Dark Wizard. You wouldn't want to watch Harry die just because you couldn't fly a broom, now would you?
"And as to Dark Wizards, remember that Voldewhore possessed Professor Quirrell last year. Next time he might just succeed in returning, putting all your lives in danger. One day, being able to fly well on a broom might save both your lives, because Harry will never willingly abandon you."
She nodded her head again, still wide-eyed.
"In fact, Miss Granger, I shall make that a D.A.D.A. homework assignment for the class. By the end of the term, I want you to be able to fly well enough to be a Quidditch Chaser! Failing to fly well will knock your grade down!" At her horrified and appalled look, he added, "For a quick pickup game, not as for a professional or House team." He paused, "Unless you want to, that is.
"And Mr. Potter will be thrilled to help you do that. He enjoys flying as a truly liberating experience, where all his worries go away. Just watch his face sometime when he is flying and you will soon understand. He plays Quidditch for the excuse to fly. He doesn't understand that he has the right to go flying whenever he wants.
"I suggest you ask Mr. Longbottom and Miss Lovegood to join the two of you, if Mr. Potter agrees, that is. They, too, could do with the practical aspect of learning how to fly properly. Tell them I suggested that they join you."
He stopped and thought a moment. "Well, we seem to have gotten off track a bit." He smiled at her again, "What I really wanted to tell you is that if you want Mr. Potter to be your boyfriend, you will have to tell him that he's your boyfriend. He will never believe that a girl would want to be his girlfriend, so he will never think to ask, no matter how obvious you make it to him what you want. In matters of the heart, Mr. Potter is blind. It is up to you to show his heart how to see."
She frowned, but hope was filling her heart.
"Remember, he has never seen any examples of how a true couple should act, and his relatives have beaten into him the belief that he is not good enough for anything good or nice to happen to him. It's why he is so reckless with his life, rushing in where others fear to tread — to him, his life is always worth less than the one he is trying to save. He feels no one would miss him should he die, yet he knows he would be upset and unhappy if someone else were to die when he could have prevented that. And he fears everyone would blame him for the other's death because he didn't prevent it.
"You must counteract that by showing him that his life is worth just as much as anyone else's. Show him that he is just as valuable a person as anyone else."
She nodded slowly, determination evident.
"Watch his expression carefully when you grab his hand tomorrow morning on the way to breakfast and you tell him he is your boyfriend because only he is good enough for that position. He will try to tell you that you are mistaken. He shan't understand why anyone would want him as a boyfriend. Don't take no for an answer.
"You can tell him that if he wants, you will be his girlfriend until the end of term and then if he doesn't want to continue, well, you can both call it off." He could feel the spike of fear from her when he said that. "But that shan't happen unless you drive him away with jealousy. Other girls will vie for his attention, and put you down as unsuitable. Especially when they discover his multiple Lordships.
"They will be jealous of you, so ignore them. And should anyone, no matter how highly placed, tell you not to write to him over the summer, ignore them. They are trying to make Mr. Potter feel that he has no friends — remember what Dobby did to his mail over the summer? And how you felt when your letters went unanswered?
"Whatever you do, do not believe any rumours you may hear. Always talk with Harry first. Remember, he has no social skills. He may make a mistake, or ten, because he simply doesn't know any better, so be ready to forgive him.
"That will be especially hard to do considering he is the Head of House for three important Houses and it will be expected of him to have wives to supply heirs for those lines, or to blood-adopt children for the same. And when the other Witches hear about the other Houses, well, you'll have you work cut out for you! Unless, of course, you select those other girlfriends before someone you dislike imposes themselves. Perhaps Miss Lovegood and Miss Weasley? Both are impressionable and you would find both rather easy to live with. And Miss Lovegood's creatures? She sees auras and apparently likes to name certain transitory features, the child in her thinking them separate magical creatures. Or perhaps they really are pure-magic creatures that only she can see, who is to know the truth?
"But, remember, no matter what happens you will always be first in his heart."
She was watching and listening to him carefully.
"Hmm. Maybe you should tell him tonight when he sneaks in here to be with you that you want to be his girlfriend. A kiss on the cheek would not be out of order. Perhaps a kiss every morning when he takes your thesis pictures. In week, move from his cheek to a quick peck on his lips. And a warning about what the other Witches will do when they discover his House situation.
"And you needn't worry about him taking advantage of you, he will be too terrified of ruining your friendship, of chasing you away forever. So, you will have to initiate things every step of the way. You want him to kiss you on the lips? You will have to kiss him first so he knows it's okay. You want him to hug you? Tell him that's what will make you happy.
"He has no idea how to treat a girl, so you will need to coach him in the particulars. Be patient and let him know the real decisions are up to him. Do tell him that if he brags to his friends about private things you do together that you will be extremely disappointed in him. All those things he hears the older boys saying about their girlfriends should be private, and it shows that the boys have no regard for their girlfriends. Plus, and most importantly, it shows that they are incapable of being trusted to keep secrets. Be sure to point that out, explicitly.
"Trust me, it will work out as long as you take the forefront in matters of emotion and let him make his own decisions on how to follow through. Use rewards to get him to improve in school. No bossing around! Use 'please' a lot. And let him go off with Mr. Weasley when he feels he must, you do not want to force him to choose between yourself and Mr. Weasley. Never, ever, give an ultimatum about anything unless you are willing to accept that he might choose against you and you lose everything because of your or his pride. And make sure Mr. Potter knows when Mr. Weasley has hurt you with his words."
He left the Hospital Wing behind, headed for his rooms. He left Hermione in a mess of conflicting emotions, fear that her professor might be wrong, hope that he wasn't, fury with Harry's relatives for damaging the boy so much, and determination to do what she could to help him.
Harry/Gilderoy would monitor the two closely for a while, nudging the witch as needed, restraining her if she became overbearing. No matter what, it would be better than what he had gone through with Ron and Hermione in his future.
And he was right, he received quite a few party invitations for the New Year's celebrations. He graciously attended several, floo-ing between them, before midnight struck. It was a very profitable evening, from Gilderoy's point of view. Harry Lockhart was almost bored to tears.
It was mid-January, three weeks after the story broke about the Basilisk, and things had quieted down at both the school and elsewhere. He was amazed that no one had noticed the Ministry announcement about the Lordships. Or, perhaps, the smart ones were merely waiting to see why the announcements were so low-key. Usually, Houses made a big deal, with lots of pomp and circumstance, when investing a new Lord as Head of House.
It was time, Lockhart decided, to stir the cauldron once more.
As he had known would happen, Hermione's fur was slowly disappearing. She had taken his advice and acquired high-heel shoes to explain her sudden increase in height, but hadn't yet realized she no longer needed them. The constant cat-walking on her toes had transitioned to wearing the high-heels out of habit — Harry was not the only one to notice the way her robes swayed as she walked, and how her hands hit her hips. And the fact that she now had a beautiful smile of perfect teeth. Unfortunately, Mr. Weasley was not one of those to be so observant. He persisted in arguing with and insulting her. His relationship with Harry was almost as tumultuous. Already, they were drifting apart and Harry was finding it difficult to keep his friendship on an even keel.
Gilderoy's talk with Mr. Weasley at the Ministry had apparently made its way to the twins because they suddenly took to sitting with Ron between them, carefully monitoring, and correcting, his eating habits. When questioned during a detention taken from Snape, Harry told Gilderoy that the twins had sworn an oath to their younger brother to cease using him as a test subject for their pranks. Otherwise, the poor berk would have been terrified to eat anything in such close proximity to them. The twins pulling their brother aside at meals also put a barrier between the two erstwhile friends. It had also given the red-headed boy something to complain about to Harry that didn't involve Hermione.
The Weasley parents had also given Percy a dressing down it appeared. He was much less officious during his rounds as a Prefect. And he seemed to be writing home much more frequently, making it a point that Ginny included a message every time his owl headed that way.
Hermione's assistantship to Snape had stunned the school, and she had spent the entire afternoon and evening that first day after the other students returned from holidays correcting homework assignments the Firsties had all turned in to Professor Snape. Not knowing exactly what to expect, she had read them all first, then sorted them into piles separated by how much the homework actually said compared to what Professor Snape had told her he expected — he had written a sample "perfect" assignment for her reference. Only then did she start grading them, rereading them again. Continuing that would cut quite heavily into her time with Harry, so Gilderoy had pulled her aside the next afternoon as she and Harry headed to supper.
"Ah, Miss Granger! A moment of your time!"
The Witch had looked up at him, Harry stopping at her side. Gilderoy had been pleased to see they were holding hands. The school knew that Harry and Hermione were an item, as they went everywhere holding hands. Ginny, of course, was not pleased at this development. She had even made a few snarky comments about which broom-closet they preferred. She didn't seem to make the connection that the Witch she was criticizing was grading her potions' assignments. Or maybe she thought Hermione was too 'professional' to let such comments affect her grading. Lockhart doubted it. The Weasley girl was at the age where she had not yet connected that her current actions had consequences she would have to deal with later. It also made it difficult for Hermione to believe Gilderoy that she would make a good addition to their potential marriage.
"Yes, Professor Lockhart?" The Witch had been carrying a much larger load of parchments than normal — the homework assignments.
Lockhart had bestowed on her a generous display of his beautiful smile, striking a pose in his resplendent mauve robes.
"Because you are new to grading homework assignments, I thought I would give you a few pointers." In his future life, he had sheltered with a Muggle teacher for a couple of weeks. Somehow, the subject of grading papers came up — Harry hadn't understood how one got through them without losing one's mind. The woman had explained it quite simply, and so now, Harry/Gilderoy passed it on to Hermione. Or was that back, considering this was the past?
"First, take a parchment and write the name of the assignment at the top. Then make a list of the important details mentioned in lecture or in the textbook that are required in the assignment. Not mentioning those details shows that the student either doesn't understand the assignment or doesn't understand the subject. Failing to mention those details is a failed assignment. How many are left out indicates just how much of a failure it is," he said.
"Draw a line, then list the details you expect the paper to mention to show that the student actually read the textbook, listened in class, or researched as instructed. Draw another line and list the details that only the most diligent student will discover.
"Count how many details you have in the important list, and divide them into seventy. That becomes your passing grade, or 'Acceptable', if they get them all in the paper. Count the details in the second list and divide them into the remaining thirty points. Each detail you see in the paper you add that amount to the total score.
"The third list are extra-credit details that can fill in for missed details in the second list, or to give a bit of extra-credit."
"So, if you have four details that must be mentioned, they each are worth eighteen points – seventy-two total. If you have six details in the second list, each is worth five points, for a total of one-hundred-two for a diligent student. So, someone who gets the four main details and two of the secondary details gets a score of eighty-two, or an 'Exceeds Expectations'. Extra-credit details are worth the same as the secondary, so if a student included two of those as well, the score would go from eighty-two to ninety-two— an 'Outstanding.' Any score over one-hundred-two is an Outstanding Plus.
"See? Easy! Then, on a second parchment, you just make a grid chart of the students down the page and one column for each detail across the top, and then scan each assignment looking for those details. Check the boxes, and when you're done just add up the scores for a grade!"
"That will cut your reading time dramatically because you only need to read an assignment once. It also makes it much fairer. And if someone writes short or long homework, you take off points based on how much they missed the required length — part of homework is learning to write to the length specified! If the student can't write to the length assigned it means they are not following directions and need to be penalized!"
Both had stared at him wide-eyed.
Gilderoy nodded happily, "Yes, that's all there is to it. It's so simple you might even get Harry to help you occasionally — just don't let anyone see him doing that! Plus, once you have the assignment detail sheet, you never have to do it again and that saves you time as well for next year."
He had grinned happily; once more Gilderoy had bestowed important life-changing information to his students. "There now, that's sorted. Off with you, don't want to miss supper." He had made a shooing motion with his other hand.
And the two had taken his advice. It had helped that Hermione was a speed-reader. And far more organized than Snape ever would be. Now it took her less than an hour to grade a classes' homework instead of the two to three hours that Professor Snape usually used. With her penchant for scheduling, that meant she still had plenty of time to devote to helping Harry. Which she did.
Everyone had quickly settled into their new routines.
Harry spent almost all his time with Hermione. His goal this past month had been to prevent anyone from actually touching her hands or arms. While the glamour hid her appearance, someone touching her arm or hand would feel the fur and know something was wrong. Others interpreted it as him being an over-protective boyfriend. The girls thought it was "cute" while the boys his age thought it rather creepy. Some of the more intelligent older students noted their girlfriends' reaction and began mimicking him to a degree.
Gilderoy noticed that Hermione did a lot of touching of her own — running her fingers through his hair when he sat beside her on a couch or touching his arm with her hand to attract his attention or just when talking. They tended to bump together frequently when standing or walking, even when they weren't holding hands, a rare event.
Based on some of Harry's expressions, Gilderoy could see the little Wizard was amazed that anyone, especially a girl, would want close contact with him. And the smile he had whenever she reached over to take his hand gave Harry/Gilderoy a stab of jealousy.
Mr. Ron Weasley, it seemed, was a bit jealous of the attention the two bestowed on each other, and considered it an affront that Harry might want to spend time with someone other than himself. And he was very offended when Hermione refused to let him copy her assignments anymore. That Harry often allowed him to copy his work didn't seem to help, especially when he noticed that Harry was doing much better than he was on those assignments. In fact, of the group of five, Harry, Hermione, Neville, Luna, and Ron, Ron was always at the bottom of the assignment scores for their classes. And always did the worst in the practicals, as well, his new wand only making a small difference because the lazy git just didn't practice anything.
So it was that on the third Monday of the month, at breakfast, that Rita Skeeter once more sat with her photographer Bozo at the head of the Gryffindor table. The Headmaster was once more giving Gilderoy an unhappy glare. The students were once more staring at the flamboyant Professor, excitedly wondering what new surprise he was about to unveil. The other Professors watched with expressions ranging from undisguised glee, Professor Flitwick, to happy anticipation, the Witches at the Headmaster's Table, to boredom, Professor Snape.
"Professor McGonagall, if you would please?" Harry/Gilderoy invited the puzzled Professor to step to the front of the Headmaster's Table. He pulled the Sword of Gryffindor from his robes and dropped to one knee. He presented the sword to her with the blade resting on one hand and the hilt in his other. He said, "Professor McGonagall, it is with great pleasure that I, Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defence League, five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most-Charming-Smile Award, and Hogwarts' beloved Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor return to your House, Gryffindor House, the lost Sword of Gryffindor! Not seen for many centuries and believed lost forever, only a true hero of Gryffindor may call the blade to his or her side in time of danger. While I am not a member of Gryffindor House, the Sword came to my hands while I fought the Basilisk for the safety of Hogwarts' students just a few weeks ago. I hereby return it to your hands so that it may join Ravenclaw's Diadem in the Entry Way Display Case for all to see."
To say the staff was stunned was an understatement.
"By the way, some Basilisk poison splashed on the blade, so be very careful. Being a Goblin blade, it has absorbed the poison. Even the slightest cut will be fatal," he explained as the staff, and especially the Headmaster, inspected the treasure. "As you all may remember from the articles in The Daily Prophet, I killed the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets with a sword. This is that sword!"
The sultry look the older Witch gave him as she left the Headmaster's Table with the Sword in hand to place it in the Entry Way Display case promised him a reprise of their frolic from their date night. Gilderoy was doing a little happy dance in his head while Harry was not sure what to think. Professor Sinistra was giving him a welcoming look, as well.
The Headmaster, for some reason, did not appear as happy about the Sword's return to Hogwarts as one might suppose. Harry wondered how long it would take the old fart to realize that the Sorting Hat was missing, he still had it in his robe-pocket. The Hat seemed to enjoy being out and about in the castle. It was in no hurry to return to the shelf it usually resided on in the Headmaster's Office with only Fawkes and portraits for company. He sometimes wore the Hat during his night-time patrols and activities for the conversation and relief that he had someone to confide in about his projects. They both appreciated the situation, and the Hat occasionally bemoaned having to return to its shelf for the summer.
The Witches had not yet noticed the Hat hanging on his wooden-elf in the bedroom. The Hat never complained about his having company over, no matter how late. The Hat, Harry decided, was the perfect discrete roommate.
Rita had another two days of headlines, and told Harry/Gilderoy she was now the highest paid reporter on the staff. And his reputation took another climb. Soon, as many people would know his name as did Harry Potter's.
(⊙_◎)
Valentine's Day, Sunday, was a hoot, as far as Harry/Gilderoy was concerned. It had taken only a slight encouragement on Gilderoy's part to get the Harry Potter Fan Club to send Valentine's Day cards enmass rather than a single card with all their names telling Harry that he could depend on their support.
The dwarfs brought him just as much amusement, and he made sure that the little Wizard received several 'singing' cards in the Great Hall at dinner and supper to maximize his mortification. Hermione was almost as embarrassed. The dwarves were grumpy, but he rewarded them well with generous bonuses for not going on a rampage and slaughtering the clueless students.
He did, however, sneak a private tea-and-scones picnic for the two children in the Come-and-Go Room in the middle of the afternoon. That took a bit of effort on his part, but coordinating with Dobby the two were able to set up a special and romantic tea room with a hidden entrance on the First Floor and keep the C&G Room's seventh floor location a secret for just a bit longer. From their smiles, he presumed the couple enjoyed their private 'together' time quite a lot.
Gilderoy found it interesting that Harry's little group had grown. And rearranged itself. Luna had switched to sitting by Neville at the meals. Hannah Abbot and Susan Bones had taken to sitting and studying with Harry and Hermione. The two girls alternated with each other on who actually sat beside him. At meals, the twins had kept Ron isolated from Harry as they concentrated on teaching the disgusting pig table manners. Recently, they had started letting him eat most of his meals away from them as a test, with the warning that if he fell back into his bad habit of eating like a starving dog, they would dragoon him into more proper eating etiquette lessons.
Ron was upset at having lost his prime seat beside Harry to a couple of girls who steadfastly refused his subtle requests that they move the bloody hell over. Instead, he found himself seated beside Hermione. Based his listening charms, Gilderoy knew the boy again blamed Harry for not treating his best mate better.
Hermione seemed to be taking the new arrangements on Harry's other side rather calmly. He did notice, though, that she sometimes allowed a quick expression of uneasiness when one of the other girls put her hand on Harry's arm or brushed up against him while they were eating, studying, or walking.
Was it possible Susan's aunt had ferreted out that Harry was indeed now Lord Potter, with at least two other House Lordships? Hopefully, she hadn't discovered that he had five total and Gilderoy was going to take two off his hands.
He would have to take Hermione aside on Monday and give her advice on how to handle the situation. To tell her that the best way to deal with the other girls was to become best friends with them, rather than to treat them as rivals to be out-witted or out-maneuvered. The only way a successful group marriage could work was if they were all good friends and not constantly trying to gain an advantage over each other.
The previous week, Gilderoy had spent a bit of time with Harry one evening during a detention explaining to him about Witches and their expectations regarding boyfriends and dating. He told him that flowers were always a good way to show one's appreciation for a Witch, and that there was even a 'language of flowers' that assigned a meaning to them when they were given. Things such as single full-bloom Red Rose meant I love you or I still love you, whereas a Yellow Rose meant joy and friendship. You could even use Monkshood to say Beware; A deadly foe is near. Hopefully he would never need that last!
Jewellery, such as bracelets, necklaces, and earrings, were also always a good idea, especially considering one could embed powerful protective spells and enchantments into them.
Based on Hermione's reactions on Valentine's Day, and the new bracelet with book and broomstick charms that she wore, Gilderoy felt it had been a very productive detention. At supper, the other two girls noticed and immediately started admiring the new bracelet, complimenting Hermione profusely in the process. It didn't take a Seer to see that the three girls would have a conversation regarding Harry in the near future.
(◎_◎)
"Ah, Madam Bones! So good of you to give me a few moments of your time!"
The Head of the D.M.L.E. nodded at the Wizard as he entered her office. She had mixed feeling about this meeting. So far this year, every time the Wizard's name came up, something major happened in the Wizarding world. He had had an interesting career before his placement as the D.A.D.A. professor at Hogwarts, but he was now quite the gadfly.
One the one hand, previously he had appeared very ineffectual, regardless of what his books said. Yet since November, he had set the Wizarding World on its head, with something new every few weeks. First, there was the claim of attempted murder on Harry Potter, and the revelations about the boy's First Year that no one had suspected. Then, somehow, he was involved in the fiasco with Lucius Malfoy — and had sent a tip regarding a hidden room in the Wizard's home that had yielded a veritable bonanza of Dark Artefacts. That alone guaranteed she would see him when he asked. What other titbits might he know?
That he next recovered the lost Ravenclaw Diadem, slew a Basilisk in Hogwarts, and thoroughly humiliated the Headmaster in the process merely enhanced her curiosity! Then he announced he had recovered the lost Sword of Gryffindor.
And, seemingly by accident, over the last few months he had managed to discredit Dumbledore and force him to give up several politically important positions. And Dumbledore, while still a powerful figure in Wizarding politics, wasn't the unassailable figure he had been. Their discoveries during his disposition at the Ministry following the furore over the Basilisk had damaged his credibility severely — he was clearly no true figure of Light. And now many in the Ministry and Wizengamot knew this, even if the public didn't yet. He had managed to keep his position as Headmaster only with difficulty. Bones was sure that blackmail of some sort was involved.
For an ineffectual Wizard, Lockhart was either incredibly lucky or incredibly underhanded and sneaky. And if the reports she had received from Gringotts were correct, he was the richest Wizard in the world.
Hence her immediate agreement to this meeting when he had owled her yesterday. With that kind of record, she couldn't say no. Besides, he was very rich. And single. And rich. Did she mention single?
"I understand how difficult it is to work an unexpected visit into your schedule, Madam Bones. Between my classes at Hogwarts and working on my new book, I barely seem to have time to eat. And the new book, Burrowing with a Basilisk, is shaping up nicely, too. I expect it to be one of my biggest sellers, outperforming my last book, Magical Me, by a large margin, as impossible as that may seem," Gilderoy said enthusiastically. "The chapter on my duel with the giant serpent is the most exciting thing I've ever written, I'll have you know. Of course, all the mundane investigating and searching I had to do beforehand isn't nearly as thrilling . . . ."
"Mr. Lockhart," interrupted Madam Bones, not pleased with his meanderings about his book and beginning to understand why he was still single, "What did you want to tell me?"
"Oh, yes." Lockhart smiled, not perturbed at being interrupted. "Well, I have come across some information that seems to indicate that one of your ministry personnel was involved in Lucius Malfoy's death, poor man." He shook his head in sadness at the senseless loss of life.
She nodded, acknowledging his statement and encouraging him to continue.
"Well, I was dining with Mr. Weasley last November here at the Ministry. I had some concerns about his sons and I was giving him advice on how best to remedy the situation. His twin sons, Fred and George, both Fourth Year students, are quite a handful, I must say. They are creating problems for his youngest son, Ron, a Second Year. Percy, who is a Prefect and a Sixth Year, is becoming a right prat, more interested in following rules and authority than thinking for himself." He shook his head sadly at that assessment.
"Percy is a bit of a problem, but with close attention by his father over the next two years I think we can get him back on track to being a decent Wizard instead of a self-important self-aggrandizing twit." He smiled broadly, wondering if she would notice his self-description prior to this year.
"Ron is going to require quite a lot of attention. He has feeling of inadequacy because of how exceptionally successful all his brothers are at school, and is immensely jealous of his friends. The twins are contributing to that with their constant teasing and pranking . . . ."
Madam Bones cleared her throat loudly, interrupting the Wizard. She was beginning to understand why so many Wizards had little regard for him.
"What? Oh, yes." Gilderoy smiled at her, not at all embarrassed at rambling.
"Well, we had finished our discussion and were passing a few harmless remarks back and forth at desert. I noticed that Mr. Macnair, seated at the next table, seemed rather agitated when I asked about a rumour that Mr. Malfoy was talking with your Aurors — that he was meeting with you on a regular basis about possible Death Eater activities after the War."
Madam Bones shifted in her chair. "Mr. Malfoy was doing nothing of the sort."
"I understand that, now. It was just a rumour. I wonder how it started? Perhaps an enemy of the Wizard started it hoping to cause Mr. Malfoy problems with his former associates?" He paused, arching his eyebrows inquisitively. "In any event, Mr. Wealsey denied hearing the rumour, so I dismissed it."
She stared at him unblinkingly.
"Well, what brings me here is that I was planning to ask Mr. Weasley to another luncheon meeting to discuss the changes in his sons since the last time we talked. Reviewing my notes on our previous conversation, I remembered that Mr. Macnair had overheard us. And that not too many days later Mr. Malfoy was murdered. An odd coincidence, wouldn't you say? Then I remembered that both Mr. Macnair and Mr. Malfoy claimed they had been imperiused into being Death Eaters.
"However, we both know from your prisoner interrogations at Azkaban that you can only receive the Dark Mark if you give your complete and uncoerced assent. Of course, I know you can't arrest any released Death Eaters based on old evidence because of the double-jeopardy laws, but what if one of them were to commit a new crime? Then you could interrogate them properly, correct?
"Well, I'm not one to tell someone how to run her department, but maybe you could place a truth detecting spell on the chair here, and then ask Mr. Macnair in to see if he had heard that rumour or knew anything about Mr. Malfoy's death. If the spell indicates he is lying when he denies having any knowledge of Mr. Malfoy's demise, well, then you have a reason to apply veritaserum." Gilderoy reached into his pocket and put a small vial on her desk. "There's a memory of the end of the conversation in question and Mr. Macnair's reaction."
The Head of the D.M.L.E. nodded slowly, still expressionlessly.
"Well, that's all I wanted to say. I hope it gives you some assistance in solving Mr. Malfoy's murder." He stood, gave her a beaming smile, and said, "Again, thank you for taking the time to hear my concerns. I'll not take any more of your precious time." He headed for the door as she stood at her desk. "Oh," he said, "No need to get up, I'll see myself out." He put his hand on the doorknob. "Oh, by the way, did you know that Mrs. Yolanda Travers is a marked Death Eater? And no one ever investigated or interrogated her? She's just been quietly hiding."
He beamed at her as he opened the door and walked out, closing the door carefully.
A few days later he read in The Daily Prophet that Mr. Macnair had been arrested for being involved in Mr. Malfoy's death and would be placed on trial the following month. Almost as an aside, it mentioned he had identified three other Wizards as being active Death Eaters, all now in custody and undergoing interrogation.
(◎_⊙)
It was the ides of March and Gilderoy, under a disillusionment spell, snuck over to the edge of the Hogwarts Wall closest to Hogsmeade. Harry and Hermione were having a picnic there instead of eating their noonday meal in the Great Hall, as was everyone else. All the Witches in Gryffindor had been jealous of the "romantic" luncheon Harry had planned. Harry and Hermione were celebrating the Witch's return to fully human status, except for a slight vertical angling in her pupils and the ability to purr. Actually, she had returned to fully human status at the end of January, but Gilderoy had only recently suggested that they two celebrate the event.
Lockhart had the suspicion that Harry missed Hermione's extra chest 'accessories' but wasn't about to mention that!
It was also the farthest point from the Castle and just barely inside the protective enchantments. The House elves had been more than happy to assist. Only Harry and Hermione knew that Gilderoy had set everything up, but he had waited until they finished eating before joining them.
"Good afternoon, Professor Lockhart," the two chorused as he appeared walking towards them. Once he had their full attention, Rita Skeeter appeared. She had flown over the wall as an animagus, and simply changed back. To the two students, it appeared as if she, too, had been hiding under a disillusionment spell. Gilderoy knew the protective enchantments had been set to ignore animagi, so her presence was undetected. The Headmaster didn't want the constant reminders that Peter was in the Castle.
"Good afternoon, Rita," Gilderoy said as he set up Notice-Me-Not and silencing spells around them. The rune stones that Dobby had placed earlier kept the air temperature well within a comfortable summery range while leaving the snow untouched. A large rug was atop the snow, with a table and chairs placed for their comfort. Roses were in a vase.
"I'm soo glad you could come, Rita," he continued. "I thought you might like to hear a bit more about Harry's First Year. How he smuggled a Dragon out of Hogwarts, battled an evil monster in the Forbidden Forest, discovered that the Headmaster had hidden the Philosopher's Stone in the school, and that there was an evil Wizard after it."
Once more Harry and Hermione talked themselves almost hoarse, and Gilderoy left her with a few memory vials of Norbert, the monster in the Forbidden Forest, and their adventure under the trap door guarded by Fluffy.
This series of articles, coming only a couple of months after the Basilisk and demonstrating that the dangers at school were not just this year, would farther devastate Dumbledore's public standing. And the best part was that the Headmaster would have no idea how Rita got the stories! As far as he knew, Harry and Hermione had never left the grounds. Rita had never come to Hogwarts. And Gilderoy had no visible connection to the articles, except for copious comments about how he was mentoring both Harry and Hermione this year and keeping the school safe from dangers that the Headmaster never noticed, or worse, simply ignored.
(⊙_◎)
Gilderoy strode confidently into Gringotts, nodding to the Goblin guards at the door. As in the previous times, he was quickly ushered to his account manager. Ragnurk's office had undergone a bit of a transition. First was an antechamber with several doors, each with the crest of one of his Houses — Lockhart, Black, Potter, Slytherin, and Gryffindor. Plaques on the wall represented the Houses Gaunt and Peverell. His escort led him directly to the Lockhart door, the most ornate, and Ragnurk.
He smiled broadly at the Goblin, as he crossed the expansive room to the plush chair awaiting him, "Ah, my friend, I trust our gold continues to flow into our vaults." As he sat, a Goblin brought in a tea service and a platter of scones.
The Goblin glared at him, "More today than yesterday."
"Excellent," exclaimed the admitted fop. "I have discovered that Gringotts might have a problem with one of its accounts."
The Goblin sat up straight and stared at him.
"You are familiar with Soul Anchors, horcruxes?"
The Goblin scowled, "Vile things, yes."
"One of your vaults, I fear, is the repository for such an item. And one capable of pouring out the soul contained into anyone one foolish enough to touch it."
The Goblin sat back. "Our vaults are sacrosanct, nothing can be removed without the permission of the vault key owner."
"And such items do not violate any of your rules?"
"Unless the item violates the integrity of Gringotts' security, no."
"Don't your people periodically inspect the vaults? And might not such an inspection accidentally result in the Soul Anchor taking over a Goblin? Wouldn't that threaten the security of Gringotts?"
Ragnurk grinned viciously, "Any Goblin stupid enough to fall to such an item deserves the fate he gets. And if he attempts to break the security of Gringotts, or steal from the vault, we have measures in place to deal with such subterfuge. If he simply leaves, we could care less what he unleashes upon the Wizards."
Harry sat and thought. While Gilderoy would like to retrieve the Hufflepuff Cup, if the only other alternative was its destruction, Harry could settle for that.
"The item," he finally said, interrupting the Goblin who had gone back to work on whatever it was he had been doing previously, "is in the vault of Bellatrix Lestrange."
"Then you need her vault key, or her presence, to enter the vault and retrieve the item," the Goblin said without looking up.
"I am Lord Black and Bellatrix is a daughter of House Black, can I use that to gain access?
"No. You gave up that right when she became a Lestrange."
"What if I don't want the item, I just want the Soul Anchor destroyed insitu? The Cup can remain in the vault."
Ragnurk looked up a moment, frowning. "No. You still need the vault owner's permission to decrease the value of their vault be destroying anything of value in it."
After a few minutes thinking, Harry stood. "Well, then, I apologize for wasting your time, Ragnurk. I take my leave."
The Goblin ignored him as he left.
(⊙_⊙)
April Fool's Day[L1] once again featured Lockhart presenting a trophy to the school. This time Rita sat at the head of the Slytherin Table, to the intense dismay of the older students, and Professor Snape. The Headmaster's eyes were not twinkling very much this morning, either, for some reason. In fact, he looked quite putout to those who knew him.
Just after the Owl's parliament, when the most students possible were in the Great Hall, Gilderoy once more stood. "I have an announcement to make," he stated majestically, projecting his voice across the Hall. He walked to the front of the Headmaster's Table. "Professor Snape, if you please," he waved an invitation to the surly Wizard to join him. For a moment, Harry/Gilderoy could see the desire to tell him off flicker across the Potion Professor's face, but finally, he stood. The Witches at the Headmaster's Table, and most all in the student population were all eagerly awaiting what new discovery their favourite Professor was about to unveil.
With his usual sneer in place, the greasy-haired dungeon-bat stalked around the table to stand in front of Lockhart.
Gilderoy, resplendent in his lavender robe set, conjured a velvet pillow and placed a small bag on it, then presented the pillow to Snape.
"Once again, I, Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defence League, five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most-Charming-Smile Award, your beloved Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, and slayer of Basilisks, have recovered a priceless treasure long thought to be lost to Hogwarts and Wizardkind.
"It is with great joy and pride that I present to you, Professor Snape, Head of the Slytherin House here at Hogwarts, this long lost Founder's Artefact," he paused dramatically and posed with teeth gleaming brightly as he loudly proclaimed, "Lord Salazar Slytherin's Locket!" He vanished the bag leaving the gleaming Locket out for all to see. "It can now join its fellows, Ravenclaw's Diadem and Gryffindor's Sword, in the Founders' Display Case in the Entry Way."
While the rest of the school enthusiastically applauded, Gilderoy was careful to note that Professor Snape merely held up the pillow with the locket and kept his face carefully blank. And the Headmaster had a decidedly sour expression as Gilderoy Lockhart once more publically upstaged him.