Chapter Ten: Lock to My Heart
The November winds blew about the school, whipping the winds with their mournful sighs as the last of the leaves made their final adieus. All that blew through the halls of Hogwarts though, was the discussion of the attack on Mrs. Norris. Without fail, Joanna came; having to sneak by Filch guarding the scene of the crime with red piercing eyes. Even without his cat, he was still a nuisance.
She snickered as she closed the door behind her, tossing aside her cape carelessly. I had already removed my jacket and neckerchief to save her some time. We hadn't seen each other in at least a week. I might as well give her some indulgence.
"Did you hear about the so-called 'Chamber of Secrets' that's supposed to be hidden in the school?" she snorted, striding toward me with a roguish grin as she crawled onto my lap.
"You don't believe in it?" I replied, mildly surprised, leaning back as she fought with her tie to come off. Scoffing with a sneer, she laughed:
"Not at all; it's too fantastical to be real." I nodded my head in agreement with a mild smile; it made sense with that logic. "I refuse to believe it almost as much as I refuse to read those blasted books of yours." she added with a smirk on those soft pink lips.
I gasped in horror and outrage. "You've never read my books! Not even your uncle's story?" She shook her head with a shrug.
"Nope, I just copy the answers off of Hermione. If I did read them, I'd get pissed and I'd have to maim you quite severely." she said with a completely sober face. Seeing my shocked terrified look, she grinned. "Well don't make me read the books then." she replied simply, wrapping her arms around me with another smile, a gentler one, as she tickled my jugular with light kisses.
At her caress, my head felt light and dizzy, a pleasant shiver running down my spine. It was a sensation oddly like drowning in water yet it was intoxicating. Strange, isn't it?
***
We had moved onto one of my favorite books, Wanderings with Werewolves. I was working on reenacting the moment I battled the werewolf for the last time—life or death situation—and turned the poor fellow back into a human.
"Nice loud howl, Harry—exactly—and then, if you'll believe it, I pounced—like this—slammed him to the floor—" I rather enjoyed this part. The rest of the class seemed to as well, "thus—with one hand, I managed to hold him down—with my other, I put my wand to his throat—I then screwed up my remaining strength and performed the immensely complex Homorphus Charm—he let out a piteous moan—" Harry refused to play along, "go on, Harry—higher than that—good—the fur vanished—the fangs shrank—and he turned back into a man. Simple, yet effective—and another village will remember me forever as the hero who delivered them from the monthly terror of werewolf attacks."
As the bell rang, I sprang to my feet with a grin. "Homework: compose a poem about my defeat of the Wagga Wagga werewolf!" I called, "Signed copies of Magical Me to the author of the best one!" The class left, except for Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Joanna. Joanna had a smirk on her face as they walked up to me; that never was a good sign.
"Er—Professor Lockhart?" Hermione stammered, "I wanted to—to get this book out of the library. Just for background reading." She held out the paper for me to read, her hand shaking slightly, "But the thing is, it's in the Restricted Section of the library, so I need a teacher to sign for it—I'm sure it would help me understand what you say in Gaddling with Ghouls about slow-acting venoms…"
"Ah, Gaddling with Ghouls!" taking the note from her and smiling widely, "Possibly my very favorite book. You enjoyed it?" Joanna rolled her eyes at me, behind her friends' backs—making me feel anxious.
"Oh, yes," said Hermione eagerly, "So clever, the way you trapped that last one with the tea-strainer…" Joanna mouthed the words 'sign the damn paper' with a silent groan behind their backs. I gulped, going back into hero-mode with a grand smile.
"Well, I'm sure no one will mind me giving the best student in the year a little extra help," I said warmly with a charming smile as I pulled out my enormous peacock quill. Ron made a face. "Yes, nice, isn't it? I usually save it for book signings."
Giving the paper an enormous loopy signature that anyone could recognize from a mile away, I handed it back to Hermione with a smile.
"So Harry," I said to keep them there for a little longer, "tomorrow's the first Quidditch match of the season, I believe? Gryffindor against Slytherin, is it not? I hear you're a useful player. I was a seeker, too." Joanna's eyes rolled back into her head, barely muffling her scoffing groan with the back of her hand, "I was asked to try for the National Squad, but preferred to dedicate my life to the eradication of the Dark Forces. Still, if ever you feel the need for a little private training, don't hesitate to ask. Always happy to pass my expertise to less able players…"
With a little sound, Harry was off and after his friends. Joanna lingered for a little while at the door before turning with a smirk.
"I'd like to see you on a broomstick, Professor." she smirked. She always could see through my lies.
***
Joanna turned in her homework a little early; placing it on my desk by the end of the day. The title of the poem was 'Moonlit Emotions'. I had only to read the first few stanzas to know that she was mocking me. The entire thing was supposed to be from my point of view and it depicted 'my' forbidden passion for the man/werewolf and how I longed to 'make love to him in the moonlight'. The final stanza, for I couldn't stop after starting, described as we 'finally fell victim to our passions' and had sex.
It's bad enough that she refuses to read my books but when she turns in a paper I assign, does she have to make it a gay porno? The sad part was, though her descriptions were graphic, they were really good. At the very bottom of the paper was scrawled a little smiley face with the words: "See you tomorrow at the match!"