Chapter XXIII

Gentle warmth from the early morning sun woke Harry, and served as an immediate reminder that he was not in his dormitory at Ravenclaw Tower. The window in his and Anthony's room faced west, not east. He made to reach out in search of his eyeglasses, but his arm was trapped beneath a warm mass next to him.

The events of the previous night came back in a rush, as Susan – still asleep - murmured and nestled closer to him. 'Uh-oh,' he thought.

"Susan!" He whispered. "Wake up! You've got to get out of here!"

Her crimson hair wild and askew, sky blue eyes bleary with sleep, Susan grumbled momentarily before realizing where she was, and who she was with. "Sweet Merlin! I fell asleep!"

"I know! You have to get out of here!"

"Have you forgotten I'm in my dressing gown?" Susan hissed back. "What will people think if they see me sneaking out of the Hospital Wing wearing this?"

Harry considered her point. "Pass me my glasses, please." When Susan made to protest, he cut her off. "Sue, please. We don't have time to argue."

She reached over to the nightstand and handed over his thin black frames. "Keep your eyes where they belong, mister," she warned.

Despite her tone, Harry couldn't resist a quick glance, but focused intently on the task at hand. A shimmer appeared in his green eyes, as he conjured a small pile of fabric and quickly began to transfigure it into the familiar form of Hogwarts robes.

"Harry, these are Ravenclaw colors." Sure enough, the robes bore the trademark blue and bronze trim of the house of Eagles.

"Sorry, force of habit, I guess. Let me see them, I can change-"

"MISS BONES!" An outraged cry, and a simultaneous shocked gasp came from the edge of the privacy screen, as Madam Pomfrey and a short, red-headed First Year girl gaped at the sight before them: Susan Bones, in a nightgown in bed with Harry Potter, hastily pulling on a set of too-large robes that were decidedly not Hufflepuff colors.

Harry groaned and buried his face in his hands. This day was off to a marvelous start.

"Hello, Harry Potter."

"Luna, right?"

The tiny blonde gave a dreamy smile and nodded. "Off to the forest again this evening?"

Harry raised an eyebrow at the question, considering he was just outside the doors to the castle, but bit back his sarcastic reply. "I am. Would you like to come with me?"

She nodded happily, and began skipping alongside him as they walked towards the Forbidden Forest in tandem. "You seem to be in rather good spirits considering what happened."

He tried not to growl. It had been an unpleasant day, with whispered gossip and knowing glances following him all afternoon and evening. "Nothing happened, Luna. It's all just rumors."

"Oh? You weren't in the Hospital Wing?"

"Well, that part is true. But everything else is just gossip."

Luna gave no appearance of understanding what he was referring to, and it occurred to Harry that she may very well not know the things that people were saying about him and Susan. As they passed the tree line to enter the Forest, Luna veered off in a different direction.

"Hey, wait! You shouldn't go off on your own!" Hastening after the surprisingly speedy First Year, Harry followed Luna deeper into the woods, well beyond where he normally trained. "Luna?"

Cursing under his breath as he tripped over an exposed tree root, he was still brushing leaves off his robes and out of his hair when he emerged into a small clearing. Luna was there, stroking the side of one of the skeletal horses that pulled the carriages from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts.

"Have you met the thestrals before?"

Cautiously approaching the animal, Harry nodded. "I mean, if you can call riding in the carriages they pull to the castle as 'meeting', then yes."

Luna cocked her head, some of the whimsy leaving her expression. "You can see them?"

"Of course." Harry was equally confused. After all, she was at that moment touching the animal. "Can't you?"

"I can. I don't think many of our classmates are able, though. Thestrals are invisible except to those who have witnessed death." At that, both of the Ravenclaws grew somber, their tragic and unpleasant pasts rising to the forefront. "I'm sorry."

Schooling his features, Harry cleared his throat before replying. "For what?"

Luna looked very vulnerable, no trace of the gentle and otherworldly girl he'd entered the forest with. "For whatever you went through. Was it because of what happened to the DADA Professor last year?"

Harry shook his head. "No, I could see them from when I arrived at Hogwarts." He suddenly realized the full impact of her question. "How do you know about Quirrell? You're just a First Year."

Luna gave him a small smile. "You're a fairly regular topic of discussion in the girl's bathrooms, you know. I guess the other girls don't mind that I'm around when they talk about you."

He decided to leave that alone. "But there were only two other people down there with me, and I know neither of them would tell any of the other students what happened."

"Come now, Harry Potter, you're a Ravenclaw, too. Quirrell dies under mysterious circumstances the same night that you are admitted to St. Mungo's? Did you really believe no one would connect those dots?"

"Great." He cautiously approached the winged horse. "Are you sure it's friendly?"

"Of course! They like it when I scratch them on their necks. I suppose it's a tough spot for them to reach on their own." Sure enough, the animal leaned into his cautious petting.

"Do you come visit the thestrals often?"

"Not so much now that I come to the forest with you, but my first month here I spent a lot of time with them. They like having me around. It's, it's nice to be around friends."

Harry regarded her seriously. "Luna, the thestrals aren't your only friends, you know."

"I didn't think so, but Ginny hasn't wanted to talk to me since earlier in the summer. I'm afraid the Gulping Plimpies may have gotten to her. So I started coming out here."

"Who's Ginny?"

"Ginevra Weasley. She's my neighbor, of sorts, in Ottery St. Catchpole, where I live. She's a First Year in Gryffindor. I used to attend primary lessons with her at her house."

"Oh." The two lapsed into silence for a few minutes, until the thestral wandered away towards Hagrid's hut, looking for a meal. "Luna, are the other students teasing you?"

Her wide, silver eyes locked on to his own. "No. No one has said anything mean to me. Mostly, they just don't seem to notice me at all."

Harry had some experience with people pretending like he didn't exist. "I guess it's a good thing that we're friends, then, isn't it?"

"Friends..." Luna drew out the word, as if tasting it. Her lips broke out into her trademark smile, the dreamy expression returning to her face. "Right. I suppose you'd like to practice your magic now?"

"Probably should. I have a transfiguration idea I'd like to try out, and there's a charm I want to learn."

Luna traipsed along next to him. "Which charm?"

"The Confounding Charm. Seems more useful in a fight than a Cheering Charm."

"You do a lot of fighting, don't you, Harry Potter?"

"You can just call me, Harry, Luna."

It wasn't until several hours later, as he finally laid down in his dormitory bed, that he realized Luna was the only person that day that hadn't made some comment about Susan. He silently promised himself he'd be as good a friend to her as she'd been to him.

October 12, 1992

"Come on, hurry up! I want to get to the Great Hall before Vincent and Gregory eat all the bacon."

"Relax, Parkinson, we'll be ready in a second." Tracey called out from the bathroom. A few moments later, she and Daphne emerged, drying their hair with a quick spell and putting on their robes. "Don't you usually eat with Malfoy, anyway?"

"He's been receiving special lessons from Professor Snape once a week before classes. Besides, you're my roommates, why shouldn't we eat together?"

Tracey gave Daphne a side-eyed glance but didn't comment, instead following Pansy and their other roommate, Millicent Bulstrode, out of the dorms and towards the Great Hall. Settling into their seats at the Slytherin table, the four chatted about their assignments and the upcoming classes for the day.

A few minutes after they entered, catcalls and whispered comments followed the arrival of Susan Bones. Despite a slight reddening of her cheeks, the Hufflepuff held her head high and ignored the comments and laughter, taking her seat and settling in for the morning meal.

"By Morgana, she's shameless."

"Don't tell me you believe all those rumors."

Pansy's jaw dropped at Tracey's skepticism. "It's not a rumor. Hestia Carrow was working on a group project for Transfiguration with the Weasley girl, who walked in on them in the Hospital Wing. Said Bones was barely dressed. And Vince saw her in the corridor yesterday morning, wearing Ravenclaw robes!'

Daphne's eyebrows raised. She hadn't heard that. "What was Harry doing in the Hospital Wing to begin with?"

"Who knows? Potter always finds some way to get into trouble." Pansy waved away the less salacious aspect of the story, making sure to raise her voice for her next sentence. "Look at her. She's such a slag." Susan's fork paused halfway to her mouth for a moment, then she continued eating as though Pansy hadn't half-shouted her insult.

With Millicent acting as a silent audience for Pansy's grandstanding, Tracey peered across the table at Daphne. "What do you think?"

"I know as much as you do. It's not as though I've spent much time with him this term."

"Maybe it's time you changed that, then?"

Just the thought of doing such a thing twisted Daphne's stomach. Appetite lost, she made excuses a few minutes later and gathered her things, leaving the Great Hall on her own.

"Greengrass! Daphne, wait up!" She paused, recognizing the voice, but didn't turn around. "Look, about what everyone's saying, I just want you to know that nothing happened. I'm sorry for how it looks, but you shouldn't take it out on Harry. He didn't do anything wrong."

"Why should I care what you and him do? It's none of my business." She made to keep walking, but Susan's next words stopped her in her tracks, and she turned to face the Hufflepuff.

"You mean you and Harry aren't, you know, together?"

"What in Merlin's name gave you that impression?"

"But, Hannah saw- at Neville's party..." The guilty expression on her face had transformed into confusion.

"Harry and I haven't spoken this term." And suddenly, that fact seemed so ridiculous that Daphne felt a deep shame at her own behavior.

"I see." Susan pondered that new information. "So where has Harry been spending all of his time?"

"Not with me. Is Harry okay?"

"I think he's probably pretty embarrassed, but I expect this will all blow over. He's got to be used to being the center of attention by now."

"No, I meant is he okay? He spent the night in the Hospital Wing?"

"Oh!" Susan blushed at her mistake. "He said that someone tried to ambush Professor Lockhart, and he got caught up in the fight. Whatever injuries he had, Madam Pomfrey took care of."

"That's good. Well, I need to go."

"Right. Sorry about the misunderstanding, Daphne."

October 30, 1992

The clearing was in shambles. A tree had been cut in half by a transfigured iron edge, another had been ripped out of the ground entirely; there was a blackened and charred circle of about ten meters in circumference that was still smoldering; deer, squirrels, and foxes wandered about in a confunded daze, and there were huge piles of sand strewn about.

"My, that was quite a show, Harry!" Lockhart strode into the clearing, looking as though he were walking through Diagon Alley and not out in the Forbidden Forest after midnight. "Hello there Miss Lovegood, nice to you see out on this pleasant evening."

"Professor, what are you doing here?" Harry was surprised, while Luna chose to cheerfully wave from her spot, perched on a branch halfway up an elm tree.

"I was on my way back from Hogsmeade. Rosie gets a little cross if I don't visit her now and again, and I saw the tail end of your impressive display. I'm pleased to see how much you've developed under my tutelage!"

Harry rolled his eyes, unsurprised to hear him take credit after enduring Lockhart's boasting almost daily for the last two months. "Right. Well, is there something I can help you with?"

"Since you asked, watching you lay waste to this section of the forest was somewhat thought-provoking." Lockhart paused, trying to find the right words. "At the start of the year, the other faculty told me about your struggles with spellcasting, given that you don't use a wand."

"Right, I think we figured that out last week." Harry replied, referring to a 'lesson' he'd had with the Defense Professor on grooming charms. Harry had vomited for several minutes after incorrectly casting a breath freshening charm.

"Indeed! And yet, here you are, employing destructive magics that would make an auror green with envy."

Luna chimed in from above. "I think he's wondering why you have such an aptitude for offensive magic, Harry."

"Well, it's just, I guess it's easier for my style of spellcasting. It doesn't take a lot of fine-tuning to burn something to ash."

"And you don't see that as unusual?"

"Not really. I'm sure any wizard could do the same thing, with enough power behind their spells."

Lockhart let out an amused chuckle. "Ignoring the fact that you're twelve years old and putting out violent energy on par with fully grown wizards and witches that train for years to fight against dark wizards, I don't think you understand what I'm saying." He looked around, considering the state of the clearing. "Might I trouble you for a seat?"

Harry conjured a chair for the man, who nodded gratefully and continued. "I've noticed how little you use magic, Harry. You gather your school supplies by hand at the end of class, rather than using a sorting charm. You've never heard of grooming charms. I doubt you could comprehend just how often your average wizard or witch uses magic on a daily basis."

"He's right, Harry. Daddy has a spell for almost everything, including one that ties his shoelaces together randomly throughout the whole afternoon."

"You're such an interesting boy, Harry. You maintain the perspective of a muggleborn, seeing magic as wondrous and special rather than common and routine, yet you have a capacity for destruction that surpasses what most could imagine. Quite an enigma!"

Harry didn't see the point of any of this. "So what? I only learned all of this because I keep ending up in life or death situations."

"Harry, Harry, I'm not criticizing you. I'm trying to make you understand the opportunity you have in front of you. The most magic that your average wizard or witch does in a day is cleaning or cooking spells, occasionally some specialized magic for their work. Do you have any idea the kind of spectacle you could create with your abilities?"

The Second Year rolled his eyes. "It's always about image with you."

"Now it is just a matter of finding the right venue for you to showcase your talents. I wonder...?" Lockhart stood, muttering to himself while wandering back in the direction of the castle.

"Goodnight professor!" Luna called, receiving an absentminded wave in return.

Draco had been working hard this term. Not at his coursework, though his grades were all EEs or better; no, he'd been trying to develop cunning and leadership to be a better Slytherin. His first move in this regard was perhaps the most difficult – he shut up. No more goading the Weasel in class or the halls, no more taking the Mudblood down a peg, no more laughing at the Squib's expense. There were honestly days where he wondered if it was even worth it, having to give up so many things that brought him joy.

Upgrading his entourage, though, was definitely the right move. While Vince and Greg were useful as blunt instruments and were unquestionably obedient, Theodore Nott and Graham Montague were far more versatile, if less loyal. He still made sure to spend some time helping Crabbe and Goyle with their homework a few times a week, though; no point in discarding a tool, even if the tool isn't the most useful in your set.

Every Monday morning he spent two hours with Professor Snape, receiving advanced tutoring in Charms and some rudimentary Dark Arts. He was improving by leaps and bounds. Draco imagined himself in a few years, the champion of pureblood wizarding society; blazing wand in hand, exterminating the undesirables in heroic fashion and receiving the adoration of those who really mattered.

So it was, that on Halloween night, upon catching sight of a crowd as he left the Great Hall following the Feast, he refrained from making any remarks. There was a message on the wall, written in what looked like blood, reading 'The Chamber of Secrets has opened … Enemies of the Heir, Beware', along with the squib caretaker's cat strung up nearby. Draco savored Filch's tears, enjoying seeing the unpleasant man's distress.

"What do you think, Draco?" Pansy asked, surveying the scene next to him.

"I'm not sure. Maybe a prank? It's not like there's anyone that actually likes that squib." He looked around at the other students crowded around. "Might even be one of the other Houses getting revenge on him and looking to pin it on Slytherin."

"Check it out," Montague pointed to a pair coming down the hallway from the opposite direction. "Poncey Potter's got a new hanger-on." And sure enough, the Ravenclaw looked on the scene with mild interest, accompanied by Lovegood, who looked more interested in trying to chat up a nearby suit of armor. 'Proper bloodline, certainly, but the girl seemed to have inherited her father's insanity.'

"What, did he already wear out that slag Bones? Or maybe he's just grooming someone he can use in his own House." Bulstrode and Nott laughed at Pansy's remark, having thoroughly enjoyed torturing Susan over the last month.

"Excuse me?" Pansy's comments weren't exactly quiet, and succeeded in drawing Potter's attention. "Say that again, Parkinson?"

The girl sneered at him, catching sight of Dumbledore and McGonagall exiting the Great Hall behind him and rapidly approaching. "What, upset at getting called out? You should be ashamed of yourself, Potter. Everyone knows the girl's not right. Just as loony as her father."

There were chuckles from the surrounding students, especially from the Ravenclaws, and a few giggling repetitions of the name 'Loony Lovegood.' The small First Year seemed to shrink in on herself, withdrawing in face of the universal ridicule of her peers.

Harry snarled in anger, his eyes taking on an unearthly shine. "You stupid, dog-faced bint. Running your mouth without a care for the consequences." The teachers, out of Harry's line of sight, were almost upon them. "Keep it up, and one of these days you're going to get shut up for good."

As he uttered the words 'shut up', a wave of silver energy rushed from his hands, the Silencing Charm washing over the crowd of students and dispelling all noise from the corridor, even Filch's sobbing.

"Mr. Potter!" McGonagall had no problem canceling the spell's effect on herself. "50 points from Ravenclaw, and two nights of detention! Spellcasting in the hallways is expressly forbidden!"

Draco, still affected by the spell, chuckled silently at the confrontation. Who said Slytherin wasn't the house of good friends?

November 1, 1992

"So Mrs. Norris wasn't actually dead, just petrified?"

"Apparently so. There's also just not a lot out there on the Chamber of Secrets. I found a small passage in Hogwarts: A History, but that's about it." Hermione dropped the heavy tome in front of her and found the relevant page, sliding it over.

"Well, look who finally graced us with his presence?"

"Hannah..."

"Hi Susan, Hannah. What's the problem?"

"There's no prob-"

"Susan's getting ridiculed practically hourly because of you, do you know that? And here you are showing up after weeks like nothing's happened. You could at least try to act like a friend!"

"Hannah! That's enough." Susan's tone left no room for argument, and her friend took a seat at 'their' table in the library. "It's fine, Harry."

"Who's this, Harry?" Neville grabbed at the opportunity to change the topic.

"This is Luna Lovegood, she's a First Year. She's a friend of mine."

Greetings came from the other members of the study group which Luna cheerfully returned, before Neville continued. "You've been busy this term, Harry."

"Yea, Lockhart has me running around pretty frequently, and Luna's been keeping me company while I catch up on my coursework." Maybe it was due to Hannah's aggressive attitude, but Harry wasn't eager to share his progress in the Forbidden Forest.

"I didn't catch you at the last quidditch match. Gryffindor's doing great so far, I think we'll take the Cup this year."

"We'll see. Diggory's been on a hot streak, he might single-handedly propel the 'Puffs to a championship." Sports were always a safe topic, and after a few more minutes of discussing the various teams, tempers had cooled.

But there was a lingering tension, between Harry and the others – excluding Luna, of course, who happily had Hermione working with her to revise an Astronomy essay that was half drawings of fanciful, unusual constellations. Now and again, there were questions that didn't get asked, responses that were just a bit shorter than usual, and they bid each other goodnight just a bit earlier than usual.

November 9

"I'm really happy Professor Lockhart created this event. Padma says that most other schools have annual dueling competitions on a normal basis. Hogwarts is behind the curve." Anthony was practically bouncing on his heels.

Their Defense Professor had announced the day after Colin Creevey had been found petrified that he would be leading a day of dueling instruction. He somehow shoe-horned Professors Flitwick and Snape into assisting him, and had rotating sessions of each year of students in the Great Hall for the entire day, excluding meal times.

Harry didn't share his dormmate's enthusiasm, given that he'd actually seen Lockhart in a fight, but didn't want to bring down the mood. The student body had been fairly anxious following the First Year Gryffindor's petrification. He stood between Morag and Anthony among the other Ravenclaw Second Years, waiting silently while Lockhart lectured Snape and Flitwick on how he'd like this to go.

"Excuse me, Morag, I'd like to squeeze in here." Harry looked over to see Morag stepping away from him, while Daphne slid in between his housemate and himself. "Hi, Harry."

"And here I thought you'd completely forgotten who I was."

"I know. I'm sorry, for what it's worth." They both avoided each other's eyes, choosing instead to watch Lockhart arranging Snape and Flitwick in a manner suggestive of reenacting one of his books.

"You know, two months ago I think I would have paid Morag to let me stand next to you. But after two months of only seeing the back of your head as you walk away from me as quickly as possible, I'm not in such a charitable mood."

"I can understand that."

"How's Astoria?"

"I'm sure you'd know as well as I do, but she's doing well. At home, instead of St. Mungo's." Daphne hesitated, considering whether continuing would be giving away 'family' business, ultimately deciding it didn't matter. "My mother is interviewing tutors to begin her magical education."

"Is that common?" Harry hadn't noticed anyone other than himself receiving extracurricular instruction.

"Not typically, no. The tutors would be instead of sending Tori to Hogwarts. She'd take her lessons at home."

"What? But, what about what she wants?"

Daphne nodded, meeting his eyes for the first time. "It's not set in stone yet. I'm trying my best to argue the family interest is in Tori attending school."

"Good luck, then. Naturally, if there's anything I can do..."

"Harry, I've been thinking about what you did for her, for me, over the summer." He raised an eyebrow, but motioned for her to continue. "I'd like to offer, again, to help acclimate you into high society. I've seen the Prophet, I know that Professor Lockhart has been taking you along to meet some influential people."

Harry snorted. "If you think tagging along with Lockhart has made me more interested in spending time around those types, you're sorely mistaken."

Her voice lowered to a whisper, as Lockhart began to address the Second Years. "I'm sure you've realized by now that he's using you, piggybacking off your fame. Do you want every interaction with powerful and influential people to be a repeat of that for the rest of your life? Wouldn't you rather be the one doing the using?"

He looked offended at such a prospect, so she changed her tack. "Or at least, acting on equal footing?"

"Okay. It does make sense to try and understand what's going on at those functions."

She gave him a broad smile, and a few butterflies fluttered in his stomach. Before she could say anything, Lockhart's shadow fell over them. "Come, Harry, let's not keep your classmates waiting!"

"What? What do you mean?"

Lockhart spoke in a hushed, quick tone. "Weren't you listening? You're going to demonstrate a duel."

Harry gulped, but followed along behind the Defense Professor.

"This is stupid, what are we supposed to do, cast Tickling Jinxes at each other? Aren't you supposed to be teaching us how to duel?" His opponent asked. Standing on the table across from him, and apparently sharing his opinion about this whole process, was Draco Malfoy.

Lockhart addressed the students. "Now, let's all pay attention while our esteemed volunteers demonstrate the form and function of a duel. After this, we'll pair you off and let you work on this on your own, with the faculty supervising and offering assistance." In a quieter but still entirely audible voice, Lockhart turned to his apprentice. "Go easy on him, Harry, don't want you to win too quickly."

Both Malfoy and Snape looked incensed at his comment, and Snape leaned down to whisper in Draco's ear. The two shook hands, turned, and paced the appropriate distance. Flitwick stood between the two, counting down. Harry met Draco's gaze, nodding towards the professors and rolled his eyes, but Malfoy didn't seem in the mood for camaraderie. With the professor's shout of 'Begin!' he raised his wand at Harry and began casting.

"Serpensortia!"A large cobra came flying from the Slytherin's wand, landing on the ground between the two, while Draco's wand stayed in motion "Flipendo! Tarantallegra!"

Given that Harry still wasn't taking part in the practical sessions of his classes, this was the first time he'd been engaged with someone his own age. Compared to Wally Jacobs or Veronica Haslett, Draco might as well be casting in slow motion. He conjured a circle of iron to intercept the incoming spells, then launched it towards Draco, who crouched close to the floor to avoid it. The snake, meanwhile, still between the two combatants, tried to make its escape through the surrounding students. Surprised by Justin Finch-Fletchley scrambling to get away, the snake reared up, only to be incinerated to ash by a wave of Harry's hand almost instantaneously.

Snape brought down the dueling wards that surrounded the table the two boys stood on, calling the 'duel' to an end. "This is pointless. Obviously, Potter's inability to cast in an acceptable format provides an unfair advantage."

"Yes, I suppose you're right, my good man. After all, not every student gets the benefit of full access to as distinguished a scholar as myself! There is only so much I can impart to my students in the brief time they're in my class."

Snape's expression twisted in rage as his gaze burned holes in Harry, the Ravenclaw still standing on the table with a bored expression. Malfoy hopped off and paired up with Nott, while Lockhart escorted Harry away from the crowd.

"What was that? The fire was a nice touch, but not exactly the show I'd intended you to put on."

"Excuse me? Draco was right – Second Years don't exactly have a wide repertoire of spells to use."

"You could have fooled me when he summoned that snake."

"It didn't even get halfway to me. It was more of a danger to the bystanders than it was to me. I'm not sure what you expected me to do, Professor."

"More than what you did, obviously! I guess I'll have to engineer something else to showcase your talents."

Harry didn't like the sound of that.

December 18, 1992

Daphne held up a photo of a man shaking hands with Fudge and waving off-camera. "What about this one?"

"Um, those are Wizengamot robes... Lord Rosier?"

She gave him a gentle smile. "Are you asking or telling?"

"Telling. It's Lord Rosier."

"First off, my grandfather has a first name, Harry. Secondly, and more importantly, this isn't him. This is Marius Selwyn. He, along with Octavius Nott-"

"Leads the Traditionalist faction, right, sorry." Harry ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

"It's okay, there's no pressure. You all right?"

"Yea, I just haven't had a lot of time this last week. I think Lockhart is trying to get me in a fight."

"What? Why would he do that?"

He wants to show off the 'prowess' of his apprentice. We were touring the Auror Academy yesterday, and he volunteered me to test out their dueling ring with the Chief Instructor."

"Is that why all DADA classes were canceled?"

"Yep. I missed Potions, too. Thank goodness Astronomy is a late night class, or I'd have been absent for that one, too." Snape had been incensed, assigning a weekend of detentions. "He's driving me nuts!"

"Sorry." "She couldn't hold back her curiosity, though. "What made you get involved with him in the first place?" It seems pretty out of character for you to embrace your celebrity like that."

Harry sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, and looked away. "Well, after we paid for Astoria's treatments, it turns out that I was a little short on the gold for Hogwarts." All of the color drained from Daphne's face. "I happened to meet Lockhart at Flourish and Blott's, and he covered the remainder of my tuition and my school supplies in exchange for a one-year apprenticeship."

"I'm sorry..." Daphne breathed, burying her face in her hands.

"Hey, what're you sorry for? It all worked out. C'mon Daphne, no need to be upset."

But there was no consoling her. Gathering their study materials, Daphne ran out of the empty classroom. Quickly slinging his bag over his shoulder, Harry took off after her. His pace slowed to a halt not long after he left the classroom, though, when he heard a soft but insistent whisper from somewhere.

"Rip."

"Tear."

"Kill."

He cocked his head, trying to identify the source of the ominous words, but was unable to ascertain from where they came. Moments later, a blood-curdling scream echoed through the halls.

A/N: Writing this chapter was like pulling teeth. Nothing came easily. Can't believe I didn't even make it to Christmas!

Guest (ch22): almost all of my OCs have names rooted off pop culture. And Peters isn't Norm's last name in the show haha, but it's close.

Tenjo: Sorry you dislike Lockhart so much. It wouldn't do the story much good though if this chapter was just "And then Lockhart died. End of Second Year." He's got a role to fill, and will stick around until it's done.

gbbz, SlytherinPotter, and Y-T3cH thanks for your kind words!

To all of my reviewers, many thanks! I'm trying to keep my A/N's short (don't want to artificially inflate the word count now that I'm nearing 100K), so if anyone else would like a response, please send me a PM!

Stay safe everyone!