[A/N. This story is not going to be a very long one, probably no more than
ten chapters, as it is just about the events of the second novel from
Gilderoy's perspective. Some things are skimmed over, but that's, in my
opinion, Gilderoy for you: after all if he wasn't the star, who cared
right? And writing this story doesn't mean I'll neglect my other stories,
in particular my Snape one since that is my favorite story, and probably
more important to me than this one.]
Chapter two: My fame spreads as the school year begins, and some people don't like it much.
"I'm going to catch that boy if it's the last thing I do." I heard the potions master, Severus Snape, mutter. It was the first day back at school and most of the students were in the great hall eating, but since I'd been preening before the mirror I was running a bit late and I met Severus pacing on the steps by the entrance hall.
"Catch whom?" I asked interested.
"Potter." Severus spat the name out as though it had a bad taste. "And his little friend Weasley. The two of them are more trouble than they are worth. Well they'll be expelled for this mark my words."
"Why? What have they done?" I asked, trying to appear casual, and not too interested.
Severus handed me the "Evening Prophet" in silence. On the front page large headlines screamed "FLYING FORD ANGLIA MYSTIFIES MUGGLES." The article went on to explain that muggles in different parts of the country had reported seeing a flying car. "Very interesting, but what's this to do with Harry Potter?" I asked.
"It was Potter and Weasley flying the car. I suppose taking the train is too good for people like them." Severus explained, with a frown. "And the worst thing Gilderoy is that Potter's been breaking rules since he got here and getting away with them too."
I nodded knowingly. "I suppose famous people do get away with a lot more than others." I offered.
"Well they shouldn't!" Severus replied angrily. "And this time they're not going to!"
I nodded again and decided to go in to dinner. As I sat down to eat I thought about the incident. It didn't surprise me to hear that Harry would do something as dramatic as this. He was probably threatened because with me being here he wouldn't be so famous, so he had to come up with something good. When I got a chance I was going to have to give him a few tips about being famous and how he should handle it. After all, he hadn't seemed at all comfortable with fame at the bookshop the other week.
*****
"Unbelievable." Severus muttered a few hours later, as he came into the staff room, slamming the door behind him. "They flaunt law after law and then end up only with detention."
"Harry and his friend?" I asked looking up from the book I was reading.
"Yes, Potter and Weasley." Severus replied, dropping into a chair angrily. "If they were in my house they'd be out of here before you could even blink."
"Detention hmmm?" I repeated thoughtfully. If I requested that Harry spend his detention with me it might be a good chance for me to have a talk with him. I'd have to tell him that just because someone more famous than him (me) was here it didn't mean he had to resort to doing things to try and get attention.
"That's what I said." Severus replied, and then he straightened in his chair. "Gilderoy- what's that book you're reading?"
"Oh this," I shook the book. "It's something called "The golden world of Gilderoy Lockhart", written by a witch who was clearly a fan of me."
Severus looked incredulous. "Are you seriously reading a book about yourself?" He asked.
"It's important to know how other people view you- especially when you're as famous as I am." I replied haughtily, and I went back to my reading. Snape made a funny noise and then left the staff room, and I got comfortable in my chair with my book. I glanced up at the door through which he had exited with a small smile. I guessed he was just annoyed that nobody had written a book about him, but then he wasn't as famous as me, was he?
*****
"Careful there now Sprout." I said as the Whomping Willow aimed a particularly vicious blow at me.
She shot a dirty look in my direction. "I know perfectly well what I am doing without your..ah..assistance Gilderoy." She said.
"I don't mind." I assured her. "I think perhaps you've wrapped this bandage here a little tight Sprout my girl." And I unwound the bandage a little, much to Sprout's horror.
"Gilderoy, don't." she cried, but I didn't listen to her. She probably didn't want anyone to know that I could doctor a Whomping Willow better than her. The Whomping Willow, with its branch now bandaged less tightly, waved the branch about happily. And then it waved it a little too far, hitting me squarely in the chest. I fell over and crawled out of the way of it.
"I guess its happy to be free." I suggested, and Sprout raised an eyebrow as she gathered the last of the bandages up into her arms.
"I guess it is." She agreed as we walked away from it, down towards the greenhouse. I noticed that the second year students were gathered around waiting for Sprout and I gave them all a cheery wave.
"Oh hello there!" I called. "Just been showing Professor Sprout the right way to doctor a Whomping Willow! But I don't want you running away with the idea that I'm better at Herbology than she is. I just happen to have met several of these exotic plants on my travels..."
"Greenhouse three today chaps!" Sprout called interrupting me.
I noticed that Harry was in the group along with his friend, and I saw the dubious look he gave me. As he walked past me I grabbed his hand. "Harry! I've been wanting a word with you- you don't mind if he's a couple of minutes late do you Professor Sprout?"
Sprout shrugged looking a bit annoyed about something. Probably the heat. "That's the ticket." I said shutting the greenhouse door.
Harry was standing there looking surprised and curious by the whole thing, making me shake my head. "Harry, Harry, Harry." I said.
Harry's expression didn't change and he didn't speak. I suppose he knew what I was going to say and didn't want to hear it.
"When I heard- well of course it was all my fault. Could have kicked myself." I said, with a sigh. "Don't know when I've been more shocked. Flying a car to Hogwarts! Well of course I knew at once why you'd done it. Stood out a mile. Harry, Harry, Harry."
Harry looked as though he were about to speak, so I quickly continued. I wanted to tell him that he didn't have to be ashamed of being less famous than me, and that it wouldn't change the way people felt about him, but I didn't. Instead I said, "Gave you a taste for publicity didn't I? Gave you the bug. You got onto the front page of the paper with me and you couldn't wait to do it again."
"Oh-no, Professor, see-" Harry began but I interrupted him, reaching out and grabbing his shoulder.
"I understand. Natural to want a bit more once you've had the first taste- and I blame myself for giving you that, because it was bound to go to your head- but see here young man, you cant start flying cars to get yourself noticed. Just calm down all right? Plenty of time for all that when you're older. Yes, yes, I know what you're thinking! "It's all right for him, he's an internationally famous wizard already!" But when I was twelve, I was just as much of a nobody as you are now. In fact, I'd say I was even more of a nobody! I mean, a few people have heard of you haven't they? All that business with He Who Must Not Be Named." I glanced at the scar on Harry's forehead. "I know, I know, it's not quite as good as winning Witch Weekly's most charming smile award five times in a row, as I have-but it's a start, Harry, it's a start." I gave him one of my largest smiles and a hearty wink and hoped he understood what I was trying to say, and then walked off back towards the castle. I didn't want to have him causing trouble all year trying to upstage me because he was used to being the famous one, that was for sure!
Chapter two: My fame spreads as the school year begins, and some people don't like it much.
"I'm going to catch that boy if it's the last thing I do." I heard the potions master, Severus Snape, mutter. It was the first day back at school and most of the students were in the great hall eating, but since I'd been preening before the mirror I was running a bit late and I met Severus pacing on the steps by the entrance hall.
"Catch whom?" I asked interested.
"Potter." Severus spat the name out as though it had a bad taste. "And his little friend Weasley. The two of them are more trouble than they are worth. Well they'll be expelled for this mark my words."
"Why? What have they done?" I asked, trying to appear casual, and not too interested.
Severus handed me the "Evening Prophet" in silence. On the front page large headlines screamed "FLYING FORD ANGLIA MYSTIFIES MUGGLES." The article went on to explain that muggles in different parts of the country had reported seeing a flying car. "Very interesting, but what's this to do with Harry Potter?" I asked.
"It was Potter and Weasley flying the car. I suppose taking the train is too good for people like them." Severus explained, with a frown. "And the worst thing Gilderoy is that Potter's been breaking rules since he got here and getting away with them too."
I nodded knowingly. "I suppose famous people do get away with a lot more than others." I offered.
"Well they shouldn't!" Severus replied angrily. "And this time they're not going to!"
I nodded again and decided to go in to dinner. As I sat down to eat I thought about the incident. It didn't surprise me to hear that Harry would do something as dramatic as this. He was probably threatened because with me being here he wouldn't be so famous, so he had to come up with something good. When I got a chance I was going to have to give him a few tips about being famous and how he should handle it. After all, he hadn't seemed at all comfortable with fame at the bookshop the other week.
*****
"Unbelievable." Severus muttered a few hours later, as he came into the staff room, slamming the door behind him. "They flaunt law after law and then end up only with detention."
"Harry and his friend?" I asked looking up from the book I was reading.
"Yes, Potter and Weasley." Severus replied, dropping into a chair angrily. "If they were in my house they'd be out of here before you could even blink."
"Detention hmmm?" I repeated thoughtfully. If I requested that Harry spend his detention with me it might be a good chance for me to have a talk with him. I'd have to tell him that just because someone more famous than him (me) was here it didn't mean he had to resort to doing things to try and get attention.
"That's what I said." Severus replied, and then he straightened in his chair. "Gilderoy- what's that book you're reading?"
"Oh this," I shook the book. "It's something called "The golden world of Gilderoy Lockhart", written by a witch who was clearly a fan of me."
Severus looked incredulous. "Are you seriously reading a book about yourself?" He asked.
"It's important to know how other people view you- especially when you're as famous as I am." I replied haughtily, and I went back to my reading. Snape made a funny noise and then left the staff room, and I got comfortable in my chair with my book. I glanced up at the door through which he had exited with a small smile. I guessed he was just annoyed that nobody had written a book about him, but then he wasn't as famous as me, was he?
*****
"Careful there now Sprout." I said as the Whomping Willow aimed a particularly vicious blow at me.
She shot a dirty look in my direction. "I know perfectly well what I am doing without your..ah..assistance Gilderoy." She said.
"I don't mind." I assured her. "I think perhaps you've wrapped this bandage here a little tight Sprout my girl." And I unwound the bandage a little, much to Sprout's horror.
"Gilderoy, don't." she cried, but I didn't listen to her. She probably didn't want anyone to know that I could doctor a Whomping Willow better than her. The Whomping Willow, with its branch now bandaged less tightly, waved the branch about happily. And then it waved it a little too far, hitting me squarely in the chest. I fell over and crawled out of the way of it.
"I guess its happy to be free." I suggested, and Sprout raised an eyebrow as she gathered the last of the bandages up into her arms.
"I guess it is." She agreed as we walked away from it, down towards the greenhouse. I noticed that the second year students were gathered around waiting for Sprout and I gave them all a cheery wave.
"Oh hello there!" I called. "Just been showing Professor Sprout the right way to doctor a Whomping Willow! But I don't want you running away with the idea that I'm better at Herbology than she is. I just happen to have met several of these exotic plants on my travels..."
"Greenhouse three today chaps!" Sprout called interrupting me.
I noticed that Harry was in the group along with his friend, and I saw the dubious look he gave me. As he walked past me I grabbed his hand. "Harry! I've been wanting a word with you- you don't mind if he's a couple of minutes late do you Professor Sprout?"
Sprout shrugged looking a bit annoyed about something. Probably the heat. "That's the ticket." I said shutting the greenhouse door.
Harry was standing there looking surprised and curious by the whole thing, making me shake my head. "Harry, Harry, Harry." I said.
Harry's expression didn't change and he didn't speak. I suppose he knew what I was going to say and didn't want to hear it.
"When I heard- well of course it was all my fault. Could have kicked myself." I said, with a sigh. "Don't know when I've been more shocked. Flying a car to Hogwarts! Well of course I knew at once why you'd done it. Stood out a mile. Harry, Harry, Harry."
Harry looked as though he were about to speak, so I quickly continued. I wanted to tell him that he didn't have to be ashamed of being less famous than me, and that it wouldn't change the way people felt about him, but I didn't. Instead I said, "Gave you a taste for publicity didn't I? Gave you the bug. You got onto the front page of the paper with me and you couldn't wait to do it again."
"Oh-no, Professor, see-" Harry began but I interrupted him, reaching out and grabbing his shoulder.
"I understand. Natural to want a bit more once you've had the first taste- and I blame myself for giving you that, because it was bound to go to your head- but see here young man, you cant start flying cars to get yourself noticed. Just calm down all right? Plenty of time for all that when you're older. Yes, yes, I know what you're thinking! "It's all right for him, he's an internationally famous wizard already!" But when I was twelve, I was just as much of a nobody as you are now. In fact, I'd say I was even more of a nobody! I mean, a few people have heard of you haven't they? All that business with He Who Must Not Be Named." I glanced at the scar on Harry's forehead. "I know, I know, it's not quite as good as winning Witch Weekly's most charming smile award five times in a row, as I have-but it's a start, Harry, it's a start." I gave him one of my largest smiles and a hearty wink and hoped he understood what I was trying to say, and then walked off back towards the castle. I didn't want to have him causing trouble all year trying to upstage me because he was used to being the famous one, that was for sure!