Note: Just as a note to all you readers out there, the word 'definitely' in the title is spelled wring intentionally for reasons that will become obvious in the future. Bear with me.
Chapter 2
Dear Diary,
After yesterday's horrid display of a class, I am apprehensive to come out of my room, in fear of somehow starting the day on the wrong foot, and thus causing more trouble for Dumbledore. I have considered tying my bed sheets together into a rope and escaping through the window. This was of course after the attempt to shimmy down the drainpipe, resulting not only in the tearing of my favourite pyjamas, but also very odd looks from the early risers below. Escape is impossible.
Athena closed her diary and set her quill down. She felt better having vented a bit, but that hardly made her feel up to par. She sighed and looked around her room. Her room was drenched in the silver morning light, turning the usually crimson walls to a dark rose. There was an unlit fireplace on the far right, and an unused writing desk close by. Athena's belongings were strewn across the floor, piled up in things that needed to go in the desk, things that belonged in the classroom, and a pile of her own effects that were needed to make her feel at home. She was so very far from her own.
She checked her watch. Still an hour to go until breakfast and she could feel her stomach trying to get out through her throat. She stared at her diary for a moment, trying to decide whether or not to go down to the great hall, when there was a knock at her chamber door.
Athena stood, confused for a moment. Who would be here to see her so early in the morning? She crossed the room and twisted the brass handle to her room and became even more confused when she saw who was standing there.
"'Lo!" He said, flashing a smile that would have been able to light an amusement park. He stood about four inches taller than Athena, and roped around the top of his head was a thick mane of golden hair. He wore robes of deep purple along with a vapid expression on his face. There was no question as to who he was.
"Gilderoy Lockhart?" Athena gasped, at once believing that he was hired to replace her.
"That's what they tell me," Lockhart replied, his smile becoming a bit more unsure.
Athena starred open mouthed at him for a moment. Here she was at 6 in the morning in her torn bedclothes talking to an ex-celebrity with an obvious passion for dental hygiene. She could hardly see how ridiculous it all was.
"Sorry to bother you," Lockhart continued, bouncing on the balls of his feet as if he were an eight year old asking to stay up another hour after his bedtime. "I'm not completely sure where I am."
Athena was about to answer, when Madame Pomfrey came up behind Lockhart and firmly took hold of the man's wrist.
"There you are, Gilderoy!" she said to Gilderoy, "I've been looking all over for you." Gilderoy looked vaguely disappointed at Pomfrey's presence, for he knew it was time to return to the dreary, boring Hospital Wing from whence he came.
"I'm so sorry about this, Miss Llelwyn." Pomfrey said, looking exasperated, "Gilderoy here is very good at hiding."
Lockhart smiled broadly again, looking very proud of himself indeed.
"What is he doing here?" Athena asked, closing the door to her room and walking out into the hallway, forgetting about her pyjamas. "Shouldn't he be at St. Mungo's or something?"
Madame Pomfrey sighed. "Unfortunately, no." She replied, dragging Gilderoy along the corridors as he fidgeted and tried to break free. "They need him to relearn some of his basic magic. He can't remember a thing."
"I DO know magic!" Gilderoy squealed, looking insulted.
"Magic markers are not magic, Gilderoy." Pomfrey replied with an annoyed expression.
"Why would they LIE?" he replied, acting like he had just said something remarkably clever.
"Anyway," Pomfrey said as she stopped in front of the hospital wing and motioning towards Gilderoy, "This is the last day he'll be in my hands. Tomorrow, you professors will get to deal with him."
Athena took one look at the strange man with the light bulb smile and the mind of a seven year old on cough syrup and decided that she had bitten off more than she could chew.
Snape hadn't slept that night. He had been wandering the halls since three AM and had no intention of stopping until it was time for breakfast. There was something bothering him, but he couldn't tell what. Of course, there were so many things wrong with his life; he could hardly pinpoint one thing. He had been denied the DADA post again. He would have to teach Gilderoy Lockhart basic potions. Harry Potter was still alive. His socks were too tight. Everything was wrong.
He listened to the lonely click-clack of his shoes on the stone floors and thought about the pain he was going to inflict on the first year Gryffindors come first class.
And then there she was again. Walking slowly from the Hospital Wing entrance was that new teacher, in cow print pyjamas with a long tare down the right arm. Who did she think she was? Roaming the halls in her bedclothes so early in the morning. He sped up his pace, and caught her right at the stairway.
"Looking for something?" he sneered at her back in his silkiest tone.
She jerked forward as if shocked, and turned to face him. One of her hands moved to conceal her ripped sleeve. It was obvious she had only woken up a short time ago. Her grey eyes were a bit swollen and her hair was in a tangle of blonde curls.
"Oh," she said a bit sheepishly, "I didn't know anyone else was up. Seconds from a clean getaway………" She laughed nervously. Snape did not blink. She smiled eagerly.
"I'm Athena," she said, extending her hand. Severus did not shake it, nor did his expression changed. Athena withdrew it and continued. "That's what everyone calls me, at least. It's a bit silly, I know. And there's also a Minerva here, and that's a bit embarrassing. It's like someone wearing the same dress to the prom."
Her smile flashed for a moment. This girl was not socially trained.
"I don't believe we've met." She concluded.
"I'm happy you've got that out of your system." Snape replied coldly. "I would suggest that you take yourself and your very suitable cow pyjamas and return to your chamber until seven o'clock."
Athena looked very taken aback.
"I am a professor, sir." She replied, "I have every right as you do to be walking about as I wish." She looked as if she wasn't even convincing her self of this fact.
"Well," he said, making it very clear that the conversation was over, "after the stunt you pulled with one of my Slytherins yesterday, I would think that you're lucky to be here at anytime, let alone the corridors at this hour of the morning."
And with that, he turned and left, leaving Athena looking more confused than hurt or insulted.
Snape concluded that it was turning out to be a very good day.
Athena had battled with that greasy haired teacher's words all day. What was his problem? What did she do to provoke that? Eventually, it just became too perplexing and she realized that teaching a class and thinking about something so confusing at the same time was a bad mix. She often found herself thinking about hexes and verbalizing about something she may have said to offend someone.
Currently she was in her classroom, waiting for the dreaded class that now contained Gilderoy Lockhart. Of course, he was placed with the Hufflepuffs.
She was very fond of her classroom. It was a beautiful stone room with high cathedral ceilings and flying buttresses to boot. The desks were all facing a cherry desk with a plush swivel chair that sat in front of a large blackboard. Sometimes late in the afternoon the bats that lived up in the ceiling would fly around to stretch before they took another nap.
She sucked on her quill thoughtfully. Finally the door burst open, and the children began flooding the room. It was easy to spot Gilderoy. He was two feet taller than all of the kids, and he looked twice as nervous as some of them. The moment he saw Athena sitting at the desk he started waving fiercely, and he ran up to the front most desk in the room and sat, eagerly awaiting the lesson and mouthing to the Hufflepuffs around him, "I met her!"
Athena sighed and put on her glasses.
"Good morning everyone!" she said sweetly, hoping that none of the first years were terrified of her after hearing of yesterday's display. "Today we are going to be learning some very basic defence moves, beginning with expelliarmus."
There were scattered oohs and aahs, and something behind Gilderoy's gaze sparked, as if he almost remembered. Alas, the moment was lost, when he attempted to shove his wand up his nose.
"No, Gilderoy!" Athena exclaimed, running towards his desk, "That's not what that's for. Now really, do you need anything else wrong with your brain?"
Gilderoy guiltily pulled the wand from his nose and looked down.
Athena sighed. "Right," she said, "Let's begin with wand movements."
The class went pretty well considering Gilderoy was constantly putting his wand where it didn't belong and all of the other Hufflepuffs seemed way more advanced than he. Every once in a while, the old smug Gilderoy would come back, and moments later he would be a child. It was very perplexing. At the end of the class, Gilderoy approached Athena with a slip of paper.
"Dumbledore asked me to tell you to sign this if I learned everything I was supposed to today." He said, cheerfully.
"Absolutely not." Athena replied, just as cheerful. "You need serious help, Gilderoy."
His face sunk so that the million dollar smile was hidden beneath his pout.
"Oh, blast." He said, scowling. "That's what Professor Snape said too. And that was at the beginning of class."
"Professor who?" Athena asked, thinking that Snape sounded familiar once more.
"The mean one." Gilderoy replied, nearly crying. "He looks like that child catcher from 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.'"
So now the black clothed man in the hallway had a name.
"Well," she said, putting her hand on Gilderoy's shoulder, "You're just going to have to try a little harder."
Gilderoy gave her a look that said something like trying was not his forte. He stalked toward the door with heavy steps, making it perfectly clear that he was not happy. He slammed the door behind him.
"This job is cursed." Athena remarked, removing her classes and taking up her quill. She couldn't remember doing anything offensive, but she was going to make amends with Snape, if only to clear her conscious.