Chapter 7- Notes
Gilderoy Lockhart walked out the oak front doors of Hogwarts Castle, carrying a small basket filled with food. The sky was bright and sunny, causing Lockhart's robes to be practically blinding. He walked confidently down toward the lake, smiling all the while. He arrived at the predetermined spot, set down the basket and waited. The dinner bell rang several minutes ago...surely she should be getting here soon? He paused and checked his watch, his smile faltering for a minute. I mean, it took me forever to manage to get out of the kitchens after I got this food from the house-elves...strange creatures they are. Wouldn't leave me alone. He leaned and stood on his tiptoes, trying to see around the edge of the castle. No sign of her. What if she went and got food from the house-elves too? That would take her a dreadfully long time as well. Suddenly there she was- Sibyll Trelawney. The charming smile Lockhart had been trying to keep on his face was now faltering from nervousness. He twiddled with his robes, trying to make them sit right (which they were already doing) as she walked towards him with her own basket of food.
Oh my, I do hope my crystal ball was right. thought Trelawney, drawing closer to the lake. How sad if I were to go back upstairs tonight and realize that I have been mistaken? Much to her dismay, her hands were now shaking slightly, causing her multiple bracelets to be very noisy.
My God- thought Lockhart. What if she really does love me? I think...I might love her too...
But the heart really is the strongest sign of romance possible in my noble art...
Trelawney had stopped and was now standing in front of Lockhart.
Lockhart swallowed, then tried his most charming smile. "Hello." he said. His smile would have won Witch Weekly's "Most Nervous" smile.
Trelawney smiled and nodded. "Hello." she said, her bracelets still jangling rather noisily.
"Well...erm..." said Lockhart. It was probably the first time he'd ever used these words in his life. "Shall we sit down?" he finally managed, gesturing towards the ground.
Trelawney nodded, and the two of them sat down next to each other in the grass.
"Well, shall we eat?" said Trelawney.
"Oh yes...of course!" said Lockhart, grabbing his basket, which was on the other side of him and fumbling around with the lid and then all of the contents. Trelawney was doing the same with her basket, which was on the other side of her, but her task was made much more difficult by all of her jewelry. Finally they managed to get the food situated.
"Well.." said Lockhart, as they begin eating. "You know that really was a lovely note."
Trelawney stared. Shouldn't I be saying that instead of him? she thought. "Well, yes it was lovely if I don't say so myself."
Lockhart stared back at her. She's almost as arrogant as me too! How wonderful! "Yes" he said, then added. "Well you know...what I really wanted to know is..."
He paused. How hard can it be to say "if you still feel the same way"? Apparently quite hard indeed.
"Yes?" said Trelawney, then taking another bite of her treacle tart. Oh my, I Saw that this was where the conversation would lead. He's going to ask me how I feel about him...
"Well I wanted to know..." Lockhart said. He then continued and said the rest quickly all in one breath. "how you ever managed to get that note on my desk without anyone else seeing."
There was a moment's silence, where Trelawney chewed her treacle tart slowly, staring at Lockhart in confusion. "Well...it just appeared on my desk...on Tuesday." she said. "I didn't take it from your desk at all."
"Well no, you don't understand, Sibyll, I'm not asking how you managed to take it from my desk, because I know you didn't do that. I'm asking how you managed to put your note on my desk without any other staff members or students seeing!"
"My note?"
"Yes, your note, the one telling me to meet you here if I harbored the same feelings towards you!"
"Gilderoy.." she said, shaking her head. "I never wrote you a note."
"What?" Lockhart was in shock. "But..." he searched for words. "But how did you know to come here?"
"Well, because of your note, of course." she said.
Lockhart's eyes grew larger. He was no longer smiling. "But-but...but-...I never sent YOU a note either!"
Trelawney's eyes grew larger as well, which was a feat indeed. "This is a sign!" she said. "The fates must have destined that we should be together!" In her excitement, she had sloshed pumpkin juice all over herself.
Lockhart smiled again. "Allow me" he said, pulling out his wand. "I shall conjure you up a napkin!" He flicked his wand and shouted. "Telatum appareo!" A sock shot out of his wand. Trelawney, amazingly enough, smiled widely. "Well yes" said Lockhart, slightly embarrassed. "That can happen sometimes." He held up the sock and inspected it. "Well we could always give it to Professor Dumbledore..." Trelawney outright laughed.
Lockhart smiled sadly. "So you er.." he coughed. "You don't have feelings for me?"
"Oh..well...I didn't send you a note about it, but yes...well..yes I do. Dare I ask if my crystal ball was right in saying the feeling is mutual?"
Lockhart's face lit up and he grinned. "Oh your crystal ball has impeccable truth telling abilities." he said. They laughed. They spent the rest of the dinner hour, chatting about divination, Lockhart's books, and various other things. Before they knew it the bell to signify the end of dinner had rung. Their smiles faded. "Yes, well" said Lockhart standing up. Merlin's beard, I don't think I've ever used the word 'well' so often in my life! "I suppose we better get back to the castle now."
Trelawney nodded and stood up as well. "Yes, I suppose we should. Shall we do this again some time?"
Lockhart smiled and nodded. "Oh I'd love to!" he said. He paused, then suddenly gave her a peck on the lips. He picked up his picnic basket, and said "Next Tuesday work for you?"
Trelawney looked dazed. "Yes. Tuesday should be fine."
"I'll see you then." said Lockhart, walking off in his brilliant blue robes, more confident than he had felt in a week.
Trelawney stood there for a moment, still dazed, then picked up her basket and headed to her tower.
In the grove of trees by the lake, there were three very relieved, but very disgusted 4th year Gryffindors.
Fred was busy beating his head against the nearest tree, trying to beat the image of Trelawney and Lockhart kissing out of his brain. "I'm going to be scarred for life, I tell you!"
George and Lee looked downright miserable as well. "At least you guys didn't get in trouble." said Lee. "Thank goodness Trelawney blurted out that thing about fate, and Lockhart was stupid enough to agree with her!"
"Yeah" said George. "Can you imagine all the trouble we'd have gotten in if we'd been caught?"
"No need to imagine, Mr.Weasley." said a sharp voice from behind them. They turned around and, horrified, saw Professor McGonagall standing there. She looked livid.
George stared, wide-eyed. "Er- imagine what, Professor?"
"How much trouble you're going to be in, now that I know about this whole fiasco! Setting up two professors..." she rolled her eyes. "That'll be 20 points from Gryffindor..." said McGonagall. Fred and George looked at each other and smiled, certain they had gotten off easy. McGonagall smiled and continued. "...for every person involved."
"But it was just us, Professor!" insisted Fred. "Really, it was!"
"Oh honestly, Weasley." she said. "Do you think I didn't hear you in class yesterday, muttering about how Mr.Potter and your younger brother were going to help you with some prank? And I'm sure they weren't the only ones."
Their shoulders all slumped. They knew it was over. "It" meaning their lives. But Fred couldn't resist asking McGonagall one last question. "Can I ask you, Professor...how you managed to find out?"
McGonagall paused. "Well if you must know, I caught Professor Trelawney as she was walking into the castle. I asked her what she'd been doing, and she told me that the fates had put corresponding love notes on her desk and on Professor Lockhart's desk telling them to meet by the lake for dinner today. Naturally, I had a feeling the fates might be a little more corporeal than she thought...and I assumed they'd come to watch the results." She paused. "Oh and...detention for all three of you, next Wednesday at 5:00PM." she added, before walking off.
The three of them exchanged despairing looks.