Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Andrea were walking in the corridors to Defense class, since they had every class together, as Gryffindors. They approached the room, knowing that this class just wouldn't be as enjoyable as it normally would have been, since they were having it with the Slytherins. They didn't know why Dumbledore had even put Lockhart in this job, since all he ever did was make eyes at Meg while she taught the entire lesson to the two Houses they were teaching.
They walked in, seeing some Slytherins there, some Gryffindors. Meg was sitting in her desk and going over some papers while Lockhart looked longingly at her. Harry knew some Slytherins noticed this, since they could be heard sniggering, softly but uncontrollably.
"She doesn't have to go out with anybody she doesn't like, but she really has to find a date for this thing soon," Hermione was saying. "She's going to feel so left out."
"I think she's insane," said Andrea. "I mean, she's hot, and I totally admire her, but Lockhart's even hotter, you know? I would never have rejected him. I would have asked him out first. And I would have probably French-kissed him, too, don't you think I would have?"
"You like me more than him, Andrea, don't you?" Ron whimpered.
"Oh, of course I do, Ickle Ronniekins," said Andrea, puckering her lips up to Ron. Ron pulled away from her, though, because they weren't supposed to kiss in class.
"You know, Hermione, they're totally in love with each other," said Harry. "You're right about that love triangle thing with Snape, Meg, and Lockhart. Only Meg doesn't like either of them. She has to ask somebody out soon, or she won't look that pretty anymore…"
"They only like her for her looks and her money," Hermione scoffed. "She's so smart, when she went to school she was a Ravenclaw. She's an Auror and everything, she's caught some Dark wizards, it's not all about looks. And she's a pretty nice person, too, you know."
"She is," said Harry. "You can't argue she's pretty, though, Hermione."
"I know I can't," said Hermione. "She can make almost anybody fall for her if she wants them to, and without a Love Potion, the Imperius Curse, or a Romance Charm…I don't know why she's so pretty, I don't think she's part-veela, like Fleur Delacour was."
"Maybe she's just pretty, like some people are," said Harry, grinning at Hermione.
"Oh, stop it," said Hermione, but she was grinning too. She and Harry chose seats next to Andrea and Ron, of course, and sat down for the day's lesson.
"Today we'll be dealing with something you probably haven't heard of before," said Meg, standing next to a roundish shape with a cloth over it. "Lockhart and I…well, I did, mainly…Anyway, we both reached the decision that today, we learn about…"
She took the cloth off the cage. "Shellies!"
The whole class gasped. The Shellies looked like shells, except for they had eyes coming out of them, and they were shouting out words like, "Idiots!" and " Meg Smith smells like fish sticks!" It was very amusing; even to the people they seemed to be insulting.
"You see, they've got almost an intelligent mind," Meg said, smiling. "I can make these little dudes call you anything I want if I did the correct thing. Shellies are very dumb Dark creatures, they think they can make you cry or lose your way just by insulting you."
"Umm, you know what I think?" Lockhart said suddenly.
"What do you think?" said Meg, eyeing him carefully. Lockhart made his way over to the cage where the Shellies were, and prodded one of the little animals.
"I think the Shellies are mean." Lockhart prodded another one.
A Shelly reached a claw out. It was very unexpected thing for creatures like Shellies to have claws on them, but they did. Meg pulled Lockhart away, smiling again.
"They are mean, Professor Lockhart. "One of the meanest things they do is they try and take you by surprise, like one did just now. You wouldn't expect a Shelly to have a claw, would you? They have a lot of defenses, and claws aren't their only ones. That's why you're all here today."
"Professor Smith?" said Ron, raising his hand and looking at the Shellies fearfully. "Can I go to the bathroom for a second?"
"Yes, of course," said Meg Smith, and continued to teach her class as Ron left the room to go to the bathroom, even though Harry, Hermione, and Andrea all thought he was just trying to get away from the Shellies, who might bite him.
They spent a wonderful Defense lesson with Meg telling them how to get rid of Shellies if you were ever to find one near you and it was bothering you. She explained how the places you should look out for them most were on beaches and near roadsides.
They left their classroom after the lesson with smiles on their faces.