-CHAPTER SEVEN-

Corporal Punishment

Harry spent a lot of time over the next few days dodging out of sight whenever he saw Gilderoy Lockhart coming down a corridor. So with one thing and another, Harry was quite glad to reach the weekend. He, Ron and Hermione, who had gotten out of hospital the other day fully recovered, were planning to visit Hagrid on Saturday morning. Harry, however, was shaken awake several hours earlier than he would have liked by Oliver Wood, Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

"Not now Ron," muttered Harry groggily. He opened his eyes to see Wood's frowning face. "Oh Wood, what is it?"

"Quidditch practice!" said Wood. "Come on!"

"Oliver," Harry croaked, squinting out the window at the thin mist hanging across the pink and gold sky. "It's the crack of dawn."

"Exactly," said Wood. He was a tall and burly sixth year and at the moment, his eyes were gleaming with a mad enthusiasm. "It's all part of our new training programme. Come on, grab your broom and let's go," said Wood heartily. "None of the other teams have started training yet…"

Yawning and shivering slightly, Harry climbed out of bed and tried to find his Quidditch robes.

"Good man," said Wood, "meet you on the pitch in fifteen minutes."

The rest of the team were crowded around on the Quidditch pitch when Harry arrived.

"Hang on a second," said George pointing.

Several people in green robes were making their way across the pitch.

"I don't believe it!" Wood hissed in outrage. "I booked the pitch for today! We'll see about this!"

"Easy Wood," announced Slytherin's captain Marcus Flint, "I got a note." He held up a small piece of parchment.

Wood snatched the note from Flint and scanned through it, "Snape's letting you?" he muttered. Flint nodded. "It says you've got a new seeker- who?"

From behind the six large figures emerged a seventh…

"Malfoy?" breathed Harry.

"That's right," announced Malfoy, "and that's not all that's new this year." He gestured to the seven identical brooms each of his team members held. Each one highly polished and displaying in gold lettering 'Nimbus Two Thousand and One'.

"Very latest model. Only came in last month," said Flint, smirking.

No one on the Gryffindor team could think of a thing to say.

"Oh look," said Flint, "a pitch invasion."

Ron and Hermione were crossing the grass to see what was going on.

"What's happening?" Ron asked Harry. "And what's he doing here?" He was looking at Malfoy in disgust, taking in his Slytherin Quidditch robes.

"I'm the new seeker, Weasley," said Malfoy smugly. "Everyone's just been admiring the brooms my father bought our team."

Ron gaped open mouthed at the seven superb brooms in front of him.

"Good aren't they?" said Malfoy smoothly. "But perhaps the Gryffindor team will be able to raise some gold and get new brooms too. You could raffle off your brothers' Cleansweep Fives, I expect a museum would bid for them."

The Slytherins howled with laughter.

"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in," said Hermione sharply. "They got in on pure talent."

The smug look on Malfoy's face flickered. "No one asked your opinion, you filthy little whore," he spat.

"You'll pay for that one Malfoy!" Harry watched in horror as Ron pulled out his wand and aimed it at Malfoy. A loud bang echoed around the stadium and a jet of green light shot out of the wrong end of Ron's wand, hitting him in the stomach and sending him reeling backwards onto the grass.

"Ron! Ron! Are you all right?" yelled Harry.

Ron opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. He looked as though he was going to be sick. He gave an almighty belch. A small foetus dribbled out of his mouth and fell to the grass.

The Slytherin team was laughing and the Gryffindors gathered around Ron who kept coughing up small bloody foetuses. Nobody seemed to want to touch him, not even Harry.

"We better get him to Hagrid's, he can help!" said Hermoine to Harry who nodded bravely. The two of them pulled Ron up by his arms and carried him to Hagrid's hut.

They knocked urgently. Hagrid appeared at once.

"I've been wondering when you would come to see me." He stepped aside and let them in. Hagrid didn't seem at all perturbed about Ron's problem. He sat him down in a chair and placed a large copper basin in front of him.

"Better out than in... get them all up Ron! There's nothing more you can do except wait for it to stop." Said Hagrid.

"It's ok Ron, you'll feel better soon." Harry sat down next to Ron and patted his back as more foetuses fell from his mouth.

"Tell me," said Hagrid jerking his head towards Ron. "Who was he trying to curse?"

"Draco Malfoy," said Harry with a hint of sadness in his voice. "He called Hermoine a whore."

"He did NOT?" yelled Hagrid.

-----

A few hours later when the foetuses had subsided the three of them said goodbye to Hagrid and walked back to the castle for lunch.

They had barely set foot inside the cool entrance hall when a voice rang out.

"There you are Potter and Weasley! I've been looking for you. You will both be doing your detentions this evening." It was Professor McGonagall.

"What are we doing, Professor?" asked Ron.

"You will be polishing the silver in the trophy room without magic with Mr Filch." McGonagall replied. Ron groaned loudly.

"And you Potter will be helping Professor Lockhart answer his fan mail."

-----

Saturday afternoon went far too quickly and before they knew it, it was five minutes to eight. Harry dragged his feet as he walked along the second floor corridor to Lockhart's office. He stopped and frowned at the door. He could hear the Time Warp playing… He knocked but no one answered. Slowly, he opened the door. To his horror Professor Lockhart was wearing women's underwear and a pair of black fishnet stockings. He was also wearing lipstick and eye shadow and was dancing in high heels to the song. Harry cleared his throat and Lockhart quickly turned around.

"Oh…Harry, I forgot you were coming…or did I?" He had a funny look in his eye. He went over and switched off the music.

"Well Harry, you've been such a naughty boy." His voice was low and seductive. "So I thought I'd teach you a lesson." Lockhart pulled out a whip. Harry gasped in fright.

"It excites you, doesn't it Harry? Whip me Harry!" he squealed handing the whip to Harry, who stood there unsure whether to run...

"Ok, well, its getting awfully hot in here Harry, why don't you take off those pants." He moved closer to Harry.

"Um…I'm ok, not too hot." Harry was trembling.

"Oh but you are." Lockhart started to caress Harry's hair, running his fingers through it. He pushed him back into a chair. Harry blocked Lockhart's arm as it reached for the top of his pants. Lockhart withdrew quickly.

"Oh, you're no fun," he giggled. "Well then Harry, if you won't go along with what I say, you'll have to look at some nice photos of me."

He reached into his desk draw and pulled out a bundle of pictures. "Here you go, I'm sure these will teach you not to be so naughty." He shoved the pictures across the desk. Harry did not touch them.

"Fine, I will hold them up for you."

Harry couldn't help but look. The photos were mostly ones of Lockhart naked but occasionally there were photos of Harry. He was in the shower and getting changed. It looked as though they had been taken by hidden cameras.

Harry endured four more hours of this torture.

"Oh gosh, you've been here nearly four hours! Isn't it funny how time flies when you're having fun?" Lockhart grinned. "Off you go Harry, we shall meet again soon. And remember," Lockhart's voice turned threatening. "Tell no one of this or I'll have to tell everyone your little secret." He made mock kissing noises. Finally he broke into an evil laugh.

"Goodnight Harry!" Lockhart shut the door behind him. Harry walked back to the Gryffindor common room dazed and shaking.

When he arrived he went straight up to the dormitory. Ron wasn't back yet. Harry picked up his pyjamas then stopped suddenly and looked around. There, stuck to the roof in the corner of the room, was a tiny black camera. He dragged a chair over to the wall and climbed onto it. He pulled on the camera and it easily detached from the wall. He climbed down from the chair and studied the camera closely. It was the size of his thumbnail with a lense a quarter of the size. He threw the tiny object onto the floor; he smiled and waved at it. "Goodnight Gilderoy…" The camera gave a quiet click and a small light flashed from its corner.

"Right," said Harry.

With a quick movement his foot came down on top of the camera with the sound of snapping gears. He kicked the smashed parts under his bed, pulled on his pyjamas and waited.

Half an hour later, Ron arrived nursing his right arm.

"My muscles have all seized up," he groaned, sinking onto Harry's bed alongside him. Harry smiled and brushed a piece of hair out of Ron's eyes.

"Here," said Harry, taking Ron's arm and gently massaging it.

"Ohh," moaned Ron, "Ohh, thanks Harry, that feels good…"

After a while Harry felt Ron's muscles relax. Ron laid his head down on Harry's chest and snuggled under the blankets.

Harry lay back in his four-poster and stared at the canopy above him.

"I love you, Harry." Came Ron's voice from the darkness.

Harry shut his eyes, "I know," he whispered back, but the thing is, he thought, I'm not sure if I do anymore…

A/N: Lol, Hey anyone else get the impression that Harry saying 'I'm not sure if I do anymore…' kinda sounds like he's ditching Ron for Lockhart? Cos I just re-read it and that's the way it came across to me just then and that's not the way it was intended, pff meh wateva, i dunno, that's just how it sounded to me at the moment.

By the way Potter fans, Billy Connoly was on Andrew Denton tonight (Aussie show, kinda like Parky) anywho, he said that John Howard's (Oz's Prime Minister) only purpose in life is to show us what Harry Potter will look like in later life. Wtf? That's fricken insulting mate. (to Harry not old Johnny boy, the PM should take this as a compliment).

Well review -what you think of the story -needs more slash, random as hell, want more? etc etc. Or tell us what you think of Billy's comment. Either one- ALL REVIEWS WANTED AND WELCOME!

-M.T. Froste, on behalf of my sibling and myself