Gilderoy Lockhart had always known he was destined for greatness.

From a young age he had been sure of it, and had made it his goal in life.

But now...

six hours earlier

Gilderoy walked jauntily through the corridors as he whistled cheerfully. Life was good!

His position teaching at Hogwarts paid well. He was surrounded by fans. And most importantly, he was with Harry Potter!

He was a pathway to even more fame and prestige. To be known as the Boy-Who-Lived's tutor! There were few positions higher than that.

The fame... The recognition... People clapping for him...

He shook himself out of his daydream. Now was not the time for that!

Now was a time for business. He was currently on his way to see Horace Slughorn about something important - he wouldn't say what.

He stepped through the Floo to Horace's house.

"Hello, M'boy! Good to see you again."

"Hello, Sluggy."

"Young Alphemesina Lovegood has something she wants to show us."

"Excellent."

They set off. Apparition was quick, but not instantaneous.

When they arrived at her house, Gilderoy was shocked at the - normalcy - of it. Lovegoods were not known for being normal. It was a nice white cottage, with green shutters and a slate roof.

"She was rejected by her family for her normalcy," Slughorn said as if reading Gilderoy's thoughts. "She has been determined to prove her worth via inventions, and she has created several wonderful ones, but they have not accepted her yet. I have high hopes for her invention this time. She says it is her best yet. And that will be saying a lot."

As they walked in, Gilderoy wasn't sure what to expect from her. When she greeted them, he could see for himself what Slughorn meant.

She was normal looking, same as her house. No vegetables adorned her ears like her ludicrous and unpopular little niece, Luna. Her blond hair was nearly brushed and put up into a bun.

She had a maroon blouse on that certainly accentuated her figure, and casual pants and shoes.

"Good to see you, Professor Slughorn."

"I'm glad to be here, Alphemesina. I look forward to seeing your latest creation."

"I'm sure you will be impressed. Maybe you can even give it a try yourself."

"I'm not so sure about that, Alphy. Gilderoy will be more than happy to, I'm sure."

Why was he volunteering Gilderoy? Were her inventions less than safe and he wanted to get Gilderoy out of the way?

They walked through the dining room, down a flight of steps, and were confronted by a locked door.

"This is volatile," Alphemesina said. "Don't bump into anything."

Her workroom - or laboratory, as she called it - was packed with all sorts of materials. She lead them to the corner, where a strange ring was suspended above a chair.

"Here we are, gentlemen."

Gilderoy was ushered to the chair and sat down as the creation began powering up.

Alphemesina explained what it did.

By the time her explanation was over, Lockhart's eyes were bugging out and he could not wait to try it.

Suddenly, with a loud whoosh, Gilderoy was sucked through the ring and disappeared.

The machine gave a clanking noise and fell apart.

"Oh dear," Alphemesina said sarcastically, "your companion is now stuck in the past."

"Thank you, Alphy. You did that perfectly. He will never bother me again. Now we just have to figure out how to get rid of Rita Skeeter. She has come far to close to figuring out in our secret."

The little beetle hovering near the ceiling almost fell out of the sky in shock.

Thank you for showing up to this story! It should be about four or five chapters long.

I really appreciate your feedback, so I can get better, so please review!