Author's Note: This took me awhile to write! I don't have time to write much during the week, so I had to finish this up on the weekend. The good news is that this is way longer than I thought it would be, so I hope you all enjoy that at least.

Reviews:

M.v.j.M.: Pitch probably won't turn up at all for a long time. He seems to be particularly busy plotting at the moment, but don't worry.. He'll come to his senses eventually. We will see him at some point during the fic, but I can't say when just yet. I'm also glad that you liked the owl POV. :)

Lady Syndra: It's hard to say what the wizards would do if they did discover who she really is. And thank you for reminding me that Harry does crave some attention after all. Lockhart's just fighting with his preconceptions of Harry at that point.

Crossover Junkie: I admit it did cross my mind a little, but you're right. It's way too common and it'd be silly for Jack to show up and immediately get thrown into school. I think it would be more interesting to try and integrate him into the fic without him being a student. We'll see when he does turn up at Hogwarts. I'm thinking not before Halloween at this point.

Also, that would be hilarious if some of the wizarding community found out about the Wizards! thing. They'd probably be shocked that a good deal of the spirit world views them as nothing more than a nuisance.

Guest: Well, you did point out a major flaw in the first chapter. However, since I'm already ten chapters in, I'm not changing it. Those who choose to will just have to suspend their disbelief a bit and gloss over that part. As for people not obliviating willy nilly like that, I have to point you in the direction of Goblet of Fire, when it was pointed out that during the Quidditch World Cup that Mr. Roberts, the campsite manager, was obliviated ten times a day. That can't be healthy for anyone's mind. Besides, Lillian getting her memories back is now a major part of the story, so I'm sorry if you don't like it, but it's going to stay.

SimpleWriter44: Your review made my whole day! :) Thank you so much!

Any reviewer that I skipped over has been pmed. Now, on with the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Harry Potter related. Some lines may have purposely been tweaked to avoid copyright. (IE: Errol having the letter tied to his leg instead of holding it in his beak) I tried not to use anything verbatim, but if I did, remember.. I own nothing!

Chapter Ten: Letters, Memories and Defense

It had taken Lockhart no time at all to put the rather subdued Lillian to bed, his mind racing as he read her one of the stories from Tales of Beedle the Bard on autopilot.

It wasn't until he was getting ready for bed that he remembered the things he had purchased for young Harry Potter. He paused as he considered his options, but as it was getting late, now would be a good time to send Harry the things he had bought without embarrassing him.

With a sigh, Lockhart went to fetch a quill, ink, and parchment as he decided on what he should even say about this gesture.

In the end, Lockhart had decided that an anonymous note would be best. That way the boy wouldn't have any idea who sent him the gift and it certainly couldn't be called favoritism. It hadn't taken him long to sneak off to the owlry after quickly checking that Lillian was asleep and soon he had sent off the package of what he had purchased. He had made certain to use a very ordinary looking bird, one that looked like any other owl so that even that couldn't be traced back to himself.

Satisfied with his handiwork, Lockhart nodded to himself tiredly as he went to head back to his quarters and off to bed. He winced as he thought of all the things he had recently purchased for Lillian and what he would do with them now.[1]

After all the fuss had died down in the Gryffindor dormitories, Harry couldn't help but grin as he settled down into bed. If he had been receiving all this praise before he had spoken to Professor Dumbledore and McGonagall he might have been uncomfortable, but just knowing that he wasn't going to get expelled was a huge weight off his chest.

His smile faded slightly as he thought of the mind-numbing panic he had at the possibility of losing the only place that had felt like a home to him.

You're not expelled, he told himself firmly as he removed his glasses and set them on the bedside table. And you're not going to be expelled.

With that thought firmly in mind, it didn't take long for Harry to drift off to sleep. It felt like he had hardly been asleep a few minutes, however, when a tap tap tap at the dormitory window was waking him up.

He slowly sat up sleepily as he heard more tapping at the window. He rubbed an eye as he grabbed his glasses and put them back on, blearily looking over at the window.

Harry blinked in surprise when he noticed the owl perched on the sill outside, a medium-sized package tied to its legs. After quickly glancing around and seeing that his dormmates were all sound asleep, Harry quickly climbed out of bed and very quietly opened the window for the owl.

The owl blinked at him and hopped inside the window quickly before staring at Harry. Harry, having expected the owl to fly over to someone else, looked a little flustered for a moment before he clearly saw "To Harry Potter" neatly written in a curly, loopy script on the front of the package.

Looking stunned for a moment, Harry quickly untied the package from the owl's legs and watched as the owl quickly flew back out of the window.

Harry looked down at the package and carefully unwrapped it with trembling fingers. Who had sent this to him? He had only gotten a few packages for Christmas last year, plus the cake that Hagrid had made for his eleventh birthday. Those were the first real presents he had ever gotten. When he unwrapped the brown paper of the package, the first thing he noticed was the carefully folded sheet of parchment sitting on top of a small pile of things.

He eagerly picked it up and unfolded the paper, hoping that whoever had sent him this had signed their name.

It read:

Harry,

I feel that you could use these in the coming school year. Remember, even though the school year requires certain texts, it never hurts to get a few extra books to help you out or to even purchase a few for the pleasure of reading. I hope you don't think I'm presumptuous to send you clothes, but I know a growing boy always needs new things to wear.

Harry blinked at that and looked down to see that there were some clothes under a small stack of books. He glanced at the letter again, but was disappointed to see that it wasn't signed. The books, he saw, would help him out in his current classes. There were things such as An Illustrated Guide to Potions, Charms for the Charming, Defense Against the Dark, and Tantalizing Transfigurations.

Harry set the books aside and picked up the clothes. He held up a shirt to see that it looked like it would fit him perfectly. His fingers clenched the shirt tightly as he tried to stop the tears from springing to his eyes, but he couldn't help it.

For the very first time in eleven long years, he finally had clothes that would fit him. These obviously weren't someone's cast offs that should have been binned. Someone had taken the time to buy these things just for him. He saw there were a few warm shirts in emerald green and then red as well as a few pairs of jeans. He also noticed at the bottom of the pile was a casual set of wizard's robes. Harry couldn't help but give a shaky laugh as he thought about wearing the casual robes, the first thought popping into his head of what his Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia would ever say if they saw him in them.

He hastily wiped his eyes as he grinned down at the things he had received. Whoever this person was who had sent him those things, they were brilliant. He only hoped he could figure out who it was so he could thank them.

As he was putting his things away in his trunk, however, he was surprised to hear another tap tap tap on the dormitory window.

Harry glanced over in surprise and then checked his watch. It was really getting late. Who would be sending a letter now? Wondering who this letter could be for, he straightened up and went over to the window. He opened it and the owl held out its leg to Harry, as it had perched on the window sill. Harry blinked in surprise but untied the letter.

With its job done, the owl turned around and soared off into the night.

Harry stared down at the letter, which was tied shut with a string, envelope forgone. Harry absently closed the window and then made his way over to his bed, sinking down onto it as he hastily untied the string.

When it was untied the tightly scrolled parchment sprang open and Harry began to read the letter, his heart thumping as he wondered who it could be from.

Dear Harry,

I'm sure you don't have any idea who I am anymore, but I was a friend of your dad's. The last time I saw you, you were grinning up at me with applesauce on your cheeks.

Harry couldn't help but blush furiously at that. This person had known him when he was a baby? Who was he? No one had mentioned anything about his parents' friends still being alive. He couldn't help but wonder why this so-called friend hadn't ever written to him before and felt a little hurt. This friend could have rescued him from the Dursleys ages ago.

I'm sure you're wondering why I waited until now to contact you, but I didn't want to disrupt your life with your relatives. I thought of writing to you last year, but I knew you would be busy adjusting to life at Hogwarts and your first year can be a bit overwhelming. I hope you can forgive me for waiting so long and that we can continue to correspond. Please forgive the lateness of this letter, but I felt it would be quite personal to you and you would want to open it away from prying eyes.

I shall await your reply, as I hope you would let me know one way or another if you would like to continue our correspondence.

-Remus Lupin.[2]

P.S. Both of your parents were in Gryffindor and so was I. What house were you sorted into?

Harry couldn't help but laugh a little at the postscript and went to fetch something to reply with when a wave of tiredness crashed over him. Vowing to reply first thing the next morning, Harry hastily finished putting his new clothes away and set the letter down on his bedside table. Climbing back into bed, Harry couldn't help but glance at the window, just to make sure that there weren't any more owls lurking outside. Satisfied that the late night deliveries were done, Harry removed his glasses and set them down next to his letter.

As he slumped back onto his pillow and his eyes slid shut, he couldn't help but wonder what this Remus Lupin was like and if he was really friends with his dad.

The next day dawned a little too early for Harry, but he found his eyes opening far earlier than Ron's anyway. He blearily sat up and put his glasses on as he glanced toward the window to gauge how early it was. The sky was blazing with various pinks and reds to indicate that the sun was rising. As Harry watched the sky grow steadily brighter, he suddenly remembered the owls he had gotten the night before.

Suddenly feeling wide awake, Harry grinned as he eagerly climbed out of bed and hurried to his trunk. He flung it open (although quietly, so as not to wake anyone) and saw his newly acquired things neatly folded on top. Harry fingered a jumper, wishing he could wear one right now but instead he grabbed a few toiletries and set them on his bed.

Walking over to the wardrobe he pulled out a fresh uniform to wear and laid it out on the bed for himself. After he was done he grabbed his toiletries and headed to the bathroom.

One refreshing shower later, Harry soon returned to change into his uniform. It was still early, but he knew he'd have a few hours to himself before Ron and Hermione would finally wake and they could go down to breakfast together.

Grabbing fresh parchment, ink, and quill, Harry quietly left to go down to the common room. He set everything down on a table and then stared at the blank parchment after loading up a quill with ink.

What should he write?

Harry stared down at the parchment uncomfortably. He never had any experience writing any letters. He would have written to Ron and Hermione over the summer, but Hedwig had been padlocked into her cage and that house elf, Dobby, had stolen all the letters his friends had sent him that summer.

Harry cast his mind back to the letter from Lupin and decided that copying his style would be best. It seemed to fit with his lessons in primary school on letter writing anyway. Trying to write as neatly as possible, Harry began his letter.

Dear Mr. Lupin,

Thank you for your letter. I never met any of my mum's or dad's friends before, but there are people around Hogwarts that say they knew them. They always say that I look like my dad, but have my mum's eyes.

Here Harry paused, wondering what else to write. Well, Lupin did say to let him know if Harry wanted to continue to correspond.

I would like to keep writing to you if you don't mind. No one has told me much about my parents, except that my dad was Head Boy and my mum was Head Girl and that my dad was a Quidditch player at Hogwarts. Could you please tell me more about them? My Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon don't like to talk about them, so I don't know much.

Thank you very much,

Harry Potter.

P.S. I was sorted into Gryffindor.

Harry finished the letter and wondered if he should put how the Sorting Hat had considered him for Slytherin. Then he remembered Slytherin's horrible reputation and decided that was best left out. He wanted Mr. Lupin to have a good impression of him and he felt that wasn't the way to go.

Harry gently blew on the parchment to dry the ink and once satisfied that it was dry, he carefully rolled the parchment up and tied it shut with a bit of string. Carefully placing the rolled up scroll into a pocket, Harry climbed through the portrait hole and left the tower to head to the owlry.

A few hours later, Harry sat at the Gryffindor table with Ron and Hermione, the latter of whom was eating breakfast at top speed and seemed determined to be as fast as possible.

"Are you trying to make yourself sick?" Ron asked in amazement as he stared at Hermione cramming the food in.

"No," Hermione said after swallowing. "I wanted to get to the library before class starts."

She still sounded a little stiff, since she was still disapproving of the way that Harry and Ron had arrived at Hogwarts and the way they were so dismissive of it.

"What?" Ron laughed. "We don't even have any homework yet! We haven't even started classes!"

Hermione merely shrugged and continued at top speed. After she was done, she quickly gathered her school bag and departed before even the morning owls had arrived.

"Mental," Ron shook his head as he turned back to his breakfast.

"Why do you think she went to the library?" Harry asked Ron as he looked at where Hermione went curiously.

"Who knows?" Ron said thickly through a mouthful of food. "It's Hermione, she probably missed her home away from home."

While Harry and Ron were enjoying their breakfast, Lockhart was sitting next to Lillian at the staff table. Lockhart kept shooting Lillian anxious glances, slightly nervous about how she would be during class, and if her accidental magic would play up. He couldn't afford to have it rain in class!

"You have your box, don't you?" Lockhart asked her suddenly.

Lillian gave him a less-than-amused look since he'd asked her at least three times already, two of which when they were still in their quarters and the last time had been on their way down to the Great Hall.

"Yes," Lillian said emphatically. "And it's packed with all my things too."

"Good, good," Lockhart said distractedly as the morning owls started coming in.

He was so distracted, however, that he failed to notice the spectacular crash landing one owl made as it landed in Harry's bowl of cereal, spraying everyone with milk.

"What the?!" Harry gasped.

The owl managed to feebly get itself out of the cereal bowl and then it fell right over with its legs in the air, a damp envelope tied to its leg.

"Oh no!" Ron groaned as he spotted the envelope.

"Is it ok?" Harry asked as he prodded the owl a bit.

"She's.. she's..." Ron said, turning a little green as he untied the letter from the owl's leg. "She's sent me a howler!"

"What's a howler?" Harry asked Ron with a quizzical look, but Ron was too busy staring at the envelope to answer his friend.

"They're awful," Neville spoke up. "My Gran sent me one last year and it was terrible!"

Harry was about to comment on that, when the envelope, which had begun smoking at the corners very ominously, suddenly burst open with an explosion of noise.

"RONALD WEASLEY - " Mrs. Weasley's voice screamed at the top of her lungs at him, as Ron sunk down in his seat, his ears flaming red to match the rest of his face.

When the screaming started, Lillian had the fleeting thought of Wizards! as she went to cover her ears. However, she was surprised when someone covered her ears for her. She hadn't noticed that as soon as the howler started shouting, Professor Snape had stood and quick as a flash, went over to Lillian.

He gently cupped his hands around her ears and murmured a spell that no one could hear over all the clamor. When he pulled his hands away, all Lillian could hear was a buzzing noise that made her frown slightly. But it was much better than having her eardrums feel like they were going to explode.

He nonchalantly returned to his seat and no one seemed to have noticed, except for the Headmaster as his twinkling gaze eyed Professor Snape in amusement. Professor Snape, however, didn't seem to notice as he took a sip of pumpkin juice and smirked at Weasley and Potter.

" - AND IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE I'LL TAKE YOU STRAIGHT BACK HOME!" the howler finished its tirade as it burst into flames.

Harry gaped at the sudden pile of ashes on the table as he stared in shock at the remains of the howler.

"..Who.. who on earth invented that? " he asked faintly.

Neville snorted at that.

"Someone who was really irate, apparently," he replied as he gently picked up Errol and helped him to a bit of water. The owl gave a feeble hoot of thanks and began to drink deeply.

Soon Errol had revived enough to fly out of the Great Hall and off to the owlry for a long rest before beginning his journey home.

After a few moments of stunned silence, a few students laughed and then began to resume talking. As the Heads of Houses all rose and began to hand out the course schedules, Lockhart wiped his mouth and made sure Lillian was presentable as well and picked her up from her chair. He quickly carried her out of the hall, but instead of heading to his classroom, he made to leave the grounds.

"I thought we could go outside for a bit," he explained. "I have a free period right now and you might enjoy the fresh air."

Lillian grinned at that, perfectly able to hear again thanks to the discreet finite incantatum that had been cast her way.

"Yay!" she exclaimed as she was set down gently on the ground after they went through the front doors of the castle.

Lillian ran right out to the grass and Lockhart looked off towards where the Whomping Willow was, wondering if the tree was alright or not. When he looked back towards Lillian, he saw her surrounded by a small field of spring flowers. He looked at them, very perplexed. It was Autumn, right?

Walking over to her with trepidation, he looked down at his charge.

"Where did all these flowers come from?" he asked her quietly.

Lillian gave him a startled look and looked around, just noticing them for the first time.

"I.. I don't know," she said uneasily.

Lillian went to move away from all the spring flowers, but they seemed to follow her steps. Soon Lillian was running, and Lockhart saw to his dismay that there was now a long trail of spring flowers following Lillian.

Thinking quickly, he banished the spring flowers with a sweep of his wand and then hurried after his charge, banishing more flowers as he went. Soon he had caught up to her and scooped her into his arms as he quickly banished the rest of the flowers.

"You have the strangest accidental magic," he said to her as he tucked his wand back into his pocket for safekeeping.

"Sorry," Lillian said sheepishly.

"It's quite alright," Lockhart said as he smiled at her. "It keeps me on my toes! But perhaps we can go back inside for now and I can prepare for class."

Lillian sighed, as she didn't want to go back inside the stuffy castle. She hadn't realized it, but a part of her had been longing to go outside. When she was finally outdoors again, she felt.. alive.

She pouted up at Lockhart, who looked bemused at her reaction.

"Can't we stay outside a little longer?" she wheedled. "Please?"

"No," Lockhart said at once. "I don't want anyone else seeing your strange accidental magic. Remember, we want to make a good first impression. Besides, I think Hagrid would be put out if he saw all those flowers. He's in charge of the upkeep of the grounds, you know."

"But - " Lillian tried protesting, but Lockhart put his foot down.

"That is final, young lady," Lockhart said, his voice stern.

Lillian's face fell as Lockhart went to carry her back inside. He was waylaid hower, by Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who had missed the eventful breakfast and turned up just in time to go to class.

"Hello, Professor!" Hermione said brightly to Lockhart, her cheeks turning a bit pink as she spoke.

Ron noticed this and snickered a little, causing Hermione to not-so-discreetly step on Ron's foot. Professor Lockhart, fortunately, didn't seem to notice this exchange.

"Why hello there, Miss Granger, Mister Potter, and Mister Weasley," Lockhart said jovially to them, flashing his most dazzling smile. "On your way to Herbology, I suppose?"

"Yes," Hermione beamed at Lockhart. "I hear we get to work in Greenhouse Three today!"

Harry noticed that Lillian seemed to be pouting over something, but Lockhart seemed to be ignoring her. She wiggled in his arms a bit, trying to get back down, but he tightened his hold and refused to let her go.

Lillian huffed and crossed her arms at this and Harry couldn't help but smile at that. He had been surprised when he first noticed Lillian sitting at the staff table with Lockhart and had wondered how she had even made it to Hogwarts. Didn't Mr. Weasley obliviate her for finding out about magic?

Come to think of it, how did she manage to get on top of the Weasleys' car? Unless Ron and the twins had landed somewhere and she managed to climb on without their noticing. He remembered when they had heard that loud bang on the roof, but the car had been in the air then. It would have been impossible for anyone to get on at that point.

Ignoring Lockhart's rambles about plants, Harry looked curiously at Lillian instead.

"What are you doing at Hogwarts?" he asked her curiously.

Lillian blinked at Harry. He looked awfully familiar to her. Had she seen him somewhere before? And then, as her eyes widened in surprise, the images came to her, a little hazy:

Walking along the edge of Privet Drive with spring flowers springing up after her magically. The part of Lillian observing this memory could tell that Memory Lillian was doing this on purpose, but why?

Then looking over to see a small boy in overlarge clothes working diligently in a flower bed. Her looking at him quite curiously before continuing on her way.

Another image of meeting said boy as he dragged his suitcase and had a snowy owl in a cage.

Yet another image as she stood near the house at Number Four, Privet Drive, looking up in awe at a flying car.

Wait a minute..

There was something important about this image, she knew.

Something that disturbed her..

But before she could think of what it could be, the images were gone.

" - okay?" a voice interrupted her and the small series of flashbacks ended abruptly.

She noticed with embarrassment that everyone was looking at her in concern, but then she smiled excitedly at Harry as she pointed at him.

"I know you!" she said with a grin. "I met you before!"

Harry looked thoroughly bewildered at this, as how could she remember?

"Erm.." he replied eloquently.

Hermione, who had been caught up on the Lillian situation on their Diagon Alley shopping trip and the train gossip looked at Lillian keenly.

"I thought you were obliviated," she said rather bluntly. "How could you remember that?"

Lillian's reaction to those words was immediate as her eyes widened in shock and she flinched as though she were struck.

"No!" she cried out.

"What - " Hermione started to ask, looking startled at the reaction.

"No no no!" Lillian continued as she covered her ears to further block out any mention of the spell. "I don't wanna forget!"[3]

She gave Professor Lockhart a look of sheer panic and desperation.

"Don't let me forget!" she said in a rush, although her hands were covering her ears.

"My dear," Lockhart started and then stopped as he realized she couldn't hear him.

He looked at her sadly and then shook his head with a sigh.

"I believe we need some time alone," he said to the trio. "Please excuse us."

As he departed back into the castle with Lillian in his arms, Harry glanced back to see that something on Lillian was glowing brightly.

What the..

"I didn't mean to - " Hermione started apologetically and then cut herself off with a frown. "Oh for heaven sakes, the sky was clear a minute ago!"

Harry looked up to see that dark clouds were gathering and it looked like it was going to storm. With a sigh, he, Ron and Hermione hurried off to the greenhouses.

It was an interesting Herbology lesson that day, with pouring rain pounding the windows and loud thunder booming as lightning crackled in the sky. Fortunately, their magical earmuffs blocked out all sound.

It was as they were all running across the grounds back into the the castle in the rain that Hermione remembered the Sorting Hat song and shivered.

The weather will be changing suddenly with time.

Could this possibly be the work of the mysterious Seasonals?

Lunch was rather uneventful and as Harry looked at the staff table, he could see Lillian listlessly playing with her food while Lockhart spoke quietly to her. Harry saw she would nod every now and then, but she obviously had something on her mind and didn't feel much like talking.

If Harry had been sitting closer he would have been able to see that Lillian's eyes were a little red from crying. Once again Harry was surprised to see Hermione eating at top speed and he hardly had time to ask her what was going on before she gave him a rather terse "Library" and dashed off before the other two had barely made any headway into their own lunches.

Harry shared a look with Ron before the two returned to their own meals.

At the staff table, Professor Dumbledore was trying to get Professor Snape's attention, but Severus apparently was too busy gazing down the staff table to notice.

When lunch was over and the staff began to rise, he pressed a small vial of a calming draught into Lockhart's hands.

"She looks as if she could use it," Snape explained and then swept off without another word.

Professor Dumbledore sighed as he saw his potions professor leave and he gazed down the table at Professor Lockhart and Lillian himself.

The castle wards had gone off yet again and still they were no closer to discovering the source of the mysterious power. The fact that this strong magic always seemed to involve a thunderstorm was very perplexing.

One calming draught later, Lillian and Professor Lockhart were sitting in the classroom while waiting for the second year class to begin. Lockhart might have considered going outside, but the bad weather was still persisting and so the thought hadn't even entered his head. Instead, he and Lillian enjoyed their little break quietly.

The second years,[4] however, had gone off to an empty classroom to have a study hall of sorts since they couldn't go outside for their break. Harry was keenly aware that a particularly small student kept glancing over at him and fidgeting. Finally, the boy made his way over to Harry, with his eyes shining in admiration.

"Y-you're Harry Potter, aren't you?" the boy asked breathlessly.

Harry felt his mood drop a little. He really hated being admired for his so-called defeat of Voldemort. As far as he was concerned, it was all his mother's doing. The fact that the entire wizarding world seemed to ignore the way his parents died and admire him instead was irksome as well.

"Yes," Harry finally said with a sigh. So much for studying.

"I'm Colin Creevey," the boy introduced himself. "I'm a first year! It was ever so exciting when I found out that all the stuff I could do was magic."

Colin held up an old-fashioned camera that had a strap that went around his neck.

"I've been taking all sorts of photos to show my dad back home. He's a milkman and he couldn't believe I was magic either."

"You should get some pictures of the castle from the stands on the Quidditch pitch," Harry said suddenly, trying to derail the conversation a little, as he had a feeling what was going to be coming up soon and he wanted no part of it.

Colin's eyes lit up and he grinned at Harry appreciatively.

"That's a good idea! I'd get a really great view of the castle then!"

"As fascinating as this conversation is, Potter, some of us are trying to study," Malfoy drawled from where he was sitting a few desks away. Crabbe and Goyle smirked as they saw Harry glare in their direction.

"Shut up, Malfoy," Harry said as Colin frowned at them.

"Yeah, you're just jealous!" Colin piped up.

Malfoy rolled his eyes at this.

"Of what, his scar? I don't think getting your head cut open makes you that special myself."

Harry looked a little uncomfortable as for the first time in his life, he found himself somewhat agreeing with Malfoy. What did that mean? Malfoy was a Slytherin, and he was one of the meanest ones there was.

Ah, a voice in his mind piped up, But you were almost a Slytherin too.

Harry firmly ignored the voice as Ron glared at Malfoy too.

"Shut your face or I'll shut it for you," Ron said threateningly as he went to draw his wand. It was in particularly bad shape as it had been mended with some borrowed spellotape.

Harry was about to suggest that perhaps fighting in their study hall was a bad idea, but Professor Flitwick, who had volunteered to look after them, squeaked from the front of the room.

"I hope you're not fighting boys!" he called out.

Ron grudgingly put his wand away as Malfoy smirked in their direction before turning to the front.

"Oh no, Professor," Malfoy said in what Harry thought was a really smarmy voice. "Wouldn't dream of it."

All in all, by the time the bell rang to signal the end of break, Ron was in a very bad mood. He grumbled all the way to Professor Lockhart's classroom and didn't even notice when Colin Creevey tagged along.

"Er," Harry said, as he did notice Colin. "Don't you have to get to class?"

"Well," Colin said as he held up his camera hopefully. "I was wondering - "

But he was cut off as Professor Lockhart threw open the classroom door and ushered them all inside.

"Bye Colin," Harry said with relief as he and Ron hurried inside.

Hermione, who had skipped the study session in favor of spending the entire time in the library, turned up just before the bell rang to signal the start of the lesson and hurriedly joined Harry and Ron at the front of the classroom. She noticed that there were a small table and chair beside Professor Lockhart's desk and little Lillian was seated at it, quietly looking at a book. She frowned a little at the sight since wasn't Lillian too young to be reading? What was she reading anyway?

Her reverie was cut short, however, when Professor Lockhart began to speak.

"Welcome to Defense Against the Dark Arts!" Professor Lockhart beamed at them all, flashing them all a dazzling smile. "Here you will learn how to defend yourself against dastardly spells and dangerous creatures!"

Ron, Harry could tell, was trying hard not to snicker. Harry couldn't help but feel the same way. Who used a word like dastardly?

"I see you all have purchased my books. Good, good!" Professor Lockhart said. "Now, I want to start off our lesson with a little quiz to see where you are all at. I heard your last professor was a little..unusual.. so I would like to gauge what you know."

Lockhart gave a flick of his wand and a pile of papers flew through the air and deposited themselves onto each student's desk.

"You have half an hour, now.. begin!" he said with a flourish as he went to take a seat at his desk.

Harry looked down at his desk to see questions such as:

1. Are Yetis colorblind? Why is this important?
2. When are werewolves considered their most dangerous?
3. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favorite color?

Then over a few more sides of paper, to:

51. Give me an example of a spell you learned last year that can be used defensively.
52. What can you tell me about Centaurs?
53. What lives in the lake by Hogwarts?

and then lastly,

54. When is Gilderoy Lockhart's birthday and what would his ideal gift be?

Harry stared in disbelief at some questions and looked puzzled at others. Some questions were really stupid, while others seemed far more intelligent. And then, in a sudden flash of understanding, he thought he knew why those stupid questions were there. Professor Lockhart put them in there to throw them off! And, if the students had actually read the books, they'd probably pick up some details like what his favorite color was.

Harry looked at the first question again and realized that one of the books was called Year with the Yeti. Harry felt his stomach twist a little as he realized he hadn't opened any of the Lockhart books at all. Feeling a sense of doom, he tried to answer the questions as best he could.

"Time's up!" Professor Lockhart called and with another wave of his wand, the tests all magically zoomed into a big pile and right to his hand.

Professor Lockhart rifled through the papers quickly and tsked.

"Tut, tut," he said with a shake of his head, "Hardly any of you know that yetis are not completely colorblind. I state that in chapter one! And a good deal of you must realize that werewolves are their most dangerous on the full moon, of course!"

At the last statement, several students flushed in embarrassment or else looked confused. Some hadn't even realized that werewolves were real. Some, like Harry, hadn't opened their books at all yet and it obviously showed.

Professor Lockhart paused at one particular test and looked at it very carefully.

"Oh, but it seems Miss Granger knows my favorite color is lilac and gave me a very good explanation of how wingardium leviosa can be used defensively against a troll! Good girl! In fact.." here he continued to peruse the test, "she received full marks! Take ten points for Gryffindor."

Hermione turned very pink as Lockhart flashed a smile at her, having spotted her in the front row.

"And now, I was considering a more practical lesson, but I think instead we will go over your exams. So if you will please get out parchment and quill and take notes.."

Harry dutifully took notes during the lesson, finding it very informative. For instance, he learned it was not wise to wear bright colors in the Himalayas, as the yetis were actually attracted to them and had a tendency to attack whoever was wearing them.[5]

After the lesson, the students all packed up their books and notes as they chatted about the various things they had learned. Professor Lockhart hadn't just lectured, he had encouraged them all the participate and ask questions. Some students, such as Seamus Finnegan, couldn't help but snicker as they asked Professor Lockhart what his second favorite color was, and to everyone's astonishment, the Professor had answered that it was pink.

Lillian had remained fairly quiet during the lesson, but had started when yetis were mentioned and frowned when it was stated that they would attack people and that they lived in the Himalayas. Lillian was pretty sure that wasn't true, but she couldn't quite remember why. For some reason, the name "Phil" popped up in her head, but no flood of memories accompanied it this time. Maybe she'd hit her memory quota for the day?

While Lillian was pondering this, as the other students began to leave, Professor Lockhart called out,

"Harry, could I have a word?"

Harry froze in his tracks and looked over at the professor in concern.

"Er.. alright," he finally answered.

"Move along now, Mister Weasley, Miss Granger," Professor Lockhart said in amusement as he saw Harry's two friends lag behind.

At his slight admonishment, Hermione turned pink again and Ron took the opportunity to tut at her as they left the classroom. (Ron had been looking for an opportunity to tut at Hermione for quite some time, as she often took pleasure in tutting at them; it was only fair that they got to do it back to her.)

Professor Lockhart turned to Lillian as Harry approached him with trepidation.

"Lillian, could you be a dear and go into our quarters for a few minutes? I'll come and get you when I'm done here."

Lillian huffed, as she had been very curious to see what Gilderoy was going to say to Harry, but she dutifully packed up her wooden box and left the classroom and headed off to their quarters.

"Now, Harry," Professor Lockhart said as he handed Harry back his test, "I must admit, I'm concerned about your answers - or lack thereof - on our exam. I realize I have given you a lot of books to review, but I feel that they will help you on your way in Defense."

Harry couldn't help but look at his feet as Professor Lockhart began speaking. Obviously, Lockhart had picked up on the fact he hadn't looked at his books at all. True, for a good portion of the summer he hadn't been able to, but he did have that whole month with the Weasleys. Ron hadn't looked at any of his books either, Harry realized. Did Ron have better marks than him?

"So, while I didn't want to single you out in class, I feel that I really must assign you extra work to make certain that you're taking everything in. So in addition to the reading assignment I gave the class, I want you to write me an essay that is.. hm.. one roll of parchment long. You will pick a creature mentioned in one of my books and tell me all about it and what you should do, defensively, if you should run across such a creature. You have until next Monday to research, so I fully expect a quality essay, young man!" Professor Lockhart said as he shook a finger at Harry. "Understand?"

"Yes, sir," Harry said as he glanced up at Lockhart. "And.. and I'm sorry I didn't do better on the quiz. But.. um.. why did you have things like your favorite color in there?"

At this, Professor Lockhart laughed and gave Harry a hearty wink.

"I have to make certain my students are paying attention to their reading, now don't I?"

While Lockhart was having his talk with Harry, Lillian stood in front of the magical window in her room and looked outside as the rain continued to pour down. She sighed as she watched it. She really wished it would go away -

- And just like that, the rain tapered off and the clouds parted to reveal the sun.

Lillian gaped at the sight, as the weather turned bright and sunny in no time at all. She could hear the birds chirping merrily and never in her life had she wanted to go outside so much. She glanced back at the door to her bedroom. Gilderoy wouldn't mind, would he?

Lillian knew he would, but a determined look crossed her face.

She didn't care.

She was going out.

[1] Lockhart's referring to things such as that whole bed set he purchased for his cottage in the country. He wouldn't get rid of all the toys and things he bought for her.

[2] I hate how Remus is a total non-entity until Prisoner of Azkaban. They mention Scabbers' missing toe early on and even Sirius is mentioned in the first book! So I decided Remus should be a little more involved in Harry's life. I also hate how Remus disappears just as fast out of Harry's life. Bad Remus!

[3] Lillian's freakout might seem a bit extreme here, but subconsciously she associates the word with her total amnesia, so she's developed an understandable phobia of hearing the word obliviate.

[4] That wasn't a typo there. Colin's using his stalker powers again when he turns up in a second year only study session. Can you imagine how much trouble he had to have been in from being super late to all his classes (or missing them entirely) just to stalk Harry?

[5] Another example of how the wizards have gotten it wrong. Just imagine if they could meet Phil. :P

Author's Note: I switched from using asterisks to numbers, since I didn't realize I had so many notations and the amount of asterisks was getting ridiculous. Anyway, I hope even though there wasn't a ton of plot going on that you guys still liked the chapter. I have to admit, I had a little difficulty coming up with non-incompetent test questions there. If you're curious why the trio got front row seats this time, it's because Lockhart hasn't been too much of a git to Harry, so he doesn't have any reason to completely avoid Lockhart right now.

I hope I did alright with the whole Malfoy/Harry/Colin scene. I wanted to still include it, but things happening changed the location of the scene. Unlike in the book, I'm not going to just skip right to Halloween. The book also skips quite a few months later on, so I'll probably show what was going on then. We'll see! It depends on what all is happening at the time.

I haven't decided how much of a role the Guardians are going to take. For now, they will have their cameos that involve their respective holidays/seasons. We've already seen Jasper, so August will probably turn up toward the end of the book when Summer starts to roll around. We probably won't see much of Jack until he turns up at Hogwarts.

I hope you don't mind that we focused a little more on Harry here. I hope I didn't have him too OOC either. I feel like Harry's entirely too normal for how much he's gone through, and his getting emotional over having clothes that fit him is very sad, but I felt completely justified. If you're curious why he wasn't more emotional when he got the jumper for Christmas last year, I figure it's because Ron was there. Plus he did get distracted by the invisibility cloak.

Anyway, I can't wait to hear what you guys thought and as always, if you have any suggestions please feel free to let me know!