The next morning, while handing out the class schedules, each head of house announced the duelling club and that it would be starting on Saturday. Many of the students were happy, all bar a handful were male; the females seemed insulted that there would be another DADA type lesson when Lockhart was teaching. Lex and Mia were the first Gryffindors to state that they would be attending.
Their class schedule hadn't changed much from the previous term, the only exception being the lack of the flying classes that only 1st years were to take. During Potions, Ron showed that he hadn't gotten any better over the summer, and nearly blew his cauldron up. The only plus side with it was he was placed in a month long detention for jeopardising the others in the class. Thanks to summer practicing, and help all through the previous term, Neville wasn't even in risk of danger by being the redhead's partner, especially after Severus put forward that he would be doing the seating arrangements by degree of talent. Weasley, Goyle and Crabbe were up the front, sharing a bench, so that the man could keep an eye on them.
When their first DADA class came right after Potions, Lex and Hermione were again seated right up the front, with their old 2nd year texts in front of them, the new ones had been barely looked through before made to mulch for the Grangers' garden. Most of the seats surrounding them were filled with the witches in the class, causing Mia to roll her eyes dramatically at her friend, who struggled to keep in the laughter.
From atop the staircase, the door to the professor's office opened to reveal their professor in a brilliant purple set of robes, "Good morning and welcome to Defence Against the Dark Arts. As you all know, I am Gilderoy Lockhart; Order of the Merlin, Third Class; Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defence League; World Renowned Author; and 5-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award."
There was a lot of applause around the demigods, who just felt and looked sick. The man descended the stairs and passed out parchment, "First, we shall have a little test. My Second Year Essential Knowledge Test, not very long and for all of you who have read my books, very simple to answer. Begin."
Lex and Mia looked at the 3 page, 54 question test and sighed at just the first question, 'What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favourite colour?'
"Mia, this is, this is, I don't know what this is," the wizard said softly.
"It's an abomination is what it is. How the hell are we supposed to defeat anything attacking us by knowing what this moron's secret ambition is?"
The green eyes locked with a moving cage next to where the professor was standing and nudged his friend, "Wonder how good he is when faced with a true surprise?"
Hermione smiled darkly and both moved their hands beneath the bench top, drawing their wands easily. While Lex banished the cover, revealing a cage full of irritated Cornish Pixies, Hermione unlocked the door, letting them loose. It took a Cornish Pixie landing in his hair and pulling it for Gilderoy to even notice something was wrong, "AH!"
That had the rest of the class screaming, some just to have a reason to leave, and ran from the room. To add to his pain, Alexander locked the office door and then Mia did the same to the classroom door as soon as they were out, the man still inside screaming like a girl. Having time until lunch, the pair went and sat in on the 6th year NEWT Potions class, now a regular sight after doing the same the previous term if they had a free period.
When Severus was finished instruction a Hufflepuff on her potion, he walked over and said, "What did you two do to him?"
They instantly put on their 'who us?' expressions, "Nothing."
"Don't lie; I could hear those screams even down here"
"Well, see, Lockhart may have been forcing us to do a test on what his favourite things were and the cage holding Cornish Pixies may have been opened," Mia started.
"And his doors may have been locked on him," Lex finished.
Severus' eyes were brimming with mirth but he gave barely a smile, he was in class after all, "Very well but no more, if someone doesn't like what they are being told to do in class, then they should just read, understood?"
"Uh huh, oh and that Ravenclaw is going to poison someone," the Gryffindors pointed out.
"Damn," the potions master made his way over, calling out, "Jones, 10 points from Ravenclaw for trying to kill your partner."
The demigods were shot a thankful look by the wizard who would have been poisoned before pulling out their Transfiguration books.
At lunch the second year Gryffindors and Slytherins were first to their seats, not wanting to miss seeing if Lockhart came down. They weren't disappointed, the man did come down, shaking like a leaf and with a few balms on his face, his hair a birds nest. As the other students and professors arrive, many had trouble not laughing at his appearance, though the Slytherins just laughed outright, not caring what happened.
Dumbledore was present at the meal, a rarity, and he explained that not only was the DADA professor attacked by the pixies, on his escape he then slid down 4 flights of stairs after the stairs became like ice. From their seat, Mia and Lex could see Severus shoot a glance to Minerva, and her reciprocating nod. The headmaster also stated that despite the attack, Lockhart would stay on as DADA professor, bringing groans and also plans to drive the fool out once and for all.