Chapter Five - Sparkle

Fop

Lockhart was universally disliked by the Sins. Between his obnoxious boasting at every opportunity, his unsolicited "help", and his blatantly faked books… well, suffice it to say the Sins had plans.

It starts, as all great plans do, by getting to know the enemy in its natural habitat. So, they go to class. The Greeds go first, because they are in their fourth year, and their schedule has always had Defense as one of their first classes. Then Lust and Gluttony, whose class with the second year Gryffindors gets to deal with pixies.

They all, after just one class, are ready to prank him without end for the rest of the year, although Lust does advocate for a quick emasculation because of the pixies. But after Envy, Pride, and Sloth's class, the rest of the Sins have to talk Envy down from immediately going back to the classroom he'd been dragged from by Sloth and murdering Lockhart in cold blood. Because, not only does the idiotic fop have an unhealthy fascination with Harry Potter, he is mind-bogglingly stupid. While he apparently had learned from Lust's reaction to the pixie fiasco, he decided that he instead should reenact his lying rags, and use Envy as a prop.

Even after Envy nearly cracked the fop's skull open during the werewolf reenactment in the first class.

Then again, during the Banshee fight a week later.

And the Yeti hunt a month after that.

But the Sins were cunning and patient. (After all, revenge in a dish best served cold.) After that first class, they all decided pranking him wouldn't be enough. Not that they weren't going to prank him anyway, but now they were going to do more. Like reveal him to the world as the fraud he was. His death after that was optional.

Death Day

The Sins enjoyed Halloween. Not only was it the holiday of pranks, which they put to great effect by giving Lockhart a semi-permanent harelip and neon green skin – to go with his blindingly blue afro and kill-me-now neon orange and yellow robes – but it was also a chance to load up on sweets, much to Wrath's chagrin.

And they were very glad that this Halloween wasn't ... interrupted by things they had to ... take care of.

Because, really Mrs. Norris didn't count.

Warning

Dobby was very worried about the Great Harry Potter. The Great Harry Potter was still in Hogwarts, and the Bad Master's Plan was already starting, and Dobby hadn't been able to warn the Great Harry Potter yet!

He couldn't even find a way to be able to warn the Great Harry Potter, because the Great Harry Potter never gave him any chances to do so! Dobby couldn't cause a Quidditch accident because the Great Harry Potter didn't play on his House team or go to any of the games. Dobby couldn't just cause a regular accident because the Great Harry Potter was rarely alone, and even though Dobby was a Very Bad Elf, he wouldn't purposely harm any of the Great Harry Potter's friends, especially not Little Master. Even when the Great Harry Potter was alone, the Great Harry Potter always managed to avoid anything Dobby had set up. And Dobby could not just appear to the Great Harry Potter, because the dorms of Hogwarts blocked all outside elves.

Dobby was almost at the end of his rope, because he had to warn the Great Harry Potter, no matter how much he had to punish himself for it later.

Ghosts of Hogwarts's Past

The ghosts of Hogwarts have an odd relationship with the Sins. Oh, the Sins have never done anything to threaten the ghosts, but they have this aura around them that makes most of the ghosts wary. Because of this, very few ghosts go anywhere near them.

There are two notable exceptions to that. For one, Peeves is overjoyed at the amount of pranking they all do and has, on more than one occasion, acted as a gleeful scapegoat. He didn't mind taking the blame for the Sins' antics, because they are the only people in the entire castle who actually listen to him. They don't yell at him or threaten to remove him from the castle and existence entirely, and when he makes suggestions, they actually take the time to see if they can work his idea into any of their many pranks.

For that, he refuses to fear them.

The second, however, is a little more odd. It is probably the least known ghost in the entire castle, largely because it haunts the smallest, most out of the way girl's bathroom that has no signs designating it, that sometimes occupies one of two equally barren hallways, although it does occasionally haunt the pipes as well. Her name is Myrtle. In fact, it is because she haunts the pipes that she meets the Sins, whom she thinks are the nicest livings she's ever met. (Never mind that they were in the middle of pranking the prefect's bath when she'd popped up, or that she hadn't really talked to anyone since she had died.)

After all, they never insulted her, and when someone flushes a book through her head, they are all (well, Lust and Envy, at least) properly sympathetic, even asking where the book is so that they can take care of the owner.

But most importantly, they ask her how she died.

Fragment

When Lust and Envy bring Wrath the diary and the story of a dead girl, he isn't quite sure what to do. He had known that the Dark Lord had pursued several methods of immortality, but to see that the man had started so young with the creation of a Horocrux was disturbing. Although, not as disturbing as the fact that Envy could hear the Basilisk moving through the walls, as the two Sins had discovered. Not to mention the thought of how the rest of the school would react should they learn of it.

In the end, Wrath just sighed and locked away the Diary, wondering all the while how the rest of the Sins would take his Christmas plans.

AN: Ok, so this chapter basically takes place up to just before Christmas break. I know that Ginny doesn't get rid of the Diary that quickly in canon, but in my mind - and therefore my fanon - after Collin gets petrified, Ginny freaks out and gets rid of it, because it is talking back to her when she writes and her dad does mention don't trust anything if you can't see it's brain. However, Lockhart still needs dealing with, but not until after February (And yes, Killroy225, they are going to screw him over so badly - I just have to figure out what they're doing, because they won't be satisfied with a simple mind wipe. Rita might need to get involved.) And, of course, Dobby's still going to try to save Harry, because he doesn't know that Harry's not in danger anymore.

Also, I have a BETA! Skyflyte12 is going through all of my stories inbetween school and life, and I will eventually be posting the edited chapters of this story, once she gets there.

Please don't forget to review!

~Sayonora!