Chapter 6 : Ill at Ease
A/N:
Still don't own anything, yayyyyy. Also, yay updates!
At the end of the month, the entire Gryffindor dorm minus two were talking about the Quidditch tryouts. Harry and Hermione meanwhile were discussing Hermione's recent forays into Second Year magic. "While Immobulus keeps an object in motion but freezes movement unlike Petrificus which stops motion and movement. Which reminds me that you can body-bind specific parts with a really simple change of words. Anyway, I wanted a charm that could speed up movement and allow the object to stay in motion. So far my forays into Mobulus didn't work, but I've been thinking of some form of rapid for fast and maybe lentement for slow since a lot of our spells have French or Latin base words."
Harry didn't much understand her experiments and the quick way she had of talking also confused him. He decided he had an advantage over his other friends though and humored her, figuring that she humored him when he talked about how the Arts worked. The resounding conclusion of each discussion was that Magic was odd.
The weekend finally came and most of Gryffindor was out watching the tryouts. Neville, Ron and Draco were all trying out, while Harry decided he had far too much on his plate to take on a bunch of flying brooms, balls and bats."That is NOT how you play Beater Fred, and you know it!" Ron shouted. "Don't you know I'm George?" Fred shouted in glee as he swooped around the field to pick up his bat. "They really think they're being funny, don't they?" Hermione watched in a sort of bemused horror. "They keep to the rules during the actual game, at least." Harry commented. "I'm not sure what Draco thinks hes doing up there, he's been looking pale over the past couple of days." Hermione commented as a determined Draco was trying to prove himself as the next Seeker. Draco had been involved in their study sessions but had lately been doing some work by himself, Ron thought he might have found a girl to keep him up so late and Hermione had nearly smacked him for rudeness.
On Monday, they found Professor Sprout talking with Professor Lockhart, looking nonplussed. "Oh, hello there!" he called out to the class arriving, "Just been talking to Professor Sprout about the very existence of Wolfsbane. Fascinating plant with only one real purpose. Wish I had had some during my Wanderings with Werewolves. Not that I could have convinced them to use it... Though I'm sure Ms. Granger could have found a way!" Hermione blushed and the class was about to head to the greenhouse when Lockhart called Harry back.
"Harry! I've been wanting another word with you!" Harry sighed, hoping it was not another lesson about fame. Lately all of Lockharts classes had been about him and his books rather than actual lessons. "I think I've garnered enough hatred from the students to finally be seen as the 'stupid' Professor." Lockhart began whispering conspiratorially, Harry's eyes shot up, "Yes, it's all been a trick to stage you 'convincing' me to teach better and me giving you detention for it. Rather good plan if I say so myself, then again I was a Ravenclaw." "So, wait, you made your classes suffer so I could have detention? Why?" Harry asked. "For studying of course! I've worked hard to hide my Arts, the wizarding community is very resistant to new things. You can get away with it because you're Harry Potter though!"
Harry smiled, Lockhart winked then shouted, "You doubt my teaching methods? Author of several books where I single-handily fought dark creatures? Detention, Potter!" Harry almost had to hold in his laughter, then made himself look convincingly dejected as he walked back into class where all the other students tried to look like they hadn't been listening in.
Study sessions with Lockhart where interesting, they investigated the somatic and verbal components of spells and focus materials. Harry humored Lockhart on this one and pretended he too needed cured leather to cast Mage Armor, not that he needed to cast it anymore thanks to his new ring. They did find some consistency with spell casting, but not enough to make their own spells like Hermione was doing, at least, not yet. The minutes sped by, and the candles burned lower and lower. And then he heard something. Something quite apart from the spitting of the dying candles and Lockhart's pouring over Mirror Image.
It was a voice, a voice to chill the bone marrow, a voice of breathtaking, ice-cold venom. "Come ... come to me... Let me rip you... Let me tear you ... Let me kill you . . . ." Harry gave a huge jump and some bat guano fell to the floor to Lockharts dismay. "What?" he said loudly. "Harry! It took me forever to percure pure guano! I can only hope Fireball doesn't require it to be pure!" "No." said Harry frantically, "That voice!"
"Sorry?" said Lockhart, looking puzzled. "What voice?" "That - that voice that said - didn't you hear it?" Lockhart was looking at Harry in high astonishment. "What are you talking about, Harry? Perhaps you're getting a litde drowsy? Great Scott - look at the time! We've been here nearly four hours! Id never have believed it - the time's flown, hasn't it?"
Harry didn't answer. He was straining his ears to hear the voice again, but there was no sound now except for Lockhart telling him that he'd have a practical set up for their next class so his classmates would appreciate him. It was so late that the Gryffindor common room was almost empty. Harry trudged up to bed and waited until morning to relate the story over to his friends. "And Lockhart said he couldn't hear it?" asked Ron, Harry saw him and Malfoy frown a bit as they mulled over invisibility then tossed that out.
October arrived, and the dampness arrived over the grounds and into the castle. It instigated several colds among both the staff and the students. Madame Pomfrey had made literally gallons of Pepperup Potion to keep students warm and many a student had been seen with steam pouring from under their hair. Ginny Weasley in particular looked like her head was on fire. Ron and Harry had especially made sure no one bothered her over that.
The promise of a Lockhart Practical was enough to keep all the students going. The Seventh Years in particular were excited as they had dealt with an almost Auror level Defense course. Harry made sure he was focusing purely on Snapes class though, as he had heard the Professor was getting especially strict. His reward for doing so was good grades and a 'happy' Snape. Harry felt like it was worth it to have at least one Professor on his side.
That Wednesday, the Second Years bounced with excitement, the Fifth years were talking about a counter-jinx practical that sounded terrifying and awesome. It was with a nervous energy that the students took their seats. As the seconds ticked, they got more and more nervous. No one knew what to expect.
Suddenly all the doors burst open and a voice rang out. "Try and find me if you can, Banishing charms only!" Suddenly a pillow flew from nowhere and hit Neville in the head. "Your opponents can use any measure to take you down! Come now!" More pillows began flying and the pandemonium began.
The classroom was in chaos after they had found Lockhart. After that, he had set them against each other with a simple Red and Blue dichotomy. "It's never too early to learn the chaos of the field! What little you know of defense and charms spells should be good but if any of you strike to injure," Lockhart grinned evilly, "You have me to deal with." The class shuddered, Lockhart had truly been a unexpectedly tough menace.
Harry and the others tiredly repacked their bags as Lockhart helped them out. "Good practical everyone!" Lockhart looked untired and still meticulously clean. He cast a few more small housekeeping charms to reorganize his room. Harry noticed that his pictures were flying out of a nearby room and oriented themselves smiling on the classroom walls. They packed up and were off to the most anti-climatic follow-up of History of Magic.
It was Friday when it was announced that the second years would get to experience elective classes on a trial basis. Hermione took this as her opportunity to sign them up for all of them. "How can we be sure what we want to do if we don't sit through all of them!" she explained. Harry and the others just sighed, it would be a long weekend.