Lockhart placed a hand on Harry Potter's shoulder and smiled largely at the classroom around them.
"Good morning class," he said with a confidence that made Harry gag silently.
The Hufflepuff class didn't mention the fact that they had just gotten back from lunch ten minutes before to the teacher out of politeness. The Ravenclaws simply hid their snickers by looking into their laps or faking a yawn into their elbows. Harry was certain he heard someone mutter something about Lockhart's tea smelling funny from the back of the class and held back a smile.
They were standing in front of the entire class and Harry felt the weight of eyes on him.
"Today we are going over the safe ways to protect oneself in a duel, a feat I have mastered as you'll know having read my autobiography 'Who Am I?' By me!" Lockhart smiled towards the young witches in the crowd who all blushed lightly.
Harry tried not to vomit.
"Now who can tell me the name of spells that are used to protect oneself?" A hand shot up in the back of the class "yes?"
"Belby, Sir," a boy said standing in the back of the room.
He was a slightly chubby, tall brown haired boy that Harry had never really noticed much in his classes before.
"Yes, right. Go ahead, Belgy" Lockhart said cheerfully.
The boy turned red in the face and swallowed hard. His shakey voice raised above the quiet giggling in the classroom.
"Defensive spells," he said his jaw setting harshly as he stared at Lockhart.
"Right," the teacher said obviously "and what are Defensive spells usually categorized as?"
"Light spells," Belby said confidently.
"That's right," Lockhart said turning to Harry "you can sit down Nesby"
Belby growled softly and sat down in his seat, his nose red with blush.
"Now Harry you will be representing the Defensive spells," Lockhart said with a smile.
"Great," Harry said with a sarcastic smile.
"Isn't it?" Lockhart replied, oblivious to the aggression the male classmates had towards him.
A few girls throughout the class had the audacity to giggle at the arid man. Harry stepped to the side and watched as Lockhart pulled a Ravenclaw girl from a desk nearby.
"Juniper you'll be representing the opposite team. Which of course is-?"
"The Offensive spells," the class chanted boredly.
"Correct." Lockhart directed the girl to the opposite wall and smiled at the two of them.
"Now I want a nice clean duel. Nothing too harsh," He quickly got down from the platform they were standing on and walked towards the back of the class.
Harry looked towards the small girl and bowed. Her hair was cropped short to her cheekbones and the high arch of her brow spoke of an ancient nobility he had seen once before but could not place. She was small and quaint. Not much to look at, not that Harry ever looked anyway. She was fair, her nose small and dainty. She reminded him of a china doll he had seen in a toy shop window once. He had the sudden image of her skin shattering into frail pieces of glass and floating away like paper. Her brown eyes turning a bright orange as her skin grew pale and grey. A soft voice he had heard once before whispered in his mind. He shook his head and focused on the image before him. She bowed in return and both drew their wands. harry had not expected the girl to shoot first and was surprised when a jinx was sent a millimetre away from his ear. His hair singed at the tips where the cold heat had touched it and Harry frowned.
"You burnt my hair!" Harry said loudly, not thinking of what he was doing. "Difindo!"
His wand burst forward with a shot of grey light, the girl screamed as the sleeve of her robe was torn open and her arm started bleeding heavily.
"You cut me!" She shrieked in shock.
Harry felt tingles of shadows sweep up his back and was tempted to step backwards into the dark corners and be swept away to... well to some unknown place. Eyes throughout the room stared at the girl's bleeding arm in shock.
"You CUT me!" The girl yelled again.
"Potter," Lockhart said loudly from the back of the room, "Detention at 8 o'clock."
Harry frowned and stomped back to his desk with a frown. Tears prickled at his eyes as he slumped onto his arms, burying his face in his desk.
"Sure she gets a papercut and it's the end of the world," he muttered angrily "But she burns my hair and it's perfectly fine. Stupid school. Stupid girls. Stupid Lockhart."
Juniper walked past Harry with her nose high in the air, heading to the nurses office.
"Now class," Lockhart said, walking back to the front "What should Harry have done in this situation?"
