SIGNED PHOTO "𝖧𝖺𝗋𝗋𝗒 𝖯𝗈𝗍𝗍𝖾𝗋'𝗌 𝗁𝖺𝗇𝖽𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗌𝗂𝗀𝗇𝖾𝖽 𝗉𝗁𝗈𝗍𝗈𝗌!"
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—ALEXANDRIA, PANSY, AND DAPHNE SAT DOWN AT THE GREAT HALL. It seemed like Daphne and Pansy were arguing about whether Lockhart was a fraud or not. "What've we got this afternoon?" asked Alexandria, hastily changing the subject.
"Defense Against the Dark Arts," said Pansy at once.
"Why," demanded Daphne, seizing her schedule, "have you outlined all Lockhart's lessons in little hearts?"
Pansy snatched the schedule back, blushing furiously.
♡
When they finished lunch, they went outside into the overcast courtyard.
Pansy sat down on a stone step and buried her nose in Voyages with Vampires again.
Alexandria and Daphne stood talking about all kinds of stuff for several minutes before Alexandria became aware of what was happening.
"All right, Harry? I'm— I'm Colin Creevey," said a first year, talking to Potter, who was just a few steps across Alexandria, talking with his friends. breathlessly. "I'm in Gryffindor, too. D'you think— would it be all right if— can I have a picture?" he said, raising the camera hopefully.
"Isn't that a muggle camera?" asked Alexandria in disgust.
"Seems like it." muttered Daphne, trying not to show the disgust she felt. She was also prejudiced, but didn't show it, unlike her friends.
"A picture?" Harry repeated blankly, not noticing they were being watched.
"So I can prove I've met you," said Colin Creevey eagerly, edging further forward. "I know all about you. Everyone's told me. About how you survived when You-Know-Who tried to kill you and how he disappeared and everything and how you've still got a lightning scar on your forehead!"
Alexandria's knuckles turned white as she pulled out a dagger from her pocket, clutching it tightly in her hands in anger.
"—and a boy in my dormitory said if I develop the film in the right potion, the pictures'll move." Colin drew a great shuddering breath of excitement and said, "It's amazing here, isn't it? I never knew all the odd stuff I could do was magic till I got the letter from Hogwarts. My dad's a milkman, he couldn't believe it either. So I'm taking loads of pictures to send home to him. And it'd be really good if I had one of you" — he looked imploringly at Harry — "maybe your friend could take it and I could stand next to you? And then, could you sign it?"
"Mudblood." Alexandria concluded, rolling her eyes in disgust, but still wasn't heard by the Gryffindors.
"Signed photos? You're giving out signed photos, Potter?"
Loud and scathing, Draco Malfoy's voice echoed around the courtyard.
He had stopped right behind Colin, flanked, as he always was at Hogwarts, by his large and thuggish cronies, Crabbe and Goyle.
"Everyone line up!" Malfoy roared to the crowd. "Harry Potter's giving out signed photos!"
"I think that's enough, bleach-boy." said Alexandria, finally getting their attentions as she walked over to him— as always, spinning a dagger between her fingers.
"No, I'm not," said Harry angrily, his fists clenching, ignoring Alexandria. "Shut up, Malfoy."
"You're just jealous," piped up Colin, whose entire body was about as thick as Crabbe's neck.
"Jealous?" asked Draco, who didn't need to shout anymore: half the courtyard was listening in. "Of what? I don't want a foul scar right across my head, thanks. I don't think getting your head cut open makes you that special, myself."
Crabbe and Goyle were sniggering stupidly.
"Eat slugs, Malfoy," said Ron angrily.
Crabbe stopped laughing and started rubbing his knuckles in a menacing way.
"Be careful, Weasley," sneered Malfoy. "You don't want to start any trouble or your Mommy'll have to come and take you away from school." He put on a shrill, piercing voice. "If you put another toe out of line—"
And Draco was right, though— Ron had gotten a howler from his mother due to dueling a Slytherin, who had called Granger a foul name, to which he had gotten caught and his wand had broke when he tried running away from getting caught.
A knot of Slytherin fifth years nearby laughed loudly at this.
"Weasley would like a signed photo, Potter," smirked Malfoy. "It'd be worth more than his family's whole house—"
Alexandria stayed silent. Honestly, she was enjoying this.
Ron whipped out his Spellotaped wand, but Granger immediately rushed over and said, "Look out!"
"What's all this, what's all this?" Gilderoy Lockhart was striding toward them, his turquoise robes swirling behind him. "Who's giving out signed photos?"
Harry started to speak but he was cut short as Lockhart flung an arm around his shoulders and thundered jovially, "Shouldn't have asked! We meet again, Harry!"
Alexandria let out a mocking laugh, leaving the two as soon as possible, not wanting to deal with Lockhart at the moment.
Pinned to Lockhart's side and burning with humiliation, Harry saw Malfoy slide smirking back into the crowd.
"Come on then, Mr. Creevey," said Lockhart, beaming at Colin. "A double portrait, can't do better than that, and we'll both sign it for you."
Colin fumbled for his camera and took the picture as the bell rang behind them, signaling the start of afternoon classes.
"Off you go, move along there," Lockhart called to the crowd, and he set off back to the castle with Harry, who was wishing he knew a good Vanishing Spell, still clasped to his side.
"A word to the wise, Harry," said Lockhart paternally as they entered the building through a side door. "I covered up for you back there with young Creevey— if he was photographing me, too, your schoolmates won't think you're setting yourself up so much..."
Deaf to Harry's stammers, Lockhart swept him down a corridor lined with staring students and up a staircase.
"Let me just say that handing out signed pictures at this stage of your career isn't sensible— looks a tad bigheaded, Harry, to be frank. There may well come a time when, like me, you'll need to keep a stack handy wherever you go, but—" he gave a little chortle "—I don't think you're quite there yet."
They had reached Lockhart's classroom and he let Harry go at last. Harry yanked his robes straight and headed for a seat at the very back of the class, where he busied himself with piling all seven of Lockhart's books in front of him, so that he could avoid looking at the real thing.
The rest of the class came clattering in, and Alexandria made eye contact with Harry.
She stayed quiet, looked away, and sat down at the other side of the classroom with her friends.
