The New Trio and the Chamber of Secrets

Chapter 6: Gilderoy Lockhart

"We're doomed. Doomed, I tell you!" exclaimed Draco at breakfast. They'd all just been given their timetables by Professor McGonagall, and had discovered to their dismay that their third class of the day, after lunch, was DADA with Lockhart. Professor Snape, having heard his godson's words from across the room due to the volume, snorted. Hermione, who was sitting opposite him and reading Year with the Yeti while making frequent notes on mistakes and falsities, said, "Oh don't be so dramatic, Draco. Yes, from what these books reveal, he doesn't know one lick of defence, but with how badly it was taught last year, surely we ought to at least give him a chance to be better than Quirrel? I mean, he's already better in terms of not being possessed by Voldemort."

Draco scoffed, but Neville butted in before Draco could talk again. "She has a point, guys. Let's at least wait until we've had him before we judge."

"Easy for you four to say," said Fred.

"We don't have him until Friday," explained George.

"I don't have him until tomorrow," said Ginny, "and I just checked with Luna, she doesn't have him until Monday!"

The four second years groaned, and Harry banged his head on the table, barely missing a collision with his bowl of porridge.

Eventually, still bemoaning their fates, they headed towards the greenhouses. Unfortunately, they came across Lockhart much earlier than they should have, for there he was, striding beside Professor Sprout, immaculately dressed in sweeping robes of turquoise. In complete contrast to the perfectly coiffed wizard, Professor Sprout was a squat little witch, often wearing a patched hat over her flyaway hair. She reminded Harry of Neville during the summer; dusted with a large amount of earth, and dirty nails that would have made the old Draco faint, but now simply sniff.

"Oh, hello there!" Lockhart called, beaming around at the group of students waiting for their Herbology lesson. "Just been showing Professor Sprout the right way to doctor a Whomping Willow. Seems it got into a bit of a spat with some thestrals! But I don't want you running away with the idea that I'm better at Herbology than she is!" He went on for another minute, nattering away on how he'd met many of them on his 'travels', with Professor Sprout becoming gradually more annoyed, until finally she called out, "Greenhouse Three today, chaps!" and ushered them in the correct direction. "We've never been there before," whispered Dean loudly to Seamus.

The Professor unlocked the door and let the group of Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors in, but just before Harry could follow Draco inside, Lockhart's hand shot out to grab Harry's shoulder. He stiffened. "Unhand me, sir," he growled.

Lockhart smiled in what he must have assumed was a disarming manner. "Now Harry, dear boy, I just wanted to make sure that what happened in Flourish and Blotts was merely-"

Harry cut him off with a slash of his hand that also got rid of Lockhart's grip. "It was no misunderstanding, sir! I warned you not to touch me, and you have done exactly that, with around twenty witnesses. Leave, now, and by tomorrow I shall have a restraining order against you."

Lockhart had paled as Harry spoke, and by his final sentence, seemed almost ready to faint. He picked up his robes and fled the scene, not daring to look back.

"Well done, Mr Potter-Black. You handled that situation admirably," said Professor Sprout.

*

The rest of class went fairly smoothly. Well, as smoothly as it could possibly get whilst Mandrakes were having temper tantrums all over the greenhouse. It made having to re-pot fifty of them extremely messy, and by the end of class, not a one of them was free from sweat, pain, and earth. The Gryffindors rushed back to the castle as quickly as possible so they could have a quick wash and a change of robes so they could get to Transfiguration on time.