Hogwarts: a school of Witchcraft and Love (Tom Marvolo Riddle x F!reader)

Chapter 3-01

Lockhart's overblown theatrics and larger-than-life mentality set the tone for your first DADA class this year, and you wouldn't find the difference between this and watching a wizarding version of a cheesy daytime talk show.

Wizarding dueling and all that came with it interested you. Dumbledore had set the bar sky high, so maybe that was why you overlooked how bad his teachings really were. His expertise might not be as extensive as his reputation claimed and his biggest accomplishment was most likely his self-promotion.

Throughout the fifty-minute long class, a whopping fourty minutes were dedicated to bragging about his own daring duels and victories against various creatures. He exaggerated his accomplishments, turning seemingly dangerous situations into entertaining anecdotes. Okay, you were chuckling at the stories, even if they seemed far-fetched. If any of them were true or not was yet to be decided.

But then came the favoritism towards female students. Gryffindor and Slytherin didn't have a lot in common but the one thing they did agree on was their dislike for the man, which they had formed within the first fifteen minutes of meeting him.

"I'm going to need a volunteer to present the proper dueling formality stances." Eyes as blue as the sky panned across the room, searching for a willing participant to step up. Most heads turned away or hid behind others, hoping to escape his selection until one was singled out.

"...Avery, why don't you show us how it's done!"

The groan that came from the Slytherin could be heard even if you were deaf with the mock-congratulations of his housemates. Avery dragged himself to the designated spot on the dueling stage with all the enthusiasm of a prisoner on their way to Azkaban.

Lockhart, sporting his trademark showman smile, told him to stand facing him and then went into the importance of proper duel formality stances. "Now, ladies and gentlemen, we have here Avery, a fine example of a Slytherin dueling prodigy. Today, we shall demonstrate the art of dueling formality, a crucial aspect of mastering magical combat."

Avery was trying to not mess up too badly. Lockhart positioned himself in the center of the stage, holding his wand like some kind of wizarding hero ready to save the day. "Observe, everyone, the Ready Stance! Balanced, confident, and prepared to face any challenge."

The Slytherin, with limited success, mimicked Lockhart's stance. He raised his wand and stood opposite Lockhart, mirroring the posture as best as he could.

"Now, let us move on to the Defensive Stance." Lockhart smoothly transitioned into a defensive pose. He adjusted his weight, his body angled to the side, ready to evade any incoming attack.

You watched Avery closely, seeing his  hesitation. He adjusted his footing, trying to replicate Lockhart's defensive pose. Though his movements didn't have the same grace, he adopted the posture anyways.

As the demonstration kept going, Lockhart guided Avery through various stances: offensive, parrying, counterattack. At one point during the demonstration Avery was told to face the class and when he did, you saw something that you definitely hadn't seen there before—a faint mark of a cut and a fading bruise on his cheek. He looked ashamed, futilely attempting to conceal his injury beneath his robes. The cut left behind a trail of red and a light purplish-blue bruise on his skin which was in its early stage of teenage acne.

This confused you. Why would Avery, who had a reputation for being a bully, have an injury? Did one of his victims finally fight back? Lockhart called forth Lestrade, his best mate, to the center so they could duel. And there it was again, the same bruise, in the exact same spot as Avery's.