Second year: Secret friendship

Chapter 6

Dinner wasn't over, but Enadira decided to leave a bit earlier. As she left the great hall and started to head upstairs, she bumped into Lockhart. "Oh, sorry," Enadira was saying until she saw who it was. "Oh no, pardon me," Lockhart chuckled, and he realized who it was. "Ah, if it isn't Ms. Cromwell!" he smiled. "Oh, Professor Lockhart," Enadira said, smiling as she gritted her teeth a bit. "Hang on..." Lockhart put his finger to his chin, thinking. "Aren't you supposed to be in the grand hall?" he asked, realizing.

Enadira glanced sideways. "Maybe," she said, and Lockhart smirked. "Now see here, young lady; I can't let you wander around during dinner," he said. "So why don't you help me do a favor so that you don't get caught?" he said with a wink. Enadira blinked. "Alright," she said. "I didn't expect that response. Wonder what's the favor?" she thought, surprised by Lockhart's response. "Excellent. Now I have to ask, and it's very important that you answer right," he said with a somewhat serious expression. "What's the question?" Enadira asked.

Lockhart had to lean down a bit to whisper to Enadira, "How good is your handwriting?" "Excellent, sir," Enadira whispered back, and he smiled. "Ah, perfect! I need help with my fan mail," she exhaled. Enadira blinked. "You wish me to help you sign your fan's letters," she said as she tilted her head in confusion. "Yes, and I know what you are thinking. Why? because! It's as important for a celebrity as myself," Lockhart chuckled, and Enadira had a fake smile on her face.

"Well, we better go to my office; Harry is waiting." Lockhart guided Enadira to his office as they walked upstairs together. "Wait, Harry's detention is helping you with fan mail as well?" she asked him. "Well yes, but yours isn't detention," Lockhart said as he tapped his nose, to which she simply nodded. "So from leaving dinner early, my price is to write fan mail under Lockhart's name with Harry for a fake detention. Snape's detention is better than this blasphemy," she thought as they finally made it to the DADA room, where Harry was already seated signing fan mail.

"Harry, look who I found who can help us!" Lockhart said, presenting Enadira as Harry looked up, surprised and confused. "Now I'll be right back, so Harry, why don't you show Ms. Cromwell how it's done?" he said and quickly left, leaving the two of them alone in the room. "Is this part of your detention because of what happened with the car?" Enadira asked as she sat down next to Harry. "Pretty much," he said. "What are you doing here?" Harry asked.

"I left dinner early, and apparently this isn't really a detention for me; it's more of a favor." Enadira shrugged. "We bumped into each other on the stairs, and then he asked me how my handwriting was" she said. "Well, best we get started because there's a lot," Harry pointed out with his quill in his hand at the pile on Lockhart's desk. "Oh my stars, how does he have this many?" She couldn't believe the amount there was. "A lot, better get started before he comes back," Harry said, then went back to signing a picture of Lockhart for a fan.

"Right," Enadira said, grabbed a pile of fan mail, and began to work. As they worked together, Lockhart entered the room, sat down on his own desk, and began to write himself. "Oh, Harry, Harry, Harry, can you possibly imagine a better way to serve detention?" Lockhart asked Harry. "By helping me write my fan mail, and you, Cromwell?" he asked. "Not really," Harry said. "Honestly I agree with Harry, not really," Enadira said.

"Fame is a fickle friend, you two," he said and sighed. "Celebrity is as celebrity does; remember that," he said with a charmed smile. Harry and Enadira only glanced at one another. "Oh, no offense, Ms. Cromwell, but even though I have heard of you and your family status, you have quite the reputation," Lockhart said and pointed out. "Harry and myself are celebrities through our own reputations, but yours is just that," he said with a smile. "I'm sure one day you'll be famous like the two of us," he said as he grabbed another stack of fan mail.