The Lost Potter [Fred Weasley/ Adrian Pucey]

-GILDEROY LOCKHART-

• • • 

we never realize how frozen we are

until someone starts to melt our ice.

• • • 

For Rose Potter, the arrival of Gilderoy Lockhart was nothing but trouble and a pain in the arse. It all started at breakfast the first day back at Hogwarts. . .

Rose sat in the Great Hall at breakfast beside George and Lee, Fred was sitting in front of her but she had successfully managed to ignore him for the hour she had been awake. The group of four Gryffindors were talking about the next upcoming quidditch match, which didn't even had a date at the time, when the owls started to fill in the Great Hall with the post.

Rose got a letter from Remus, a letter from Charlie, and a letter from Seraphina Morgenstern. She shoved her aunt's letter deep into her pocket robes before any of the boys would see it. However, they were all too busy staring at the Weasley's owl, Errol, who had landed just in front of Ron. The young ginger was sitting with Hermione, Harry, and a second year named Neville Longbottom who Rose had helped last term.

Errol had a damp red envelope in his beak.

"Oh no-" Rose heard Ron gasp. 

"Oh yes!" Fred and George grinned, high-fiving each other. Rose knew what the letter was, it was a howler, surely Molly had to know about the boys flying a car to school.

Ron stretched out a shaking hand, eased the envelope from Errol's beak and slit it open. Neville stuffed his fingers in his ears. A second later, a roar of sound filled the huge Hall, shaking dust from the ceiling. Rose winced involuntarily.

"... STEALING THE CAR, I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY'D EXPELLED YOU, YOU WAIT TILL I GET HOLD OF YOU, I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU STOPPED TO THINK WHAT YOUR FATHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT HAD GONE ..."

 Molly's yells, a hundred times louder than usual, made the plates and spoons rattle on the table, and echoed deafeningly off the stone walls. People throughout the Hall were swivelling around to see who had received the Howler and Ron sank so low in his chair that only his crimson forehead could be seen.

Rose felt horrible for the poor boy, so much so that the idea of bursting the letter in flames crossed her mind, but George, who surely expected what Rose was about to do, caught her hands and shaked his head.

"Let us have this, Rosie," he said, an evil smirk adorning his features.

"... LETTER FROM DUMBLEDORE LAST NIGHT, I THOUGHT YOUR FATHER WOULD DIE OF SHAME, WE DIDN'T BRING YOU UP TO BEHAVE LIKE THIS, YOU AND HARRY COULD BOTH HAVE DIED ..."

Rose winced again at Harry's name, she knew that they already had been told off by McGonagall.

"... ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED, YOUR FATHER'S FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT AND IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT BACK HOME."