Aludra | Book Two |

Chapter 6

It's been a while...enjoy the long awaited chapter 6!

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With the little time she had between the end of her last class and dinner, Aludra rushed to the library. She fingered through numerous shelves and scanned the spines of books with hungry, desperate eyes, flicked through page after page but to no avail; nothing could be found on the Chamber of Secrets.

Aludra nervously shuffled over to Madam Pince, the intimidating old librarian who had both ears and eyes like a hawk. If she even so much as suspected you of suspicious activity, out the library you went. It took Madam Pince several seconds to look up from the books she was stamping behind her desk, beady eyes narrowing impatiently at the sight of Aludra. 

"May I help you?"

Aludra gulped and began to explain herself as timidly and politely as she could. 

"I do hope so, Madam Pince. You see, I'm looking for books on the history of Hogwarts -"

"Gone." Pince said curtly. Aludra blinked.

"Gone?" she repeated.

"Gone. It seems that everyone is suddenly interested in learning about the school they attend ever since this Chamber business. Here, you can sign the waiting list," she gestured to a scroll of parchment with different students' names going down to the very bottom, crammed in and messy.

"I'll have to wait for two weeks!" Aludra said breathlessly, feeling her heart sink.

"You'd better get to waiting, then. Don't you have anything productive to do? Like homework, for instance?" said Pince condescendingly. 

Aludra frowned and huffed, before it dawned upon her - there had to be something in the restricted section on the Chamber of Secrets. She gave a smile to Madam Pince, thanking her, before walking briskly out of the library, a new idea in her mind. 

Aludra knocked thrice at Professor Lockhart's door. He swung it open with far too much enthusiasm before the third knock was complete, and he grinned down at Aludra, showing too much teeth for it to be genuine. 

"Ah, Miss Malfoy! What brings you here?" he chimed. 

The Gryffindor forced a smile onto her face, bringing up her hand to twirl a lock of her hair between her fingers, faking bashfulness.

"Hello, Professor. I don't mean to intrude, but I was wondering if I could have a spare moment of your time. You see, I'd really love to hear your adventure about the Waga Waga Werewolf again. You were so brave!" just saying these words made her feel sick.

 Lockhart's too-much-teeth smile widened even more, now positively toad-like, as he stepped aside and waved Aludra in.

"Why, I always have time for fans! Come right in, Miss Malfoy!" he said. 

Aludra walked inside and took a seat at a desk in front of his, pretending to look eager. He leaped into an over-exaggerated version of events, even re-enacting the wolf's howl or the terrified screams of villagers. Aludra took it upon herself to peer into his thoughts as he rambled on, and was shocked to discover that he lied so much, even he was convinced that he was telling the truth. Of course, there was the slight twinge of panic when he couldn't remember a particular detail, but he then made up something else to smooth it out. When the torture was over, he looked at Aludra expectantly, who swooned and placed a hand to her heart.

"Oh, Professor! You're so brave and fearless, I would have been petrified! How do you do it?" Aludra cried. 

He shrugged in what was supposed to be a nonchalant way, but it looked like an involuntary spasm.