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Loneliness has become one of Amelia's best friends. She always found herself alone during classes with Gryffindors ( and sometimes Ravenclaws when Marceline or Mandy get paired with other people. ) She is especially alone when she is at the Burrow, or in her dorm room. But through that, she has found good company with herself.
Chatting filled the classroom as students waited for Lockhart. Some of the girls fixed their hair and sat close to the front with their quills and parchment. Ready to take notes.
Amelia sat alone, more towards the back. Away from certain Gryffindors that were in her class. But unfortunately, the classroom wasn't as large as she hoped for. So, while she is away from the Gryffindors, it forced her to be closer to a certain blonde Slytherin that irked her skin.
" This class is going to the dogs," Malfoy grumbled to his goons once Lockhart walked with his bright smile.
The class fell silent as he stood in front. He reached forward and picked up a copy of Travel with trolls, from a student's desk, and held it up, and posed like the portrait on the front.
"Me," he said, pointing at it and winking as well. "Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin,
Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of
Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award but I don't talk about that. I didn't get rid of the
Bandon Banshee by smiling at her!"
Silence. No students laughed at his attempted joke. Although few of the girls smiled weakly.
"I see you've all bought a complete set of my books - well done. I thought we'd start today with a little quiz. Nothing to worry about - just to check how well you've read them, how much you've taken in -"
He passed out the papers before returning to the front of the class, "You have thirty minutes - start -now!"
Amelia looked down at her paper and rolled her eyes at the questions presented:
1. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favorite color?
2. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's secret ambition?
The questions went on as the test only revolved around him and not about the spells he used to defend against the dark arts.
He has to be a poser Amelia thought as she scribbled little drawings instead of answers. The test wasn't being graded nor did it involve defensive spells. In Amelia's mind, this was the perfect time to catch up on sleep.
The Slytherin pushed the papers aside and rested her head on the table. The second she closed her eyes she slipped into a comfortable slumber.
Students continued to rush through the test, the majority skipping questions. Lockhart gulped nervously at the actions of a few students ( Amelia included) Who tossed the test aside and instead stared idly at the chalkboard that stood behind him.
Once the seconds ticked down Lockhart collected the test and began to look through them in front of everyone.
The ruffling sound of paper woke the Slytherin up. She turned toward Lockhart, who explained what his ideal birthday gift would be and sighed. The inkling feeling of walking out of class grew every second her professor spoke. But Amelia's desire to keep her perfect attendance and stay on his good side overbalanced her judgment.
"...but Miss Hermione Granger knew my secret ambition is to rid the world of evil and market my range of hair-care potions - good girl! In fact" - he flipped her paper over - "full marks! Where is Miss Hermione Granger?"
Amelia watched as a trembling hand near the front rose.
"Excellent!" beamed Lockhart. "Quite excellent! Take ten points for Gryffindor! And so -
to business -"
The class watched as the giddy professor bent down behind his desk and pulled up a large, covered cage onto his desk
"Now - be warned! It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to
wizardkind! You may find yourself facing your worst fears in this room. Know only that
no harm can befall you whilst I am here. All I ask is that you remain calm."
Intrigue strikes the Slytherin as she leaned forward in her seat. The possibility of actually learning something excited her. And maybe, just maybe, Hogwarts will have a competent Defense of the dark arts teacher.
"I must ask you not to scream," said Lockhart in a low voice. "It might provoke them."
As the whole class held its breath, Lockhart whipped off the cover.
"Yes," he said dramatically. "Freshly caught Cornish pixies."
The class went silent until the laugh of Seamus Finnigan was disrupted.
"Yes?" Lockhart said to Seamus.
"Well, they're not - they're not very -dangerous, are they?" Seamus choked.
"Don't be so sure!" said Lockhart, waggling a finger annoyingly at Seamus. "Devilish tricky little blighters they can be!"
I was wrong. He is not competent in the slightest Amelia thought as she rolled her eyes at his words. Amelia watched as the electric blue pixies flew around the cage, their shrill voices annoying her. She watched as they tried to rattle the cage and make faces at the nearby students.
"Right, then," Lockhart said loudly. "Let's see what you make of them!" He said loudly and opened the cage.
The classroom became pandemonium. The pixies flew around the classroom at wild speeds. Quickly, Amelia hunched down under her table once she saw two pixies charge at Neville, grabbing him by his ears and lifting him onto the chandelier.
Shattering glass poured onto Amelia, cutting her hands and arms, and other students near the back as the pixies shot to throw the windows. A wet substance ran down Amelia's head. As she inspected it, black ink covered her hand. She looked around and noticed the classroom was covered in black ink, ripped books, and garbage.
"Come on now - round them up, round them up, they're only pixies," Lockhart shouted. Not at all distressed by the damage he caused. "Peskipiksi Pesternomi!"
Amelia watched with wide eyes as his spell had no effect on the pixies and instead saw them steal his wand and throw it at the window.
" Can someone do something!" A student yelled as Lockhart dived under his desk.
Without thinking, Amelia grabbed her wand from her book bag and stood up. She aimed her wand at the cluster of Cornish pixies and executed the precise wand movements before saying: "Immobulus!"
The pixies stood frozen in the air as the bell rang. All the students rushed toward the exit before any of the non-frozen pixies could get to them.
Amelia rushed out the door too, quickly collecting her books and nodding her head as some Gryffindors thanked her. Once out of the classroom, Amelia sat down on a bench in the hallway. She stuffed her books into her bag before examining her arms. A couple of cuts decorated her hands as some blood streamed out slowly from her wounds. Although the cuts weren't deep, they still stung slightly.
With a sigh, she collected her things and made her way to the hospital wing. As she walked, she wondered if Lockhart would get fired on his first day of teaching.
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"Do they hurt?"
" There honestly just scratches."
" Wait- so he brought actual wild pixies to class and set them loose?"
" Yup. He set them loose."
" Why?"
After leaving the infirmary with a bandage around both her hands, because who would have thought broken glass could do a little damage, Amelia went on to have dinner. Although she ate alone she quickly spotted Justin and Erine near a tree in the courtyard.
" No clue. But honestly, that man has no business in teaching anyone magic. He couldn't even cast a spell! Nonetheless, think of at least casting a basic freezing spell." Amelia told them.
Justin noticed as Amelia's face started to turn slightly red in anger. The two Hufflepuffs knew she valued her education. But never thought she would get this worked up over a professor on the first day.
" He did win all those awards," Ernie mumbled. Lost in thought, he wondered how he could defeat dark creatures in all his autobiographies but not cast a basic spell.
"Wasn't he in Ravenclaw?" Justin asked, remembering that fact in one of the books he had to read for that class.
" That tosser was in Ravenclaw?" Amelia asked with a surprised expression.
" According to him and his peers, yeah," Ernie confirmed.
" And to think I thought the second year would be insightful. " Amelia sighed.
" We still have the rest of the year," Justin said.
" Ugh don't remind me."
The two Hufflepuffs chuckled at the Slytherin's annoyed expression. Although they were laughing now, they hoped that their class tomorrow won't be as disastrous as Amelia's was.
" You two got plans for later? We can go to the library and study? Snape gives out a lot of homework."
" Actually," Ernie said excitedly," We have Hufflepuff quidditch team tryouts later today. They start once whatever team finishes their practice." Ernie informed her.
" Oh, Merlin! Justin, are you trying out?" Amelia asked, unsure if the muggle-born had trained enough.
" Yup. A position for keeper opened up and I'm hoping to impress the captain to make me the new Keeper. " Justin said with a hopeful tone in his voice.
" Cedric maybe is the nicest captain but he is only looking for skilled players. And I don't think a couple of second years is what he is looking for. " Ernie added. A twig of self-doubt clouded his mind. He was no Harry Potter and the chances of a second-year getting admitted into the team are rare. Two second years was even rarer. But he was still slightly hopeful that he and Justin could impress Cedric Diggory.
"I don't believe it!" A loud voice said. The three students turned and noticed the Gryffindor and Slytherin quidditch teams talking to each other."I booked the field for today!" Wood told the Slytherin captain.
" Woah isn't that Oliver wood?" Justin asked out loud. The three watched as the two captains confronted each other.
" Yeah, he's the best quidditch player in all of Hogwarts," Ernie said.
Amelia watched Marcus Flint, a Slytherin she had seen around the common room, look at Wood with a cunning smirk
"Ah," said Flint. "But I've got a specially signed note here from Professor Snape. 'I, Professor S. Snape, give the Slytherin team permission to practice today on the Quidditch field owing to the need to train their new Seeker. "
Confused, Oliver took the note and read it over. Only for the note to confirm what Flint previously said.
"You've got a new Seeker?" said Wood, "Where?"
A boy pushed his way to the front as if making a grand entrance. There stood a smirking blonde boy that Amelia kept encountering. Draco Malfoy.
" You didn't tell us Draco joined the quidditch team!" Justin whispered- shouted to Amelia. Already second-guessing trying out for the team if he had to face Malfoy.
" Sorry? I don't keep up with what he or the quidditch team are doing."
The three watched attentively, trying to make sense of what they were saying. But the moment each member of the Slytherin team presented their new brooms, Amelia knew they were just showing off.
" Oh, Merlin! Those are the Nimbus Two Thousand and One!" Justin exclaimed as he admired the brooms.
Amelia watched as the two Hufflepuffs talked about the broom's new and improved quirks and how fast it is.
Uninterested, Amelia looked back toward the two groups. She noticed Hermione and Ron now standing with the Slytherin team.
"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in," said Hermione, "They got in on pure talent."
The Slytherin saw the smug look on Malfoy's face flicker."No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood,"
Instantly the Gryffindors reacted. Flint pushed Draco behind him as Fred and George tried jumping on him, Alica, Angelica, and Katie yelled at him and even Ernie got up from his spot under the tree and made his way to the group.
" Ernie-" Amelia stop him. Not wanting him to get involved in whatever consequences may ( or may not) occur.
" What did he just say?" Ernie asked with gritted teeth even though he knew the answer. Holding him back, Amelia forced him to sit back down.
"You know what he said. The Gryffindors have it under control Erine." Amelia reassured him.
" You'll pay for that one Malfoy!" The voice of Ron Weasley pulled Amelia's attention back to the altercation.
She watched as he pointed his broken wand toward Malfoy and a jet of green light shot out of the wrong end of the wand. Ron went flying backward into the grass causing the Slytherin players to erupt in laughter.
"Ron! Ron! Are you all right?" squealed Hermione.
Ron opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead, he gave an almighty belch and several slugs dribbled out of his mouth onto the grass.
Amelia looked away, disgusted with the sight. Justin covered his mouth and looked away. Afraid that his dinner would come back up.
" Your brother doesn't look so good Amelia," Ernie said as he watched Harry and Hermione help Ron up.
"I feel sick," Justin said. He, although disgusted, learned a valuable lesson. Never do magic with a broken wand.