The Other Castellan

Professor Lockhart

Chapter 18: Professor Lockhart

Despite Lucas wishing for the next day to be bland and uneventful, the next day was anything but that. From breakfast in the Great Hall, things became steadily worse, though it would be a lie if Lucas said that he didn't find breakfast at least a bit amusing.

  Breakfast started the same as any other morning. The four long tables were each decorated in their houses colours and piled with tureens of porridge, plates of kippers, mountains of toast and dishes of eggs and bacon beneath the enchanted ceiling, which was a dull, cloudy gray. Theo, Lucas, Pansy and Daphne had sat together at the Slytherin table chatting, keen to ignore everything else. Well, Lucas was. 

  However, Lucas had just picked up a piece of toast when there was a rushing sound overhead, accompanied by about a hundred owls rushing in, circling the Great Hall; dropping letters and packages. The Malfoys' family owl dropped a package of sweets in front of Lucas then left, making sure to "accidentally" cuff Blaise on the head with its wing.

  Lucas sniggered at Blaise's shocked face.

  "What was that for?" Blaise yelled at the retreating bird. "Bloody bird," he added under his breath.

  "Did your family owl just-" Theo stared at Blaise, who was rubbing the side of his gingerly, and then Theo blinked. "Wow. He's awesome. Is it a he?"

  Lucas didn't reply. He didn't know himself. He couldn't very well say, "I don't know." It was the Malfoy's family owl. How would he not know?

  Suddenly, there was a sudden burst of sound that startled Lucas out of his thoughts, and he swore he saw the ceiling rattle.

  "... STEALING THE CAR, I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY 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..."

  Lucas glanced at the Gryffindor table, trying to find the source of the sound. In front of Ron, there was a red-letter screaming at him. Lucas guessed that the voice belonged to Mrs. Weasley. He hadn't met her, but who else would send something like that? He noted that Ron was very red.

  "...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..."

  Lucas felt the corners of his mouth twitch, but he tried to keep a neutral face. It wasn't funny at all. He shouldn't be amused, but in this situation, there were only two different emotions you could feel: embarrassed or amused. 

  "...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."

  Lucas's ears rang from the onslaught of sound. He rubbed them gingerly, while there was a sudden silence. Then, a few people started to laugh and soon after, people started talking as if nothing had happened. 

  After a while, Snape made his way down to the Slytherin table from the Staff table and started handing out their schedules. Lucas took his schedule and saw that his year had History of Magic.

  He groaned. By pure luck, Snape had already left.

  "What?" Theo inquired.

  "Look at what we have! History of Magic! First thing today. This is just-" Lucas cut himself off and gave a very frustrated huff.

  Theo stared disbelievingly at his schedule. "Why are we being punished? If anything it should be Weasley and Potter in our place- they were the ones that flew a car to school."