Hope For The Hopeless (Severus Snape x Reader)

Diagon Alley

Before you could apparate to Diagon Alley, you had to walk off Hogwarts grounds; you kept it slow this time, although you wished you could go faster. Lockhart talked all the bloody way. Mainly about himself and his work; he did briefly touch upon your ex Auror status but only as a measure to say he could never be an Auror. He possessed the skills, obviously, but he couldn’t be tied down by all that bureaucracy and red tape. You didn’t even bother to stop your eyes from rolling. You’d heard that before, usually from macho type Wizards who were definitely compensating for something.

Lockhart was cutting it fine in making it to his signing but he had been very insistent that he would wait for you. Reluctantly, when you arrived, you headed straight to Flourish and Blotts; you were hoping to at least use the opportunity to browse the shelves and maybe get a new book or two. Having to use the back door so Lockhart could make his grand entrance did have a perk; it saved you from being crushed by the crowd. Many of which were women and children. You stalked around into the main part of the shop as Lockhart checked himself over in a pocket mirror; checking he had nothing in his teeth and perfecting his curls.

It was a frenzy in the main section, you had to squeeze to get through and tolerate dirty looks from some of the women who thought you were trying to push in front of them. Lady, please. Have him! The stand showcasing Gilderoy’s new book, 'Marvellous Me' was too showy and completely cringe-inducing. It was perfectly Lockhart.

Then the crowd seemed to get even more excited as Lockhart came into view. He sat down next to the pictures of himself, they were winking and flashing white smiles. While he was in the back of the shop he had added a Wizard’s hat to his ensemble and you heard whispers of how good his suit looked on him. The cut of the suit was nice but you thought it would look better in a darker colour, possibly black. The Forget-Me-Not blue made him look like a sweetie. A sickly sweetie.

The flash of the camera and the subsequent smoke clouds irritated you and you tried to move out of the crowd as best you could. Then you heard Lockhart excitedly exclaim, “It can’t be Harry Potter”. You would be a liar if you said your ears didn’t perk at the name of the boy. After all, he was the boy who lived - intrigue would always follow him. Mostly, you felt sorry for the boy, he'd never be able to do anything without someone knowing. You watched the exchange, Lockhart whispered something in Harry's ear and then took his hand to shake; smoke filled the crowd again as the photographer took another picture. Eyeing Lockhart you noticed he was looking for something. Or someone. Shit.

You weren't one for attention, so when Lockhart shouted your name you tried to shrink into the crowd but it was no use, he had picked you out and summoned you to him. Everyone’s eyes were now on you and you thought trying to run away would be more awkward and inevitably fail, so you walked over to him, keeping your head firmly down. Whispers from all directions as you did so.

Lockhart grabbed your hand and pulled you next to him “Ladies and gentleman. When young Harry here stepped into Flourish and Blotts today, he only wanted to buy my autobiography – which I shall be happy to present him now, free of charge.” The crowd applauded and you clapped lightly to not stand out any more than you already were. This was your worst nightmare. You watched as Lockhart gave Harry a little shake, sending his glasses sliding down his nose. Your eyes skimmed over the scar on his forehead and you gave him a reassuring smile, the poor boy looked bewildered.

His speech continued, “He and his fellows will, in fact, be getting the real, magical me. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have great pleasure and pride in announcing that, this September, I will be taking up the post of the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I will also be joined by my lovely new assistant f/l/n.” You felt your eyes bulge at the mention of your name. The absolute nerve of this man. His hand snaked around your waist, pulling you closer for another photo. Smiling nervously at the camera the flash shot a stream of glowing orbs into your eyes. Both you and Harry blinked a few times to get your vision back, Lockhart must have been used to as he didn't look phased at all. In fact, Lockhart immediately grabbed a stack of books and passed them to Harry, it was so tall it looked like it might topple the skinny boy over.