The Girl Who Vanished

Chapter 5: The Enemy

"Kill me, Aeron, please take your quill and stab me in the heart," Ana mumbled beneath her breath as she, Slytherin house and the Hufflepuffs were sitting in the DADA classroom: double Defense Against the Dark Arts.

                Aeron choked on his saliva as he processed her request which resulting in him coughing loudly during the lesson. A few students turned around at the disruption, but any distraction was appreciated during their first lesson after break.

                "Believe me, all of us would rather be dead."

                "Not Calista," she pointed to the muggleborn who was resting her head in her hand as she gazed upon the theatrical man as if he was the sun personified. Calista couldn't take her eyes off of Lockhart as he waltzed around the spacious classroom like he was walking on ice. Alex stared at Calista with a disparaging look on her face, absolutely horrified by her friend's fascination in the brand new professor.

                Not only was his face not enough, his gob was plastered on every wall of the classroom accented by tacky golden frames and portraits. They were all admiring each other, clones of him flirting with the nearest one. Her father wasn't even this boastful, Ana recognized. His level was performative teaching rivalled Snape's if the potion's master ever decided to trade in his black cloak for gaudy fuchsia robes.

                "And now, boys and girls, let me present to you your first quiz of the term."

                The class erupted in cries of agony, the loudest coming from the boys while most of the swearing originated from the badgers in the room. Ana chuckled at their indecent murmurs, which went completely over Lockhart's inflated head.

                "How can we be quizzed if we haven't been taught any material Professor?" Ana blurted without raising her hand for permission, he probably would have ignored it if she did.

                "I'm sorry, who might you be?" His smile stretched across his entire face, making his full set of teeth bared for the students to see. She feared he was going to burst a temple from how hard he was forcing his smile.

                "Bibiana-"

                "Ah, Bibiana-"

                "Malfoy," she finished. "Bibiana Malfoy."

                Lockhart's smile wiped from his face in an instant at the mention of her full name, gulping before the grin returned, albeit less intense this time around. Ana rejoiced in breaking the man out of his trance for a moment, even if that did mean he would hold unfavorable feelings towards her.

                "Well, Ms. M- Bibiana," he stumbled, "the quiz is not so much a formal test of your abilities in defensive spells. In that case, approach it with an open mind, dear. You'll find the process rewarding, I presume."

                Ana's eyes surveyed his appearance, finding the man in front of her distasteful as she gazed upon the paper out of his outstretched hand. His hair was swooped into a meticulous quiff, presumably held down by the most intense of magical hair gels. It probably felt as stiff as Snape's sense of humor.

Her gaze remained stern and hardened as she took the test from him; he bowed nervously before twisting on his heel and performing yet again.

                "Class! You all have one hour to complete the quiz. You may use your textbooks if you so please, but be warned, not all of the answers will be within the covers of my best sellers," his conceited chuckle reverberated in the deafeningly quiet room. When he didn't get the applause he sought out, he raised his wand in front of his face like he was gearing to duel. "And begin."