Golden Girl; 𝓕𝓻𝓮𝓭 𝓦𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓵𝓮𝔂

Summer, 1992: The Brawl

They made their way back through Diagon Alley, the bustling shops and colorful storefronts now bathed in the late afternoon light. Bambi walked between Fred and George, their playful banter and occasional nudges filling the air with much laughter.

As they approached Flourish and Blotts, Bambi caught sight of a large crowd jostling outside the doors, all trying to get it. They met up with Ron, Harry, and Hermione who were already standing near the large line in front of the door. She looked up at the banner stretched above the windows.

"Gilderoy Lockhart will be signing copies of his autobiography "Magical Me" today from 12:30pm to 4:30pm." Bambi read aloud, an excited grin crossing her face.

"We can actually meet him!" Hermione squealed, "I mean, he's written almost the whole booklist!"

"Oh, how intriguing! It'd be so interesting to talk to him, I'm sure he knows a lot about-" Bambi began, but was cut off.

"Oh, not you too," Fred groaned, "He's got all the girls fancying him."

"How can I fancy him? I don't even know what he looks like!" Bambi rolled her eyes, "But you have to give him credit if he wrote all of this year's coursework."

Pushing and shoving, they squeezed inside to face a long line leading right to the back of the shop where Gilderoy Lockhart himself was signing his books.

Bambi, the twins, and Lee each grabbed their required books from the shelves, then reapproached Mrs. Weasley and the Grangers in line, the books stacked high in their arms.

"Oh good, there you all are," Mrs. Weasley said with a bright smile on her face and a faint pinkness to her cheeks. She sounded breathless and kept patting down her red hair. "We'll be able to see him in a minute..."

Bambi peered around, but couldn't see over the heads of the many taller people than her.

She was so excited to meet someone who would have had a similar lifestyle to the one she was so familiar with. With the amount of books he had written, surely he had been all around the world! Bambi wondered if her Dad knew about Lockhart. She tried to think about the name if she had heard it before? No memories unlocked at the thought, but she knew she was going to ask her Dad all about him as soon as she could.

The line slowly moved forward, and soon enough, Bambi caught a glimpse of Gilderoy Lockhart.

"He seems..." Bambi's smile faltered slightly as she looked into the face of the man signing books with a ridiculous long peacock quill. He was incredibly handsome, but something about him reminded her of some stage actor, simply playing a part. "Very clean for someone who does so much."

Her voice came out rather mumbled and disappointed.

She thought about the dust-packed bedding, dirt-caked skin, and so much sweat that came with traveling. Sebastian Hargroves would never have worn such elaborate clothes as the man here in front of them.

"Wonderful, isn't it?" Mrs. Weasley grinned as if the fact that Gilderoy Lockhart was clean was the most charming thing.

As they inched closer, Gilderoy Lockhart's charismatic presence became more apparent. He stood tall, his blue eyes sparkling with confidence, and his blond hair perfectly coiffed. His dazzling smile could charm anyone, and his robes, a vibrant shade of forget-me-not blue, added to his aura of celebrity.

"Quite the showman, isn't he?" Lee whispered to Bambi and the twins as they approached closer to where Mrs. Weasley and the Grangers stood.

Bambi nodded in agreement, unable to shake off the feeling that Lockhart's persona might be too good to be true. The high hopes she had moments before walking into the store seemed to be falling.