The Potters and the Chamber of Secrets (COMPLETED)

7. I Hate Bludgers and Lockhart

*Hannah's P.O.V*

On the bright side, Lockhart hadn't been stupid enough to bring any more creatures into class. On the other hand... he likes to use Harry and I for his demonstrations of how he kills stuff. So that DADA lesson, I was hauled up in front of the whole class, as a "werewolf". I would've backed out, but we needed him in a darn good mood.

"So I slammed him down, like this-" Lockhart explained, slamming me down. I groaned in pain. "Hannah wolves don't groan. Come on now, a howl please." I resisted the temptation to yell at him and howled, as he had requested. I zoned out for a while and let out another howl later on. "And that is how-" He got cut off by the bell, which I had never been so happy to hear. I jumped up and brushed the dirt off me (AKA LOCKHART). The whole class piled out and we waited nervously at the door while Hermione did her job. We'd better get this darn note; I didn't get slammed down for nothing.

 "Professor? Professor Lockhart?" she trembled. "I wanted to get Gadding with Ghouls out of the library, but you see it's in the restricted section and I need a teacher to sign... this note." She held out the paper.

"Gadding with Ghouls - my possible favourite!" he beamed, signing it with a nasty looking quill. "You'll enjoy it, I'm sure." Hermione smiled weakly, her cheeks a delicate pink. She turned at headed out the classroom. I stared at the note.

 "He didn't even look at the book we wanted!" I said incredulously.

"He's a brainless git, that's why," Ron said.

 "True that," Harry agreed. Hermione, on the other hand, looked reproachful. We went over to the library and gave Madam Pince the librarian.

"Most Potente Potions..." she said, glancing at Harry, Ron, Hermione and I in turn. Well it looks like someones suspicious. Hermione wanted to keep the note, but I gave it to Madam Pince, who held it up against the light then huffed. She got up and extracted a book from the restricted section and came back. Reluctantly, it seemed, she put it in Hermione's hands.

We headed over to Myrtle's bathroom, and it was Ron's idea to barricade the door. Hermione opened the book gingerly. Her finger quickly slid down the contents and stopped at Polyjuice Potion. In a quick flash, she was on the page.

"It's so complex - I've never seen anything like it in my life!" she gasped. "Lacewing flies, leeches, fluxweed and knotgrass... That should be simple; they're all in the Students cupboard. Powdered horn of a Bicorn and Shredded skin of Boomslang... Hmm. That'll be exceptionally tricky. And then we need a bit of who we're changing into."

 "Come again?" Ron said, looking horrified.

"But that bit comes last, so no need to worry now," she continued, ignoring Ron.

 "But Hermione!" Harry said, looking shocked. "We have to steal a whole lot of this from Snape's private stores, it's not a good idea to do that."

"Fine by me if you're too chicken to do it," Hermione slammed the book shut. "If you think that brewing up a potion with ingredients that we have to steal is worse than Muggle-borns possibly being killed then the library is well in walking distance now. If you don't want to see if it's Malfoy, I'm returning the book."

 "She's right," I agreed

"Not toenails okay?" Ron said. "Never thought I'd be living to see the day that you of all people, persuading is to break rules."

 "Anyway," she continued, looking happier, "because the fluxweed has to be picked at a full-moon and lacewings have to be stewed for 21 days, it'll be ready in roughly... a month I'd say."

"What?" Ron yelped incredulously. "Do you have any idea how long a month is? How many Muggle-borns could be attacked by then?"

 "Ron, I don't know about you," I said coolly, "but I know the sooner you start something, the sooner you finish so the sooner we start, the better."