Snakeskin (A Harry Potter Fanfic)

Chapter 10: Worth It

Chapter 10: Worth It

Rosier's been stalking us. Or, at least he was. James and Siri spotted him and stuck him to the ceiling while I put a Silencing Charm on him. No one found him until the end of the day when he really had to pee. The three of us now have detentions for the next month. It was worth it.

**

Since the disastrous episode of the pixies, Lockhart had not brought live creatures to class. Instead, he read passages from his books to them and sometimes reenacted some of the more dramatic bits. He usually picked Harry to help him with these reconstructions; so far, Harry had been forced to play a simple Transylvanian villager whom Lockhart had cured of a Babbling Curse – which Leo said he must be afflicted with -, a yeti with a head cold – Leo remarked that that was impossible since they lived in below zero temperatures and were thus unlikely to ever get head colds -, and a vampire who had been unable to eat anything except lettuce since Lockhart had dealt with him. Leo spent the last half of the class arguing about this one in particular.

Harry was hauled to the front of the class during their very next Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, this time acting a werewolf. Leo wasn't sure why, but the idea of Lockhart saying that he could beat a werewolf bothered him far more than any of his other claimed accomplishments.

"Nice loud howl, Harry — exactly — and then, if you'll believe it, I pounced — like this — slammed him to the floor — thus with one hand, I managed to hold him down — with my other, I put my wand to his throat — I then screwed up my remaining strength and performed the immensely complex Homorphus Charm - he let out a piteous moan — go on, Harry — higher than that — good — the fur vanished — the fangs shrank — and he turned back into a man. Simple, yet effective — and another village will remember me forever as the hero who delivered them from the monthly terror of werewolf attacks."

The bell rang and Lockhart got to his feet.

"Homework — compose a poem about my defeat of the Wagga Wagga Werewolf! Signed copies of Magical Me to the author of the best one!"

The class began to leave. Harry returned to the back of the room, where Leo, Ron, and Hermione were waiting.

"Ready?" Harry muttered.

"Yeah, you lot might want to leave for this though," Leo shrugged, taking the piece of paper from Hermione. "Plausible deniability and all that."

The other three looked nervous at this statement but obliged, leaving the blonde alone with Lockhart for the first time ever. Leo strode further into the room, stopping at Lockhart's desk and slapping the piece of paper down in front of him.

"You're going to sign this," Leo stated simply.

"Why, Mr. Black, if you wanted my autograph, all you had to do was -" Lockhart began, beaming excitedly.

"Ew, gross, no," Leo wrinkled his nose. "Think I'd rather live in the Forbidden Forest for the rest of my life than ask for that. No. I just need a book, and you're going to let me get it."

"Oh?" Lockhart questioned, sitting up straighter with a smug expression on his face. "And if I do, what will you do for me, Mr. Black?"

"Not expose you to the world as the complete and total fraud we both know you are," Leo gave a small shrug.

Lockhart's face paled considerably.

"I don't - what – such an outlandish -"

"Save it," Leo snapped. "You and I both know the truth. Sign my paper and the rest of the world won't need to."