adored by him | *under editing*

second year × 30

Ron paced the hall nervously. "She must have known something. That's why the monster took her. She was--she is a pureblood! There can't be another reason, right?"

"Ron, Nadia is a pureblood but she was still petrified." Hermione tried to reason. He sighed and hung his head.

"Why don't we see Lockhart? He may be a brainless git--" Hermione sent Harry a pointed look. "--But he's going to try and get into the Chamber. We have to tell him what we know."

The pair agreed but Ron halted. "Guys, d'you think there's a chance that Ginny could be..." Hermione frowned.

"We'll find her." Harry stated. "Ginny will be fine." Ron nodded warily and the trio dashed to Lockhart's office, "Professor, we have some information--" Harry stopped dead in his tracks, eyeing the half-filled trunks. "Are you going somewhere?"

Lockhart turned swiftly. "Yes. Urgent call. Unavoidable. Got to go!"

Ron's eyebrows dipped. "What about my sister?"

"Well, as to that, most unfortunate. No one regrets more than I!"

"You're the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher." Ron huffed. "You can't go now."

Lockhart sighed and muttered, "I must say when I took the job, nothing in the job description--"

"You're running away? After all the stuff you did in your books?" The trio were beyond confused.

He ran a hand through his golden hair. "Books can be misleading."

"But you wrote them!"

"My dear boy, do use your common sense? My books wouldn't have sold half as well as they did  if people didn't think that I had actually done all of those things." Hermione gasped. "No one wants to read about an ugly, old Armenian warlock, even if he did save a village from werewolves. He'd look dreadful on the front cover, no dress sense at all..."

"You're a fraud!" She snapped. "You've just been taken credit for things other wizards have done. To think, I defended you!"

"Hermione, dear, there was work involved." Lockhart tried to defend. "I had to track these people down and ask them exactly how they managed to do what they did. No, it's not all book signings and publicity photos. You want fame? Well, you have to be prepared for a long, hard slog." He lectured.

Ron sneered, "Is there anything you can do?"

"Yes, now that you mention it. I'm rather gifted at memory charms. Otherwise, you see, all those other wizards would have gone blabbing and I would have never sold another book. I'm afraid I'll have to do the same to you three, lest you do the same."

"Expelliarmus!" Harry yelled just as Lockhart brandished his wand. Rendered unarmed, he made a break for the door but Ron and Hermione blocked it, wands aimed. "Don't even think about it."

"Now c'mon." Ron hissed. Lockhart sighed and began reluctantly following the trio to the abandoned girl's bathroom where Moaning Myrtle moped.

"Hello, Harry. What do you want?" 

"To ask how you died."