Chapter 33 - Back to Hogwarts (2/2)

While Neal smiled that she was sorted into her dėsɨrėd house, Draco teased him, ”It looks like your little girlfriend ended up at Ravenclaw”. Suddenly, Daphne almost screamed, ”what did you say?”. Neal replied, ”she is just my childhood acquaintance. I don't even remember her, Draco. Don't start worthless rumors”.

The next day after breakfast, Neal introduced Cho Chang to Eve and asked Cho to look after her as he knew that students in Ravenclaw house get bullied a lot by their seniors, and went on his way towards the classes while Harry and Ron were being called to Prof. McGonagall's office to get detention for being seen while riding on a Flying car and damaging Whomping Willow.

When Ron argued, ”honestly, the tree did more damage to us”, Prof. McGonagall takes off 10 points each for arguing back. while the whole school is talking about it against Harry's recklessness, Gryffindor students, on the other hand, did appreciate him for making quite an entrance last night although they still were scolded by Hermoine and Percy for losing 20 points on the first day.

While the Herbology lessons got canceled as Prof. Sprout is busy with doctoring the Whomping Willow, Prof. Gilderoy Lockhart who spotted Harry started to lecture in his, own weird way.

”Harry, I understand. It 's natural to want to taste it again once you had the first taste. I blame myself for giving you publicity by taking pictures with you on the front page. But you shouldn't do dangerous stuff like Flying cars to try and get yourself noticed.

Just calm down, all right. Plenty of time for all that when you're older. Yes, yes, I know what you're thinking. It's all right for him, he's an internationally famous wizard already. I mean, a few people have heard of you, haven't they? All that business with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

Although not popular as winning Weekly's most charming smiled for 5 times in a row but still....”. As Lockhart was talking about his bragging, Neal and others were stumped and wondered what kind of a planet did he came from...” while Tracey and other girls who were his fans were still in a fan mode listening to his bragging so intently.

Next, they went to Transfiguration classes where they had to write and write theories non-stop and in the last tried to make Beetle into a buŧŧon. As everyone expected, Neal and Hermoine transfigured them easily while Harry and Ron struggled.

Especially Ron. Since his wand has been broken earlier during their crash against Whomping Willow and he retaped it.

Later after the lunch is over, a first-year who's a fan of Harry Potter pictured him and made him sign on them which Malfoy saw and began to comment, ”Oh, Harry Potter is giving out signed photos. Everyone line up”. When Ron and Malfoy began to argue, Lockhart who appeared from nowhere and took a double picture with Harry and signed his name and gave it to the first year and later lectured Harry again while boasting himself in the process.

Meanwhile, Neal was seen walking with Eve which made her fellow Ravenclaw question how does she know him. When she told them that he is her childhood friend, their behavior changed into a bit of friendlier one as Neal was always close with Ravenclaws.

The next day, everyone attended D.A.D.A. with excitement in the hopes that it would be very different from last year. But everyone's hopes dashed when Lockhart gave them a quiz from his books which were mentioned in the letter to check who has read them in the holidays.

1. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favorite color?

2. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's secret ambition? etc..

There are a few dozens of questions all of them just stating about his preferences.

Neal thought, ”I guess Edward is right after all. He does seem like a fraud to me now. With him fooling around like this, forget about the record, can I even get a perfect score?”.