Status: in proogress

Drusilla Potter and the Champer of Secrets

Cornish Pixies

The next morning Dru and Blaise were in a greenhouse as Ron enters, Seamus, Neville and some of the other Gryffindors hover nearby.
“Detention on the first day” Neville asks.
“That must be some kind of record” Seamus mutters.
James and Sirius give each other a high five.
“I should think you'd count yourself lucky that's all you got” Hermione sniffs looking between Dru and Ron.
“I should think you'd mind your own business” Ron says and they glare at each other.
Professor Sprout, a squat little witch, taps her wand on a stack of pots.
“Welcome to Greenhouse Three, Second Years. Today, we will be re-potting Mandrakes. Now, who here can tell me the properties of the Mandrake? Yes, Miss Granger” Sprout nods to Hermione and every one turns to look at her.
“Mandrake or Mandragora is used to return those who have been transfigured to their original state. It's also quite dangerous. The Mandrake's cry is fatal to anyone who hears it” Hermione’s cheeks flush pink and Blaise nudges Dru.
“Excellent. Ten points to Gryffindor. As our Mandrakes are only seedlings, their cries won't kill yet. However, they will knock you out for several hours. That is why I have provided each of you with a pair of earmuffs. If you would then”
Ron frowns, while Blaise and Dru chuckle seeing he's gotten a bright pink fluffy pair. When the class is ready, Professor Sprout leads them to the garden area. She grasps one of the tufty plants before her... and pulls. Dru gasps. Instead of roots, a small, muddy, extremely ugly BABY pops out of the earth, leaves growing right out of its head. Neville's eyes roll back and he faints.
“Oh dear” Alice gasps.
Professor Sprout plunges the bawling creature deep into a pot, removes her earmuffs, and the others follow suit. Everyone save Neville, who lies stretched on the ground.
“Hmm looks as though Mr. Longbottom neglected his muffs” she tuts
“No, ma'am, he's just fainted” Seamus shakes his head.
“Very well we'll just leave him then. Come now. Four to a tray, plenty of pots to go round...”
At the Gryffindor table, Hermione has her nose buried in Gilderoy Lockhart's Travels with Trolls Dru and Blaise were whispering to each other and casting sly looks to Draco on the Slytherin table who was sitting between Crabbe and Goyle. Ron runs gobs of Spellotape over his broken wand, shakes his head grimly.
“Say it I'm doomed” Ron looks at his wand miserably.
“You're doomed” Dru tells him and flash, a light blinds her. She blinks, finds a small boy standing before her with a camera.
“Hiya, Dru. I'm Colin Creevey. I'm in Gryffindor” he smiles.
“Hello, Colin nice to meet”
“They're for my dad – the pictures. He's a milkman, you know, a Muggle, like all our family's been until me. No one knew all the odd stuff I could do was magic till we got my letter from Hogwarts. Everyone just thought I was mental” Collin babbles and Blaise chokes on his drink.
“Imagine that” Ron looks at him incredulously.
“Say, Dru. D'you think your friend could take a photo of me and you standing together? Ya' know, to prove I've met you?”
Dru glances at Ron and sees he looks positively homicidal. Mercifully, just then, owls stream into the Hall.
“Post is here!” Dean calls.
One after another, the birds swoop gracefully down, clutching letters from home. All except one, who plops beak-first into Ron's soup, Errol.
“Bloody bird's a menace -- Oh... no” Ron pales.
“Heads up, everyone. Weasley's gotten himself a Howler” Seamus says loudly.
“Go on, Ron I ignored one from my Gran once... and it was horrible” Neville gulps.
Ron looks pale. Clutched in Errol's beak is a damp red envelope. Hands shaking, he takes it, opens it, and Mrs. Weasley's voice thunders, sending plates and spoons rattling.
“RONALD WEASLEY! HOW DARE YOU STEAL THAT CAR! I AM ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED! YOUR FATHER'S NOW FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK AND IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT! IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT HOME!” she screams and her voice suddenly softens.
“Oh, and Ginny dear, congratulations on making Gryffindor, your father and I are so proud”
Ginny, sitting a bit apart from the others looks up shyly then returns to the small black book she's scribbling in. Ron watches the envelope rip itself to pieces then endures howls of laughter from the other House tables. Colin Creevey snaps a few photos. Dru looks sympathetically at Ron.
“Look at it this way. How much worse can things get?” she says.
“She just had to say that” Lily shakes her head.
Gilderoy Lockhart paces before the class. Hermione and the girls hang on his every word, while Dru and Blaise eye the large, covered cage rattling mysteriously on his desk.
“Let me introduce you to your new Defence Against the Dark Arts Teacher. Me. Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defence League and five times winner of Witch Weekly's Most- Charming-Smile Award -- But I don't talk about that. I didn't get rid of the Bandon Banshee by smiling at her” Lockhart awaits laughter but only a few students smile weakly.
“What a poser” Sirius snorts.
“Professor why on earth would you have him teach that” Regulus looks to Dumbledore but he just shakes his head watching, they could all tell he didn’t even know how to use a wand properly.
“I see you've all bought a complete set of my books. Well done. I thought we'd start today with a little quiz, nothing to worry about. Just to check how well you've read them, how much you've taken in...” Lockhart begins to circulate papers.
Dru and Blaise examine the questions. Ron turns and whispers to them
“Look at these questions, they're all about him”
“What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favourite colour?” Dru reads.
“What is Gilderoy Lockhart's greatest achievement to date?” Blaise snorts at his paper.
“When is Gilderoy Lockhart's birthday and what would his ideal gift be?” Ron reads from his and they all share an exasperated look while the girls scribble down furiously.
“You have thirty minutes. Start –now” Lockhart shouts.
As quills begin to dart across pages, the image on the screen dissolves until another appears od Lockhart rifles through the completed exams.
“Tut, tut, hardly any of you remembered my favourite colour is lilac. But Miss Hermione Granger knew that my secret ambition is to rid the world of evil and market my own range of hair care potions. Good girl” Hermione beams. Lockhart's expression suddenly darkens.
“Oh dear lord” Bianca shakes her head sadly.
“Now... be warned! It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizard kind! You may find yourself facing your own worst fears in this room. Know only that no harm can befall you whilst I am here...”
With a showman's flair, Lockhart turns slowly to the cage.
“I must ask you not to scream. It might provoke them”
A pale Neville draws back. Dru and Blaise lean forward.
Lockhart lets the tension build, then whips off the cover. Inside the cage are several electric blue creatures. Eight inches tall, with pointed faces and wings, they rattle the bars and pull bizarre faces at the students.
“Cornish pixies” Seamus asks loudly.
“Freshly caught Cornish pixies”
Unable to control himself, Seamus snorts with laughter.
The Marauders join in and McGonagall purses her lips.
“Laugh if you will, Mr. Finnegan, but pixies can be devilishly tricky little blighters. Let's see what you make of them now”
Lockhart flings open the cage, instantly, the pixies rocket about, spraying the students with ink bottles, breaking beakers and shredding books. Two seize Neville by the ears, lift him into the air, and begin to circle the ceiling.
“What” Alice and Lily both stand.
“Come on now, round them up, round them up. They're only pixies” he brandishing his wand.
“Peskipiski Pesternomi”
The spell has absolutely no effect. A particularly obnoxious pixie makes a face, seizes Lockhart's wand and tosses it out the window. Lockhart joins the stampede to the door.
“I'll ask you three to just nip the rest of them back into their cage” Slamming the door, he's gone.
Dru, Blaise, Ron and Hermione stand blinking. Ron swats a pixie gnawing his ear.
“What do we do now” Ron asks.
“Immobilus” Hermione and Blaise shout’s raising their wands.
The pixies freeze in midair. Neville falls, plops onto Lockhart's desk, shaken but unhurt. He looks at Hermione.
“Why is it always me?” he asks shaking his head.
“I forbid you from ever hiring that man” Alice shouts enraged to the professors.
“So do i, how could you hire someone like that” Lily asks flushing furiously.
“Very well” Dumbledore nods while McGonagall sat giving him a pointed look to which he ignored. They both knew that he would have known of his magic capability which means he was there for a reason.