The Hogwarts library was quiet in the way only a place filled with old books and older magic could be.
Gilderoy walked towards his usual corner table near the Restricted Section, close enough to feel private and far enough from Madam Pince's desk to avoid her watchful eye. Bathsheda was already there when he arrived, her dark hair escaping its loose knot, her ink-stained fingers already moving across her notebook.
"You're early," she observed without looking up.
"So are you."
"I'm always early." She finally glanced at him, a small smile playing at her lips. "It's called being prepared. You should try it sometime."
"Okay, okay, Miss Early Bird." Gilderoy laughed, settling into the chair across from her. "I'm here, aren't I?"
He looked down at the runic inscription. It was short, just three words carved into the practice parchment: ᛁᚳ · ᛖᚩᛗ · ᛋᚳᛁᛞᛖ.
The first word, ᛁᚳ, was ic, "I" in Old English. The second, ᛖᚩᛗ, was eom, the first-person singular form of "to be." "I am." The third, ᛋᚳᛁᛞᛖ, was scilde, "shield".
He read it aloud slowly. "I am shield."
"Very good," Bathsheda complimented him. "And the context?"
He studied the inscription again, thinking about what she had taught him earlier. It looks to me more like a grave marker than a ward on a door.
"I think it's someone declaring their purpose, 'I am a shield.' Maybe a warrior. Someone who protected something. Or someone."
Bathsheda nodded, a hint of approval in her expression as she pushed the book forward so that Gilderoy could see the drawing inscribed on the page. "It's from a warrior's tomb. It is implied that he wanted to be remembered as someone who protected his home."
"Good. You're actually learning."
"I have a good teacher."
"Stop flattering me. I won't reduce the number of chocolate bars you need to bring me each session," Bathsheda said, grinning playfully.
They worked through the next hour, Bathsheda asking him questions while Gilderoy deduced the translated answers. She was efficient, patient, and brutally honest when he got something wrong. She didn't sugarcoat his mistakes, and he appreciated that, as it improved his proficiency in Ancient Runes.
Finally, she began packing her things, tucking her notebooks into her bag with practiced efficiency.
"Same time next week," she said. "Bring chocolate."
"Two bars?"
"Three. You're improving. That deserves a reward."
He grinned. "Then I'll bring three to appease my dear teacher."
She snorted, shaking her head, then walked away, disappearing between the towering bookshelves.
Gilderoy watched her go, then turned back to his notes. He had just begun reviewing the translations when a familiar voice cut through the quiet.
"Studying without me?"
Amelia appeared at the end of his table, her arms full of Transfiguration textbooks. She dropped them onto the surface with a heavy thud, scattering his parchment.
"I'm always studying without you," he replied. "You're usually off doing your Auror trainee stuff nowadays."
"Yeah. I know. I know. I'm sorry. You know I need to work hard if I want to get the junior Auror position," she apologised, sliding into the seat across from him.
"It's fine, Amy. I understand. What were we doing last week anyway?"
"Wards cast with wands. Today we review the next section in warding."
Amelia tapped her quill against the open textbook, her brow furrowed. "Wards are stronger when anchored to a physical object. A ward stone."
Gilderoy glanced up from his Ancient Runes notes. "So the stone itself holds the magic?"
"It anchors it and makes it stronger." She flipped a page, scanning the text. "Without the stone, the ward can be broken more easily. With it, you have to find the stone first, study its properties, then figure out how to break it."
"That's why pureblood estates use them?"
"I have them back at my manor." She nodded, pleased he understood. "It's not just about the spell. It's about the anchor. If you don't know where the stone is, you can't break the ward. And even if you find it, you have to understand how it's been enchanted before you can counter it."
"So it's like a lock and key situation?"
"It's more like a lock and a puzzle." She tapped the book illustration of a ward stone. "Not exactly a puzzle, but you have to understand what the stone's intent is, know the counterspell or counter-curse, and break the stone before you can get inside."
"But when you try to cast any spells at the wardstone, the owner gets notified immediately."
"Ohhhh." Gilderoy absorbed the new information he had heard from Amelia, letting it settle into his understanding of warding. They reviewed theory for a while longer, working through examples and discussing how different ward stones might be enchanted depending on their purpose.
After a while, Gilderoy's mind began to wander. He stared at his parchment without seeing it, his thoughts drifting back over the past few months. He had been so busy, so consumed by training and classes and the ever-present weight of the war, that he hadn't stopped to notice how fast time was moving.
He attended regular classes with Amelia. Exercised with her. Duelled with her in the evenings. Became an Animagus with her. Gilderoy still couldn't believe it, that he was an Animagus so quickly. Maybe some higher power had blessed me and Amy.
There was Flitwick's brutal training sessions that left him exhausted. The World Duelling Tournament in France, the rush of the competition, the slight sting of losing to Bellatrix. He had come to terms with it, because Bellatrix had probably learned duelling ever since she held a wand, and realistically, it was already impressive that he had climbed to the semifinals with just a few months of duelling. He knew his Animagus form was basically a cheat, helping him with superhuman agility to dodge spells, and that was how he had cleared through to the quarterfinals.
Meeting Narcissa and Bellatrix at the Black Yule Ball. Getting betrothed to them, though he hadn't asked them when they wanted to get married, nor did he want to bring up the topic. Some things were better left unsaid.
Also, I noticed something very strange over the past few months. After the large attacks in December, Death Eaters had been mostly silent. I wonder what Voldemort is up to. I had already caused a butterfly effect when I had been transmigrated here.
His thoughts drifted further back, to his life as Jon Gasper. A different life. A different world. A college campus, a gaming café, a truck that had ended it all. He felt his eyes grow slightly teary as he remembered his parents, and he tried to wipe it away secretly, not wanting to alert Amelia. My parents would be grieving a lot, and I wanted them to know that I was safe and sound, but there was no method I could use to let them know.
Gilderoy had also sent a letter to his Lockhart family in January, but he had not received a reply. Not that he had been expecting one, because the previous Gilderoy had messed up big when he had left for Hogwarts.
I wondered what it would have been like if I had been transmigrated during Harry Potter's years at Hogwarts. The Boy Who Lived. There would be different people I would have encountered. Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville, Luna.
Ahh, maybe some other lucky fellow will have the chance.
The arrival of Pandora and Xenophilius broke the quiet. They appeared at the end of the table, arms full of Charms textbooks and notes, their usual dynamic immediately shifting the energy of the space.
"Room for two more?" Pandora asked, her voice bright and innocent. Too innocent.
Amelia glanced up. "There's space."
Pandora settled into the seat beside Amelia, Xenophilius taking the spot beside Gilderoy. The table, which had been comfortably sized for two, suddenly felt smaller. Pandora spread her notes across the surface with deliberate care..
Gilderoy watched her. She didn't look at him. Not once. She acted as if he didn't exist, acting same as she had done previously during their apparition lessons
"I'm going to head out," Amelia yawned, gathering her notes and pecking Gilderoy's lips. "I've got Auror training in the morning. Don't stay up too late."
"Right. See you tomorrow."
For the next twenty minutes, Pandora had started playing games. She sucked on the tip of her quill, her lips wrapping around the feather with deliberate slowness, her tongue darting out to trace the edge. She stretched, arching her back, her robes pulling taut across her chest. She stood up, turning her back to him, and bent over the table to explain a concept to Xenophilius, her arse pointed directly in his direction.
Gilderoy watched every move. He tried to ignore her antics and look away, his fingers tightening around his quill, his jaw clenching.
His blood was heating. He shifted in his seat, adjusting his robes. Pandora bent lower, her voice carrying across the table as she explained some obscure Charms theory to Xeno, her back still facing Gilderoy, her spine arching further in his direction.
Okay. She's doing this on purpose. THAT'S IT!
THWACK. A loud sound echoed through the library as Gilderoy smacked her bum hard.
"Uhhh," Pandora moaned as she felt her cheeks sting with slight pain.
She turned to face him, her expression innocent, her eyes bright with mischief.
"Oh, Gilderoy," she said, her voice dripping with false surprise. "I didn't see you there."
"You didn't?" He rose from his chair, his movements slow and deliberate. This bitch was ignoring me all week.
"Not at all." She fluttered her eyelashes. "I was just helping Xeno with his Charms. You know how he struggles."
"I struggle with nothing," Xenophilius said mildly. "I simply find the subject less interesting than others."
Gilderoy stepped around the table, his eyes fixed on Pandora.
"Something wrong, Gilderoy?"
"Nothing at all." He reached her in two steps. "I need to discuss something with you. Privately."
"Oh? What about?" Her voice was light, playful.
He didn't answer. He reached out, grabbed her arm, and pulled her tightly against him. Pandora gasped. Her eyes widened, her mouth falling open. For a moment, she was genuinely surprised.
"Xenophilius ," Gilderoy said, his voice calm and controlled. "I need to borrow Pandora. We have something to discuss."
Xenophilius looked confused but waved a hand, his expression serene. "Take your time. I need to finish up my Charms revision anyway."
___
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