"Cassius Snape! Over here, young man!"
Cassius froze the moment his name was shouted across the crowded interior of Flourish and Blotts.
Every witch and wizard in the store turned as one, the air thick with curiosity and perfume, as the bookstore was still filled near to the brim with young witches longing to gaze upon Lockhearts legendary smile.
A sea of violet and teal robes surrounded a tall, golden-haired man grinning like he'd just discovered sunlight was flattering.
Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most-Charming-Smile Award.
And currently, Britain's most self-absorbed peacock.
"Ah, and here he is!" Lockhart sang, his teeth flashing. "The young Heir to House Draconis himself! The prodigy I've heard so much about! Come, come—just one photograph for the Prophet, hm?"
Cassius sighed through his nose.
He hadn't even crossed the threshold a full minute and was already being turned into a spectacle.
Sirius, standing at his side, looked torn between horror and amusement.
"Oh, this'll be good," he muttered under his breath.
Lockhart, ever oblivious, swept forward like a human hurricane.
His turquoise robes shimmered with self-enchantment charms, sparkles trailing as he approached.
The only thing that wouldve maid this worse was if he was like Skargo and had a graphic effect having roses blooming in his presence everytime he started gushing.
He threw an arm—an uninvited arm—around Cassius's shoulders.
"Marvelous! A picture for the ages! The courageous and handsome Professor Lockhart, standing with Hogwarts' newest star! Smile, my boy, smile! Together we raid the front page!"
Cassius, who did not smile, muttered under his breath.
"Fairy Light."
Thanks to all the noise around no one was even aware he placed a hand on his wand in its holster, nor that he'd muttered the chant for a spell of his own making.
The spell he'd first developed during his charm class during first year, had evolved greatly since then, the picturesque fairies still appeared in a group but at their lead, something new appeared radiating gold and silver, dancing and coalescing into a cloud of radiant motes.
The store gasped as the motes swirled together, forming the delicate figure of a winged woman The height of a regular human adult.
The Fairy Queen, as Cassius like to call her.
Her wings gleamed like opals.
Her hair was a river of pale moonlight.
She looked down upon Lockhart with a slow, knowing smile that could melt glaciers—or in this case, fragile egos.
Lockhart froze, eyes wide, mouth open. "By Merlin's… magnificent mane…"
The Fairy Queen was the next stage of Cassius's custom Lumos spells advancement.
Much like how Lumos would be enhanced into Lumos Maxima, Fairy Light was the same.
The Fairy Queen stood there regally before Lockheart, never speaking a word but casting the man a smile that should be painted into postarity in an instant.
Lockhart turned crimson.
"W-well! Ahem! I—of course, my dear lady—where have, ah, you come from!" He preened visibly. "We'd make-such a... huhrmmm cute couple together-dont you think?"
The fairy shook her head solemnly, eyes glimmering wickedly.
As if to say she had no need for a man such as him.
With that, she waved a hand.
The fairy lights surrounding her, all charged forwards like children given sugar and the right to run wild.
They began wizzing all over, their bodies being made up entirely of light, but being light they also possessed the ability of heat.
Using that heat the Fairy minions proceeded to take to Lockhearts flashy hair and clothes, causing both the receive burns and damages.
His one flowing locks began to look dry and frizzy, his gloriously regal robes looking more and more like they had been moth infested.
The crowd roared with laughter.
Cassius didn't move, his expression unreadable.
But Sirius?
He had to brace himself on a nearby bookshelf, tears of mirth streaming down his face.
"Oh—oh Merlin—he looks like a walking hairball!" Sirius wheezed, clutching his ribs.
With whatever product within evaporated Lockhearts lucious mane had reverted into a frizzball, of uncontrollable curly hair reminiscent of an afro atop his head.
Lockhart, dazed but still desperate to maintain dignity, cleared his throat and turned to the cameras.
"Aha! Just a bit of… nothing to fret about, i'll have it sorted in a jiffy! Wonderful, wonderful, all in good fun—"
But Cassius wasn't done.
The Fairy Queen turned to him, awaiting command.
Cassius inclined his head ever so slightly.
From the air, more fairy lights appeared—dozens, then hundreds, each one glowing with mischievous delight.
The crowd backed away instinctively as the lights swarmed toward Lockhart, surrounding him in a sparkling whirlwind.
"Er—ha-ha! Very nice trick! Very—ACK!"
The first light zapped him square in the rear.
Another dove into his clothes causing him to begin dancing and jigging about as his body was lightly singed as it made its way into part unknown.
Within seconds, the great Gilderoy Lockhart was dancing in circles, yelping, flapping his arms as the fairies gleefully harassed him.
"Stop! Stop at once, you—beautiful little creatures!" he shouted, trying to grab one out of the air.
Instead, it retaliated by smacking him in the nose with a glowing burst of dust.
Sirius had collapsed by this point, laughing so hard he was nearly crying.
"Oh, this—this is—this is art!" he gasped, slapping the floor. "I haven't laughed like this since James tried to charm McGonagall's tea into whiskey!"
Cassius just stood, hands clasped behind his back, watching serenely as Lockhart stumbled into a display stand.
The pile of books—his own, of course—toppled over him, burying him under dozens of glossy covers all featuring his perfect, grinning face.
The Fairy Queen drifted back to Cassius, bowing her luminous head.
Cassius inclined his head.
"That will do."
With a snap of his fingers, the lights vanished, leaving Lockhart sprawled amidst his self-promotion, hair smoking faintly and ego in shambles.
The crowd erupted into applause.
Several witches swooned—not at Lockhart, but at the elegant poise of the dark-haired boy who'd quietly resolved the whole even with nothing much more than a click of the fingers.
Most never realizing that this was a charm of magic and not the manifestation of fairies themselves.
Others began to wonder why the magnificent Lockheart could only act like a buffoon rather than easily deal with them just as the young Cassius had.
Sirius finally regained enough breath to stagger to his feet, still chuckling. "Merlin's beard, kid—you've got a mean streak in you."
Cassius allowed himself a faint smirk. "He tried to use me for publicity. I thought it fair to… reciprocate."
Sirius grinned wolfishly. "That's not just fair, that's Marauder-level poetic justice."
"Poetic?" Cassius asked mildly, brushing imaginary dust from his sleeve. "Perhaps. But I'd call it educational, i'd like to see him try pulling this stunt again at school."
Lockhart groaned somewhere beneath the pile of books. "Someone fetch me a mirror…"
A photographer—still trembling with laughter—snapped one last photo before retreating, muttering about the headline of the decade.
"Come on," Sirius said, clapping Cassius on the shoulder. "Let's get you out of here before someone decides you're a public menace."
They slipped from the store amid the chaos, the sounds of laughter and magical flashes still echoing behind them.
As they stepped out into the sunlight, Sirius chuckled again. "You know, I was going to warn you about Lockhart being a self-obsessed tosser—but I think you've got him handled."
Cassius gave him a side glance, lips twitching upward.
Sirius barked another laugh. "You're dangerous, kid."
"Dangerous?"
Cassius looked up at him, eyes glinting with mischief.
"No, Sirius. I'm just—" he paused, his expression turning sly—"up to no good."
Sirius froze, then let out a startled laugh that shook through him like thunder. "You didn't just—"
Cassius only smiled wider, his green eyes flashing with mirth and something else lingering within.
"I solemnly swear it," he said, voice soft but certain. "Always."