"Professor Hamilton, you'll definitely agree to this, right?"
"I…" Lyla stumbled back a few steps, bumping into the large bookshelf behind her. Several heavy books tumbled down, smacking her squarely on the head.
"This is a brilliant idea." Gilderoy Lockhart rubbed his hands together eagerly, looking down at Lyla, who was now sitting on the floor surrounded by scattered books.
"We can teach the students proper wandwork, demonstrate a duel, and improve their skills together!" Lockhart's voice grew louder and more triumphant as he spoke.
"But… but I…" Lyla rubbed her sore head miserably. "I'm not very…"
"You can definitely do it, Professor Hamilton," Lockhart interrupted, tilting his chin up proudly. "I have the utmost faith in your abilities."
"You are absolutely an opponent worthy of rivaling me."
'Ah… that's not necessarily true!'
Lyla still remembered the incredible feats described in Lockhart's published tales, where he single-handedly defeated eighteen trolls and tamed savage dragons!
'I definitely couldn't do that!' she thought.
"I'm not… not that amazing…" Lyla pursed her lips and whispered. "And I'm also… I'm not good at…"
"Lecturing…"
"Not to worry!" Lockhart patted his chest confidently. "You won't have to say a single word."
"I know you prefer to maintain that mysterious, silent aura…"
"Ah… silent but deadly…" Lockhart chuckled. "I'll do all the talking for you."
"You just need to participate," he added, casually pulling out a chair and sitting down. "We'll put on an exhilarating duel as the opening act."
"Just… a duel?" Lyla asked, gathering a tiny bit of courage.
If it was just a duel, she was actually quite confident. She was highly skilled in combat, having won the academy dueling championship twice back at Durmstrang.
'But even with that skill… I probably couldn't defeat Mr. Lockhart, right?'
'Still, losing to a legendary wizard like Mr. Lockhart shouldn't be too embarrassing, should it?'
'Oh no… why am I even thinking about joining this Duelling Club?!'
She had come to Hogwarts to accomplish important things for Grindelwald's cause… even if she hadn't actually done anything particularly important over the past few months.
Seeing that Lyla still looked hesitant, Lockhart pressed on. "Oh, and Professor Hamilton."
"I heard Professor McGonagall mention that you've been looking for memories to use in your Defense Against the Dark Arts classes. Is that right?" He nodded proudly. "I happen to think I'm quite the exceptional teacher."
'That's right…' Lyla's eyes lit up behind her silver mask.
Mr. Lockhart was a famous wizard and a best-selling author; his memories of facing dark creatures must be incredibly useful!
Furthermore, Dumbledore had only given her enough memories for a single lesson. She had been stressing over what to do for next week's classes, never expecting Mr. Lockhart to volunteer his help so easily.
"I can help you out, Professor Hamilton," Lockhart smiled brightly. "If you agree to join my Duelling Club, I'll provide you with an entire semester's worth of Defense Against the Dark Arts memories."
"A… a whole semester?" Lyla was genuinely stunned. 'Am I dreaming?'
If she helped Mr. Lockhart now, she wouldn't have to worry about lesson planning for the rest of the term!
"That's right, an entire semester." Lockhart flashed his trademark, charming smile. "You haven't met anyone as generous as me before, have you?"
"Indeed… indeed I haven't…"
'You're certainly far more generous than Dumbledore!' Lyla looked up at the man with deep gratitude. His smile seemed so bright and comforting!
"Then shall we… extract them now…" Lyla excitedly pulled out one of her Memory Headbands. "The memories, I mean."
"Ah, apologies, Professor Hamilton," Lockhart said, smoothly waving his hand. "I'm afraid I have some pressing matters to attend to today."
"In fact, I'll be quite busy for the next few days." He sighed dramatically. "I have a book signing to prepare for, and I desperately need to reply to my fan mail."
"My dear fans," he added with a showy, exhausted smile. "You probably can't understand the sheer exhaustion of fame, Professor."
'Ah… actually, I completely understand that exhaustion,' Lyla thought defensively. She spent hours every single day replying to Hermione's letters, meticulously answering questions about Magic Array theory.
However, seeing Mr. Lockhart's completely helpless expression, she decided not to add to his burdens.
If Mr. Lockhart couldn't provide the memories for this week, she would just have to borrow more from Professor McGonagall. Fortunately, it was only Saturday; she still had a day to figure it out.
"So, it's a deal then?" Lockhart asked, looking at the slightly dazed Lyla. "Next Monday, first class in the afternoon. The Great Hall."
"Hmm… good… okay." Lyla paused, then suddenly remembered something important. "Excuse me, Mr. Lockhart… why… why did you choose me?"
Lyla couldn't figure it out. She wasn't an amazing or famous person, and she had barely interacted with Lockhart before this.
"Ah, that." Lockhart paused at the doorway. "It has to do with Professor Snape."
"I originally asked him to assist me," Lockhart explained with a careless shrug. "But he seemed far too busy with his potion experiments."
"So, he recommended you instead." Lockhart pursed his lips in a handsome smile. "And I must say, I think you're a perfect fit."
'So that's what happened?'
'I really need to thank Professor Snape again…' Lyla thought warmly. 'Without his recommendation, how would I have ever secured enough memories for the students' classes this semester?'
Watching Mr. Lockhart leave, Lyla let out a long breath and slumped back onto the floor.
She lazily waved her wand, levitating the fallen books back onto the shelf. In the process, she pulled out a worn Potions textbook she had found earlier.
She had discovered it in an abandoned cabinet. Although the cover was tattered, the margins were filled with brilliant handwritten notes left by its previous owner.
This was incredibly useful for someone like her, who was completely inept at brewing Potions.
Unfortunately, it wasn't much help for Mr. Lupin's current situation. The textbook was quite old and didn't contain a single reference to the complex Wolfsbane Potion.
Lyla shoved a newer textbook into her bag instead.
'Ah… I almost forgot.'
Lyla waved her wand again, summoning Tom Riddle's diary into her hands.
"Mr. Riddle, about the Chamber of Secrets…" she wrote.
"Do not be so impatient, Miss Hamilton," the ink quickly bled back onto the page. "The time is not yet right."
"The Chamber of Secrets is not a place you can simply wander into whenever you please."
Riddle's words gave Lyla pause. "Does the Chamber of Secrets have a Secret Lock Magic Array?"
"No!" Riddle replied almost instantly, his ink slashing angrily across the paper. "Please do not ask me about arrays again."
"When the time is right, I will personally guide you there."
'Alright then…' Lyla wasn't in a huge rush to explore the Chamber anyway. She had far too much on her plate at the moment.
Brewing the Wolfsbane Potion, preparing for classes, the Duelling Club… when was the last time she had been this busy?
It certainly wasn't during her time at Nurmengard… and probably not at Durmstrang, either.
Lyla couldn't help but smile behind her mask.
She suddenly realized she didn't actually mind being this busy. At the very least, it was much better than the crushing loneliness she used to feel back at Durmstrang.
And she had two real friends now, didn't she?
'Maybe I'll have a third friend soon…' she pondered excitedly. 'Will it be Hagrid? Or Mr. Lockhart? Or maybe even Mr. Riddle?'
'What a delightful fantasy!'