"I want five inches on the tactics I used to defend against the Werewolves in chapter 6 for next week!" Exclaimed the man who today had chosen to wear a robe silver-gold which was so embroidered with decorations it was indecent.
The twenty plus students of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor groaned in accord, and Nigel who had partnered with Alexandra whispered "Any idea where to begin?" as they passed the door.
"Not at all." The Potter Heiress replied once they were in the corridors. "But if there's one thing I've learnt with this Professor, it's that the content really doesn't matter. As long as you write with style, your mark will be at least an E."
"It would be good if the grade meant something." Nigel affirmed glumly. "First, Quirell and now Lockhart. If things continue like that, how are we going to pass the OWLS in Defence Against the Dark Arts?"
"Self-study, I suppose." Said Alexandra as Hermione and Morag caught up with them in the crowded corridor. "And you forgot Devkins and Reed in your list of useless Professors."
As Devkins had been unable to teach them anything of value last year, the tradition now continued with Professor Kaitlyn Reed. The woman seemed nice enough, but she had also alas the drawback of belonging in the category of women worshipping Gilderoy Lockhart. No, worshipping was too weak a word to describe this intensive veneration of the wizard a large majority of the Hogwarts population suspected to be an enormous fraud. Reed was the founder of the "Hogwarts Gilderoy Lockhart's Fan-club", leading a dozen or so brainwashed girls from Hufflepuff, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw in a movement which could have been amusing if he did not have so many similarities with a sect.
"We should take a short-cut." Said Morag as more and more Gryffindors poured from a nearby corridor so fast the corridor and the stairs which came after became so crowded it was difficult to put one step behind the other without pushing or kicking another boy or girl.
"We are taking the short-cut." Remarked Alexandra. Making the matter worse was the fact they were just behind the Golden trio of Gryffindor and its infernal cohorts. Ronald Weasley was his usual self, shouting his love of the Quidditch and his dedication to the Chudley Cannons Quidditch team above all else. At least he had stopped bothering Hermione about Crookshanks. Most surprisingly, it had been Leo Black who had put him back in less antagonistic mood, going so far to buy him a curious red-orange rat-which had been unoriginally named Chudley-to retain some measure of peace.
"I'm sure the Cannons are going to break this run of bad luck. If they win against the Harpies next week-end..."
Morag laughed at that, a noise fortunately covered by the bedlam of the dozens of students surrounding them. The Chudley Cannons were currently on a series of twenty-eight defeats, most of them with a minimum of three hundred points margin. Three managers and seventeen players had been hired and fired since September, Quidditch Kingdom and Seeker World, the two most respectable magazines on the subject were unanimous it would take a new whole team and the hiring of dozens curse-breakers to stop the string of humiliations. One or two photos which had been published in the sport section of the Daily Prophet gave the idea hiring one of the Hogwarts Quidditch team would actually be an improvement. No, the Chudley Cannons were not unlucky. 'Unlucky' was too weak for a proper assessment. A Bulgarian retired player had described it as 'a rotten luck turning good players into clowns'. End of the quote. Firing all the team, changing the name, buying luck potions and heirlooms and recruiting a competent manager were the actions the circumstances required.
The good atmosphere of laughing discreetly at the Cannons misfortunes stopped abruptly when at the end of the stairs their progression and those of the Gryffindor before them was stopped.
"Oh, no."Moaned Hermione. "Not again!"
Pushing on her tiptoes behind the bushy-haired Gryffindor, Alexandra saw the blonde hair announcing a Malfoy was present. To her side, Nigel groaned.
"What is this imbecile doing?" Asked Morag in a murmur to her side. "If he provokes another prank war, the Professors are going to have him in detentions until the end of the year..."
In her mind, Alexandra was not sure Draco Malfoy would be punished that badly. Nearly every time the Slytherin pure-blood Slytherin was forced to pass in detention, it was with Professor Snape, who never made this spoilt aristocrat's son scour the cauldrons, clean the classroom or prepare disgusting ingredients for the upcoming classes. The punishment always ended quickly anyway. It had been two weeks since the conflict born due to the incident at Black Cobra Manor, but Draco Malfoy had his evenings free again despite having attacked several Gryffindors with plenty of witnesses testifying he was the guilty party.
But to everyone's stupefaction, Malfoy contented himself to throw a newspaper at the head of Leo Black, which missed and was caught by Dean Thomas, sneering "Prepare for your defeat on the Quidditch Pitch, Longbottom" and strayed from the mob forming at the back of the stairs, Crabbe, Goyle, Parkinson and Bulstrode on his heels.
"What did he want?" Asked Hermione. "This didn't sound like Malfoy at all!"
Alexandra had to admit Hermione was right. Draco was insulting to any Gryffindor younger than him who crossed his way, but him fleeing the scene before the first exchange of words was extremely unusual.
Unless he had the same courier I had this morning, realised Alexandra. The courier of Gringotts informing her the Will of Lady Cassiopeia Black had been "unfortunately put into stasis due to certain irregularities observed" had arrived in the early hours. Alexandra and Malfoy had not taken breakfast at the same time, thus she had not noticed if he had received a Gringotts official letter. Honestly she didn't see why he was so disappointed. If Black Cobra Manor was any judge, the possessions of Lady Black had not to meet anyone's definition of 'wealthy'. Maybe it was just for the principle of the thing, or was there anything of sentimental value he had hoped to receive?
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T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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If you guys wanna check it out.