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"The Lions again..." Muttered angrily Marcus. "You!" The sixth year Slytherin shouted to a Hufflepuff passing by. "Go warn Professor Snape! We have second-years who have just been attacked!"
Really any Professor would do, but their Head of House would not lead the issue stay idle as the majority of Dumbledore lackeys had the habit to. Now the objective was to bring Crabbe and the others to the infirmary without a minimum of students being aware of the details. One of the unwritten rules of House Slytherin was to never display weakness in public.
"Wait a minute..." Grunted Cassius Warrington, who marching on Flint's heels had been one of the first to arrive on scene among the small group of Slytherin. A quick Wingardium Leviosa from his wand had already made Vaisey levitate while Adrian Pucey was dealing with Goyle and Marcus himself was freeing Bulstrode from her bounds. "I saw these four walk in the direction of our Common Room two hours ago!"
"That's impossible!" Affirmed Derrick, one of the Beaters of the Slytherin Quidditch Team who had taken the hard duty of levitating Crabbe large and immobile body to the infirmary. "They could not be both in this closet and in the dungeons!"
In other circumstances, the Captain of the Slytherin Quidditch Team would have told a few words to Peregrine Derrick for his tendency to state the very obvious in public but this wasn't the time.
"The one you saw in the dungeons were likely imposters, Cassius." Said Flint in a grim tone, not satisfied of the pace they were marching on towards the infirmary with the four victims, nor was he of the rapidity a small crowd was forming to see their passage. "I don't know how they did it but..."
"I will sound the alert," Proclaimed Bole, the other Slytherin Beater, as slow as always when it came to intelligence and cunning. "We will not let them enter our Common Room!" And the bulky boy ran behind a tapestry to take a secret passage leading to the lower areas of the dungeons.
Flint said nothing, but a few stares to the other Slytherins levitating the second-years or watching in the crowd convinced him that his suspicions of being too late to stop the attackers were alas true. And with Bole's complete lack of subtlety, the attackers would be warned by their friends long before there was an opportunity to catch them in the act.
"Montague, go to the Prefects and search who was not in class this afternoon." Ordered Flint. Bole's effort would certainly go to waste, but there was still a chance if the culprits had not thoughts about potential alibis. "Professor Snape will want the names of the culprits and we will give them."
"Right on it." Promised his Slytherin interlocutor. "I will begin with the Weasley Twins and the Golden Trio, and then search the rest of the Gryffindors."
"Good." Snarled the captain of the Slytherin Quidditch Team in a tone which made evident it really wasn't. "Let's hope no one in the Common Room was idiotic enough to answer the questions of these imposters."
"Only listening to my courage and my sense of daring, both of which had never failed me before, I jumped from the roof on the back of the biggest werewolf in sight! Mounting their alpha would be surely a moment of terrible humiliation for this pack of beasts, and I was quite certain one of his subordinates would defy this monster as soon as I had tied him in ropes! But it was not easy, no dear students! The black-furred werewolf tried to dismount me at every step it took and it was thanks to an ingenious combination of the Expulsion Charm and Transfiguring my knife into silver I emerged victorious! The alpha was unconscious, and without it the rest of the werewolves fell upon themselves, fighting for supremacy and the right to kill me! One minute after, I was the only survivor, standing proudly and magnificently over this glorious battlefield, having saved the village and the rest of the province from this horrible threat! The merry visages of these poor villagers free from this threat made me smile with joy and contentment..."
Alexandra yawned in annoyance, slightly rising her head from the Potions essay she was writing. If any Senior Professor like Flitwick or McGonagall had tried to use their classes to recount tales of their exploits, there would have been a good attendance and many students would have applauded to mark the end of such a long tirade. Flitwick had been a renowned Duellist in his youth, and Professor McGonagall had participated in many Transfiguration challenges, debates and competitions. For that matter, Alexandra supposed even Professor Snape, as ludicrous as the idea of the Slytherin head telling something amusing was, could have notes or typos to share. But the man who just had finished speaking was the pompous and narcissist Gilderoy Lockhart. Bane of the Dark Forces, Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile and an adult so arrogant his supposed exploits were celebrated to the heavens at least twice per day by the principal interested.
"Please someone kill him..." Whispered Terry Boot two ranks behind the desk Alexandra shared with Nigel.
"Praise the Valar..."
"Do you want to know the end of this exciting and astounding adventure of Gilderoy Lockhart?"
No, thought Alexandra, appealing to whatever deities existed in the magical pantheons to give her infinite patience. In spite of this being a Defence Against Dark Arts class, she had passed the last hour writing the homework she was due for History, Herbology, Astronomy and then Potions. With Lockhart lost in his interminable tirades, there was no risk in doing something more productive academically. But earplugs or muffs like those worn in Herbology could not be brought in this class, and listening Lockhart was horrible for her nerves. Since the Cornish Pixies incident, Wednesday afternoon was officially her least favourite moment of the week.
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