Fred watched Louise (George) leave with Lockhart, knowing that half of their plan was already a success.
"What are you looking at, Fred? You've been distracted since we got here," Angelina asked, frowning.
Fred was busy calculating the time in his head, so he didn't immediately answer Angelina's question. A flicker of annoyance crossed Angelina's face. She'd thought Fred was about to confess his feelings, which was why she'd put on what she considered her best robes. But no sooner had the Deathday Party begun than Fred vanished, leaving her standing awkwardly amongst the ghosts. Now, Fred was acting distracted again, and Angelina was starting to doubt her own charm.
Thinking this, she said tartly, "Fred, if you've got nothing important to say, I'm leaving."
"Hmm, alright..." Fred started, then caught himself mid-sentence. He looked utterly shocked. "Huh? You're leaving?"
Angelina didn't reply, simply turned and walked away, a hint of disappointment in her step.
"Wait, let me explain..." Fred quickly scurried in front of Angelina, blocking her path.
---
Meanwhile, Hermione followed Harry away from the Deathday Party. As they stepped into a dark corridor, Hermione said sternly, "Harry, have you forgotten Professor McGonagall's rules? No wandering the castle alone at night."
"It's fine, Hermione. I'm taking you somewhere special." Harry, being his usual mysterious self, urged Hermione to follow.
Hermione felt like they were just going in circles. She'd seen that painting on the wall many times already; the wizard in it had managed to strike out three times in a row now. After they passed the painting for the third time, the wizard finally couldn't help but speak. "Hey, are you two lost?"
Hermione shook her head, about to say something, but Harry cut her off, addressing the painting. "None of your business. Just stick to your fishing." The wizard in the painting was clearly furious; he whirled around, turning his back on them. Hermione quietly apologized to the wizard, then quickly caught up to Harry.
After passing their designated meeting spot once again, Harry felt an unbidden surge of irritation. According to his agreement with Fred, they were supposed to meet here immediately after George and Lockhart left, and Fred had assured him he had a way to find George. Since Fred hadn't shown up, Harry was left to keep Hermione circling.
After walking for a bit longer, Hermione's patience finally wore thin. "Harry, where are you taking me, exactly?" she asked impatiently.
Just as Harry was wondering how to answer, Fred's voice echoed from ahead, and he let out a sigh of relief. "Just up ahead, Hermione," Harry said, feigning nonchalance. Hermione, ever astute, noticed his subtle change. She narrowed her eyes and stared at Harry for a good long moment, but ultimately said nothing.
---
When they reached the front, Harry saw Fred standing there, sweating profusely, staring at a piece of parchment in his hand. Spotting Harry, he immediately shouted, "No time to lose! Their names are practically on top of each other! We need to go, now!"
Fred dashed towards the stairs. Harry, without a second thought, grabbed Hermione's hand and followed. Halfway there, Fred looked back and saw Angelina hadn't caught up. "Please, Angie, I promise this is the last time," Fred pleaded. He had just spent an immense amount of effort to bring Angelina along, which was why he was late.
Angelina froze at Fred calling her 'Angie', but in the end, she chose to follow. After reaching the stairs, Fred led them down a floor. Harry and Angelina, being frequent Quidditch players, had plenty of stamina and could keep up with Fred, but Hermione was struggling.
"Huff! Huff! Harry, I—I can't go on—oof!" Harry had suddenly stopped, and Hermione, caught off guard, bumped right into him. He then hoisted her onto his back and continued running. Feeling Hermione slipping, Harry hitched her up higher.
"Hold on tight, Hermione," Harry reminded her. Hermione instinctively tightened her grip around Harry's neck.
"Granger, you'd better lighten up, Harry can barely breathe!" Angelina commented from the side. Hearing this, Hermione's ears instantly turned bright red. She quickly moved her hands from Harry's neck to his shoulders.
---
Finally, they stopped in an empty corridor. Before Harry could ask, Fred pulled open a door leading into a broom cupboard. Inside, Lockhart was sprawled naked on top of someone. Hermione and Angelina immediately froze, seeing the scene.
"Professor Lockhart?!" Hermione gasped in disbelief.
Lockhart jumped at the sudden noise. Louise (George) seized the opportunity to scramble up and hide behind Fred.
"Lockhart, put your clothes on," Harry said dismissively, blocking Hermione's view. Lockhart chuckled awkwardly, quickly pulling on his robes. While dressing, he discreetly sized up the newcomers. Lockhart immediately relaxed. He realized they were just underage students, and he figured he could easily handle them.
"Ah, Harry, it's just this young lady, my girlfriend. We were on a date," Lockhart said, trying to sound casual.
"Is that so?" Hermione asked, sounding doubtful.
"Exactly! Louise and I were just rehearsing a play, a classic scene from *Break with a Banshee*." Lockhart winked at Louise (George), fully expecting his crazy fan to play along.
Fred subtly gave George a cue. George immediately understood. Tears streamed down his face as he wailed, "Boo hoo hoo! Thank goodness you came! I can't believe Lockhart actually—"
"Louise, what are you saying?!" Lockhart demanded, shocked.
"Lockhart, I can't believe you're this kind of person! I only wanted to invite you to dinner, but you got me drunk!" George cried, acting as if possessed by a spirit of melodrama. Seeing this, Angelina immediately pulled Louise (George) into a comforting embrace.
---
Watching the scene unfold, Lockhart felt a prickle of unease. He subtly gripped the wand tucked into his pocket. "Don't listen to her nonsense—*Obliviate*!"
But Harry had already seen Lockhart's wand, and the moment he cast the spell, Harry fired his own. Two red flashes of light met in mid-air, canceling each other out. Fred also reacted swiftly, pulling out his wand. Hermione, though she couldn't believe Lockhart would do such a thing, drew her wand too.
Seeing three wands pointed at him, Lockhart, uncertain of a 1-on-3 fight, immediately put his wand away. "Calm down, I'm your professor! Hermione, remember? I gave you a signed book!" Lockhart tried to use his status as a professor to scare them off, but no one lowered their wands.
"Hmph! Don't even mention that book, I feel sick just thinking about it!" Hermione shrieked. Lockhart then looked at Harry, hoping he'd say something to smooth things over. "Harry, you of all people must understand me, after all, we're both celebrities—"
Harry cut Lockhart off, scoffing. "Ha! Don't flatter yourself. I'm not like you, who can't even cast a proper defensive spell."
"Stop wasting time with him! Let's tie him up and hand him over to Dumbledore!" Fred declared loudly.
Seeing this, Lockhart tried to find a weak point through Louise. "I think we can talk! Madam, how many Galleons do you want?" Lockhart pleaded.
George, who was only feigning tears, immediately broke free from Angelina's embrace upon hearing Lockhart was willing to pay. "Really?" George asked, half-believing.
"No!" Harry and Fred exclaimed in unison.
Seeing that there was room to negotiate, Lockhart was overjoyed. He eagerly said, "Of course! How about 500 Galleons?"
"That's too little!" George tried to get more.
"That's all the cash I have on me; for more, I'd have to go to Gringotts!" Lockhart retorted without thinking. Then, as if an idea struck him, he continued, "Madam, you wouldn't want this to get out, would you?"
"Lockhart, I don't think you understand the situation!" Harry snapped.
But Lockhart explained, "You don't understand, some fans are truly mad. They don't care about the truth; they'll just know that Ms. Louise and I were... involved." He straightened up as he spoke. "Once this gets out, at most I'll just be labeled as a bit of a philanderer, but Ms. Louise will be ruined."
"Harry, Lockhart's right. People are always quite lenient with famous authors," Hermione whispered.
"Granger, I knew you were a clever girl!" Lockhart said.
Harry himself didn't care about Lockhart's threats; after all, they didn't know the woman, and even the name Louise was made up. But Hermione and Fred clearly couldn't ignore it. The atmosphere instantly turned chilly, and Lockhart watched them with renewed confidence.
---
"I think we should let the person involved decide," Fred suddenly said. Everyone immediately looked at Louise (George). George had actually wanted to agree all along, but he didn't want to seem too eager. So, after pretending to ponder for a moment, George finally nodded. "Alright, but you have to give me the Galleons now!"
Lockhart immediately breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly pulled a money bag from his pocket. "This is an Undetectable Extension Charm money bag; it has exactly 500 Galleons inside," Lockhart said, handing over the bag.
George hesitated to take it. Lockhart immediately understood his concern. "Don't worry, the Undetectable Extension Charm is perfectly legal. If you don't want it, you can just take the Galleons out and discard the bag," Lockhart assured him. Only then did George take the money bag, opening it and counting the contents on the spot.
Lockhart visibly relaxed once George had accepted the Galleons. "It seems the matter is settled. May I leave now?" Lockhart asked, smiling.
"Not yet. You still need to sign a contract with this lady," Angelina suddenly spoke up.
Lockhart saw no issue with that. He nodded and pulled out his wand. "I happen to know a contract that won't cause either party any..."
Hearing about a contract, Harry and Fred immediately felt a bad premonition, especially since only real names could be used on contracts. Luckily, George hadn't been completely swayed by the Galleons. Thinking quickly, he said, "No! Even though Lockhart forced... but I used to like his books, so I don't want any further connection with him."
Angelina eyed Louise (George) suspiciously at that. But George insisted, refusing to budge, so she finally gave up.
"If there are no other issues, I'll be going then?" Lockhart said, tentatively walking towards the door. Harry and Fred exchanged glances and stepped aside, making a path. Lockhart dashed out and quickly disappeared from view.
---
Inside the broom cupboard, Fred noticed George's hair starting to change colour, so he immediately gave George a knowing look. George, understanding, said, "Kids, I'm off too, but before I go, I hope you'll promise me to keep this matter a secret."
Seeing Louise (George) hurry away, Hermione and Angelina exchanged a look in the broom cupboard. Harry, thinking Hermione was still dwelling on what had just happened, tried to comfort her. "It's over, Hermione. Who would've thought Lockhart was like that?"
Fred immediately chimed in, "Exactly! Lockhart is truly disappointing!"
But unexpectedly, neither Hermione nor Angelina said anything. Harry immediately felt a sense of dread, while Fred was still chattering away. "Angie, I told you, Lockhart is just—"
"Just like the older student, Louise, isn't he?" Angelina suddenly cut in. (Chapter 44 mentioned an older student named Louise who spent a long time in Lockhart's office.)
"Perhaps it's just a coincidence that two people are named Louise," Fred tried to bluster.
"Oh, really? A coincidence that both of them happen to be involved with Lockhart? A coincidence that a woman who can enter Hogwarts during term time happens to be named Louise?" Angelina scoffed. Fred was instantly silenced, left standing awkwardly.
Hermione spoke up too. "Harry, I'm not stupid. I saw Louise's hair change colour. That must have been Polyjuice Potion, wasn't it?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Harry feigned ignorance.
"Ginny told me you had Fred get a strong drink, that must be the bottle on the floor, right?" Hermione said, pointing to the vodka bottle on the ground.
Seeing that he couldn't hide it any longer, Harry simply admitted, "You're very clever, Hermione."
"Don't give me that! Where did you get the hair from?"
"Just a stranger."
Seeing the nonchalance on Harry's face, Hermione couldn't help but raise her voice. "Harry! Did you even consider the consequences of doing something like this? If Lockhart decides to retaliate, wouldn't that stranger suffer needlessly?" Hermione said angrily.
"Hermione's right," Angelina agreed.
Harry really wanted to tell Hermione that he didn't care about the stranger; he only cared that Hermione wouldn't keep being infatuated with Lockhart. But Harry knew he couldn't say that now, and he had promised Hermione he wouldn't lie to her, so Harry remained silent.
---
Under Angelina's stern gaze, Fred was the first to give in. "I'll have George give the Galleons to that witch," Fred said dejectedly.
"Can you guarantee Lockhart won't bother her?"
"Louise is a fake name, so Lockhart probably won't be able to find that witch," Fred said hesitantly.
"Probably?!" Hermione and Angelina exclaimed in unison, making Fred shrink back.
Seeing this, Harry no longer remained silent and spoke up. "Don't worry, if I'm not mistaken, Lockhart should have figured it out by now. He won't choose to dwell on this." Facing their puzzled looks, Harry continued to explain. "Ordinary people indeed wouldn't threaten Lockhart's reputation, but I'm the Boy Who Lived. He won't risk it."
Angelina thought for a moment, then realized Harry was right. "If that's the case, then I'll be leaving." Angelina said, and without even looking at Fred, she left. Fred, seeing this, quickly chased after her. "Wait for me, Angelina, listen to me—"
With a bang, the door closed, and Fred's voice vanished.
"Were you trying to make me stop being infatuated with Lockhart this way? Can you tell me why?" Hermione suddenly asked. Harry avoided the question, changing the subject instead. "Let's go too, Hermione. Professor McGonagall said students aren't allowed to wander the castle at night, and it's getting late—"
"Is that all you have to say?" Hermione asked, disappointed. Harry knew what Hermione wanted to hear, but he didn't want to lie. After a standoff, neither was willing to back down. Harry truly disliked the current atmosphere, feeling as though he and Hermione were on the verge of a serious falling out. So he simply hoisted Hermione onto his shoulder and walked out.
Hermione was caught off guard, and once she realized what was happening, she immediately started hitting Harry's back. "Put me down! We need to settle this today!"
"There's nothing to settle, Hermione. You're my best friend, and I'm not going to watch you go further down the wrong path. Besides, that witch gets 500 Galleons; I'm sure she'd be thrilled to do it again."
"Harry James Potter! It's because of your stubbornness that Professor Dumbledore asked me to look after you!" Hermione yelled angrily. (It was mentioned at the beginning of Chapter 54 that Hermione promised Dumbledore she would keep an eye on Harry.)
---
Meanwhile, after leaving the dungeons, Lockhart immediately returned to his office. Just as Harry had said, Lockhart quickly realized something was amiss; there were simply too many coincidences tonight. Lockhart didn't care about a mere 500 Galleons; he was worried whether Dumbledore had orchestrated this whole affair. After all, Dumbledore had specifically told him about a Ravenclaw ghost's daughter at the Deathday Party after hearing he was attending, which was why he had worn his formal robes and gone to the party without eating, hoping to get some juicy gossip from the Grey Lady.
After a while, Lockhart gave up trying to figure it out. He decided he would go to Dumbledore tomorrow and try to resign, just to test the waters.
---