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Over the objections of the Hogwarts faculty- including an angry rant from Professor Fisher about 'incompetent bureaucratic morons', little of which was really appropriate for the ears of his young students- Professor Reed is taken away on suspicion of theft.
Anti-American sentiment intensifies, with whispers spreading about "those Yanks spying on us" and "stealing the Silverlight spell." People start eying Professor Fisher carefully, in the halls. (He ignores it, rather pointedly.) People write in to the Headmistress complaining; why did they bring in those Americans in the first place, why does that man Fisher still work there, similar nonsense. She develops a curt form letter assuring parents that Hogwarts hiring standards are of the highest quality, with a strong undertone of none of your business. The letters continue anyway.
Students graffiti the Transfiguration classroom with insulting suggestions for places Professor Fisher can take himself. Filch catches those responsible and they clean it up as their detention. McGonagall makes a displeased speech that night at dinner about respecting faculty and innocence until proven guilty. Some students listen.
After a week's gone by- it feels longer to all involved, particularly Tamara, but only a week- there's a new article.
Gilderoy Lockhart Apprehends Silverlight Culprit
By Russell Peasegood
Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defence League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award, has done it again!
Only recently released from St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, most wizards would need rest, more time to recover from the horrors of a Memory Charm gone wrong, but not Gildery Lockhart. Known throughout the magical world for his daring feats of magic, Lockhart is back in the game with a bang.
"It never made sense to me," Lockhart told the Prophet. "Why steal a wand of someone you're chaperoning? Of course you'd be under suspicion! She couldn't have hoped to get away with it. So, of course, I had to investigate."
Lockhart used his famed powers of deduction to locate prime Ministry suspects. In the course of interviewing them, he was able to identify the janitor who had stolen the wand. "Poor man wasn't right in the head," according to Lockhart. "Thought the wand made him special, powerful- attacked me when I tried to get it away- just look what he did to my cloak! But I got it back from him, never fear."
The wand is now in the possession of Ministry Officials, and will shortly be returned to its rightful owner, Miranda "Silverlight" Swan. Tamara Reed can be expected to be released shortly.
When commended on his actions, Lockhart said, "Of course, of course. Couldn't let the poor girl go without her wand- couldn't let the Ministry officials bungle it like that- something had to be done!"
Asked about his future plans, Lockhart told us, "Why, doing whatever good I can, of course. Britain needs all the wizards it can get right now!"
If Lockhart's past adventures are any guide, that will be quite a lot of good indeed.
As promised, the next day, Hogwarts sees two arrivals: Professor Reed, released by the Ministry, and Gilderoy Lockhart, Miranda's wand in hand.
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chanuphis
"Well, mostly Legilimency, but if you're good enough at it, supposedly it will do Veritaserum and Obliviation and so on. When I need to test it I'm going to ask Hermione to try to Confund me just a little bit because that's pretty safe if it's a small casting and it eventually wears off, and it'd be easier than getting ahold of Veritaserum."
chanuphis
"Hermione says that Lockhart was in the hospital because he was trying to cast a Memory Charm on someone and it backfired. She doesn't know if he's different now after being in the hospital for so long and probably not remembering what he used to do, but I don't want to go anywhere with him until I'm pretty sure he can't Memory Charm me. It's just the Confundus is a safer test."
chanuphis
"I'd take an Auror if somebody offered me one, but they haven't - or wait till summer if Mum could take me, but she can't - and he's offered. I just want to make sure I'm safe from wildlife and my escort at the same time."
witch_please
"Ooookay, creepy. Also- cramming Occlumency and hoping it works on Memory Charms is better than waiting a couple months and getting an escort who's not a skeezebag?"
chanuphis
"I don't know if it'd be a couple months. I think the Aurors are annoyed with me. And Hermione's going to be too busy even after school's out to cart me around herself, even though she's totally qualified."
parental_guidance
"I guess you did kinda trash their Patronuses," Emma concedes. "Aurors are supposed to be the good guys, though, they shouldn't care."
chanuphis
"They might not think somebody who trashes their Patronuses is such a good guy," Miranda points out.
chanuphis
"Yeah, but that's four people who are kind of out of luck if they meet a Dementor, now."
metamorphmaga
"At least you get to kill Dementors," Jenny points out. She feels bad for thinking it, Miranda is clearly freaked out by the Memory Charm thing, but- she wants Dementors to die. All of them.
chanuphis
"Yeah. That's basically the most important thing. If I get them all it won't be nearly as important if some people don't have Patronuses. I think they're also useful for Lethifolds, though."
parental_guidance
"So how long do you have to practice this stuff before you can go, do you think?"
chanuphis
"I'm going to read all the books and do the exercises in them until I feel like I'm done or stuck, whichever, and then ask Hermione, and - well, it'll depend on whether the charm works or not."
witch_please
"The last time you were this intense about something, the result was Silverlight," Alli laughs. "You're good."
planetarium
"You're good at lots of things. I bet you'll be great at this," encourages Karen.
metamorphmaga
"You're good at other stuff!" Jenny agrees. "You're way ahead of me and Emma in class, and you're good at flying."
chanuphis
"All right, I'm interestingly exceptional at at least one thing, but Occlumency is supposed to take years."
parental_guidance
"Interestingly exceptional in Occlumency is like... being a natural one," Emma points out. "There's only been a couple of those ever. Picking it up quickly would be just... normal-exceptional. And waaaaaaay too much studying," she adds with a grin.
chanuphis
"Yeah. Well, even if I didn't maybe need Lockhart's help now that I know it's a thing I'd want to do it anyway."
witch_please
"Yeah, see, I am now actually afraid of what you're going to have done by the time we graduate," Alli says airily. "Miranda Silverlight, World Ruler."