Together [HP]

Night had fallen as they made their way to Lockhart's office.There seems to be a lot of movement in the office.They could hear scraping, bumping, and hurried footsteps.

Harry knocked on the door, and there was a sudden silence.Then the door opened a very thin crack, and they saw one of Lockhart's eyes peering out.

"Oh...Mr Potter...Mr Weasley...Miss Graham," he said, opening the door a little wider. "I'm busy right now. I hope you speak quickly.."

"Professor, we have something to tell you," said Harry, "and we thought it might be of some help to you."

"Well, that's right, it's really not that big of a deal," they saw that this half of Lockhart's face was very tense. "I mean, well, well."

He opened the door and let them in.

His office was almost completely emptied.Two large suitcases lay open on the floor.Clothes of every color, emerald green, lavender, dark blue, were piled haphazardly in one of the suitcases.All kinds of books are piled up in another suitcase.Those photos that used to hang on the wall were stuffed into a cardboard box on the table.

"Where are you going?" Harry asked.

"Well, yes, yes," said Lockhart, ripping a life-size poster of himself from the back of the door and rolling it up, "an urgent call . . . .have to go.."

"So what about my sister?" Ron asked impulsively.

"Well, as for that, it's unfortunate," said Lockhart, avoiding the eyes of both of them, yanking open a drawer and packing its contents into a large bag. I'm even more sorry..."

"You're the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher!'' Harry said, "You can't go now! There are so many evil things here now!",

"Well, well, how should I put it... When I accepted this position..." Lockhart muttered indistinctly, while he piled his socks on top of the clothes in the box, "the work regulations did not include... I did not expect.."

"You're saying you're going to run away," said Harry incredulously, "but you've written so many amazing books."

"Books can be deceiving," said Lockhart slyly.

"You wrote it!" Harry yelled.

"My dear boy," Lockhart straightened up, looking at Harry with a frown, "use your common sense. If people don't think I did those things, the sales of the book will be far worse." Lah. Readers won't want to read about an ugly old American wizard who saved a village from the werewolf scourge. Put his picture on the cover and it wouldn't be so ugly. He wears clothes No taste at all. And the witch who exorcised the Wanlun female ghost, she is a mouth! I mean, think about it.."

Jacqueline shrugged. "I knew that," she said.

"So you take everything that other people do to your own account" Harry asked in disbelief.

"Harry, Harry," said Lockhart, shaking his head impatiently, "it's not as simple as you make it out to be. I've got a lot of work to do. I'm going to track down these people. Ask them how Able to do those things. And then I'll put a Forgetting Charm on them so they'll forget about it. If I'm proud of anything, it's my Forgetting Charm. You know, Harry, I've got a lot of hard work to do. You know, it's not just book signings and celebrity photos. You have to be prepared to work long and hard if you want to be famous."

He ping-pong put the lid on the trunk and locked it.

"Let me see," he said, "everything is packed. Oh, yes, one more thing I forgot."

He drew his wand and turned to Harry and Ron.

"I'm sincerely sorry, boys, but I had to put a forgetting spell on you. I can't let you spread my secret around. Otherwise..." before he could finish.

Jacqueline yelled, "Disarm you!"

Lockhart was knocked back a few steps and fell onto his suitcase.His wand flew high into the air, caught by Ron, and tossed out of the open window.

"You shouldn't have asked Professor Snape to teach us that spell." Jacqueline said happily, kicking Lockhart's box aside.Lockhart looked up at them, looking even more emaciated.

Jacqueline was still pointing her wand at him. "There's something else I want to tell you," she grinned, showing her teeth. "I'm a Slytherin, Mr. Lockhart."

"What do you want me to do?" Lockhart said weakly. "I don't know where the Chamber of Secrets is. I don't know anything."

"As luck would have it," said Jacqueline, pointing her wand at Lockhart and forcing him to his feet, "I happen to know where the Chamber of Secrets is. And what's in it. Come on."