NOVEL NEXT Chapter 22: Chapter 22
It was halfway through the book signing when an angelic blonde woman with sinful curves walked onto the stage, completely eclipsing everything else in the room. I wasn't surprised when the flashes of the cameras no longer blinded me as they were all now pointed towards her and constantly flashing.
I could only thank my great luck that by this point in the book signing, I was employing my Occlumency to keep up with the continuous strain of talking to people for hours on end, and so I was able to keep my mind and functionality while the rest of the room lost theirs.
The woman seemed to realise the effect she was having on the room due to being on the stage and the point of everybody's focus. However, a second later, the influence affecting everyone started to fade, dimming but still ever-present in the room, affecting us all but not so much that we would lose our minds.
Though instead of feeling relieved, I doubled down on my Occlumency and fortified my mind even further since I knew there was a threat to it right in front of me. Even if the woman did not look like she was going to attack anytime soon, I could not trust that.
The rest of the interaction was quite pleasant and normal, aside from her stunning looks, with us both conversing and her complimenting my books as I signed them. All in all, an average interaction, but still, I did not let my guard down.
"I do wonder, though, Gilderoy Lockhart. Are you truly the man described in these books? Surely such a perfect being, as mentioned in the book, does not exist." It was after I had finished singing all of her books and handed them back over to her that she leaned in closer to me and whispered into my ear with her seductive French accent.
And out of the blue, I feel the full force of her allure weigh itself down on me, pushing against me from all angles waiting for a crack to open up so that it can rush in and completely overwhelm even more of my mind. Thankfully my Occlumency was in full force and held up against the surprise attack. However, that did not mean it had no effect on me at all.
"Perfect? Haha, on that, I can assure you that I am not perfect. No one is. However, it was lovely meeting a big fan such as yourself today, and I hope to see you again." I speak those words out with a charming smile and a calm face though the inside of my head is an entirely different environment. As soon as I finish speaking, the force surrounding me disappears as if it was never even there, to begin with, and the woman smiles the sweetest smile I have ever seen.
"I have a feeling that we will meet again, Gilderoy. After all, this meeting did not betray expectations. You are exactly the man that was written down in your books. If anything, I am even more infatuated with you now after meeting you. So I will see you soon, Gilderoy Lockhart." She says mysteriously before turning away and walking off, leaving me to watch her go.
And so the woman who had me sign her books affectionately to Polly walked out of the door, leaving me bewildered. I can only thank the lord that I am sitting down behind this desk. Otherwise, I would have given everybody an eyeful of my engorged package.
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"Have a lovely day." I wave as another one of my fans goes down the stairs of the stage and departs from Flourish and Blotts, leaving just a few stragglers that joined the queue late but still stayed all this time to meet me. I quickly get to work talking to the last few fans that I have, tired from my long day of work. It is at times like this that I genuinely envy Gilderoy's outlook.
Because for Gilderoy, something like this was not tiring at all, and that was because the man was incredibly vain and enjoyed the love and adoration his fans poured on him. Now don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it as well, but my level of vanity was nowhere near the astronomical amounts Gilderoy had. he anticipated events like this where people would continually praise and talk about him.
It is like they say if you do something you love, you will never work a day in your life, and Gilderoy loves attention. It was practically the only thing he lived for. Keeping a sigh from escaping my mouth, I quickly buckle down and get to finishing off the few stragglers so we can all go home. Surprisingly, a lot of the reporters are still there, and they are still shooting away.
"Alright, that is the end of the book signing, Gilderoy. We had a good release day, and we sold a lot of books, not just the new release but even some older ones. Go get some rest, Gilderoy, and I can't wait until your next book. Goodbye, Gilderoy." My publisher says before leaving the store with all the other people that are going now that the event is over, the reporters are still around, however. They are still packing up their cameras, and the guy in charge of the store is currently taking down the displays that were up for my event.
"Um, sir. Can you please get off the stage so I can take it down, uh, if that is okay with you, Mr Lockhart, sir?" A young member of staff nervously asks me while I still remain at my desk, sitting and relaxing after a tiring day. I gave the employee a nod and slid my chair back so that I could stand up, and then I turned around to walk off the stage the way I came. I notice that the curtain I had first come through has already been taken down, and I begin to walk down off the stage so I can go home and sleep.
"Excuse me, is the book signing still going? We didn't miss Gilderoy Lockhart, did we? Please say we didn't" I hear the front door of the store open, and a loud female voice enquires, and I stop to listen before I go entirely down all of the stairs.
"I am sorry, ma'am, but the book signing is now over. If you want to purchase Gilderoy Lockhart's new book, Assault On The Abominable Snowman, then you can do so, but you will not be able to get an autograph today." So I hear a member of staff tell her, and to be honest, I agree with them because I am pretty wiped out after today.
"Please, I can see him right over there. Can't you make an exception and let me get an autograph, please? I have seven different children, and I look after them practically all by myself. My husband works long hours at the ministry, and this was the only time I have managed to get away to come here, and I still had to bring two of my children with me." So the woman complains, and she has clearly seen me at the back of the shop. But sheesh, seven kids, that is a lot. I don't know any people with seven kids except...
I slyly turn my head around so that I can get a glimpse at them to see if my suspicions are correct. And low and behold, I see three heads full of red hair at the front, each at a different height, a mother with her two children, a girl and a boy. I am surprised to run into people from the original story so soon, I basically just stepped out of my home, and already I have run into some original characters. However, I suppose Britain's wizarding world is quite tight and compact.
I pay close attention to them and what they are saying. These are some pretty essential characters from the book, after all. Cannon will also be starting really soon, so perhaps I can glean some vital information from them and see if this is an evil Dumbledore I am dealing with in this world.
"I am sorry, ma'am, but the book signing is already over. Mr Lockhart has been here a long time, and he is tired, so can you please-" The staff member continues to deny the red-headed woman. I can clearly see that the woman is losing hope, and she begins to back away towards the door, her only reason for being here to meet me, which is clearly being denied.
"It is okay. Send them over here. I have enough time to see another fan of mine and sign a couple more books." I quickly speak, not wanting this opportunity to go to waste, And I turn around and head back towards the desk on the stage, ignoring the sigh of the staff member that was waiting to take down the stage.
At my words, the woman looks towards the staff member, who quickly deflates and backs off and takes her opportunity. The woman soon grabs hold of her kids and rushes over towards me, practically dragging them along. By this point, I had already sat back down at the desk, and a member of staff had hurriedly brought me another quill and ink bottle to sign the books that were coming my way.
The red-headed woman quickly comes up the stage stairs, and lets go of her children's arms, who now trail behind her as she begins to fiddle around in the bag she has over her arm. The woman starts to pull numerous books out of it as she walks over to me, and when she finally gets to the desk, she puts the books down on the desk and looks toward me.
"Now, let's see what we have here. Who am I? Marauding with Monsters, Year with the Yeti, Gadding with Ghouls, Break with a Banshee, Gilderoy Lockhart's Guide to Household Pests, Magical Me, Wandering with Werewolves, Voyages with Vampires, Travels with Trolls and- Oh, would you look at that, The Travel Trilogy which includes the three previous books I just mentioned. This is my entire collection. You must be a very big fan to have all of these. Are you here to buy my new book as well?" I ask the woman as I thumb through all of the books, to which she reacts flusteredly.
"Ah, no, I won't be buying the new one just yet. I still haven't finished all of the ones I have got, I am just so busy, and I can't find the time. But I will most definitely buy a copy when I am up to date on my reading, Mr Lockhart." She says with her face turning massively red, and as I look down at the books and rifle through them, I can see that they all have some wear and tear.
These books look as if they had been read through multiple times and had a lot of use. Either that or they are books that have been through many hands before finding themselves as her possessions. Either way, this proves that the woman is not in the financial position to be wasting money on books for her pleasure since she either got these books second (or third/fourth) hand or she lied to me and has reread these books many times herself.
"Come on, a dedicated fan like you that has bought all my previous books deserves to go home with a brand new signed copy of my book today. In fact, I will give it to you free of charge. Now, what is your name Mrs?" I ask as I pick up a copy of my book Assault on the Abominable Snowman that was on the desk and prepare to autograph and write a message on it.
"Ah, it is Weasely, Molly Weasely, Mr Lockhart. Thank you very much for this, but you don't need to." She tries to dissuade me from giving her a copy while still being polite. doesn't she know that misplaced pride will never get you anywhere?
"Nonsense, Molly, you will take this book. Think of it as a gift for my most loyal fan. you will be doing me a favour." Yes, you will be doing me a favour. You will be doing me a favour by revealing all the little secrets you have in that redhead of yours.