NOVEL NEXT Chapter 3: Chapter 3
Disclaimer: If you recognise it, surprise, I don't own it.
Chapter 2– Gilderoy Lockhart.
Edited: 01/03/2023
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After I came to the stunning conclusion that I was now in the body of one Gilderoy Lockhart and that I am him now for all intents and purposes, I decided to pick my precious wand back up and explore my home and gather more information about myself and my place in this world as I am sure some things were not included in the books and movies. So I travelled around the elegant apartment and familiarised myself with everything I saw. The more I saw, the more I remembered, and the more I assimilated the memories of the old Gilderoy Lockhart. I found my luggage set in the closet of my bedroom.
It was a large set of luggage that is used to hold my many belongings from my years of travel which was an impressive collection that included my many robes of varying colours, some portraits and photos of me as well as a variety of hair and skin care products, on my vanity desk I found my peacock feather quill which I had specially made from a peacocks feather and I only use it on special occasions such as autograph signings or for responding to my fanmail all of which I wrote using my infinite bottle of lilac ink.
I found my elegant broomstick in my relatively open plan and elegant living room, which I had specially carved after purchase. However, I can't recall which broom company produced it as the broom is virtually unrecognisable from what it used to be, which was for the better, I would say, as it now sits proudly above the fireplace, hanging on the wall as an excellent conversation piece.
I then travelled to my makeup room which I used whenever I needed to make a public appearance. It was full of all my beauty products and expensive hair care potions like the wizarding sculpting gel and my favourite Ocammy egg yolk shampoo, which was my own creation but wasn't put into production, being too costly to make. Still, I can afford to create some for my own usage, and it is only a matter of time before I have the resources to start selling it in Britain and then across the world.
Then at the very entrance to my home, directly in view from the front door, is a glass display case that holds all of my published books which are Magical Me, Gilderoy Lockhart's Guide to Household Pests, Break with a Banshee, Gadding with Ghouls, Holidays with Hags, Travels with Trolls, voyages with Vampires, Wandering with Werewolves, Year with the Yeti, Marauding with Monsters.
And finally, my most significant book, The Travel Trilogy (which is just a collection of Holiday with Haggs, Voyages with Vampires and Wandering with Werewolves, which sold exceptionally well, containing three stories as well as a short story exclusive to this book), but my most prized possession had its own shelf within the display case being in the very centre, and that was my Order of Merlin, third class, a medal which was awarded to me by the British Ministry of Magic for my outstanding and beautiful achievements.
My personal favourite is Magical Me, which is my autobiography and the latest book to be published, which all my darling fans bought with zeal as it gave an intimate view into the extraordinary life of the world's most beloved author. It starts with my early life stating that I was born on the 26th of January 1964 to a reclusive wizard who focused all his attention on magic and to a pureblooded witch and that I had two older sisters who were both very kind and supportive of my dreams, while I was born to an average wizarding house I knew that I was meant for more than that.
My family knew that as well, so life at the Lockhart household continued as usual until I finally attended Hogwarts. I attended my first year at Hogwarts on the 1st of September 1975, only 4 years below the great heroes James Potter and Lily Potter, formerly Evans, and Peter Pettigrew. May he rest in peace, and frighteningly I was also in close proximity to the madman Sirius Black. Though I never felt fear in front of him like others did.
I was sorted into Ravenclaw with the sorting hat recognising my intellect and intense desire to learn. After that, I studied and worked hard to comprehend magic instead of having fun and messing about like the other children. Still, the curriculum taught at Hogwarts was much too easy and boring for me, so I focused on other magics I learned in the library. Due to this, I didn't get as good results as other students as I was always focused on bigger and better magic.
I had big dreams of wanting to create a Philosopher's Stone, captaining England's quidditch team to world cup glory and becoming Britain's youngest Minister of Magic but having so much ambition and being spoilt for choice, I could not choose at that very moment, and so I decided to continue improving myself and joined the Ravenclaw quidditch team as the Seeker and performed admirably throughout my school years. I even started a school newspaper to report on the news in the school.
Of course, I then hit puberty and noticed the other gender at Hogwarts and came out of my shell and started to interact with others. I was immediately romantic and did everything with my entire heart, which was not appreciated by the others as to impress a girl, I began to create spells to carve my signature in twenty-foot-long letters into the quidditch pitch and made a spell that showed a projection of my own head in the sky and even sent over eight-hundred valentines to a single girl though I never got to see the results of my grand gestures of affection as I was addled by detention for my schoolboy hijinks.
When I finally graduated from Hogwarts in 1982, I did so with average grades, but that was because I focused on other magics that were not taught at the school. Due to this, I did not achieve as much as the other students, but thanks to this, while most of them were destined for mediocrity, I was destined for greatness.
I went on to travel around the world to the most exotic places on earth and accomplished great deeds. Each time I left on a journey and returned to Britain, I brought back a new adventure which I published for the masses to share in my experiences. Finally, after so many great adventures and achievements, I joined the Dark Force Defence League, incredibly bolstering their forces, and I was awarded the Order of Merlin, third class. I am not even 30 years old yet, so the future holds more great and fantastic adventures to embark on.
Now at the entrance to the door and looking at my brilliant display case showing my most outstanding achievements so far, I turn to view even more of my bright home. As I do so, I see that there is some post that has been put through the letterbox. So I head towards it, eager to see if it is more fan mail from my adoring fans which I can answer, and maybe if I am lucky, it will be one of my young fans who have decided to offer a moving image for my perusal which I can add to my collection.
I pick up the post and look through it as I move back towards my bedroom. Of course, it is the regular fan mail and post that I get. Still, as I go through it, I suddenly find a letter from Hogwarts which I find incredibly weird as I haven't had a letter from Hogwarts since I graduated in 1982, and it is now 1990, and I am at my current peak as a 26-year-old which makes me intrigued as to the contents of this letter.
I wonder if it may be Albus Dumbledore contacting me to discuss magic and get some pointers from me or if they need to fill a teaching staff position. There was no more exemplary candidate than Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, third class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defence League and four-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award. I also hear that I am a shoo-in for the next one as well. Without hesitation, I rip open the envelope and pull out the letter contained within to see what no doubt great quest waits within.
[HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Mr Lockhart,
We at Hogwarts wish to express our deepest condolences to you and your family. Our hearts and feelings are with you, and we hope that you have the strength to pass through these difficult times. Just know that if you require it, Hogwarts is here to provide anything you may need.
Please accept our sincere condolences on the passing of your mother. she was a brilliant witch and former staff member of Hogwarts, teaching a whole generation of wizards Defence Against The Dark Arts before she settled down to raise a family. It is genuinely a significant loss to wizarding society, and we wish her peace and serenity.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress]
I dropped the letters to the floor of the hallway in shock at the contents of the letter. My mother had died. I had not seen my mother since I had graduated from Hogwarts, being much too busy with my trips and publishing my books and only being able to send the occasional letter to her.
I wish I has spent more time with her, but I am sure she would agree that I was right to put my career first. At the very least, she could pass happily knowing that her favourite child was wealthy and successful, which she was always sure I would be. she must have felt immense pride knowing that she had Gilderoy Lockhart as a fabulous s- SHIT, PIECE OF SHIT.
Gilderoy Lockhart is a piece of shit, and I am not him. he did not even care about his mother enough to visit her after he graduated, while all I have longed for all these years is a family and a mother. This piece of shit has such a wonderful family, and he shits all over them and takes them for granted, and it pisses me off.
WHY DID THIS VAINGLORIOUS ASSHOLE GET BLESSED WITH SUCH A GREAT FAMILY WHEN I HAD NO ONE? WHY DOES HE GET TO HAVE A MOTHER AND A FATHER AND SISTERS WHILE I WAS LEFT TO ROT UNWANTED IN A DOZEN DIFFERENT FOSTER HOUSES!!
I can't believe that I was acting like that pompous fool for a while, and while it was likely less than half an hour, it felt like millenniums. The more I walked around this house, and the more I discovered, the more of Gilderoy Lockhart began to appear from the vestiges of my mind, and with nothing there to anchor my own mind, it was pushed to the back as Gilderoy's memories came to the forefront. He began to become the dominant mind purely because of his sheer pompousness and vain personality that began to thrive in this shrine to himself that he calls home.