Narrator's POV

When the whole class was seated, Lockhart cleared his throat loudly and silence fell.

He reached forward, picked up Neville's copy of Travels with Trolls, and held it up to show his own winking portrait on the front.

"Me," he said, pointing at it and winking as well. "Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin: Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most-Charming-Smile Award but I don't talk about that. I didn't get rid of the Bandon Banshee by smiling at her! I see you've all bought a complete set of my books —well done. I thought we'd start today with a little quiz. Nothing to worry about just to check how well you've read them, how much you've taken in."

When he had handed out the test papers he returned to the front of the class and said, "You have thirty minutes starting now!"

Harry looked down at his paper and read:

"1. What is Gilderoy Lockhart 's favorite color?

2. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's secret ambition?

3. What, in your opinion, is Gilderoy Lockhart's greatest achievement to date?

4. When is Gilderoy Lockhart's birthday, and what would his ideal gift be?"

After everyone finished, Professor Lockhart began to flip through the papers. "Tut, tut —hardly any of you remembered that my favorite color is lilac. I say so in Year with the Yeti. And a few of you need to read Wanderings with Werewolves more carefully —I clearly state in chapter twelve that my ideal birthday gift would be harmony between all magic and non-magic peoples —though I wouldn't say no to a large bottle of Ogdeds Old Firewhiskey! But Miss Hermione Franqui knew my secret ambition is to rid the world of evil and market my own range of hair-care potions —good girl! In fact full marks, where is Miss Hermione Franqui?"

Hermione raised her hand semi-proudly.

"Excellent!" Lockhart praised "Quite excellent! Take ten points for Slytherin! And so, to business."

He bent down behind his desk and lifted a large, covered cage onto it.

"Now be warned! It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizardkind! You may find yourselves facing your worst fears in this room. Know only that no harm can befall you whilst I am here. All I ask is that you remain calm."

Harry leaned around his pile of books for a better look at the cage.

Lockhart placed a hand on the cover.

Ron, Dean and Seamus had stopped laughing now.

Lavenderwas cowering in his front row seat.

"I must ask you not to scream," Lockhart warned quietly "it might provoke them."

As the whole class held its breath as Lockhart whipped off the cover.

"Yes," he said dramatically "freshly caught Cornish pixies."

Seamus Finnigan couldn't control himself, he let out a snort of laughter that even Lockhart couldn't mistake for a scream of terror.

"Yes?" Lockhart smiled at Seamus

"Well, they're not —they're not very dangerous, are they?" Seamus choked

"Don't be so sure!" Lockhart said, waggling a finger annoyingly at Seamus "Devilish tricky little blighters they can be!"

The pixies were electric blue and about eight inches high, with pointed faces and voices so shrill it was like listening to a lot of budgies arguing.

The moment the cover had been removed, they had started jabbering and rocketing around, rattling the bars and making bizarre faces at the people nearest them.

"Right, then," Lockhart said loudly, opening the cage. "Let's see what you make of them!"

The pixies shot in every direction like rockets.

Two of them seized Lavender Brown by the ears and lifted her into the air, several shot straight through the window, the rest proceeded to wreck the classroom.

They grabbed ink bottles and sprayed the class with them, shredded books and papers, tore pictures from the walls, up-ended the waste basket, grabbed bags and books and threw them out of the smashed window; within minutes, half the class was sheltering under desks and Lavender was swinging from the iron chandelier in the ceiling.

"Come on now. Round them up, round them up, they're only pixies," Lockhart shouted as he rolled up his sleeves, brandished his wand, and shouted, "Peskipiksi Pesternomi!"

It had absolutely no effect; one of the pixies seized his wand and threw it out of the window, too.

Lockhart gulped and dived under his own desk, narrowly avoiding being squashed by Lavender, who fell a second later as the chandelier gave way.

Luckily, the spell worked for the Slytherins —save Crabbe and Goyle— and they earned their house fifty points.

***

Three months later, after dinner, Harry wondered around the Chamber of Secrets and to the basilisk, Medusa.

Like always, he was alone —even though his friends knew of this place.

Several raw steaks in hand, he tossed them on the floor in front of her.

"Greetings, Master's Mate." Medusa greeted

"Hi, Medusa." Harry replied, stroking her scales as she ate the bloody meat

Harry's mind quickly flashed to the message written in blood that had been found a week ago along with a petrified cat.

Who opened the Chamber?

Tom said that only the two of them could open it.

***

Also inside the Chamber, the diary horcrux of Tom Riddle —who was possessing Ginny Weasley— quietly crept towards the voices he heard.

The horcrux saw a black-haired boy with a feminine figure tall to the basilisk in parseltounge.

Around the boy's neck, he saw the Slytherin Locket —a horcrux.

Tom's —or rather Ginny's— eyes widened at that: the only reason he'd let anyone hold onto his horcruxes would be because they have proven themselves worthy somehow or it was his soulmate.

Since the boy was in a Slytherin uniform he guessed it wasn't the first option, and a smile crept onto his —Ginny's— face, this was his soulmate.

"Hello there." Tom-Ginny greeted and the boy immediately turned to him

"Weasley?" The boy asked, confused

"No, no. Ginny here is only a vessel. My name is Tom Riddle." Tom replied

The boy's eyes widened, "Tom? How are you here?"

Tom quickly combed through Ginny's memories and gathered the information he needed to answer that, "Well...Harry, the Tom you know and the one I am aren't exactly the same thing."

Harry looked confused but didn't say anything.

After a few seconds of silent awkwardness, Harry rushed up and hugged him.

Tom didn't hug back at first but lovingly tapped the boy on the back.

Tom then scooted away from Harry: he didn't want Ginny's filth to touch his Harry.

Sure, he had just met the boy, but his part-soul was already making him possessive over him.

And as soon as he absorbed all of Ginny's soul, he'd get his body back and he'd get Harry.

***

Tom Marvolo Riddle, also known as Lord Voldemort, who was possessing the body of Gilderoy Lockhart, was angry at his diary-horcrux.

The horcrux was flat out refusing to rejoin their soul once it absorbed the soul of that foolish Weasley girl.

He also hated the vessel he was using.

Gilderoy Lockhart was a extremely-weak to the point where he was barley more than a Squib.

Lockhart was also egomaniac and it was extremely infuriating facade to maintain.

And to top it all off, Harry didn't even enjoy his vessel's class —all vessels seemed to fail on that part.

Tom —Gilderoy— sighed, this was going to be a long year, but if he got his body back it would be more than well worth it all...