Hermione decided she'd seek out Professor Lockhart over the weekend; she didn't want to bother him during classes. Early that morning, Hermione straightened her hair, put on her neatest robes, and tucked a piece of parchment inside her copy of 'Break with a Banshee.' Harry, quite annoyed that Hermione was getting up so early just to primp, decided not to go with her. He made a fair bit of noise in the common room, but Hermione was too busy to be bothered by Harry's sulking. She quickly left Gryffindor Tower and positioned herself on the main path to the Great Hall, effectively ambushing Lockhart.
"Professor Lockhart, hello. I'm..." Hermione began, gathering her courage.
"My dear young lady," Lockhart interrupted, a slight look of confusion on his face, "I don't believe I've had the pleasure?"
Hermione's ears immediately turned crimson at Lockhart's words. "It's me, Professor Lockhart! We came to your office for autographs just the other day!" Hermione said, a hopeful note in her voice, but she was disappointed; Lockhart still looked utterly puzzled.
At that moment, Lavender Brown, who was trailing behind Lockhart, spoke up hesitantly. "You're Hermione? I didn't even recognize you just now..."
Lockhart's face cleared in a sudden realization. "Ah, Miss Granger! I remember, you're Harry's friend." Lockhart looked around, then said with a touch of disappointment, "Harry doesn't seem to be here. Miss Granger, is there something I can help you with?"
Parvati Patil now also realized that this person was Hermione, and she stared at Hermione with a surprised expression. Hermione managed an awkward smile. She had expected Lockhart to remember her, especially since she was the only one who scored full marks on the class test in their first Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson.
Well, I usually wear my hair down and don't pay much attention to my appearance, Hermione consoled herself. It's normal for him not to recognize me, let alone Professor Lockhart—even the girls in my dorm didn't know I'd had my teeth fixed.
Hermione once again summoned her courage and pulled out her quill and 'Break with a Banshee,' with the note tucked inside. "Pro-Professor Lockhart, I really love your book, 'Break with a Banshee.' C-Could you possibly sign it for me?" Hermione stammered, completely forgetting her confident boasts to Harry yesterday.
Upon hearing it was for an autograph, Lockhart immediately flashed his eight-toothed smile. Just as Hermione thought she had him, Lockhart actually refused.
"I'm always delighted to sign for fans, but you already have one autograph. If I kept signing for all of you, I'd never get any work done!"
"After all, I came to Hogwarts to teach everyone how to defend against the Dark Arts, not to be a celebrity!" Lockhart said, turning to Lavender and Parvati and winking at them. Lavender and Parvati immediately looked absolutely smitten.
Hermione stood there, utterly bewildered, while a red-haired girl around the corner of the staircase took it all in. Ginny moved closer and heard Hermione continually praising Lockhart's book. Ginny watched Hermione, seething. She couldn't understand how someone could be infatuated with two celebrities at once! She couldn't stand it anymore; she was going back to the common room to tell Harry!
"If just anyone can get my autograph, how can I highlight its value?" Lockhart thought impatiently, even as he patiently listened to Hermione's gushing. Lockhart had his own internal scale; he knew how to maintain his fans' adoration. Besides, Miss Granger only has the ordinary edition of 'Break with a Banshee.' If it were a limited or collector's edition, then perhaps I'd consider signing it.
And this girl named Parvati is truly beautiful, Lockhart thought, looking at Parvati's adoring expression and feeling immensely pleased. As for Granger, or whatever her name is... she's certainly not my type. Lockhart decided he'd try to invite Parvati to his office for tea sometime.
At this point, Hermione made her request for an autograph again.
"Miss Granger, what you need to do now is focus on your studies," Lockhart said sanctimoniously.
"But Professor, I really—" Hermione made one last effort.
Before Lockhart could speak, Lavender pushed Hermione aside. "Granger, you should be in the library, not bothering Professor Lockhart here!" Lavender snapped angrily.
"Hermione, does Potter even know you're here?" Parvati asked, looking at Hermione with cold eyes. Hermione could only watch them leave, then walked away crestfallen.
(Some might wonder: didn't Lockhart know Hermione and Harry were inseparable? Why would he treat her like that? In fact, Lockhart was projecting his own views. Deep down, he didn't believe Harry would truly be good friends with a dishevelled Hermione; he thought Harry was just playing around.)
In the common room, Harry was idly staring into the fireplace when Fred suddenly leaned in, looking very mysterious. Harry noticed the massive dark circles under Fred's eyes. Fred had been exhausted lately, researching the golden skull with George while also keeping an eye on Lockhart. But now, Fred seemed incredibly excited.
"Harry, guess what I found out?"
Harry gave him a look that said, Spit it out, then.
"Last night, Louise went to Lockhart's office and stayed there until late," Fred whispered.
"Who's Louise?" Harry asked, a bit confused.
Fred glanced left and right, confirming Hermione wasn't nearby, then whispered, "She's that Ravenclaw sixth-year who touched you on the platform the day we started school."
Hearing Fred say that, Harry seemed to recall. He remembered it was a bit chilly that day, but Louise had been dressed quite lightly and had a rather fiery figure. Harry sat up and whispered back to Fred.
"Are you saying Louise and Lockhart...?"
Seeing Fred nod, Harry immediately perked up. "Then Lockhart's finished! All we have to do is—"
But then Fred suddenly clapped a hand over Harry's mouth as a few girls walked towards them.
"Harry, could you sign this photo?" a girl asked excitedly. The photo was of Harry and Lockhart together, with Lockhart's extravagant signature already on it. "Right here, opposite Professor Lockhart's signature..." the girl pointed to a spot. Harry, eager to continue his discussion with Fred, didn't refuse. He took the photo and quickly signed it.
To his surprise, the girl handed him another photo—this one of Harry catching the Golden Snitch in his first year.
"You're so nice, Harry," the girl said with a sigh. "Unlike Professor Lockhart, who only signed one for me, but Parvati got several!" Fred looked like he wanted to say something, but held back.
"But Professor Lockhart's smile is so warm," another girl said, in what she probably thought was a quiet voice. "Harry's handsome too, but he's too aloof."