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Chapter Thirty-Seven: Chatting in the Bar
Hermione pulled out a notebook containing the records of LKE (Loyal and Kind-hearted Elf) members. Lockhart noticed his name on the cover, with Harry and Ron listed above; Hermione had appointed them as secretary and treasurer, respectively.
"Professor, as you suggested, I changed the name and the mission, and the effect is obvious—many people have joined," Hermione said thoughtfully, glancing around the bar. "Do you think I should try to recruit some villagers to join LKE?"
"Go ahead and do it," Harry said, taking a long gulp of his drink. "Professor, thank goodness you persuaded Hermione to give up on… 'vomiting'… otherwise I wouldn't have dared to bring the badge out at all."
"What would it take to get you to abandon this ridiculous crusade?" Ron said helplessly. "Professor, you're not only not stopping her, you're also giving her advice."
"Once people realise the importance of treating elves kindly, I'll start campaigning for wages and welfare for them—and I won't stop until all house-elves have decent income and proper treatment!" Hermione retorted. "You know what? I'm thinking it's time for more direct action. I just don't understand how you even got into the school kitchens."
"I don't know either. Ask Fred and George," Harry replied.
Lockhart suddenly remembered something. "Harry, how's the preparation for the match going? Have you figured out how to deal with the dragon?"
"What dragon? I don't even know what we're comparing. Professor, do you know anything?" Harry asked, puzzled.
Lockhart mentally shook himself — he'd forgotten exactly when this part of the story took place, but events were happening in real-time.
"Yes, Professor is really amazing. The first task is dragons. My brother brought four dragons over today," Ron said quietly. "Hagrid will take you to see them, Harry."
"Look! Hagrid's over there!" Hermione exclaimed.
Hagrid's unruly mane of hair at the back of his head—surely he had long given up on using a hair tie properly—stood out among the crowd.
"Hey, Gilderoy! You're here!" Hagrid called excitedly on spotting his "fellow travellers." "You're all here!"
"Hi, Hagrid!" Hermione replied with a smile.
Hagrid leaned down, whispering to the crowd, "I'm taking Harry to see the dragons tonight. Gilderoy, do you want to come?"
"No need. I've already seen them," Lockhart lied smoothly — he had seen it all in the movie.
"You've already seen it as soon as you arrived?" Hagrid looked a little surprised. "Alright then, Harry, come to my cabin at midnight tonight—don't forget your Invisibility Cloak."
"Is it really a dragon?!" Hermione gasped. Ron quickly gestured for her to calm down. "Good heavens, Professor's right—this is dangerous! Someone is trying to harm Harry!"
"The Headmaster is monitoring the task too, so nothing should happen, right?" Ron said, sceptically.
"Sigh… the safety measures are all in place, Harry. Don't worry. Have you thought about how you'll deal with the dragon?" Lockhart asked helplessly, but for Harry's safety, he had to ask — just as the fake Moody had in the original story.
"No," Harry admitted.
Use what you're good at!
"But I don't seem to have any skills useful against dragons," Harry protested.
"Quidditch, Harry," Hermione reminded him. "You're the youngest Seeker in history."
"But am I supposed to use the Quaffle to fight a dragon?" Harry looked bewildered.
"You won't be killing the dragon, and neither will I. You just need to get past it," Lockhart explained.
"Yes, that's right, but…" Harry hesitated. "I'm not allowed to use a broom; I only have my wand—"
"Summoning Charm, Harry!" Hermione immediately suggested a solution, making Lockhart realise, for the first time, that Hermione had saved him a lot of trouble. "If you don't know how, I can teach you another day."
"That's settled then… um, Hermione, you're so clever," Lockhart said, staring at the foam on her lips, imagining something entirely inappropriate.
"What?" Hermione's face immediately flushed bright red. Ron burst out laughing, while Harry frantically tried to signal her to ignore Lockhart.
"Oh… oh," Hermione stammered, blushing deeply. She quickly turned away and wiped her mouth. "We should go back now."
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