“See? The class wasn’t that bad after all!” Hermione said cheerfully over dinner. “You guys are just being biased because you dislike him for being a famous author popular among girls.”

Harry mulled over her words, his brow furrowed in thought, while Ron immediately retorted, “Him teaching a decent lesson doesn’t change the fact that he’s a narcissistic git. Did you even hear the rubbish he was spouting? ‘I’m the winner of the Best smiling Competition. Did I defeat the creature by dazzling it with my smile? No.’” Ron’s mocking tone made his disdain clear.

Nearby, Alexis and the Weasley twins caught wind of their conversation as they walked past on their way to the Gryffindor table. Alexis let out an audible huff when she heard Hermione defending Lockhart.

Hermione looked up, spotting the disgusted expression on Alexis’s face and the twins’ roaring laughter behind her. Rolling her eyes, Alexis pushed past Fred and George and leaned towards Hermione.

In a low, yet perfectly audible voice, Alexis said, “Lockhart’s teaching was tolerable because Sensei made him.”

Harry immediately perked up. “What do you mean?”

Fred and George eagerly recounted the chaos with the Cornish pixies in Lockhart’s class and how Scarlet had taken control. Despite their excitement, they kept their voices hushed, making the moment feel almost conspiratorial.

“Oh, you should’ve seen Milady’s glare - it was menacing!” Fred said, feigning s shiver.

George narrowed his eyes and mimicked Scarlet’s supposed expression. “‘I shall provide you with the syllabus for teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts. Follow it, or...’” He flicked an imaginary wand as Fred flailed his arms widely, creating an exaggerated explosion.

Fred grinned and added, “And Scarlet didn’t need to finish the sentence, did she? We all knew she meant business!”

The protagonist trio sat wide-eyed at the revelation. Hermione struggled to form a coherent response. “But...how could she...Professor Lockhart...That’s not...It can’t be real...”

“Why couldn’t it be?” Alexis said with a sneer, “A so called ‘powerful wizard’ who couldn’t even handle a sudden situation – one he totally caused himself with all his reckless decisions. Like, it’s so not what he made himself out to be in his autobiographies. Seriously, if you ask other fourth-years, you’ll see they don’t respect him either, and we don’t disrespect professors for no reason, y’know?”

Harry blinked. “And he keeps approaching me, talking absolute nonsense.”

Hermione defended Lockhart again. “He’s not talking nonsense. He’s trying to teach you how to handle fame--”

But Harry cut her off. “I didn’t ask him to, and I never asked to be famous! Unlike him, who’s constantly seeking attention.”

His green eyes bore into Hermione’s as he spoke earnestly. “Last year, I had a relatively quiet life, though it was a bit of a headache in September. But once everybody got to know be better, no one was chasing me around asking for autographs. I was just another student – sure, some people called me brave or said I had miraculously defeated You-Know-Who. But most admired me for being a decent Seeker.”

Harry’s tone grew more serious. “Lockhart make it sound like I’m hunted by screaming fangirls every day. His words might seem considerate, but if you think about it, he’s trying to push me into becoming someone who hands out signed photo at every opportunity. Hermione, Lockhart isn’t helping me. All he’s doing is trying to mentor me into his version of a ‘celebrity’.”

“Of course,” Alexis said with a mocking smile, curling her lips. “Getting the title ‘Mentor of the Boy Who Lived’ would totally get him a bunch of spotlights in, like, every wizarding newspaper. Obviously, he’s doing his best to buddy up to Harry. If it weren’t for the syllabus Sensei gave him, he’d be reciting passages from his book, basically putting on an opera – probably with you, Harry, on stage to make himself look even cooler. I’d bet all my money on some dramatic show right in front of the classroom!”

Harry visibly paled at the thought of being dragged to the front of the room, acting out scenes from Lockhart’s book while Lockhart played himself, clapping “bravo” after every line.

“And we’re willing to make a bet--” Fred chimed in with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“--if Lockhart were famous in the Muggle world--” George continued, taking a bite of a mince pie.

“--he’d totally be trying to cozy up to our dear long-lost sister, even if she’s turned him into a pile of ash. Too famous for him to resist, isn’t she?” Fred finished, grabbing a salmon roll and popping it into his mouth with exaggerated delight. “Gee, this taste great, George.”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Oh, it’s, like, totally amazing,” George declared, immediately swallowing a salmon roll and beaming at his plate.

Alexis rolled her eyes dramatically. “Oh my Merlin, can you two dweebs stop mimicking my accent?”

Catching Hermione’s fragile expression, Alexis sighed and softened her tone. “Just wait,” she said reassuringly. “Lockhart’ll do something totally dumb soon enough, and it’ll be another shining example of how he’s absolutely nothing like the hero he wrote about in his books.”

Alexis knew Hermione wouldn’t give up on Lockhart so easily – at least that’s what she remembered from the original storyline. Deciding not to press the matter further, Alexis headed off to grab her dinner. She had singing practice planned tonight; Sensei’s lullaby had sparked an instinctive inspiration. Alexis was convinced the song was tied to her own traits and the core of her magic. She silently vowed to delve deep into her inner self and master the art of silent chanting, determined to pull off something equally amazing.

“Oh, hi, Ginny,” Alexis called as she spotted Ginny and her friends walking into view while she searched for a seat.

Ginny gave a small smile and greeted her. “Hi, Alexis.”

“Your brothers are over there with Harry and Hermione,” Alexis said, noticing Ginny flush slightly at the mention of Harry. Her friends giggled beside her, clearly amused. Alexis added quickly, “By the way, where’s Jessica? I thought you two were hanging out more lately.”

“She’s in Professor Snape’s office,” Ginny said, her blush fading as excitement replaced it. “Can you believe it? She did so well in class that she earned ten points for Hufflepuff! I’ve heard so many bad things about Professor Snape, but he seemed all right today...I just wonder why he called Jessica to his office.”

“Uhm...maybe he’s looking for an assistant to help with potions ingredients?” Alexis guess hesitantly, unsure whether she should reveal Jessica’s sponsorship.

Ginny’s eyes widened. “Is that why he’s sponsoring Jessica? To secure a proper assistant?”

Alexis paused momentarily. “You...you know about the sponsorship?”

“Yeah, we know,” a girl beside Ginny said, nodded. “Jessica told us on the first day we met her. She was worried we’d dislike her for being close with Professor Snape.”

“Of course we wouldn’t!” another girl added warmly. “She’s so nice! But...Professor Snape is still pretty scary.”

Alexis blinked, surprised by how well Jessica balanced the dichotomy of Snape’s gloom and the energy of her new friends. It was a characteristic she’d never associated with Snape. With Jessica’s long, curly hair, it was hard to spot any resemblance between her and the professor – unless someone looked very, very closely.

“If,” Alexis asked the first-years in front of her, focussing especially on Ginny, “Fred and George invented something that could change your hair color temporarily, what color would you pick?”

The girls’s eyes widened in surprise. One of them asked tentatively, “Would it be something like your hair?”

Alexis twisted her highlighted bangs with her fingers, grinning. “Well, that hasn’t been decided yet...”

Ginny narrowed her eyes mischievously, grabbing her friends by their arms. “We’re going to make them do it. I want a golden braid like that, too!”

“Yeah! I want my hair purple!”

“And I want blue!”

Alexis chuckled, watching the girls dash off. She noticed Jessica trailing after them, having just come up from the dungeon. Catching their conversation, Jessica exclaimed eagerly, “I want light purple!”

Perfect, Alexis mused as she watched them disappear. With dyed hair, fewer people would notice Jessica’s resemblance to Snape, and more time for her to adapt to her new environment. Satisfied, Alexis found a quiet spot, quickly finished her dinner, and headed to her private training room – conveniently located beside Scarlet’s.

Scarlet had helped her install a secure door to her space, ensuring privacy. Inside, the room was small but thoughtfully decorated. Unlike Scarlet’s room – which was a chaotic combination of Scarlet’s tastes and contributions from the Weasley twins – Alexis had enlisted the help of Hogwarts house-elves, trading them a stack of fashion magazines as a “reward”. The elves had been delighted, and Alexis was more than satisfied with the results.

Her training room was divided into two parts: the left side was lined with mirrors, perfect for observing her movements; the right side featured a soundproofed enclosure with partition, door, and windows. Inside, now even an echo would carry, allowing Alexis to practice in complete sonic isolation.

She sat before the mirror, her wand cradled in her hands, the memory of Scarlet chanting before singing the lullaby replaying in her mind.

Beadouriché. Scarlet’s wand name, as told by the wand itself.

You have to believe – truly believe - that you can achieve something. Scarlet’s voice echoed in Alexis’s thoughts.

The world around you will shape itself to bring you imagination to life.

Words strengthen your imagination.

Even if I just call out my wand’s name? Alexis thought, staring at her wand. Words are to strengthen my imagination, right? So magic could still work even without words, as long as my imagination’s solid enough, right? And so, call out my wand’s name, strengthen my connection with it, and just let the magic flow, then the world around me will, like shape itself to bring my imagination to life?

She murmured. “What’s your name?”

Her gaze lingered on her wand. There was nothing remarkable about its appearance – no phoenix feathers or legendary materials, nothing that would make it memorable like Harry’s wand. It was crafted in America, using materials native to that distant land – a wild, eclectic mix reflecting the country’s unique collision of cultures, history, and diversity. It’s foreign here...and so am I.

So engrossed was Alexis in her thoughts that she failed to notice how much time had passed. The Weasley twins had snuck into her room, watching her in amused silence.

She sat transfixed, magic gathering faintly around her like glimmering fairy dust, the particles dancing and swirling as if in tune with her unspoken intentions.

And then, Alexis heard a voice – not a voice in the conventional sense, but a message, a feeling that resonated withing her. It wasn’t entirely human in nature, but she understood.

It was her wand, speaking its name...