"Gil!" Amelia's voice was at his side immediately, her hand gripping his arm. "Are you alright?"
"Fine," he managed, still catching his breath. "I think I felt something. A kind of pull."
"That's a good sign," she said, her eyes scanning him quickly. "You didn't leave anything behind?"
His mind, which had been blissfully occupied with the mechanics of Apparition, suddenly spiralled into a dark place. He imagined himself arriving at his destination with certain parts missing, and the thought of a certain disgraced traitor from a famous series who had his thing cut off flashed through his mind. He shuddered violently.
I'd rather not become Reek, he thought, suppressing another shudder.
Though I suppose they must have spells for reversing Splinching. They couldn't just leave people permanently maimed.
"Gil?" Amelia's voice broke through his spiralling thoughts. "You've gone pale. What's wrong?"
"Nothing," he said quickly. "Just thinking about Splinching."
Amelia's expression softened with understanding. "It's reversible. You know that, right? They have charms specifically for it."
"Yes, I know, I know," he said, running a hand through his hair. "But we can't help being a little scared, right?"
Nearby, a commotion drew his attention. Alex Summers, the Hufflepuff Keeper, had somehow managed to embed himself in his hoop, his legs poking through the wooden circle in a manner that suggested he had merged with the object. His expression was one of profound embarrassment.
"I think I'm stuck," he announced to the hall at large.
"That's a new one," Archie observed, ambling over with an expression of mild interest. "We'll need to work on that. The idea is to end up on the other side of the hoop, not become one with it."
A wave of laughter rippled through the hall, and Gilderoy found himself joining in. Beside him, Amelia was laughing so hard she had tears streaming down her face.
During the commotion, Gilderoy noticed a set of twins approaching him.
"You're Lockhart, right?" the first twin asked, his voice carrying the warmth of someone who was genuinely friendly.
"That's me," Gilderoy replied, sizing them up. Both were tall and sturdy, with the kind of easy confidence that came from years of Quidditch and friendly competition. The first twin had a slightly crooked nose that suggested it had been broken more than once, and the other bore a scar along his jaw that was almost certainly from a Bludger.
"Fabian Prewett," the crooked-nosed twin said, extending a hand. "This is my brother, Gideon."
So these are Molly's brothers? I thought they already graduated.
Gideon nodded in greeting. "We've heard about United. The whole school's talking about it."
"I see."
Fabian grinned. "We've been looking for something like this. The DADA professors aren't teaching us what we need. Not really. It's all theory and textbooks, and that's not going to keep anyone alive."
Gideon nodded in agreement. "We've been training on our own, but there's only so much you can do without experience. And the war—" He paused, glancing around to make sure no one was listening too closely. "The war isn't going to wait for us to graduate."
The twins were earnest and committed, and they had the kind of courage that would eventually cost them their lives. But perhaps, if he intervened, if he gave them the right training, things could be different.
"United meets on the seventh floor," he said, his voice low. "The Room of Requirement. There's a sign-up parchment, and then you can join the next session directly."
Fabian's grin widened. "Nice."
The twins waved and departed, weaving their way back through the crowd towards the Gryffindor crowd.
As Gilderoy watched them go, he felt a hand on his lower back. Not Amelia's—this hand was smaller, more delicate, and it traced a slow, deliberate path across his spine.
"You're recruiting," Pandora murmured, her voice low enough that only he could hear. "That's very noble of you."
Gilderoy turned to find her standing close, far closer than was strictly necessary. Her pale eyes were bright with mischief, and a smile played at the corners of her lips that suggested she had something other than Apparition on her mind.
"Someone has to," he replied, keeping his voice equally low.
"Indeed." Pandora's hand was still on his back, her fingers now drawing lazy circles against his robes. "Tell me, Gil, do you think I could join?"
"You're already a member."
"I know." She stepped closer, close enough that he could smell the faint scent of something floral—her perfume, perhaps, or her hair. "But I was thinking of a more active role or promotion."
Gilderoy raised an eyebrow. "Active role?"
"Mm." Her hand moved from his back to his chest, her palm pressing flat against his heart. "I could help with recruitment. You know, charm the reluctant ones into joining."
"I think you'd be more likely to scare them off."
Pandora laughed. "I'm very charming when I want to be."
"You're something, that's for sure."
She leaned in, her breath warm against his ear. "Remember the library, Gil? When you checked to see if I was fat?"
Gilderoy's ears turned pink. "I remember."
"You didn't seem to mind touching me then." Her hand slid lower, resting on his stomach. "In fact, you seemed to enjoy it."
"Pandora—"
"I'm just saying." She pulled back slightly, her smile widening. "If you ever want to check again, I wouldn't object."
"I think Xeno might have something to say about that."
Pandora glanced over her shoulder at her fiancé, who was watching the exchange with the same dreamy expression he usually wore. "Xeno doesn't mind," she said, turning back to Gilderoy. "He finds it interesting. He says it's good for me to have other interests."
"Other interests?"
"Besides him, obviously." She patted his chest affectionately. "Don't worry about it. Other than you, I won't have any other interests."
Gilderoy glanced at Amelia, who was standing a few feet away watching the entire exchange with an expression of amused interest. When she caught his eye, she winked.
With no objections and the fact that they were standing near the back of the hall where no one was paying attention, Gilderoy felt a burst of adrenaline and boldness, the same kind he had felt when he had guided Amelia through her stretches way back. He wrapped his arms around Pandora, his hand coming around to rest against her petite arse as he started groping her.
"Ummm," Pandora moaned, leaning more against his side.
Unfortunately, they had to break apart soon when Archie began making his way toward their section, clearly intending to address the students nearby.
"One—" Archie's voice rang out. "Two—"
Gilderoy tried to Apparate again, but he still failed. It was sure no one could learn Apparition within a day, and Pandora had been distracting him anyways.
He forced himself to turn back to his hoop, though his mind was still reeling from the exchange. Amelia appeared at his side, her expression one of barely contained amusement.
"She's very forward," Amelia observed smirking.
"She's something."
"One—" Archie's voice rose above the murmuring. "Two—"
Gilderoy took a deep breath and focused on his hoop.
"—THREE!"
The world compressed around him, and when he opened his eyes, he was standing exactly where he had started. But this time, he didn't stumble. He was steady.
"Excellent!" Archie called out. "You almost Apparated, young man, but you didn't change your location. It's fine—everyone takes weeks to learn."
Gilderoy smiled. Beside him, Pandora was still flushed from their earlier moment, a giddy smile on her face, and Amelia was watching him with an expression that was equal parts pride and amusement.
The morning wore on, filled with partial attempts and failures. Archie ambled through the crowd, offering advice in his reedy voice, his floral dress fluttering around him like a banner of unapologetic eccentricity.
The Muggleborns and halfbloods continued to struggle with their laughter, and the purebloods continued to stare at them with increasing confusion.
Amelia tried to Apparate but failed, stumbling forward and nearly falling face-first onto the floor. Gilderoy caught her, pulling her close and rotating her so she landed safely in his arms instead.
Pandora drifted over, her expression one of cheerful mischief. "Are you two done being adorable? Archie is about to start again, and I don't want to miss it."
"Adorable?" Gilderoy repeated, straightening his chest and puffing it out slightly. "I'm not adorable. I'm dashing."
"You're adorable," Pandora corrected. "Dashingly adorable."
Amelia laughed, and Gilderoy found himself grinning at Pandora's words.
---
The first Patreon poll for Blessed With Magic is live on Patreon!
It's free for everyone to vote.
I'd love to hear your thoughts, so don't forget to cast your vote
📖Advanced Chapters on Patreon- we are ahead by 12 chapters
https://patreon.com/A_Peverel