No one really knew how that class ended—or when exactly Lockhart vanished.
All that was certain was that Professor Lockhart left behind a mess… and a not-so-flattering legend.
"Hey, did you hear?"
"What happened in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom?"
"Do you think it's true?"
"Not sure, but a lot of people are talking about it."
Word of Lockhart's first lesson at Hogwarts spread quickly across all the houses.
Mainly because so many students had been completely blindsided by him—and venting their frustration by sharing every last detail became the perfect outlet. They told the story over and over, warning anyone who would listen.
Still, not everyone believed it. After that class, Lockhart stopped pulling such reckless stunts—or at least, there were no more terrifying creatures showing up in his lessons...
That said, the most talked-about part of the whole fiasco wasn't Lockhart's humiliation, but rather the performance of Pansy and Hermione when facing the pixies. Even now, people couldn't forget the sight of those two elegant, commanding figures wielding the Freezing Charm with ease. And for the first time, people began to see the real strength behind the girl who always seemed to trail behind Draco like a little shadow—Pansy Parkinson.
After all, as the young heiress of a long-standing pure-blood family, how could she possibly be just a pretty face?
Then there was Hermione Granger, who lacked any impressive background, yet completely shattered expectations. Those who'd thought she was just a girl with a good memory were left stunned.
To master the Freezing Charm—a spell that normally required long-term practice—using limited resources was a clear testament to her innate magical talent.
Compared to her reputation as a "know-it-all," this was what truly mattered. It was a mark of a powerful witch, and Hermione had proven herself.
But for Pansy, that wasn't the kind of outcome she wanted.
To be precise, what anyone else thought didn't matter at all. From beginning to end, she only cared about one thing—and that was the reason she'd stepped up in the first place...
"I won, right? Draco!"
"If you mean the number of pixies we caught, then no one really won or lost. I was watching—you two were even."
"Ugh..."
Pansy had been fishing for praise. But after hearing that oh-so-fair and impartial answer, she immediately puffed out her cheeks, glaring at Draco from behind like she was trying to decide where to bite him.
Just as she was about to pounce, Draco casually added,
"But in terms of spell control—you definitely had the upper hand."
"Eh? R-Really? Hehe~."
The moment Draco turned and looked at her seriously, Pansy felt her face heat up like wildfire. Her heart started racing, and she suddenly felt floaty, like she'd downed too much Butterbeer.
Watching her silly, flustered expression, Draco furrowed his brow in concern.
Is she having one of her episodes again...?
"Are you sure you're okay?"
Snapping out of her daydream, Pansy caught sight of Draco's strange expression and his question. She blinked, then huffed with a mock-scolding glare.
"I... Wait! I feel like you're thinking something really rude!"
"No, I just wanted to double-check—are you serious about joining the Quidditch team?"
"Of course! You've seen my flying skills. Who knows, I might even get to play in the next match!"
Totally unaware that Draco was just trying to change the subject, Pansy stood tall with confidence, her body already starting to show graceful curves. She held her broom high, like she was already imagining her victory lap around the pitch.
Clearly, Pansy had full confidence in her flying abilities...
...
In fact, once a student enters their second year at Hogwarts, they become eligible to try out for their house's Quidditch team.
While second-years are allowed to join, it's important to understand that making the team at that age still requires remarkable talent. Even if they aren't quite at the level of prodigies like Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter—who were recruited in their first year—they'd still need to stand out from the crowd, because team spots are limited.
In recent memory, the only second-years who actually made it onto the starting lineup were the Weasley twins—nicknamed the "Bludgers on legs" for good reason.
Putting aside Ron Weasley and the newly enrolled Ginny Weasley, it's clear that several of the Weasley siblings are exceptionally gifted in their own right.
But students with that kind of talent are few and far between.
In short, no matter who you are, if you want to prove yourself, you have to pass a trial. These talent assessments are held annually, just before the Quidditch season begins, and are led by the captains of each house team.
And this afternoon, it was Draco's turn to head to the pitch to personally assess the new hopefuls...
Though Hogwarts has four houses, it only has one Quidditch pitch.
Because each team needs time for individual training, there's a strict rotation system in place. A house must first apply and be approved to use the pitch for practice.
You can, technically, invite another house to train with you using your slot—but to date, no team has ever done something that generous... or foolish.
However, the moment Draco and Pansy stepped onto the pitch, they immediately realized something was off...
"Why are the Gryffindor players here?"