Chapter 76: True Colors

If the first half of the class was just an appetizer, the second half was a full-blown nightmare.

Lockhart released an entire cage of Cornish Pixies, which had bluish, sharp little faces, screeched shrilly, and darted around like out-of-control rockets, biting and snapping at everything in sight.

A few of them grabbed hold of Neville's ears and the hood of his robe, hoisting him up onto the chandelier. Others flew straight out the window, scattering shards of glass across the back of the classroom. The remaining pixies wreaked havoc in the room, flinging ink bottles everywhere, shredding books and papers, and overturning the waste bin. Almost the entire class had taken refuge under their desks.

# Lockhart

"Come on, round them up! They're just pixies…"

Lockhart shouted, but no one listened to him. Rolling up his sleeves, he brandished his wand and bellowed:

# Lockhart

"Dara Dubba Bandy Biddy Booby Loo Wong!"

It was completely ineffective. Worse still, one of the pixies grabbed Lockhart's wand and hurled it out of the window. Gasping, Lockhart dove under the teacher's desk, his backside sticking out in a most undignified manner.

A group of pixies discovered Orli and her friends hiding under their desk. They squeezed into the small space, tugging at Hermione and Orli's hair and biting Ron's ear.

# Harry

"Hermione! Use the Petrificus Totalus spell!"

Harry shouted, firing off a series of "Petrificus Totalus" spells with his wand.

# Hermione

"Got it, let's do this!"

Hermione froze one of the pixies and then turned to cast a Freezing Charm to immobilize more of them. The four of them darted around, dodging and countering the flying pixies. More students caught on and joined in, using similar spells. By the time the bell finally rang, all the pixies had been immobilized and were being tossed back into their cage one by one.

# Lockhart

"Well done, everyone. I think my first lesson has certainly left an impression."

Lockhart emerged from under the desk, straightened his clothes, and struck a confident pose.

# Lockhart

"I deliberately let the pixies loose earlier. Were you all frightened? Trust me, only through such exercises can you truly grow. Of course, it was all planned out—I would never let anyone get hurt…"

At that moment, the chandelier, which had been straining under Neville's weight, finally gave way. It came crashing down, taking Neville and itself with it, landing squarely on Lockhart and knocking him to the ground.

## Orli

"Looks like class is over, doesn't it?"

Orli quipped with a smirk, pulling Hermione along as they left the room.

Ron and Harry helped Neville to his feet. Everyone filed out of the classroom, not bothering to spare Lockhart another glance.

——————

The first week of term passed quickly. By Friday evening, everyone was feeling relaxed. In the Potions nook, Harry and Ron were chatting about Quidditch while Hermione helped Orli grind some Sunlight Orchid roots.

Only Orli seemed preoccupied, stirring her cauldron absentmindedly. If Hermione hadn't called out to her, she might have accidentally thrown beetle eyes into the mix instead of monkshood.

# Harry

"What's wrong, Orli? What are you thinking about?"

Harry asked curiously.

# Ron

"I've never seen Orli almost blow up a cauldron before."

Ron remarked.

## Orli

"I'm thinking about Saturday afternoon…"

Orli said with a grimace, turning off the flame under her cauldron.

## Orli

"No one's mentioned anything about the work-study program this term. I don't even know if I'll still be allowed to go to the Potions professor's office…"

# Ron

"Merlin's beard, why don't you just take this chance to quit?"

Ron suggested.

# Harry

"You don't need the money anymore, so why bother with the hard work?"

Harry chimed in.

## Orli

"It's not about the money. I just want to get more guidance."

Orli sighed. She had several questions saved up over the holiday that she was eager to ask Snape.