The Snitch and the Bludger

The Snitch and the Bludger

Chapter 3

Gilderoy was suddenly awakened from his dreams when something began to pull his hair.

"What the -" he was about to curse, when he opened his eyes and saw that the mischief maker was his father's owl, Octavius.

"Great timing, as usual," he grumbled, as he grabbed the letter Octavius had with him and began reading it.

Gilderoy,

I have just received the news that you have been accepted as Seeker for your house's team. I must say that this has surprised me immensely, considering how inept you are at everything.

I shall be writing to your headmaster to see if there hasn't been a mistake, or if you're lying. If the latter is true you will be deeply sorry.

As usual, the letter was unsigned (unless when absolutely unavoidable, his father refused to acknowledge him as his son) but the handwriting and the contents of the letter left no room for doubt. He shooed Octavius and crumbled the parchment, throwing it under his bed. He then got up, and advanced towards the open window staring at the view outside without actually acknowledging what was in front of him, tears beginning to fill his eyes.

His father had no faith in him... He had spent his entire life trying to impress him, but still it was useless. Not even being sorted into Gryffindor had granted him an encouraging word. To his father, he was just the unwanted child that was born at the cost of his beloved wife's life.

He buried his face on his arms. Unwanted... That had been the main word. Every since he could remember himself, his father had always made him know that he never wanted him to be born, and how much better it would have been if he had never tried to be brought into existence.

Still, those harsh words were better than the silence. The Lockhart household was buried in silence. The fact that there had never been anyone around, apart for the house elf that nursed him as a baby, helped to make him a slow learner at everything, from his first words to his first steps. And once he had finally learned how to move around, the first words that he acknowledged were an angry "Get out of my way!", repeated countless times...

Nobody likes me, he thought, as he tried to hide his sobs from his sleeping dorm mates. Not even my father...

Suddenly, he wiped his tears on his pajama sleeve and stood up. "No," he whispered firmly. Julia was happy when I told her I got the position. And Dumbledore...

He then recalled when Dumbledore encountered the three of them (he, Julia, and Rosie Appleton) as they were leaving the hospital wing that evening. He smiled at them, and congratulated him effusively, his eyes glowing. The memory of those glorious seconds made him smile.

For some reason Dumbledore had taken a strong liking to Gilderoy, ever since the previous year, when those strange trances he used to fall into had become too frequent. One day, instead of serving detention as he always did whenever those trances took place, Gilderoy found himself on the Headmaster's office, terrified with the idea that he was going to be expelled.

"Don't be afraid, Gilderoy," Dumbledore said reassuringly, as he ordered him to sit down. Gilderoy would always remember the surprise of the Headmaster's tone of voice, since until then no adult had ever talked to him that way. There was concern in the old man's voice - he cared.

"Professor McGonagall has told me what has been happening to you recently," Dumbledore continued. "At first, she thought that you were just misbehaving, and that your explanations were just feeble excuses. However, she has now realized that there is something wrong, after all. Can you explain exactly what has been happening to you?"

Gilderoy was staring open-mouthed at the Headmaster. He was being asked for his version of the facts. Someone was interested in hearing what he had to say, and was about to take his words seriously.

"I assure you, Gilderoy, that you are not in trouble," Dumbledore said calmly. The young boy finally decided to speak, and timidly began to described what happened to him when he fell into those trances - how his vision blurred and became tainted in red, how his hearing was reduced to a sharp hiss, and how his body began to move independently of his will. Dumbledore just looked at him calmly, as if he knew all along that these were the symptoms.

After Gilderoy finished, there was a moment of silence. Dumbledore then raised from his chair and moved towards a bookshelf.

"As I predicted," he said. "You don't have to worry, there is a solution to your problem. Take this." He then approached the boy's chair and handed him something.

"What is it?" Gilderoy asked, as he studied the object that he was now holding. It was a large ruby medallion, with a swan engraved and painted with gold.

"This," Dumbledore said, "is a charm that is used as protection in situations like this. Keep it with you at all times, and there will be no problems any longer."

He then smiled at him. Gilderoy would never forget that smile - it was the smile he always wished he could get from his father.

From that day on, he realized that Dumbledore was paying special attention to him, greeting him whenever they met, congratulating him on his efforts and being worried whenever he had problems.

"I wish Dumbledore was my dad," he whispered inaudibly, as he removed the medallion from his pajama pocket (it was too large and too noticeable for him to actually use it, so he just kept it near him at all times) and stared at it. The idea made him feel much better. With a smile, he returned to his bed and was soon asleep.