"Ron!" They heard Arthur yell, "What are you doing? It's too crowded in here, let's go outside."
"Well, well, well - Arthur Weasley."
Lucifer heard a familiar older, but still annoying voice. He turned to see the man from where Draco got those unfortunate looks from. 'Yep, they even have the same sneer...'
"Lucius," Arthur said, nodding coldly.
"Busy time at the Ministry, 'I hear," Lucius said, "All those raids... I hope they're paying you overtime?"
He reached Ginny's cauldron and extracted, from amid the glossy Lockhart books, a very old, very battered copy of 'A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration.'
"Obviously not," his sneer returned full force as he spoke, "Dear me, what's the use of being a disgrace to the name of Wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?"
Arthur flushed an even darker red than either Ron or Ginny, "We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy," he said.
"Clearly," Lucius said, his pale eyes straying somewhere. Lucifer followed them and saw that he was looking at Hermione's mum.
He turned back around and placed his hand over his wand, "The company you keep Weasley... and I thought family could sink no lower-"
"Enough, she's with me," Lucifer announced his presence, quite loudly for a twelve year old with his wand drawn at unseen speed, aimed right at Lucius Malfoy.
The whole bookstore stopped all they were doing and stared at the scene that they all waited to take place.
...Hermione looked into her best friend's eyes from the side and saw a dull red, anyone looking at his face could see them as such, but they weren't bright red like last school year when he 'fought' the Manticore and Troll.
His nostrils were flared as he glared right into Lucius'eyes, "I--I see. There was 'nothing' ill behind what I said, Draco! Come here, and say hello."
He reworked the previous mistake in a clumsical calm way of salvaging the patched up relationship with that darn boy who was threatening him with his wand.
It was really difficult for Lucius to talk from an outsider's view, someone was choking him to death.
"Your demise if you did," But Lucifer was unmoved, his dark tone raising goosebumps of everyone present at the scene.
"M-Morningstar', buying the Defense books.... Lockhart for the year. Believe if you can, I almost forgot it's even in the list. These aren't even 'worth' our galleon. Pansy told me herself."
Draco instantly revealed the man was a total fraud, and offered what he thought was helpful advice. He was quick enough to understand his father's intentions.
For some reason, when Draco mentioned Lockhart's name, his face twisted in a visible distaste, like he couldn't stand the man.
"Really, now....?" Lucius's expression mirrored his. It seemed neither of them had a very high opinion of Lockhart... while trying to gasp for more oxygen, before he could say or do anything, a friendly, giant man came over and stopped whatever was going on.
"Alright, that's enough outta yeh. No need to cause a scene more than yeh have," came Hagrid's voice.
But Lucifer seemed ready to Crucio his arse right there with a mere adjusted version of the 'tickling charm'. It was a good minute or two before he finally sheathed his wand, "You say another damn thing like that again, and I won't hold back....."
"F-Father, are you okay?!" he heard Draco's panicked sound, after Malfoy Sr. didn't move any further.
Lucius looked down at his son, and briefly muttered, "Not a word to Narcissa," before the Malfoy's disappeared from sight.
In terms of popularity among witches, Lucifer realised Lockhart's fame rivaled that of even powerful wizards like Dumbledore.
And this very Gilderoy Lockhart was one Draco had just been talking about---it was obvious he was very familiar with him.
'So in truth, to reach that level of success... Lockhart had needed more than just talent, hard work, and luck. The investment and influence of a business family like the Parkinsons had played an essential role...'
'Simply put, without the backing of the Parkinson family, Lockhart could never have achieved such unrivaled fame.... He might've made a name for himself, but certainly not on this scale.'
'Which meant, if anyone knew the real Gilderoy Lockhart inside and out, it was the Parkinson family, and Malfoy's. He very well might just be an idol author built on connections and wealth....'
xxxxxx
They all walked out of the bookshop, only Lucifer walked a little away from the group. Hermione sidled up next to him, "Are you okay?"
"I will be..."
"Hey, um... thank you, for what you did. Malfoy's father was very rude," Hermione said in a grateful tone.
Her family came up soon after, "Are there more Wizards that are impolite like that man?" Jane asked them, crossing her arms a little. If it's not for magic, she probably would have given this racist human, a nice scolding.
"Unfortunately... and it's mainly 'Slytherins, most' are like that.... but last year proved it doesn't matter what House a person is in, they can be very mean," Hermione explained, while looking at the group of red-heads.
"Back there, when you had your wand drawn on that man with the long, platinum blonde hair, and when you were... talking to that short man with the camera, the air got really thick and it was difficult to breathe normally... and your eyes, they changed from black to a red color, what was that about?" Wendell asked, Lucifer, finding this very curious.
"Remember, Grandpa, he's a Descendant of the most powerful Wizard to ever exist. I've no doubt Lucifer has inherited Merlin's power!"
Hermione said, while grinning at the said boy. Mr. Granger, then directly walked up to him, relaxing old tensed nerves a bit, not about how she was acting all girly, a feeling that happens after you meet a certain boy, "I was right to put my trust in you."
Lucifer looked up at the man and saw a thankful look on his face, even both Harry and Ron came over a moment later.
"You alright?" Harry asked.
"I will be... sorry for almost losing myself again..."
"Again?" Jane asked.
"Remember the Troll I told you about, Mum?" Hermione asked her and she nodded, "Lucifer took care of it. You should have seen him, it was really cool, standing there with his eyes glowing bright red as he killed the 'Troll' when it attacked me!"
She was now almost jumping on the floor, getting very excited, retelling the whole story, it made her feel like a Disney Princess.
Jane looked at Lucifer warmly, it was similar to a mother inspecting her future son-in-law, "Both my late husband, and I couldn't ask Hermione to have a better friend. Thank you from the bottom of 'our hearts."
"She would've done the same for me," Lucifer smiled at the said girl, who had her face down with a huge smile, cheeks very rosy.
"On the bright side, mate," But Ron had enough, couldn't help his potty mouth any longer, "you might be in the paper..... I heard Lockhart asking his photographer if he got any of it on camera and he was nodding quickly."
"What!?"
Lucifer was scandalized now!
__________
Lucifer and Hermione had arrived at King's Cross on September 1st with around ten minutes to board the train before it departed.
"I can't even believe Mum asked you to spy on me!"
"Hermione, she's just worried about you smuggling a drago-"
"I don't smoke!"
"Whatever Granger...."
They were pushing their trolleys up towards the Station to get on Platform 9 3/4 when they heard a rush of people hurrying up behind them, "I guess we did arrive earlier...." Lucifer voiced out to her.
"That was because, we didn't know how to get on the Platform!"
'Is she always this loud....'
"Fair point," he said to her before addressing the cloud of red heads and Harry, "I was wondering if you all would show up or not? Hermione and I were just about to make our way to the platform."
"Alright, let them go first," Molly said and Hermione went ahead of Lucifer, where he quickly followed behind her.
Even found a compartment, while Ginny was nervous about looking for other First Years to sit with.
"Um....Hi," Ginny said as she slowly opened the compartment door, "Can I join you guys?"
"No...."
"Yeah, 'of course." But Lucifer was quite a gentleman, he stood up and helped load Ginny's trunk into the rack above them, it caused him to be glared from Hermione, even snorting loudly in disbelief.
It made the atmosphere inside the bright-looking compartment go cold, Ginny also seemed tense, now "W-where is Harry and Ron?" she even tried to change the subject.
"With luck? Stuck on top of the train," Lucifer replied cheekily, but only glared at from Ginny too, "W-wha- I'm kidding, obviously. I don't know where they are, but hopefully made it onto the train." even nodded, his face up and down.
"Ginny, why don't you go look for other first years, and politely ask to sit with them?" Hermione's sweet voice reached both of their ears, it made the Weasely family's only girl feel quite pressured.
"I-I am just nervous...." Ginny looked down, her face started to become a little pink, even thinking about standing up.
"But, you should at least giv-"
"You got any classes, looking forward to Ginny?"
'Ginny.....Ginny.....'
"W-what did you call her?!"
"My brothers have told me a lot about Transfiguration.... it's really difficult and the teacher's also quite harsh!"
"But McGonagall always gets results out of you, even if you don't wa-"
"No, Lucifer is very much wrong. She is even more disciplinary! I just hope, you don't end up in Gryffindor!"
Hermione nodded; she seemed a bit unsure at first about, how to make this person named, Ginny go away. But she definitely looked more comfortable now....
1 Extra Chapter - 150 Power Stone's!
___________
Author's Note
To Read 32+ Advanced Chapters, please visit my Patreon.
Link - patreon.com/SmutDxddy
It is also mentioned in the bio.
Bonus Up to Chapter 85 has already been posted there.
(Second-year is Mid-way on Patreon!)