Ch 17 pt 3

But, remember, no matter what happens you will always be first in his heart."

She was watching and listening to him carefully.

"Hmm. Maybe you should tell him tonight when he sneaks in here to be with you that you want to be his girlfriend. A kiss on the cheek would not be out of order. Perhaps a kiss every morning when he takes your thesis pictures. In week, move from his cheek to a quick peck on his lips. And a warning about what the other Witches will do when they discover his House situation.

"And you needn't worry about him taking advantage of you, he will be too terrified of ruining your friendship, of chasing you away forever. So, you will have to initiate things every step of the way. You want him to kiss you on the lips? You will have to kiss him first so he knows it's okay. You want him to hug you? Tell him that's what will make you happy.

"He has no idea how to treat a girl, so you will need to coach him in the particulars. Be patient and let him know the real decisions are up to him. Do tell him that if he brags to his friends about private things you do together that you will be extremely disappointed in him. All those things he hears the older boys saying about their girlfriends should be private, and it shows that the boys have no regard for their girlfriends. Plus, and most importantly, it shows that they are incapable of being trusted to keep secrets. Be sure to point that out, explicitly.

"Trust me, it will work out as long as you take the forefront in matters of emotion and let him make his own decisions on how to follow through. Use rewards to get him to improve in school. No bossing around! Use 'please' a lot. And let him go off with Mr. Weasley when he feels he must, you do not want to force him to choose between yourself and Mr. Weasley. Never, ever, give an ultimatum about anything unless you are willing to accept that he might choose against you and you lose everything because of your or his pride. And make sure Mr. Potter knows when Mr. Weasley has hurt you with his words."

He left the Hospital Wing behind, headed for his rooms. He left Hermione in a mess of conflicting emotions, fear that her professor might be wrong, hope that he wasn't, fury with Harry's relatives for damaging the boy so much, and determination to do what she could to help him.

Harry/Gilderoy would monitor the two closely for a while, nudging the witch as needed, restraining her if she became overbearing. No matter what, it would be better than what he had gone through with Ron and Hermione in his future.

And he was right, he received quite a few party invitations for the New Year's celebrations. He graciously attended several, floo-ing between them, before midnight struck. It was a very profitable evening, from Gilderoy's point of view. Harry Lockhart was almost bored to tears.