Ficlet: Who Am I? (Ficlet Challenge #85)
Title: Who Am I?
Summary: Gilderoy Lockhart struggles to remember his life.
Characters/Pairings: Gilderoy Lockhart
Genre: General
Beta: None
Rating/Warnings: PG
Medium: Fic
Word Count: 619
Can the Order post to Tumblr?: Sure
“Who am I?”
It was a question that had been asked many times, and no matter what answer was given, Gilderoy Lockhart seemed to have trouble retaining the information. He knew he was male and the name Gilderoy seemed to ring a bell to him, but he could never quite remember whether it was his name or the name of his doctor. It was a fine name, for certain, and if it was his name he would not be at all unhappy. The name seemed to command respect and admiration, two things he felt he deserved, although he could not quite understand why.
He also knew that at some point in his life he had come across a singularly avid woman named Gladys Gudgeon who, for one reason or another, had taken quite a liking to him. He had never met her, of course, but she wrote to him once a week, detailing just how much she adored him, though she never specifically said why. Then again, when he caught sight of his reflection in the mirror (which, for a while, he did not realize was himself, but, rather, thought it to be a dazzlingly handsome wizard looking at him through a window) he was reminded of just how good-looking he was, with teeth that shone like pearls and hair that was just fluffy enough, but not too fluffy. It was easy to see why most witches would want to write him once a week, and he was always happy to return the favor with an autographed picture, though someone else usually had to do the autographing.
And yet despite all of this, he still had no clue who he was, where he had come from, and just what had caused him to become a permanent resident in St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. He had read an article in a delightful periodical called The Quibbler which spoke of wrackspurts, invisible creatures which floated into one’s head through their ears and made their brain go all fuzzy, but his doctor had dismissed that theory right away.
The ward nurse entered once again, bringing with her their lunches. As she set hers down by his bed, he looked up and asked, “Who am I?”
She smiled as though this were a question she was very accustomed to answering. “You’re Gilderoy Lockhart,” she told him patiently. “And if I am not mistaken, you’ve just received another letter from that lovely Gladys Gudgeon. You must have done something quite spectacular to earn such a fan as her.”
And deep inside Gilderoy - yes, that was his name, she had just told him so - knew he had done something spectacular. In his dreams he was brave and daring, and spent his time traveling the world and fighting dangerous creatures. Then, he would write about his adventures, would appear at bookstores to promote his books, and would be the marvel and admiration of witches everywhere, young and old. He did not know if these were true memories or simply figments of his imagination, but he did know that they had somehow played an important part in where he was now.
The patient nurse returned once more to his bed, holding the letter from Gladys that she had spoken of earlier.
“Thank you,” he said, taking it and eagerly opening it. “Prepare another autographed picture, if you will. To Miss Gladys Gudgeon, my most loyal fan,” he dictated. “Thank you once again for your letter of admiration. I will hold it as close and as dear as I have the other one-hundred and twenty four that you have sent me thus far. Sincerely…” He paused, his brow furrowed once more. “Eh…sincerely…who am I again?”
Colleen//Ravenclaw//26
Summary: Gilderoy Lockhart struggles to remember his life.
Characters/Pairings: Gilderoy Lockhart
Genre: General
Beta: None
Rating/Warnings: PG
Medium: Fic
Word Count: 619
Can the Order post to Tumblr?: Sure
“Who am I?”
It was a question that had been asked many times, and no matter what answer was given, Gilderoy Lockhart seemed to have trouble retaining the information. He knew he was male and the name Gilderoy seemed to ring a bell to him, but he could never quite remember whether it was his name or the name of his doctor. It was a fine name, for certain, and if it was his name he would not be at all unhappy. The name seemed to command respect and admiration, two things he felt he deserved, although he could not quite understand why.
He also knew that at some point in his life he had come across a singularly avid woman named Gladys Gudgeon who, for one reason or another, had taken quite a liking to him. He had never met her, of course, but she wrote to him once a week, detailing just how much she adored him, though she never specifically said why. Then again, when he caught sight of his reflection in the mirror (which, for a while, he did not realize was himself, but, rather, thought it to be a dazzlingly handsome wizard looking at him through a window) he was reminded of just how good-looking he was, with teeth that shone like pearls and hair that was just fluffy enough, but not too fluffy. It was easy to see why most witches would want to write him once a week, and he was always happy to return the favor with an autographed picture, though someone else usually had to do the autographing.
And yet despite all of this, he still had no clue who he was, where he had come from, and just what had caused him to become a permanent resident in St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. He had read an article in a delightful periodical called The Quibbler which spoke of wrackspurts, invisible creatures which floated into one’s head through their ears and made their brain go all fuzzy, but his doctor had dismissed that theory right away.
The ward nurse entered once again, bringing with her their lunches. As she set hers down by his bed, he looked up and asked, “Who am I?”
She smiled as though this were a question she was very accustomed to answering. “You’re Gilderoy Lockhart,” she told him patiently. “And if I am not mistaken, you’ve just received another letter from that lovely Gladys Gudgeon. You must have done something quite spectacular to earn such a fan as her.”
And deep inside Gilderoy - yes, that was his name, she had just told him so - knew he had done something spectacular. In his dreams he was brave and daring, and spent his time traveling the world and fighting dangerous creatures. Then, he would write about his adventures, would appear at bookstores to promote his books, and would be the marvel and admiration of witches everywhere, young and old. He did not know if these were true memories or simply figments of his imagination, but he did know that they had somehow played an important part in where he was now.
The patient nurse returned once more to his bed, holding the letter from Gladys that she had spoken of earlier.
“Thank you,” he said, taking it and eagerly opening it. “Prepare another autographed picture, if you will. To Miss Gladys Gudgeon, my most loyal fan,” he dictated. “Thank you once again for your letter of admiration. I will hold it as close and as dear as I have the other one-hundred and twenty four that you have sent me thus far. Sincerely…” He paused, his brow furrowed once more. “Eh…sincerely…who am I again?”
Colleen//Ravenclaw//26