Gilderoy Lockhart

[Equinox Chick]

And he had to have some Gryffindor traits, to go hunting all those Dark creatures in the first place,
He didn't hunt the dark creatures though- only the wizards or witches who defeated them I don't see him as brave at all so whilst Gryffindors may be all those things you say (I disagree but that's another discussion for another board) their primary characteristic is bravery. Lockhart just isn't brave.

Given that we think Molly wouldn't swoon over him if he were a Slytherin - if she wasn't at school with him would she necessarily know his house?
I actually see Lockhart as being pretty insignificant at school. The least becoming of his features (a weak chin) was probably more apparant when he was a boy so his good looks would have developed more as he grew up. Much like some men who are nondescript at 18 but grow into their looks at 30 (ish) (I'm now trying to think of recogniseable examples but the only ones are English footballers hmmm!) - Maybe Hugh Laurie (House) who was really geeky looking when younger but is now pretty swoonable whereas someone like Jude Law who was lovely looking is going down the pan a bit as he gets older.

Carole
xxx

[OliveOil_Med]

The way I see it, Lockhart is younger than Molly, but still older than the Marauders. Mrs. Weasley was born October 30, 1949, making her forty-one, almost forty-two, and that Snape was born January 9, 1960, making him thirty-two, so I would have Lockhart somewhere in between there.

But I could see him as being an upclassman when the Maurauders were young.

I have to cast my vote for Lockhart being a Gryffindor. He's arrogant, vainglorious, and a publicity-hound. And he had to have some Gryffindor traits, to go hunting all those Dark creatures in the first place, even if he did wind up taking credit for what other people did. We saw him behaving in a cowardly manner in the end, but let's not forget, not all Gryffindors have limitless courage, and some never overcome their fears. Neville spent most of his school years terrified of Snape. And Peter Pettigrew, anyone? So turning out to be a coward when the chips are down doesn't mean someone can't be a Gryffindor.

Lockhart is like a caricature of all the worst Gryffindor traits

You know, when you phrase your argument that way, I actually can see Lockhart as a Gryffindor. Any house is capable of producing less than savory people. I just believe it is a tad cliche to put anyone with a remotely unsavory character in Slytherin, unless it is clear that this is where they belong.

[OliveOil_Med]

I think we can all agree that Lockhart was a fraud and a coward, but that does not mean he was a poor wizard. He WAS quite gifted with Memory Charms, after all.

Do you he think he was ever able to cast a Patronus Charm? What do you believe it took the form of?

[Inverarity]

I think we can all agree that Lockhart was a fraud and a coward, but that does not mean he was a poor wizard. He WAS quite gifted with Memory Charms, after all.

Do you he think he was ever able to cast a Patronus Charm? What do you believe it took the form of?

Patronus Charms are supposed to be somewhat more difficult, and I can't imagine Lockhart ever going anywhere near Dementors if he could help it, so I doubt he'd have been capable of it, frankly. But if he did, I'd suggest a peacock or a rooster for his Patronus.

[Azhure]

What we have to remember about patronus charms is that their forms are meant to protect the caster, not reflect their personality. Although I think the peacock would be a fantastic animagus for Lockhart... a patronus, I'm not so sure.

Unfortunately, I don't have any suggestions.

~~Azhure~~

[OliveOil_Med]

Lockhart's pride and his image were what he held dear above all other things. He was willing to do just about anything to protect the, even curse his own students.

Maybe a ram? I don't know. What animal is willing to go to extemem lengths for their pride?

[weasleywannabe47]

Do you think his vanity is just over-insecurity?

No, I don't. I don't see him as insecure.

Do you think he knew in COS that the teachers hated him?

If he knew, I don't think he'd care...

What house do you think he was in when he was at Hogwarts?

Slytherin. He was too ambitious, sly, amd cunning for his own good.

We know he's good at Memory Charms (oh, the irony!) but does he have any other talents?

Lying is obviously one of them...

At school, do you think he would be popular or a bit of a joke?

A joke. Can you imagine the things that were said of him?

If the answer to the question above is the latter, do you think that might be why his success went to his head?

He didn't have any successes, remember?
Does anybody have an idea of how old he was in the second book? It's been bugging me quite a bit and I would like to know if I could fit him into my story (of which the first chappie is in the queue). My story takes place in the past and I wanna see if he could pop up as a student at some point.

I would say late 30s, early 40s.

I hate Lockhart. With a fiery passion.

[Racing Co]

Now bringing this thread back from the death's doorstep...

I'm working on a story that features a conversation between Lockhart and Dumbledore. Now, we know Lockhart to be flamboyant and over-the-top when talking with fellow professors, but how do you think he relates to Dumbledore? Does the level of bragging remain about the same, or do you think he tones it down for his boss?

[MorganRay]

I just believe it is a tad cliche to put anyone with a remotely unsavory character in Slytherin, unless it is clear that this is where they belong.

This is an entirely different discussion, but I agree with you. I could picture Lockheart in Ravenclaw, actually, because he goes out and is writing all of these books, but he can't do anything practice. Luna is a bit of a spacecase, so it's unfair to argue all Ravenclaws are little Einsteins. However, he seems like a lazy character that actually does not want to do any of the work for his success. He wants knowledge, but he doesn't want to do anything practical with it. Who know, he might even think he's being witty by taking other people's thoughts and being really good at one thing.

Now, we know Lockhart to be flamboyant and over-the-top when talking with fellow professors, but how do you think he relates to Dumbledore? Does the level of bragging remain about the same, or do you think he tones it down for his boss?

I can't say. Lockheart managed to put on a good public face, and I think his desire to be liked and show he was better than other people may come out no matter what. I don't think he would talk down to Dumbledore, but I think he might try to treat Dumbledore like an equal. However, in doing so, he would almost be unwittingly patronizing to Dumbledore.

[Racing Co]

All right, so I have already written two fics starring the intrepid adventurer and self-promoter, Gilderoy Lockhart. One might argue that is two stories entirely too many, but I have an idea for a third (this time a chaptered story).

Here's the new question:

When do you think Gilderoy's rise to stardom took place? When did he start writing and selling whole bookshelves full of his "true" life story?

My theory is this: it took place a few years after the end of the first war against Voldemort. Anything he might have done beforehand would have been really overshadowed by, you know, Death Eaters torturing and killing folks.

Timeline-wise, I'm supposing Lockhart didn't start publishing until he was in his early thirties and then had some sort of meteoric rise in popularity. Does this theory hold water with what we know about Lockhart?