======Holidays with Hags======
=====Object Information=====
  * **Type:** Book, [[Defence Against the Dark Arts]] Textbook
  * **Owners:** [[Gilderoy Lockhart]] (author), students of [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]] (during the 1992-1993 school year), including [[Harry Potter]] and [[Ron Weasley]].
  * **Maker:** Written (fraudulently) by [[Gilderoy Lockhart]].
=====Description and Appearance=====
//Holidays with Hags// is one of the published works of the celebrity wizard [[Gilderoy Lockhart]]. While its specific cover is not described in detail, it is part of his collected works which are known to feature large, moving photographs of Lockhart himself, often winking or beaming at the reader. The book purports to be an autobiographical account of one of Lockhart's heroic adventures, detailing a supposed encounter he had with a [[hag]]. The contents, however, are entirely fabricated.
=====Magical Properties and Usage=====
The book's primary function is as a piece of propaganda for its author. It was used to build and maintain [[Gilderoy Lockhart]]'s fame and reputation as a powerful, knowledgeable, and brave wizard who had defeated numerous [[Dark Creatures]].
For the 1992-1993 school year at [[Hogwarts]], //Holidays with Hags// was a mandatory textbook for second-year students in their [[Defence Against the Dark Arts]] class, which was taught by Lockhart himself. Students were expected to read it and were even assigned homework based on its contents, such as writing a poem about Lockhart's victory over the [[Wagga Wagga Werewolf]] (from his book //[[Wanderings with Werewolves]]//), indicating a similar use for //Holidays with Hags//.
The narrative within the book is not based on Lockhart's own experiences. He admitted to [[Harry Potter]] and [[Ron Weasley]] that he sought out witches and wizards who had performed genuinely heroic deeds, interviewed them to get all the details, and then erased their memories using a [[Memory Charm]]. He would then publish these stolen stories as his own.
=====History=====
//Holidays with Hags// was published sometime prior to the summer of 1992. It, along with Lockhart's six other major works, was placed on the required booklist for second-year students upon his appointment as the [[Defence Against the Dark Arts]] professor at [[Hogwarts]].
[[Harry Potter]] and his peers purchased their copies at [[Flourish and Blotts]] in [[Diagon Alley]] before the start of term. The entire collection of Lockhart's books was notoriously expensive, placing a significant financial strain on families like the [[Weasleys]].
The book was rendered obsolete and likely discredited following the events at the end of //[[Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets]]//. After Lockhart's fraud was exposed and his memory was accidentally wiped clean by a backfiring [[Memory Charm]] from Ron's damaged [[wand]], he was permanently institutionalized at [[St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries]]. It is presumed the book was removed from the [[Hogwarts]] curriculum thereafter.
=====Role in the Story=====
Introduced in //[[Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets]]//, //Holidays with Hags// is instrumental in establishing the character of [[Gilderoy Lockhart]] as a vainglorious charlatan. The extensive and costly list of his own books for a single class immediately signals his immense ego and lack of pedagogical substance. The title itself contributes to the alliterative and sensationalist nature of his bibliography, which includes other works like //[[Gadding with Ghouls]]// and //[[Break with a Banshee]]//.
The book represents the theme of manufactured fame versus true, uncelebrated heroism. While Lockhart is a global celebrity because of books like this one, the real heroes whose stories he stole remain unknown. This contrasts sharply with Harry, who is famous for something he cannot remember and dislikes the attention, and with the quiet bravery shown by many other characters.
=====Behind the Scenes=====
  * The title follows the alliterative pattern of all seven of Lockhart's known books, each pairing a verb of movement or interaction with a type of dark or dangerous creature.
  * //Holidays with Hags// appears as a collectible item in the video game adaptation of //Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets//. (video game)