Chapter 344: Lockhart's Past
Outside the greenhouse.
A thick layer of snow blanketed the lawn, muffling all sound.
"Yes, Professor," Sean replied, standing in the cold air.
"To complete the transformation in just over a month... simply incredible. Oh, might I see it, child?" Professor Sprout shifted her patched hat slightly, making sure it didn't block her view.
A moment later, as Professor Sprout walked across the snow, a sleek, ink-black cat was perched firmly on her shoulder. The Professor was beaming; she truly hadn't expected this level of mastery so quickly.
"I can't even begin to imagine how surprised Minerva will be," she murmured to herself. She watched as the black cat leaped into the air, shifting mid-flight back into a young wizard in black robes.
Professor Sprout hadn't seen anything this entertaining in years. She did something rare for her: she packed up her gardening tools and decided to end her workday early.
Within a few minutes, it would be dinner time at Hogwarts.
Sean didn't have much to tidy up. He gave his private allotment one last check and latched the gate. He left behind a magically stabilized camera—it was charmed to record the condition of his plants every twelve hours.
However, when he reunited with Justin and the others, he found Hermione in a state of high indignation.
"That absolute fraud! We have to expose him!" she cried, her face flushed with anger.
Justin and the others, having just finished listening to Bruce's explanation, nodded in fervent agreement. Just moments ago, Bruce—who was currently being held down and "restrained" by Leon—had given them a detailed breakdown of Gilderoy Lockhart's rise to fame.
"It's quite a piece of work," Bruce had told them, wriggling on the floor. "First, let me be clear: we did try to get him sent to Azkaban. We failed, obviously. He has excellent connections with the various papers, and since we're just students, no one was willing to listen to the facts. People generally believe what they want to believe. Even the witch he supposedly 'saved' is still convinced Lockhart was her hero.
"But back to the point—his exploits are real, certainly. But the protagonist has been swapped. The Memory Charm—Obliviate. That's our theory. By obsessively practicing that one specific, cunning spell, he's managed to overwrite the memories of over a dozen brave, accomplished wizards, stealing their life's work to build his own reputation."
Bruce's logic was ironclad. The contrast between his sharp, deductive reasoning and his current state of squirming on the greenhouse floor was jarring. Hermione closed her eyes, feeling as though she were listening to a wise sage reconstruct the truth; she opened them, and there was just Bruce, wriggling like a flobberworm.
"And here's a little bonus for you lot," Bruce added. "It might not be enough to get him sacked, but it'll certainly make him uncomfortable. Professor Sprout told us that Lockhart isn't actually untalented. On the contrary, the teachers thought he was quite bright—well above average—and could have been a great wizard if he'd put in the work.
"Instead, he spent his time telling anyone who would listen that he'd produce a Philosopher's Stone before graduation, lead the England Quidditch team to a World Cup victory, and become the youngest Minister for Magic in history. Unsurprisingly, he wasn't very popular.
"But the man was determined to be famous. He once carved his own signature into the Quidditch pitch in twenty-foot-high letters—got a week's detention for that. He even tried to project a giant, glowing image of his own face into the sky, mimicking the Dark Mark. And one year, he sent himself eight hundred Valentine's cards. The Great Hall was so buried in owls and droppings that breakfast was canceled."
Suddenly, Bruce lunged toward Leon, who had also drifted into thought.
"Stimulo!" Bruce shouted, hitting Leon with a Stinging Hex.
Bruce didn't even bother trying to untie himself. He seemed perfectly content to watch Leon jump around in equal discomfort. In that moment, Hermione fully understood what Justin meant by "reliable and unreliable" at the same time.
"We have to contact the press," Hermione said firmly as they walked back toward the castle. "The evidence from the Hufflepuffs is more than enough. I don't know what the Ministry is doing, letting a man like that roam free when the proof is so easy to find!"
"Most of the mainstream papers won't touch it," Justin said, his voice low.
"Some will," Hermione countered, her mind racing.
By now, Harry and Ron had hurried off to Quidditch practice, and Neville had slipped back into the greenhouse to finish his work. Only the three of them remained in the snowy courtyard.
"What about The Quibbler?"
Hermione found herself forced to consider the eccentric magazine. Hearing her, Justin offered a knowing smile.
"Hermione, my mother told me that a truly wise person doesn't always have to be the strongest. Sometimes, they just need to be the best at 'fairly utilizing' the resources they have."
Watching the group plot Lockhart's downfall and possible trip to Azkaban, Sean had a fair idea of how powerful the "DADA Curse" truly was.
However, as they entered the Great Hall, Sean realized he had another hurdle to clear. He needed to be away for the Christmas holidays, but his detention with Professor Snape was far from over. And if luck held, his Uncle Marcus would be waiting for him at the McGonagall Farm... This Christmas was shaping up to be far more complicated than he had anticipated.
He looked up at the High Table. Professor Sprout was chatting amiably with Professor McGonagall, who was responding with a rare, relaxed smile. Professor Snape, however, remained sallow-faced and silent as ever.
Christmas was nearly upon them. The Great Hall had been magnificently decorated. A dozen frost-covered Christmas trees stood against the walls, thick garlands of holly and mistletoe were draped across the ceiling, and enchanted snow—warm and dry—fell softly from above. The house-elves were working overtime on the Christmas puddings, and the students were vibrating with the excitement of the coming break.
The Weekend.
The upper-year students were preparing for their Hogsmeade visit. For another year, the younger students had to endure listening to the older ones joyfully discussing their plans for the village.
"We've still got the feast, haven't we?" Ron said in the Hall, trying to sound like he didn't care. "You know... the proper Christmas dinner."
"Yeah," Harry agreed, though his disappointment was written all over his face. "It'll be brilliant."
A Christmas feast was wonderful, but the prospect of attending after a full day of fun in Hogsmeade sounded much better.
Harry and Ron couldn't help but eavesdrop on the conversations around them, until they caught a specific phrase that made them both freeze.
"Wait a second," Harry whispered. "What did they say? What on earth is Green's Bookstore?!"
[End of Chapter 344]
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