Tom looked at Lockhart, who was sitting silently in a corner, studying the patterns on the dishes, and asked Peter, "Have you resolved the issue of your psychologist and priest? If not, I have a good option here."
Peter looked at Lockhart and replied immediately, "No, we still need someone."
Indeed, they were recruiting a psychologist, and they had also been in contact with a priest, and they already had fairly specific targets. But if the second in command mentioned it, of course, they had to take it seriously. Even if they found someone, they hadn't actually found one.
Lockhart's expression stiffened. "You might actually consider..."
"I've already decided. You will be the priest," Tom said as he stared into Lockhart's eyes, and his right eye showed a tendency to become a snake's pupil. "There is no other option."
These words sounded in Peter's ears as if he were saying that Lockhart was the only option as a priest, but Lockhart clearly understood that Tom was warning him, that he only had the choice to be the prison's priest.
Or stay in the prison and be the priest advising the prisoners in their mental life, or...
Lockhart was desperate, his eyes filled with tears. How could there be such an evil wizard? Was he really a student of Dumbledore? On the outside, he appeared white, but inside, he was all malice.
Lockhart raised his head, looked into Tom's eyes, and saw his expression growing colder and his eyes becoming more snake-like. Lockhart didn't dare to say anything more and quickly nodded in agreement.
"But I don't have professional skills..." he continued to murmur.
"The prisoners here don't need you to pray for them. You just need to help them forget painful memories," Tom said firmly, blocking any escape for Lockhart.
He looked at Peter on the side and said, "Take him to get our priest Lockhart's hair fixed. In the prison, men are not allowed to have long hair. Have them shave it off."
Lockhart: !!!
"Wait! Not this!" He almost jumped out of his chair, "I agree! You can't, you can't touch my hair!"
Tom asked curiously, "Why can't I? I'm the ruler of this prison."
He winked at Peter, and Peter understood, immediately standing up and holding Lockhart firmly.
"Get a new haircut and start a new life." Tom told this to Lockhart and waved his hand, indicating to Peter to take Lockhart down to have his head shaved.
Lockhart struggled and whimpered, but he couldn't free himself from Peter's powerful grip. As he heard Lockhart's voice fading, a smile appeared at the corner of Tom's mouth: a reformer must be a reformer! The forced shaving of Lockhart's pride and joy was a strong enough signal to show him that Tom's will was absolute in this case.
Shaving the head was a good option, a tactic used in almost every prison in the world, and there was no reason why Tom couldn't learn from it.
Peter dragged Lockhart out of the dining hall, then winked at the guards waiting outside, and two men immediately followed, dragging Lockhart into the detention cell.
Inside the isolation cell, there was only one chair, and the guards kept Lockhart firmly strapped to it, with his hands and feet bound.
"Please, I beg you..." Lockhart struggled a couple of times, but the guards were very professional and tied him securely to the chair, with no possibility of movement. "No, don't cut my hair."
Tears welled up in Lockhart's eyes. If he lost his beautiful blond hair, how could he face people? He would look so ugly if they shaved it all off.
But the guards of White Dolphin Prison were hard-hearted people, and they didn't care about prisoners' pleas.
Peter entered the isolation cell, holding a razor and scissors, and handed them to the two guards.
"Cut it well," he ordered them. Upon hearing those words, Lockhart showed a desperate expression. He had grown his hair for a long time and always took great care of it. Every time he had a bit cut off, it hurt for a long time. But today, it was going to be brutally shaved off.
If he lost it, it would be truly regrettable. One of the guards ran his hand through Lockhart's soft hair and thought to himself. But he didn't hesitate, first he took the scissors and snipped a few times, getting rid of the longer parts of the hair. Then he sprayed some water on the remaining hair, applied some soap, and quickly used the razor to cut it off. Hair fell to the floor in clumps.
"No!" Lockhart felt the cold edge of the razor and heard the sound of hair falling to the ground, letting out a groan of pain.
Tom walked past the isolation cell door with a tray of food, while inside, Lockhart's cries for help could be heard: "Please, let me go, I can't bear it, don't shave it all off... leave me some..."
After a few minutes, the door of the isolation cell opened, and two guards emerged from it. Seeing Tom and Peter standing outside, both guards stood at attention and saluted them.
"Take him out," Tom ordered, wanting to see what Lockhart looked like after being shaved.
The two guards carried out the order and brought Lockhart out, who barely seemed to be alive. At that moment, his lips were pale, his face covered in tears, and some remnants of blond hair. He muttered under his breath, "Please, forgive me... I made a mistake..."
Lockhart was conscious, but after having his hair shaved off, he didn't dare to look into anyone else's eyes. It seemed like they had taken something more than just his hair. Now he felt his head cool, and a wave of shame washed over him, as if he were naked in front of others. But... besides shame, was there something else? A strange emotion was spreading inside Lockhart like weeds.
Tom looked over his head and saw that his well-coiffed curls had been shaved, leaving the top of his head so bare that it almost shone.
"There's no doubt you look more energetic this way," Tom said as he took out a mirror and showed it to Lockhart. Upon seeing his reflection in the mirror, Lockhart burst into tears.
"If you behave well, I might consider allowing your hair to grow back. You know what we are capable of," Tom whispered in Lockhart's ear in a low voice.
It was both a punishment and a reward. Tom didn't want to press too hard. One must have hope, and Tom was building hope for Lockhart, giving him a glimmer of hope.
Lockhart raised his head abruptly, his eyes shining with hope.
"But you must behave very, very well to earn that reward," Tom said before leaving the prison. Before he departed, he ordered Peter to keep a close eye on Lockhart.
Would Lockhart escape? Tom wasn't concerned about that. When Lockhart had a wand, he only used the Memory Charm. Now, without a wand, what could he do? A wizard without a wand was like a venomous snake with its fangs removed, with no ability to resist.