In the classroom of Defence Against the Dark Arts,
Ivan, who had not seen Lockhart in class for a long time, was very surprised. Did he really resign and run away?
There were quite a few young wizards who shared Ivan's sentiments, and more than one or two of them overheard their conversation in the corridor. Word of this long wait had already spread.
Only Lockhart-worshipping fans remained confident that their idol would never be frightened off by a mere curse…
Hermione was more or less swayed by Ron's bet that Lockhart would not come and that they would not have to take Defence Against the Dark Arts for a year.
However, the truth hit Ron in the face again, and the moment he finished speaking, Lockhart appeared at the classroom door with his trademark smile on his face, his teeth so white that they were almost white…
Lockhart hurried to the front of the stage, speaking rapidly.
"Hello, everyone! I'm sure you were wondering where your Defence Against the Dark Arts professor went… He didn't hear about the curse and decided to go home!"
Lockhart lowered his voice and checked the expressions on every young wizard's face. After he had piqued everyone's interest, he spoke in a high voice.
"Of course not! I'm Gilderoy Lockhart! Order of Merlin Third Class, Honorable Member of the Dark Arts Defence League, five times won Wizard Weekly Most Charming Smile!"
There was a smattering of applause from the audience, mostly from the young witches, who still had some faith in Lockhart.
Lockhart's return was undoubtedly a great boost to Hermione's ego, as she glared proudly at Ron before standing up and announcing loudly,
"I knew you wouldn't be afraid of a curse, Professor! Because you wrote in your autobiography Break with a Banshee that no one in the wizarding world knew how to lift a curse better than you!"
"That's right! Ten points to Gryffindor!" Lockhart's face darkened; he was tired of hearing this, but had to pinch his nose to give Hermione points.
"Then what were you doing in the Headmaster's office, Professor?"
A young wizard suddenly asked from below the stage. Lockhart looked around and could not find who said it, but it was obviously not a problem for him. He cleared his throat and explained.
"That's a good question! After learning of the potential curse on this position, I immediately sought out your Headmaster, Dumbledore, to learn the ins and outs of the curse… and to find an opportunity to break it!"
Lockhart gave a mischievous wink and then continued.
"I bet you can't imagine what I found in the Headmaster's office, with Headmaster Dumbledore reading my books in secret! I never would have guessed that this old weasel was a fan…"
Harry was stunned when he heard this. He could not imagine Professor Dumbledore admiring Lockhart as much as Hermione did. This must be the craziest thing he had heard all year!
Ivan looked at Lockhart, who was speaking freely on the stage, and exclaimed that he was indeed a veteran liar. Not only was he extremely thick-skinned, but he also thought of ways to make up for all the stupid things he had done.
In a way, he was quite talented!
Lockhart's reputation would not have been destroyed in a matter of months if he had not been so obsessed with fame and had not been so reckless as to commit a number of foolish acts in the original dimension (such as attempting to challenge Snape).
Lockhart then spent the rest of the lesson telling the class how he had persuaded Headmaster Dumbledore to divulge information about the curse.
At some point, Lockhart asked Neville, who was on his right, to play the role of Dumbledore and play along with him to recreate the scene.
It is worth noting that when Lockhart tried to get an assistant, Hermione immediately raised her hand high in the air, but Lockhart pretended not to notice.
All he wanted now was to get as far away from the two young wizards who had killed the Professor as possible, including their friend Hermione…
"It's absurd for Lockhart to claim that Dumbledore was a fan during a lesson!" Harry complained about Lockhart's unrealistic claims as they made their way back to the Gryffindor Lounge.
Ron nodded his head several times.
Although she was frustrated by Lockhart's repeated attacks, she still tried to help him. "That's not necessarily true. Professor Lockhart's writing is so good that Headmaster Dumbledore might read it!"
The trio soon got into an argument on the subject,
Ivan, who was not part of the discussion, was looking at the homework, or rather a questionnaire, that Lockhart had left them, which they would have to complete in their next class.
There were three pages and dozens of questions…
1. What was Gilderoy Lockhart's favourite colour?
2. What was Gilderoy Lockhart's secret ambition?
3. What do you think was Gilderoy Lockhart's greatest achievement to date?
…
Ivan turned it over and over,
What made him uncomfortable was that he could answer most of these questions. Was he also a diehard fan of Lockhart?
Ivan was so confused that it took him a while to remember that he had read Lockhart's Travels with Trolls and checked Out Wanderings with Werewolves in an attempt to find out more about them.
"What do you think, Ivan?" Hermione asked, turning to Ivan for his opinion after a heated argument.
Harry and Ron looked over as well, thinking that Ivan would definitely side with them.
To their astonishment, however, Ivan was earnestly filling out the questionnaire Gilderoy Lockhart had left behind. By the looks of it, he had completed a third of it.
Hermione, on the other hand, happily leaned over to look, but then frowned and pointed out the third question on the paper.
"It's wrong here. Professor Lockhart's secret ambition is to rid the world of evil, and to sell a range of conditioner, not to promote his toothpaste!"
Ivan had an odd look on his face.
What, Lockhart wasn't endorsing toothpaste? Then why were his teeth so shiny?