"You talk as if you can do all this magic on a regular basis," Ivan said, raising his eyebrows in disapproval.
"Before I was cursed, I was—" Lockhart opened his mouth to start on the story he'd made up, but Ivan cut him off.
"If you are not satisfied, Professor, the deal is off!"
"No, no, no, I'm quite satisfied…" Lockhart shook his head sheepishly.
He was hosting the Duelling Club tomorrow, and if Ivan were to pull the plug on the deal now, his plans would be ruined.
Lockhart was also well aware that high-end magical objects were not easy to create, especially those that could directly increase a wizard's combat effectiveness.
The great families with legacies kept their heritage to themselves, and very little relevant knowledge was leaked…
Therefore, most of the magical items in circulation were support-type…
"Where's the rest of the Galleons, Professor?" Yvonne asked, not wanting to waste her time with Lockhart.
"Don't worry, I'm ready." Lockhart took a bag out of his office drawer and placed it on the table.
Yvonne took it and opened it. The bag had been enchanted with an Extension Charm, and the interior was so large that it shone with golden Galleons.
There seemed to be a large number of them.
Ivan tapped his wand on the table, and the Galleons in the bag bounced up and down, fifty to a stack.
A total of thirty sets of fifteen hundred Galleons!
Together with the initial five hundred Galleons deposit from Lockhart and another five hundred Galleons of "overtime pay", it was just enough.
Lockhart watched as Ivan easily waved his wand and placed the Galleon back into its pouch.
"To be honest, this is the first time I've seen a young wizard as good as you, earning so much gold from me at such a young age…"
"You must have had some interesting experiences as an unusual young wizard, haven't you? I've heard a lot of rumours about you at school," Lockhart asked with a smile.
Due to his defeat at Ivan's hands at the beginning of the school year, Lockhart came to Hogwarts to gather information on Ivan.
The collection was beyond Lockhart's expectations.
According to a young wizard named Seamus, Ivan killed a twenty-foot (twelve-foot) troll at the beginning of the school year.
Hagrid was saved by a dragon in the Forbidden Forest, and the last Defence Against the Dark Arts professor was killed.
According to the grapevine, Professor Chino was also in contact with You-Know-Who…
Lockhart couldn't believe it when he heard the news. He couldn't even write about it in his published storybooks!
Lockhart soon guessed that Ivan might be one of his own kind.
In school, she was so keen on self-importance that she made up stories to make them seem true.
It was only on the Quidditch pitch that Lockhart changed his mind after witnessing Ivan's popularity with magical objects.
Perhaps some of these legends are true…
Thus, the young wizard in front of Lockhart was undoubtedly a treasure boy.
"My story? Lots of them, of course, but I don't think you'd want to know…" Ivan was instantly alarmed when Lockhart mentioned it, but he kept his composure and shook his head.
"That's too bad, because I love stories…" Lockhart sighed ruefully.
Lockhart tied the red-gold cloak around his body and looked ostentatiously into the mirror. After a moment, he seemed to remember something and turned to Ivan, who was leaving.
"By the way, can the protective cloak you gave me automatically resist the spell?"
"No, it doesn't have that kind of effect. You have to stimulate it…" Ivan shook his head, put away the bag full of Galleons, and left.
One … two …
Yvonne counted to herself. The moment she reached the door, she heard a slight noise. Yvonne's wand had been pointed at her.
"Armour!"
As soon as Ivan uttered the incantation, Lockhart's voice rang out,
"I forgot everything!"
A flash of white light hit Ivan with extraordinary speed, and the defensive barrier of armour that had been erected around Ivan's body was shattered.
However, as the protective ring on Ivan's left hand lit up, a second magical barrier blocked the white light and repelled it.
Lockhart was so surprised that he did not have time to dodge.
The moment the white light touched him, Lockhart hurriedly activated his protective cloak. The same magical barrier lit up around him, deflecting the white light to the wall.
Lockhart reflexively hit himself in terror, and a moment later he was fine.
It was then that he realised that the Memory Charm had been deflected by the protective cloak he had bought from Ivan.
Ivan's voice filled the office.
"Professor, were you planning to cast a Memory Charm on me?"
Ivan said with a playful expression. He was also surprised by the strength of the Lockhart's Memory Charm. It was able to break through his Shield Charm. No wonder so many powerful wizards had fallen for it.
"Of course not, why would I? I just wanted to see if the stuff you gave me worked…" Lockhart waved his hand, ready to argue.
However, seeing Ivan's increasingly impatient expression, Lockhart knew that Ivan would not believe him, so he admitted it.
"Well, I'm prepared to cast a Memory Charm on you, yes, so no one will know that I rely on these trinkets for my magic."
"But now that you know that, you'll soon forget, just like any other wizard," Lockhart said confidently.
"Are you sure?" Ivan asked with a quizzical look on his face. He thought Lockhart always had a strange confidence.
Could it be that he had been flattered so much that he really thought he was a Master of Magic?
Lockhart raised his eyebrows. "After all, you seem to have made me something better than what you have, don't you?" he continued briskly, taking a few steps forward and flicking a switch.
"Also, I forgot to mention that this office has good soundproofing and you can't get out…"
As soon as Lockhart flicked the switch, Ivan's keen senses told him that the door was locked and that it would not be easy to open…