Lockhart's eyes sparkled with excitement as he eagerly inquired, "Can you choose the ability of the spell yourself?"
He knew his own limitations well; aside from a few forgotten spells, Lockhart possessed few magical abilities he could showcase. The rings crafted by Luke today seemed like a perfect solution to his shortcomings.
"As a professor, having access to these magical rings would certainly enhance my repertoire," Lockhart remarked, patting Luke on the shoulder with a smile. "I'm eager to study these convenient creations! Perhaps my next book will feature the talented individual behind these remarkable rings..."
Lockhart's words dripped with seduction, appealing to Luke's desire for recognition and acclaim, as he saw it.
Luke, however, was left speechless by Lockhart's remarks. It seemed Lockhart was more interested in the rings themselves than in the spells they contained. The promise of fame and glory rang hollow in Luke's ears.
"Sorry, Professor, we only have thirteen types of magic rings available. Would you like to choose from those, or do you need more?" Luke replied, his tone tinged with resignation.
Undeterred, Lockhart swiftly made his selection. "Give me ten!" he declared, eyeing the array of rings on the table with avid interest.
Luke couldn't help but feel a pang of amusement at Lockhart's eagerness. Did he truly understand the value of these magical artifacts?
Considering the significant financial gain he stood to make, Luke calculated his price carefully. "How about 300 gold Galleons?" he proposed tentatively, eyeing Lockhart's small vault expectantly.
Lockhart, ever the showman, didn't hesitate to reach for his vault, eager to strike a deal. After all, the profits from his bestselling books over the years had made Lockhart a wealthy man.
"Three hundred Galleons," Lockhart muttered, "Quite steep, aren't you?"
"Well, considering my family's the only one making these rings, take it or leave it," the seller retorted.
"If they work as well as you claim, I'll take them!" Lockhart grumbled, reluctantly placing three hundred Galleons on the table.
"I'll take ten!" he declared eventually, choosing the rings with the most promising powers before leaving with a satisfied smile.
"So much gold?" George exclaimed, astonished. "Is money really that easy to come by?"
Ronald's eyes widened in disbelief, momentarily forgetting about Scabbers dangling upside down in the air.
Luke assured them it was trivial.
"Drop by when you're free, and I'll teach you some alchemy," he offered to George.
"Just selling cards won't cut it. We need to expand our offerings," Luke explained. "We're aiming for something more than just a novelty store."
Fred hesitated before responding, "We're swamped making cards right now. We'll have to pass on your offer for the next few days."
Luke suddenly remembered something and asked, "You sold a whole set to Dumbledore?"
"Yep," George confirmed.
Luke realized he forgot to instruct them on selling techniques.
"In the future, sell them in packs! It's more enticing," he advised, drawing from past experiences to explain the strategy to the twins.
Fred's eyes gleamed at the idea of marketing strategies. "Like a collectible card pack? That could work wonders!"
"The Dumbledore card?" George chuckled. "Consider it a limited edition."
"Well, it's too late now. The shipment's already gone out," Luke shrugged.
The two brothers left the green lawn in high spirits, having successfully learned a card-drawing technique under Luke's guidance. They planned to have all the cards made in a few days.
"What's on your mind?" Miss Hermione exclaimed, noticing that Luke always seemed to have something on his mind.
"My brain?" Luke chuckled, stroking his brown curly hair. "All I think about is you!"
"Hmm, cheeky..." Hermione's mouth twitched.
Today, Hogwarts was still chilly, with snowflakes drifting from the sky. It was February, after all.
Inside the Dark Arts Defense class, following the elf incident, many young wizards had lost trust in Lockhart. His abandonment of responsibility after releasing the elf had left a sour taste.
Resting her chin on her hand, Hermione yawned in boredom, tears shimmering in her brown eyes. "What do you think Lockhart's going to teach us this time?" she asked Luke softly, nudging his waist.
"Maybe how to turn a werewolf back into a human..." Luke mused.
"And don't move!" Luke swatted Hermione's hand away, unable to bear her constant poking.
"If you keep moving, I'll turn you into a catgirl!" he threatened in a low voice.
The threat worked, and Hermione froze, withdrawing her fingers. "Mean..." she muttered, covering her curly hair and laying her head on the table.
Being turned into a catgirl wasn't the scariest thing; what was scary was Luke's incessant fiddling with her cat ears.
As the class bell rang, Lockhart entered with a smile, wearing a cerulean gown and sporting ten ornate rings on his fingers.
On his way to the podium, he waved his hand lightly.
Bang bang –
The closed window was magically opened, allowing cold air to flood the room. Ronald, by the window, hugged Banban tightly, shivering.
"The professor didn't use a wand?!" exclaimed a sharp-eyed young witch. Casting spells without a wand was incredibly difficult to control, a skill few in the wizarding world mastered.
But Lockhart made it seem effortless, renewing hope for many young wizards who had lost faith in him.
"Good morning, gentlemen and ladies!" Lockhart greeted with a smile, snapping his fingers as a thick book floated in mid-air, its pages turning automatically.
"Don't be surprised; this is just basic magic!" Lockhart added, casting a glance at Luke in the corner.
.....
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