Lockhart, adorned with the magical ring, basked in the admiring gazes directed his way, reveling in the admiration and wonder of those around him. As a renowned author, Lockhart thrived on such attention and adoration.
Meanwhile, Luke, seated below, couldn't be bothered to expose Lockhart's vanity. After all, Lockhart had paid for the rings, and there might even be potential for future cooperation between them.
As the Dark Magic Defense class commenced, Lockhart's teaching methods remained as uninspiring as ever. He would simply pick up a thick tome and recite its contents verbatim, offering little in the way of practical instruction.
The young wizards in the class grew increasingly restless, finding Lockhart's lectures tedious and unengaging. Apart from the initial fascination with wandless spellcasting, the remainder of the class felt like a tedious chore.
Even Hermione, usually the epitome of studiousness, couldn't stifle her yawns as Lockhart droned on. She voiced her frustration to Luke as they walked through the corridor, lamenting the lack of practical knowledge gained from the Dark Magic Defense class.
"It's like we're not learning anything useful at all," Hermione grumbled, her arms laden with a thick textbook.
Luke , adjusting his attire with a casual shrug, sympathized with Hermione's sentiments. After all, they had already mastered most of the material being taught, having learned it in their first year.
Observing Hermione's frustration, Luke couldn't help but jest, "I bet you know more spells than Lockhart by now. If you two were to duel, my money would be on you!"
With Hermione already immersed in their private tutoring session in the Room of Requirement, Luke pondered the wealth of knowledge Hermione possessed. It seemed she had become quite the formidable witch in her own right, armed with a vast arsenal of spells and magical prowess.
"He's confident in the rings abilities!" Luke remarked.
"By the way do you know about the curse on the Defense Against the Dark Arts position by a certain guy?" he asked Hermione.
"A curse..." Hermione furrowed her brow in confusion.
"You mean the curse by You-Know-Who?" she guessed.
"But isn't that just a rumor?" Hermione questioned.
"Rumors?" Luke shook his head. "If it were true, someone like Lockhart, a phony Ravenclaw, wouldn't have been invited by Dumbledore to teach. After all, characters like Lockhart are a dime a dozen from Ravenclaw."
Luke chuckled at the absurdity of it all. "It's as ridiculous as Peter Pettigrew being sorted into Gryffindor."
"After all, each Defense Against the Dark Arts professor seems to be a one-time use item," he added, unable to contain his laughter.
Hermione nodded in understanding.
.....
Later that afternoon, Luke went to the Quidditch pitch to watch the practice match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Though he wasn't fond of playing Quidditch himself, he enjoyed watching the game.
The sight of the Quidditch match was truly breathtaking, especially as Harry gave up his Seeker position to chase after Cedric. Cedric seemed puzzled by Harry's actions, wondering if he had somehow offended him.
Wood cheered loudly, thrilled to see Harry's determination in the game. If only Harry had shown this level of determination last year against Slytherin, they might have won!
As Harry relentlessly pursued Cedric on his broom, Wood nodded in approval, relieved to see Harry's commitment to the game.
Meanwhile, Cedric's secret girlfriend, Cho chang, cheered for him from the stands, unaware of Harry's intentions.
With Chang's support fueling Cedric's determination, Harry's offensive became even more intense...
A reverse plus buff indeed.
Luke chuckled, observing the love triangle unfold before him.
"Why is Harry so obsessed?" Hermione asked Luke , her eyes wide with curiosity.
"It's always love that drives people mad..." Luke chuckled, nodding towards Cho chang in the distance.
Seeing the girl cheering, Hermione understood immediately.
"Ginny must be heartbroken," she muttered softly.
After all, Ginny, newly sorted into Gryffindor, had been circling around Harry almost every day. It was evident to anyone with eyes, except for Ronald, who always seemed to think Ginny was haunting him.
The game ended with Hufflepuff emerging victorious.
Cedric, displaying exceptional flying skills, captured the Golden Snitch, concluding the friendly training match.
Harry dismounted his broom, his hands clenched into fists.
He was not happy about losing.
Wood, the Gryffindor captain, quickly approached Harry to offer comfort, acknowledging his stellar performance, particularly in keeping Cedric at bay, Hufflepuff's top Seeker in recent years.
"Long time no see, Cedric!" Luke greeted as he approached Cedric.
"You had an excellent game last year, Luke !" Cedric complimented with a smile.
"By the way, do you know what's up with Harry?" Cedric inquired, noting Harry's unusual behavior during the match.
Luke shrugged. "Maybe it's a breakup."
Their acquaintance with each other was limited, so they hadn't intersected much.
"Shouldn't we go check on Harry?" Cedric suggested.
Luke held Hermione's hand and replied, "Let him cool off for now. Besides, Wood's there to comfort him; we'd just be redundant."
"Shall we head to the Room of Requirement then?" Hermione suggested, breaking free from Luke 's hand and skipping ahead.
"Where else would we go?" Luke quipped, his eyes gleaming. "Filch's underground torture chamber?"
Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "How about we don't, and instead, go to the Forbidden Forest tonight?"
Luke 's excitement grew. He hadn't visited the Forbidden Forest since his last encounter with Voldemort, and he'd heard rumors of centaurs skilled in divination residing there.
.....
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