Rita Skeeter's article was like a drop of water splashing into a boiling pan of oil, instantly igniting the British wizarding world.
Countless letters flew like snowflakes to both The Daily Prophet editorial office and the Hogwarts Hospital Wing.
Some supported Lockhart, while others denounced him as a fraud. A significant portion of these letters were Howlers.
Madam Pomfrey, the matron of the hospital wing, eventually banned Lockhart from receiving mail and asked Professor McGonagall to create a soundproof box.
Any letters addressed to Lockhart were directly placed in the box to prevent them from disturbing other patients.
Gradually, the voices within the wizarding community became unified: whether they supported Lockhart or opposed him, they all demanded that he go to the Ministry of Magic before the next full moon.
There, in front of Ministry officials, he should perform his Human Restoration Spell on a werewolf.
Wouldn't that settle the matter once and for all?
Seeing the growing public outcry, Mr. Jamison Henry also stepped forward, adding fuel to the fire. He announced that the Ministry should prepare an extra werewolf because he had successfully contacted a reliable potion maker and had concocted the new Wolfsbane Potion. He, too, was now ready to perform the Human Restoration Spell.
He proposed that he and Mr. Lockhart cast the spell together, allowing experts to compare the differences between the two versions.
This was a win-win for both the Ministry and ordinary wizards. Surely, Mr. Lockhart couldn't refuse, right?
With this, the matter spread beyond the local wizarding community, and even wizards from other countries heard about this miraculous Human Restoration Spell and the two wizards—Henry and Lockhart—each insisting on their own version of the truth.
Seeing the flood of letters headed towards the Ministry of Magic, Minister Fudge made a swift decision, announcing that the Ministry would provide two werewolves for Henry and Lockhart on the night of the next full moon, allowing both of them to demonstrate their skills.
Lockhart was well and truly cornered.
Lying in his hospital bed, he began to panic. But in his desperation, he had a sudden stroke of genius, or so he thought: after all, he was still hospitalized, and wasn't it perfectly natural for his condition to worsen? If his health deteriorated, how could he possibly go to the Ministry?
After coming up with this plan, Lockhart felt so pleased with himself that he could have kissed himself.
What a brilliant idea!
He immediately sent a letter to The Daily Prophet, stating that he would absolutely keep his appointment.
Of course, when the day came, Lockhart was confident his condition would conveniently "worsen."
...
While students from other houses were busy discussing the Human Restoration Spell, Lockhart, and his upcoming engagement with the Ministry, the focus of the Slytherin students had shifted: Draco Malfoy would be joining the Slytherin Quidditch team as their Seeker, and his father, Lucius Malfoy, had gifted the entire team with Nimbus 2001s!
When Malfoy placed seven brand-new, shiny Nimbus 2001 broomsticks in the center of the Slytherin common room, almost every Slytherin student's eyes were dazzled by the sight.
"The latest model, just released last month," Malfoy boasted loudly, his eyes flickering toward Daphne and her younger sister Astoria, who were seated in the corner. "It's much faster than the Nimbus 2000 series. Ha! Compared to it, Cleansweep brooms are only good for sweeping floors!"
Daphne frowned slightly; she regretted studying spatial magic in the noisy common room. She should have gone to the library—this place was too loud.
As for why she didn't go to the Chamber of Secrets, it was because her little sister was following her around like a shadow. A place like that, she wouldn't dare take her there without Rhys' permission.
Closing her notebook with a sigh, Daphne stood up from her seat.
Seeing her sister preparing to leave, Astoria quickly gathered her things, following close behind.
As the Greengrass sisters passed by the row of Nimbus 2001s, Astoria couldn't help but be drawn to the shiny new brooms. In a soft voice, she asked, "Sister, with these brooms, doesn't that mean we'll definitely win against Gryffindor and the other houses?"
Malfoy's eyes lit up: Yes, that's the perfect way to bring up the topic!
He straightened his collar, ready to chime in and agree with Astoria.
Daphne's frown deepened at her sister's words. She ruffled Astoria's hair gently, then spoke to her in a serious tone. "Having better equipment doesn't guarantee victory. In a Quidditch match, the most important factor is the player, especially the Seeker."
After saying that, she glanced at Malfoy, and with that one look, she completely shattered his composure: What did she mean by that? Was she implying that I'm not as good as Potter?
"Astoria, you must study hard. Money can buy status and superficial respect, but it can never earn genuine respect. If your virtue doesn't match your position, the backlash in the future will be even greater."
After Daphne said this, the entire Slytherin common room fell into silence. Malfoy's face turned pale.
Everyone present knew that Malfoy had made the Quidditch team as a Seeker because of those seven brooms, but Daphne was the first to publicly point out the truth.
And she had the right to say it! Half of her confidence came from her family name, while the other half stemmed from the earth-shattering event she had pulled off at the end of last term.
After dropping that statement, Daphne and her sister left the common room.
Once they were gone, Slytherin Quidditch captain Marcus clapped a still furious Malfoy on the shoulder, saying that the next time they faced Gryffindor, he should give them a good thrashing to reclaim what he lost today.
"By then, Daphne will definitely change her opinion of you," Marcus assured him.
Malfoy nodded with a grim expression, deciding that he'd teach Gryffindor a lesson and restore his reputation with a brilliant victory.
All the outside drama had little to do with Rhys.
After the interview with Rita Skeeter, his goal of getting Lockhart removed from the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor position was essentially achieved.
With nothing else to distract him, Rhys returned to the Chamber of Secrets to focus on his various projects, one of which involved researching potions to cure little Astoria's illness.
Rhys waved his wand, disposing of the ruined potion in the cauldron with a sigh. The difficulty of this task was immense, even for him—it was a real challenge.
Deciding to take a step back, Rhys resolved to stabilize Astoria's symptoms first, preventing her condition from worsening any further.
Just then, a faint, indistinct voice echoed from above in the Chamber of Secrets:
"Come, awaken, heed my command..."
"...as the heir of Slytherin!"
Rhys: ???
What was going on?
Who was summoning his Basilisk?
________
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