Lockhart looked at the young wizards who were still in high spirits below, with a faint smile on his face. After introducing themselves, more than half of the class time had passed. He followed the lesson plan and asked the young wizards their various doubts about Defense Against the Dark Arts, answering their questions one by one. He also incorporated his own adventure experiences, making the process of answering questions interesting, informative, and filled with real-life cases. Sometimes, when he got excited, he would wave his wand and sketch out short but wonderful pictures. The entire class had been very lively, filled with the laughter of the young wizards.
Lockhart secretly observed these young wizards' recognition of him. Most of them had scores over 40, and a group of little wizards had even reached 50. Alice, the first to introduce herself, had reached 62. This indicated that the young wizards had a good recognition of him. Some of them even respected, liked, and trusted Lockhart from the bottom of their hearts. This showed that his previous efforts were not in vain.
For first-year wizards, the most important thing is to increase their interest in magic. For them, interest is the best teacher. Once these little wizards become interested, they will spontaneously and seriously study magic. When the time comes, Lockhart will be able to pick out some good students and cultivate them carefully.
But...
Lockhart looked at the time. It was 10:56! The class was about to end. The curriculum at Hogwarts is very different from schools in his previous life. Hogwarts usually only has one major class in the morning, from 9:00 to 11:00. A large lesson can be broken down into two smaller lessons. There are two major classes in the afternoon, from 13:00 to 15:00 and 15:30 to 17:30. Sometimes, there is a class from 19:00 to 21:00 in the evening, though the frequency is generally not high. Most of the time, it's astronomy class or Quidditch training for senior students. Lockhart had initially complained about this schedule, thinking it was a bit inhumane for these little wizards to have classes at night.
Now, his first class was coming to an end. After these little wizards took a break, it would be time for lunch. Thinking of this, Lockhart said gently to the young wizards below, "It's almost time for the end of class. Finally, I'll leave you with a preview task. You must preview it carefully. I will randomly check it in the next class. If you answer the questions I ask correctly, there will be a mysterious reward."
After hearing this, the young wizards below suddenly realized that the class was about to end, and they felt quite reluctant to leave. The story Lockhart had told was very good, and it also came with pictures, almost like watching a movie. Hearing Lockhart's last words, they all nodded in agreement, curious about the professor's mysterious reward. These little wizards were extremely satisfied with their first Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
Lockhart noticed that in the afternoon, they had Potions class with Snape from 15:30 to 17:30. He estimated that after that class, they might miss his class even more. As the bell rang and Lockhart finished giving the homework, he waved his wand, and all the young wizards walked out of the classroom. Lockhart also prepared to return to his office.
He still needed to prepare some more. According to the curriculum, there was a fourth-year Defense Against the Dark Arts class in the afternoon. If he remembered correctly, the Weasley twins, who had been caught by him and sent to Snape the previous night, were in this class.
In the afternoon, Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, there was no class yet, but wizards from Gryffindor and Slytherin had already arrived. George and Fred were sitting in the back row, wearing identical robes, with the same red hair, the same freckles, and the same face. It was almost impossible to tell who was George and who was Fred.
At this time, the two were sitting in the back, whispering. "George, did you hear that? Professor Lockhart's lectures are very interesting."
"I know, Fred. He's very good in class."
"Really? But he captured us yesterday."
"You're right, George. Did you bring some quick-acting candy this time?"
"I brought it, but I only have one."
"Me too."
"Do you know when to use it?"
"I know."
With that said, the identical Weasley twins looked at each other and laughed. Dillon Myron, sitting in front of them and also a Gryffindor, turned to look at George and Fred, who were laughing. Immediately, he took out the textbook and placed it on the table. Looking at Lockhart moving on the cover, a look of anticipation rose on his face. He had been a fan of Lockhart's books before, and when he heard that Lockhart was coming to teach at Hogwarts, he was almost crazy with joy. At noon, many young wizards were praising their idol Lockhart, making him look forward to it even more.
As the bell rang quietly, the wizards of Gryffindor and Slytherin looked expectantly. They had all heard about the scene where the first-year wizards encountered darkness and special effects. They waited and waited, but nothing seemed to change. The only change was Professor Lockhart coming in through the door, followed by a thick stack of test papers floating in the air.
Although Lockhart kept a gentle smile on his face, all the young wizards suddenly felt uneasy, especially George and Fred, who were sitting in the back row. They looked at each other, sensing that Professor Lockhart had looked at them just now. Coupled with the dozen thick test papers floating in the air, a bad premonition arose in their hearts. They knew each other well and took out a piece of two-colored chewing gum from their back pockets, one end orange and the other dark purple. They quickly ate the gum, then stood up and shouted:
"Professor Lockhart, I'm sorry, I feel sick in my stomach."
{More Chapter available on patreon.com/goldengaruda }