Hogwarts, Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.
Ring ring ring!
As the bell rang, the fourth-year Defense Against the Dark Arts class officially ended in the afternoon. A large number of wizards walked briskly, with smiles on their faces, excitedly walking out of the classroom door and towards the lounges of their respective houses. Only a few students stayed in the classroom, gathered around the podium, asking Professor Lockhart to answer some of their questions.
"Professor, why don't protective earmuffs work when you encounter a harpy?"
"The reason is simple. Their high-pitched screams can drive people crazy and are extremely penetrating. Ordinary protective earmuffs cannot resist them at all. The best way is to use a silencing spell to deal with them."
As Lockhart patiently answered every question, the young wizards soon left with satisfaction. Looking at the empty classroom, Lockhart felt very comfortable inside. He hadn't had such fun lecturing in a long time. The last class was for first-year wizards. The main purpose was to introduce them to magic and encourage them to increase their interest in it. This lesson was for the wizards in the fourth year. Although it took a lot of time to prepare the test in the first place, he quite enjoyed it.
He estimated that he had not taught in the classroom for nearly half a year. It's not that he likes teaching students very much; it's purely a professional habit. In his previous life, even if he had a research project, he would have at least four classes every week. This state lasted for about six or seven years, allowing him to develop the habit of attending classes regularly.
Then, Lockhart walked out of the classroom and towards his office. He needed to tidy up. He had finished the two major classes today, and he could spend the rest of his time freely. He would be going to a place he thought about day and night—the Hogwarts library.
In his previous life, Lockhart paid great attention to the quality of life. He liked to adjust his state through small rituals. For example, before reading a book, he would close his eyes and meditate for five minutes. Before doing something, it was a habit to print out his plan on a page and place it in the most conspicuous place in front of him, always reminding himself what to do next.
This time, entering the Hogwarts library, he decided that he must take a good wash and even change his clothes into a new set. This was his devotion to knowledge. At the same time, it was also a tribute to the Hogwarts library.
The Hogwarts Library's status in the wizarding world is like the British Library's status in the world in his previous life. World famous! World number one! Hogwarts is a sacred place for all wizards. Its legacy and rich collection can be called a repository of wizard civilization information. Since the establishment of Hogwarts more than 1,600 years ago, every principal has continued to enrich the library's collection. There was even a period when the principal at that time included the collections of pure-blood families.
Lockhart had seen these details in "Hogwarts: A History of the School." Of course, it didn't say it directly, but through hints, Lockhart understood. Otherwise, why would the book mention: "After some cordial and friendly exchanges, the Pureblood Families agreed with Hogwarts' philosophy of cultivating better wizards and voluntarily allowed the Principal to make copies of their books for the school's collection."
Tsk tsk tsk, look, this is what a Hogwarts principal should do. In Lockhart's eyes, it is simply a treasure that is difficult to describe in words.
When he walked into the library with a pious heart, he felt the peaceful atmosphere inside and heard the rustling of pages. There was peace in his heart. Especially seeing a large number of books emitting magic fluctuations neatly placed on a large number of bookshelves, the fire in his eyes was replaced by reason. Because reading a book is not just about finding a book and reading it. When entering the library, you cannot just find a seat and pick up a book to read. This is not called reading; it is called spending time. Everything must pay attention to methods and everything must have a clear purpose.
At this moment, Lockhart looked at Ms. Pince, the Hogwarts librarian, who was sitting at a table not far away. He walked directly to her. Although Lockhart deliberately controlled his footsteps, not wanting to affect others or tarnish this sacred library in his mind, it still made Ms. Pince, who had sensitive hearing, look up.
"Professor Lockhart, what book are you looking for?" Wearing a dark green wizard robe, Ms. Pince, who was tall and pretty, asked curiously. She was quite curious about the newly appointed Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. The fact that he came to the library on the first day of class was enough to show his love for knowledge. This made Ms. Pince, who loved reading, have a good impression of Lockhart, not to mention his handsome face. Especially since he came from Ravenclaw, which symbolizes wisdom. She was also a witch from Ravenclaw but later worked as a librarian at Hogwarts.
"Ms. Pince, you must have been working as a librarian for many years. I would like to ask if there is an inventory of the books in the library. I would like to have a general idea of the distribution of books in the entire library."
Ms. Pince was stunned for a moment when she heard Lockhart's request. For the first time, she heard that someone wanted to read the list of books. The average professor would either ask her directly where the books are, or ask her if she had any books to recommend, or at most ask her to make a list of recommendations. No one had ever directly asked for an inventory of the entire library's books. It's not that it is impossible to have, it just doesn't make much sense. After all, there are too many books. If you want a book, just ask her directly. She is very familiar with the placement of every book in the library.
Seeing Ms. Pince stunned on the spot, Lockhart repeated his request again, with a hint of certainty in his tone. "Ms. Pince, do you have an inventory of all the books in the library?"
Hearing Lockhart ask again, Ms. Pince came back to her senses, looked at Lockhart in front of her, and asked uncontrollably, "Professor Lockhart, do you know how many books there are in the Hogwarts library?"