Ever since John had decided he wanted to become the next Dumbledore of the wizarding world, he had begun to accumulate his own power.
People like Armando Dippet, Alex Darma, Mundungus Fletcher, Tommy Shelby, etc, were all part of his network.
Lockhart's actual abilities were very poor; he couldn't even handle house-elves. However, outside, he had a vast following of fans and many friends in the publishing industry.
This gave John some ideas.
"Gilderoy Lockhart, will you choose to tell me the truth, or should I make you drink Veritaserum?"
John casually pulled out a potion bottle from his satchel, which frightened Lockhart greatly.
Lockhart didn't have much power to begin with, and he knew that Veritaserum, if consumed excessively, could damage one's mind.
Hearing that John intended to give him such a potion, Lockhart retreated in fear.
Unfortunately, with the wall behind him, there was no escape route, and he had no choice but to comply.
As if his spine had been removed, Lockhart slumped to the ground and confessed how he had used Obliviate to steal stories and pass them off as his own.
John listened to his tale with a strange expression on his face.
"Are you saying all your stories are plagiarized?"
Staring at Lockhart's embarrassed smile, John was quite surprised.
With a gentle wave of his wand, John conjured a chair.
Sitting in the chair, John smirked. "I didn't expect you to be such a social butterfly. Though your skills are lacking, you certainly know how to lie."
Seeing that John had no intention of destroying him, Lockhart mustered the courage to stand up and awkwardly said, "I... I really did want to be an adventurer at first, but my skills were too poor. The only thing I'm good at is Obliviate."
After graduating from Hogwarts, he had tried to travel and have adventures like those in his books, but all he got were beatings that left him battered and bruised.
One day, he met an old wizard in a tavern who told him about an adventure with a Tibetan Yeti. Lockhart then had a wicked idea.
He succeeded. Using Obliviate, he made the wizard forget the experience.
After recording and publishing the story, he became the beloved Gilderoy Lockhart, winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award.
This success spurred him on.
He continued to take stories from others, embellishing them and making them his own.
Rising to fame and selling many books, he became the darling of publishers and the heartthrob of many women.
Gradually, he lost himself in the world of fame and fortune.
"You're quite the character," John remarked after listening, tapping his cup to refill it with tea.
Taking a sip, John said, "Don't worry. I won't drive you out of Hogwarts. In fact, you can stay here and continue teaching."
"R-Really?"
The surprise came too suddenly. Lockhart hurried over and asked, "What do you want? I mean, what do I have to give?"
He had already made up his mind. As long as John didn't expose him, he would do whatever it took, be it money or anything else...
John glanced at the eager Lockhart and pointed at him with his finger, saying blandly, "I want you."
"Huh?"
'No way... is this kid...?'
Lockhart was dumbfounded. Did John have a c.. crush on him?
The thought sent shivers down his spine.
"Can we, uh, change that? My fans would be heartbroken, and besides, you're so young."
Lockhart's awkward demeanor almost made John spit out his tea. He put down his cup and said irritably, "I want you to work for me!"
Realizing his misunderstanding, Lockhart sighed in relief but was also puzzled. What could John, a second-year student, want him to do?
"Lockhart, you're a smart man. You should know that small tricks won't last. I can help you keep your position as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts. In return, you will need to do some things for me."
"As for what those things are, it might be writing letters, or it might be finding some people."
A glint appeared in John's eyes. Lockhart had accumulated quite a network over the years.
Especially those old pure-blood families' noblewomen. With just a word from Lockhart, these people could go crazy.
As long as Lockhart maintained his persona, these noblewomen would be a considerable force.
John stood up and extended his hand to the somewhat disheveled Lockhart, smiling, "Let's have a pleasant cooperation, Professor Lockhart."
Lockhart didn't know how John planned to help him, but it was his only option. He reached out and shook John's hand to seal the agreement.
...
Saturday.
John had intended to stay in his bed for a little while, but Malfoy was knocking on his dormitory door outside.
"Watch closely, John. Those poor Gryffindors are about to be humiliated by us," Malfoy said, holding a Nimbus 2001, the latest in the Nimbus series of flying brooms.
In terms of performance, it was a notch above the Nimbus 2000.
And the Slytherin Quidditch team had seven of them.
John shook his head helplessly. Paying to win was one thing.
They used the excuse of needing to get familiar with the new equipment to get special permission from Professor Snape and intentionally chose a time when Gryffindor was practicing.
John didn't want to get involved, but he couldn't ignore Goyle and Crabbe's incessant knocking on his door. Otherwise, he wouldn't have come at all.
Upon arriving at the Quidditch pitch, John moved to the side while Malfoy went forward to provoke them.
Harry had planned to visit Hagrid, but Oliver Wood, the Quidditch fanatic, had devised a new tactic and pulled them all into training.
Ron and Hermione had also come to watch Harry practice, and little fanboy Colin had followed along, his camera clicking non-stop.
This made Wood suspect that he was a spy sent by Slytherin to gather intel.
George reminded him, "Slytherin doesn't need spies, Oliver."
When it came to Quidditch, Wood seemed like a different person. He asked irritably, "How do you know?"
George pointed down, where a large group of people in green Quidditch robes was approaching. "Because they've come themselves."
Wood looked over and saw the Slytherins approaching. He immediately landed and blocked their way.
"Flint, this is our practice time! You need to leave!"
The Slytherin Quidditch captain, Marcus Flint, was a burly figure with a cunning expression.
He sneered, "This place is quite large, Wood."
Seeing the unfriendly Slytherins, the Gryffindor team members gathered around. Wood said sharply, "But I booked the pitch! I booked it!"
He emphasized repeatedly, but Flint had come prepared this time.
"But I have a note from Professor Snape, specially signed for training our new Seeker."
Flint took out a note signed by Professor Snape, which left Wood speechless.
Unwilling to back down, Wood asked, "You've got a new Seeker? Where is he?"
"Heh~" Malfoy stepped forward with a smug grin, knowing it was his moment to shine. He walked out from behind the tall Slytherin players with a self-satisfied smile that made Harry's hands itch.
Fred Weasley remembered the fight between Lucius Malfoy and his father and said with disdain, "Aren't you Lucius Malfoy's son?"
"Heh~ " This hit the Slytherins' sore spot, making them laugh arrogantly and smugly.
"You mentioned Draco's father, so you should see the generous gift he gave to Slytherin."
Seven brand-new, sleek, and shiny Nimbus 2001 brooms glinted, dazzling the eyes of the Gryffindor team members.
The Gryffindors could only watch as the Slytherins gloated. Ron and Hermione, seeing Malfoy's smug face, couldn't stand it.
Hermione stood up for Gryffindor, sharply saying, "At least the Gryffindor team doesn't need to buy their way in!"
This hit Malfoy's sore spot. His face darkened, and he spat out, "No one asked you, you filthy little Mudblo—"
He stopped himself, remembering John was nearby, causing him to falter.
Although he didn't finish, the Gryffindor team understood his meaning and furiously surrounded him, forcing the Slytherins to step in front of him.
As Malfoy looked around for help, Ron, enraged, took immediate action.
"Eat slugs!"
With his new wand, Ron's spell hit Malfoy, knocking him to the ground. Malfoy felt something slimy in his throat, something trying to crawl out.
He opened his mouth and vomited a large slug, thoroughly disgusting him.
This continued uncontrollably, and Malfoy was eventually sent to the hospital wing.
The Gryffindors surrounded Ron, cheering for his actions. Ron couldn't help but puff out his chest, even earning Hermione's newfound respect.
John, watching the scene, shook his head and said, "Draco needed a lesson. In this world, power is paramount, and he shouldn't mock those stronger than him."
Using blood to measure a person's identity is very stupid in John's opinion.
John believes that Draco deserves to be punished, despite their friendship.
He can take action to remove the spell, but John thinks that Draco should be given a hard time.
Speaking of which, if John hadn't changed Ron's wand, Draco wouldn't have been injured just now.
It can only be said that if you don't ask for death, you won't die.
_______
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