Although Lynn had not learned the Fiendfyre Curse as expected during his conversation with Dumbledore, he was not discouraged.
As we all know, next year will mark Harry's third year at Hogwarts, which will also be the safest year the castle has seen in the past seven years. Even the main antagonist of that year is Harry's godfather, Sirius Black. Thus, for the upcoming school year, Sectumsempra would be sufficient for Lynn and Irina to use in most situations.
Before Voldemort's resurrection, Lynn had plenty of time to find a way to learn the Fiendfyre Curse. There was no need to depend entirely on Dumbledore for it.
After dinner, Lynn made time to visit the Slytherin Chamber of Secrets. He packed the basilisk's entire corpse into a bag enhanced with an Undetectable Extension Charm, then returned to his dormitory to rest early.
---
The next day, after classes, Lynn and Irina met once again in the Room of Requirement.
Having experienced the serene atmosphere of Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop the previous day, Lynn had developed a liking for the quiet, relaxing ambiance of a tea room. When entering the Room of Requirement this time, his silent thoughts were no longer, "I need a place to practice spells," but instead, "I need a place to sit, chat, and drink tea."
As a result, when Lynn and Irina stepped into the Room of Requirement, they found themselves in a small tea shop. The space was modest, but the warm light from above gave it an inexplicable sense of comfort.
"The final exams are approaching. Now that the basilisk is dead, the fraudulent Lockhart is still alive and thriving in the castle. I think it's time to get the storyline back on track," Lynn said.
In the original timeline, Harry and Ron had forced Gilderoy Lockhart to explore the Slytherin Chamber of Secrets. Upon entering, Lockhart had seized Ron's wand and cast Obliviate on them, only for the spell to backfire because of Ron's broken wand. The mishap had left Lockhart amnesiac, and Harry revealed the truth about his fraudulent deeds.
But now, although Lynn and Irina had already slain the basilisk, Lockhart—the deceiver—was still alive and thriving, parading around the castle while proudly boasting about the accomplishments he had stolen from others.
"Whether Lockhart is exposed or not shouldn't really affect what happens later, right?" Irina asked, confused.
In her opinion, Lockhart was nothing more than an incompetent buffoon who couldn't even properly cast Expelliarmus. Allowing him to continue might not cause much trouble.
Lynn chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Irina, you underestimate the power of public opinion. Lockhart's reputation in the British wizarding world is quite significant right now. If Voldemort were to manipulate him in the future, he could become an effective puppet."
"When someone's talent doesn't match their fame, they become a liability. And when their character doesn't match their position, disaster follows! Don't forget the mess Cornelius Fudge caused in the original storyline. If we let Lockhart keep deceiving the world and stealing glory, the chaos he causes might one day rival Fudge's!"
As Lynn spoke, his deep crimson eyes glimmered faintly.
Irina thought back to the chain of foolish decisions Fudge had made in the original novels she'd read. Comparing those to Lockhart's current arrogance, she had to admit Lynn had a point.
"However, since we've already caused the storyline to veer off course, it's up to us to realign it ourselves," Lynn said calmly.
Irina placed her index finger under her lips, contemplating.
Lynn spread his hands and continued, "To put it plainly, if the storyline works against us, we must use our foresight to change it. If the storyline benefits us, we must ensure it stays on track. Our best course of action is to alter the timeline when necessary, but not so drastically that it completely derails. That kind of balance benefits us most."
Irina nodded in agreement. Although she didn't fully grasp every detail of his explanation, trusting Lynn's judgment was always the safest option.
"What should we do next?" she asked softly.
Lynn thought for a moment before outlining his plan concisely. Irina listened intently, committing every detail to memory.
---
The weekend arrived in the blink of an eye.
After lunch, while most young wizards took their afternoon break, Lynn made his way to the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor's office, where Gilderoy Lockhart was located. Irina, concealed by a Disillusionment Charm, followed closely behind him.
"Professor Lockhart, are you there?" Lynn called, knocking on the door of the office.
The door soon opened, and Lockhart appeared, greeting Lynn with his trademark dazzling smile.
"Mr. Lynn, what can I do for you?" Lockhart asked, his tone cheerful, though a faint flicker of unease crossed his face. He hadn't forgotten their tense exchange at the start of the year.
"I have a request, Professor. May I come in?" Lynn said calmly.
Hearing this, Lockhart assumed Lynn had finally run into trouble and was coming to him for guidance.
Eager to show off his "expertise," Lockhart regained his confidence, displaying his perfectly white teeth. "Of course, Mr. Lynn!"
Lynn stepped into the office, quietly closing the door behind him once Irina, still invisible, had slipped in.
He surveyed the room with a frown. The office was covered wall-to-wall with portraits of Lockhart, each depicting the man in increasingly ridiculous poses.
Once, Lynn had come to this same office to learn from Professor Green, a renowned French alchemist. At that time, the room had been filled with alchemical equipment and academic artifacts.
Now, the office itself was unchanged, but its contents had become utterly ridiculous.
In the two years since Professor Green's departure, Hogwarts had not seen a truly competent Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
While every professor had the right to decorate their office as they saw fit, Lockhart had turned his workspace into a shrine to his own vanity, disgracing the role of a Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor.
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