“Whoa~” Lucas finally witnessed just how mesmerizing moving photographs in the magical world could be, and how utterly fanatical witch fans could get.
Holding that extremely suggestive photo in his hands, he involuntarily gulped.
Even though he lived alone in this massive, magical mansion, he still instinctively checked his surroundings to ensure no one was nearby.
Obviously, there wouldn’t be anyone else.
This house was protected by powerful defensive spells; not even wizards who could transform into insects could sneak in.
“I hope you can teach me how to deal with the bugs at home.
They crawl on me and make me so itchy…” Reading the fan letter’s contents, he pinched his nose, trying to appear more serious as he quickly searched through the original Gilderoy Lockhart’s memories for methods to handle such pests.
Yes.
Lucas had transmigrated!
He had become Gilderoy Lockhart.
Completely different from his image in the movies, during Harry Potter’s second year, Lockhart was only 27 years old, having graduated from Hogwarts just nine years earlier.
In those short nine years, Lockhart…
born into a lower-class, half-blood wizard family…
had traveled all over the world; personally dealt with more than a dozen powerful wizards; stolen their experiences; organized and compiled them into books, and built over a dozen bestsellers, becoming an internationally famous author.
These included ‘Gilderoy Lockhart’s Guide to Household Pests,’ ‘The Gilderoy Lockhart Series,’ ‘Break with a Banshee,’ ‘Holidays with Hags,’ ‘Travels with Trolls,’ ‘Voyages with Vampires,’ ‘Wanderings with Werewolves,’ ‘Year with the Yeti,’ and ‘Me, the Magical Me.’ Each book brought him substantial royalties, and with the perfect blend of professionalism and entertainment in these works, one could practically foresee them continuously earning him Galleons for the rest of his life.
Not only that, but Lockhart was also a master at networking.
From Rita Skeeter, the famous Daily Prophet reporter and his school senior, to tribal chiefs in distant Africa, the number of connections he had cultivated was simply staggering.
He was the recipient of the Order of Merlin, Third Class; an honorary member of the Dark Force Defense League; and a five-time winner of Witch Weekly’s Most Charming Smile Award.
He even operated a luxury shampoo brand.
Hiss~ Someone like this.
If he were allowed to live for several more decades, what heights would he eventually reach?
Headmaster of a magical school?
Minister of Magic?
Or perhaps even Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards?
Lucas didn’t know.
Because now, he was Lockhart.
All he knew was that, even if he decided to enjoy everything the original had built while coasting through life, the secret that he himself was a fake absolutely could not be discovered by anyone!
His memories were a jumbled mess; he couldn’t muster the basic focus required for spellcasting, let alone perform simple spells such as the Unlocking Charm.
He was even more useless than the original Lockhart, whose only real skill was Obliviate (Memory Charm).
After some thought, Lucas picked up the gilded quill, dipped it in ink and, guided by muscle memory, imitated Lockhart’s handwriting to reply to this particularly enthusiastic fan.
This fan hailed from one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight pure-blood families and wielded significant influence in magical circles.
“…I have resolved to compile a masterpiece unlike anything ever seen in magical history.
Even if it demands tremendous effort and time, perhaps ten years?
Twenty?
I care not.
I believe it is my duty as the most erudite scholar of the magical world…” “Such prolonged silence may cause many to forget me, but it will be worth it!
For I know that history will forever remember my name for this grand undertaking…” This would be the perfect excuse to hide away and do nothing.
‘My devoted fans!’ ‘Spread the word for me.’ Lucas’s lips curled into a satisfied smirk as he folded the letter, selected a hormone-overflowing handsome portrait from the large pile of prepared “photo shoots” left behind by the original owner, stuffed it into the envelope together with the letter, fed the owl some food, and entrusted it with delivery.
“Perfect!” Lucas stretched lazily and walked over to the full-length mirror to admire his reflection.
His strikingly handsome appearance was as much a factor in his becoming the most famous bestselling author in the magical world as his substantive yet entertaining works.
He was handsome enough to be considered a ‘universal heartthrob,’ with clear, piercing sapphire eyes that seemed to brim with wisdom, meticulously styled golden locks, and flamboyant robes in every color imaginable.
With such an image… People would very easily think of the world’s strongest wizard, that same Dumbledore with blue eyes and colorful robes, and imagine that Dumbledore must have looked like this in his youth.
That was Lockhart’s cunning strategy.
He had studied Dumbledore’s youthful appearance thoroughly.
“Perfect!” He flashed his signature smile at the mirror, the one that had bewitched countless witches.
Then his smile froze.
To his horror, he saw a tall figure appear behind him in the mirror.
It also had sapphire-blue eyes.
Wearing purple robes…
“Dum…
Dumbledore?” Lucas gasped, whirling around in disbelief.
‘Oh no!’ He knew just how terrifying the man before him was, far more than Lockhart did.
Only one thought flashed through his mind: Legilimency!
He was done for.
Dumbledore would easily see everything in his scrambled thoughts and discover that he was a transmigrator.
Using Legilimency at will was practically a Dumbledore stereotype from all the web novels he’d read in his past life.
“Gilderoy Lockhart…” Dumbledore’s tone was gentle yet carried an undeniable authority.
“I waited for you in my office all day.
You shouldn’t still be at home at this hour.” “Huh?” Panicking, Lucas scrambled through the original’s memories and finally understood the situation.
The Defense Against the Dark Arts position at Hogwarts had long been rumored to be cursed.
Months ago, Professor Quirinus Quirrell died in mysterious circumstances, leaving Dumbledore unable to find any willing candidates.
Lockhart hadn’t wanted the job either, of course.
His life was already successful enough; why bother teaching at a school?
But Dumbledore was a master of persuasion.
He hinted that becoming the teacher of “The Boy Who Lived,” Harry Potter, would establish the foundation for Lockhart’s fame to explode even further.
Lockhart had agreed.
And now…
the term was starting!
Ha!
‘Was it too late to back out?’ Lucas knew exactly how disastrous it would be for a fraud like him, unable to cast even basic spells, to enter Hogwarts with Voldemort lurking about.
Staring at Dumbledore’s stern expression, Lucas hesitated, wondering if voicing his refusal would result in him being killed by this angry old man.
“Yes, I was just packing my things.” He forced his most sincere smile while speaking.
Dumbledore simply watched him calmly.
“I’ll wait right here.” (End Of This Chapter)