Lockhart’s mood was actually nowhere near as smug as he appeared on the surface.
In truth, he had to admit it: He was jealous.
Watching two young wizards cast spells with his own eyes made him look forward to magic more than ever before, yet the wand in his own hand felt no different from a pair of chopsticks.
The enhancement that the original Lockhart’s understanding of ‘Fairy-tale Story’ brought to Harry and Draco was enormous…
so enormous that he genuinely began to feel envy and jealousy.
He longed for magic, too.
He longed for power as well.
Taking a deep breath, he turned his head to observe the surrounding professors’ expressions.
Just as Draco was blasted flying once again by a single spell, Professor McGonagall revealed a worried expression.
Lockhart flashed a brilliant smile and strode forward to stop the duel between Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy.
Enough.
It was already perfect enough.
Yet, at that very moment, Draco rapidly waved his wand.
Behind him, the giant python swiftly slithered forward, its tongue flicking out menacingly, as though Harry’s disarming charm had enraged the massive creature completely.
Faced with such a terrifying sight, Harry did not dodge.
Instead, he simply stared fixedly at the snake, hissing softly under his breath.
A collective change swept across the faces of every professor.
Lockhart’s face stiffened.
Damn it!
The unexpected complication had appeared after all.
Harry Potter, you really know how to steal the spotlight!
This is my stage!
I’m the protagonist!
Today was supposed to be the most important performance of my life, the one that would establish my status as a great master of magic within the school!
He strode forward quickly, not even having time to draw his wand, and wrapped an arm around Harry’s shoulders, turning him away from the giant snake.
At the same time, he shot Professor Snape a meaningful look.
He had noticed that, although Snape wore a cold sneer as though waiting to see Harry embarrass himself, he had gripped his wand tightly the entire time, ready for any potential disaster.
“Perfect!” Professor Lockhart burst into loud laughter and praised them enthusiastically.
“An absolutely perfect duel…” He firmly held Harry’s shoulder and positioned his tall body between Harry and the giant python.
Was he afraid?
Of course he was a little afraid.
But he trusted that Snape would deal with the snake.
Even if Snape failed, Professor Dumbledore would certainly step in.
As for himself, all he needed to do was maintain the image of a fearless master of magic facing a giant serpent.
“I believe everyone…” Before he could finish speaking, a young wizard in the audience suddenly cried out in shock.
“Was that Parseltongue just now?!” Many other students who had not been completely certain also began shouting immediately.
“I heard Harry Potter talking to that snake!” “Yes, I heard it too!” “Oh my God, that’s unbelievable!
I thought only the most evil wizards knew Parseltongue!” “…” The hall instantly erupted into a buzz of conversation.
Lockhart hurriedly shouted for order, urging the Prefects to quiet everyone down as quickly as possible.
Glancing back, he saw that the giant python had already disappeared.
Finally letting out a sigh of relief, he continued smoothly.
“In fact, Parseltongue is not just a language of Dark Wizards.
If any of you were to go adventuring in the Amazon like I did, you would find that many of the local tribes also have Parseltongue speakers.” “Strictly speaking, Parseltongue is also considered an advanced branch of Defense Against the Dark Arts.” “And speaking of representatives of this field, the most iconic example is naturally our great Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore.
He is not only proficient in many different languages, but also speaks Mermish and Gobbledegook…” Dumbledore watched with some amusement as Lockhart deliberately blurred the distinction between Parseltongue as an innate talent and Parseltongue speakers as people who had learned the skill later in life.
Professor McGonagall, however, stepped forward.
While she acknowledged that Professor Lockhart’s words could help to calm the situation, she was not pleased to see students confusing the concepts of a Parselmouth and someone who had merely studied Parseltongue.
This conflicted with her educational principles.
“All right, children!” With a wave of her hand, the Great Hall, which Lockhart had dimmed earlier for atmosphere, brightened once more.
“This lesson is over.
Please leave the classroom in an orderly manner.” She gave everyone a meaningful look.
“Even if some of you cannot fully grasp the concept of “Fairy-tale Story” as a magical principle, the seven principles that Professor Lockhart summarized are still highly insightful.
I hope you will all spend time reflecting on them.” “Prefects, escort everyone back to the dormitories.” The hall immediately descended into noisy chaos again.
The students had no choice but to follow Professor McGonagall’s instructions, continuing to discuss Harry Potter’s situation amongst themselves as they filed out.
Fortunately, many young wizards were still more interested in becoming stronger themselves, and much of their attention remained focused on the magical theories that Professor Lockhart had just explained.
On the stage, surrounded by the professors’ gazes, especially Dumbledore’s deep, emotionless eyes, Harry felt increasingly uneasy.
“Haaaarryyyy Potter~” Professor Snape strode forward, lowering his head as he glared maliciously at Harry.
“Look at the wonderful surprise our famous The Boy Who Lived has brought us this time.” Harry had no idea how to deal with the situation.
His thoughts were a complete mess.
Without even looking up, he could picture the mocking expression on Snape’s face as he stared at him.
“Yes, truly astonishing.” Suddenly, a bright and hearty laugh rang out.
A warm arm gently wrapped around his shoulders.
Looking up, Harry saw Professor Lockhart.
He lightly squeezed Harry’s shoulder as though giving him the strength to face everything before him.
“Parseltongue.
What an enviable ability!” Professor Lockhart raised an eyebrow towards Professor Snape.
“Of course, both you and I grew up in the Muggle world, so we should know a thing or two about Muggle genetics.
Traits skipping generations are perfectly normal.” Professor Snape let out a cold sneer.
“Let us hope your little theory proves correct.” Professor Lockhart merely smiled and did not continue arguing.
Instead, he beckoned to Draco Malfoy, who was still staring at Harry in shock and uncertainty.
“You two performed exceptionally well.
I must reward you both.
And, since you both became a little too immersed in your roles just now, I’ll also need to provide some psychological counseling.” As he spoke, he looked towards the other professors, especially Albus Dumbledore.
“Shall I take the children away first?” Wonderful!
Harry felt immensely relieved.
At the critical moment, Professor Lockhart had once again stepped forward to help him out of trouble.
Harry truly did not want to stay there any longer; the way everyone was looking at him made him deeply uncomfortable.
For the first time, Harry even felt somewhat guilty for having previously thought poorly of Professor Lockhart.
Clearly, the professor before him was not only a powerful wizard but also a genuinely good person.
Soon, Professor Lockhart received Dumbledore’s permission and led Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy towards his office.
These two children were simply too valuable to invest in.
There was no need to mention Harry Potter, the protagonist of the original story.
Even Draco Malfoy alone was worth teaching, as behind him stood the immensely powerful influence of the pure-blood families.
And what relationship could earn the trust and respect of Lucius Malfoy more effectively than becoming his son’s teacher?
Perfect!
Not to mention the future, just for upcoming classes alone, was there anyone more suitable than these two children to serve as assistants?
Any time a lesson required practical spellcasting, he could simply bring these two out and let them perform.
There would be no need for him to personally cast anything himself.
With only a little training, these two highly talented children would develop impressive strength.
And by then, even if nobody had ever personally seen him cast magic, no one would doubt the identity of a “great master of magic” capable of teaching such outstanding students.
Absolutely perfect!
(End Of This Chapter)