It must be said that Harry Potter had a remarkable talent for attracting attention from others.
For once, Lockhart was able to walk through the castle corridors without being swarmed by fanatical admirers.
However, every student they encountered would politely greet Lockhart before immediately retreating to a corner and pointing towards Harry while whispering amongst themselves.
It made Harry feel terrible.
Lockhart chuckled, patted him on the shoulder, and motioned for him to keep up.
“Outstanding people often attract jealousy and attention from others.
Being judged and gossiped about is something I have the most experience with.” As he spoke, he gestured towards Draco.
“I imagine our Mr Malfoy feels the same way.” Meeting Harry’s astonished gaze, Draco merely lifted his chin proudly and let out a soft snort.
“Obviously, Parseltongue is an exceptionally rare talent.
I believe Mr Malfoy, just like myself, feels nothing but envy towards you.” Lockhart’s words immediately deflated Draco’s arrogance somewhat.
He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just pressed his lips together and remained silent.
Lockhart winked at Harry as though to say, “See?
I told you so.” Harry instantly felt much better.
The three of them finally arrived at Lockhart’s office.
After inviting the two children to sit down, Lockhart smiled warmly at them and continued speaking.
“In truth, speaking Parseltongue does not automatically make someone evil.
Many people enjoy categorizing things as good or bad according to stereotypes.
But we cannot change such stereotypes.
So truly intelligent people learn how to use them instead.” Draco had originally shown little interest in being summoned here by Lockhart, but upon hearing these words, he froze.
His father, Lucius, had taught him that breaking the rules was not a sign of strength.
On the contrary, obeying the rules and then using them was a sign of true intelligence.
Perhaps Professor Lockhart and his father had a lot in common.
“What should I do, Professor?” Harry Potter asked, completely drawn in by Lockhart’s words.
But Lockhart simply looked at him and smiled.
“Do what?
Prove that you aren’t a Dark Wizard?
Prove that you aren’t evil?” Harry nodded seriously.
“Sometimes life is rather tragic.
We spend all our time desperately trying to prove ourselves.” Lockhart sighed dramatically, pulled a quill from the holder, and quickly wrote something on a sheet of parchment.
He then slid the parchment across the desk towards Harry.
“In the Restricted Section of the library, there is a book called The Most Ancient Charms.
Inside are several ancient and powerful spells.
One of them is called the Patronus Charm.” “Those who cannot feel genuine happiness and beauty within their hearts are incapable of casting it.
See?
People like to define such individuals as evil, just like the prejudice that says those who speak Parseltongue must be bad people.” He shrugged and looked at Harry with interest.
“Countless people trapped by stereotypes believe that Dark Wizards cannot cast the Patronus Charm at all.
This is the simplest way to prove that you are a good person.
Even before a Wizengamot trial at the Ministry of Magic, it could serve as direct proof.” “It’s just…
very difficult, Harry.
Are you confident that you can learn it?” Harry gripped the permission slip allowing him to borrow books from the Restricted Section tightly.
The determined expression on his face was answer enough.
“In this world, most wizards can only produce a cloud of silver mist when casting this spell.
Only a very small number can summon a fully formed Patronus.
Harry, I have very high expectations for you.” This child clearly lacked initiative when it came to studying.
But now, with a powerful motivation to prove himself, Lockhart was eager to witness the marvelous sight of a second-year wizard successfully casting the Patronus Charm.
Perhaps he could even publish another book when that happened: “My Teaching Career and the Untold Stories of the Boy Who Lived: Harry Potter.” Who knew?
Maybe he could make another fortune in royalties.
The funniest part was that the original Lockhart had already started planning the framework and details of such a book as soon as he accepted Dumbledore’s invitation to teach.
The draft already existed.
With only a few modifications, it could practically be published directly.
Tsk.
Nice~ Next came Draco Malfoy.
Lockhart was equally invested in this child.
He knew exactly how to capture Draco’s interest.
Casually waving the feather quill in a motion resembling the Disarming Charm, he immediately saw Draco’s pupils contract.
He had just experienced the greatest humiliation of his life, being blasted backwards by Harry Potter’s Disarming Charm in front of the entire school, crashing down onto the ground in a most humiliating manner.
“The Disarming Charm is a spell with extremely broad applications.” Lockhart spoke smoothly and confidently, instantly drawing the attention of both young wizards.
“Within the three major application fields of Defence Against the Dark Arts, whether against Dark Wizards, in formal duels, or against Dark Creatures, it can play an important role.” “Not only that, but when facing threats from magical creatures, the Disarming Charm can also be extremely effective.” In the original story, Harry Potter had once used the Disarming Charm to force an Acromantula to release him.
“Many people are familiar with the Disarming Charm.
They understand how important it is for wizards who depend on wands.
Therefore, you must not only learn how to use the Disarming Charm effectively but also master its Counter-Charm.” “Yes, aside from the Unforgivable Curses, nearly every charm has a corresponding counter-charm.” He demonstrated the casting motion for the counter-charm.
In truth, it was very simple: a flick of the wrist as though drawing a diagonal upward checkmark.
This light upward motion could instantly neutralize the opponent’s attack.
“This isn’t actually difficult.
Many adult wizards have already mastered silent casting for this Counter-Charm.” “Of course, you can start by learning the most basic way to respond to the Disarming Charm.
Once you have studied the Counter-Charm itself, your body will perform it naturally.” “When facing an enemy’s Disarming Charm, even at the critical instant when your wand feels as though it is about to fly from your hand, combining this casting technique with a wizard’s instinctive grip-tightening motion can help you immediately regain control.” This was the reward he had prepared specifically for the two of them.
Draco’s eyes practically lit up.
He listened with complete seriousness.
He never wanted to be blasted across the room by Harry Potter’s Disarming Charm in front of everyone ever again.
Once Harry realized that his Disarming Charm was no longer effective against his mortal rival, Draco, he would naturally be motivated to study other spells.
Plan successful!
Lockhart could proudly declare that nobody in the world understood the Disarming Charm better than he did, not even Dumbledore.
After all, Dumbledore was simply too powerful.
Almost nobody could successfully disarm him in the first place, so there was no need for him to deeply study every subtle detail and variation of the spell.
But Lockhart’s memories came from more than a dozen powerful wizards who had constantly faced life-or-death dangers and had their own unique experience of practical combat.
Now, he was practically teaching everything he knew to these two children without reservation.
The material alone could easily be turned into a book.
He explained every possible angle from which a wizard might face a Disarming Charm in painstaking detail, categorizing countless response techniques and subtle casting tricks.
This included different wand-gripping methods depending on the strength of the opponent.
“Pay close attention to my hand position.
When facing a stronger enemy, you mustn’t grip your wand too tightly.
This will prevent you from being dragged through the air with your wand when struck…” “As long as your condition hasn’t been completely disrupted, you can immediately draw a backup wand and deliver the decisive finishing blow at the exact moment your opponent believes you’ve lost the ability to resist!” “And when facing weaker opponents, pay attention: their Disarming Charm will still affect you if it hits, but it won’t send you flying outright.
In those situations, you should adopt this posture.” “Does it feel familiar?
Hahaha!
This is the classic stance used for riding a broomstick and evading attacks at high speed while remaining ready to counterattack at any moment.
It’s the exact same principle.” “You’ll find that, once you’ve assumed this position, the disarmed wand actually flies back towards your body.
Then, with a simple motion like this, you can smoothly snatch it back; you may even find that the wand never truly leaves your palm, almost like catching the Golden Snitch during a Quidditch match.” “…” What Lockhart failed to notice was that several figures had quietly appeared in the doorway of the office.
Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, and Severus Snape had apparently arrived some time ago; yet now, all three stood completely absorbed in the lecture.
The techniques being described were comprehensive and meticulous and perfectly suited to real combat.
Even these three veterans of countless wizarding battles were astonished by the sheer breadth of knowledge and analysis of every possible combat detail.
Snape was forced to admit that he had perhaps misjudged Lockhart completely.
How could the man before him possibly be a fraud?
All of Lockhart’s boastful stories now suddenly seemed like the perfect explanation of his abilities.
Of course, none of them realized that Lockhart was deliberately using a feather quill to imitate wand movements because he was secretly envious of the two young wizards before him.
‘Damn it!’ ‘He longed to possess the ability to cast magic himself!’ Having so much magical knowledge inside his mind, yet being unable to successfully cast any of it was pure torture for him.