Chapter 36: Gilderoy Lockhart’s Three Strengths

Chapter 36: Gilderoy Lockhart's Three Strengths

After Transfiguration class, George didn't head straight to lunch. Instead, he chased after Professor McGonagall and spent a full hour asking her questions about Transfiguration before reluctantly leaving.

Professors at Hogwarts taught multiple grades and were extremely busy. If George didn't seize the opportunity to ask questions, he might not get another chance.

In the afternoon, it was time for Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Gilderoy Lockhart, dressed in a lavender-colored robe, strutted into the classroom and took his place at the podium.

"I, Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of *Witch Weekly*'s Most Charming Smile Award—though I don't like to boast about that. I didn't defeat the Wagga Wagga Werewolf with my smile!"

His self-deprecating humor left the boys in the classroom exchanging awkward glances, while the girls ate it up, clapping enthusiastically.

"This guy isn't bad-looking," George thought as he observed the wizard who had gained fame through deception.

He had to admit that Lockhart's popularity among witches of all ages wasn't just due to his books.

More importantly, it was his handsome appearance and shameless personality.

Despite his lack of real talent, Lockhart still had some uses for George.

In fact, George had summarized Lockhart's three strengths:

First, he was generous with house points. As long as you played to his ego, he would award points without hesitation, unlike other professors who were more cautious.

Second, he had authority. Only professors could grant students access to the Restricted Section of the library. If George could build a good relationship with Lockhart, he could get permission to explore the Restricted Section.

Third, he was skilled in Memory Charms. While Lockhart was terrible at most spells, his Memory Charm was on par with top-tier wizards. If George could learn the Memory Charm from Lockhart, it would be a huge asset in the Marvel world.

So, George had no intention of slacking off in this class.

"I see you've all bought my complete works. Excellent.

Today, we'll start with a little quiz.

Don't worry—it's just to see how well you've read and understood my books..."

After introducing himself, Lockhart handed out a stack of quizzes to the students.

"You have thirty minutes. Begin!"

George picked up the quiz and glanced at the questions, all of which were about Lockhart himself. He quickly had his main body in the Marvel world open the computer and start searching for answers.

After becoming the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Lockhart had replaced all the textbooks for grades one through seven with his own seven books.

So, George had naturally bought them, along with the previous first-year textbook, The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection.

George had actually read all seven of Lockhart's books. Despite the self-aggrandizing content, many of the magical experiences were real, stolen from talented wizards whom Lockhart had then obliviated.

Half an hour later, Lockhart collected the quizzes and began grading them on the podium.

Most students had answered only a few questions correctly. Even the girls who adored him had managed to get only about half right.

Then he came to George's quiz.

"Oh, who is this... George, I know you. You're the one who declared you'd win the House Cup back for Slytherin yesterday morning. Very impressive. You're truly remarkable.

Not only do you know my favorite color, but you also know my ideal birthday gift and my grand, noble ambitions.

You... you answered every question correctly! Twenty points to Slytherin!"

As he graded George's quiz, Lockhart couldn't stop smiling.

In the Defense Against the Dark Arts classes he had taught so far, only one student—a Gryffindor second-year named Hermione—had answered most of the questions correctly.

But now, a student had gotten every single question right, and it was the famous Slytherin first-year. This was a huge boost to Lockhart's ego.

"Professor, I found your books to be filled with valuable magical experiences, so I read them repeatedly until they were deeply ingrained in my memory."

George raised his hand and spoke.

This comment delighted Lockhart, who walked over to George with a satisfied grin:

"Don't worry. If you work hard, with your nearly prodigious magical talent, you'll surely achieve success like mine one day. I have high hopes for you."

"Even if I do succeed, it will be thanks to your guidance, Professor. I've always been a grateful person."

George smiled meaningfully, and Lockhart's eyes lit up. He looked at George with increasing fondness.

"Excellent. Now, let's start reading my book Gadding with Ghouls. It contains a wealth of information about ghouls. I'll ask random questions, and correct answers will earn house points."

By the end of the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, George had earned another ten points for Slytherin.

In just two days, he had single-handedly earned Slytherin a total of ninety points, putting the house far ahead in the race for the House Cup.

After class, George didn't let Lockhart off the hook.

"Professor, I have some questions about magic that I'd like to ask you."

"Of course. Since we're kindred spirits, I can spare some of my precious time to give you a little extra tutoring."

Lockhart didn't refuse. Instead, he winked at George.

From George's bold declaration yesterday morning and his current performance, Lockhart had shrewdly deduced that George, like himself, was someone who craved fame.

But he didn't dislike George. On the contrary, George had made it clear that they could benefit each other.

The more famous George became, the more famous Lockhart would be by association. More importantly, while Lockhart relied on deception, George was genuinely talented.

Such a promising student, like Harry Potter, was someone worth cultivating early.

"Professor, I'm quite interested in Memory Charms. I was wondering if you could..."

Seeing that Lockhart had agreed, George didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the point.

Lockhart, who had initially been nervous about being exposed, immediately puffed out his chest when he heard George was asking about Memory Charms—the one spell he was actually good at.

"Ah, the Memory Charm. It's one of my least impressive spells, though I'm still a tad better than those folks at the Ministry's Obliviator Headquarters."

The Obliviator Headquarters, part of the Ministry's Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, was responsible for using Memory Charms to erase the memories of Muggles who had witnessed magic and repairing buildings damaged by magical battles.

The wizards in this department were among the best in the wizarding world when it came to Memory Charms and Repair Charms.

(End of Chapter)