Chapter 97: Confession

The thing that happened with Draco was just randomy, and Arthur didn't care much about it.

What interested him now was Professor Lockhart.

Arthur noticed that Professor Lockhart had some knowledge of theoretical magic, but for some reason, he struggled with casting spells.

He had also asked Professor Flitwick what Professor Lockhart's school experience was like.

"He really was an annoying person. He wanted to be famous and show off all the time."

"Once, Lockhart even had house-elves deliver love letters he wrote to himself. He even started his own newspaper."

Listening to Professor Flitwick's memories, Arthur furrowed his brow and asked, "What were his grades like back then?"

Since it had been quite some time, Professor Flitwick carefully thought about it before saying,

"I only remember that he did well in Charms, and although his grades in other subjects weren't excellent, he did pass the N.E.W.T.S. exams."

...

Coming out of Professor Flitwick's office, Arthur became even more convinced that something was going on with Professor Lockhart.

Could a Pixie really take away the wand of someone who passed the highest level of N.E.W.T.S. exams?

After thinking for a while, Arthur still couldn't figure it out.

So he decided to confront Professor Lockhart directly.

...

In Defense Against the Dark Arts class, Professor Lockhart had the young wizards act out scenes from his own stories according to the script he wrote.

Since the incident with the Pixie, Professor Lockhart hadn't given the young wizards any useful chances to practice.

He sometimes had them read his works emotionally, and sometimes he turned them into plays.

Although Professor Lockhart was a liar, the stories in his books were good, so the young wizards actually learned quite a bit.

It was just that people like Harry, who had to cooperate with Professor Lockhart's performances every time, had a hard time.

After class, Arthur followed behind Professor Lockhart and arrived at his office door.

He gently knocked.

"Come in," Professor Lockhart's voice came from inside.

Seeing Arthur walk in, Professor Lockhart was a bit puzzled as to why he was here.

Although Arthur hadn't caused trouble for him recently, Professor Lockhart knew that Arthur didn't like him.

Ignoring Professor Lockhart's gaze, Arthur sat across from him at the desk and smiled as he spoke.

"Professor, I have some questions to ask you."

Professor Lockhart was somewhat puzzled but still smiled and agreed, revealing his signature big white teeth.

"No problem, Mr. Gaunt. With all the adventures I've been on, I can easily answer your questions."

Arthur didn't argue and nodded with a smile. Then he asked a question that made Professor Lockhart shudder.

"Professor Lockhart, I want to know, under what circumstances would a wizard lose most of their abilities and only be able to cast a single Memory Charm?"

Forced to smile, Professor Lockhart tried to change the topic. "Actually, in the book where I went on adventures with a vampire, there are many exciting experiences, and I can..."

"Professor, I know a lot of things, like how you stole these experiences of others," Arthur interrupted.

Arthur interrupted Professor Lockhart and calmly said, "Unfortunately, your Memory Charm wasn't completely effective, and some people still remember certain things."

Of course, Arthur was bluffing; he didn't have the time to gather evidence against Professor Lockhart.

As expected, Professor Lockhart fell for it and sighed, saying, "Since you already know..."

"Obliviate"

"Protego."

Two voices sounded out at the same time in the room.

Professor Lockhart's spell hit Arthur's shield directly but left no trace.

"Alright, Professor, let's stop this charade. I was simply curious about your past and had no intention of exposing you,"

Arthur explained slowly and calmly, even though Professor Lockhart had lied to him before.

"Alright, what do you want to know?"

Professor Lockhart seemed resigned and leaned back in his chair, resting his head on his hands, waiting for Arthur's questions.

"Professor Flitwick told me about some of your school days. Although you were weak back then, and yet you still managed to graduate from Hogwarts,"

Arthur began.

"But why is it that now you can't even perform a basic Levitation Charm?"

When Professor Lockhart heard this, he did not answer immediately. He went silently and seemed to be thinking about the past.

After a while, he finally spoke up.

"I didn't expect someone as genius as you to be interested in the past of a liar like me..."

Professor Lockhart sighed, then continued,

"I loved being in the spotlight. I wanted the whole wizarding world to know of my existence. My idol was Albus Dumbledore, and his name was known throughout Europe."

"So, after I graduated, I became obsessed with exploring ruins, gathering magical creatures, anything that could give me a chance to become famous. For the first two or three years after graduation, I visited many dangerous places, and my skills improved rapidly. I even had a brief encounter with a troll."

"But I wasn't satisfied. I wanted to become even stronger so that my fame would grow. That's when I set my eyes on a pyramid. If I could crack its mysteries, I would instantly become famous worldwide."

At this point, Professor Lockhart's voice got excited, but it quickly became very sad.

He continued, "Unfortunately, I failed. I almost did not make it out of the pyramid alive because I was being chased by mummies. If it weren't for a kind-hearted wizard who helped me escape, I would have died inside."

"Since then, my magic has been failing. I started to be afraid, and the more scared I got, the faster my magical abilities faded away. Within two years, my magic was on par with who had just entered school."

When hearing this, Arthur finally understood why Professor Lockhart had become so useless.

Professor Lockhart had a pained expression with a hint of deep resentment in his brow.

Gritting his teeth, Professor Lockhart said, "Magic abandoned me, and I began to hate adventures. So, I used the only spell I could still cast—the Memory Charm—to steal the stories of successful adventurers. It allowed my fame to grow while lowering my jealousy toward those who succeeded."

After finishing his confession, Professor Lockhart let out a deep breath, and his expression became more relaxed.

\He had never shared these things with anyone before, and confessing in Arthur seemed to lift a heavy burden from his chest.

Professor Lockhart looked at Arthur, who remained silent, and sadly said,

"Whether you choose to reveal this to Dumbledore or the Ministry of Magic, it's up to you. But I request that if I make one last appearance in the newspaper, please make sure the pictures capture my handsome side."

...

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