Chapter 254: Lockhart's big move (Edited)

The next morning, at breakfast time, the Gryffindor students arrived in the Great Dining Hall one by one.

Not only did they discover that their House points had been reduced by a large amount, but they also saw a Dean who had turned into a lion.

Even the slowest of Hufflepuff students could guess what had happened when they thought of the catlike Hermione Granger not so long ago.

And no one but a certain Gryffindor cat, not even the infamous Weasley twins, would dare to do such a thing.

Only under the oppressive gaze and imposing manner of Professor McGonagall did everyone have to hold back their laughter and duck their heads as they munched on their food, making what would normally be a noisy breakfast extremely quiet.

The Weasley twins in particular, after remembering how they had discussed how to trick Percy into drinking the Multijuice Potion in front of Fish, had practically buried their heads in their plates, pretending they weren't there in case they caught Fish's attention and Professor McGonagall discovered they were involved.

Sitting at the teachers' table, Professor McGonagall's face was stern and helpless, for she didn't want to force herself on the Hogwarts students and restrain them like that, but the effects of the Multijuice Potion was so potent that even she, a transfiguration teacher, couldn't do anything about it.

She could have taken time off and asked another teacher to cover for her, but for the strict Professor McGonagall, since she was perfectly mobile, she wouldn't leave her job to someone else...even if she was a bit embarrassed by her current appearance.

So, Professor McGonagall had to put on a cold face to maintain her authority as a teacher.

She didn't want her students to treat her as a joke, like Lockhart.

The only redeeming feature was that the animal transformation caused by the Multijuice Potion was long-lasting and stubborn, but the transformation was not completed very well.

So, although Fish had added the hair of a lion, Professor McGonagall didn't grow any unnecessary organs other than a long head of hair and a lion's tail...

Otherwise, she wouldn't have let a certain kitten go so easily last night, as well as a certain inappropriate headmaster who gave the lion hair!

With that in mind, Professor McGonagall glared at Dumbledore with a merciless glare, and then with a merciless glare at Fish, who was feasting at the Gryffindor long table.

(●?ω?●)

The little cat who noticed his stare shrugged his neck and then turned his head silently.

He still remembered the beating he had received the night before and dared not provoke Professor McGonagall again.

The students below him respected Professor McGonagall's former authority, at most only laughing in private, but the other teachers were less scrupulous, especially old colleagues like Flitwick and Professor Sprout.

"Nice new look, Minerva."

Professor Sprout, who was a little jealous of Professor McGonagall, was suddenly glad she hadn't adopted Fish.

But glad to be, she still had to scoff.

On the other hand, Professor Flitwick touched his bald head and said thoughtfully, "Can I also get a Multijuice Potion?"

Professor McGonagall rolled her eyes, unconcerned about her unscrupulous colleagues.

Lockhart sighed, "Oops, oops, oops," and wanted to make his presence known, but at the murderous look he received from Professor McGonagall, he settled back into his seat and didn't move.

It's just that Lockhart envied Professor McGonagall for the attention she was getting, but he wasn't interested in drinking the Multijuice Potion, otherwise, when Hermione turned into a black cat, Lockhart came over.

He especially wasn't too happy about this kind of beastly transformation.

If he could have a pair of ears and a tail like Fish's, or more hair without compromising his good looks, Lockhart wouldn't mind drinking a bottle of Multijuice Potion.

As for the cat's ear hairpins the twins had been selling, Lockhart had no interest in them, as he found them unappealing as something everyone else had.

I wonder if Professor Snape could have developed a Multijuice Potion with a slightly weaker variation...

Lockhart stroked his chin, contemplating talking to Snape later, but when he thought about the other party's ruthless behavior in the Dueling Club, he finally abandoned the idea.

Lockhart sighed, due to Fish's existence, his race to gain popularity at Hogwarts was extremely difficult, and even the Dueling Club, which he worked so hard to create before, was now gradually being stolen from the spotlight by other professors.

After all, whether it was Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape who were there at the beginning, or Professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout who joined later, their strength and level of teaching were very good, a far cry from the Defense Against the Dark Arts class taught by Lockhart.

Hogwarts students were not stupid and knew exactly who to ask for advice.

So, in the actual Dueling Club, as host, Lockhart had been reduced to the role of assistant, and had it not been for the continuation of the usual three matches between the lower and upper classes, which gave Lockhart the role of referee, he would not have had any presence in the Dueling Club at all....

The referees were nothing more than people shouting "bow" and "one, two, three".

This was clearly a deviation from the original purpose of the club, but now that it was out of his hands, he had to find other ways to make his presence felt.

Soon, Lockhart's opportunity to manifest his presence came when....

Valentine's Day is just around the corner.

As a popular author who receives many love letters each year, Lockhart is confident in his ability to add to the atmosphere on Valentine's Day.

And he figured he knew teenage magicians well enough to know that if he could set the stage for them, they would thank him and he could salvage a bit of a bad reputation.

So, on the morning of February 14, when they all arrived in the Great Dining Hall, they were greeted by pink flowers lining the walls and heart-shaped confetti falling from the sky blue ceiling.

"Happy Valentine's Day everyone!" Lockhart stood behind the staff table in a bright pink robe and cheerfully exclaimed, "I've received lots of fan cards so far, and I'm among them - I saw lots of familiar last names!"

As he had not received any cards from students at the school, Lockhart had no choice but to pull out his cards, and in doing so, he pulled out a card.

"Like this one: greetings from Molly Weasley, no doubt your family, no doubt?"

Lockhart bared his gleaming teeth and waved a hand toward the Weasley siblings at the long Gryffindor table.

"Kill me..."

Ron covered his face with his hands and banged his head hard against the table, while the other Weasleys didn't fare much better, even Percy looked embarrassed.

Lockhart then named the families of several of his students, all of whom put on a pained expression.

"As a token of my appreciation for your family's hospitality, I have taken it upon myself to arrange this little surprise for you all." Lockhart pointed to the decorations in the Great Hall and the distracting heart-shaped confetti. "And that's not all!"

Lockhart clapped his hands, and through the doors leading into the hall came a dozen grim-faced dwarves striding in. And they were different from the usual dwarves, Lockhart made them all have golden wings and golden harps.

"My nice Cupids with a greeting card!" Lockhart said cheerfully, "They're wandering around the school today handing out valentines! And that's not all the fun! I trust my colleagues They're all willing to actively participate!"

Having put on a show, Lockhart was on the prowl again, and after embarrassing a group of students, he was now approaching the school's teachers, not bothering to consider the consequences of offending any of them.

"Why don't you ask Professor Snape to teach you how to make a love potion? If you're interested, Professor Flitwick is better at magic than any wizard I've ever met, the wily old dog!"

Professor Flitwick, whose name was called, buried his face in his hands, as Snape's eyes flashed coldly, he looked like he was about to kill someone. If someone who had no sight actually asked him how to use the love potion, he would definitely force him to drink poison.

The teachers who had not been named also looked on with a grimace, not saying a word as they watched the farce created by Lockhart, and Professor McGonagall was so angry that the hair around her head bristled.

While the professors had a problem with Lockhart's behavior, the young teenage wizards and witches, especially the young witches, were already watching Fish at the Gryffindor table.

"Sister Sharpay," the clueless kitten pulled Sharpay Evans to his side, "What's Valentine's Day nya? are they going to send you Fish cards like Christmas nya?"

(●?ω?●)?