Lockhart looked exceptionally handsome in the photograph accompanying The Daily Prophet. With that broad smile, he was indeed quite charming.
It was perfectly normal for an almost flawless appearance like that to attract an inexperienced young witch like Lavender.
Vincent silently took a sip of his oatmeal porridge.
After the Sorcerer's Stone protection team, adding another outstanding wizard to the mix meant that whatever the Ministry of Magic wanted to conceal was probably something very serious.
He looked over at Fred and George, whose faces were full of disdain.
"Listen to me, that pretty-boy author is way more of a beast than Cedric."
Angelina reached out and shoved George's looming face aside. "Hey, he's a recipient of the Order of Merlin, Third Class!"
"What's so impressive about that? I—"
Fred swiftly covered his mouth. "George says he's feeling unwell. I need to take him to the Hospital Wing."
"Madam Pomfrey should take a look at his mouth while she's at it." Alicia beside them wore an equally unfriendly expression.
Of the Order of Merlin recipients revealed so far, there were only Vincent and Lockhart.
Whether it would be a surprise or not depended on whether the Ministry of Magic could keep things under control.
Vincent shifted his gaze to the neighboring table.
Marietta looked utterly smitten, as though she were explaining something to Cho.
He opened the newspaper again and found the densely printed page.
"Breaking with a Banshee,"
"Gadding with Ghouls,"
"Gilderoy Lockhart's Guide to Household Pests,"
"Holiday with a Hag,"
"Magical Me,"
"Travels with Trolls,"
"Voyages with Vampires,"
"Wandering with Werewolves,"
"Year with the XZ Yeti"...
Vincent instinctively drew in a sharp breath.
This recipient of the Order of Merlin, Third Class sure liked adventuring all over the world.
Yet he looked younger than Snape, and in the