Gilderoy Lockhart's Story

Since receiving Dumbledore's personal letter at the end of June, Lockhart had been hesitant about whether he should accept Dumbledore's offer to become the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts. To be honest, being a professor at Hogwarts is indeed a respectable profession with good pay and benefits, but the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor is an exception.

Lockhart knew from his time at Hogwarts that every year, something bad would happen to the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, forcing them to resign from their jobs. Many Defence Against the Dark Arts professors would even be sent to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries due to various troubles.

As far as Lockhart knew, the last Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor who taught them spent seven years in the hospital because of a spell, and he still hasn't fully recovered.

That's not even the worst part. Rowena Smith, the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor from two years ago, simply disappeared and is still missing, his fate unknown.

The former Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, Mr. Quirrell Quirinus, even met a gruesome end in the Hogwarts dungeons, these cases directly illustrate the horror of that curse.

Lockhart had absolutely no interest in such a high-risk profession; he valued his life highly and saw no need to risk it.

Moreover, Lockhart had never lacked money since his novels became bestsellers. Furthermore, as a writer, Lockhart was at the peak of his career, with his autobiography, * My Me, the Magic Man *, about to be published. There was absolutely no reason for him to take such a risk; he was only interested in how to make himself famous. Just one month after Gilderoy Lockhart wrote to reject Dumbledore's offer, he surprisingly received another letter informing him of Dumbledore's upcoming visit.

To be honest, Lockhart didn't really want to meet Dumbledore. He knew perfectly well what the other man was up to, but after much hesitation, he still didn't directly refuse to Dumbledore.

Lockhart was actually quite curious to see how Dumbledore would persuade him, and a direct refusal wasn't a good idea. After all, he still needed to give Dumbledore some face.

At the end of July, Dumbledore, braving the scorching sun, knocked on Gilderoy Lockhart's door precisely on time.

"It's been a long time, Dumbledore."

After Gilderoy Lockhart invited Dumbledore into the house, he got straight to the point, saying, "I am just a novelist, and the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor is not a good fit for me."

"No need to be modest, Gilderoy. I believe you are more than capable of handling this job." Dumbledore smiled. "After all, you have so many admirable achievements. I remember you are an honorary member of the Defence Against the Dark Arts League, so you would be very suitable to be Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor."

Gilderoy Lockhart's eyes widened involuntarily. Although Dumbledore's flattery made him feel good, but...

"I know what you're worried about. Actually, you don't need to worry so much about the curse. Bard was the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor before last, and he left without any problems." Dumbledore seemed to see through Lockhart's worries and continued, "You just need to resign more than half a month in advance like Bard did, and you won't run into any trouble."

Lockhart looked at Dumbledore with suspicion. He knew that Bard had served as the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor and had escaped unscathed, but could he really do it?

Unfortunately, the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts is so infamous that no one has ever served for more than two years.

"With your connections, you should be able to find plenty of people willing to become any Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, right?" Lockhart asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry, I can't find a more suitable candidate at the moment. The professors for this course are being used up too quickly." Dumbledore looked troubled. "If I had more time, I'm sure I could find other suitable professors, but now..."

"I'm sorry Dumbledore, I'm afraid I'm not up to the task. You know, my new book, ' Me, the Magic Man,' has already been published, and I need to think about what to write next." Lockhart interrupted directly, "Novel writing is more suitable for me; it's a safe job."

"You can write about your experience as Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts," Dumbledore hesitation. "Mr. Albert has a good relationship with several Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, so perhaps you'll have something in common."

"You mean Albert Anderson, the one who won the International Wizard's Chess Champion not long ago?" Lockhart was a little surprised; he had naturally heard of the youngest International Wizard's Chess Champion.

"And Harry," Dumbledore added.

"Harry Potter?"

"Harry enrolled last semester and is now a second-year student."

To be honest, Lockhart wasn't interested in Albert Anderson because he wasn't a genius, and chatting with a genius would undoubtedly give him away, especially since this genius's "teacher" was Bard Brood.

Lockhart was somewhat interested in Harry Potter, the savior, and being Harry's teacher would undoubtedly bring him more popularity than doing anything else.

In particular, he could write those things in his own book, and he believed that the next book would definitely be a bestseller.

Ultimately, the desire for fame overcame Lockhart's slight caution, and he accepted the job because Dumbledore allowed Lockhart to resign early, allowed... in any case, the headmaster gave Lockhart a great deal of freedom.

Lockhart also intends to take this opportunity to make his books required textbooks for students, which will undoubtedly make his works bestsellers again and build and enhance his reputation among students.

"Alright!" Lockhart agreed. "But I have one condition: if anything happens, I would like to resign in advance. I have never considered myself to be any better than the previous dozens of Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, and since they all couldn't escape the curse, I think I'd better take precautions."

"Very well, I'm glad you accepted this job." Dumbledore smiled and shook hands with Lockhart. "I don't think you'll regret it."

"I hope so!"

Soon, God gave Lockhart an unexpected surprise: at the signing event for "Me, the Magic Man" at Flourish and Blotts, he met the legendary savior: Harry Potter.

This savior was indeed as famous as the legends said, and immediately attracted the attention of countless people.

Lockhart seized the opportunity to take many photos with Harry and announce that he would become the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts. At the same time, he gave Harry his complete set of books as a gift. He hoped to use Harry's fame to make headlines and win Harry's favor, laying the foundation for becoming "Harry's teacher" in the future.

Of course, if Lockhart knew that his actions had made Harry dislike him, I wonder what he would think.