Gilderoy Lockhart's Story (II)

"Finally gone."

Lockhart watched Albert's departing figure and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

This Genius Wizard who may surpass Dumbledore, truly lives up to his reputation.

After Lockhart came to Hogwarts to take up his post, he instinctively wanted to stay away from this Genius Wizard, but unfortunately he never succeeded.

The other party would always ask him very appropriate questions, and if Lockhart hadn't been well-prepared when he wrote the book, he might have already revealed his flaws.

If he can't even clearly explain what he's done, the adventures he's experienced, and the Charms he's used, who would believe him? Unfortunately, Lockhart himself knows very well that he's a fraud, which is why he hates dealing with geniuses like Albert Anderson.

Who knows what questions the other party might ask Lockhart to make things difficult for him someday?

Moreover, he is very likely... not very likely, but Albert definitely is doubting himself.

Although Lockhart had no evidence, he had a hunch that Mr. Anderson might know something and had begun to suspect him.

Lockhart couldn't help but wonder if accepting Dumbledore's invitation to work at Hogwarts was the right choice. Although his book sold very well as a result, and he gained a wave of attention and fame, Lockhart felt that his actions were somewhat inappropriate, or rather... well, Lockhart was beginning to regret it.

He wants to resign now! Lockhart already knew about the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor's terrible reputation from the beginning. After all, he had been at Hogwarts for seven years, and anyone who wasn't an idiot would know about it.

Although Dumbledore assured him that he could avoid the harm caused by the curse by resigning in advance, Lockhart encountered some rather bad things when he first arrived at the school.

Harry Potter's initial purpose in coming to Hogwarts was to leverage the fame of Voldemort Harry Potter enhance his own reputation.

Lockhart wanted Harry Potter to become his prized student, which was his main purpose in taking up his post at Hogwarts.

When Lockhart met Harry at Flourish and Blotts, he even gave him his entire collection of books, hoping to win Harry's favor.

It's worth noting that the entire set of books would require a large sum of Galleon, yet the savior still didn't have much affection for him.

Later, Potter and his friends drove a flying Ford to school, which he saw as nothing more than a show. So Lockhart helped Harry get out of detention, let him help him reply to letters from his admirers, and took the opportunity to teach Harry some things about fame and fortune.

However, the plan did not go smoothly. Even Lockhart could sense that Harry Potter was trying his best to avoid him, which was not in line with his original plan.

So Lockhart changed his plans again. He got hold of a lot of Quidditch tactics and intended to give Harry some extra lessons on how to play Quidditch.

Unfortunately, Harry Potter refused again.

However, unlike Harry Potter, another genius at Hogwarts had a good relationship with him, or rather, the other party took the initiative to approach him, but Lockhart had no intention of using Albert to enhance his own reputation.

He felt that if he got too close to Albert, the latter might discover his secret.

Albert had a bad feeling about Lockhart, especially his eyes. Sometimes, he felt like Albert could see right through him. Just now, when Albert was talking to him about the Human-Shape Restoration Charm used in "Wanderings with Werewolves," he could feel that there was no respect in Albert's eyes, but rather curiosity and anticipation for the spell.

That genius is very interested in the Human-Shape Restoration Charm!

In the past, teaching someone the Human-Shape Restoration Charm would undoubtedly have been an opportunity to bring the two of them closer, but unfortunately Lockhart simply didn't know how to use this spell.

When Albert asked him a question, he almost couldn't answer it. In the end, he could only send Albert away by saying that he needed some time to organize his thoughts. But the genius seemed to have seen through his thoughts and said that he would come to visit again another day.

Compared to a silly boy like Harry Potter, someone like Albert Anderson is truly terrifying. Even Lockhart wondered why he was putting himself through such hardship.

Indeed, Harry Potter is much easier to get along with!

Although he didn't want to talk to Albert, the meaningful smile Albert gave Lockhart as he left made him feel uneasy, so he had to return to his old residence to look for something useful.

"Wanderings with Werewolves" still left a deep impression on Lockhart.

There was nothing he could do; the Armenian Old Wizard was old and ugly, his clothes were tasteless, and he liked to put his own photos on the cover, which drew a lot of criticism from him.

Lockhart spent a considerable amount of time investigating this matter, and even visited the village ravaged by Werewolf, casting Memory Charm on the villagers to make them and the Armenian Old Wizard completely forget about it.

Lockhart was naturally familiar with the Human-Shape Restoration Charm, as it was one of the most central spells in "Wanderings with Werewolves." He had to go to great lengths to learn about the Human-Shape Restoration Charm from the old wizard.

The Human-Shape Restoration Charm was a spell invented by the other party, but they seemed unaware of its significance. Lockhart had considered using this spell to gain fame, as a Charms capable of temporarily transforming Werewolf back into human form was of great importance.

So when Lockhart left, he not only erased the other person's memory, but also stole the records and research on the Human-Shape Restoration Charm.

Lockhart knew very well what kind of fame he could gain if he could learn the spell and make it public. Unfortunately, the Human-Shape Restoration Charm was an extremely complex and difficult spell to cast, and he ultimately failed to learn it.

Lockhart was actually quite hesitant about whether to hand the notebook over to Albert, or whether they could collaborate and use Albert to enhance his own reputation.

What if Albert became his prized student? Lockhart quickly dismissed the idea; that wouldn't be a wise choice.

"Forget it, I'd better stay away from him." Lockhart opened his cabinet and began rummaging through the drawers, searching for the notes he had hidden.

Half an hour later, Lockhart finally found the leather notebook in a box. There were some parchment pieces tucked inside. Lockhart carefully looked through it and, finding nothing else that he couldn't show Albert, took the notebook back to Hogwarts Castle.