"...Oh, of course. That just shows how popular you are with the students, doesn't it? My fans often give me gifts like this too. The fondant on that last cake could even dance..."
Professor Dumbledore frowned the moment he saw Lockhart pick up a dinner knife, silently moving his hand toward the Elder Wand. But before he could act, Lockhart's knife had already sliced down swiftly.
It was fine. As long as he controlled the magic properly, he could still repair it with Reparo.
Just as Professor Dumbledore was thinking this, the sliced fondant suddenly underwent a slight change:
The little badger-shaped fondant decorations twisted into green spheres, each one rapidly growing larger. Professor Sprout, still immersed in shock and sorrow, froze for a moment. Why did these round balls look so familiar? They looked a little like... Chinese Chomping Cabbages?
The transformation did not take long. In less than three seconds, the first Chinese Chomping Cabbage had grown to full size and opened its mouth.
The professors seated beside Lockhart could not help edging away to either side, but Lockhart, absorbed in telling everyone how delicious the cake from his fans was, did not notice.
To avoid making it look too deliberate when he cut into the fondant shaped like Professor Sprout, Lockhart had deliberately not looked at the cake while cutting, so he could use not seeing it as an excuse to clear himself. Now, however, he paid the price for that decision.
Crack—
"Aaaaaah—!!!"
The crisp sound seemed to be something hard snapping apart. A sharp pain shot through the hand holding the knife, and Lockhart turned around with a twisted expression, only to see a... cabbage?
Lockhart: "???"
In the final moments before his memory went blank, Lockhart vaguely seemed to see one... no, at least