"I think you're being a little unfair, Hagrid," Hermione disagreed, instead speaking up loudly in Lockhart's defense. "Even Professor Dumbledore thinks he's the most suitable candidate for the teaching position..."
"He should be the only candidate, more like." Hagrid waved a hand indifferently. "Do you know how hard it is to find a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher these days? Nearly every wizard thinks the job is cursed. No one can last long."
"Then I suppose Lockhart deserves some credit for his courage." Harry asked with a faint smile, "I heard he graduated from Ravenclaw too. He must have been an outstanding student with remarkable courage back in school, right?"
At that moment, no one noticed that the wand concealed beneath Harry's sleeve was giving off an almost imperceptible glow from its tip, vibrating silently at an incredible frequency.
The Recording Charm—this was the result of Harry's research over the past few days. Through his wand, he could perfectly record every conversation taking place in the room today.
Honestly, Harry felt he ought to properly thank Lockhart. On the way over, he had still been considering how to steer Hagrid's conversation toward Lockhart, but the man had eagerly walked right into the trap himself.
"Hmph, I don't know whether he was an outstanding student, but that little bit of courage of his was completely misplaced." Hagrid grumbled disdainfully. "As far as I know, when he was at school, he once enlarged his own image and put it up in the sky over the school, just like..."
Hagrid's expression stiffened. He lowered his voice slightly before continuing, "Just like You-Know-Who's mark."
"And one Valentine's Day, loads of people saw hundreds of owls fly into the Great Hall all at once... Ugh, can you imagine that scene? Countless droppings and feathers