The Confident Lockhart

Fred and George didn't even eat their meal; they grabbed a few slices of bread and left the table.

It seems they wanted to mail the letter before class started.

Harry, Ron, and Neville exchanged bewildered glances. To be honest, they still didn't understand what was going on.

However, they didn't have time to think about it anymore; Professor McGonagall was handing out course schedules along Gryffindor's table.

"Kyle, it's perfect that you're here."

After handing the last timetable to Neville, she said, "Professor Sprout needs to speak with you. If you've already had breakfast, come with me."

"Okay, Professor."

Kyle finished the last sip of lemonade, got up, and followed Professor McGonagall out of the Great Hall.

If he wasn't mistaken, Professor Sprout had called him to discuss the Time-Turner.

After all, the first class of the new school year is about to begin, and there should be some news by now.

Moreover, he had already obtained his class schedule from the common room before coming to the restaurant.

The first lesson in third grade was about Care of Magical Creatures and Arithmancy... Both lessons were at the same time, at nine o'clock in the morning.

After leaving the restaurant, Professor McGonagall did not go to her office upstairs, but instead took Kyle out of the castle and went to the other side of the grounds.

Professor Sprout was treating Whomping Willow's injuries there...

Because he was bumped into by two reckless guys yesterday, the poor little guy broke several tree branches. Professor Sprout is using special medicine and bandages to wrap up the broken parts one by one.

Kyle noticed that the Whomping Willow wasn't still; it was still moving... and a passing owl was nearly knocked down from mid-air by it.

Fortunately, the owl was small and reacted quickly, thus escaping unharmed. It flew away, leaving behind a pile of feathers and grumbling.

Clearly, Professor Sprout did not press the scar at the base of the tree.

But the Whomping Willow tree that was supposed to attack her showed no intention of harming her, letting her roam freely among its branches.

And it wasn't just Professor Sprout; another professor was here too.

Gilderoy Lockhart.

He stood about ten meters away from the Whomping Willow, and shouted loudly:

"If I were you, I wouldn't do that... it's too much trouble."

"Oh... that's too much trouble for you, Pomona. I happen to know a very useful spell that can perfectly reattach those completely broken branches."

"That's right, that's exactly it. I was just about to teach you this spell, but I didn't expect you to know it too!"

Lockhart continued rambling on below, while Professor Sprout's expression grew increasingly grim.

If Lockhart hadn't been standing so far away, she would have wanted Whomping Willow to give this guy a warm hug.

This is so annoying!

At that moment, Professor McGonagall also brought Kyle to the vicinity.

"Oh, Minerva, it's so nice to see you," Lockhart said, leaning closer.

"Me too, Professor Lockhart," Professor McGonagall replied perfunctorily, then called out in the direction of the Whomping Willow:

"Pomona, are you done with your work? I brought Kyle."

"There's one last one." Professor Sprout glanced back, his hands moving much faster.

"Wait, could it be that you're the youngest recipient of the Order of Merlin in history?"

Lockhart looked at Kyle as if he had discovered a new continent.

"Yes, Professor Lockhart." Kyle nodded.

"We should have met before, remember? At Flourish and Blotts, you came to buy my book," Lockhart said with a smile, his large white teeth Winky in the sunlight.

"You were just too shy and hid."

Professor McGonagall glanced at her sideways.

Someone who dares to face a dark wizard alone, confront a Werewolf head-on, and even lead Three-headed Dog to storm forbidden territory... would be shy?

Professor McGonagall simply couldn't connect Kyle with shyness; it was too absurd. She preferred to believe that Fred and George were a pair of well-behaved children.

But she quickly recalled a copy of the Daily Prophet she had seen a few days earlier, and the bewildered Harry in the photo.

If she wasn't mistaken, Kyle should have been there too, but he ran away before being caught up in the photo.

Professor McGonagall's lips twitched slightly, as if she were smiling.

Lockhart simply didn't notice this.

"I am also a recipient of the Order of Merlin, and I have also encountered Werewolf."

He reached out and patted Kyle on the shoulder:

"You're really lucky; you've achieved the same success as me at such a young age."

"Kyle's winning of the Order of Merlin had absolutely nothing to do with luck."

Professor Sprout walked over and said casually, "He saved all the patients on the entire floor."

"Yes, of course, that deserves recognition." Lockhart adjusted his gold-trimmed top hat.

"In fact, I have saved many people during my travels, but I have never mentioned these things."

"Yeah, it wasn't mentioned, but it's all written in the book," Kyle thought to himself.

Although no one responded, Lockhart didn't feel embarrassed at all and continued speaking to Kyle:

"I think you must have read my book, ' Wandering with Werewolves,' in which I detailed fifteen ways to deal with Werewolf."

"Professor, aren't there seventeen?"

Kyle blinked. "Have you forgotten?"

"Seventeen..." Lockhart paused, but his expression remained unchanged.

"Of course not, but there are two methods that are too risky, and I don't recommend that ordinary wizards do them... It seems you really have been reading my book carefully, very good. Which academy are you in again?"

Hufflepuff

"Then... Hufflepuff gets ten points," Lockhart said happily. "You will definitely become an internationally renowned great wizard, just like me."

Of course, you've already achieved some success, though it doesn't compare to the glory of winning the Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award five times in a row, but this is just the beginning.

"I was much more ordinary than you when I was thirteen."

Professor McGonagall, who was listening from behind, suddenly twitched and kept rubbing her Delia.

Is the Most Charming Smile Award from * Witch Weekly * more prestigious Order of Merlin?

How could he say that?

Even if you offered her a large sum of Galleon, she would still have to think twice before taking that kind of thing.

It's so embarrassing! If my old friends saw this, they might think Hogwarts can't afford to pay salaries.

Just then, a group of people came out of the castle, including Harry, Hermione, and Ron... Their first class was Herbology Class, which required them to go to the greenhouse.

"I have to go." Lockhart patted Kyle on the shoulder again.

"By the way, although I was just instructing Professor Sprout on how to treat the Whomping Willow, I don't want you to think I'm more knowledgeable in Herbology than she is. I just happened to see a few of these strange plants during my travels..."

"Where did you meet him, Professor?"

Kyle suddenly asked, "I've always wanted to grow a Whomping Willow, but Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor Sprout both disagree with me digging it up. It should be fine if it's in the wild, right?"

"That's a very far place..." Lockhart thought for a moment and said, "And you might be disappointed, the Whomping Willow there is also someone else's private property, and they value it very much."