On the Diagon Alley, Lockhart's fan group grew longer and longer.
As we passed Flourish and Blotts, a dozen or so female Lockhart fans rushed out of the store to join us.
Each of their robes was adorned with a Winky badge, some even embroidered with Gilderoy Lockhart's smiling face with golden curls.
Leading the way was the young witch from Flourish and Blotts, holding a copy of * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets * (Volume 1) in one hand and a homemade banner in the other, which read in cursive script, "Restore my hero's innocence!"
The group of witches following behind her marched in unison, their faces a mixture of anger and excitement, exchanging their opinions as they went.
"Well, it's not that I'm saying that book is bad, but compared to that, Professor Lockhart's own biography is more worth reading."
"Yeah, that book portrays Professor Lockhart as someone who can't even handle House-elf. Come on, he himself wrote in ' Weekends with Werewolves ' that he subdued an adult Werewolf with his bare hands."
"Some people only focus on those few clips. They know everything, regardless of their level, and they don't even know how many times Professor Lockhart has won the ' Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award."
A witch wearing a wide-brimmed hat, walking on the left side of the procession, snorted through her nose:
"Some people write a bestselling book and then forget who they are. Our Professor Lockhart has genuinely won so many awards."
"Much better than that Allen Wayne, who doesn't even dare to show his face."
"Oh, some people shouldn't even get involved," the brown-haired witch in front waved her hand without turning her head. "The difference in skill is obvious, need I say more?"
As the group rounded the corner, the drab gray building of the Ministry of Magic came into view.
Several Ministry of Magic staff members were already standing at the main entrance. As they watched the large group of witches approaching, their expressions quickly shifted from confusion to heightened vigilance, as if facing a formidable enemy.
A middle-aged male wizard in a dark green robe strode forward, spreading his arms to block the way. "Ladies, is there anything I can help you with?"
The young witch holding the banner stopped and said in an offended tone, "We have something to say. Professor Lockhart has been slandered, and we must demand that the Ministry of Magic take action."
The middle-aged wizard tried to quell the situation. "If you have any questions, please contact our reception desk—"
"Report? How many times have we reported this?" The witch in the wide-brimmed hat squeezed in from the side, her voice shrill.
"We complained about Professor Lockhart's book being relegated to the bottom shelf of the bookstore last time, and what happened?"
"That matter? You should negotiate with the bookstore..." the middle-aged wizard said helplessly.
"Negotiation?" The young witch sneered. "What we want is an apology, a public and formal apology."
She waved the book in her hand. "Now this book is even more outrageous, it directly says that our Professor Lockhart can't even beat House-elf."
" Cornish Pixies," someone behind her added.
"Yes! Cornish Pixies! Listen to this! Professor Lockhart has dealt with Werewolf, banshees, and—"
She hesitated again, but quickly changed the subject, "Anyway, you have to give us an explanation today."
The middle-aged wizard's forehead began to sweat. "You can go through the proper appeal channels—"
"It's 'official channels' again. Can't you use a different word?" Another witch poked her head out from the crowd, her tone impatient.
"You all do nothing but talk about following the proper channels, yet no one cares about the rumors being spread against our Professor Lockhart!"
The middle-aged wizard opened his mouth, but before he could speak, the young witch interrupted him, "Do you know how difficult it is for our Professor Lockhart?"
Her voice suddenly trembled with tears. "He worked so hard, wrote so many excellent works, and helped so many people in need, and now his reputation is completely ruined because of some lousy book that appeared out of nowhere."
"He has nothing; he's supported entirely by his fans. On the other hand, some authors can write whatever they want and smear others however they want."
" Professor Lockhart has no background or resources," the witch in the wide-brimmed hat chimed in.
"I've gotten to where I am today entirely through my own hard work, unlike others who can attract a lot of attention by simply writing some sensationalist remarks."
Several witches had already begun wiping their eyes with handkerchiefs, as if Lockhart himself were standing before them, enduring some immense injustice.
The middle-aged wizard was completely speechless after being bombarded with this barrage of words. He was just an ordinary staff member on duty, not even an assistant director.
Faced with this group of agitated witches, he felt as if he were facing a Hippogriff Cheering Charm.
At that moment, a witch wearing a pink shawl suddenly raised a small magical alchemical artifact capable of recording audio and pointed it at the male witch:
"Reiterate your stance, and we'll record it and publish it in the Daily Prophet."
"Huh? I--" The wizard took half a step back.
"If you have nothing to hide, why don't you dare to speak up?" The pink-shawled witch pressed closer.
"It's not that I'm afraid--"
"That means he has something to hide." She turned to the people behind her and said, "Did you hear that? He couldn't speak. The Ministry of Magic has no intention of getting involved in this matter at all."
A chorus of angry agreement came from the back of the group.
"This is outrageous! Just because Professor Lockhart has a good personality, does he have to endure this malice?"
"The entire Wizarding World is targeting him; it's really too difficult."
"Why is she being dragged into this as a scapegoat when she did nothing wrong?"
The middle-aged wizard completely gave up resistance. He raised his hands in surrender, retreated to the doorway, and whispered a few words to his two colleagues.
One of the colleagues, his face ashen, pushed open the door and rushed inside, clearly to consult his superior.
Meanwhile, Fudge was standing by the window, looking down at the crowd gathered in the Ministry of Magic's hall.
There was a knock on the door, and his assistant walked in. "Minister," he said, "The crowd downstairs is growing larger; they're protesting that new book."
"I know." Fudge didn't turn around, as if he was thinking about something. "What are they shouting?"
"The main protest was against the portrayal of Professor Lockhart in ' Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Part 1'... They believed the book was maliciously defaming him."
The assistant paused for a moment, then added, "The organizer is a group that calls itself the ' Lockhart Fan Support Club,' and its numbers are still increasing."
"Minister, should we send people to disperse them?"
Fudge slowly turned around, the contemplation on his face gradually fading, as if he had suddenly thought of something and felt inexplicably happy.
"Minister?" the assistant asked, puzzled.
Fudge's smile grew even brighter, "Dispel? No! Don't dispel it!"
Why disperse people who have legitimate reasons to protest?