"I see you've all bought my complete works—great! I think we should start with a little quiz today. Don't be afraid—just to see how well you read and how much you've understood..."
As Lockhart spoke, he began distributing a thick stack of papers.
When the girls received the test papers, they all held the pages as if they had received some precious gift.
"Is that something we wanted to buy?" Ron muttered, clutching his test paper.
Upon hearing this, Seamus nodded in agreement.
This set of books is ridiculously expensive, and the content is all exaggerated stories; it's completely useless for defending against real Dark Magic.
Dean still feels a pang of regret when he thinks about the gold coins he spent on this.
Lockhart's hand visibly paused as the papers were handed out to Draco.
He didn't know whether he should hand the test paper to Draco.
He was afraid Draco wouldn't accept.
He was also afraid that Draco would embarrass him in public.
Draco, sensing his embarrassment, spoke first, " Professor Lockhart, as you know, my admiration for you is boundless and endless, and I know your deeds by heart. So this paper..."
Lockhart instantly breathed a sigh of relief, a smile immediately spreading across his face, and he quickly took the test paper back.
"Ah—yes, yes, of course! In that case, Mr. Malfoy need not do it, need not do it!"
He quickly passed the test paper to Hermione next to him.
Ron's lips twitched repeatedly. Draco knew perfectly well that this guy was a fraud, yet he deliberately flattered him like this, speaking as if it were the truth.
On the other side, Lavender, Parvati, and the others saw this scene and assumed it was because Lockhart trusted you exceptionally. They were all filled with envy and admired Lockhart even more.
Hermione took the test paper, and couldn't help but twitch her lips into a smile.
She mentally screamed: This isn't a Defence Against Dark Magic test, it's clearly a Lockhart personal achievement fan test.
The questions were all about what he had defeated, what awards he had won, what his favorite color was, and what spells he had used.
The questions were all meaningless, focusing solely on celebrity fans and lacking any practical knowledge. Holding her pen, she felt both helpless and amused.
But who is Hermione?
Even if it's a terrible test paper, she absolutely won't allow herself to make a mistake.
She almost gritted her teeth, relying on her memory of having been forced to read through Lockhart's entire collection of works before class, and quickly, calmly, and word for word wrote down all the answers.
The pen didn't stop moving; he finished in less than three minutes. Lockhart saw that everything was correct and clapped his hands exaggeratedly on the spot.
"Look! Look! A perfect score! Miss Granger is my number one fan!"
"And he answers questions very quickly, so he gets ten points in Gryffindor!"
Hermione's face froze instantly, her mind screaming: No! I just didn't want to get the questions wrong! Who wants to be your fan!
Fortunately, the extra points offered her some solace.
Ron, watching from the side, was dumbfounded. He whispered to Harry, "She actually... got them all right? She clearly hates that guy more than anyone else, right?"
Harry nodded quietly, his admiration tinged with a hint of pity.
Draco watched Hermione's angry yet helpless expression from afar, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up in a smile.
He understood perfectly; this was the dignity of a top student: dislike is dislike, and a perfect score is a perfect score—they were two separate things.
Lavender and Parvati were incredibly envious, whispering excitedly, " Hermione's amazing! I want to learn from her and be a good student of Mr. Lockhart!"
Hermione:... I really will thank you.
The students handed in their papers one after another, and Lockhart held a stack of answer sheets and looked through them one by one.
The more he looked, the more his brows furrowed, and the charming smile on his face faded considerably.
Most people either can't remember the details or their answers are ridiculously wrong, even confusing the most basic "year of the award" and "location of the adventure".
After reviewing Hermione's answers, Lockhart was greatly disappointed by the disparity between the others' responses. His face darkened completely, and he tapped the table, clearly displeased.
"This is terrible, far from ideal! You have far too little knowledge of my research and of true Defence Against Dark Magic."
"This semester, everyone must intensify their studies and thoroughly read my work from beginning to end!"
Upon hearing this, the female students in the classroom immediately lowered their heads, their faces filled with guilt and nervousness, each one like a child who had done something wrong.
Feeling guilty Lavender and Parvati quietly comforted each other, secretly resolving to memorize Lockhart's book thoroughly when they got back, so as not to hold him back again.
The other girls nodded in agreement, their faces beaming with determination.
They took Lockhart's criticism as motivation, and their admiration for Lockhart remained undiminished; on the contrary, they felt he was even more strict and responsible.
The boys below secretly rolled their eyes. Ron pouted and whispered to Harry, "This is absolutely ridiculous!"
Harry didn't care.
Hermione sat in her seat, pen in hand, expressionless, her mind numb: even if she got a perfect score, she wouldn't feel any pride.
Draco leaned back in his chair, watching the farce unfold quietly, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"Now, let's get back to the main topic..."
Lockhart bent down and pulled a large cage covered with a cloth from behind the podium, placing it heavily on the table.
His expression instantly became solemn and mysterious.
"Now—be careful! My task is to teach you how to resist the most evil things known in the Wizarding World. You will face the most terrifying things in this classroom."
"But remember, as long as I'm here, you won't be harmed."
"I only ask that you remain calm."
The girls shrank back in fright, holding their breath and staring wide-eyed.
They were both afraid and expectant, completely captivated by Lockhart's atmosphere.
Harry couldn't help but peek out from behind a pile of books, staring intently at the cage.
Lockhart, like a magician performing, gently placed a hand on the tarpaulin. "I must ask you not to scream, it will anger them."
Then Lockhart suddenly yanked off the cover.
"Not bad," he said slowly, as if acting, "Just caught Cornish Pixies."
The dark blue little monster, about eight inches tall, hopped around, its face pointed and its voice shrill, making a racket like a flock of bristling budgies.
As soon as they saw the light, they immediately started shaking the cage frantically, making faces, and chirping incoherently.
Seamus couldn't help but chuckle.
The laughter was too obvious to be mistaken for a scream of fear.
Lockhart's face instantly fell, and he looked at him with a forced smile, "What are you laughing at, Mr. Finnigan?"
"They... look like a bunch of flying blue dolls," Seamus said candidly.
Lockhart immediately put on a stern face and gave Seamus a stern lecture, using him as a negative example.
He emphasized how dangerous and evil they are, and that only those who don't understand them would underestimate them.
After he finally finished lecturing, the classroom fell silent.