But only Ron has the leisure to bicker like this.
The others were already immersed in the excitement of truly defeating Magical Creatures for the first time, panting and laughing, their faces full of disbelief.
They actually managed to stabilize this huge mess on their own.
Those students who were initially too scared to make a move began to emerge from under the tables, behind the chairs, and in the corners, brushing the dust off their clothes.
Just then, there was a rustling sound from under the podium.
Lockhart straightened his messy curly hair and wrinkled robe, and stood up calmly, as if he hadn't been the one cowering below.
He struck a pose of triumphant return, loudly announcing:
"Excellent, very good! Class, look—under my skillful command and meticulous planning, we have once again defeated the dangerous Magical Creatures! This is the real-world combat training I teach in class!"
When Ron heard Lockhart taking credit, his face immediately turned sour. "Clever command? You were clearly hiding under the podium, not daring to move an inch!"
His voice wasn't loud, but the whole class could hear him clearly, and many of them were shaking with suppressed laughter.
At that moment, Harry took a small step forward and, with innocent eyes, asked the most hurtful question, "Professor, where's your wand?"
The whole class fell silent instantly.
Lockhart's smile froze, his eyes darting nervously out the window, before he stubbornly maintained his composure:
"Wand? I let the House-elf take it on purpose! It was part of my teaching! To let you practice your combat skills without the professor's interference! Yes, it was all planned!"
The moment Lockhart uttered that shameless lie, the atmosphere in the classroom instantly became extremely awkward.
Most of the students were trying so hard not to laugh that their faces turned red. Seamus even covered his mouth and squatted down to stop laughing.
Dean and Harry exchanged a glance, both seeing the mockery in each other's eyes. Even the usually mild-mannered Hannah and Susan couldn't help but lower their heads and laugh.
Everyone witnessed his panicked attempt to dart to the podium, and the embarrassing sight of his wand being thrown into the air.
So nobody really believed his nonsense; they were just too lazy to call him out on it.
However, some die-hard female fans said:
"So that's how it is! Professor Lockhart is so thoughtful!"
"I knew it was the professor's plan! That's brilliant!"
Only a minority of the class truly believed this explanation; they looked at Lockhart with adoration.
The chaotic scene from before was completely filtered out; in their minds, their idols never make mistakes.
Just as Lockhart was about to lose his composure from embarrassment, the classroom bell rang.
Ding--Clang--Clang--
This practically saved his life!
Lockhart breathed a huge sigh of relief, almost impatiently grabbing his lesson plan, hastily straightening his curly hair and robes, and speaking in a daze:
"Excellent! Today's practical lesson was a great success! Remember to review my book when you get home!"
He didn't even dare to glance at the House-elf making noises in its cage, let alone take it away and deal with it.
As soon as he finished speaking, he grabbed his books and quickly slipped out of the classroom without looking back.
He didn't even bother with the lone magic wand outside the window, and simply disappeared at the end of the corridor as if fleeing for his life.
The classroom was silent for two seconds, then burst into laughter.
Ron, watching Lockhart's hasty retreat, couldn't help but add his own comment:
"He's the most useless professor in Hogwarts history! Hiding under the podium is one thing, but he doesn't even need his wand anymore, and he doesn't care about the mess the classroom is in. Seriously!"
"... And what about Professor Quirrell?" Olivia suddenly tilted her head and asked with a serious expression.
The whole class fell silent for a second, then burst into uncontrollable laughter.
Ron was speechless for a moment, choking back a long time, with an expression that said, "I can't refute this."
"At least Professor Quirrell had the self-awareness; he even asked Draco to substitute for him later," Macmillan said.
Draco glanced at Ron indifferently. "Did you hear that? Has our Ron forgotten who was actually teaching you guys Dark Magic Defence Class in your first year?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, not only do you not want to help, but you also have the nerve to act so self-righteous. Only you would do that!" Ron rolled his eyes.
Several people around couldn't help but laugh.
" Reparo!" Draco, exasperated by Draco's incessant chatter, raised his wand and smacked him.
Golden incantation light instantly filled the entire classroom.
Broken glass automatically pieced back together to put the window back together, torn pages of a book were glued back together one by one, spilled ink disappeared without a trace, and overturned boxes and fallen portraits were all put back in their places.
The classroom, which had been a complete mess just moments before, was spotless in the blink of an eye.
Ron paused for a moment, looked at the newly renovated classroom, and casually remarked, "... So you're still somewhat useful."
"These things can't stay in the classroom, they'll keep causing trouble," Hermione instructed, pointing to the cage of chattering Cornish Pixies.
She looked at everyone:
"We took the cages to the Fantastic Beasts disposal room next to the Hospital Wing and asked the administrator or Hagrid to handle them. They're too unruly to stay in the teaching building."
Harry and Dean nodded and stepped forward to help lift the cage. Neville also cautiously lent a hand, but kept his distance, afraid of having his ear pulled again.
Harry looked at the Cornish Pixies still jumping around and chattering noisily in the cage, scratched his head, and suggested:
"Why don't we hand these little guys over to Hagrid? He knows best how to handle Fantastic Beasts."
"Yes, it's safest to leave them to Hagrid. He knows how to handle these mischievous Magical Creatures; it's better than letting them keep causing trouble in the castle."
Hermione also thought it was a great idea.
As soon as the group arrived at Hagrid's Hut with the cage in hand, they pushed the door open, Hagrid's large, furry face peeked out.
His eyes lit up at the sight of the boisterous, dark blue House-elf: "Oh! Look at this bunch of little rascals! Cornish Pixies!"
He burst into loud, gruff laughter, showing no fear whatsoever. Instead, he reached out to poke the House-elf in the cage, only to have one of the House-elf spit at his finger.
But for Hagrid, who is thick-skinned and tough, it was practically like a tickle.
Hagrid wasn't angry at all; instead, he laughed even harder.
"That's awesome! I love these little guys with a temper! Leave them to me! I'll keep them in the back enclosure with the Augurey; they definitely won't cause any trouble!"
As he spoke, he lifted the heavy cage as easily as if it were a small basket, turned around and walked towards the backyard of the hut, muttering happily to himself:
" Lockhart messed up again, didn't he? I knew he couldn't handle these little devils... Leave them to me!"
Hermione couldn't help but warn, " Hagrid, they're incredibly mischievous; they steal things and tear up books—"
"I know!" Hagrid waved his hand dismissively. "I've raised ten times more mischievous ones! Don't worry, they won't cause any trouble here!"
And so, Hagrid happily took in these House-elf who had nearly destroyed the Dark Magic Defence Class classroom.