"This is the mess Professor Lockhart made in the very first class. He opened the cage himself and ended up hiding under the podium," Harry explained to Hagrid.
"The first lesson? Humph, I could tell the day he stepped into Hogwarts!" Hagrid wasn't surprised at all.
"He starts off putting on airs, curling his hair, and constantly looking in the mirror. He has no real skills; how can he possibly handle a few Cornish Pixies like this!"
"His wand was also stolen, and he's been hiding ever since." Dean added fuel to the fire.
"Look at this!" Hagrid rolled his eyes dramatically. "How could Professor Dumbledore have hired someone like this to teach Defence Against Dark Magic?"
Harry, Ron, and Dean exchanged a glance and couldn't help but laugh.
It turns out Hagrid had seen through Lockhart's abilities all along.
Hagrid, carrying the cage of the boisterous House-elf, curled his lip in disdain. "Don't worry, these little lunatics are perfectly safe with me."
"As for Lockhart —his skills are only good for fooling young girls; when real trouble comes, he'll run faster than anyone else!"
The group finally felt relieved after handing the unruly Cornish Pixies to Hagrid.
Harry, walking on the far side, couldn't help but glance back in the direction of Hagrid's Hut, and said with a smile, "It's a good thing Hagrid was willing to take them in, otherwise I really don't know what to do."
" Lockhart definitely won't care," Ron said, scoffing. "He even left his wand out the window; I doubt he'll dare come to class this afternoon."
"At least everyone is safe and sound today, so it can be considered... a special practical exercise." Hermione tried to think positively.
"A live-fire exercise? I think it was a disaster. If it weren't for us, who knows how much of a laughingstock we would have made!" Ron pressed on.
"Alright, at least someone gave you a set of books." Draco wanted to calm him down for a bit.
"Who wants his lousy books! They're not even good enough to stand on a table!" Ron retorted stubbornly.
Olivia and Neville were already laughing and walking forward, urging everyone, "Hurry up, hurry up, or the baked potatoes and syrup pies in the cafeteria will be all gone!"
When it came to food, Ron finally stopped complaining.
The group chatted and laughed as they walked through the courtyard and entered the Great Hall of Hogwarts.
Just as I turned the corner in the corridor, Colin Creevey rushed over excitedly, camera in hand, and called out from afar, " Harry! Harry! Can I take a picture of you?"
Harry's eyelids twitched, and he instinctively shrank behind Ron, wishing he could disappear on the spot.
He was genuinely afraid of this junior apprentice who was constantly chasing after him to take pictures; it was driving him crazy.
Ron simply stood in front of Harry, his arms outstretched, like a wall of flesh.
" Creevey!" he said deliberately, putting on a stern face. "Can't you see we're going to eat? Harry's starving!"
Colin, holding his camera, was cornered by Ron, unable to move forward or backward, but the lens kept peeking through Ron's arm to get closer to Harry.
"Just one! Really! I want to take a picture of you and Harry together. You two were amazing in Defence Against Dark Magic class today!" Colin said earnestly.
Upon hearing the praise, Ron raised his chin slightly, unable to suppress the corners of his mouth, and stubbornly replied, "That's... that goes without saying. A few House-elf, no big deal."
As he spoke, he unconsciously moved closer to Harry, clearly waiting to have his picture taken.
Harry shook his head helplessly, thinking to himself, "Are you here to help me?"
Just then, Draco naturally reached out and gently put his arm around Hermione's shoulder, leading her forward.
"Hey! Draco! Hermione! You guys are amazing too, let's take a picture together!" Colin quickly tried to call out to them.
But Draco didn't even turn his head.
Hermione, led away by Draco, turned back and smiled politely at Colin: "Next time, let's go to the Great Hall first."
Once the two left, Dean patted Ron on the shoulder. "Wow, you're something else now, people are even chasing after you to take pictures."
Ron finally couldn't hold back any longer. He puffed out his chest, held his head high, and waited smugly for Colin to take the picture, his little tail practically wagging in the air.
As soon as Draco and Hermione stepped into the Great Hall, there was immediate movement at the Gryffindor table.
Ginny spotted them immediately, raised her arm, and waved cheerfully at them. "Over here!"
As soon as Draco and Hermione approached, Ginny immediately moved aside to make room for them, tugged at her friend's arm, and greeted them with a smile:
"Please sit here, there are empty seats here."
Ginny's friends kindly stepped aside, Lavender and Parvati were also there.
As soon as they sat down, the conversation immediately returned to the Dark Magic Defence Class they had just finished.
Ginny patted her chest, looking terrified.
"We didn't encounter any Cornish Pixies during our Defence Against Dark Magic class, but I heard yours almost tore the classroom apart?"
Her friends chimed in:
"Just hearing you guys talk about it gives me the creeps. If it were us in that situation, we'd probably be running around in terror, completely clueless about what to do."
"It was really chaotic at first. Professor Lockhart couldn't control it once he opened the cage, and many people hid under the table," Hermione replied casually while eating.
"It's good you're all alright. Next time Lockhart pulls this kind of 'real combat' exercise, you'd better stay far away," Ginny laughed.
"Unfortunately—we have another Defence Against Dark Magic session this afternoon," Lavender said helplessly.
"I hope he doesn't bring any more dangerous creatures into the classroom; I don't want to hide under the desk again."
Parvati crossed her arms, looking shaken. She no longer believed Lockhart's sweet talk.
"Take care, everyone," Ginny said with a smile.
"I also hope the afternoon can pass peacefully," Hermione said, sounding quite helpless.
Draco asserted, " Lockhart definitely won't cause any more trouble this afternoon."
"Indeed, if things continue like this, the polished image he's worked so hard to build will be ruined," Olivia agreed.
Upon hearing this, a low chuckle rippled through the long table, even those who had previously defended Lockhart, such as Lavender and Parvati, joined in the laughter.
Meanwhile, somewhere in Hogwarts, Lockhart himself was hiding in his office, filled with deep regret.
He was originally just after Harry Potter's fame, wanting to make a big splash in class and, incidentally, make his heroic deeds even more Legend.
Who would have thought that a few tiny Cornish Pixies would forever brand him with shame?
The wand is lost, the face is lost, and the image is shattered.
He has only one thought in his mind right now:
Can I resign now?
He came here to garner admiration and applause, not to clean up messes and become a laughingstock among students.
If he stays any longer, not only will bestselling authors know, but the entire Wizarding World will probably know that Gilderoy Lockhart can't even handle a bunch of House-elf.