Walking past the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and the Transfiguration classroom, Glenn and his companions swiftly made their way toward the infirmary at the far end of the corridor.
"There's someone ahead."
Glenn suddenly issued a warning. He slowed the movement of the ground conjured by his Earthquake Spell and brought it to a halt, landing softly on the floor. Hermione quickly leapt down from his arms, her wand raised and pointed defensively ahead.
Crookshanks remained sprawled lazily across Glenn's shoulder, even letting out a yawn. Clearly, the cat felt completely at ease despite the tense atmosphere.
"It's Lockhart."
With a brief pulse of heightened perception, Glenn identified the figure approaching them—it was none other than Gilderoy Lockhart, their target for this mission.
Hermione raised an eyebrow, slightly lowering her wand, though her focus remained sharp and directed forward.
At that moment, Lockhart emerged from the corner, his face lined with nervous tension. He clearly hadn't expected anyone to be in the second-floor corridor at this hour. The sight of two figures standing there startled him so much that he jumped, as if his supposed injuries had miraculously healed.
Oh, right—he wasn't actually injured. He'd just been faking it the entire time.
Once he realized the figures before him were merely two harmless young wizards and not the monstrous creatures he'd feared, Lockhart let out a visible sigh of relief. His expression quickly shifted to his trademark smile.
"Oh, my dear children, you must have come looking for me. But I'm afraid I have urgent matters to attend to and cannot stop here to give you autographs..."
"Professor Lockhart, the situation inside and outside Hogwarts is extremely dangerous right now. The Acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest are attempting to breach the school. Please follow us to the Great Hall. All the other professors have gone out to confront the threat, leaving you as the only professor remaining in the school."
"The students are scared and need someone as strong as you to reassure and protect them."
Hermione wasn't wrong about Lockhart's potential to comfort the younger students. Although he was little more than an empty-headed fraud, he was still technically a professor. Having a professor present among the students would provide at least some psychological comfort.
As for protection? Forget it. The students would probably end up protecting him instead. If she and Glenn hadn't come to find him, he might have already ended up as spider food in the Forbidden Forest.
Upon hearing about the Acromantulas, Lockhart's smile froze, and his face turned pale. When Hermione mentioned that he would need to go near the Forbidden Forest—a place fraught with danger—Lockhart instinctively took a step back.
Every fiber of his being rejected this perilous request.
This small action did not escape Hermione's sharp eyes. The young witch raised an eyebrow, her irritation growing as she watched Lockhart hesitate and shrink back in such an urgent situation.
"Professor, what are you hesitating for? The students in the Great Hall could be in danger at any moment! We don't have time to waste here!"
Hermione didn't even bother with formalities anymore, dropping the honorifics as she interrogated Lockhart with an aggressive tone.
They had already wasted precious time fetching Glenn, and now this useless man was delaying them further. Thinking about the professors fighting in the Forbidden Forest, Hagrid and Norberta, and the students in the Great Hall who might not have calmed down yet, Hermione's heart was gripped with anxiety.
"He's scared," Glenn said bluntly, showing no concern for politeness. "He wants to find a place to hide by himself."
"Ugh..."
Being called out by one student and having his thoughts laid bare by another left Lockhart's face alternating between shades of red and white.
Because that was exactly what he was thinking.
"...Students, what are you saying?"
"I'm barely holding on with my injured body. I came out of the infirmary because I sensed the impending danger and needed to return to my office to prepare for battle."
"You should hurry back to safety. It's dangerous out here. I'll head to my office, make my preparations, and join you shortly."
Lockhart's face twitched slightly, but he forced a smile, trying to maintain his heroic facade.
Hermione felt nothing but disgust. Her initial disappointment in Lockhart had now turned into outright loathing.
"Glenn, I've had enough."
Hermione raised her wand slightly. She was done wasting time.
"We'll just knock him out and drag him down there."
The young witch's wand was now fully raised, its tip aimed directly at Lockhart.
"Professor Lockhart, since you won't cooperate, then—"
"Obliviate!"
Before Hermione could finish her sentence, Lockhart suddenly lunged forward, his expression twisting into something sinister. Drawing his wand from his pocket, he cast the spell he knew best: the Memory Charm.
As a man who had built his career on erasing others' memories to steal their achievements and stories, Lockhart's proficiency in the Memory Charm was unparalleled.
How skilled was he? Skilled enough that anyone hit by his spell would forget even their own identity, with permanent effects.
It was this mastery that allowed him to shamelessly claim others' accomplishments as his own without fear of retribution.
And now, the spell he relied on for survival was aimed at the heads of two innocent young wizards.
"Protego!"
Hermione, though shocked, reacted quickly. Her caution and preparedness allowed her to cast a Shield Charm just in time to intercept the incoming Memory Charm.
The clash of white light created an unexpectedly intense explosion. To Hermione's astonishment, her Shield Charm was completely consumed by Lockhart's Memory Charm, which continued its trajectory towards her and Glenn.
Hermione lowered her wand.
But that didn't mean she was prepared to accept a future of amnesia.
A flash of cold light cut through the air, deflecting the Memory Charm dramatically. It struck the ceiling and dissipated.
The source of the cold light was a dagger wielded by Glenn. With this practical weapon, he had successfully redirected the spell.
A faint killing intent emanated from Glenn as he removed his blindfold, revealing pitch-black eyes that seemed to devour all light and pierce the soul. Lockhart, meeting those eyes, felt his mind waver.
"Just now, did you harbor killing intent towards us?"
The story isn't over...
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