"Thank you, Professor Lockhart, for your explanation. It was very detailed. I'll definitely keep what you said in mind."
Hermione put away the notebook she had been using to take notes and tucked it into her small bag. Her face was full of excitement mixed with gratitude as she spoke to Lockhart.
Lockhart had just finished answering Hermione's three questions and felt a bit parched, so he took a sip of tea. Hearing the sincerity in Hermione's voice, he smiled slightly and said, "Alright, let's end the questions here."
"You should head back now. Studying is important, but don't forget to balance work and rest!"
As he spoke, Lockhart gestured with his hand, and Hermione reluctantly left the professor's compartment.
She had planned to stay as long as Lockhart didn't ask her to leave, hoping to build rapport and maybe ask a few more questions.
Even before meeting him, Gilderoy Lockhart had already been her idol. She had become a fan after reading all six of his books.
After finally meeting him and having a simple conversation, she was even more smitten.
The questions she had asked were answered in great detail. Lockhart's explanations were vivid and filled with interesting examples.
She was able to easily understand and memorize the key points.
Such efficiency and effectiveness in learning!
He was just like the ideal professor she had imagined—maybe even better.
Far superior to Professor Snape, and even Professor McGonagall couldn't quite match the brilliance Professor Lockhart had just shown.
Hermione Granger thought to herself as she left the professor's compartment a little wistfully and headed toward the Gryffindor section.
Lockhart watched her leave, half-squinting, as if deep in thought.
From their exchange, it was clear to him that Hermione was a promising student.
He didn't dare place full trust in the "plot"—as a true researcher, he believed in hands-on validation before drawing conclusions.
She was still quite young, so he could only say she had potential.
After all, many children who showed promise early on failed to meet expectations later.
But if she truly absorbed his words and applied them, Lockhart wouldn't mind taking her on as a disciple.
And by "disciple," he didn't mean a simple assistant like he had told Dumbledore—he meant someone he could teach Kamar-Taj magic, runes, and even take into the Marvel world as a fellow seeker of truth.
One person alone can't make great progress in the study of magic.
Only with the collective strength of many people, through large-scale, systematic research, can world-shaking results be achieved.
It's always been this way.
Just like the nuclear bombs and atomic weapons in his past life's homeland—none of them were created alone.
Moreover, more importantly—
The closer he got to the front of the train, the louder the engine became.
Lockhart was curious: how exactly did a wizard operate the magical Hogwarts Express?
Soon, Lockhart reached the engine and knocked three times on the small bronze door in front of him.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
To his surprise, when the bronze door opened—
It was a house-elf inside!
"Professor Lockhart, is there anything Wada can help you with?"
"Wada is honored to serve you, Professor!"
Lockhart looked down at the shabby, somewhat ugly house-elf named Wada.
Especially when he saw Wada bow so deeply that its head nearly touched the dusty floor, he couldn't help but frown slightly—he had a bit of a cleanliness obsession.
"Scourgify!"
With a gentle wave of his wand, the tip shimmered faintly, and the filth on Wada's body vanished instantly.
The house-elf looked at its now-clean self and jumped up happily.
"Thank you, thank you, Professor Lockhart!"
"Thank you so much!"
Seeing how eager Wada was to get close to him, Lockhart instinctively stepped back a little.
He was a clean freak—not looking for a warm hug from a house-elf.
He got straight to the point: "Wada, are you the one who drives the Hogwarts Express?"
"Does anyone help you?"
"No, Professor Lockhart. Hogwarts has always had Wada drive the train."
"Wada loves this job. Very happy!"
Watching the elf practically dance with joy, Lockhart said in a commanding tone, "Wada, show me the engine of the Hogwarts Express."
Wada tilted his head slightly, but then nodded vigorously. "Yes, Professor Lockhart!"
Soon, Lockhart followed Wada and bent down to enter the front of the train—or rather, the control room.
Once inside, Lockhart was surprised by how spacious it was—at least twice the expected size.
They must have used an Undetectable Extension Charm, Lockhart thought silently.
He then turned his attention to the deep purple orb at the center of the room, which emitted intense magical energy, and to the bronze pipes radiating from it.
Lockhart guessed that this deep purple orb—or more accurately, magical core—was the power source of the entire Hogwarts Express.
The surrounding pipes were likely channels to circulate the magic and power the whole train.
After asking Wada, he got a definite answer.
He was right.
Wada drove the train by controlling this magical core.
By adjusting the flow of magic, the speed of the train could be increased, decreased, or stopped entirely to let students board or disembark.
Lockhart stood before the magical core, feeling a strong urge to study it.
But he knew better.
With so many young wizards on board, if anything went wrong during his research, even if Dumbledore didn't scold him, the students' parents certainly would.
So…
He decided to observe for now and apply later to Headmaster Dumbledore for permission to study it.
With my status as a professor, that should be an easy ask, Lockhart thought to himself.
Suddenly—
Wada nudged him gently, snapping him back to reality.
Following the direction of Wada's pointing finger, he looked out the window.
Huh?
Was that… Harry Potter?
Right now, Harry Potter felt incredibly unlucky.
He had been happily with the Weasleys, ready to go through Platform Nine and Three-Quarters and head to Hogwarts.
He thought everything would go smoothly like the year before.
But somehow, something went wrong, and he and Ron couldn't get through the barrier.
The Hogwarts Express was already about to leave, and they were stuck.
If they couldn't get to Hogwarts on time—
The consequences could be terrible.
So, Harry and Ron quickly looked for a solution.
In the end, they turned to the magical flying car.
After a hectic chase, they finally located the Hogwarts Express.
They nearly got hit by the train—and Harry himself almost fell off!
But just now, as Harry came back to his senses, he noticed a familiar figure on the train's engine.
It looked like…
Professor Lockhart!?