Luckily, that silly girl didn't ask Harry for his signature, otherwise, he genuinely would've struggled to resist making a sarcastic remark. The girl took Harry's signed photo, tucking it away with satisfaction.
"Harry, Hermione must have so many of these pictures," the girl giggled, lost in thought.
Harry refused to comment and quickly sent the girls on their way. Once they were out of earshot, Fred quietly said, "Looks like we need to act fast; we can't let Lockhart keep up this charade."
"Can we convince Louise to be a witness?" Harry whispered back.
"Not likely. From what I know, Louise absolutely loves being admired, which is why she's dated a lot of popular students. She even pursued Charlie, but he didn't give her the time of day. So she won't come forward about Lockhart."
(Charlie Weasley, a Gryffindor Seeker, was definitely a popular figure on campus.)
Hearing Fred say this, Harry was utterly baffled. Lockhart had been teaching for a while, and he was clearly a complete fraud. Why were people still so madly infatuated with him?
"Louise isn't underage, is she? Are there any laws in the wizarding world about that?" Harry persisted. Seeing Fred's confused expression, Harry explained that in the Muggle world, adults who have relations with minors can end up in prison.
"Uh, not that I know of. Wizards normally live at least 90 years, so there aren't strict age limits among wizards."
"In fact, even if Louise were willing to testify, we could only get Lockhart kicked out of Hogwarts, not completely ruin his reputation. He'd still be a big-shot author in the wizarding world."
Harry fell silent, then declared that he couldn't control what happened in the wizarding world at large, but Lockhart couldn't be allowed to keep preying on Hogwarts girls.
After a moment of thought, Fred tentatively suggested, "Harry, perhaps you'd be willing to give Louise some gold?"
"No! This absolutely cannot involve Galleons!" Harry snapped. But Fred wasn't disheartened; he quickly thought of another plan.
"Harry, if we can just catch Lockhart red-handed, then he's definitely out."
"That's the only way. Then Hermione should stop being obsessed with him."
"And Angelina won't be clutching Voyages with Vampires all day anymore either," Fred added.
Harry and Fred exchanged a knowing smile, as if they could already picture Lockhart being forced out of Hogwarts.
Ginny's Interruption
Suddenly, a red-haired girl approached. "Fred, what are you talking about with Harry?" It was Ginny.
"Harry and I are just chatting about Quidditch, you know, Wood's been a bit mad lately."
Fred casually brushed off Ginny's questions, then quickly left; he still needed to go to the lab to find George and continue researching the golden skull.
Fred left, but Ginny stayed.
"Harry, why are you sitting here alone? Where's Hermione?" Ginny was talking to Harry, but her eyes were fixed on the fireplace.
"Oh, it's you. Hermione had to go out," Harry said lazily, glancing at Ginny.
After a moment of silence, Ginny finally mustered her courage.
"Harry, actually, Hermione—"
Ginny hadn't even finished her sentence when Hermione walked into the common room, waving at Harry. Harry immediately forgot what Ginny was about to say. He got up from the fireplace and left with Hermione.
Ginny watched them go, her face expressionless.
Lockhart's True Colors?
"Did you get it?" Harry knew from Hermione's expression that she hadn't succeeded, but driven by a certain feeling, he still asked. Hermione glared at Harry, her face blank, and said nothing. Harry sensed something was off; even if she failed, Hermione shouldn't be reacting like this.
"What exactly happened?"
Under Harry's persistent questioning, Hermione hesitated, then recounted the events. Harry knew it was unethical, but hearing Hermione's tale, a surge of glee went through him. If this incident could make Hermione see Lockhart's true colors, it would be worth it... Harry thought.
"Professor Lockhart told me to study hard and not waste my energy on celebrity crushes. He's so responsible," Hermione praised.
Now it was Harry's turn to be expressionless.
"Hermione, do you really think that? Can't you see Lockhart is just..." Harry paused, then subtly added, "...he just prefers girls like Parvati."
Hermione didn't immediately grasp what Harry was implying, even nodding in agreement at first. "That seems right; Professor Lockhart is always so happy whenever Parvati is around." It wasn't until Hermione saw Harry's disgusted expression that she finally understood.
"Absolutely not! Professor Lockhart isn't like that!" Hermione exclaimed passionately.
"Parvati has lots of Lockhart's signed photos; if I wanted to, I could get even more." But Hermione still shook her head.
Harry knew that no matter what he said, Hermione wouldn't believe him. So, he pulled Hermione away from the common room.
Lockhart's whereabouts were always easy to track. You just needed to look out the tower window towards the castle; wherever there was a large group of girls, Lockhart was sure to be there.
Amidst the crowd, Lockhart was dramatically recounting a story from his book, a deluxe hardcover edition of Gadding with Ghouls in his hand. Lockhart's eyes lit up when he saw Harry. He pushed through the crowd and pulled Harry over.
"Harry, you finally decided to emerge from the Gryffindor Tower!" Lockhart greeted him enthusiastically, then slung an arm around Harry's shoulders and shouted, "Colin, get a picture of me and Harry!"
The girls immediately swarmed Colin, clamoring for photos.
"Professor, actually, I needed to talk to you about something." Harry broke free from Lockhart's grasp and took the regular edition of Gadding with Ghouls from Hermione. "My good friend Hermione was hoping you could sign this book."
Hearing Harry's words, Lockhart merely glanced at the book and quickly signed his name. Hermione was stunned; Lockhart hadn't been like this moments ago.
Seeing the signature was secured, Harry made an excuse about needing to leave. As they departed, Lockhart even forced his signed collector's edition of Gadding with Ghouls into Harry's hand.
"Harry, if you ever want another signed book, feel free to come find me anytime." Lockhart flashed an eight-toothed grin, and the surrounding girls immediately shrieked.
After leaving the crowd, Hermione stared at the signature in her hand, still somewhat incredulous. "Harry, actually, Professor Lockhart is quite a good person. He just... he just thinks ordinary people should focus on their studies, and your grades are already good enough, so..." Hermione tried to justify Lockhart's behavior.
Harry gave up on trying to explain. He decided he would expose Lockhart's true nature right in front of Hermione.
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