Cedric's ordeal left Kael and Conna feeling a bit reluctant about the upcoming Defence Against the Dark Arts class.
But there's no choice; it's a fundamental course, and they have to attend it no matter what.
In the afternoon, the two dawdled into the classroom designated by Lockhart...
The walls were already covered with large photos of Lockhart and his various achievements.
In the photos, Lockhart's gleaming white teeth flashed like spotlights.
Compared to a classroom, this place felt more like some kind of press conference venue...
Kael and Conna arrived just on time, and by then the room was already packed with students, leaving only a few empty desks in the last row.
When the two sat down, the bell signaling the start of the class rang just in time.
Lockhart loudly cleared his throat, calling for everyone's attention.
He reached for a Gryffindor student's copy of "Voyages with Vampires" and held it in his hand, showcasing the cover with his photo winking at them.
"I..."
He pointed at the photo and then at himself.
"Gilderoy Lockhart, recipient of the Merlin Order Medal, honorary member of the Dark Force Defence League, five-time winner of Wizard Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award... But I don't brag about that. It's not my smile that keeps vampires friendly with me."
Lockhart raised the book again and gave an identical wink to the one on the cover.
"Is he really just like you, also a recipient of the Merlin Order Medal?"
Conna frowned,
"Why does it seem so unreliable... And what exactly is the Dark Force Defence League?"
"Once a very famous organization."
Kael whispered, "The legendary Auror from the Ministry of Magic, Alastor Moody, and the current Minister of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, Barty Crouch, were once members of the Dark Force Defence League. But..."
Kael shifted the topic, continuing, "About a decade ago, when Harry Potter became the Savior, this organization started to decline."
"Their activities gradually shifted from fighting Dark Magic to social gatherings, and a few years ago they even admitted a suspected Death Eater as a member just because he donated a large sum of money."
"So since then, some well-known members like Alastor Moody and Barty Crouch began to withdraw."
"Afterwards, the quality of the Dark Force Defence League plummeted, outstripped by organizations like The Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers."
"I know about that!"
Conna's eyes lit up, "Professor Snape is a member of The Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers and he wants me to join as well."
"That's not easy," Kael chuckled, "The Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers is very strict. Only those who can brew Felix Felici by the age of thirty qualify for entry."
"I know, but thirty is still a long way off; we have plenty of time, don't we?"
"We?" Kael raised an eyebrow, "You included me?"
"Don't you want to join?"
"I could give it a try. It's just Felix Felici after all..." Kael laughed, "Besides, who knows, maybe I'll join before you."
"That's not certain... I won't lose to you in Magic Potion making." Conna wrinkled her nose and gave Kael a playful glare.
...
While they were chatting, Lockhart finished his verbose introduction and began distributing test papers.
Kael and Conna each received one.
"Don't be afraid."
After handing out the papers, Lockhart returned to the podium and said, "It's just a simple little test... to see how much you've read and understood from the books."
"You have thirty minutes, starting now!"
Kael looked at the test paper and felt a bit of a headache.
What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favorite color?
What is Gilderoy Lockhart's secret ambition?
...
What is Gilderoy Lockhart's birthday, and what is his ideal birthday gift?
A full fifty questions made Kael feel at a loss for words for the first time.
Although he had browsed through a few of Lockhart's books, he mostly focused on the stories within, ignoring Lockhart's mixed-in trivia.
It's mainly because he couldn't bring himself to read them.
He just remembered Lockhart seemed to like lavender, and wanted to sell his toothpaste? Or was it shampoo...
Twenty minutes passed, and Kael's paper still had large blanks.
He looked at Conna... their test papers were almost equally blank; she was even worse off than him.
While Lockhart definitely wouldn't refuse a big chunk of gold gifted on his birthday, you can't write that down so bluntly.
Kael scratched his head; he shouldn't have talked so much with Lockhart by the Whomping Willow yesterday.
If he handed in a blank paper now, it would be embarrassing.
No choice, he had to keep up appearances, so he should copy!
Kael scanned around quickly, soon fixing his target on a Gryffindor witch.
She had finished the entire test paper within ten minutes and kept gazing at Lockhart with admiration as he patrolled, obviously a die-hard fan.
"Alright, she'll do!"
Kael took out his wand and aimed it at a large photograph on the wall...
The next moment, the huge picture frame fell off the wall without warning, landing on the ground with a loud crash.
Followed by the second, then third.
The Lockharts in the portraits screamed in fright, their noisy cries instantly drawing everyone's attention.
Seizing the moment, Kael swiftly used the Disillusionment Charm to move next to the witch, and amidst the jumbled cries of the portrait Lockharts, softly cast a spell to copy her test paper.
By the time Lockhart had calmed the portraits down, Kael was already back at his seat with the copied answers, appearing as if nothing had happened.
"Looks like I need to hurry up and practice the Quietening Charm," Kael whispered to himself, "I almost got caught while casting the spell just now."
Conna looked at him half amused, half annoyed, "All that just to cheat on the test?"
"That's only part of it," Kael replied, "Sometimes, the Quietening Charm is really useful."
On the podium, Lockhart tidied his slightly disheveled golden hair and smiled, "Alright, it's fine now. It seems those portraits, much like myself, got a bit too excited.
Keep writing; the thirty minutes is almost up."
Kael transcribed the standard answers from the copied parchment onto his test paper.
So Lockhart's selling shampoo... He thought toothpaste would be a better choice.
To be honest, Lockhart really chose the wrong product.
Toothpaste would be great; his smile alone is the best advertisement.
Watching Kael scribble furiously, Conna grumbled, "Cheating is wrong, we should write our own answers!"
"Well then..." Kael pondered for a moment and moved the parchment to the center.
"Shall we look at it together?"
"Okay!"
...