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Neville, who had been called on by Lockhart, looked completely bewildered.
I only came here to watch. What does this have to do with me?
Seeing that Neville did not react for a long time, Lockhart thought he was afraid, so he comforted him.
"No need to be frightened, young man. I will not strike heavily."
'Dealing with a professor really was too much, but this time there definitely won't be a problem.'
That was what Lockhart thought.
He had not chosen Neville without reason.
Neville was a member of the disciplinary group, so first of all, he naturally had some fame.
But in terms of actual strength, he should not be too strong.
According to Lockhart's information, this young wizard named Neville Longbottom was a very cowardly fellow who loved crying.
He would be easy to deal with, and more importantly, very obedient.
He was perfectly suited to use as "teaching material."
Hm.
His information had come from Seamus in Gryffindor.
It was also from a year ago.
As for the matter of Neville placing sixth in the year at the end of first year, Lockhart had not considered it at all.
What was so impressive about sixth in the year?
When Lockhart himself was studying, he had once been first in Ravenclaw.
He had considered Harry too.
In terms of fame, no one in all of Hogwarts surpassed Harry Potter.
But he did not dare try that lightly.
What if Potter really was very strong?
Lockhart still took the rumors coming from Slytherin very seriously.
If he was defeated by Snape with one spell, he could still explain it as a demonstration.
But if he were defeated by a second-year student, he would lose far too much face, even if that student was the famous Harry Potter.
He had come to gain popularity and attention, not to seek humiliation.
Lockhart had no desire to let someone step on his fame to rise higher.
Promoting his novels and earning Galleons was the most important thing.
Of course, if he could also promote his shampoo along the way, that would be even better.
"Come now, step up here and face me."
Lockhart walked over and pushed Neville, only to discover that Neville did not move.
'Look at that. His body is stiff with nerves. Once he gets onstage, won't he be completely under my control? I only need to make a small demonstration and I can attract another wave of attention.'
Half urging and half pulling, Lockhart pushed Neville onto the stage.
Neville and Lockhart?
The members of the disciplinary group all revealed strange expressions at the same time.
Perhaps in the eyes of outsiders, Neville was the least valued member of the disciplinary group, someone who was purely there to fill the numbers.
Just as Neville himself had said, he did not like being in the spotlight.
He was an oddity among Gryffindors.
He was also the person in the entire disciplinary group who most liked to keep his head down and work hard.
He constantly trained his body.
Constantly absorbed knowledge.
Constantly practiced spells.
But if you thought Neville was easy to push around, you would be terribly mistaken.
His visible progress was something every member of the disciplinary group had witnessed.
Not only the disciplinary group.
Even Snape and Flitwick wore strange expressions.
They had both given Neville extra lessons.
Perhaps Neville's talent was not the best, but he was the steadiest and most hardworking.
It was as if he held a breath of determination inside him and was improving at every moment.
"First thing, bow, Neville... very good."
Lockhart, standing onstage with Neville, instructed him with great patience.
In his eyes, Neville was already so nervous he could barely function.
Lockhart was delighted.
This was exactly right.
Soon it would be his time to shine.
The two of them held their wands upright before their chests.
Then...
One.
Two.
Three.
As Professor Flitwick's voice fell, Neville and Lockhart raised their wands at the same time.
"You see, like th—"
"Expelliarmus!"
Their words were shouted almost simultaneously.
The problem was, Lockhart still wanted to show off a little, to guide Neville on how to use the Disarming Charm and recover some of the face he had just lost to Snape.
He had not expected Neville to have so little "sportsmanship" and launch a straightforward attack directly.
More importantly, Neville used the exact same Disarming Charm Snape had just used.
Just like Snape's spell, red light appeared once again.
With a whoosh, Lockhart flew backward.
Just as before, he flew off the stage, slammed into the wall, slid slowly down, bent his body, and curled into a ball.
The whole sequence flowed smoothly without the slightest delay.
Silence.
The entire hall fell silent.
Everyone stared blankly at the scene before them, their slightly open mouths showing their shock.
For a moment, it felt as if someone had pressed pause on the entire hall.
Was this still the Longbottom who used to stammer even when speaking?
Just like Professor Snape, he had defeated Professor Lockhart with a single spell?
"Longbottom's spell just now..."
"It looked the same as Professor Snape's."
Only after a long moment did the students slowly begin discussing it.
He had released the Disarming Charm without the slightest hesitation.
They were clearly all second-years.
Why could he use it so skillfully?
"Longbottom joined the disciplinary group," a Slytherin student whispered.
"I knew it... He is always with Mr. Potter, Mr. Dursley, and Miss Granger. Longbottom must have secretly learned from them."
"If you follow them and learn even a tiny bit, it would benefit you for a long time."
"As the old saying goes, keep a cauldron near a hot fire long enough and even the handle warms up."
The surrounding students all revealed enlightened expressions.
Although they did not fully understand the final sentence, if it was Mr. Dursley and the others, then it had to be right.
It had logic and evidence.
Very convincing.
But when they thought about it again, if Longbottom could become like this, then if it were them, would they not also...
Many students looked at Dudley and the others with heated gazes once again.
Everyone wanted to become outstanding.
Longbottom really had good fortune.
He had actually been chosen by the disciplinary group.
"Professor Lockhart obviously wasn't ready. Longbottom attacked suddenly."
After seeing another one-sided battle, Lockhart's supporters still supported him and tried to find excuses to comfort themselves, stubborn enough to argue with a brick wall.
"Oh, come off it. They were dueling, not playing a children's game. Do you need to shout, 'Are you ready?' before casting a spell?"
"Besides, Longbottom and Professor Lockhart had both bowed already. That means it had begun."
Lockhart's opponents immediately refuted them.
Lockhart's supporters said, "Professor is so pitiful... He already fainted. What more do you want?"
La la la, I can't hear you.
In any case, they would never admit that their idol was useless.
Lockhart's opponents: "..."
Fine. You win.
As for Lockhart himself, this time he did not climb up from the floor again.
Even someone as thick-skinned as him did not know how to explain this.
At a time like this, fainting was the best choice.
Careless and failed to dodge?
Choose another student?
What if he lost again?
Since he could not find a method, he might as well continue playing dead.
Whether he was truly unconscious or pretending to be unconscious, unconscious was enough.
Someone would imagine an explanation for him and provide it on their own.
"Professor Lockhart must have suffered too severe an injury while testing the spell just now. Now his body can't hold on, so he fainted. We should send him to Madam Pomfrey at once."
See?
Several older students hurriedly lifted Lockhart and carried him toward the hospital wing.
No one knew whether it was intentional or not, but while they were carrying him, his head just happened to tilt to one side.
When they passed the side door, Lockhart's head struck the doorframe heavily.
The clear, dull thud entered everyone's ears.
"Be gentler!"
Lockhart's supporters complained.
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