Daily Prophet:
A Hero Who Stood to Protect Students
The mysterious creature that caused panic at Hogwarts has finally appeared. Gilderoy Lockhart, the school's Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, bravely stepped forward. In order to protect the students, he battled the monster within the castle for hundreds of rounds. However, after defeating it, he was struck by the Killing Curse from an unidentified individual suspected to be a Death Eater.
He is currently receiving treatment at St Mungo's Hospital. An anonymous source reports that the chances of recovery are slim.
The Ministry of Magic has ordered a full inspection of Hogwarts' facilities. The Headmaster has been temporarily suspended pending investigation.
Further down were details of Lockhart's life, along with praise from students and fans…
Hermione lowered the newspaper.
"It's all my fault… I'm the one who got the professor hurt… If only I had noticed something was wrong with Ginny…" she sobbed.
"Don't be ridiculous," Ron said. "If you had, you'd be the one who got taken hostage."
"Stop crying, Hermione," Harry added gently. "The Headmaster said Professor Lockhart will wake up. The newspaper isn't reliable anyway. Dumbledore's 'suspended,' but he's still in his office."
"He might never wake up!" Hermione shouted hoarsely. "That's what the healers said! You don't even care about him! He treated you so well, and now he's lying there after being hit by the Killing Curse—and you don't care at all!"
"How can you say that?" Harry frowned. "He's the professor I admire the most. I'm upset too—but we should pull ourselves together and find a way to defeat You-Know-Who. That's how we avenge him—not by crying!"
Hermione turned away angrily, refusing to speak to them.
A familiar sneering voice chimed in nearby.
"Heh, Granger. I'm so sorry about your professor," Draco Malfoy said mockingly. "But this was inevitable. No Defense Against the Dark Arts professor ever lasts beyond a year."
Headmaster's Office
"We don't know when Professor Lockhart will awaken," Dumbledore said calmly. "But the students' education must continue."
"Professor McGonagall, please issue a notice. We will recruit a temporary Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor. Hogwarts graduates will be given priority."
"And next year's appointment?" McGonagall asked.
Dumbledore paused briefly.
"Professor Lockhart was injured protecting our students. Until he awakens, his position remains his. We will only appoint a substitute—with full professor."
...
At the beginning of the universe, there was nothing.
Nothing had no color. Nothing meant the absence of everything.
Then came darkness.
Darkness at least meant existence.
Within that endless void, Lockhart felt like a creator.
Who am I? Where am I? Why is there no light?
He thought:
There should be light.
—and light appeared.
Lockhart opened his eyes.
At first, the light was just a vague blur. After what felt like an eternity, shapes began to form.
His newly awakened consciousness struggled to make sense of it all.
He first saw several transparent tubes stretching across his vision.
Then, a pale white ceiling.
Finally—a human face.
"The Sleeping Prince has awakened!"
A flurry of chaotic voices followed.
It took Lockhart a long time to remember who he was.
Is this heaven?
And wait—who's the 'Sleeping Prince'? Me?!
Oh no… what did those nurses do to me while I was unconscious?
He was still in a daze when a familiar old face appeared before him.
"Welcome back, Mr. Sleeping Prince," Dumbledore said, barely suppressing a smile.
Lockhart had been lying in St Mungo's for months.
To his irritation, he learned he had become the hospital's famous "Sleeping Prince," with nurses competing for the chance to care for him.
On the bright side, he also learned that a man named Lupin had taken over his classes—and Sirius Black had successfully escaped from Azkaban.
The timeline hadn't completely fallen apart thanks to Hermione.
Good.
"Ginny was being controlled," Dumbledore said. "She is only eleven—her magic is insufficient to fully cast the Killing Curse. As you know, the curse works by tearing the soul from the body."
"Your soul… appears to be unusually resilient. She couldn't extract it."
"You've been practicing Occlumency, haven't you?"
"Yes," Lockhart replied. "You know how it is—an adventurer can never have too many skills."
Dumbledore cut him off.
"A very useful one, indeed. Unfortunately, your body is less resilient."
"Fortunately, Nicolas has a way to treat injuries caused by the Killing Curse. You'll be going to him shortly. I've already informed the Ministry."
"Wait—who's Nicolas? And why do I need Ministry approval to visit him?"
Dumbledore stopped.
"Nicolas Flamel," he said slowly. "He is currently under Ministry protection. They suspect followers of You-Know-Who may attempt to force him to reveal the secret of the Philosopher's Stone."
"Oh…" Lockhart blinked sluggishly. "What's the Philosopher's Stone?"
Dumbledore stood up, visibly exasperated—and left the room without another word.
A young blonde woman entered shortly after.
"Professor Lockhart, I'm Auror trainee Nymphadora Tonks. You can call me Tonks."
She paused, then added:
"I'll be escorting you to Mr. Flamel's residence. It's currently protected by the Fidelius Charm."
Lockhart nodded.
"Nice to meet you, Tonks. I'm ready—let's go."