Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 211 Summer Vacation Begins
"Do you remember who you are?"

Melvin asked, sitting in a chair by the hospital bed with a bust of Lockhart behind him.

The patients eagerly answered, "Giddro Lockhart!"

“Not your name, but your identity. Who are you? Where do you live? What is your profession? What have you done?” Melvin looked at Lockhart. “What did you go through before you moved into this room?”

"Signing autographs, signing autographs for lots of people... So, I'm a celebrity?"

"Even if you're a celebrity, what makes you worthy of people's liking? What have you done to make others idolize you and want your autograph?" Melvin leaned closer to him and asked, his questions very detailed, as if guiding him to think.

Lockhart looked at Melvin's eyes with some fear. Those dark eyes were intimidating, like the bottom of a lake, deep enough to devour all will and thought.

He felt his mind begin to go blank, and some memories that he himself was unaware of surfaced from the depths of his mind, like bubbles constantly rising from the bottom of the water.

Yes, why is my signature so popular?

What did I do before moving here?
Lockhart tried hard to find the answer, but could only hear the bubbling of water and see intermittent images and sounds flashing by, but none of them could be pieced together into a coherent picture. Instead, they made his head throb with pain.

"Because I'm good-looking and handsome!"

“There are many wizards who are more handsome than you.”

"They love my smile!"

“The Wizarding Weekly selects the most popular smile every quarter, and you’ve been rejected many times.” Melvin dismissed his answer, but then coaxed him, “Think again, think it over carefully. You must have some irreplaceable charm.”

"I...I don't know, I can't remember!" Lockhart said painfully. After saying this, he felt much more relaxed and quickly shrank away from Melvin, as if he were moving away from a beast that made him uncomfortable.

“Professor, Professor Levent…” Therapist Melanie looked at him nervously, “The patient is not fully recovered and needs to rest. Do not agitate him.”

"I want to see how his recovery is going."

Melvin blinked, his eyelashes drooping slightly, and the dark abyss in his eyes vanished without a trace.

The inventor and time of Legilimency are unknown. It is said that a small number of wizards were born with the talent to read other people's minds and created Legilimency based on this. Strictly speaking, it belongs to the category of ancient magic and existed as early as the time when the four great wizards founded Hogwarts.

Very similar to the basilisk, the caster transmits magic through eye contact, thereby peering into the other person's thoughts, studying their emotions and memories, and even finding information in the other person's mind that they themselves were unaware of. It can also be used to invade other people's minds and implant false images and memories.

Salazar Slytherin, Dumbledore, and Voldemort were all experts in this field. Melvin, who used to read books on his own, also had a rudimentary understanding of it, only able to discern whether someone was panicking, experiencing intense emotional fluctuations, or lying.

Mastering advanced skills mainly relies on communicating with pen pals.

During that time, the diary tried to invade his brain many times, but failed each time. Instead, it was tricked into trusting him by the fake memory spell. Melvin also learned the technique from his pen pal's repeated demonstrations and learned to look through other people's memories. Although he was not as good as those old guys, it was enough to deal with patients with amnesia and dementia.

If Lockhart's head was once a chaotic swamp, thanks to Melem's careful care and the healing power of the Golden Cup, the silt has now settled to the bottom, forming a clear puddle.

The past memories are buried deep in the silt at the bottom. Even if Melvin uses words to stimulate them and uses his mind control to search for them, he can only find some chaotic and illogical fragments. Without other external forces, it is difficult to restore this pile of silt into the memory palace it once was.

The upper layer of clear water is a blank space, used to store new memories.

The boundary between the clear water and the silt is covered with some subconscious memories, such as signatures and rudimentary magic skills.

Melvin looked at the therapist: "You said he remembered some minor magic, what kind of magic?"

"Well, let him demonstrate it himself!"

Melanie was somewhat excited. She deftly unlocked the bedside table, took out a wand, and handed it to Lockhart. It wasn't the wand he used to have, but the one the hospital used for patient rehabilitation training.

Made of oak, without a core, produced by Ollivander, standardized.

“Good boy Gilderoy, come and show the professor your performance.”

"Let's practice magic!"

Lockhart gripped his wand, smiled brightly, as if he had returned to when he first entered Hogwarts.

[Burning Flames]

【Fluorescent flash】

Wingardium Leviosa

Melvin was somewhat expectant when he heard the incantation, but his expression turned strange when he saw the actual effect of the magic.

Making the tip of a wand spark or glow, or making the cookies on the table tremble—these are called magic, but they're nothing compared to the magic of uneducated wizards. They can do these things without a wand; it's hardly a matter of skill.

“These basic spells, like his signature techniques, are part of his bodily memory. He’s still not quite proficient in them during his recovery period. But after some time, Gilderoy might actually be able to use these spells,” Melem said with satisfaction.

Melvin wasn't very confident about this.

For Lockhart, replying to readers' letters, attending book signings and various banquets, and signing autographs have become instinctive, just like eating, sleeping and walking. With repeated practice, of course he can write well.

But spell techniques are different. Lockhart hadn't been exposed to these basic spells since graduating from junior high school, and had neglected practice for many years. It's a miracle that he still remembers the spells now.

“I hope so.” Melvin looked at the kind healer. “I will continue to supply the potions, but the treatment will depend on you now, Ms. Straw. I hope you can keep a detailed record of the potion’s use. I am very interested in this report on its effects.”

"I will."

【Once forgotten, everything is empty】

A sound came from the side.

A faint magical energy burst forth from the tip of the wand. It was still the same wand used for rehabilitation, and the patient was still suffering from amnesia and dementia. But the magical effect was no longer child's play; it was a real spell. Melvin turned his head and saw Lockhart waving his wand in a daze, and the white light that sealed his memories spread over.

"Zheng..."

A faint metallic hum rang out, and the white light vanished instantly.

Melemie's eyes widened as she rushed over and snatched the wand from his hand: "You...you...how did you use that?"

"I...I'll just stay like this..."

Lockhart was also a little flustered, repeating the motion of waving his wand just now, "This spell suddenly popped into my head, it felt very familiar, so... so I used it."

Were you familiar with the Oblivion Charm before?

"I don't know, I don't remember."

"..."

Melvin stood to the side watching the doctor and patient's rapid-fire questions and answers, a look of amusement on his face. Although the basic spells were unfamiliar, the forgetting spell was as familiar as a signature. Knowing the spell, he could recall the casting action by relying on his body memory.

Melvin approached the bedside to observe: "You still remember the Forgetting Charm, but do you remember how to split your memories and how to cast the False Memory Charm?"

Lockhart hadn't forgotten the interrogation he'd just received. He shrank back, then, urged by Melem, raised his disheveled head: "Memory splitting, false memory spell? Is it a story-making magic?"

“You could say that. We can try it out on the spot; I happen to have the materials with me.” Melvin reached into his coat pocket and rummaged around. There seemed to be a bunch of things inside; there was a clinking sound of glass bottles as he searched. Finally, he pulled out a bottle of potion, a silvery mist-like magical potion somewhere between a gas and a liquid. Melvin hesitated, as hospital regulations required that tools for the Seamless Stretch Charm be reported and inspected.

“Memories are stored in segments in the mind, but when you pull them out with a wand, they become strands. You need a potion to see them clearly…” Melvin pressed the tip of his wand against his forehead, pulled out a strand of silver thread, and presented it with silver mist. “This is a memory from my trip to Romania. We were crossing a mountain, and the road was full of trees and flowers. It was very boring. Only the last thirty seconds were interesting. A fire dragon launched a surprise attack on us.”

Melvin handed the Silver Mist of Memory to Lockhart: "Try it and see if you can remove the boring parts at the beginning and only keep the last 30 seconds."

"Fire Dragon!"

Lockhart stared wide-eyed with excitement as he watched the fleeting dragon silhouette.

When I took the standard wand again, I was a little at a loss at first, not knowing where to start. But I quickly found a way. I put the tip of the wand into the silvery mist of memory and stirred it. The magic that acted on the memory surged out and tremblingly split the entire memory in two.

The technique was somewhat rough, but it displayed an almost instinctive skill.

Melanie was dumbfounded. No wonder the newspapers called him a memory thief; his skills were almost on par with Elden Eisricker, who robbed half of London with "Open the Hole of Alaho".

Melvin smiled with delight. There was no one to fill the accounting or finance position for the time being, but he seemed to have found a seasoned editor.

“Ms. Straw, I would like to ask you to continue to take care of Lockhart. I have come up with a good way out for him, so that he doesn’t have to waste his life in a closed ward or suffer in Azkaban, but can instead serve the wizards through his labor.”

Melvin said with a smile, waving his hand to disperse the silver mist in the bottle.

……

Leaving St. Mungo's Hospital, walk a few blocks and turn a corner to reach Charing Cross Street. The Leaky Cauldron's sign is still as dilapidated as ever. Inside, there are gray-brown square tables, floors stained with grease and grime, and a shiny, conspicuous bar. In the corner, there are a few strangely dressed old witches, and in the distance, two or three football fans sit in front of a mirror.

Smelling the aroma of butterbeer and seeing Old Tom's earnest and eager gaze, Melvin lowered his head and took a sip. At least it was beer mixed right in front of him, so he could be sure no one had spat into it to pretend it was hops.

"Did you remember the work arrangements I just mentioned?" Melvin turned to look at the middle-aged wizard sitting next to him, the owner of an appliance repair shop a few blocks away.

“Understood. Recruit people, set up an assembly line, standardize the production of the mirrors, find Editor-in-Chief Guffer and Professor Kettleburn to cooperate with, and also with Bagman.” Wright swirled his beer glass, glancing furtively at Dumbledore next to him.

He didn't watch Old Tom make this cup himself, but with the headmaster sitting next to him, this guy probably wouldn't dare to do anything reckless.

"Romania and Budapest need to strengthen their ties, and the dragon breeding area can also produce park news that can be broadcast at any time. Nobody is uninterested in dragons..." Melvin said. "The Ministry of Magic needs to keep up with the news in a timely manner, especially Umbridge's Anti-Werewolf Act, which has been enforced on many werewolves and has generated a lot of discussion."

After finishing their business, the two leaned closer and whispered a few words to each other.

"Is the door key I requested ready?"

"Don't worry, I had Bojin do it; he's an expert."

"He also knows about door keys?"

"He is an expert in the black market."

"..."

"Go directly to the store and find him. Leave in 40 minutes."

"..."

Dumbledore listened to the summer work schedule of the Magic Mirror Club while sipping his butterbeer, thoroughly enjoying himself, even more so than when it came to Hogwarts affairs.

After giving instructions on his holiday plans, Melvin looked at the old principal: "I'm leaving for Paris soon. Principal, what are your plans for the rest of the trip?"

“I plan to go to Yorkshire to visit one of my students and try to persuade him to teach at the school.”

Dumbledore put down his beer glass, foam still clinging to his lips, and sighed softly. "I started placing job ads in the newspapers during the Easter holidays to find a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for the children, but no one has applied... I suppose it's partly due to the influence of the Shadow Mirror."

The first two professors both died after only six months of teaching, their reputations ruined. Lockhart suffered amnesia and was hospitalized, while Quirrell vanished into thin air. The Shadow Mirror spread the inside story that they could no longer teach. Many wizards had heard of the curse on the Defense Against the Dark Arts position before, and now they believed it even more.

That friendly werewolf professor?
Melvin nodded thoughtfully, then looked around, still determined to find Remus Lupin.

Judging by the timeline, the story of the prisoner of Azkaban has already begun, but the storm he stirred up was too great. The news about Harry and Ron has passed, and Scabbers no longer swaggers around as he used to. I wonder if Harry's godfather still has the motivation to swim across the North Sea.

……

Marne Valley, Paris, France.

In the town of Chercy, 32 kilometers from the city center, the lights of Disney's French headquarters were on as the closing time approached and a strange visitor arrived at the front desk.

The receptionist was a pretty young woman who greeted me with a polite smile: "Sir, how can I help you?"

“I need to find… Let me think, your Vice President and Creative Director, Claire Raven.”

"Do you have an appointment?"

"No, but we are friends."

The receptionist maintained her smile, already planning to call security, but out of professional ethics, she continued to serve: "Okay, please wait in the lounge next door for a moment, I'll ask for you."

"..."

If he really goes to the next room for coffee, he'll probably stay there until everyone else leaves work.

Melvin hesitated for a moment, then forced a polite smile: "Ask now, I can wait here."

……

"Beep...beep..."

The sound of bells echoed in the office. The spacious walnut desk, its lacquered surface gleaming with a copper sheen, held a delicate paper cup filled with strong black coffee and a small stack of muffins sprinkled with rose syrup.

The young vice president sighed wearily, rubbed her temples, and answered the phone: "Hello?"

"Ms. Raven, a strange person wants to see you, saying he's your friend..."

The sound from the receiver became muffled; the person on the other end of the line seemed distracted and lost in thought, their voice growing softer and softer.

"What is it to me?" Claire raised her voice and asked.

"What?" the voice on the other end of the phone asked blankly, as if it had forgotten what it was going to say.

Claire was feeling a bit exhausted. What kind of people were these? They were more reliable when she was an assistant.

Just as I hung up the phone and was about to bury myself in working on the documents, I heard a gentle voice:

“It’s your old friend.”

Claire suddenly looked up, blinked hard, and her long eyelashes fluttered.

(End of this chapter)