Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 395, page 393: Valentine's Day
The teachers sitting opposite Lockhart all had stern faces.

From where he was sitting, Sheehan could see a muscle bulging on Professor McGonagall's cheek. Professor Snape looked as if someone had just given him a large cup of Bone Spirit.

Only Dumbledore seemed to see nothing at all, and even smiled.

"How's the plan going?"

Justin asked in a low voice, keeping his voice under control so that only Sheehan and Hermione could hear him.

"A few more days."

Hermione looked much more haggard; she had hardly rested these past few days.

"Hermione, I mean, you can take a break sometimes."

Justin looked at Hermione, then at Sheehan, remembering that he seemed to have said these words to more than one friend.

Hermione didn't say anything, but couldn't help yawning.

At this moment, Lockhart clapped his hands on stage, drawing everyone's attention:

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Lockhart said loudly,

"To date, thirty-six people have sent me greeting cards, and I would like to express my gratitude to them!"

Yes, I took it upon myself to arrange this little surprise for everyone—and that's not all!

Lockhart looked toward the entrance to the Great Hall, where twelve gloomy-faced dwarves strode in through several doors leading to the foyer.

Moreover, unlike ordinary dwarves, Lockhart gave them all golden wings and carried harps on their backs.

"My friendly little Cupid with the greeting card!"

Lockhart said cheerfully,
"They're going to be wandering around the school today, handing out Valentine's Day cards! And that's not all! I'm sure my colleagues would love to join in! Why don't we ask Professor Snape to teach you how to make aphrodisiacs?"

This remark caused a stir.

The Slytherins looked at Lockhart with cold smiles, their expressions conveying a condescending sympathy.

Looking at Snape's expression, it seemed that if anyone asked him how to make the love potion, they would be forced to drink the poison.

If Ron and Harry saw Professor Snape like that, they would definitely run as far away as possible.

But Lockhart was different; he was still talking at length, occasionally glancing at Dumbledore.

Sheen wasn't interested in Lockhart's absurd behavior, but he was quite interested in Lockhart's forgetfulness spellcasting skills.

That's why he decided to act together with Justin and Hermione.

Under the influence of the Truth Elixir, Sheen no longer needed to distinguish which of the Forgetfulness Curse Master's words were exaggerations and which were true.

"Well, speaking of which,"

Hermione then spoke wearily and cautiously.
“Last month, before the potion was even fully brewed, I needed some feathers from the Silent Bird, and these things could only be obtained from Professor Snape’s private storeroom…”

These words drew a few glances from Sheen.

"As a result, when the last potions class ended before Christmas, I accidentally glanced at the cabinet at the very front of the cellar and saw a feather of a Silent Bird... This is a very precious magical material."

Sheen, you're often in the cellar, are you helping out there?

Hermione asked in a low voice.

"No."

Sheen denied it.

However, he did recall Professor Snape's request before Christmas, which was to use magic to organize the bird feather materials together in the front cabinet.

It seems... Professor Snape knows Lockhart quite well...

"Later, when we wanted to fix it..."

Justin took over the conversation.

"The feathers have been replenished."

Hermione was clearly deep in thought.

"don’t worry."

Sheen said softly, he roughly understood.

The professors seemed to have a deep... grudge against Lockhart.

As they were talking, Lockhart's voice came through like a breeze: "If you're interested, Professor Flitwick is more skilled in psychedelic magic than any wizard I've ever met. That cunning fellow!"

Professor Flitwick immediately buried his face in his hands.

The entire Ravenclaw student frowned at this sight.

Thus, this "special" Valentine's Day began.

All day long, the little dwarfs kept barging into their classrooms, delivering Valentine's Day cards, which annoyed the teachers to no end.

In the afternoon, as the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw students went upstairs to their magic class, a little dwarf suddenly caught up with Sheen.

“Oh, Mr. Sheen Green! Please stop!”

A dwarf whose face had brightened from cloudy to sunny shouted, pushing through the crowd with his elbow toward Sheen.

Sheen's wand touched it, and it vanished.

The dwarf was taken aback, then ran towards Harry, who was watching the commotion.

Harry, unaware of what he was about to face, was still suppressing his laughter as he searched for Sheen, who had disappeared into the crowd.

"Hey, you! Yes, you! Harry Potter!"

The dwarf, whose face had darkened again, called out; it had reached Harry's side.

"This is going to..."

Harry was stunned.

Receiving a Valentine's Day card in front of a group of first-year students is absolutely infuriating.

Harry then remembered that he needed to run away.

But before he could run two steps, the dwarf kicked people's calves and squeezed through the crowd to catch up with him.

"I have a musical message that I want to deliver to Harry Potter in person."

As the dwarf spoke, he began to strum his harp in an aggressive manner.

"Not here."

Harry said in a low voice, while also wanting to run away.

"Stop and don't move!"

The dwarf grunted, grabbed Harry's schoolbag, and pulled him back.

"Let me go!"

Harry yelled, pulling hard on his backpack.

With a loud tearing sound, his schoolbag was ripped in two.

His books, wand, parchment, and quills clattered to the floor, with the ink bottle shattered on top.

Harry frantically grabbed at the things scattered on the floor, trying to pick them all up before the dwarves started singing, causing a traffic jam in the corridor.

Harry doesn't look well.

Justin, who was passing by, spoke to the air.

"Hmm, shall we go help?"

"The air answered."

"Has he forgotten that he's a wizard? He can't pick it up with his bare hands in time."

Hermione slapped her forehead.

Harry panicked completely and just wanted to escape, but the dwarf grabbed his knees and threw him heavily to the ground.

"alright,"

The little dwarf said, and plopped down on Harry's lap.

"This is your Valentine's Day gift with a song:"
His eyes were as green as freshly pickled toads.
His hair was as black and elegant as a blackboard.
I want him to be mine.
He's really handsome.

He was the warrior who conquered the dark lord—

The dwarf's voice was not far off from the wailing of ghosts and wolves.

Hermione covered the corner of her mouth, which was turned up in a smile, while Justin next to her was laughing so hard he could hardly breathe.

(End of this chapter)