Hogwarts: From Luna's House to Godhood Through Intense Competition

Gilderoy Lockhart exaggeratedly slapped his forehead. "Look at my memory! After all, my head is filled with too many experiences fighting against dark magic, so I'm bound to overlook some things!"

He used his wand like a curling iron, curling a tuft of hair on his forehead. "It's like time... I do have a poor sense of time. How do you think I am right now?"

The shop assistant clapped and praised, "Mr. Lockhart! You're in fantastic shape!"

“Then let’s go!” Gilderoy Lockhart was very satisfied, flashing his eight gleaming teeth once again.

He was indeed handsome, wearing a sky-blue robe and a matching pointed hat, which he wore askew on his wavy blond hair, making him look like a walking forget-me-not.

When he appeared before the crowd, the self-portrait on the poster seemed to receive a command and smiled brightly along with him.

"He...looks a little strange?" Luna stood beside Vizet, her voice soft. "Like a bulging chocolate ball wrapper?"

“No real chocolate?” Vizette looked up at Gilderoy Lockhart, who was not far away.

Gilderoy Lockhart kept changing poses, making the newspaper reporters jump around to find the right angle to take pictures, while the magic camera sprayed out bursts of purple smoke.

“Mr. Bashat, it’s been a long time.” A lazy voice rang out.

A middle-aged man with long, light-gold hair appeared. He was thin and leaned on a silver cane carved with a snake's head.

His grey eyes first glanced at Bashat, then casually swept over Xenophilius. "Mr. Bashat, are these three... your friends?"

“Mr. Malfoy, these are my good friends!” Bashat smiled and patted Vizette on the shoulder. “Let me introduce you, this is Vizette Lovegood.”

Malfoy?

Upon hearing the familiar surname, Vizette raised her head slightly and looked curiously at the long-haired man.

"Oh? Good friends?" The long-haired man noticed Bashat's actions and happened to make eye contact with Vizette.

The long-haired man winced in pain and hurriedly looked away.

He disregarded his cane and slammed his right hand onto his left arm, as if a wound on his arm was burning and causing him immense pain.

Vizette frowned. In their eye contact, he learned the long-haired man's name—Lucius Malfoy.

Perhaps if he continued to look into her eyes, he could learn even more.

Baghert looked puzzled. "Mr. Malfoy, what's wrong?"

"I'm not feeling well!" Lucius Malfoy's voice trembled slightly as he bent over in an extremely awkward manner, grabbing his cane back into his hand.

"Mr. Bashat, I'm afraid I don't have time to get to know your new friends... I'll take my leave now!"

His face was incredibly tense, as if he were hiding some kind of emotion, and his forehead was covered with a fine layer of sweat.

Lucius Malfoy strode quickly through the crowd, as if searching for someone.

Finally, he made a discovery and came to a boy.

Without even wiping the sweat from his brow, he said, "Draco! We should go back!"

Draco Malfoy looked up and said instinctively, "I haven't bought all my school supplies yet, including the flying broom..."

He was suddenly stunned. This was the first time he had seen his father so distraught, as if he had experienced something terrifying.

However, after thinking it over, it seemed that nothing had happened today.

They went to Knockturn Alley and found a shop that traded dark magic items;

Dad prepared a list of items, intending to sell some things from the estate;

The transaction process seemed to go smoothly, and the conversation between Dad and the boss was quite pleasant.

The things in the store were interesting, but Dad hadn't touched them before, so they shouldn't have caused any problems...

Lucius took Draco's hand. "Then we can buy it again next time, or have the shop deliver it directly to the manor. Now come home with me!"

Draco glanced back at Flourish and Blotts and saw Harry walk out of the crowd, carrying a stack of books, toward a corner where someone seemed to be waiting.

He frowned, and gave a slightly resentful snort, "Tsk!"

……

“I’ve rarely seen him so disheveled.” Bashat said thoughtfully, watching Lucius’s figure disappear into the crowd.

Vizette was also a little puzzled as to why he was able to know this person's information just by making eye contact.

Even in the fan-made edits he had seen, there weren't many shots of this long-haired middle-aged man named Lucius Malfoy.

The only thing that impressed him was probably Lucius Malfoy being hit by a spell that flashed blue light, then flying backward and crashing to the ground.

Regarding those fan-made edited videos, Vizette's viewing preference is for various magical special effects, which is what interests him the most and is the reason why he is so enthusiastic about learning magic.

“Since he’s already left, let’s just leave him be!” Bagshot said. “You’re here to buy books, right? Hogwarts’ requirements this year are a bit strange…”

"We need seven books by Gilderoy Lockhart! Those books aren't cheap! Come inside with me! I've asked the clerk to prepare all the books we'll need for next school year."

Upon hearing this, Xenophilius quickly replied politely, "Mr. Bashat, that's too kind of you..."

Bashat waved his hand, "Vizet and Luna have helped me a lot. The cultural salon has been able to develop step by step as I envisioned, thanks to them!"

"Actually, a good idea is priceless to me. I'm just doing what I can to make amends. Please accept it, otherwise I'll feel bad!"

The books for both of them together would cost at least one hundred gallons.

Xenophilius was delighted to have saved such a sum of money. "In that case... thank you so much!"

“Vizet, you and Luna can wander around downstairs. Mr. Bashat and I are going to get the books and will be back to you soon.”

The book signing was in full swing, and Gilderoy Lockhart was thoroughly enjoying the process, suggesting he had likely undergone special training.

While signing autographs for fellow book lovers, he can also look up and smile.

He spotted Harry in the crowd, immediately pulled him over, and together they struck various poses, receiving the purple smoke from the magic camera.

The atmosphere at the book signing grew increasingly lively. He put his arm around Harry's shoulder and picked up his new autobiography, "Me, the Magician."

"Ladies and gentlemen! Now that our 'boy who survived' has arrived to see me, I have some news to announce! I will be becoming the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts this September!"

Upon hearing this news, many book lovers immediately responded, sparking round after round of enthusiastic applause.

"Is he the next Defense Against the Dark Arts professor?" Vizet rubbed his temples. Considering Luna's earlier assessment of Gilderoy Lockhart, he felt something was off.

Chapter 55 Lucius, startled

Malfoy Estate, Wiltshire, England.

In the magnificent main hall, beneath the enchanted ceiling, a huge crystal chandelier floats.

The crystal chandelier emitted a warm and bright light, illuminating the entire main hall without missing a single corner.

A thick bearskin carpet was laid on the spotless floor.

On a cabinet not far from the reception table, there is a silver incense burner.

A house-elf with bat ears stepped forward, opened the incense burner lid, took out the remaining third of the incense, filled it with a whole piece of incense, and relit it.

After lighting the incense, the house-elf went to the fireplace and picked up a piece of firewood to put in.

Before it could put the firewood into the fireplace, the burning fireplace flames suddenly changed color, and green flames danced wildly inside the fireplace.

The house-elf's expression changed, and he immediately put the firewood back in its place, disappearing into thin air with a snap of his fingers.

……

Passing through the Floo net, Lucius and Draco stepped out of the fireplace.

"Dad, what about my flying broom?" Draco was still a little unwilling. "You promised to buy me a flying broom."

Lucius didn't speak, but raised his left arm and shook it gently. After confirming that there was no burning sensation, he let out a soft sigh.

He seemed to be in a better mood. He patted Draco's hair and said earnestly, "I will write to Quidditch Boutique. I will do what I promised you."

"But you must also remember! You must keep your promise to me. Any questions? You are my son, the future heir of the Malfoy family. Remember that!"

Seeing Lucius's serious expression, Draco nodded repeatedly, "Dad, okay! I'll remember!"

"Go back and rest!" Lucius waved his hand, leaned on his cane, and went upstairs to his study.

Hearing the sound of footsteps on the stairs, the tall, middle-aged woman came out of her room and saw Lucius sweating profusely. She immediately went to greet him.

She asked in a crisp, indifferent voice, "Lucius, something happened? You look terrible."

Lucius took Narcissa's hand and gently shook his head. "Narcissa, it's nothing."

“That Karaktakus Burke… is trying to raise the price?” Narcissa’s brows furrowed slightly, like faint lines drawn on a delicate canvas.

"The Ministry of Magic has suddenly gone mad, searching for dark magic items. Does they think the Ministry of Magic is clean? Have they forgotten our annual donations?"

Lucius shook his head again. "Of course not. Our deal went smoothly. He'll come to the manor tomorrow and take those things away."

"As for the Ministry of Magic... it was Arthur Weasley who pushed for it. They wanted to implement the Muggle Protection Act. After all, they are the largest pure-blood family, so there's nothing we can do about it..."

"All that's left is the advantage in numbers," Narcissa said arrogantly, a sneer playing on her lips.

"There were so many people that they had to keep splitting up. I remember Arthur Weasley, he built a nest in a small village, right?"

“Of course they can’t compare to us.” Lucius forced a smile. “This will all pass quickly, don’t worry.”

Sensing that her husband was still hiding something, Narcissa, who had received family education, stopped pressing him and nodded helplessly, saying, "Alright, I'll have the house-elf make you some tea. Take care and get some rest."

"You're the best!" Lucius exclaimed, gently embracing Narcissa and pressing their cheeks together.

Seeing Narcissa return to her room, Lucius took a deep breath and turned the doorknob of the study.