Days at Hogwarts

Chapter 170 Who's the Liar?

"Memory eraser?"

The young wizards present whispered among themselves; some of them were hearing about this position for the first time.

Several students also had families working at the Ministry of Magic and understood the nature of the job. For example, Percy quietly explained to Penelope and those around him, "It's about maintaining the Secrecy Act and erasing Muggle memories."

Penelope's mouth opened slightly in surprise. "Erasing memories? This job is really interesting."

Hermione knew what was going on as soon as she heard about the memory erasure spell. Loren had already learned all three memory spells: Legilimency and Occlumency. Only the last one remained—the Oblivion Curse.

Harry and Ron pricked up their ears and listened intently. They were being seen by Muggles while driving their flying car, which was the effect of the memory erasure specialists.

"Why isn't Professor Lockhart saying anything?" Ron muttered in confusion.

On stage, at one point, Gilderoy Lockhart suspected that Loren already knew his true identity and used the memory eraser to test him.

He glanced at the audience. Loren's eyebrows were slightly furrowed, expectant of the teacher's clarification—a typical good student expression. Lockhart found his own suspicion amusing. In the unfamiliar environment of Hogwarts, his nerves were too tense; it was one thing to be suspicious of the professors, but to even doubt his own students.

His methods of stealing other people's adventures were flawless; countless readers couldn't find any flaws, and even the difficult reporter from the Daily Prophet couldn't find any loopholes. What could a young student possibly know?

He shook his head, banishing the absurd thought from his mind. Either he wanted to expose his true colors, or he genuinely cared about being a memory eraser. Lockhart was secretly delighted, his voice rising once more with excitement: "Oh! A memory eraser! No one knows this job better than me!"

"I once led six memory erasers and erased the memories of tens of thousands of Muggles in just one night."

“You could say that,” Lockhart said, raising his hand in front of him and pushing it forward.

"Nobody," he said, bending four fingers and extending only the index fingers of both hands to his sides for emphasis.

"You know more about memory erasure than I do." Lockhart flashed a bright smile at the densest part of the crowd, revealing a perfect set of teeth.

Facing the mental attack, Loren fell silent, and the group of young wizards also fell silent. To be honest, Lockhart's smile, which was worthy of an award, was not unpleasant, but his series of actions were truly embarrassing.

Loren had planned to gradually build up his relationship with Lockhart and get to know him better before finding a suitable opportunity to ask for the Forgetfulness Spell without being too abrupt.

But now, a professional club lecture has presented him with an opportunity.

Loren picked up the words that had fallen to the ground and asked in the innocent and naive voice of a good student, "Professor, is the work of a memory eraser demanding? Is it very busy?"

"It's quite relaxed. The main job isn't memory erasure, but rather paperwork and reports. Memory erasure is only handled during special periods and when there are cases of violating security laws," Lockhart paused, then smiled at another group of students, "and it's even a bit boring."

The young wizards in the audience perked up. Unlike the previous pointless boasting, they were now more interested in the specifics of the work, its intensity, and how busy it would be. The older wizards, who had been almost asleep, sat up straight and listened attentively to Lockhart's presentation.

Lockhart was in high spirits. He hadn't been at Hogwarts long, and due to some unforeseen circumstances, the students had become less respectful of him. While he could entertain himself by talking to himself, truly displaying his knowledge in front of a crowd gave him a different, wonderful feeling.

Loren's question was right on his limited knowledge, giving Lockhart the satisfying feeling of a professor answering a student's questions.

As a master of the forgetting spell, he had considered this job more than once. But stability and legitimacy also meant constraint and monotony. His desire for attention and being talked about made him destined to be an unsuitable memory eraser.

"Professor, what spells do memory erasers need to learn? Do they need to take a certification exam?" Loren asked again.

Lockhart's eyes lit up; this question had hit a nerve. This time it was true; no one knew more about the Oblivion Charm than he did.

"The Forgetting Charm!" Lockhart's voice was tinged with excitement; he couldn't wait to show off his talent to the young wizard. "The most important spell for erasing memories is the Forgetting Charm!"

"The spell is 'Oblivion,' which is usually used to erase specific memories." Lockhart paced back and forth on the stage, a confident smile on his face. "This requires a deep understanding of the human soul and brain, because even the slightest mistake can cause irreparable damage to the brain."

"Professor, do you know this spell? Could you teach me?"

Loren's innocent and questioning voice rang out at just the right moment, and to Lockhart it sounded so pleasant; he must be an angel sent by Merlin to help him.

"Oh, you know, this is a very difficult and very dangerous spell."

Lockhart's smugness turned into a controlled reserve, but the barely suppressed smile betrayed him. "However, I am indeed very skilled with the Oblivion Charm. If you really want to learn, you can join my club, and we can discuss the specific teaching methods privately."

"No problem, Professor!" Loren was as happy as a good student being praised by a professor.

Hermione looked at his feigned innocent smile, then at Professor Lockhart on the stage, who was also smiling broadly, and fell silent.

Although Lockhart is a conman, I inexplicably feel sorry for him; I can't quite tell who's the real conman. Thinking about what Lockhart just said—that it might cause irreparable brain damage…

Well, I hope Professor Lockhart stays healthy.

Influenced by Loren, the other young wizards also began raising their hands to ask questions. Although Lockhart was a fake explorer, his social experience was genuine, his Merlin Medal was real, and he could give a good account of the pros and cons and inside stories of various professions, which could provide some reference and help to the graduating young wizards.

The young wizards aspired to all sorts of jobs, from the less respectable to the more serious ones like interns or assistants in various departments of the Ministry of Magic. Percy listened especially attentively to the latter.

Amidst a flurry of noise and lingering enthusiasm, the lecture came to an end, and Professor Lockhart left amidst applause and praise.

The first lecture by the Careers Club sparked a heated discussion on campus. Even on weekends, young wizards would take time out of their precious playtime to discuss the lecture, especially the senior wizards who were nearing graduation, who had new expectations for various professions.

Although the boastful content in the first half of the lecture was unremarkable, the Q&A session and Lockhart's sharing of social experiences in the second half are still worth discussing.

This heated discussion greatly satisfied the vanity of a certain Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

In fact, Lockhart's motivation for starting the professional club was not just to show off his experience and status. He also had another purpose: he hoped to use this as an excuse to delay the opening of a club that focused on Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Club activities are different from lectures; they can't just be empty talk. You can't just use storytelling, stage plays, and assignments to get by. You have to show your real skills.

Some things are possible, but this is truly impossible. Lockhart could foresee that he could initially use gimmicks to attract young wizards, but then he would only be able to watch his popularity slowly dwindle. Worst of all, it might arouse Dumbledore's suspicion.

But given the current level of discussion, he has ample reason to postpone the opening of the course club.

As Lockhart finished breakfast and walked out of the Great Hall, the young wizards along the way greeted him warmly and occasionally asked the professor about the advantages and disadvantages of a particular profession.

At the Gryffindor table, Ron swallowed his ham sandwich and muttered, "To say he's a fraud, he seems to know a thing or two, but to say he isn't—"

The Navisimos around him all frowned.

Harry gulped down a whole glass of hot milk, wiped his lips casually with his hand, and said happily, "Who cares if he's a fraud or not? We've had another peaceful weekend. I think Professor McGonagall has forgotten about the Whomping Willow and the flying car."

Ron then smiled happily.

On the other side, George and Fred watched Loren swallow the last mouthful of mushroom soup, then eagerly handed him a tissue. They said to him with serious expressions:

"We'd really appreciate it if you could help us with our recommendation letters!"

"George and Fred will always remember you."

"Hiss—" Loren looked at the twins with a pained expression, feeling that this didn't sound like a nice thing.

He waved his hand helplessly: "We'll see. I can't guarantee anything. If you don't have a letter of recommendation, I can lend you money."

……

Returning to his office with a perfect smile, Lockhart took off his carefully chosen top hat and hung it on the wall. After closing the door, Lockhart rubbed his slightly stiff cheeks, feeling that he had finally gained some experience as a professor after the lecture.

"I have to write these down and put them in my book after that." Lockhart was once again pleased with his idea and smiled.

"I haven't finished writing the manuscript for 'Wandering with Werewolves 2' yet, and I still haven't replied to the thousands of letters from readers that have accumulated since the book signing for 'Me Who Can Use Magic.' I also have to work on researching materials for professors," Lockhart sighed, looking at the pile of papers on his desk, and complained happily, "This is the trouble that fame brings."

Boom boom boom!

A knock came at the door.

"Professor, it's me, Loren Morgan." Loren's friendly voice came from outside the door.

Lockhart's eyes lit up as he looked at the pile of letters. He greeted them warmly, "Oh, of course, come in!"

Loren had some doubts. Was the favorability rating already this high...? It felt a bit too enthusiastic.

The Forgetfulness Charm cannot be learned in a short time. The main purpose of this visit is to discuss with Lockhart the specific teaching methods and determine the teaching time based on Lockhart's teaching plan.

There's an astronomy class on Monday night, and I have to help Snape with his experiment on Friday night. Aside from those two days, I can choose any other time.

He hoped to reach a conclusion as soon as possible. He had arranged to go to the Forbidden Forest with Hermione to find Hagrid later; they were in a bit of a rush. He'd promised to bring Hagrid deworming medicine before school started, but only remembered to ask Snape for it yesterday. He wondered if Hagrid's vegetables had been eaten up yet…

Upon opening the door, the first thing you see in the office is more than a dozen Lockhart paintings. The largest life-size painting is placed in front of the bookshelf, while the smallest is a half-length painting hanging on the wall.

In the portrait, Lockhart wears different styles of formal wear, hats with different gold trims, and Merlin badges, but all of them show a bright smile with a full set of teeth.

Yes, that matches his impression of Lockhart.

Loren greeted him politely, "Good morning, Professor."

"Hey! Loren, good morning!" Lockhart's voice was full and enthusiastic. He walked over, put his hand on Loren's shoulder, and led him to sit down at the desk.

"I know you want to learn the Forgetfulness Charm and think that being a memory eraser is a good job." He patiently advised Loren, "You're still young and shouldn't limit yourself to the job of a memory eraser. I have letters from readers all over the world, from all walks of life. You can help me write back envelopes, and you can take a good look at them, broaden your horizons, and then decide what you want to do."

Her voice was soft, her smile warm, and every word she spoke was for Loren's sake.

Loren stared at the thick stack of envelopes bound together with thin string, a chill running down his spine. If he really had to reply to Lockhart, it would be dark by the time he finished writing. What would Hermione and Hagrid do then?

He racked his brains, trying to figure out how to refuse Lockhart while still getting him to continue teaching the Oblivion Spell.

Loren calmly advised, "Professor, you could find Harry, the boy who survived the ordeal, and have him help you reply to the readers' letters."

He silently apologized to Harry in his heart, promising to make it up to him in the future, but for now, he asked Harry for help.

Lockhart's eyes lit up. Two celebrities replying together would surely attract more readers to buy his book and write to him. This would boost his popularity even further, greatly increasing his fame and potentially raising his royalties and earnings for his next book.

In addition, it seems that Harry's ancestors made their fortune in shampoo, so maybe the shampoo business that hasn't been doing well before can finally take off...

"I remember, Harry still had a punishment to receive when school started—" Lockhart muttered to himself, thinking that replying to his letter was better and more meaningful than doing manual labor, and Harry had no reason to refuse.

As soon as the idea of ​​the two celebrities replying together arose, Lockhart was eager to make it a reality. His breathing became rapid involuntarily, but he controlled himself and smiled at Loren: "Loren, when you're young, you should set a goal and work tirelessly for it. I believe you have your own judgment about your future career."

He patted Loren on the shoulder encouragingly: "From now on, come to my office every Wednesday evening. As a professor, you should help every student who is pursuing their dreams."

"Go back now, see you in class."

Before he knew it, Loren was led outside the door, without even having a chance to ask about the letter of recommendation.

Better to die for your fellow Daoist than for me.

Harry, I'm sorry.

He could only apologize to Harry in his heart once again.

(End of this chapter)