My Hogwarts has a serious problem.

Chapter 261, Chapter 258. Thank you, Professor Lockhart.

"What? You're not happy now that I've let you relax a bit? If you want to keep studying hard, that's fine too. Hermione won't supervise you anymore, I'll take over. Anyway, I don't have much to do this weekend."

Harry and Ron turned pale with fright upon hearing this. They had been studying intensely for a week straight, and then Professor McGonagall's punishment for them breaking the Whomping Willow at the start of the semester was handed down. They had worked hard for several nights to complete her requirements, and now that they could finally relax for a while, if Lynn were to add more burdens to them, they would really be exhausted.

"No, no, I suddenly remembered that I have to go to Quidditch training today, so I won't bother you any longer. See you later."

"Uh, I'm going with Harry too. I'm planning to join the Gryffindor team next year."

Harry and Ron were scared away by Lynn, and he then returned to the Defense Against the Dark Arts office.

After switching identities with Umaru in the office, Lynn gave her some serious advice.

"Hogwarts is likely to get a bit turbulent in a while, especially since you're still using my identity. So it's best if you don't spend too much time alone at school. Try to eat with Ian Cedric and the others as much as possible, and if things get urgent later, don't pretend to be me anymore. It's okay to let the identity of 'Lynn' disappear from Hogwarts for a while."

Xiao Mai is quite obedient when it comes to important matters. She knows that Lynn has been busy with some very dangerous things since the beginning of this semester, so she obediently nodded to indicate that she understood.

"Don't forget your promise to buy me a game console if I pass your magic test."

"Never forget, those who lie to children are all bad guys."

"And you still haven't bought the snacks you promised me."

"I forgot about that because Harry and Ron stopped me. Anyway, tomorrow is the weekend and Hogsmeade Week, so you can go to town with Ian Cedric and the others. Buy whatever you want to eat."

Umaru blinked at him: "But I don't have much pocket money left."

Lynn waved her hand dismissively: "Come back to me after you've bought everything, and I'll reimburse you."

"Hehe, you're so nice, Lynn!"

After Umaru left, Lynn didn't rest either. He had been busy with classes and the Basilisk, so his time for learning spells was greatly reduced.

So now that he has some rare free time, he spends it all on learning spells, especially the two spells he lacks most right now: Apparition and Patronus Charm.

Apparition is something you can't just practice on your own, but Lynn has made an appointment with Dumbledore. This summer, Dumbledore will create a special area for him at Hogwarts without anti-Apparition magic, and then find a professor to teach him one-on-one.

As for the Guardian Charm, although he could practice this extremely powerful spell in private, it wasn't something he could learn in a day or two.

In particular, this spell itself does not require such high skill, but it has extremely demanding requirements on the caster's emotions. You must be in a state of sufficient joy and happiness to release your guardian spirit.

There's not much to say about the incantation and the staff-waving gestures. With enough practice, even the most slow learner can master them; the only difference is the time it takes.

However, Lynn never quite grasped the key to cultivating a sense of happiness.

Perhaps the happiness he perceives isn't the kind of happiness that truly makes him feel happy, or perhaps his emotions aren't rich or intense enough to condense that happiness into the requirements of the Guardian Spell.

While the Patronus Charm he's using now can produce silver threads from the tip of his staff and has some effectiveness against magical creatures like Dementors and Groundbats, it's certainly not as practical as a fully formed Patronus Charm.

However, Lynn wasn't too worried about the curse, as he was unlikely to be dealing with Dementors or anything like that in the near future.

That very weekend, while Lynn was studying the Patronus Charm in his office, a student knocked on his office door.

"Miss Fontana, is there anything I can help you with?"

The newcomer was Basild Fontana, a first-year student from Ravenclaw. Lynn had a fairly strong impression of her; among the first-year students, she had the best grades in Defense Against the Dark Arts, even surpassing Luna and Ginny.

The girl is a bit shy and rarely speaks in class. She usually asks him questions in his office after class.

"Professor Lockhart," she asked hesitantly, clutching her robe, "could you please write me a permit to borrow books from the restricted section of the library?"

After hearing her request, Lynn frowned at her: "You're only a first-year student, right? Even for older students, it's dangerous to borrow those books from the restricted section. What do you want to do with them?"

Behild pursed her lips: "I... I just feel like I've already learned everything in the textbooks, and I have nothing to do in my spare time. I heard that there's a lot of powerful magic in the restricted section of the library."

Lynn raised an eyebrow at her: "You mean the spells I teach you in class are too simple?"

Behirde's pale face flushed slightly, and she quickly waved her hand, saying, "No, Professor, that's not what I meant."

Lynn knew that wasn't what she meant. He still remembered some of the questions and things the little girl had asked and said in the classroom. She clearly had something on her mind. Lynn originally didn't intend to interfere, but seeing the little girl's pursuit of power, he was afraid she might go astray if no one guided her.

Even though he wasn't a real professor at Hogwarts yet, he felt it was his responsibility to prevent such a hardworking and studious girl from going astray.

"I understand that's not what I meant, but the spellbooks in the restricted section of the library are too dangerous for you. If you really feel that your learning progress has exceeded the level of a first-year student, you can come to my office on weekends. I can teach you some more difficult spells, but I also need to test your level to make sure you have really reached that level."

Behirde's eyes held a hint of expectation, but her expression was somewhat hesitant: "Isn't this too much trouble for you, Professor?"

"It's no trouble at all. As a professor, it's my responsibility to answer students' questions," Lynn said seemingly nonchalantly, but in reality, he was secretly bleeding inside, as he had to take away a portion of his already limited time.

"Thank you, Professor Lockhart!"

(End of this chapter)