Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 46 The Debate on Lockhart

Tree guard beetles are very peaceful; they will never attack people unless provoked. Moreover, if you have beetles or other small insects, it is easy to win them over.

Bowtruckles are very loyal to their owners. Although they can be a little temperamental at times, they are easy to soothe and can be quite useful in certain ways, such as unlocking doors.

Most importantly, they're adorable!

Back at the dorm with Jimmy, Stuart and Terry were intrigued, but only played with him for a short while before resting. Cute magical creatures like the Bowtruckle were more popular with the little witches.

If Ekko brought back a dragon or a thunderbird, that would be a different story.

The next morning there were two classes: Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Professor Flitwick taught the Freezing Charm. Although the spell is called "freezing," it doesn't actually have any "ice" effect. Its effect is to freeze the target and stop their movement, even if the target is flying in the air.

It's a very effective control spell; its effectiveness depends on the amount of magic and the size of the target. An ordinary novice wizard casting the Freeze Charm on Professor Flitwick might have no effect whatsoever. However, against creatures like Bowtruckles and Nifflers, the effect is very noticeable.

In class, Professor Flitwick gave each of the young wizards a beetle and asked them to try to freeze the darting little creatures. This was clearly not an easy task; the scene from last semester's Transfiguration spell was repeating itself—the wands were waving wildly, but the wizards just couldn't hit these nimble beetles and might accidentally injure someone else.

Michael's freezing spell hit the unlucky Morty, but Professor Flitwick saved Morty with a counter-spell.

Ike was ignored; Professor Flitwick didn't give him any beetles, nor did he call on him to answer questions when he first explained the spells.

Perhaps Dumbledore revealed something to the professors; after all, there are some spells, and Ike's level is already comparable to the professors'.

The freezing spell wasn't complicated, and by the end of get out of class, everyone had basically frozen the beetles in place. Ike put away "Ancient Rune Analysis" and headed straight for the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom with the other eagles.

Lockhart was incredibly attractive to the witches; almost the entire year's witches were his admirers. In contrast, the wizards were not so friendly towards him.

Besides Lockhart attracting too much attention from witches, his level of defense against the dark magic was also unconvincing.

In yesterday's Defense Against the Dark Arts class for senior students, Lockhart started the class by having the students fill out a test, which contained questions such as Lockhart's favorite color and Lockhart's ideals, more like a fan questionnaire.

The subsequent lessons also focused on the material from the book, interspersed with plenty of self-praise. It must be said, however, that Lockhart's storytelling skills were remarkable, captivating the witches even more. And the wizards, without any idol-like fascination, discovered that his skill level was quite similar to that of the previous Defense Against the Dark Arts professors.

A half-full bottle makes a lot of noise.

Last night in the common room, Roger and his senior male wizards launched the first attack on Penelope and her female wizards. Roger made it clear that Lockhart was a glamorous fraud who was good for nothing except for showing off his shiny white teeth.

Penelope also stated that Roger was simply jealous because Lockhart was more handsome and talented, not only a bestselling author but also a recipient of the Order of Merlin, Third Class—qualities that Roger could likely never achieve in his lifetime.

Roger was infuriated by Penelope. He carefully analyzed Lockhart's lecture and concluded that the entire lesson consisted of nothing but self-praise and reading from his own book—in that respect, he was no different from Quirrell last year.

Then, Roger was defeated by Penelope.

"Professor Lockhart is much more handsome! How can Quirrell compare to him!"

Ike naturally didn't witness this exciting duel, but according to Stewart, Penelope's words almost made Roger vomit blood. Roger's face turned black, and after stammering for a long time, he shouted and went back to his dormitory.

"Ike, do you think Penelope is right or Roger is right?" Terry asked, sitting in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. "I really wish we had a reliable Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. I heard that the previous five or six professors didn't have any real skills, and one of them was even an alcoholic who got drunk and was strangled to death by the Devil's Web."

"I don't know." Ike shook his head. "But I think he's at least a bit more reliable than Quirrell. At least some of the content in his book is quite insightful."

"Aren't those just novels?" Stuart leaned closer, looking at Ike with a puzzled expression.

"There is a very interesting description in 'Breaking Up with the Female Ghost': ...Under the moonlight, she sang softly, a tune I had never heard before, like an aria, and I even saw a trace of emotion and longing on her face..."

"...I listened quietly, feeling as if I were enveloped in soft velvet, a feeling of complete comfort..."

"...Unfortunately, a cloud soon obscured the moonlight, and she returned to her dazed state..."

Stuart looked completely bewildered and asked in astonishment, "You actually memorized it? Good heavens!"

"Don't you think this part is interesting?" Ike countered. "Female ghosts are different from phantoms. They don't have the ability to communicate with the outside world like phantoms, nor do they have memories of their past lives. Most of the time, female ghosts are dazed and will emit ear-piercing screams that make people faint without any pattern."

"But this book actually describes female ghosts as having expressions and being able to sing beautiful melodies!" Ekden paused, the look in his eyes sending chills down Stuart's spine. "Do you know what that means? It means our current understanding of female ghosts might be wrong! They might regain some memories from their past lives under certain conditions, and might even become ghosts!"

"Maybe it's made up," Terry said.

"It's possible, but it might also be true." Ike's eyes were burning. "There are many similar stories in his books. Some, like the one about the female ghost, seem unbelievable, but some are true. For example, the story about the werewolf's transformation in 'Wandering with the Werewolf,' where the werewolf retains basic concepts of good and evil even after transforming. That's true."

"Of course, I'm more interested in some of the spells in it, such as the spell used to exorcise the ghost Wanlun at the end of 'Breaking Up with the Ghost,' which might be a new spell!"

"A new spell? Invented by Lockhart?" Stuart was quite surprised.

"Very likely." Ike nodded seriously. "Of course, this is just my guess. I'll ask him later if I have the chance."

"Okay, I hope you succeed." Stuart and Terry felt that Ike had changed. He was no longer the smart and wise Ravenclaw wizard they remembered, and like Penelope and the others, he had been brainwashed by Lockhart.

However, there was nothing they could do about it. A year of contact had made Stuart and the others very clear about what kind of person Ike was; once he made a decision, it was basically unwavering.

"May Merlin bless you! May Ike see Lockhart's true colors soon!" Roger's faithful follower, Stewart, prayed silently.

Based on last year's experience, once Ike gets serious about something, it often becomes very troublesome and can even disrupt his and Terry's peaceful daily life.

"We are wise Ravenclaws, not those reckless lions!"

First update delivered. Two more chapters to come, I'll try to finish them quickly.

Please recommend and vote with monthly tickets!

(End of this chapter)