A certain broken Hogwarts

Chapter 128 Course

The next morning, the young wizards having breakfast in the Great Hall were all talking about Gilderoy Lockhart and the newly created position of security advisor, as well as Peter Pettigrew, whom they had learned from the Daily Prophet earlier, who had replaced Lockhart as the new professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Lockhart leaked the information early on, but before the start of the semester, most people didn't know who the new professor was or what his background was, which only increased the wizards' expectations. But it's clear that most of them are now greatly disappointed.

"To be honest, I had some expectations for him. After all, he managed to snatch Lockhart's position; he can't be a complete idiot," Draco said slowly. "But I realized I was wrong. I shouldn't have had any expectations at all. Look at how timid he is; I suspect he's ready to run away at any moment. Maybe he's some kind of relative of Dumbledore..."

Everyone followed his gaze to Peter Pettigrew, who was sitting in the teacher's seat. He was holding a piece of bread in both hands and munching on it quickly. His big, watery eyes were scanning the surroundings, as if he was looking for hidden dangers and escape routes. He looked just like a big rat stealing food.

But almost all the professors were willing to treat him kindly. Professor McGonagall, who was usually stern and unsmiling, showed a rare smile of concern and comfort in his presence, appearing quite amiable. Professors Flitwick and Sprout also spoke to him warmly, and even Hagrid, who was passing by the auditorium, came over and patted him hard on the shoulder with tears in his eyes, causing him to bury his head in the plate of ketchup in front of him.

Gilderoy Lockhart is keen on projecting a close relationship, often putting his arm around the other person's shoulder and flashing a bright smile at the crowd, as if he's always ready to be photographed by reporters.

Compared to them, Professor Snape, with his face full of disgust and disdain, stood out as an oddity. Dressed entirely in black, he exuded a gloomy and oppressive aura. Whenever his eyes caught sight of Peter Pettigrew, he would twitch his lips in disgust, as if he had seen a cockroach that had just crawled out of a dung heap, seemingly wanting to kick him over and stomp on his face a hundred or eighty times.

Peter Pettigrew, however, didn't dare to look him in the eye. He trembled and shrank back, looking as if he wished he could shrink into a ball and roll far away.

"We haven't even taken his class yet, so it's not appropriate to make assumptions," Daphne said, always maintaining a rational mind, gently twirling a strand of hair at her temple. "Look, the other professors treat Professor Peter very well; this is clearly not treatment reserved for those with connections, is it?"

“Besides the Headmaster,” Harry added, “I think Professor Snape wants to get rid of him. I suspect there’s some grudge between them.”

As he spoke, he stared blankly at Peter Pettigrew's right hand, which was missing its index finger, and then noticed that the other person was also looking at him as if sensing something, and a very complex emotion seemed to flash in those watery little eyes.

"No way, you two don't know him? Draco, Owen, I thought you two would at least know who he is..." Blaise's surprised tone brought Harry back to his senses.

"Oh, I know." Owen said casually, slowly eating a loaf of bread covered in blueberry jam. "My father told me about it."

"What?" Draco raised an eyebrow, then slightly lifted his pointed chin. "My dad knows too much, I don't want to listen..."

"This is a living Merlin First Class Medal recipient, a hero who bravely captured Death Eaters more than ten years ago..." Blaise recounted that not-so-distant history to the crowd in a somewhat exaggerated tone.

Finally, he added, "Of course, the fact that he didn't die makes his story insignificant. So, for many people, the only thing separating them from becoming a hero is death..."

"So, he's quite brave..." Harry glanced at Peter Pettigrew again, unable to associate him with bravery at all.

"Who knows what he's been through all these years," Blaise shrugged. "I think he might have paranoia. After all, the Dark Lord is a thing of the past, and he's the only one still worried about being hunted down by his followers..."

Hearing this, Harry shifted uncomfortably. Only a very few people knew that Voldemort was still alive, and had even infiltrated Hogwarts last term. He glanced at Owen, but Owen was engrossed in eating his bread and didn't even look at him.

In that sense, Harry could understand Professor Peter's fear, because Voldemort was indeed plotting a comeback and even capable of bewitching new followers.

After breakfast, the group left the auditorium to attend their first class of the semester: Transfiguration.

They encountered Lockhart on the way, who was idly strolling around the castle. Upon seeing Harry, Lockhart's eyes lit up. He cheerfully pushed Draco aside from Harry and continued his loud conversation, completely oblivious to Harry's dismissive and resistant expression, as well as the disdain on Draco's face.

Surprisingly, Lockhart followed everyone into the Transfiguration classroom. He flashed what he thought was an incredibly charming smile at the astonished Professor McGonagall, and took his place on the podium, saying matter-of-factly, "I think it's necessary for me to check for any potential safety hazards. You know, my task is very demanding, and I can't afford to be careless..."

Professor McGonagall nodded with a stern face and began her lecture as if he were invisible. Lockhart, quite self-disciplinedly, sat at the back of the classroom, not disrupting the lesson, but simply flashing a bright smile at the little witches who occasionally turned to look at him.

In this lesson, Professor McGonagall had them transform a beetle into a button. While the others were focused on practicing, Owen was already practicing the Vanishing Charm with the beetle, even effortlessly making the entire beetle disappear completely. Then, he waved his wand, bringing the beetle back.

Professor McGonagall, observing Owen's movements during her rounds, summoned a mouse for him to continue practicing. After seeing that Owen had successfully made it disappear again, she nodded in satisfaction and awarded Slytherin ten points.

The Vanishing Charm is a very peculiar spell. Theoretically, it can make anything disappear, but the more complex the object, the more difficult it becomes to cast. Generally speaking, it is more difficult to cast the Vanishing Charm on living objects than on inanimate objects, which is also related to the object's mass and volume. The more complex the living organism, the more difficult and costly it is to cast the Vanishing Charm on it.

Therefore, the Vanishing Charm is rarely used in actual combat because it is too difficult to use on magical beings, and it requires a high level of magical power from the wizard. Even making a part of an enemy's body disappear is very difficult. Even a master of Transfiguration like Professor McGonagall could hardly say whether she had the ability to make a person disappear.

No one can say for sure where the vanished things go; perhaps they are transferred to another place, or perhaps they temporarily disappear into nothingness. But there is no doubt that objects subjected to the Vanishing Charm can reappear, which is one of the charms of Transfiguration.

Owen was interested in the Vanishing Charm mainly because he was curious about where things that disappeared went. Similarly, he was also interested in the Transmutation Charm, which could conjure objects out of thin air. As for combat, he had plenty of spells at his disposal.

After practicing the Vanishing Charm with whatever was at hand, he began practicing the Transfiguration Charm, conjuring up a roll of parchment, a quill pen, and a gleaming silver knife out of thin air on his desk.

According to Gamp's basic transformation laws, food and magical items cannot be conjured out of thin air. The more complex the transformation, the more difficult it is, and there is a time limit.

The Transfiguration class passed uneventfully; even the most mischievous students dared not cause trouble in Professor McGonagall's class. However, at the end of get out of class, Lockhart walked briskly to the podium and addressed the young wizards below, saying, "Of course, I knew nothing dangerous would happen in Professor McGonagall's class!"

He winked mischievously at the crowd: "However, I've noticed that many people have great difficulty learning Transfiguration. Actually, once you grasp the tricks, you'll find it's not difficult at all... If you want to learn more, you can carefully read my books, 'Wandering with Ghouls' and 'A Year with the XZ Snowman,' in which I explore the secrets of Transfiguration in depth..."

Professor McGonagall's stern face grew increasingly stiff; her nostrils twitched slightly, and she looked as if she wanted nothing more than to kick the guy out of the classroom. Lockhart, oblivious to everything, finished his long speech, waved cheerfully to Professor McGonagall, and walked briskly out of the classroom.

Harry gave Professor McGonagall a somewhat sympathetic look and said, "What a self-absorbed fellow, isn't he?"

"But he's handsome..." Pansy muttered to herself.

The second class was Owen's least favorite: Herbalism. While the unique magical plants were indeed fascinating, that didn't mean Herbalism class was any more interesting. At least, Owen had never been keen on being in a steamy greenhouse, nor did he find the idea of ​​rolling up his sleeves and tending to uncooperative plants while treading on damp, manure-covered soil particularly appealing.

Most importantly, students were required to concentrate on their work during Herbology class, and Professor Sprout forbade the use of magic, as it was believed to cause trouble. This prevented Owen from immersing himself in the Wallfacer's Space to learn other subjects, forcing him to perform repetitive and tedious manual labor like everyone else.

For example, in this herbal medicine class, Professor Sprout had them continue what the students had been doing in the previous class: putting the remaining mandrake seedlings into pots. Those mandrakes, which were very unwilling to move, twisted their ugly roots and clung tightly to the soil, kicking and punching the students, throwing smelly mud everywhere, and even biting their fingers.

The students had to wear special earmuffs to block out the mandrake's deadly cries, and they fought wits and courage against the unruly magical plant, getting covered in mud while sweating profusely.

Unsurprisingly, Lockhart also showed up for the herbalism class. He was wearing the same earmuffs, pinching his nose and standing far away, when a poisonous tentacle wrapped around his neck.

Professor Sprout quickly abandoned the young wizards who were fighting with the mandrake and rescued Lockhart from the poisonous tentacle. Fortunately, the tentacle hadn't grown any deadly fangs yet, otherwise Lockhart would probably have had to stay in the school hospital for quite some time, and might even have set a record for the fastest dismissal of a Hogwarts professor.

Just before get out of class ended, Draco strained with all his might to pull a mandrake out of the soil, only to slip and fall flat on his backside. The mandrake's doll-like roots slammed into his face, nearly ripping off his earplugs. His flowerpot was overturned, and all the dragon manure inside was poured over him.

Owen and Harry finally managed to pluck the mandrake from Draco's face and stuff it into a large flowerpot. Draco, his face dark with embarrassment, muttered to himself until the end of class, "I've never been so humiliated in my life... I really don't know what the point of this class is; we're not here to do manual labor!"

Having recovered from his shock, Lockhart unsurprisingly jumped out again, shouting, "I think it's irresponsible of the students to have so many dangerous plants here!" He then turned to Professor Sprout and said, "Of course, I'm not questioning you; I'm simply offering a reasonable suggestion from the perspective of student safety."

"Oh, that little accident was just a joke I played on you all. You must have been scared, right? Actually, I've known for a long time that it doesn't have any fangs. Just like I wrote in my book 'Breaking Up with the Ghost,' you have to learn to observe your surroundings carefully..." Lockhart chuckled and typed "GG," then turned and left gracefully amidst the admiring gazes of the group of little witches.

Irving watched Lockhart's retreating figure with amusement. What kind of male version of Umbridge is this...?

After lunch, they had to rush to their History of Magic class. On the way, Harry was secretly photographed by Colin Crevy, a little fan of his from Gryffindor. When caught, Crevy hopped away like a rabbit, leaving Harry stunned.

During the drowsy History of Magic class, Owen didn't discuss history of magic with the Ghost Professor as usual. Instead, he went off to study advanced magical theories in the Wallfacer and began his first practical application.

The initial attempt was to add power to the Levitation Charm, allowing levitated objects to fly out quickly, potentially even reaching speeds similar to a bullet. Although such advanced spells were recorded in advanced spellbooks, Owen decided to first improve upon them himself, then compare their advantages and disadvantages, laying the foundation for creating his own unique spells in the future.

The class flew by. Without Owen's occasional questions and discussions, the young wizards were almost all unable to resist Professor Binns's hypnotic influence. At the end of class, Harry couldn't help but remark, "I'm actually a little disappointed that Lockhart wasn't in this class."

"Agreed." Draco yawned, his face bearing the red marks left from sleeping.

In the days that followed, Lockhart seemed to be everywhere at Hogwarts.

In the first Defense Against the Dark Arts class of the semester, Peter Pettigrew's teaching ability greatly disappointed the students.

When he called Harry's name, he suddenly cried out in a shrill voice, "Harry Potter... Harry, oh..." His small, watery eyes looked at him with a mixture of pity and complexity, and he murmured to himself, "I'm so sorry, I... sigh, next..."

He seemed hesitant to speak, as if he had many stories to tell, which piqued Harry's curiosity. He whispered to Owen, "I feel like he knows me, or rather, he might know my parents."

Owen curled his lip. Although he didn't know Peter Pettigrew's purpose in coming to Hogwarts, he was certain he didn't have any good intentions towards Harry. This was a trap.

He didn't say anything. With Dumbledore and Snape looking after Harry, it was unlikely he'd encounter any danger, so Owen didn't need to worry about him. Speaking of which, he was curious how Peter Pettigrew dealt with Dumbledore's potential Legilimency. Quirrell could carry Voldemort with him, so what about this guy?

While Owen was lost in thought, Peter Pettigrew finished taking attendance and stood on the podium, wringing his hands, looking even more nervous than the young wizards who had been called on to answer questions. He taught methodically from the textbook, without any distinctive features, and even his speech was somewhat stuttering, making the students feel as if they were back in the classroom of the previous semester. Fortunately, he didn't stutter, otherwise even more young wizards would have begun to suspect that he was Quirrell in disguise.

When Peter Pettigrew finally lost control of the classroom, Lockhart kindly came to his rescue. He repeatedly emphasized to the young wizards that Peter Pettigrew was a recipient of the Order of Merlin, a third-class honorary member of the Defense Against the Dark Arts, and a five-time winner of the Wizarding Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award. He then put his arm around Peter's shoulder as if he were standing on an awards stage.

In the following minutes, he volunteered to take out his wand and demonstrate the Obstacle Charm several times. In three minutes, he accidentally shattered four window panes, turned the blackboard into a sticky mess, hung a little wizard from the ceiling, and even turned Peter Pettigrew into an afro…

When Peter Pettigrew finished the eventfully chaotic lesson, drenched in sweat, he looked at Lockhart with a strange expression. Was this guy just there to cause trouble...?

Lockhart simply waved goodbye and left, appearing as if he had kept his achievements hidden, but the mess he had caused continued.

During Potions class, Lockhart, who brazenly entered the classroom, was ruthlessly kicked out by Professor Snape. The classroom door was slammed shut, almost flattening his handsome nose.

Because of this incident, Snape, who was already unpopular in the other houses, was even more denounced by many young witches. However, Snape's reputation was too great, and they could only feel sorry for Lockhart behind his back.

During the Charms class, Lockhart shamelessly gave his book a "GG" again and told everyone he would be happy to sign it for them. He also announced that he would be waiting for everyone in his office, acting as a counselor and claiming that protecting students' mental health was his responsibility.

After saying that, he turned and left with a bright smile, completely unaware that Professor Flitwick had secretly made a bald patch on the back of his head, causing a large group of little wizards who had long been fed up with him to burst into laughter.

Even so, little witches continued to flock to Lockhart's office every day, finding various excuses. They would skip school to visit their idol, confide their teenage worries to him, and finally leave reluctantly with Lockhart's autograph.

It is said that Hermione and Pansy from the study group once secretly went to his office and were coaxed into willingly buying his entire collection of books, an incident that Draco laughed at for a long time.

Fortunately, Lockhart, who used to wander around the castle like a street urchin every day, finally managed to attract Peeves' attention and become Peeves' new target for teasing.

What a joy.

(End of this chapter)