Having escaped famine, I was accepted into Hogwarts

Chapter 121 The Noble Physics Department!

Of course, Kane was among these silent people who felt something was wrong, very wrong.

At this moment, he was scratching the back of his head in a daze, muttering to himself, "Could he really be Talent Bro?"

After all, whether it was Dumbledore giving him private lessons or someone else giving him private lessons in private, if he really had no talent at all, it would be extremely difficult for him to learn to this level.

Just like that precious thing Felch, even if Dumbledore were given to him as a tutor for two years, the probability of him successfully releasing the fluorescent flash would be less than one percent.

Although it sounds like a personal attack, that's the truth.

Lockhart, sitting on the dueling platform, seemed to thoroughly enjoy the astonishment of the young wizards and professors. Combined with his previous lackluster performance in upperclassmen classes, he even felt a momentary sense of exhilaration, as if he were playing dumb to outwit his opponent.

After this duel, I think I'll be able to regain my dignity in the upper-level classrooms.

Thinking of this, Lockhart's lips gradually hardened. He was lost in passion and reckless. He flicked his wand upwards slightly, looking extremely arrogant, as if he was about to say, "Come at me all at once!"

However, according to the rules, they were not allowed to go up together. Thus, the entire dueling club seemed to have become a stage for Lockhart to show himself alone. The only difference was that the young wizards couldn't stop cheering and jumping for joy, while the seniors and professors had livid faces.

The former felt that Lockhart was so brave, yet his lessons were so abstract, which was definitely not right. The latter, on the other hand, were all unsure where Lockhart had learned these spells from and who had taught him them.

They all looked at Dumbledore, but Dumbledore just shook his head helplessly. Whether they believed it or not, Lockhart's level in his office was only that of a third-year student.

Soon it was time for the last challenger. Kane, beaming with pride, stepped onto the dueling platform and secretly gave Lockhart a thumbs-up that only he could see.

As friends, Kane was naturally happy to see Lockhart improve so much despite his poor performance.

As for the duel that's about to begin, I'll definitely hold back again. It's not that Lockhart can't beat me if I don't hold back, but mainly that if I go all out and still can't beat Lockhart, and then I end up using all my skills on the dueling stage because I don't hold back, and still lose miserably, how embarrassing would that be?

It would be better to be like those people before, easily knocked off the dueling stage. The seniors in the fifth, sixth, and seventh grades were all subdued in one move. Who could blame them?

If I can't handle Lockhart, then I can handle you?

Soon, after Kane and Lockhart bowed to each other on the dueling platform, Kane looked up again and suddenly noticed that Lockhart had changed. His eyes had become very strange, and the eerie, crooked smile that combined ruthlessness, passion, and suicidal tendencies had disappeared. It was as if he had become a different person. A red spell flew towards him.

Hiss... Thunder Explosion, something's not right, is it? I'd better put on Shadow Armor and then do a backflip to actively escape the duel arena.

Judging from the current situation, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Lockhart has either taken shelter from the sand or been possessed. Otherwise, why would he use a Summoning Charm to beat up other junior wizards, but directly use a Explosion Charm on himself? Does he think he's an illegal structure?

While waiting to leave the dueling ring, I was a second too late in complaining to Dumbledore, so I, Heath, had to... rewrite it!

Very quickly. The instant the Explosive Spell struck Kane's Shadow Armor, Kane instinctively tried to use the force of the explosion to jump off the dueling platform. However, due to the Shadow Armor's superior 95% damage reduction...

Well, in the eyes of other professors and young wizards, Lockhart simply put a rocket close to Kane's face, that was all. Oh, not only that, Kane also did a rather bizarre and abstract backward jump, which some Muggle wizards thought he was planning to do a backward jump to woo a mate.

Kane gave a slightly embarrassed smile: "Well, my athletic performance isn't very good, huh? Wait for me to jump again." Just as Kane was about to jump back off the dueling platform, Lockhart's Polymorph caused a wave to surge up from behind the platform, violently propelling Kane right in front of Lockhart.

At this moment, Kane finally saw Lockhart's expression clearly. It was nothing like the wise expression of the foolish writer he had seen before. On the contrary, Snape looked kind and amiable compared to this expression.

The case is solved; Lockhart has most likely been possessed.

Without a moment's thought, Kane instinctively gripped his wand and thrust it towards Lockhart, only to have it blocked solidly by a silver-white armor spell.

This was a relief to the senior wizards who had been tossed around like rag dolls by Lockhart.

If Professor Lockhart, whom they had so easily defeated, were to have his defenses easily breached by Kane's dagger-shaped wand, then they would truly lose face.

But before they could completely relax, Kane's wand flashed, and Lockhart's armor shattered on the ground.

Those senior wizards who had been ousted from the stage earlier all fell silent.

After all, this is unreasonable, illegal, and unethical.

Lockhart was, after all, a wizard in his thirties, and it was one thing for him to whip us around like tops.

So, this person's Ironclad Spell was shattered by Kane? It's a conspiracy! Definitely a conspiracy!

Just as the scene was about to transform from a wizard duel into an Assassin's Creed moment, Lockhart suddenly pointed his wand at his feet, causing the dueling platform to ripple once more, sending Kane flying far away.

Lockhart, although we don't know who's currently in charge, let's just assume it's Lockhart for now.

In short, Lockhart also meticulously placed a wall of fire on the ground, more to defend against Kane than against assassins, aiming to prevent anyone from getting close, even at the cost of death.

The wall of fire in front of him not only blocked Kane's assassin combo, but also blocked Lockhart's vision on the other side. At this moment, he was studying what spell he should use to kill Kane, a guy who was likely to be detrimental to his plans, right under the noses of Dumbledore and a bunch of professors.

It's like a male or female homosexual playing with a straight male. Before entering the other side, you have to give the impression of joking around, but once you're inside, the other side realizes it's too late.

The spell you choose now must be deceptive.

Dumbledore and a large group of professors believed they were acting with restraint, but by the time the curse actually struck Kane, they belatedly realized it was too late.

As for this incompetent professor's body, of course I'll just use it and throw it away. Why bother with the trouble of possessing someone else's body when I could rely on the resurrection ritual? His talent might not even be as good as mine.

While Lockhart was figuring out how to stealthily kill Kane, Kane on the other side of the firewall was also figuring out how to control Lockhart without harming him.

Magic attacks are a bit too extreme, so physical attacks are better at putting enemies to sleep.

The next moment, the Shadow Codex suddenly appeared in his hand...

"Yeah, I should have practiced golf before."

After saying that, the shadow beneath Kane's feet suddenly transformed into a sharp claw, grabbing Lockhart's neck before he could even react, and swiftly pulled him through the flames to stand before Kane.

Kane, meanwhile, was already holding the Shadow Codex in both hands, poised to strike like a golfer, just waiting for Lockhart's head to come crashing down with a bang!

Chapter 122 A Minor Accident

The force was just right; it caused unconsciousness without harming the brain.

Just like Lockhart, who was sleeping soundly on the dueling platform, the professors and students below the platform were all equally bewildered.

The young wizards were all confused. Had Lockhart and Quirrell held back during last year's teaching, or had Kane and Dumbledore made some kind of shady deal?

What exactly is that writhing, twisting shadow under their feet? They want to learn too!

Moreover, the methods of attacking Lockhart at close range with a dagger and wand and knocking Lockhart unconscious with a book are things that a wizard's mind could come up with.

Are you a wizard or not?

The professors' thoughts were not as complicated as the young wizards'. Since most of them knew that Kane and Lockhart had spent some time traveling together during the holidays, they wondered if Lockhart had made such a big show of himself and lost face because of some strange deal, just to cooperate with Kane and make him appear in front of others.

That shouldn't be the case. Kane doesn't have any extraordinary background; he's just an orphan. It's impossible that Kane is really more powerful than a seventh-grade wizard, right?

Don't make your professor laugh.

Unlike the various brainstorming sessions off the dueling ring, Kane was busy with his craft.

After wrapping the unconscious Lockhart in a cocoon of shadow, he beckoned to Dumbledore: "Professor Dumbledore, Lockhart seems a bit strange."

At this point, Dumbledore still didn't sense anything strange. He simply smiled, stood up, and walked over, intending to take Lockhart to the infirmary for a good night's sleep.

“Lockhart has indeed become very strong, but Kane, we cannot assume that a person is static. We should congratulate Lockhart on his progress, not criticize him,” Dumbledore said gently.

"Um, thank you for the lesson, but what I meant was that Lockhart seemed like a different person just now. His expression, the details, his demeanor—all these strange things... You should come and take a look."

As Kane spoke, he jumped off the dueling platform with Lockhart, and the other professors gathered around, clearly wanting to know what strange changes had occurred to Lockhart.

After he opened the Shadow Cocoon that was wrapped around Lockhart, a parchment page floated up and wobbled. Just as Dumbledore was about to reach for it, the page suddenly changed its angle and flew towards the stairwell in the blink of an eye.

Just as it was about to escape the auditorium and become free, a shadowy claw suddenly grabbed it and pulled it back firmly.

Ginny, who was just watching from the sidelines in the auditorium, felt as if the sky had fallen when she saw the page of the book struggling to stay afloat.

Tom was dismembered!

That was her first thought, then her second: Tom should still be in Lockhart's office, so it might not be too late to go find him!

No... I can't go myself. Tom was confiscated from me by Lockhart. If I can't find Tom, Dumbledore will definitely ask Lockhart and find out about me from him.

I need to find someone else to help me...

Wait, will this even work? How well can this fool the clever Dumbledore?

We have to give it a try, just in case!

With that thought in mind, Ginny tried her best to make herself inconspicuous and jogged toward the Ravenclaw table. Fortunately, the Great Hall was in a mess right now, and no one would pay attention to her!

Meanwhile...

“Hmm, I can tell. He probably wants to go back to Lockhart’s office.” Dumbledore reached out and took the parchment, almost instantly understanding the reason for Lockhart’s current behavior.

Clearly, he had obtained a magical artifact with its own thoughts, which looked like a book. With that in mind, he set off to Lockhart's office to see what kind of trickery was going on there.

Then, suddenly feeling that leaving Lockhart alone here wasn't a good idea, Professor Sprout made Lockhart float up: "I'll take him to the infirmary, don't worry."

"Thank you for your hard work." Dumbledore nodded and led Kane, Snape, and Professor McGonagall to Lockhart's office. The latter two were Dumbledore's right-hand men, so it was only right that they went to the office with him.

Kane, on the other hand, went to check on Lockhart as a friend, since he couldn't trust that a friend he could chat with and even pay for was being switched out without his knowledge.

Soon, the group hurriedly arrived at Lockhart's office and meticulously checked everything from his desk and bookshelves to under his bed, but nothing unusual was found.

Dumbledore even used the Patronus Charm to detect dark magic, scanning the entire office in a way that suggested the Patronus might feel uneasy around a dark magical object, but he found not a single trace of dark magic.

"Hmm, isn't that strange? Could it be that the page of dark magic isn't a book, but a piece of paper?" Dumbledore muttered, raising an eyebrow as he looked at the parchment page he held in his hand.

“I need to check the records in the school’s owlhouse to see if Lockhart has been in contact with anyone.” Professor McGonagall said, turning to leave. Kane then raised his hand somewhat awkwardly: “Well, Lockhart gets hundreds of fan letters every month, and he replies to every single one. Isn’t that like looking for a needle in a haystack?”

Dumbledore nodded. "Indeed. I think we should wait until Lockhart wakes up before making any further plans. Until then, allow me to examine this strange page. Hmm... it's quite unsettling."

As he spoke, he picked up the parchment, his brow furrowed tightly behind his sunglasses.

Soon the crowd dispersed, and Dumbledore, instead of returning to the headmaster's office, began studying the mischievous piece of paper in Lockhart's office. Kane and Snape went home, while Professor McGonagall, though knowing it was like looking for a needle in a haystack, still felt it necessary to go to the owlhouse to look for clues.

What if?

Meanwhile, in the Gryffindor Tower, Kane had just entered the Gryffindor common room when he was hit in the head at close range by two magical fireworks, leaving him with no cover. He wasn't using his Shadow Armor right now.

Fortunately, the magic fireworks were all light effects and had no physical form, so I wasn't hurt.

The moment the fireworks went off, almost the entire Gryffindor Tower erupted in cheers. Perhaps it was because Kane had defeated Lockhart, whom even the older Slytherins hadn't been able to defeat, or perhaps it was for some other reason—maybe they just needed an excuse to have a party.

Except for Hermione, who was staring at the fireplace in deep thought, almost everyone else had an uncontrollable smile on their face.

Even Ginny, who had been in a bad mood, was happy.

Halfway through the party, Dumbledore's origami crane flew into Kane's hands.

Lockhart woke up in the infirmary, completely unharmed. All the magic he had learned was still there, and he showed no resentment about Kane defeating him, displaying a completely normal attitude.

I don't know what happened, but a little accident occurred.

Chapter 123 I can't think about it anymore, it would be impolite to think about it any longer!