Hogwarts Bloodline Chapter 161: Did You Steal My Headline? - Novel Cool

Chapter 161: Did You Steal My Headline?

Chapter 161: Did You Steal My Headline?

After some conversation, even though Arthur remained tight-lipped and unwilling to say more, Ivan still managed to gather some information about his background.

The more information he obtained, the more puzzled he became.

Could it be that his father's fate was somehow connected to Dumbledore, or perhaps he was even eliminated by Dumbledore?

Ivan speculated, but quickly dismissed the idea. After all, he had met Dumbledore several times alone at school, and the old headmaster clearly had no ill will towards him.

Furthermore, if that were the case, Aisia wouldn't have sent him to Hogwarts.

Ivan even wondered if his father might have been a member of the Order of the Phoenix, which would explain why Mr. Weasley knew him. However, he couldn't bring himself to ask, as he wasn't supposed to know about the Order of the Phoenix yet.

Lost in thought, he soon found himself at Flourish and Blotts.

Perhaps because it was close to the start of the school year, the place was bustling with activity, with a large crowd gathered outside.

Upon closer inspection, Ivan noticed that most of the people were Witches, ranging from teenage young Witches to elderly Witches. They all looked excited, eager to push their way inside.

"Wow! It's Mr. Lockhart's book signing! We came at the perfect time!" Hermione exclaimed, pointing at a banner hanging from the upper window.

Ivan followed Hermione's gaze and saw that the banner read, "Gilderoy Lockhart signing copies of his autobiography, Magical Me, today in the afternoon!"

"Gilderoy Lockhart? Who is he?" Harry looked at the crowd at the bookstore entrance, doubting they would be able to get inside easily.

"You don't know him?" Hermione was surprised and continued in a rapid-fire manner.

"Most of the books we need to buy this year are written by him! I bet the new professor is a big fan of Lockhart!"

Without pausing, Hermione began to recount Gilderoy Lockhart's "great achievements", such as winning the Most Charming Smile Award five times in Witch Weekly, using magic to defeat trolls, traveling with vampires, and being a recipient of the Third-Class Order of Merlin!

"Order of Merlin? Isn't that the same as Ivan?" Harry was dazed by Lockhart's "achievements" but only managed to understand the last part.

"Yes! I think Ivan will definitely achieve the same success as Mr. Lockhart!" Hermione said excitedly.

"No, I'm not quite the same as Lockhart. I received a Second-Class Order of Merlin!" Ivan said calmly, indicating that he was one level higher than Lockhart.

He didn't want to be compared to Lockhart in the future.

Hermione paused in her praise, and Harry nearly burst out laughing. He wasn't particularly fond of Lockhart, and Hermione's constant chatter was starting to annoy him.

Hermione pursed her lips and glared at them.

At that moment, the crowd began to disperse as Lockhart, having finished his book signing, was making his way out. Camera flashes went off around him, and a few middle-aged Witches screamed in excitement, captivated by Lockhart's smile.

Lockhart was about to acknowledge his enthusiastic fans when his gaze accidentally fell on Ivan. His eyes lit up as if he had discovered a treasure, and he pushed through the reporters and the crowd, heading straight for them.

Ivan furrowed his brow and was about to pull Harry away, but they were clearly too slow. Lockhart quickly rushed over, grabbing Harry's arm with surprise.

"Isn't this Harry Potter?"

The sound of camera shutters clicking filled the air, and the blinding flashes made Harry very uncomfortable. What made him even more uncomfortable was that Lockhart kept a firm grip on his arm.

Harry tried to break free, but Lockhart's arm was like an iron clamp, tightly restraining him.

Harry could only turn to Hermione and Ivan for help.

Ivan shrugged, indicating his helplessness and wishing Harry good luck.

Hermione, on the other hand, was so excited upon seeing Lockhart that she could hardly walk. She was eager to approach him and say a few words.

But Lockhart paid her no attention, even finding this little Witch who was trying to get closer to be a nuisance. He subconsciously pushed her into the crowd and turned to Ivan, who was standing behind.

"And you! Ivan Hals, the genius who developed the Wolfsbane Potion!"

"What a day! To meet so many celebrities!" Lockhart seemed very pleased, showing even more interest in Ivan than in Harry. He unknowingly raised his voice.

After all, this was the Young Wizard who had stolen his headline!

When Lockhart woke up that morning, he had expected to see a headline about his book signing event. Instead, he found that the entire Daily Prophet was filled with stories about Ivan Hals's genius!

You can imagine how disappointed he was!

However, Lockhart considered himself not a petty person, at least not in front of the media. So he pulled the two of them close for photos, speaking in a tone that suggested he was mentoring the younger generation.

"I read today's report, and I'm quite surprised by the achievements you've made at such a young age."

At this point, Lockhart smiled and winked at Ivan, his tone light and teasing.

"I must say you picked a good time! Last year, I was busy resolving a goblin dispute and had no time to visit my Werewolf friends to optimize my research."

"You should know that I've been in contact with werewolves for three years now. You can read about it in my book, *Travels with Werewolves*. I've been working on related research since then, but you've beaten me to it!"

Lockhart's speaking speed was astonishing, and he couldn't go three sentences without mentioning his best-selling books. His shameless self-promotion was beyond Ivan's expectations.

Ivan's lips twitched, indicating that he had never seen such a shameless person!

However, Lockhart didn't seem to notice anything wrong and continued to put on the air of a senior member of the Order of Merlin, turning to Ivan.

"I saw in the newspaper that you want to receive the Order of Merlin? That's not an easy task. I only received this honor after solving countless troubles, as written in my books."

"Of course, if you have a Third-Class Order of Merlin recipient like me as your nominator, it won't be a problem." Lockhart confidently patted his chest, offering to recommend Ivan, and even for free.

(End of Chapter)

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