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Chapter 255: Kyle at the Back
Chapter 255: Kyle at the Back
After leaving the Burrow, more than an hour had passed, and the group began to make their way towards Flourish and Blotts.
But today was a special day, and the crowd outside the bookstore was much larger than usual. The narrow entrance was packed with people, all jostling to get inside.
"Wow, there are so many people!" Harry exclaimed, his mouth hanging open in surprise. He had tried several times but couldn't squeeze through.
"Maybe Flourish and Blotts is giving away eggs," Kyle said casually.
"Really?" Ron's eyes lit up.
"Of course not!"
Hermione, slightly excited, patted his arm and pointed upstairs, "Look at that..."
A large banner hung in front of the window:
"Gilderoy Lockhart
Autobiography Signing
Magical Me"
...
"We can meet him in person!" Hermione exclaimed, unable to contain her excitement. "I mean, almost all the books on the list are written by him!"
"But how do we get in?" Harry rubbed his slightly sore arm. "Everyone is so strong."
"It's simple..."
Kyle cleared his throat and shouted, "Mr. Lockhart, what are you doing here!"
For a moment, the crowded people froze, and everyone turned to look around.
Kyle and the others took the opportunity to squeeze through the crowd and reach the entrance.
"You're something else, Kyle," Harry said with a smile.
"It's nothing," Kyle said. "I was actually thinking of shouting 'Voldemort' earlier. That would have been even more effective."
"Please, don't say that name," Ron shuddered suddenly. "It will definitely cause chaos."
"I know, so I didn't shout it," Kyle smiled. "But Ron, you have to try to accept that name."
"Many adult wizards can't do it..." Ron muttered softly, "Except for you and Harry."
The winding line stretched from the entrance all the way to the back of the bookstore, where Gilderoy Lockhart was signing his books.
Each of them grabbed a copy of 'Break with the Banshee' and sneaked over to where the Weasley family and the Granger couple were standing in line.
"Oh, you're here! That's wonderful!" Mrs. Weasley panted, constantly patting her hair. "We'll get to meet him soon..."
Gradually, they caught sight of Gilderoy Lockhart. He sat behind a table, surrounded by large posters of himself, all with the name 'Lockhart' winking at the crowd, his dazzling white teeth on full display.
Lockhart himself was wearing a pale blue robe, and a pointed wizard's hat was playfully tilted on his wavy golden hair.
"He's so charming..." Mrs. Weasley stood on her toes, looking like a fan about to meet her idol.
"Yes..." Mr. Granger, standing beside her, agreed. "His teeth are indeed charming, and his hair is quite nice too... What brand of toiletries does he use? Can we buy them here?"
"You can try looking at the store opposite Ollivander's. They should have what you need."
Kyle, standing nearby, said, "I recommend Potter Soothe Shampoo. One of our professors has several boxes at home, and he rarely uses them."
Mr. Granger frowned, touching his thinning hair, and seemed tempted.
They didn't have many Galleons to exchange, and most of them needed to be saved for Hermione's school expenses.
"It's not expensive. You can buy a large bottle for a few Sickles."
Mr. Granger ran his fingers through his thinning hair, feeling a bit tempted.
"Thank you, young man."
"I believe you must be Kyle, the one Arthur and Molly often talk about. Hermione also mentions you frequently, saying you're the brightest young wizard at Hogwarts."
"That's a bit of an exaggeration," Kyle shook his head, "I just use my time more wisely than others who are fooling around."
Harry and Ron subconsciously averted their gazes upon hearing Kyle's words. They felt that they were the "others" Kyle was referring to.
However, Harry was more concerned about something else. He approached Kyle and hesitantly asked, "The shampoo you mentioned earlier, is it..."
"Yes, it's your Potter..." Kyle continued, "but this brand was sold to someone else a long time ago, so it's no longer related to your family."
The excitement on Harry's face vanished instantly, and he returned to Ron's side in disappointment.
"What's wrong?" Ron asked.
"Nothing," Harry shook his head. For a brief moment, he thought he might have an uncle or some other relative, but it was just another false hope.
"Get out of the way!"
At that moment, a short-tempered man with a large black camera pushed past Ron, saying, "Don't block the way, this is for the Daily Prophet."
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"Oh, that's amazing!" Ron said, rubbing his foot that had been stepped on by the man.
Gilderoy Lockhart heard this and looked up, first at Ron and then at Harry.
He stared at Harry for a moment and then jumped up from his seat, exclaiming, "Merlin's beard, isn't that Harry Potter?"
The crowd parted, whispering excitedly.
Harry watched as Lockhart rushed towards him, seemingly intending to pull him forward for a photo.
In the blink of an eye...
Under the threat of social embarrassment, Harry's brain suddenly awakened with wisdom far beyond his usual capacity.
"Kyle is behind me!" he shouted.
"Is that the Kyle who received the Second Class Order of the Merlin Knight?" Lockhart became even more excited and immediately looked in the direction Harry was pointing.
But there were only two middle-aged men and an excited witch...
Harry was stunned.
Where was Kyle? He was just here a moment ago, how could he have disappeared so quickly?
"I think the boy must have seen me and got nervous, so he hid," Lockhart said, flashing his sparkling teeth. "You must know that I've won the Witch Weekly Most Charming Smile Award five times."
This reason was clearly insufficient to convince Harry, although he didn't know what the Witch Weekly Smile Award was, it was certainly not as prestigious as the Merlin Knight Order.
Moreover, Kyle had met legendary witches like Niccolme, so it was unlikely he'd be nervous.
"Kyle must have run away to avoid the photo!" Harry thought to himself.
He wanted to do the same, but Lockhart didn't give him the chance.
Although they didn't find Kyle, having Harry Potter was enough for the front page.
Harry was pulled forward like a puppet, and Lockhart shook his hand warmly, posing for the photographer.
The short man went crazy, repeatedly pressing the shutter, and purple smoke drifted towards the Weasley family.
The applause and the sound of the camera shutter left Harry disoriented, and his face turned redder than Ron's hair.
Even now, he couldn't understand how Kyle had disappeared so suddenly.
...
(End of Chapter)
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