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Chapter 536: Exposed
Chapter 536: Exposed
News of Lockhart's first Defense Against the Dark Arts class of the new term quickly spread throughout the school, exposing his poor teaching abilities for all to see.
Now everyone knew the true colors of the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, especially after the so-called quiz in the first class, which left most students speechless.
There was no helping it; Lockhart wasn't Quidditch star Galyon, he couldn't please everyone.
While many students admired him for his exploits, there were also plenty of boys who despised and envied him.
Gossip, ridicule, and sarcasm were inevitable, but no one dared to speak ill of him openly. After all, the number of students who admired Lockhart far outweighed those who disliked him, and girls could be fiercely protective at times.
"By the way, what have you been looking at since the start of class?" Lee Jordan asked, unable to contain his curiosity any longer as he watched Albert flipping through some papers.
"Lockhart's quiz questions," Albert replied, gently shaking the three sheets of parchment.
"You're cheating," Fred and George said in unison, turning to face him with righteous indignation.
"Let us see them too!" the trio demanded.
They had heard from other students that Lockhart liked to give a small quiz during the first class.
"By the way, where did you get those questions?" Lee Jordan inquired.
"I got a Hufflepuff friend to help me get a copy of the quiz since they had Defense Against the Dark Arts before us. It's the same content, take a look for yourselves," Albert explained with a smile, noticing their confused expressions.
Albert then proceeded to hand out the three sheets of parchment to Fred, George, and Lee Jordan.
"What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favorite color?"
George's eyes widened as he read the question aloud, "What kind of quiz is this? Are you sure you got the right thing?"
"Lilac," Albert answered without hesitation. "It was mentioned in 'A Year with the Yeti'."
"You actually know the answer," the trio exclaimed in unison, their eyes widening in shock as if they had just witnessed something terrifying.
"You...you're not one of Lockhart's admirers, are you?" George murmured, "You don't seem like that type of person."
"What type of person?"
"What are you up to?"
Based on their understanding of Albert, they immediately ruled out the possibility that he was a Lockhart fan, which only left one plausible explanation—Albert was up to something.
At this thought, the trio couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity for Lockhart.
The less said about Professor Quirrell from last year, the better. He had met an unfortunate end in the basement after being goaded by Albert's words.
What a sad state of affairs.
Come to think of it, the last time Lockhart ended up in the school hospital...could it be...
The trio turned to Albert, their gazes filled with suspicion.
"What are you looking at?" Albert asked, his tone turning hostile.
"Nothing," Fred coughed lightly before quickly changing the subject. "What are you planning?"
"Nothing much," Albert replied as he gathered the quiz sheets. "I just need Lockhart's signature to borrow a book from the Restricted Section."
"You need a professor's signature to borrow books from the Restricted Section?"
The trio's expressions turned even more peculiar, convinced that their roommate was up to something devious.
After all, it was common knowledge that Albert often snuck into the Restricted Section in the middle of the night, picking the lock to "borrow" books without needing any signatures.
Little did they know that Albert needed Lockhart's signature out of necessity to fulfill the panel task, which required signatures from professors.
So, Albert had decided to emulate Hermione's approach and come up with a plausible excuse to obtain Lockhart's signature for the Restricted Section, hoping to finally complete the long-neglected "Magic Restricted Area" task.
Of course, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan weren't entirely wrong in their suspicions; Albert did intend to stir up some trouble.
The last time he had treated the Whomping Willow, he had received a new panel task.
The task was titled: Exposure.
Your Defense Against the Dark Arts professor seems to lack the abilities and knowledge described in his books. He appears to be hiding some unknown secrets. Uncover the secrets and reveal his true self to the world.
Current progress: 3%
Rewards: 1000-10000 experience points, 1 skill point, obtain a specified skill from the target, Dumbledore's favorability +15, specified character's favorability +10.
Albert was well aware of Lockhart's biggest secret, but finding evidence to support it would be challenging.
To be fair, Lockhart was adept at managing his image, and Albert couldn't help but admire his skill in that regard.
While his methods were indeed despicable, the world was never short of unscrupulous individuals. It took more than just good looks to captivate those middle-aged witches the way Lockhart had; he had truly mastered the art of deception.
"I'm suddenly looking forward to Defense Against the Dark Arts class!"
"You won't be," Ron grumbled, his face gloomy as he repaired his wand with magical tape. "When we had Defense Against the Dark Arts, Lockhart released the Cornish pixies, it was a disaster."
"You should get a new wand," Hermione advised.
"And then, I'll probably get another Howler?" Ron stuffed his wand into his bag, his tone sour.
"Actually, Ron could borrow money from you guys to buy a new wand," Lee Jordan suddenly interjected. "With his current wand, he'll probably skip classes for the rest of the term."
"We don't have any galleons to lend him," Fred and George exchanged a glance and replied dryly. "The money Albert gave us is for our research, and we won't misuse it."
There were some things that Fred and George were very clear about.
"Ron could always borrow from Potter, Harry Potter isn't short on money," Albert suggested. "With their relationship, he could just write an IOU and pay it back after they graduate and get jobs."
It was best to avoid involving money matters between friends.
Fred and George were well aware of this, and they were careful in this regard, ensuring that they kept a detailed record of how they spent every galleon that Albert entrusted to them.
Once that pure trust was lost, it would be hard to maintain their current dynamic.
"Let's go, we're going to be late for Defense Against the Dark Arts," Lee Jordan said, feeling a bit guilty.
Albert had given them the galleons, and Lee Jordan had used a small portion of it to buy snacks and toys. Although he had already made up for it with his own allowance, hearing Fred and George's words still made him feel ashamed. He hadn't been as diligent about this matter as Fred and George.
Even though Lee Jordan knew that Albert didn't mind at all, that money represented their dreams to them.
(End of Chapter)
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