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Chapter 537: A World That Values Looks
Chapter 537: A World That Values Looks
As Albert made his way down the corridor towards the Dark Arts classroom, he once again encountered a group of girls gossiping about Lockhart's exploits.
"I just don't get why girls are so obsessed with Lockhart," Fred muttered, eyeing Angelina up ahead as she chatted animatedly about Lockhart with her friend, Alicia. A sense of irritation welled up within him.
"It's because Lockhart is handsome. This is a world that values looks," Albert replied with a quirky expression, bluntly stating the cruel reality. "If you were as handsome as Lockhart, I'm sure you'd have a bunch of girls fawning over you too."
"People don't like someone just because they're handsome!" interjected Hannah, clearing her throat. "More people admire Lockhart because of his heroic deeds."
The three of them scoffed, showing their skepticism towards Lockhart's deeds. Thus far, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor had not displayed any abilities that lived up to his legendary tales.
"Then why don't they admire Harry Potter?" Albert asked, raising an eyebrow. "Potter defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and saved the British wizarding community from turmoil. He's a savior."
"Well... it's because Harry isn't handsome enough," came the reply.
"Trust me," Albert said, "if Harry had your looks, he'd probably be even more popular with the ladies than Lockhart."
"I think Albert is quite handsome himself, and his fame and achievements are no less impressive than Lockhart's," said Lee Jordan, voicing the same doubts that Fred and George had. "Why isn't he swarmed by adoring girls?"
"Because I already have a girlfriend!" Albert replied matter-of-factly.
Everyone knew that Albert was taken, and his girlfriend was none other than the smartest and most beautiful girl—Isabelle. It was a crushing blow to any girl who fancied him for his looks or fame; being utterly outclassed by Isabelle was not a pleasant feeling.
"If Albert didn't have a girlfriend, I might consider pursuing him," one of the girls remarked.
"Too bad he's taken, and it's Isabelle we're talking about!" another bold girl whispered from behind.
The group turned in surprise to see a few Ravenclaw girls greeting Albert. They were Katrina's companions.
"If you ever break up with Isabelle, consider me as your girlfriend," said a pretty girl, giggling as she shook Albert's hand. "I'm Lauren Karma."
"Uh..." Albert awkwardly withdrew his hand from the handshake, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I think Isabelle is great."
"Lauren!" Katrina shot a disapproving glance at her companion, finding her idea amusing.
"I know you like Anderson too," Lauren continued, unbothered. "Isabelle will be graduating early, so you still have two years to win Albert over."
"Yeah, most couples drift apart after graduation anyway!" added another girl standing next to Katrina, clearly eager to see Katrina wedge herself between her sister and Albert.
"I'll pass," Katrina said expressionlessly, though inside, she was laughing at the absurdity of the situation.
"Are girls these days so forward?" George struggled to hold back his laughter, finding Albert's awkward yet helpless smile utterly amusing.
"This is blatantly trying to poach someone's partner!"
"Got something to say about this?" George chuckled, nudging Albert's side with his elbow.
"Well, it just proves that I'm popular, doesn't it?" Albert said, sounding rather pleased with himself.
"Forget about Karma, Albert. How about you consider me instead?" Lee Jordan suggested with a cheeky grin, pointing at himself.
"Sorry, but I only like handsome guys," Lauren promptly rejected the idea.
Fred and George finally lost it, bursting into laughter and clutching their stomachs. Several girls at the front turned around, casting curious glances their way.
"Don't be sad, you just lack a bit of confidence and charm." Albert patted Lee Jordan's shoulder. "Looks are secondary."
"But you just said this is a world that values looks!" Lee Jordan felt like he'd been struck by a million points of damage again.
Albert's words were indeed right on the mark!
This truly was a world that valued appearances.
"Hmph, and you two have the nerve to laugh at me?" Lee Jordan prepared to drag his two mischievous friends down with him. "Don't think I don't know..."
Thankfully, they had finally arrived at Lockhart's Dark Arts classroom.
Albert quietly took a seat in the back row and pulled out a copy of Lockhart's book from his bag. The other students filed into the room, chattering away, and a few girls stole glances at him, sizing him up.
"I should really thank Isabelle," Albert muttered to himself. Having a girlfriend like her certainly helped ward off a lot of potential trouble.
At the very least, no girl would suddenly confess their feelings for him out of the blue.
Once the class had settled in, Lockhart cleared his throat instead of taking attendance and began introducing himself to the students, as if worried they might not know of his glorious achievements.
"I," Lockhart pointed to the cover photo of 'Wandering with Giants', "Gilderoy Lockhart, holder of the Third Order of Merlin, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, five-time winner of the 'Most Charming Smile' award from the Wizarding Weekly... Of course, you need not worry that I will constantly bring these up. I did not, after all, repel the deadly vampire, Count Miliburn, with merely my winning smile!"
A brief titter of giggles filled the classroom after Lockhart's remark.
"Before we begin, let's have a little quiz to see how much you've read and understood... You have thirty minutes." Lockhart finished handing out the papers and returned to the front of the class. "Now—begin!"
"What's the point of this little test?" Fred whispered.
"Self-promotion, I suppose. A chance to let everyone know about all the 'great things' he's done," Albert replied, quickly filling out the quiz.
Albert scored a perfect score on this quiz.
"Mr. Anderson received a perfect score, excellent!" Lockhart smiled. "Ten points to Gryffindor."
For the rest of the class, Lockhart proceeded to read aloud from the book, leaving the students dumbfounded by his teaching style.
Everyone had expected Professor Lockhart to delve into the books and provide scenario-based, immersive lessons. Instead, Dark Arts class had turned into a reading session.
As the class ended, Fred couldn't help but gripe to Angelina, "I'd rather have Anderson teach us. He'd do a million times better job than this."
"Albert's a fan of Professor Lockhart, too!" Angelina sharply reminded him.
"No, you've got it wrong," George grumbled. "I wish Albert could find some time this year to teach us Dark Arts."
After that intensive training session, the trio's Dark Arts skills had far surpassed their peers.
"What did you want with Professor Lockhart?" Hannah asked as Albert returned.
"I needed his signature to access the restricted section of the library." Albert waved a piece of paper with an extravagant signature. Lockhart's handwriting was indeed exquisite, showing that he'd put in a lot of effort.
"I told him I wanted to delve into how vampires overcome their bloodlust and survive on carrots alone. He agreed that exceptional students should be granted special privileges to borrow books from the restricted section," Albert explained.
(End of Chapter)
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