Chapter 551: The Setup of Lockhart
Chapter 551: The Setup of Lockhart
Late into the night, the storm raged on with increasing ferocity.
In the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts, Dumbledore sat at his desk, perusing the latest issue of "Transfiguration Today" by the warm glow of candlelight.
On the desk beside him lay a casually spread-out copy of the "Daily Prophet," its contents illuminated by the flickering candles:
"Arthur Weasley, Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office at the Ministry of Magic, has been fined fifty Galleons for bewitching a Muggle automobile."
...
"The bewitched automobile crashed within the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. A board member of the school, Mr. Lucius Malfoy, has recently called for Mr. Weasley's immediate resignation."
"Mr. Weasley has tarnished the reputation of the Ministry," Malfoy stated to the Prophet reporter.
...
Mr. Weasley declined to comment on the matter to the Prophet reporter, but his wife told the journalists to leave or she would set their house-elf on them.
...
Undoubtedly, Arthur Weasley was in a spot of trouble, having drawn the ire of certain individuals.
To a large extent, Arthur's actions had incensed pure-blood wizards led by Malfoy.
To be frank, the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office was not a highly regarded department within the Ministry of Magic. The fact that Arthur was able to obtain a search warrant was suspicious in itself.
It is common knowledge that pure-blood wizards hold influential positions within the Ministry, and they would not tolerate their ranks being harassed without consequence.
The issuance of the search warrant was clearly a deliberate move orchestrated by someone behind the scenes.
Currently, Arthur's situation is precarious. Although he has managed to avoid dismissal from the Ministry for certain reasons, the suspension and investigation into his conduct persist.
Many wizards who hold a grudge against Arthur Weasley are eager to see him expelled from the Ministry, thereby thwarting the passing of the "Muggle Protection Act" that he has been drafting. A significant number of pure-blood wizards feel offended by this proposed legislation.
Just moments ago, Dumbledore had penned a letter to Fudge, offering to delay the passing of the "Muggle Protection Act" in exchange for allowing Arthur to retain his position as the head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office.
In truth, Fudge has been grappling with this issue as well.
There are few wizards willing to take on the role of heading the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office. The position offers mediocre pay, mediocre treatment, and a heavy workload, requiring frequent interactions with Muggles. Moreover, the department only consists of two wizards.
Perhaps only an eccentric like Arthur would find such work appealing.
However, there was another matter that was causing Dumbledore some concern.
Earlier that morning, Dumbledore had received a note from Anderson, containing information that piqued the Headmaster's interest.
Harry Potter could hear sounds that ordinary people couldn't.
This was not a positive sign in the wizarding world.
Moreover, the note concluded with a foreboding sentence: "Some unpleasant things may occur."
Unpleasant things?
Dumbledore couldn't discern the veracity of these words, but they undoubtedly portended nothing good.
"Hearing things that others can't, and now unpleasant things?" As Dumbledore pondered the connection between these two incidents, a knock sounded at the door.
Setting aside his magazine, Dumbledore rose from his seat, a furrow creasing his brow, and opened the door to reveal Professor McGonagall.
Professor McGonagall placed a document on the desk.
"Is there something else?" Dumbledore inquired, sensing that Professor McGonagall had something on her mind.
"I don't know if you've been paying attention to Professor Lockhart," Professor McGonagall said, a hint of displeasure lacing her tone. "He's made a mess of the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, and quite a few students have come to us to complain about it."
In the past, after Lockhart gained fame as an author, the professors at Hogwarts had thought that perhaps they had misjudged him and that he was contributing to the fight against dark magic.
However, just one month into Lockhart's tenure at Hogwarts, his true nature had been exposed, and everyone had seen through his facade.
Lockhart was still the same as he had been during his student days at Hogwarts—not a bit changed. They had never misjudged him at all.
"I understand that it's difficult to find a suitable Defense Against the Dark Arts professor," Professor McGonagall said, "but I must say that Professor Lockhart's actions are truly unacceptable. In almost every class, he reads passages from his books and has students act out the scenes. I find it hard to imagine what the students could possibly learn from this vainglorious, self-aggrandizing individual."
"One can learn a great deal from a bad teacher," Dumbledore said calmly, "such as what not to do and who not to be."
Professor McGonagall fell silent, acknowledging the truth in Dumbledore's words. However, she wondered if the cost was too high, as the students were sacrificing an entire semester's worth of Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons.
"Very well," Professor McGonagall sighed. She left the Headmaster's office, knowing all too well that Dumbledore always found a way to persuade her.
Watching Professor McGonagall's retreating figure, Dumbledore lapsed into a brief silence. Ever since he had refused Voldemort, not a single Defense Against the Dark Arts professor had lasted more than a year.
Many claimed that the position was cursed.
Indeed, there was truth to that belief. Once or twice could be attributed to chance... but fifty times was certainly no coincidence.
As for Lockhart's actions, Dumbledore had been aware of them for quite some time. After recognizing certain familiar passages in Lockhart's books, he had paid a visit to his old acquaintance and noticed his forgetfulness and confusion. It had then become clear to Dumbledore that Lockhart was suffering from the after-effects of a powerful Obliviation spell.
Lockhart had been stealing others' achievements.
However, Dumbledore hadn't bothered to expose the renowned author's deception. Even if the truth came out, it wouldn't make much of a difference.
Individuals afflicted by a powerful Obliviation spell often found it difficult to return to their previous state, and breaking such a spell could make matters even worse.
Of course, Dumbledore didn't intend to simply let Lockhart continue unchecked. He had long since devised a plan to reveal the fraud for who he was.
Indeed, by placing Lockhart in a typical school setting, his deception would gradually unravel.
Back when Lockhart was a student at Hogwarts, Dumbledore had already been the Headmaster, and he knew this once-detested student all too well.
Thus, Dumbledore had gone to great lengths to invite Lockhart to take up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, knowing that the position was notoriously difficult to fill each year, and believing that the curse would also give Lockhart a taste of his own medicine.
As it turned out, this strategy had been highly effective, and everyone was now seeing Lockhart for who he truly was.
(End of Chapter)
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