Chapter 88: Memory Charm
Chapter 88: Memory Charm
Rita Skeeter hurriedly called out to the three young wizards who were peeking around, "Do you know where Professor Lockhart's office is? I need to see him." She flashed them a stiff smile, but her mind was already drifting elsewhere.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at her in surprise. How had this woman come back?
Hermione didn't respond, just glaring at Rita Skeeter angrily. However, when Ron saw her gaze shift to Harry, he quickly said, "It's next to Classroom 2 in the dungeons."
Rita Skeeter left, satisfied, but she still felt a bit uneasy as she walked. That girl's look was far from friendly.
But who cares! She's not a celebrity, or she would have been perfect material for an article!
"Hermione!" Ron exclaimed, looking indignant.
"Listen, don't let Harry get involved with that woman. She'll dig up every last detail of his family history", Ron explained.
The young witch calmed down a bit, and Harry realized he had just narrowly avoided a dangerous situation, emerging unscathed.
...
In a dark underground corridor, Rita Skeeter's figure vanished for a few seconds. Then, a beetle emerged from the darkness, flapping its wings and skillfully flying to Classroom 2 in the dungeons.
The beetle hovered in mid-air for a few seconds, staring at the sign that read "Defense Against the Dark Arts—Gilderoy Lockhart." It silently slipped through the door crack.
Lockhart was pacing back and forth in his office, his face flushed with anger. Even the portraits on the wall looked gloomy.
The beetle landed on the edge of one of the portraits, looking down at him from above.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it..."
Lockhart had lost his usual composure, constantly running his hands through his golden curls, which were becoming increasingly disheveled.
"Maybe I can do something, just like I used to. I'm very good at it, very skilled..."
Lockhart muttered to himself, addressing a life-sized portrait of himself. The portrait Lockhart gave him a thumbs-up and flashed a mouthful of white teeth.
"But what about the charge of attacking the Minister of Magic? Oh, God, this is absurd. It was an accident, just an accident! I won't let anyone falsely accuse me, not even the Minister of Magic!"
"I'm not someone to be trifled with. I have a large readership, and they will all support me."
Lockhart thought for a while. He wouldn't be sent to Azkaban, and this thought improved his mood.
"But if my readers find out I've been lying to them..." He shuddered involuntarily.
Everything seemed to be back at square one. How was he going to deal with this trouble caused by Rita Skeeter?
Lockhart grew restless again. He shouldn't have agreed to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for the sake of new book sales, he thought.
"Old fraud!"
After a while, Lockhart sat down, took out a piece of parchment, and began writing quickly.
The beetle spread its wings and quietly approached from the other side. It landed near a stack of published books, crawling over a white velvet handkerchief and hiding behind a delicate goblet.
From this position, it could clearly see what Lockhart was writing.
"Ms. Rita Skeeter, I write to you with a calm mind..." After a few words, Lockhart suddenly crumpled the parchment and threw it away forcefully.
The paper ball knocked over the goblet, revealing the beetle hiding behind it.
For a couple of seconds, Lockhart and the beetle's tiny eyes met, and a wave of absurdity washed over him—its body markings were identical to the jeweled glasses of that woman, Rita Skeeter!
"How did such a disgusting thing end up in my room?"
Under his gaze, the beetle quickly scurried away.
But Lockhart didn't give it much thought. He grabbed a stack of student assignments and slammed it down hard.
"Smack!"
But the beetle was unharmed and even moved faster. It climbed to the edge of the table, flapped its wings, and swiftly flew away from Lockhart.
"Hey, I don't believe it!" Lockhart chased after the annoying beetle.
After a few evasions, the beetle was finally flattened by Lockhart, and he stepped on it—
Finally, it was over, and his foul mood improved significantly.
Wait, this feeling...
Lockhart quickly realized something was wrong. His foot began to emit a dazzling light, and it was involuntarily lifted and pushed away. A woman's head appeared, and soon her limbs extended out.
He gaped in shock, realizing the beetle had transformed into a woman, a detestable woman named Rita Skeeter!
"Rita Skeeter! You, you, you!" Lockhart was stunned, his foot still pressing on her shoulder. He stepped back in terror, bumping solidly into the table.
Rita Skeeter lay on the ground, her face showing embarrassment. This was the last thing she expected to happen.
Of all the people, it had to be Lockhart, the bumbling fool, who encountered this one-in-a-million chance. What kind of luck was this?
After years of spying on countless secrets, she was now about to be caught by an idiot?
Was he prejudiced against beetles?!
On the other side, Lockhart's expression was suspicious. His hand fumbled behind him, reaching for his wand on the table...
He stalled for time: "Rita Skeeter! I never expected you to be an Animagus, of all things! Good heavens! You're an illegal Animagus, and you sneaked into my room to spy..." He quickly grabbed his wand!
With wand in hand, he felt confident of victory.
But when he turned around, Rita Skeeter had already bared her teeth and charged at him.
"Thud!"
Rita Skeeter's plump body collided with Lockhart, causing him to cry out in pain. The two of them wrestled, and the portraits on the wall screamed in unison.
"Get off me!" Lockhart struggled desperately.
"Huff, huff!"
Rita Skeeter, using her size to her advantage, pinned Lockhart down with one hand while the other fished out her wand. She pressed the tip against his forehead and chanted the spell frantically.
"Memory Charm!"
A moment later, Lockhart's expression became blank.
When he came to, Lockhart felt his mind was a bit muddled. "Um, what was I thinking? Right, that woman Rita Skeeter. I need to write her a letter and agree to her demands, or my career and reputation will be ruined."
"Merlin, one problem after another. I shouldn't have come to Hogwarts!"
Lockhart stood up, and his office had returned to its neat and tidy state. However, the characters in the portraits on the wall looked listless and lacked energy.
...
On the other side, Felix followed Dumbledore and the others to the Hospital Wing. Dumbledore summoned Phoenix Fawkes again, and the little bird gave its owner a reproachful look before reluctantly using its tears to heal Fudge.
"At least there are no lingering effects. If the Minister of Magic being attacked at Hogwarts were to get out..." Madam Pomfrey poured a black potion into Fudge's mouth, and his cheeks turned rosy.
"Knowing the Minister, he won't say a word", Kingsley Shacklebolt said. "However, that woman Rita Skeeter is a threat!"
"Don't worry, I'll talk to her", Felix said calmly, examining Fudge's face and secretly plucking a strand of his hair.
It wasn't that he had any specific plans, but the opportunity was too good to pass up. Who knew when it might come in handy?
(End of Chapter)
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