radicalducati Chapter 249 Lockhart's Farce Sequel
Chapter 249 Lockhart's Farce Sequel
Chapter 249 Lockhart's Farce Sequel
Two weeks into the semester, Gilderoy Lockhart's Defense Against the Dark Arts class had become the talk of the town among Hogwarts students. Lacking the spectacular arrival of Harry and Ron in their flying car as depicted in the original stories, Lockhart quickly became the sole star of the school. Unfortunately, this stardom was far from what Lockhart had envisioned, as the attention stemmed not from his teaching abilities, but from his disastrous classroom performance and his increasingly ridiculed personal image.
On Thursday morning, the third-year students of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff gathered again in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.
Unlike the first class, which was mostly filled with anticipation, most students now wore expressions that mixed helplessness, annoyance, and a hint of schadenfreude.
Professor Lockhart seemed oblivious, or perhaps selectively ignored, the atmosphere. He remained in his dazzling violet robe, his smile so radiant it was almost blinding.
"Good morning, my dear students!" he said in a loud voice, waving his arms. "Over the past two weeks, through—well—some initial contact, we've established a deep—uh—mutually beneficial teaching relationship!" He paused, seemingly choosing his words carefully. "But I know that while theoretical knowledge is important, the essence of Defense Against the Dark Arts lies in practice! In immersive experience! To make it more intuitive and vivid for everyone..."
Furthermore—to truly empathize with my extraordinary adventures and learn valuable defensive techniques from them, I've prepared a special surprise for everyone!
He dramatically waved his hand, pointing his wand towards the back of the classroom. Several enchanted, seemingly bulky metal boxes, floating in the air, and a huge white curtain slowly rose up.
"Today," Lockhart announced, as if unveiling a priceless treasure, "we will learn how to deal with the extreme dangers described in 'Journey with Trolls' through a magnificent medium that blends motion graphics and theatrical art—film!"
A barely suppressed commotion and whispers erupted in the classroom. A movie? At a magic school?
Karen also looked at the props with great interest, especially the metal boxes. These things were somewhat beyond Karen's expectations of Lockhart. She didn't expect him to be able to create something like a magical world movie. She wondered what the structure of these metal boxes was like, but they should still be mechanical. They were probably modified from old antiques from the Muggle world.
Fabian and Wesley exchanged a glance, seemingly finding this far more interesting than watching Lockhart fail at the spell. Ernesto also curiously examined the magically powered projection equipment, trying to understand its workings.
Lockhart clearly interpreted the students' reactions as anticipation and admiration, and he snapped his fingers triumphantly: "Lights!" The classroom windows were instantly covered with black cloth, plunging the room into darkness. "Now then, please enjoy 'The Trolls' Outsmarting Them,' starring and directed by Professor Gilderoy Lockhart!"
The screen lit up, and the image began to flicker. The so-called "movie" was extremely crudely made, more like a series of magically captured still photographs clumsily pieced together, accompanied by exaggerated sound effects and Lockhart's inflectional voice...
It's always like a narration being recited.
In the scene, Lockhart is dressed in an impeccably clean adventure outfit, facing a troll that is clearly wearing a bulky costume, moves slowly, and has a vacant look in its eyes. Every movement he makes is exaggerated like a stage play, and the spells he chants sound fancy but meaningless. Finally, he "knocks down" the troll with an extremely affected turn and a very bright beam of light, then smiles at the "camera" (or rather, the magic eye that records the image) with his signature white teeth.
"Look!" Lockhart in the video (and Lockhart in the classroom) say simultaneously, "The key is the composure and the precise control of spells! And of course, a touch of innate talent!"
The classroom fell silent for a second.
Then, one of the Hufflepuff students couldn't help but burst out laughing. This laughter was like a fuse, instantly igniting the entire classroom. The uproarious laughter almost lifted the ceiling. Students laughed so hard they were doubled over, pounding their chests and stamping their feet, tears streaming down their faces. Even some of the usually quieter Hufflepuff students covered their mouths, their shoulders shaking uncontrollably.
"Merlin's beard! Is that troll dancing?"
"What's that spell? 'Shining Dizziness Spell'? It's not in the book!"
"The way he fell looked so fake!"
Laughter and chatter mingled with the laughter, and the scene completely spiraled out of control.
On Ravenclaw's side, Wesley laughed the loudest, almost breathless: "Hahaha! Cullen! See! I told you he was bluffing! This is funnier than a farce!"
Fabian frowned, trying to remain serious, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn upwards: "This—this is a complete failure from an educational perspective. There's not a single effective defensive technique demonstrated, the logic is muddled, and the production is shoddy—"
Ernesto's face was ashen, his fists clenched tightly. He whispered to Cullen, "This is an insult! An insult to knowledge! A desecration of the discipline of Defense Against the Dark Arts! How dare he call himself Ravenclaw? Doesn't he feel ashamed?"
Karen neither laughed nor spoke. He had never had high hopes for Lockhart's teaching abilities, but he was quite interested in the projectors. He was too lazy to use his "Eye of Truth" to observe Lockhart's shallow and superficial magic, but he had plenty of energy to observe and study these machines that might have been magically modified.
Lockhart seemed to finally realize the laughter was a bit off. He waved his wand, and the video and screen vanished instantly, restoring brightness to the classroom. A fleeting, almost imperceptible embarrassment crossed his face, but it was quickly masked by a bright smile: "Haha! Looks like everyone was infected by my heroic demeanor and sense of humor! A joyful learning atmosphere is half the battle! So, who would like to share what they learned from that practical demonstration?"
The audience fell silent again, followed by even louder laughter.
The class ended in an extremely awkward atmosphere. The students walked out of the classroom laughing, talking, and shaking their heads. In the following days, "Lockhart and his comedy movies" became the hottest topic in the Great Hall, corridors, and common rooms of Hogwarts.
"Did you guys see it? Hufflepuff said he's going to play 'Ship with the Vampires' for Slytherin and Gryffindor next time!"
"Look, look! Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff are laughing their heads off!"
"To be honest, I'm actually starting to miss Professor Quirrell now. At least his lectures didn't make me laugh until my stomach hurt—uh, I mean, at least he taught us some theory."
"Professor Quirrell only stutters and has a slightly odd taste, but this guy—he's just a joke."
Even the professors seemed to have heard about it. Professor McGonagall kept Karen behind after her Transfiguration class to ask him about the "real situation" of the Defense Against the Dark Arts class. After hearing Karen's description as objectively as possible, she pressed her lips together, her eyes stern, and finally just sighed, telling Karen that he could come to her for help if he encountered "practical difficulties," since the Defense Against the Dark Arts classes at the end of last semester were taught by several house heads in rotation. Professor Flitwick, during a Charms Club event, also subtly suggested that if everyone was interested in defense magic, he could add some advanced spell practice.
Lockhart attempted to salvage the situation. He announced a "Best Gilderoy Impersonation Contest," with the prize being a complete set of his autographed books. However, this proposal was quickly thwarted by the combined intervention of Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape (and perhaps other professors). It's said that Professor McGonagall's exact words were, "Hogwarts is not a circus," while Professor Snape simply stared at Lockhart with his icy gaze, causing Lockhart to reluctantly abandon the idea.
By this point, Lockhart's image in the minds of most Hogwarts students was firmly established—a flamboyant and comical clown. Only a few first- and second-year students remained basking in the glow created by his bestselling books, but this adoration was unlikely to last long. A deep disillusionment with the Defense Against the Dark Arts course permeated the castle, and students could only rely on self-study and gleaning useful knowledge from other subjects to cope with any potential "practical difficulties."