"What about our Defense Against the Dark Arts class?" Hermione asked worriedly.
"I think Dumbledore might find a substitute teacher for you — don't worry, this has happened before."
Professor Flitwick reassured everyone, "You just need to be patient for a few days and a truly excellent wizard will come to teach you Defense Against the Dark Arts."
Only then did the students feel at ease.
But Flitwick knew that it wasn't that simple.
Over the years, Hogwarts had more Defense Against the Dark Arts professors replaced than all other subjects combined.
Outstanding... at least those with reassuring moral character and currently unemployed wizards were already few, and rumors of a curse made most people hesitant.
Only Snape had always hoped to teach this class, but Dumbledore never granted his request.
...
Reporters were more efficient than Professor Flitwick anticipated, and the next morning, they saw Lockhart's photo in the newspapers.
The blond wizard was handcuffed and escorted into the Ministry of Magic, with Scrimgeour aggressively pushing away the camera — a scene that repeated in the paper.
"It was I who notified my dad!"
A Slytherin student proudly told those around, "Seeing Lockhart being escorted by Aurors, I knew it was definitely big news and immediately messaged my dad! This photo was taken by him!"
"Alright, very clever." Their Prefect asked with drooping eyes, "But why did you say it?"
He gestured to the side, where many teary-eyed girls were glaring at the boy viciously.
"He's done for, he's going to be in trouble." Michael said gleefully.
Vid turned to Harry, "If they knew you were the catalyst..."
Harry quickly "shushed" and said with a pained expression, "Please, don't mention it."
Last night, they chatted in the Friendship Book, and Sirius proudly told them it was he and Lupin who reported Lockhart.
Sirius: This is a return gift for that guy! He should learn to respect other people's arms!
The words on the paper were written with such force as if he was still angry after all this time.
Remus: Michael told us that Lockhart often gave you a hard time, Sirius was really ticked off.
With a hint of reproach, Lupin said, Harry, why didn't you tell us?
Harry: I didn't feel he was giving me a hard time... Professor Lockhart just liked to make me perform and take photos with me, he seemed to think I also enjoyed being in the limelight like he does.
Remus: Did you want to perform? Did you want to take photos with him?
Harry quickly replied, No, of course not!
After a long while, Lupin's response appeared word by word.
Sirius: Silly child, that's giving you a hard time.
Remus: Harry, even if it's a professor, you can refuse him, it's your right.
Their messages appeared almost simultaneously as if Vid could see their helpless yet caring expressions through the parchment.
Harry was silent for quite a while, possibly reflecting in his dormitory bed.
Vid interjected:
Vid: Someone saw several wizard-looking guys in Hogsmeade last weekend, could that have been you and those Aurors?
Sirius: Haha, that was us.
Sirius: Scrimgeour originally planned to set up to meet with Lockhart and arrest him then, but I heard he was ordering Valentine's Day flowers and convinced Scrimgeour to wait until Valentine's Day to act.
Sirius: Isn't a dramatic twist in front of everyone precisely the kind of development he loves most in his novels?
Vid suddenly felt that Sirius and Michael must have a lot in common, their revenge was both enduring and ruthless.
In some ways, they also carried some Slytherin traits.
...
On the third day after Lockhart's arrest, it was reported that the Ministry of Magic's Auror Office was already flooded with letters, and Scrimgeour himself received a heap of Howlers.
It seemed that witches all over the United Kingdom were fans of that scam artist writer and wrote countless letters asserting that Lockhart wouldn't commit crimes, and berated Scrimgeour for being too harsh on him.
The public's intense reaction pushed the Ministry of Magic to expedite the trial of Lockhart and publish page after page of evidence in the newspapers.
Most ordinary people have a natural trust in the government, causing the wave of opposition to quickly fade. Apart from some diehard fans still defending Lockhart, the majority of his fans began to accuse him of deceitfully exploiting their emotions.
With Hogwarts' Defense Against the Dark Arts classes lacking a teacher, other professors without classes had to take turns substituting for several grades. But when they opened the textbooks, they all fell silent.
All seven grades' books were filled with Lockhart's novels and autobiographies, and the useful content was less than a thousandth.
"Well... alright..."
Professor Flitwick, who was substituting for Vid's class, took a deep breath and said:
"Close the books, children, our Defense Against the Dark Arts class doesn't need these, you should learn how to use magic to protect yourself and guard against dangerous creatures."
The students, long tired of theatrical performances, happily stuffed the books into their desks and looked expectantly at Professor Flitwick.
"Let me think..."
Professor Flitwick stroked his white beard, frowning and thinking for a while, and then said, "According to the syllabus, you should be learning how to fend off Dwarf Pig Monsters now... does anyone know the characteristics of this creature?"
Several hands went up.
"Miss Gringotts." Professor Flitwick pointed to someone at random.
Daphne Greengrass stood up and said, "Dwarf Pig Monsters look like piglets, they sneak into pigsties pretending to be ordinary piglets, bringing diseases to farms."
Ravenclaw's Terry added, "Dwarf Pig Monsters move quickly and are hard to catch."
"Very good, Slytherin and Ravenclaw each get a point." Professor Flitwick nodded in satisfaction and asked, "So, does anyone know how to deal with them?"
The class fell silent for a moment.
A few seconds later, Malfoy's voice sounded, "Pure white dogs can drive them away — the Ministry of Magic's Biological Management and Control Department even raises a dozen albino hounds for this."
He slowly looked around, saying, "Last year, my dad even provided some funds to feed those picky creatures."
"Not bad, Dwarf Pig Monsters fear white dogs, Slytherin gets another point."
Professor Flitwick ignored Malfoy's latter remarks and said to the students, "There's a simple spell that can help us quickly detect Dwarf Pig Monsters to prevent further damage..."