Some students burst into laughter, and Michael couldn't help but click his tongue—
"Professor Lockhart is truly the bravest person I've ever met... I wonder if he'll still be breathing by tomorrow morning."
"The professors won't be that petty; everyone knows he's just joking," Padma said.
"Is that so?" Michael raised an eyebrow, "I have a feeling Professor Snape might have a different opinion."
They all turned their heads in unison, only to see that the Professor of Potions looked as dark as the bottom of a pot, glaring murderously at every student who dared to look at him.
Poor Professor Flitwick had his hands covering his face, almost crawling under the table.
"Poor Professor Flitwick!" Michael said sympathetically.
Vid nodded silently, then glanced at Lockhart.
"Professor Lockhart should be glad that Hogwarts is now managed by Dumbledore," Vid said, "In the past, he might have already received more than two duel invitations by now."
Michael laughed, "Professor Flitwick was a dueling champion when he was young."
But soon, he could no longer laugh.
Throughout the morning, dwarves were delivering cards everywhere, sometimes playing instruments and singing love songs. With their wrinkled faces and weathered voices, it was practically a large-scale public embarrassment scene.
Usually well-connected, Michael finally faced his comeuppance—
He received a total of eleven Valentine's Day cards in the morning, including one instance when a dwarf forcefully shoved a pink card into his arms while singing and tap-dancing, right as Professor McGonagall was about to start the class.
Michael's face turned crimson, completely unable to look at the professor.
As for Padma, she was crossing her arms, watching him coldly from the side at that time.
Vid didn't have such troubles. The Masking Spell worked on the dwarves just as well, and when he couldn't avoid them, he used the Confundus Charm, making a dwarf sing a love song to a tree for ten minutes.
The morning passed in such chaos, with students unable to focus on their classes, and the professors getting increasingly annoyed by the dwarves barging into classrooms.
Only Professor Lockhart was showing off, boasting about receiving fifty-seven cards during class.
At lunchtime, the setup he arranged was even grander, with blooming roses spreading from the Great Hall all the way to the corridors.
Lockhart loudly announced that the number of cards he'd received had exceeded a hundred and subtly mocked those who hadn't received any, casting a deliberate glance at Professor Snape.
He also pretended to be surprised while listening to a group of dwarves sing poems written for him by fans.
The professors looked at him with annoyance, except for his pink dolphin, which seemed quite pleased, rocking back and forth on the table in front of Lockhart.
"Why not celebrate, kids?" Lockhart, who had drunk a bit, raised his glass and exclaimed, "It's the day of love!"
"Bang!"
The doors of the Great Hall suddenly flew open, casting several tall shadows onto the petal-strewn floor.
Lockhart, about to sip his drink, looked over in surprise to see several people dressed like dark wizards, cloaked in black and their faces hidden.
The vast hall immediately fell into silence, with students looking at these strangers in panic, instinctively seeking protection from the professors.
At the teachers' table, where Professor McGonagall had remained expressionless during Lockhart's speech, she stood up and approached the group, asking, "Who are you, and what brings you here?"
She wasn't too nervous because the castle's alerts and defenses hadn't been triggered, proving that these people were not intruders but had received permission from the headmaster.
"Apologies for interrupting your lunch, Professor McGonagall."
The leading man removed his hood, revealing a lion-like face, his tawny mane-like hair, and sharp yellow eyes.
He strode forward, and the students hurriedly stepped aside.
Professor McGonagall's tense expression relaxed slightly, a subtle smile forming at the corner of her lips, "Scrimgeour?"
"It's me, Professor McGonagall," Scrimgeour nodded slightly, "I seem to be interrupting a romantic gathering... but I must do this to arrest a notorious criminal. I hope you understand."
"Criminal?" Professor McGonagall frowned, "There are only teachers and students here; what criminal?"
"Oh, there is one."
Scrimgeour shifted his gaze to look at Lockhart, who was standing behind him with a nervous look, and coldly said:
"Gilderoy Lockhart, we have solid evidence that you've been illegally using powerful Memory Charms on several individuals to steal their fame, rendering them unable to live their lives and even making them forget their own names—you're under arrest. Come with us!"
"Merlin—"
Hermione gasped, covering her mouth in disbelief.
The students' mouths dropped wide in shock, almost doubting their own ears, then they all turned to look at the glaringly pink professor.
Lockhart's face turned as white as a sheet, his pink outfit unable to hide his panic. He looked helplessly around at everyone and feebly argued:
"No... you can't do this... you have no right to arrest me! I-I'm a recipient of the Order of Merlin, Third Class!"
"Actually—I do!"
Scrimgeour hobbled over while Lockhart stumbled back two steps, nearly tripping over a chair.
The lion-like Auror looked down at him expressionlessly and said, "The arrest warrant has been issued; if you have any arguments, save them for the Wizengamot's courtroom!"
Lockhart grabbed his magic wand, seemingly about to resist. But seeing the strong wizard, seeing the muscles that even the wizard robe couldn't conceal, and the right hand always gripping the wand, along with those other black-cloaked Aurors behind him...
Lockhart struggled for a moment but ultimately released his wand in frustration, allowing Scrimgeour to take it while a rope flew out, binding Lockhart's hands.
"This is slander! It's persecution!"
As the Aurors escorted him out, Lockhart continued to shout, "I will press charges against you! I am innocent!"
The students and professors quietly watched as Lockhart was taken away by the Aurors, except for a few devotees who still refused to believe, most weren't surprised.
Over the better part of a year, Lockhart's ineptness had been exposed for all to see. Many had already suspected his legendary tales, but everyone thought he was just an excellent novelist. Little did they know, even those stories weren't his own creation.
Apart from Professor McGonagall exchanging a few words with Scrimgeour, the Aurors came and went quickly, their actions unimpeded.
With Lockhart's arrest, the Valentine's Day atmosphere seemed to vanish entirely. The teachers and students sat in the pink-decorated hall, finding the day exceptionally bizarre.
Only the dwarves seemed unaffected, continuing to sing their raspy and unpleasant songs.
It was only after a while that buzzing conversation filled the hall.
Michael was delighted for a moment, then suddenly thought of something. He turned to Vid and said, troubled:
"Professor Quirrell at least taught for a whole year, and now with Professor Lockhart arrested, there's still more than half the semester left... what will happen to our Defense Against the Dark Arts class?"
Once again, Vid felt profoundly that they were truly Ravenclaw.
At this moment, only the Ravenclaw students would be worried about such a problem... oh, and Hermione from Gryffindor.