Vid paused for a moment, then countered, "Even if Lockhart stays at the school, what can we learn from him?"
"Uh…" Michael was speechless.
"Well, there is something!"
Padma leaned over from nearby, fiddling with her hair. "I think my acting skills have improved a lot recently—right, Harry?"
She also pointed out another regular actor in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
Unfortunately, Harry, separated by Hufflepuff students, didn't quite hear what Padma said. He nodded confusedly, perhaps intending to greet her.
Whatever tickled Padma's funny bone, she suddenly burst into laughter, rocking back and forth, unable to hold her fork.
"How strange!" Michael whispered to Vid, "I thought Padma would be upset that Lockhart was taken away!"
"Girls probably just like Lockhart's looks, but Padma can see he's full of hot air, her affection isn't genuine." Vid said.
Michael nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly said, "Lockhart did teach us something—at least he made me realize I don't want to be like him in the future."
Listening to Michael's words, Vid couldn't help glancing at the teacher's table.
Such a realization is probably what Dumbledore wanted Harry to learn, right?
—Don't be vain, and don't become a slave to fame.
But today, Dumbledore still didn't appear in the hall. He's been very busy lately; sometimes students see the old headmaster hurrying across the lawn but rarely see him at mealtime.
Lockhart was arrested, surely Dumbledore knows, but even so, he didn't appear in the campus.
On the way to class in the afternoon, Vid and others saw a group of Gryffindors gathered together; shortly after, they let out screams and cheers.
A handful of magic fireworks were lit, zooming off in all directions while emitting strange laughing sounds that kept repeating—
"Lockhart is gone! Lockhart is gone!"
The students cheered loudly.
Upon closer look, it turned out to be the Weasley Twins and their friend Lee Jordan leading the celebration, but sadly they soon scattered when Professor McGonagall angrily rushed over.
"There's nothing to celebrate about this! And I don't believe Professor Lockhart is that kind of person! Maybe the Ministry of Magic made a mistake."
Ravenclaw's Lisa said angrily.
No one took her words seriously. Anthony frowned and said, "There are four more months until the holiday! I just want to know if the school can find us a new professor."
"A new professor? What if it's someone like Lockhart again?" Mandy said worriedly.
"Relax, how many people could be worse than Lockhart?" Terry reassured, "He even used his own novels as textbooks! My grandma said she's never heard of anything so absurd!"
"The issue isn't who…the issue is if there will be anyone at all?" Anthony replied, "I heard that Hogwarts has always had difficulty finding Defense Against the Dark Arts professors, no one has taught for more than a year."
"Many who taught this subject ended up in trouble. They say the class seems to be cursed or something." Another student, Kevin, said with a mysterious air.
"But this is going on for too long, I'm really worried I won't pass the final exam."
Morag said gloomily, and once everyone was seated in the classroom, he suddenly asked, "Vid, can you teach us?"
Everyone paused for a moment and looked at the two.
The more Morag thought about it, the better the idea seemed, he continued to coax, "I heard from professors that you've self-studied to a higher level. If you teach us, it would surely be better than the likes of Lockhart…"
Other students were also somewhat tempted, but before Vid could speak, Michael sneered and loudly said:
"Hey! Kevin just said this class is cursed! Or do you think, as long as you can score well, it doesn't matter if Vid gets cursed?"
"I-I didn't mean that!" Morag genuinely forgot about this aspect and hurriedly waved his hands saying, "I didn't mean it… I just thought… If it's just occasional tutoring…"
"Not possible, no time, Vid has to research Alchemy too!"
Michael said unhappily, "You also said he's only at a higher level, if you want tutoring, why not find students who are genuinely higher level?"
Usually, he gets along well with everyone, but it was the first time he spoke so rudely to his classmates. Morag's face turned red, unable to speak for a long time.
Vid wanted to say something, but Michael shook his head at him.
The classroom suddenly became quiet, the atmosphere was somewhat awkward. When the Gryffindor students came in, they thought the professor was there too, tiptoeing to find their seats.
Soon after, Professor Flitwick also arrived. Once he started the class, the mood finally became a bit livelier.
Today they were learning the Freezing Spell, a spell that could immobilize targets, similar to the Petrification Spell.
The SSC group had already learned this spell long ago and were using it proficiently, causing Professor Flitwick to happily award each of the two houses a few points.
Afterward, Professor Flitwick asked the students to practice in groups but suddenly spotted a hand raised high up.
The person raising her hand, of course, was Hermione.
"Miss Granger, do you have a question?" Professor Flitwick asked curiously.
"Professor, I want to know, is there concrete evidence for Professor Lockhart's charges?" Hermione stood up and asked.
"Uh… this isn't really something to divulge to students…" Professor Flitwick said awkwardly.
Seeing this, the students knew there was hope, and they all pleaded, "Please, Professor, tell us."
"Well… you'll see it in the newspapers soon anyway…"
Professor Flitwick only hesitated for a few seconds before sharing what he had heard.
"I heard someone gathered a substantial amount of evidence and reported Professor Lockhart… no, Gilderoy Lockhart to the Ministry of Magic. Although the Ministry is still investigating, it's actually already been confirmed."
"Then, can Professor Lockhart return to teach?" Lisa asked hopefully.
Mentioning Lockhart put Flitwick in a bit of a sour mood, but thinking of the man's fate, the professor quickly returned to a calm state.
"Certainly not." he told his students, "He'll likely spend the rest of his life in Azkaban, at least ten years."
"That serious?!" The students were shocked.
"Of course." Professor Flitwick took the opportunity to warn the students, "The consequences of misusing the Forgetfulness Spell can be severe. Some have tragically died because they forgot how to lead a normal life. You also must remember to use your magic cautiously."