Lockhart sat in the Great Hall, attending the start-of-term feast.
Below, students whispered among themselves. From time to time, many of them glanced up at him with curiosity and scrutiny—another new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. And this time, it was the famous Gilderoy Lockhart. How long would he last under the so-called curse?
To his left sat Snape, just as in the original story—frowning, looking somewhat distracted. To his right was Professor Flitwick. Being of goblin descent, Flitwick had stacked a thick pile of books beneath himself to appear less conspicuous in height, which puzzled Lockhart. Why not simply Transfigure the chair to make it taller?
At that moment, the doors of the Great Hall opened. Professor McGonagall led a group of children inside. The scene resembled a mother bird guiding her flock of chicks. The little ones looked around with curiosity, while some Muggle-born students appeared visibly nervous.
Then the Sorting Hat began to sing.
Lockhart finally understood why, when he had run into Snape at the entrance earlier, the man had been casting a Muffliato Charm on himself. But now that the new students had entered, Lockhart had to maintain a teacher's dignity—so he endured it.
"Welcome," said Dumbledore, candlelight flickering across his beard. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts. I have a few announcements to make."
He cleared his throat.
"We are very pleased to welcome a new professor to our staff this year."
"Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. He is an accomplished wizard, and I am delighted that he has returned to Hogwarts to teach ten years after his graduation."
Lockhart stood and nodded to the hall, drawing cheers—especially from the girls and his admirers.
Then came the Sorting.
As he watched students step forward one by one, don the Sorting Hat, and be assigned to their houses, Lockhart found himself recalling his own past.
He had been born into a half-blood family: his mother a witch, his father a Muggle, with two older sisters. He was the only one to display magical talent—and a clever, handsome boy at that—earning him his mother's unabashed favoritism. Realizing he was different from his sisters, his vanity grew wildly, like weeds blooming with poisonous flowers.
Young Lockhart had been accepted into Hogwarts, but he hadn't anticipated that the school would be filled with witches and wizards just like him—many of them even more talented. (In fact, he had imagined his arrival would be like something out of a film: himself walking through the corridors while others whispered in awe of his extraordinary magic. That never happened, of course—because every student admitted to Hogwarts already possessed magic.)
This wasn't to say Lockhart was ordinary. On the contrary, his teachers believed his intelligence and ability were above average. With hard work, he might have achieved something great—even if not the grand ambitions he loudly proclaimed (such as becoming the youngest Minister for Magic in British history).
Sorted into Ravenclaw, Lockhart quickly achieved strong academic results. However, his prideful nature—either be the best or not at all—constantly gnawed at him, leaving him increasingly dissatisfied with himself. Gradually, he began to use his talents to take shortcuts and avoid effort. He studied hard not to improve himself, but to attract attention. He craved recognition and awards.
He even persuaded the headmaster to establish a school newspaper—after all, nothing pleased him more than seeing his name and photo in print. Though not particularly well-liked, he managed, through repeated and attention-grabbing "achievements," to fulfill his initial goal: making sure everyone in the school knew who he was.
When Lockhart finally left Hogwarts, the teachers and staff breathed a sigh of relief.
But soon, news of his exploits abroad began to spread. In distant lands, he was said to battle dangers and eliminate dark creatures—each tale showcasing extraordinary courage and resilience.
The truth was, Lockhart had finally found his true calling.
He had never been an evil wizard—just a lazy one.
He chose to focus his talents in a single direction: Memory Charms. He perfected this complex magic, then sought out truly brave witches and wizards—altering their memories and stealing their heroic deeds. After each "adventure," he would return home and publish a new book, vividly recounting "his" exploits.
And then… he had a dream.
Or rather, he had been replaced by the person in that dream.
Now, he possessed the memories of two lifetimes.
The Sorting continued.
At one point, someone approached Snape and handed him a newspaper. After reading it, Snape immediately stood and left the Great Hall. Shortly afterward, both Dumbledore and McGonagall also departed.
Lockhart picked up the newspaper and glanced at it.
"Flying Car Baffles Muggles"
Below the headline was an image of a car soaring merrily through the air.
…Ah. Poor Harry.