As Hermione stepped out of the library, she made a silent promise to herself.
One day, she would master the Disillusionment Charm.
Becoming invisible was simply too amazing.
Not because she planned on sneaking around Hogwarts.
Well...
Not often, anyway.
The truth was that Hermione loved learning new magic. Every spell felt like opening a door to a new world.
Maybe if she asked Liam nicely, he would teach it to her someday.
The thought alone made her excited.
Together, the two made their way back toward the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom.
Unlike most subjects, the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor's office was connected directly to the classroom itself.
Behind the teacher's platform stood a narrow spiral staircase leading upward.
At this hour, classes had long since ended.
The classroom was completely empty.
Only the office door upstairs remained open.
Before they even reached the staircase, they heard Lockhart's furious shouting.
"Those two little monsters!"
Crash!
Something shattered.
"Damn it! Damn it! Why are they deliberately making things difficult for me?!"
Another object smashed against the floor.
Liam and Hermione exchanged a glance.
Liam immediately came to a conclusion.
Lockhart was surprisingly foolish.
If Liam ever needed to vent his frustrations, the first thing he would do was cast several privacy and security charms.
At minimum, a Silencing Charm.
Preferably multiple protective wards.
Only then would he start yelling.
Lockhart apparently skipped all of those steps.
Hermione's disappointment deepened even further.
The brave hero she had admired from his books seemed to vanish more with every passing minute.
The real Lockhart looked handsome and charming in public.
Behind closed doors, however, he appeared petty, insecure, and cowardly.
He hadn't even dared challenge Cassandra directly.
Instead, he waited until he was alone before complaining.
The contrast was painful.
Very painful.
Hermione hated admitting it, but her idol was rapidly crumbling.
Liam gestured for silence.
The two carefully climbed the stone spiral staircase.
The office door stood slightly ajar.
They pushed it open and slipped inside.
The moment the door moved, Lockhart immediately froze.
His bright blue eyes darted around the room like a frightened hamster.
For several seconds, he stared at the slowly opening door.
No one was visible.
"Ahahaha..."
His laugh sounded strained.
"Liam, I know it's you."
Hermione nearly jumped.
Had they been discovered?
Before she could make a sound, Liam gently covered her mouth.
At the same time, he reinforced the silencing magic surrounding them.
Then his calm voice sounded beside her ear.
"Relax."
His breath brushed lightly against her hair.
"He's bluffing."
"He hasn't found us."
The reassurance worked instantly.
Hermione's panic faded.
Looking carefully, she realized Lockhart wasn't staring in their direction at all.
He was watching the doorway.
Trying to provoke a response.
Meanwhile, cold sweat had begun forming on his forehead.
"Kassandra?"
His voice trembled slightly.
No answer came.
Naturally, Cassandra was currently resting in the Slytherin common room and had absolutely nothing to do with this.
"Ahahaha..."
Lockhart laughed again.
This time it sounded even less convincing.
"I must be overtired."
He wiped sweat from his forehead.
"Yes. That's it."
"This is Hogwarts."
"The safest place in Britain."
"Nothing strange is happening."
"I just need some sleep."
"Everything will be fine tomorrow."
Clutching his wand tightly, Lockhart hurried toward the exit.
A moment later, the office door slammed shut behind him.
Then came the sound of rapidly retreating footsteps.
He had fled.
Inside the room, Hermione felt her face heating rapidly.
Liam's hand was still covering her mouth.
They were standing extremely close together.
Far closer than normal.
Embarrassingly close.
To her horror, she discovered she didn't dislike it at all.
In fact, a small part of her wished he would leave his hand there a little longer.
Unfortunately, the moment Lockhart disappeared completely, Liam released her.
"Sorry."
He looked slightly apologetic.
"If you had screamed earlier, things might have become troublesome."
Hermione immediately shook her head.
"N-No, it's fine."
Her voice came out faster than intended.
"I was just startled."
Liam nodded.
"Then let's begin."
The two started searching the office.
Every wall was covered with photographs and portraits of Lockhart.
Unlike Hogwarts' enchanted portraits, however, these images weren't truly alive.
They moved.
They smiled.
They waved.
But they possessed no intelligence.
No memories.
No awareness.
The portraits in Hogwarts contained echoes of real people, fragments of personality preserved after death.
Lockhart's portraits were simply enchanted pictures.
Even if Liam and Hermione tore apart the office, none of the photographs would remember anything afterward.
Of course, there was another amusing detail.
Most of the Lockharts inside the portraits had already vanished.
Apparently they had fled deeper into their photographs the moment the real Lockhart ran away.
Just like their owner.
"He's unbelievably cowardly."
Hermione looked at an empty portrait frame with open disdain.
Liam chuckled.
"A brave person generally doesn't have spell control that poor."
As he spoke, he opened a storage chest near the desk.
Then he smiled.
"Found it."
Hermione immediately rushed over.
Inside sat a large stone basin engraved with ancient runes.
A Pensieve.
"Wow."
Her eyes widened.
Pensieves were expensive.
Most ordinary wizards never owned one.
Only wealthy or highly accomplished witches and wizards usually acquired them.
Still, considering how many books Lockhart had sold, purchasing one wasn't impossible.
More importantly...
A Pensieve would be extremely useful if Liam's theory was correct.
"Do you want to look inside?"
Liam asked.
Hermione's eyes immediately sparkled.
"Can I?"
Compared to Lockhart himself, the adventures stored inside those memories sounded infinitely more exciting.
The chance to personally experience the exploits described in those books was irresistible.
"Go ahead."
Liam stepped aside.
"I'll keep watch."
"How do I enter?"
Hermione leaned closer to the basin.
"Just put your face into the memory."
Liam smiled.
"Your consciousness will do the rest."
Without another second of hesitation, Hermione leaned forward.
The silver memories swirling within the Pensieve rippled beneath her reflection.
Then she plunged into the basin and began experiencing the adventures of those legendary wizards firsthand.
....
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