Harry Potter: From Muggle Cousin to Conceptual Wizard

Chapter 298: Guiding Hermione! A Reverse Approach of Loving the House Because of the House!

"What are you waiting for? Just because you finished your morning herbalism class on Monday and have no other classes, does that mean you can slack off?"

After hearing about the regrettable incident that led to the system's unlocking, Dudley guessed that Hermione must have asked Ron and Harry to wait with her for Lockhart's arrival.

So they simply pretended not to know what was going on with the three little ones.

I gave them a little scolding in a slightly questioning tone.

Upon hearing Dudley's stern tone, Ron recalled the fear of being dominated by the professors and instinctively shrank back, hiding half of his body behind Harry and Hermione.

"Cousin, it's Hermione..."

Harry quickly defended himself, saying he didn't want his cousin to misunderstand over such a small matter.

Unexpectedly, Hermione quickly interrupted Harry, leaned close to Dudley, and asked excitedly:

"Dudley, have you seen Professor Lockhart? The Daily Prophet reported a few days ago that Professor Lockhart would be arriving at Hogwarts today to take up his post."

"I saw him and we even had a good chat for a while."

Dudley's response was straightforward, but colder than usual: "So, Hermione, you wasted your own and two friends' precious time just to wait for a celebrity professor whose background you don't even know?"

Hermione was somewhat puzzled by Dudley's attitude, but she didn't dwell on it. Instead, she argued her case logically:

"Who says I don't know Professor Lockhart's background?"

He was born on January 26, 1964, at Hogwarts Ravenclaw School. He is an internationally renowned bestselling author and an honorary member of the League Against the Dark Arts, having received five awards…

"Stop! Sidop! Stop! Halt!"

When Dudley heard Hermione rattle off Lockhart's personal information with such familiarity and a proud, admiring expression, he felt a chill run down his spine and quickly interrupted Hermione's endless chatter.

Hermione was stunned; she hadn't expected Dudley to react this way.

"Hermione, what you're saying is Lockhart's publicly available resume, not his true background, do you understand?"

Dudley frowned and gave Hermione a word of advice.

"Dali, are you saying... Professor Lockhart... is not worthy of his title?"

Hermione, with her clever little brain, astutely analyzed Dudley's implied meaning.

The Hermione of today is not the Hermione of the original story.

Having experienced Dudley's long period of positive teaching and several incidents of rumors in the wizarding world, she is no longer as extremely naive as she was at the same time in the original story.

Furthermore, and more importantly, although Hermione now admires Lockhart because of his writings, Lockhart's achievements and experiences are far inferior to Dudley's.

She admired Lockhart, but even more so Dudley.

Moreover, Hermione knows Dudley better and is familiar with his character.

Since Dudley said that, it proves that Lockhart is likely to have a problem.

"It seems that my previous speeches, as well as Harry's opening speech, were not in vain."

Dudley breathed a sigh of relief, found a seat, and tapped his plate with his finger to summon the lunch prepared by his house-elf.

Then, pointing to the dishes on the table, he added, "Before you smell the aroma of the food and put it in your mouth, can you judge whether a dish tastes good or bad based on just a picture of it?"

Similarly, just because you've seen a picture of Lockhart and read a few of his books, can you conclude that he's someone you should admire and follow?

Hermione, I have high hopes for you. You mustn't let the celebrity effect and herd mentality lead you astray!

"I understand, Dali. This time, my thinking was incomplete."

Hermione realized her shortcomings and lowered her head in shame.

"Alright, I'm going to eat. Now that you've all eaten, don't just wait here. Take your books and go to my classroom to study and organize the students' mistakes from last week!"

Seeing this, Dali waved his hand and assigned tasks to the three little ones, then quickly started eating.

As he ate with his head down, one of his eyes started to move, turning the pupil to the side, his gaze piercing through his skull as he watched the three little ones leave the auditorium.

After what had just happened, Hermione was inevitably a little downcast.

As Harry walked, he patted Hermione on the shoulder like a friend comforting a buddy, and said a few comforting words to her in a carefree manner.

Ron walked on the other side, slightly behind Harry and Hermione. He wanted to reach out to comfort Hermione, but as soon as he raised his hand, he hesitated and silently withdrew it.

Seeing this, Dali smiled knowingly, then turned his eyes back to where they were and went back to eating.

After reminding and guiding Hermione, and disciplining Lockhart earlier, Dudley has now resolved the regret Hermione had just experienced regarding her C-class qualification.

However, according to the system's assessment, it's not quite there yet, and the maximum reward for a perfect solution cannot be claimed.

Dali himself also realized the crux of the problem.

Although Hermione no longer blindly follows Lockhart, she still harbors an unhealthy, rebellious tendency to extend her affections to Lockhart.

The normal tendency to "love the house and its crows" stems from the natural tendency to feel positive feelings towards people or things associated with someone after liking or loving them.

Hermione's affection for Lockhart, however, is a reverse case of loving the house because of the crow.

She liked Lockhart's books and naturally came to like Lockhart as a person.

Moreover, it was a case of generalization based on limited information. Without ever knowing or interacting with Lockhart, they idealized and elevated her image in their minds, leading them into a morbid obsession.

Lockhart's books fail to fully express his personality, let alone prove that his character and values ​​are consistent with some of the content expressed in his books.

A person's talent and ability are not related to their character.

If writing ability, which can express a part of a person's thoughts, is like this, then it goes without saying that other abilities and talents that do not have much effect on expressing thoughts are like this.

Take Lockhart's charming smile, for example. It's so sunny and approachable. Who would have thought that he was actually a fraudster?

In addition to this rebellious love-hate relationship, Hermione's personality has other problems as well.

Dudley had a clear mind and understood things thoroughly.

After lunch, I went to the practical magic skills enhancement class on the fifth floor to find the three little ones.

He wanted to achieve great things and correct Hermione's morbid thoughts.

Today is Monday, December 23rd, the day before Christmas Eve.

It wasn't the weekend, so Dali didn't have class.

Therefore, the classroom was empty.

When Dudley arrived at the classroom, he saw the three little ones, including Ron, diligently reading and studying, organizing the questions and mistakes raised by the students from the four houses last week.

Seeing their serious attitude, Dali didn't disturb them immediately. Instead, he took out the knowledge collection book of Master Lemaître from his personal space and quietly found a place to read it.

Only when the three little ones finished their studies and started to stretch and relax did Dali put away the book and call them over to talk.