boyutpedia Chapter 32 Temporary Principal
Chapter 32 Temporary Principal
Gilderoy Lockhart's robes today were his favorite lilac color. Before Harry could even turn around to look at him, the fellow announced loudly among the house tables:
"What happened on the dueling platform yesterday was an accident. As you all saw, no one was injured. So please stop gossiping about Potter. He's a very excellent and understanding student!"
Feeling his blood pressure spike, Harry quickly stood up, walked over to Lockhart, and whispered:
"Professor, what exactly do you want?"
Gilderoy Lockhart waved to a group of Ravenclaw girls in the distance and whispered:
"Ahem, we'll talk about Harry after we get to my office. Let me say hello to the fans first."
……
"What is it, Professor? Tell me quickly, I have to go to my Transfiguration class later."
"Wait, Harry, take a look at this first."
In an office filled with portraits and photographs of Gilderoy Lockhart, Lockhart pulled a letter from a drawer and handed it to Harry. The letter read in bold letters, "List of Candidates for Temporary Headmaster of Hogwarts".
"If this selection system were decided by student vote, I would definitely vote for Professor McGonagall."
Hearing Harry's reply, Lockhart was neither annoyed nor embarrassed. He chuckled twice, then picked out a book from a stack on the table, "Me, the One with Magic," and said:
“Harry, you’re a smart man, too smart, so smart that I feel I should tell you the truth. Yes, I don’t have any real skills. All those bestselling novels, autobiographies, and professional guides covering various industries, I didn’t write them. My only skill is the Forgetfulness Charm. I’ve used this trick to steal other people’s talents and ideas, and that’s how I got to where I am today.”
Harry, his brow furrowing more and more, couldn't help but interrupt Lockhart:
"If you want to turn yourself in, you can go to the Ministry of Magic or Azkaban. If you want to repent, you can find a faith. I don't care about your nonsense. There are too many things more important than you at Hogwarts right now. As long as you don't bother me, I can pretend I didn't hear what you said."
"Yes!"
Gilderoy Lockhart said excitedly:
"I won't bother you, except for this time, of course. To be honest, I had considered inviting you to sign autographs with me for the fans, but the troubles that the famous Harry Potter has to deal with at school are much more important than my business. I don't know if you've heard, but the Ministry of Magic actually doesn't want Professor Dumbledore to step down as headmaster. This whole thing... no, I should say this disaster, was entirely caused by Lucius Malfoy. So, in order to prevent the Malfoy family from having absolute power at Hogwarts, the Ministry of Magic came up with the idea of electing a temporary headmaster."
At this point, Gilderoy Lockhart cleared his throat and, adopting a very formal voice, said to Harry:
"Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge values you highly. After learning that you are Parseltongue, he, like me, did not suspect you of being the murderer. What I want to say is that you can recommend me to Fudge to be the interim headmaster of Hogwarts."
"why?"
"To prepare for writing my next book—Gidero Lockhart and the Chamber of Secrets, how about that? Isn't it amazing? It's going to be a bestseller in the UK!"
"But what does this have to do with me?"
“It doesn’t matter, but I can give you any help you need to solve the Chamber of Secrets and the attack. I can even give you the headmaster’s office. Believe me, Harry, no professor other than me can do that.”
Harry watched Lockhart's expression silently, seemingly trying to discern something, but Lockhart simply continued to excitedly expound on his grand vision:
"We're not on the same wavelength, Harry. You have real talent, while I'm just a pretty face. All I can do is write books and make money. Otherwise, why do you think I'd come to Hogwarts to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts? If you and Fudge recommend me as the interim headmaster of Hogwarts, we can not only thwart Lucius Malfoy's plot, but I can also give you all the privileges you need, as well as half the proceeds from 'Giddy Lockhart and the Chamber of Secrets.' I told you, Harry, you're a smart man; you know what's more important!"
Harry was silent for a few minutes, then said coldly:
“I require all students to be back in their respective house common rooms by 6 p.m. and not to leave afterward. Every student must be escorted to class by a teacher, and no student may act without a teacher's supervision. All Quidditch matches and club activities are suspended until the Chamber of Secrets issue is resolved, including your dueling club!”
Lockhart snapped his fingers and said:
"no problem!"
Harry said again:
"I also want to place at least one rooster in every corridor, every classroom, every washroom... wherever there's a room in the entire school. And you can't tell anyone that I'm investigating the secret room or using the principal's office!"
Lockhart became even more excited.
"That can be solved! But can you tell me what the rooster is used for? What did you discover? How did you discover it? I only use it for writing books, and I will absolutely not tell anyone!"
Harry refused:
"I'll tell you after everything's over. I don't care if you take all the credit for yourself later!"
Lockhart was overjoyed, and he asked while rubbing his hands together:
"Haha! That's great! Is there anything else I can help you with?"
"Nothing for now, that's fine then. I'm going to my transformation class."
"Okay, okay, be careful! If you need anything, come find me, I'll definitely help you to the end!"
"and many more……"
Harry, who was standing at the office door, suddenly stopped and turned around to ask:
"You've told me all your secrets, aren't you afraid I'll expose you?"
Lockhart's expression became slightly unnatural, but he still spoke with considerable confidence:
"Haha... This kind of thing is all talk and no action. I didn't tell you who the original authors are. Even if you did, only a small number of people would believe you. Besides, I told you, Harry, you're a smart man. You wouldn't do something meaningless and irrelevant!"
Harry snorted and left without looking back, saying, "You do have some skills."
……
"Lemon Snowball".
As Harry recited the command, the stone steps slowly led him to the door of the Headmaster's office. Upon seeing that it wasn't Dumbledore who opened the door, all the portraits of the Headmaster hanging on the stone walls of the room began to chatter amongst themselves.
"Where's Dumbledore? What are you doing here, you brat?"
Didn't he say he was temporarily stopping tutoring you?
"Go and bring Dumbledore back! How can we let the students continue to attend classes and live in such danger?"
“Oh, right! I recently remembered something I couldn’t find during my time as headmaster. I need to tell Dumbledore right away.”
Harry raised a hand and waved it, drawing the attention of all the past headmasters to himself, then said:
"Ladies and gentlemen! I have some bad news to share. Headmaster Dumbledore has been temporarily suspended by Lucius Malfoy and the other shareholders."
"what?"
The headmasters of Hogwarts have all been exceptional individuals, but upon hearing such absurd news, most of them couldn't remain seated. Many pressed their faces against the portrait frames, loudly questioning:
"Suspend Dumbledore? Are they crazy? Who else can protect the students of Hogwarts besides him?"
"Who is that Lucius Malfoy? Did I ever teach him? What kind of brat is this!"
Harry didn't have time to chat with these old headmasters and quickly steered the conversation back on track.
“I know everyone is angry, but the most important thing right now is to protect the students and resolve the crisis in the Chamber of Secrets. Before he left, Headmaster Dumbledore said something quite meaningful: he said that Hogwarts would still lend a helping hand to those who wanted to protect the students. So I believe there is something here that can help me kill the Basilisk.”
These words immediately threw the principal's office, which had just quieted down, into chaos once again.
"A basilisk? You're sure it's a basilisk?"
“I knew it was the Basilisk. Based on Dumbledore’s description, it was definitely the Basilisk. He said so himself!”
"You brat, that thing is beyond your capabilities. And even if Dumbledore were still alive, how do you plan to find a monster that even he can't find?"
Harry sighed and said:
“I speak Parsleyan, I can understand Basilisk. I’ve heard its voice from the school walls several times before, didn’t Professor Dumbledore tell you that?”
Armando Dippet laughed loudly, as if he had heard some outrageous joke:
“I know the Potter family tree; your family doesn’t have one at all…”
However, before he could finish speaking, Harry immediately demonstrated a hissing Parseltongue:
“Sya-hasi-heth.” (Listen to me.)
……
"Cough cough!"
Armando Dippet pointed to a suitcase on Dumbledore's desk and said:
"Um... someone sent him a package a while ago, it should have what you want in it."
"Thank you, Principal Dippert."
Harry recognized the style of the suitcase: brown leather, brass rotary lock, and worn-out clasps. Wasn't this the kind of suitcase Professor Newt Scamander often carried?
Harry had assumed Dumbledore would prepare some potion to ward off the basilisk's gaze, or some kind of protective goggles. But since it was sent by Newt Scamander, it must contain some magical creature powerful enough to fight the basilisk.
Click! Click!
After two crisp sounds, watching two wisps of black mist enveloped in transparent bubbles rise into the air, Harry realized with a wry smile that, in a way, his earlier guess was not wrong.
"Come on, let's change players!"
The two bubbles, one only the size of a basketball, the other much larger than a desk, were filled with bubbles. Mo Ran almost instantly guessed who their former hosts were—the Sudanese girl Professor Scamander had failed to save and Credence Byrben.
As Dark Arts creatures, Obscurations typically dissipate upon the death of their host. However, through his talent and unconditional love for all magical beings, Professor Newt Scamander somehow managed to invent a method to simultaneously heal both Obscurations and Obscurations. Moran had tentatively inquired about Credence last semester through Harry, but every time the topic came up, Professor Scamander always offered strange excuses. Now it seems his fate wasn't so pleasant either.
With respect for his "senior," Harry (Mo Ran) carefully placed his hand into the bubble. Immediately afterward, the two wisps of black mist, one large and one small, flowed into the depths of his soul like rivers merging into a vast ocean.
Lonely, aggrieved, helpless.
Anger, pain, regret.
As his power increased, two distinct emotions of sorrow also flooded Mo Ran's mind. Although the Sudanese girl's silent sorrow was far less powerful than Credence's, it didn't mean that one's pain was greater than the other's.