Due to time constraints, besides delivering the books, Lockhart also invited Robert to have dinner at the Leaky Cauldron.
Able to enjoy a free meal, Robert naturally had no reason to refuse.
Old Tom's cooking was average, but its unique flavor was a plus, and some customers liked it quite a bit—Lockhart being one of them.
He seemed to particularly enjoy the food here, and every time he came to eat, he had to wear a magnificent robe and sit in the most conspicuous spot, as if ready to be interviewed by the Daily Prophet's food column at any moment.
Unfortunately, he never encountered one.
Because most wizards, including Robert, were not very accustomed to this unique flavor, Old Tom might have lived in Spain when he was young; every dish he made contained garlic, and he was particularly generous with it.
Robert had previously wondered if Quirrell got the idea from here to use garlic to mask the rotten smell in Voldemort's soul.
After a not-so-sumptuous English-Spanish flavored dinner, Lockhart ordered two more bottles of butterbeer and started chatting with Robert.
Most of the time, Lockhart was recounting his legendary adventures, and Robert listened from the side.
Lockhart was indeed very talented at storytelling; as long as you ignored the self-praising parts, these experiences were quite interesting.
"These experiences have allowed me to make many friends—a prince from an African wizarding tribe, who still sends me some special little gifts to this day, and a mysterious vampire hunter; we once shared a drink of Wolfsbane Potion under the full moon."
"I don't want to boast about how good my relationship with them is," Lockhart looked at Robert, blinking meaningfully, "but if you need it, perhaps I can offer some help with your Outstanding Wizards series of stickers."
"That would be excellent," Robert said with a smile.
He knew Lockhart wouldn't send someone a letter for no reason, much less invite him to dinner when he had nothing else to do.
"It's a shame; the theme and candidates for the first issue are basically decided."
Robert took out a glossy poster he had prepared earlier, with the top written in golden script:
Hogwarts Professor Series
Besides that, there were also drawings of six different wizards: Minerva McGonagall, Filius Flitwick, Pomona Sprout, and Severus Snape, who were coincidentally the Heads of the four houses.
There were also two at the very top, one shimmering with silver light, the other a more brilliant gold.
At first glance, they were different from the other four, but none of them had faces.
"This is..."
"Someone gave me a suggestion, saying that this way I wouldn't have to agonize over who to choose as the representative figure," Robert waved his wand, and Dumbledore's face immediately appeared on the golden figure sticker at the top.
"I..." Lockhart was just about to speak when he heard Robert continue:
"But I didn't expect Mr. Lockhart to also be joining Hogwarts, and for the most dangerous Defense Against the Dark Arts class," Robert's voice became increasingly excited.
"This must be the guidance of fate."
Saying this, he waved his wand again.
The golden Dumbledore disappeared, turning into Lockhart, in his iconic pose from Witch Weekly.
And Dumbledore turned silver.
"Ah, this... haha... this..." Lockhart's cheeks flushed, and his whole body trembled slightly with excitement.
This was his true goal: to have himself appear on every wizard's wand, further expanding his fame.
But he hadn't expected it to go so smoothly.
He didn't even need to do anything extra, just have a meal with Robert, this admirer.
Lockhart thought to himself smugly, as if he could already see his smiling face sparkling on thousands of wands.
Because he was too smug, he completely failed to notice the strangeness on the poster.
It was clearly the Hogwarts Professor Series, so why could there be two people above the four Heads of House?
After all, Minerva McGonagall was not only the Head of Gryffindor but also the Deputy Headmistress, making her the most suitable candidate for the silver sticker, yet she was inexplicably placed in the ordinary sticker section.
"This is too much... How can I... How can I be compared with Albus..." Lockhart said, feigning humility, but also fearing that Robert might change his mind.
"Well, if you insist, it's fine.
Compared to Albus, who has been staying in the Castle correcting homework for the past few years, my achievements are clearly more... vivid and lively, aren't they?"
He seemed to have convinced himself.
"Alright, alright, consider it a bit of support within my means for future students," Lockhart said.
"I'll buy a hundred of these stickers first and put them as surprise gifts inside Magical Me tomorrow."
As Lockhart spoke, he unconsciously carried a hint of superiority, as if his decision to choose stickers as gifts was a great honor for Robert.
In a sense, it was normal for him to think this way.
After all, the name Gilderoy Lockhart was truly famous in the wizarding world, with countless admirers.
Although his fame had declined somewhat in recent years, he was still a household name.
"Of course, no problem, Mr. Lockhart," Robert first showed excitement, then suddenly hesitated, "but, it might... be a little, little bit expensive."
"No problem, how much?" Lockhart said carelessly.
"When I made the Legendary Golden Wizard stickers, I used real gold for embellishment," Robert carefully held up two fingers, "So, the price for each sticker is two Ryans."
Lockhart's expression froze.
Wasn't it two Sickles?
How did it become Ryans?
A tiny sticker was equal to half the price of his book; it really wasn't cheap!
Seeing his fluctuating expression, Robert continued, "Of course, you can reduce the cost a bit; I can use ordinary golden paint, which would only cost ten Sickles."
"No, use real gold," Lockhart gritted his teeth.
How could golden paint highlight his status?
Wasn't that being fake?
"Still a hundred?" Robert asked with a smile.
"I suddenly remembered, it's better to create a little surprise," Lockhart's eyes flickered.
"How about this, I'll take three... fifty, and make up the rest with Fantastic Beasts stickers."
Fifty stickers would be one hundred Ryans.
Although it pained him a bit to give them away for free, it was still within an acceptable range.
Unfortunately, the price of Magical Me had already been announced by Flourish and Blotts yesterday.
If he could adjust the pricing and include the two Ryans in the cost, it wouldn't be a problem even if every book came with a golden sticker.
But this wasn't something he alone could decide, so he could only pay out of pocket and include them as special gifts.
"Of course, no problem, as you wish," Robert smiled even more happily.
"It's just that the Legendary Golden Wizard stickers have a complex process and are troublesome to make; I might not be able to produce so many at once."
Lockhart's eyes lit up.
If Robert couldn't produce them, couldn't he justifiably reduce some of the expense...
"How about I deliver them to Flourish and Blotts tomorrow?" Before he could speak, Robert continued, "I remember the signing event starts at noon; I guarantee they'll be delivered before the signing begins."
"No, no problem," Lockhart said with a pained expression.
This meal was really expensive.
But the Legendary Golden Wizard stickers... that name was fantastic; it was like it was tailor-made for him!
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