A shop assistant approached, and Bassat glanced at his watch before gently reminding, "Mr. Lockhart, your signing event is about to begin."
Gilderoy Lockhart gave an exaggerated slap to his forehead. "Oh, my memory! But what can you expect—my head's so full of thrilling tales from my battles with the Dark Arts, there's hardly room for anything else!"
He twirled a strand of hair on his forehead with his wand, as if it were a curling iron. "Time, for example… I do tend to lose track of it. How do I look now?"
The assistant clapped supportively. "Mr. Lockhart, you look absolutely splendid!"
"Then let's be off!" Gilderoy Lockhart beamed, flashing his signature eight-tooth grin.
He certainly cut a striking figure—draped in a sky-blue robe, with a matching pointed hat perched at a jaunty angle atop his wavy blond hair. He looked, in a way, like a walking forget-me-not.
As he stepped into view, the self-portraits on the posters seemed to come to life, mirroring his dazzling smile for the crowd.
"He… looks a bit odd, doesn't he?" Luna murmured to Wyzett, her voice barely above a whisper. "Like a big, shiny chocolate wrapper—all puff and no chocolate inside."
"Is there really nothing inside?" Wyzett looked up, eyeing Gilderoy Lockhart from across the way.
Lockhart struck pose after pose, while the newspaper photographers bounced around, searching for the perfect shot. Flashes from magical cameras sent clouds of violet smoke swirling through the air.
"Mr. Bassat, long time no see." A languid voice drifted over.
A slender, middle-aged man with pale blond hair down to his shoulders appeared, leaning on a silver walking stick topped with a serpent's head.
His cold grey eyes flicked first to Bassat, then swept lazily over Xenophilius. "Mr. Bassat, these three… are they friends of yours?"
"Mr. Malfoy, these are all dear friends of mine!" Bassat replied with a gentle smile, patting Wyzett on the shoulder. "Allow me to introduce Wyzett Lovegood."
Malfoy.
Hearing that familiar name, Wyzett looked up, curiosity flickering in his eyes as he studied the long-haired man.
"Oh? Good friends, are they?" The man noticed Bassat's gesture and met Wyzett's gaze.
Suddenly, the man grimaced in pain, his composure shattering as he tore his eyes away in panic.
He let go of his cane, clutching at his left forearm as though a wound there had suddenly burst into flames, flooding him with agony.
Wyzett frowned. In that brief eye contact, he'd somehow learned the man's name—Lucius Malfoy.
If he kept looking, perhaps he could discover even more.
Bassat looked confused. "Mr. Malfoy, are you all right?"
"Not feeling well!" Lucius Malfoy's voice trembled as he bent awkwardly to retrieve his cane.
"Mr. Bassat, I'm afraid I don't have time to meet your new friends today… I must take my leave!"
His face was drawn and tense, as if struggling to suppress some deep emotion. Sweat beaded across his brow.
Lucius Malfoy hurried off through the crowd, searching for someone.
At last, he found a young boy.
Without pausing to wipe his brow, he blurted, "Draco! We're going home!"
Draco Malfoy looked up, blurting, "But we haven't finished shopping for school—there's still the broom—"
He froze. This was the first time he'd ever seen his father so rattled, as if he'd just faced something truly terrifying.
Yet, as far as Draco could recall, nothing out of the ordinary had happened that day.
They'd just visited Knockturn Alley, found a shop dealing in dark artifacts. Father had a list, hoping to sell off some old manor items. The transaction went smoothly, the conversation with the shopkeeper was perfectly pleasant. Neither of them touched anything strange.
Logically, there shouldn't have been a problem…
Lucius grabbed Draco's hand. "We'll come back another time, or have the shop send everything to the manor. Now, let's go home!"
Draco cast a longing glance back at Flourish and Blotts, just in time to see Harry slip out of the crowd, clutching a stack of books and heading toward a shadowy corner where someone seemed to be waiting.
He frowned, letting out a disgruntled "Tch!"
…
"Rarely have I seen him so flustered," Bassat mused, watching Lucius disappear into the throng.
Wyzett was puzzled as well. Why had he been able to glean that man's name just from a glance?
This long-haired, middle-aged Lucius Malfoy—even in the fan-edited clips Wyzett had watched, there weren't many scenes of him.
The one that stuck in his mind was of Lucius Malfoy being blasted by a bolt of blue magic and sent flying across the floor.
Those clips, with their dazzling magical effects, were what had drawn Wyzett to magic in the first place.
"Well, he's gone, so let's not worry about him!" Bassat said cheerfully. "You're here for your schoolbooks, right? Hogwarts' requirements are a bit odd this year…"
"Seven whole Gilderoy Lockhart books—those aren't cheap! Come inside! I've had the staff set aside everything you'll need for next term."
Hearing this, Xenophilius protested politely, "Mr. Bassat, we couldn't possibly—"
Bassat waved him off. "Wyzett and Luna have helped me so much. The cultural salon wouldn't have become what it is today without them!"
"To me, a good idea is priceless. This is just a small thank-you—please, take it, or I'll feel terrible!"
The books for both children would cost at least a hundred Galleons.
Saving that much was a real relief for Xenophilius. "If you insist… thank you so much!"
"Wyzett, you and Luna have a look around. Mr. Bassat and I will fetch your books—we'll be back soon."
Meanwhile, the signing event was in full swing. Gilderoy Lockhart was clearly in his element, radiating charm as if he'd trained for this his whole life.
He signed books with one hand while flashing dazzling smiles with the other.
Spotting Harry in the crowd, he immediately pulled him forward, posing for the magical cameras together as plumes of violet smoke filled the air.
The excitement in the shop only grew. With one arm around Harry's shoulders and his new autobiography, Magical Me, in hand, Lockhart announced, "Everyone! Since the 'Boy Who Lived' has come to see me, I have an announcement! This September, I will be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts!"
The crowd erupted in applause, wave after wave of enthusiastic cheers.
"So he's the next Defense Against the Dark Arts professor?" Wyzett rubbed his temples. Coupled with Luna's earlier assessment of Gilderoy Lockhart, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.
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