Lockhart reached for the podium, picking up a green-bound copy of Gilderoy Lockhart's Guide to Household Pests.
"Of course! Never underestimate dark magical creatures! Even if they're as feeble as Flobberworms! Haven't any of you ever come across a Flobberworm?"
"They live in damp ditches, you know—every year, plenty of wizards can't get rid of them on their own and have to hire professional magical cleaning services. Why do you think I wrote this book? Thanks to it, your mothers have saved a small fortune on cleaning bills every year!"
Terry and the others exchanged uncertain glances. For a moment, they almost found his argument convincing.
But Anthony crossed his arms, still skeptical. "You still haven't explained why you couldn't handle the pixies."
Lockhart replied, "Because of your laughter and mockery, the pixies absorbed energy, enough to resist my magic. It's that simple."
"Think about it! With students from two Houses all mocking them, just imagine how much power they could draw!"
"Once your mockery turned to panic, they couldn't feed anymore—that's why they became easier to deal with."
He turned to Wyzett, giving him an approving pat on the shoulder. "Everything happened so quickly, I nearly forgot to award you points! Just as Professor Flitwick and the others said, your performance was outstanding! I'm giving Ravenclaw… fifty points!"
Such a generous award left Anthony and the others wavering, suddenly feeling that maybe Lockhart wasn't so unreliable after all.
Noticing their change in attitude, Lockhart raised his eyebrows and flashed his trademark smile. "In that case… let me give you a personal demonstration of how I'd handle a pixie!"
He led them back into the classroom, feeling for the latch on the large iron cage. His tone was solemn: "Remember—mockery is their source of power! Never take them lightly!"
Seeing his serious expression, Anthony and the others nodded, unconsciously adopting a more respectful attitude.
Lockhart pulled open the latch, reached in, and deftly snatched out a single pixie before quickly securing the cage again. The whole movement was smooth and practiced—just a glimpse of the prowess he claimed in his books.
"I only need a simple spell to subdue it…" He raised his wand, pressing the tip to the pixie's head.
Obliviate!
The struggling pixie instantly fell limp, utterly docile in Lockhart's hand, like a lump of putty.
"It… can't do anything now?" Anthony and the others stared, reaching out to poke the pixie cautiously.
The creature didn't react at all. Only the gentle rise and fall of its chest showed it was still alive.
"Is it still a pixie now? Actually, it's a loyal dog!" Lockhart pressed his wand to the pixie's head again. Obliviate!
The pixie suddenly dropped to all fours, tongue lolling out, and scurried over to Lockhart with stiff, dog-like motions.
It even let out a series of high-pitched barks—just like a tiny, blue dog.
"Or perhaps… a crow, loyal only to me!" Lockhart cast the spell again. Obliviate!
The pixie jerked upright, arms flapping in place of wings, its black eyes gleaming sharply. It hovered in the air, flapping stiffly, and let out a string of croaky "caw-caw!" cries.
"Well?" Lockhart arched his brows, looking immensely pleased. "Now it's a crow, perfectly obedient to me."
"You see, when my magic is performed flawlessly, it can achieve remarkable things! But of course, there are always unpredictable factors."
"Remember my book, Wanderings with Werewolves? When the werewolf was surrounded by forest trolls, how did I help him escape?"
Anthony and the others turned to Wyzett.
Wyzett replied, "You made the trolls fight each other, creating an opening. Then you and the werewolf wizard slipped through the gap. So… was that a Memory Charm?"
Anthony asked curiously, "Didn't the book say it was a Memory Charm?"
Before Wyzett could answer, Lockhart jumped in, "That's not the point! The real lesson is how you use magic!"
"Choosing the right spell at the right time is vital! You must respect every dark creature—and every spell!"
"Magic always has more possibilities to discover. That's why we must keep studying! I trust you've all learned something today."
"Remember! A truly great wizard learns from experience and mistakes, always striving to improve! As Ravenclaws, I'm sure you understand that."
For all his bluster, Lockhart couldn't be faulted for this piece of advice.
Watching the pixie perched on Lockhart's shoulder, Wyzett cleared his throat. "Professor Lockhart… could you demonstrate the Memory Charm once more?"
Lockhart's smile froze. "Haven't you had enough?"
Wyzett nodded earnestly. "It was so incredible, I didn't catch every detail the first time."
"Haha… If you insist…" Lockhart's grin was a bit strained, but he reached into the cage and plucked out another pixie. Obliviate!
Wyzett activated his Oculus Magicae, watching Lockhart's spellwork with intense focus.
The pixie's body was laced with magical circuits, not unlike those in a Golden Snitch—though its pattern had fewer overlapping circles.
As Lockhart chanted, a pure silver light flashed, instantly flooding the pixie's body and shattering its magical circuits.
But those fragments didn't vanish—they simply drifted, unmoored, throughout the creature's form.
Lockhart spoke again: "Mr. Lovegood, what shall we make it this time… Actually, let me choose! A frog, loyal to me!"
Obliviate! Once more, silver light flared. This time, instead of breaking the circuits further, it began to reshape them—twisting into new, unfamiliar patterns.
The new circuits were odd, riddled with gaps and incomplete connections, nothing like the original.
The pixie crouched on the table, eyes rolling wildly as it puffed out its cheeks and croaked out a low "ribbit."
Anthony and the others couldn't help but exclaim, "Professor Lockhart! That's incredible!"
"Well, I am a recipient of the Order of Merlin, Third Class, and a master of Defense Against the Dark Arts…" Lockhart rattled off his accolades with practiced ease. "Anything else you'd like to see?"
"Professor Lockhart," Wyzett asked, curiosity piqued, "could you… change it back to how a pixie should be?"
He wanted to see if Lockhart's Memory Charm could truly reconstruct magical circuits…
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