Chapter 279: Av...
"Out of the way!"
A bad-tempered, short man holding a large, black camera shouted at Ron. "This is for The Daily Prophet!"
He hopped about frantically, snapping photos left and right. Every time the flash went off with a dazzling pop, a cloud of thick purple smoke billowed from the camera.
"Brilliant," Ron muttered, rubbing his foot where the man had stepped on his toes.
Sean didn't bother looking at Lockhart. He gathered his full set of required texts and headed toward the counter to pay, quickly running into Justin near the edge of the crowd.
"It seems our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is a bit... unconventional," Justin said, his brow furrowed.
Sean followed his gaze. Behind the signing table, Lockhart had somehow managed to snag Harry by the shoulder and was addressing the crowd with flamboyant enthusiasm.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Lockhart shouted, waving his arms for silence. "What an extraordinary moment this is! I wish to take advantage of this wonderful occasion to make a small announcement—something I have kept under wraps for some time. When young Harry stepped into Flourish and Blotts today, he only intended to buy my autobiography—which I shall, of course, be gifting him free of charge here and now—"
A round of applause broke out.
"—but he did not know," Lockhart continued, giving Harry a little shake that caused the boy's glasses to slide to the tip of his nose, "that he will shortly be receiving something far more valuable than my humble work, Magical Me. In fact, he and his schoolmates will be receiving the real, magical me. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am immensely pleased and proud to announce that this September, I shall be taking up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"
The crowd erupted into cheers and whistles.
"And, of course, one more piece of vital news! I intend to seek out and personally mentor the mysterious Mr. Hermes in the art of Defense. I shall help him achieve results in that field that far outshine even his accomplishments in Alchemy!"
At this, the crowd truly exploded. People were jumping for joy, seemingly unable to wait for the school year to begin.
Only a few wizards with a more discerning air looked on with unconcealed disdain. Does this man even know what he's saying?
Among the skeptics was Professor Quirrell, who had arrived a moment too late to buy the "Mentor to the Sage" special feature. He gave Lockhart a dark, inscrutable look before continuing his search for any remaining copies of the newspaper.
"Sean, I think you'd best keep your head down. Defense professors always seem... a bit off," Justin whispered.
Sean nodded. He was only surprised that Justin had picked up on the "curse" of the DADA position so quickly.
"I shall naturally earn his respect. Oh, just as Master Terra has—proving it will be the simplest of matters!" Lockhart boasted, flashing a row of dazzlingly bright teeth. "Look, this charming young lady from Hogwarts is already breathless with anticipation for my arrival!"
An excited Hermione was beckoned forward.
"Yes, sir!" Hermione chirped, looking dazed with admiration.
"Ah, and this young man as well!"
Lockhart's eye landed on Sean, who was standing quietly at the edge of the crowd.
Lockhart was in high spirits. He knew the real reason Professor Terra had been featured on a Chocolate Frog card—it was because of the mysterious "Hermes." When Dumbledore had come knocking with the job offer, Lockhart couldn't wait to move into the castle.
A curse? Nothing more than a nasty rumor.
But the honor of being immortalized on a Chocolate Frog card... now that was a glory worth chasing.
"Young man, are you a fan of mine?" Lockhart asked with a greasy smile.
Sean met his gaze in silence. For a brief second, Lockhart felt an inexplicable prickle of unease.
"Oh, let me rephrase—are you quite excited for my arrival at school?" Lockhart added, trying to fill the silence.
Sean was momentarily speechless. Of all the people in the crowd, he had to be the one dragged into this circus. As for being excited...
"Very well—next in line, please!" Lockhart said, unruffled, quickly moving on to the next person.
"He doesn't act much like a professor," Justin said, stepping up beside Sean. His frown deepened. "He acts like a circus clown."
Justin seemed startled by his own bluntness, but he noticed Sean looking at him with a look of quiet agreement.
As they spoke, a heated argument broke out near the back of the shop.
"I'm surprised you even set foot in a shop, Weasley," Draco Malfoy sneered. "I expect your parents will go hungry next month to pay for all that."
Ron turned a deep shade of red. He dropped his books into Ginny's cauldron and started toward Draco. Harry and Hermione grabbed the back of his robes to hold him back.
"Ron!" Mr. Weasley shouted, pushing through the crowd with Fred and George. "What are you doing? It's a madhouse in here, let's get outside."
"Well, well, well—Arthur Weasley."
It was Lucius Malfoy. He stood with a hand on Draco's shoulder, wearing a sneer that was a perfect mirror of his son's.
"Lucius," Mr. Weasley said coldly.
"Busy time at the Ministry, I hear," Lucius said smoothly. "All those raids... I hope they're paying you overtime?"
He reached into Ginny's cauldron and pulled an old, battered copy of A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration from among the glossy new Lockhart books.
"Clearly not. Dear me, what's the point of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?"
"We have very different ideas of what constitutes a disgrace to the name of wizard, Malfoy," Arthur replied.
"Clearly," Lucius sneered.
His pale eyes flicked over to the Grangers, who were watching the confrontation with trepidation, and then landed on Sean.
"Look at the company you keep, Weasley... I thought your family had sunk as low as possible. And I see you've even brought a mute on stage today..."
Before he could finish the sentence, Mr. Weasley let out a roar and lunged.
But someone was faster. With a sharp crack, a wizard in black robes Apparated directly between them. His expression was twisted into something feral, and his wand was pressed hard against Lucius's throat. A faint, sickly green light began to pulse at the tip.
"You... utter one more disrespectful word toward my Master—"
Professor Quirrell's sudden, murderous aura sent a wave of panic through the shop. Wizards nearby scrambled backward.
Lucius Malfoy had no idea who this man was or how he had moved so fast. His mind went blank, but the killing intent in the other man's eyes was unmistakable. His face went deathly pale.
"You dare—"
"Av—"
"I apologize for my mistake!" Lucius blurted out, his voice cracking as he stumbled backward, tripping over a stack of books.
The crimson, bloodshot light in Quirrell's eyes dimmed slightly.
The situation had escalated far beyond what anyone had expected. Only then did Lucius realize who the man standing over him was...
The former Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
But that wasn't the important part. The important part was that this man was the agent for the Fairy Tale Workshop.
Which meant... Lucius's eyes drifted, trembling, toward the boy standing nearby. The future "Greatest Wizard," the "Thrice-Greatest Hermes," the boy publicly praised and supported by both Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel... was looking back at him with a chilling, quiet calm.
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