Chapter 8: An Outrageous Timetable
The dark magical creature, the 'Three-Handed Monkey','s method of filling human hearts with fear was ineffective on Lockhart.
Besides the reason that Lockhart's mind was already a chaotic cacophony of various memory sounds, there was also the means of a well-informed wizard at play.
Or rather, a state of mind.
—Courage.
Not the Gryffindor kind of courage, but the Ravenclaw kind.
The courage needed for combat spellcasting is emotional, and fervent, while the courage to face dark magical creatures is a state of mind, often calm.
This state of mind was an innate ability that allowed Lockhart to be unafraid of the negative emotions brought by many dark magical creatures, including even the most notorious Azkaban guards, the Dementors.
In fact, being a wizard was inherently a game of talent.
Magical creatures for Hagrid and Newt, combat spells for Harry Potter, magical creations for the Weasley twins, and even Ron, the most unremarkable in the original story, possessed an unparalleled linguistic talent, able to easily imitate Harry's Parseltongue and Peter Pettigrew's voice, a natural magical aptitude in the fields of charms and language.
Of course, talent alone was not enough. Wizards had to know how to make good use of their talents and even find environments suitable for their talents to flourish.
Those talented in dark magic should become dark wizards, those skilled in combat and with a unique flexibility towards rules should become Aurors...
Lockhart dared say that someone like his senior, Snape, after betraying his allegiance to Voldemort and choosing Dumbledore to teach at Hogwarts, would definitely be weaker than during the so-called First Wizarding War if he hadn't secretly continued to study dark magic.
Because his state of mind had been broken, and he had strayed from his own talents.
Of course, people change, states of mind change, and so do talents. Who knows?
Take Lockhart for example. He himself didn't mind being a dark wizard at all, which was why he was so greedily hesitant to decide to extract those memories from his mind, including those of the dozen or so powerful wizards and the original Lockhart's.
It was too simple in the wizarding world. With just a few techniques, holding a wand to one's head, memories could be extracted one by one, that's how convenient it was.
At least for him, who had inherited the original body's top-tier understanding and control of the Memory Charm, it wouldn't be difficult.
Having come to the magic-filled wizarding world, he absolutely didn't want to become a Muggle again. Instead, he wanted to find a way to digest and absorb those memories in his mind, as well as the emotions, thought processes, values, states of mind, and so on contained within them.
If he had been a wizard in his previous life, then he would definitely have been a Ravenclaw. He innately understood how to think about and make good use of the direction of his talents.
Hermione didn't linger in the office for too long. The Boggart in the peeling cosmetic box was still making noises, and the Cornish Pixies were vigorously shaking their birdcage, making her constantly feel that these monsters might escape.
After she left, Lockhart closed the doors and windows, then reopened the jar and let the Three-Handed Monkey out again.
"Goo-jee~~"
The golden, furry little monkey opened its big eyes and looked at him curiously, its third hand, growing from its right armpit, curled between its chest and abdomen.
Lockhart took a large apple from the table, broke it in half with a snap, and offered one half to it, "Want some?"
"Goo-jee~"
The little monkey thought for a moment, reached out to take it, tried to take a bite, and its eyes lit up. It held the apple with both hands and chewed bite after bite, eating very earnestly.
"Hahaha~~~" Lockhart let out a hearty laugh and ruffled the little monkey's head, "From now on, you are not allowed to leave my office without my permission. If you can do that, I can find you some delicious food every day, okay?"
The chewing sound stopped, and the little monkey began to hesitate, looking at the apple in its hands and then at the door.
"If you don't agree, then I'll have to lock you back in the jar. I know you're a special dark magical creature who likes to bask in the sun. Maybe I can build you a little nest by the window?"
The little monkey obviously understood, turning its head to look at the window with a puzzled expression. It was nighttime, and there was no sunlight.
"Never basked in the sun before?"
Lockhart looked at it with a smile, "Trust me, you'll like it. I understand your kind of creature very well."
Many wizards had this stereotype, believing that dark wizards liked to stay in dark alleys and that dark magical creatures liked to stay in dark, damp corners. This Three-Handed Monkey had obviously been kept that way by its previous handler.
Distinguishing between wild and domesticated dark magical creatures was simple. Dark magical creatures that had long-term contact with humans could understand human speech and were easier to communicate with, which was easy to determine.
Who knew which dark wizard Mad-Eye Moody had captured it from?
"Goo-jee~"
The little monkey finally nodded, raising its third hand to its eyes.
Lockhart shook its hand, officially sealing the deal.
This didn't mean it completely agreed with the deal, but rather decided to try cooperating. If it later found that such cooperation would greatly harm its interests, it would no longer abide by it.
But it was a good start. Taming a dark magical creature was not easy.
Lockhart could actually have just kept it in the jar. Dark magical creatures were not creatures in the ordinary sense. They didn't have the biological processes of eating, drinking, excretion, birth, aging, or death, nor the ability to reproduce. Academically, they were called 'non-existents' or 'non-human paranormal phenomena.'
But he was also too lonely. He also had too many things he couldn't and dared not say to people. Keeping a monster as a pet was a good choice.
"From now on, your name is Goldie."
Lockhart chuckled, giving his new pet a name.
But he quickly stopped laughing.
When he sat down at his desk and officially got to work, intending to take this year's teaching duties seriously, his gaze suddenly froze.
"What is this outrageous thing!!!"
He couldn't help but scream, causing Goldie to turn its head to look at him with a puzzled expression.
Lockhart was so shocked that his whole being seemed to go blank, his pupils dilated violently!
Goldie, holding the apple, climbed up Lockhart's leg and onto his shoulder, its three hands working together. It lowered its small head to look at the thin piece of paper in his hands, wondering why its new master was suddenly filled with a thick sense of fear.
This was something even it couldn't do.
Yet this piece of paper had done it.
It carefully tried to discern the meaning, but couldn't understand the words on it.
The content was the timetable for the Defence Against the Dark Arts class. There was nothing wrong with that. The crucial point was that Lockhart had never imagined what an outrageous concept it was to have only one Defence Against the Dark Arts professor for seven year levels and four houses in a school.
And unlike Potions or Transfiguration, which taught two houses simultaneously, Defence Against the Dark Arts was taught separately for each house!!!
First year was alright, only one class per house, so four classes in total for all four houses.
Second to fourth years became two classes each, making it eight classes for all four houses.
Fifth year was a combined double period, also totaling eight classes.
Sixth and seventh years finally had combined classes for all four houses, also double periods.
That meant 40 classes a week!
The entire timetable was packed full, with no spare time at all.
However, that wasn't all. The professor also had the most crucial N.E.W.T. class, where students who had passed their Ordinary Wizarding Level exams in the fifth year were selected by the professor to continue their education in preparation for the final wizarding exams.
There was no timetable for this part of the teaching; it required the professor's continuous guidance throughout the week, essentially like taking on apprentices.
"Hiss~~~"
Lockhart suddenly gasped, feeling like his whole being almost gave out.
He suddenly felt a strong sense of respect for his senior, Snape. If he remembered correctly, Snape had also temporarily taken on the Defence Against the Dark Arts post in the original story.
Temporarily!
What a joke! How was that even possible?
His own Potions classes, the temporary Defence Against the Dark Arts classes, Head of House duties, nighttime patrols, obsessively targeting Harry Potter, and various school affairs, such as presiding over Quidditch matches, etc...
And of course, the ridiculously heavy workload of lesson preparation and grading homework...
Could it be that Senior Snape didn't have time to wash his hair because he was too busy?
No, no, no!
Lockhart realized with horror that Senior Snape wasn't even temporarily filling the post now. Currently, with this kind of scheduling and his past impressions of the school, the two busiest professors at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry were probably himself and Professor Binns!
Professor Binns was a ghost, so of course he didn't need to eat, drink, or sleep. He, however, did.
If he continued like this for a year, he was afraid he would become the second Professor Binns!
With this kind of workload, there was no need for Voldemort to curse him!
Who could handle this!
"Professor Dumbledore!"
"Professor Dumbledore!!!"
Lockhart grabbed the timetable and rushed towards Old Dumbledore's office without any hesitation. He couldn't wait a moment longer.
Since he didn't know the password for the Headmaster's office, he could only stand at the door and shout loudly.
In fact, he knew he should go to Professor McGonagall. This timetable was very likely arranged by Professor McGonagall, and Dumbledore probably hadn't personally dealt with this matter.
But disturbing a lady in the middle of the night was indeed not very appropriate.
After shouting for a while, the huge stone beasts at the entrance finally closed their wings. Lockhart hurriedly rushed to the automatic revolving staircase behind the door and arrived in the office.
Dumbledore was currently sitting at his desk, wearing a pink wizard's robe embroidered with many silver moons and stars, with a steaming cup of coffee and a large pile of documents in front of him.
Hearing footsteps, he looked up, his half-moon spectacles flashing a stream of light, his eyes narrowing slightly, "Running around the school with such a dark magical creature is not a good idea, Professor Lockhart."
Lockhart froze for a moment, then immediately reacted, quickly grabbing Goldie from his shoulder and stuffing it into his wizard robe pocket.
The way he so roughly and casually treated such a powerful dark magical creature made Dumbledore raise an eyebrow, a hint of inexplicable surprise in his eyes.
"A late-night visit. I wonder what brings you here?"
Lockhart opened his mouth, looking at the very dignified Dumbledore, and suddenly didn't know what to say.
What could he say? That the workload was too heavy?
This was a shocking matter for him, but for Dumbledore, who had been the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts in his youth, it was probably a commonplace occurrence.
"It's like this..."
Lockhart's reaction was really too fast. In the short time it took him to walk from the door to the desk, a good idea had formed in his mind.
"Regarding teaching, I have a wonderful idea. I wonder if you have some time. I apologize, I was so excited that I didn't notice the time."
Dumbledore gestured to the empty chair opposite his desk, took off his spectacles, and leaned back in his chair with a somewhat tired expression, "Please, do tell."
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