"Did your mother come too?"
Hearing Lockhart's question, Link's brows immediately furrowed.
He said coldly, "What do you mean by that?"
"Don't misunderstand, this is just a regular greeting." Lockhart flicked his bangs and said with a smile, "Dumbledore has mentioned your great name to me many times, Link. He said you are a naturally gifted and outstanding child. I also saw what happened just now, and that further proves that you have a passionate and kind heart. How about this, as a reward, I'll give you two full sets of all my published works. Signed copies!"
After speaking, Lockhart somehow pulled out a big pile of books, and after signing them one by one with his flashy peacock feather quill, he stuffed them into Link's hands.
This move caused the surrounding crowd to erupt in exclamations of surprise, especially Hermione. As a fan of Lockhart, the envy in her eyes as she looked at Link was practically tangible.
However, Link himself had little reaction. On the contrary, he became even more alert.
Because he was very clear that someone like Lockhart, who was more a businessman than a writer, would never do something meaningless. There had to be another motive behind giving those books.
Sure enough, after enjoying the admiration of the people around, Lockhart spoke again.
"Link, one set of these books is for you, the other is for your mother. I've always greatly admired her, after all, she raised such an outstanding child like you. If possible, I'd really like to talk more with her in the future. By the way, has your mother read my books? What does she think of me?"
As soon as Lockhart said this, Link's gaze toward him immediately turned dangerous. Because the intention in his words, wanting to develop Mrs. Flamel as a fan, was almost completely undisguised.
This made words like "cling to a rich woman," "live off a woman," and "scam money and love" automatically pop into Link's mind.
'You really live up to your name, Lockhart!'
Link mocked inwardly, but on his face appeared a mocking smile. He said bluntly, "Ah, she definitely knows you. And whenever we listen to the Four Gamps TOP10 at night (a very famous weekly comedy show on wizard radio), she always brings you up and says, 'That Lockhart guy is a big fraud. The only spell he might actually be good at is the Memory Charm.' What do you think she meant by that, hmm? Professor Lockhart."
Link even emphasized the last part in a tone mimicking Snape.
This time, Lockhart's expression finally changed. His face darkened, and his eyes bulged as he stared at Link for a while before breaking the awkward atmosphere with a loud laugh.
"Hahahaha! Your mother sure knows how to joke! Ha! Ha! Sorry, I just suddenly remembered I have something to do and must leave now. See you at Hogwarts, Link. Oh! And you too, Harry!"
Lockhart left in a hurry, leaving behind a bunch of bewildered fans.
And as Link looked at the slightly embarrassed figure walking away, a sneer appeared on his face.
Link really couldn't understand where Lockhart got the courage to even think about Mrs. Flamel. That guy's dirty dealings were no secret in the entire wizarding upper circle.
Everyone just didn't expose him to avoid unnecessary offense.
"Link! How could you be so rude to Professor Lockhart!"
Hermione's voice pulled Link out of his thoughts. He turned to see Hermione with a face full of anger.
"What I said is just the truth. Lockhart is totally a fame-seeking fraud." Link shrugged and said.
Hearing this, Harry and Ron also chimed in in agreement. They didn't have any good impressions of Lockhart either, especially Harry, who instinctively disliked Lockhart for shamelessly riding on his popularity just now.
"Oh come on! Even if you guys don't like Professor Lockhart, you don't have to slander him like that!" Hermione said excitedly. "And he's not just a big deal, he's going to be our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor next semester! You guys offending him like this won't end well!"
At this, Harry and Ron fell silent. Because if Lockhart really wanted to make things difficult for them, that would indeed suck, just look at how Snape does things as a reference.
But Link only let out a series of cold laughs. Harry and Hermione, those kinds of young wizards, might think Lockhart was some kind of important figure.
But in Link's eyes, at most, Lockhart was just a literary businessman with a bit of wealth. In terms of social class and status, he didn't even qualify to polish the shoes of most pure-blood nobles.
What could someone like that do to get back at Link? Give him trouble at school? Or act like some modern influencer and incite his fans to attack online?
Link didn't think he'd dare either of those. After all, Link now had dirt on him, if Link wanted, he could ruin Lockhart's reputation at any time. And even if Lockhart dared, Link wouldn't be afraid.
Because for the former, he had Snape and Professor Sprout backing him, so Lockhart wouldn't be able to do anything.
As for the latter, even if Lockhart dared to try, Link figured his fans wouldn't dare take any real action. These so-called fans were just regular people. They might dare to send hate mail and curses to Harry Potter or even Dumbledore.
But they would absolutely not dare to do that to Link. Because Link's surname was Flamel, and the Flamel family was not only powerful and wealthy, but also had ties to Death Eaters.
In their minds, upright people like Harry Potter and Dumbledore wouldn't retaliate over a few hateful letters. But someone with a Death Eater family background like Link? That was a different story.
If they pushed Link too far, maybe a dark wizard would show up at their door the next day.
Just like Mrs. Flamel had said before, in this day and age, being a good person only gets you bullied.
Shaking his head, Link no longer wanted to argue with Hermione. He knew full well that Hermione, currently in her starstruck phase, wouldn't listen to a word.
So, Link quickly changed the subject. After chatting a while with Harry and the Weasley family, he quickly returned to the Black Gold Beast.
And it wasn't until Link's figure gradually disappeared from view that Mr. Granger smacked his lips and asked Hermione, "You gave that treasured signed poster of mine to that young man?"
Hermione was still a little upset and answered with puffed cheeks, "Yeah!"
Mr. Granger nodded thoughtfully. He wasn't a fool. If we're talking about intelligence and emotional awareness, as a dentist, he was much sharper than Mr. Weasley.
From observing Link and the others just now, he had already confirmed something, that Link's family was definitely wealthy and influential, and Link himself had received a good education and was an outstanding child.
And if his daughter really wanted to make a place for herself in this wizarding world, a world that clearly discriminated against Muggle-borns, then having such a friend would certainly be a great help.
Thinking this, a conflicted expression appeared on Mr. Granger's face. But in the end, he gritted his teeth and said to Hermione, "This Link really likes basketball and football, right? To be honest, I still have quite a few signed sneakers and such. Why don't you find a chance to give him a few more?"
Hermione, "?"
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