"Anyway, the Defense Against the Dark Arts class has been pretty rubbish so far."
"A fairy tale?"
Dumbledore sank into thought. With his vast life experience, he could easily recall countless examples that aligned with Lockhart's fairy-tale theory.
"Exactly. Magic is the ultimate romantic essence of a fairy tale," Lockhart repeated. "For someone like me, growing up in the Muggle world and then stepping into a school like Hogwarts, it's hard not to feel that. Professor Dumbledore, you might find it tough to imagine what it's like to walk into a fairy-tale world for the first time."
"That feeling made me utterly enchanted with magic—obsessed, even. It sparked all sorts of wild dreams and ideas, which opened up so many possibilities for my spellcasting."
"You could ask any wizard who's come from the Muggle world to the wizarding one—they'd back me up."
"Of course, I'd say I'm the one who understands this theory best."
That wasn't exactly humble, but Lockhart's journey from his first steps into Hogwarts as a kid to becoming a celebrated figure in the wizarding world had been mostly smooth sailing. Sure, there were challenges here and there, but he'd achieved a social status that even pure-blood wizards from old, powerful families could only dream of.
Take Snape, for example. He grew up in the Muggle world too, but for him, entering the wizarding world probably wasn't some romantic adventure.
A little golden creature peeked out from the edge of Lockhart's robe pocket, its fluffy, golden head curiously eyeing Dumbledore across the desk. This was only the second wizard it had ever met who wasn't fazed by its abilities.
Then it glanced at the perch on the desk, where a majestic crimson bird—Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix—was glaring at it. Startled, the creature ducked back into the pocket.
Lockhart plucked a grape from the desk and slipped it into the pocket, patting the creature's head to calm it down before turning back to Dumbledore with eager anticipation.
"So, what's your plan?" Dumbledore asked, his fingers interlaced on the desk, his gaze sharp and assessing.
"I know better than to shake up Hogwarts' teaching style or rhythm out of the blue," Lockhart said cautiously, watching Dumbledore closely. "So I'm thinking of weaving fairy-tale-style exercises into the lessons."
"The problem is, having just one House in a class is too small for this kind of exercise. I'd love for every young witch and wizard to get involved—ideally, all four Houses from a single year taking the class together."
"Trust me, I get why the school has Houses. But I think the fairy-tale exercises work best when students from different Houses, with their unique strengths, collaborate. A dark lord or ambitious schemer could be a Slytherin, a wise scholar could be a Ravenclaw, a brave hero could be a Gryffindor, and a hardworking, unsung supporter could be a Hufflepuff."
"But sometimes, letting them try out roles from other Houses—or even swapping roles entirely—could really broaden their perspectives."
"What do you think?"
Genius!
Teaching all four Houses together would cut the number of classes to a quarter, and prep time would shrink just as much!
Dumbledore didn't answer right away. He leaned back, lost in thought, then glanced at the portraits of past headmasters on the wall. "Could someone fetch Professor McGonagall for me?"
This was promising!
Lockhart's eyes lit up, and he waited eagerly alongside Dumbledore for McGonagall's arrival.
McGonagall arrived faster than expected. With the school year just starting and her schedule packed, she'd been in the middle of lecturing the prefects—not far from Dumbledore's office.
Lockhart's suggestion wasn't just a tweak to teaching methods; it would require reshuffling the entire school's timetable. Merlin only knew how many hours she'd have to spend sorting it all out.
But McGonagall, despite her reputation for sticking to rules, was far more adaptable than Lockhart had expected. After a brief moment of consideration, she nodded.
"I'm not sure if Professor Lockhart's ideas will work," she said, "but I must admit, Professor Dumbledore, our Defense Against the Dark Arts classes haven't exactly been stellar in the past. I'm curious to see what someone as… well-traveled as Lockhart can bring to the table."
In other words, the class was already a mess—why not let Lockhart have a go?
Lockhart looked at McGonagall, who was gazing at him with a spark of expectation, and felt a sudden wave of emotion.
Being trusted felt good.
Maybe that was McGonagall's charm—she had a knack for giving people she believed in a chance to shine. Like when she bent the rules to let first-year Harry Potter play Quidditch, a sport crucial to House pride. Harry must have felt the same mix of gratitude and pressure Lockhart was feeling now.
Luckily, Lockhart wasn't making up the idea that a fairy-tale atmosphere could boost magical ability. It was the secret behind his own rapid rise in skill.
He didn't mind sharing that secret.
The original Lockhart had felt the same way.
But the original Lockhart wanted to milk that secret for all it was worth, which was why he never wrote it down in his books. He planned to star in "Harry's Heroic Fairy Tale," using it as a real-life case study to write a blockbuster book and reap the rewards: fame as an educator, book sales, stronger ties with Hogwarts, gratitude from countless students, and future connections.
Looking back at the original books, Lockhart *had* tried this. He often had students act out roles from his adventure stories in class. The problem was, he'd lost their trust early on, and his clumsy attempts to create an immersive fairy-tale vibe fell flat. The results were so bad that Harry and Ron mercilessly mocked him, and even Hermione, his biggest fan, couldn't defend him.
Could he do better now?
Lockhart looked at Dumbledore and McGonagall, both watching him expectantly, and flashed his signature dazzling smile. Standing up, he declared with utmost confidence, "Just you wait. No one understands magic better than me!"
He'd make up for the original Lockhart's regrets. He'd finish what the original started—and do it better.
Then, he'd fully absorb and master the original Lockhart's memories.
At the very least, he'd gain the original's skills: a top-tier Memory Charm, a passable Apparition, a Cleaning Charm, an Unlocking Charm, a basic Healing Charm, and all the other tricks honed through countless adventures.
---
The next day.
The first class of the school year was a big deal for every young witch and wizard. Under Dumbledore and McGonagall's watchful eyes, Lockhart was set to hold an experimental mega-lesson for *all* students.
All seven years in one class.
Somehow, McGonagall had pulled it off, rearranging the schedule with her usual efficiency. The change affected nearly every professor's classes, so most of them showed up to observe, curious to see what Lockhart would do.
"He's such a show-off," Ron muttered from the corner as everyone filed into the Great Hall—the only place big enough to hold the entire school for a lesson.
"Ron!" Hermione snapped, glaring. "You shouldn't talk like that about a professor who's trying to teach you something valuable."
"Oh, really?" Ron smirked. "You didn't seem to mind when we were trashing Snape."
Hermione's face flushed with anger, and she turned away, refusing to engage.
Soon, the Great Hall quieted down, thanks to the prefects' efforts.
Our flashy Professor Lockhart swept onto the stage, his golden robes shimmering as he moved with a spring in his step. He'd just been chatting with some older students about past lessons and, as a little test, had a few of them cast *Sonorus* on him.
Plan successful!
"Students…" His voice boomed across the hall, a bit too loud at first. He quickly lowered it, adopting a smooth, engaging tone as he kicked things off with a few fun stories about Defense Against the Dark Arts to warm up the crowd.
Then he grinned, scanning the sea of students—and the professors in the back, like Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape.
Okay, pretty much the whole school was here.
He wasn't fazed at all. If anything, he looked thrilled.
Because he knew this was his chance to make everyone see him as a master of magic. Starting today.
This was his grand opening.
"So, let's get to the main event," he said.
"Today, I want to talk to you all about… the true essence of magic!"
See? Nothing screams "I'm a big deal" like a topic like that.
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