Hogwarts: Don't call me Wandmaker

Chapter 129 Lockhart Returns to School

Last year, pet wands were all the rage, and this year Hogwarts has come up with a new trend.

All of this stemmed from the launch of a new product by Weasley's Magic Tricks Studio:

Do you want a friend who's always by your side?

Do you want to use magic without a wand?

[We guarantee to fulfill your wish]

[Guarantee not to violate school rules]

Weasley's Magic Tricks proudly presents: Follow the Magic Ball.

[Note: You can also bring an owl feather or a cat whisker to give it a different meaning.]

On the first day of February, this eye-catching advertisement miraculously appeared in the common room of every college, immediately arousing everyone's curiosity.

That evening, Fred and George appeared in the auditorium with two oddly shaped walking balls.

Fred flicked his finger, and the Gryffindor ball lit up with a soft white light. To everyone's surprise, a lion was painted on the surface of the ball, and the words "Gryffindor, victory is assured" were written on it.

"Oh, look at that!" someone exclaimed.

George's roaming ball suddenly turned into an owl, flying around him incessantly.

"What is this?"

“Of course it’s our new product,” Fred said with a smile. “You can have it too for just three Galleons.”

“And if you want to add a Sickle, you can make it whatever you like, like this.” George held out his hand, and the “owl” immediately landed on his arm.

“You can’t always carry a messenger owl with you, but you can carry a magic owl,” George said. “All you need is one Sickle to make you the center of attention. Isn’t that a great deal?”

……

“No, it’s not worth it at all…” Ron muttered softly from outside the crowd.

He longed to be the center of attention, but he couldn't afford it. He couldn't afford not only the three Galleons Follow Magic Orb, but also an extra Sickle Polymorph.

However, Hermione next to her bought one.

“I think the magic in this book is very valuable and worth buying,” Hermione said, with a round cat perched on her shoulder, looking exactly like Tom (Siron’s cat).

“Okay, I understand what you’re saying,” Ron muttered. “But why did you spend an extra 100 cents to have Siron cast a shapeshifting spell on it? Couldn’t you do it yourself?”

“I thought I could.” Hermione’s face showed a hint of frustration.

"What did you think before? What does that mean?"

“That’s it…” Hermione took out a button and waved her wand, turning it into a beetle.

It looks exactly like a real beetle, except it doesn't move.

“We only learned how to turn a turtle into a teapot, but that’s a completely different level of difficulty than turning a teapot into a turtle. I still can’t do the reverse animal transformation.”

"So you mean, even you don't know this, Siren..."

“Very skilled,” Hermione said, her tone becoming more frustrated.

"It can't be that bad," Ron said, still a little skeptical. "Sirlen's grades aren't much better than ours. He only got three O's in his exams last year."

“If it’s Transfiguration, Hermione is probably right,” Harry reminded him. “Don’t forget that Siren has been reading books about Transfiguration all year, even when he was studying History of Magic. This shouldn’t be too difficult for him.”

……

Harry is right. Celeste can indeed reverse animal transformation now, and he was the one who came up with the idea. He can make money while practicing Transfiguration, which is a win-win situation.

The reason it's so cheap is that, with his current shapeshifting ability, it only lasts for about a day before he returns to his original state.

Over the next week, Xiren became even busier, mainly because the core patterns of the "magic ball" and the wand were completely different, and the corresponding runes also needed to be changed accordingly. Xiren needed to spend time figuring it out and familiarizing himself with them. However, Xiren was pleasantly surprised to find that while he was focused on doing these things, he had completely forgotten that he still had a leaf in his mouth.

This discovery further energized him, and he proactively acquired a new batch of staff cores.

Unicorn hair, not the tail or mane, but the kind that naturally falls off the body, is mostly used to make handicrafts, which are very expensive.

However, it's quite suitable for this situation. Hagrid can easily pick up a handful by going to the Forbidden Forest, and one stick at a time can last a long time.

Xilun is preparing for tomorrow's full moon. If they increase the workload then, they might succeed on the first try.

However, Xiren failed again this month.

His plan was actually quite good. While he was focused on making the wand, he completely ignored the existence of the mandrake leaf, and this state of mind lasted for two weeks.

Two weeks later, the sudden appearance of a person almost made Xilen bite her tongue while she was eating, and she accidentally ate the leaf.

But none of that mattered anymore. Xiren looked at Lockhart on the teachers' table, his expression growing increasingly strange.

Lockhart looked unwell; he was pale and tired, clearly not fully recovered.

But he forced himself to stay alert and interacted with the excited admirers around him.

"Oh, yes, I'm all better now."

"To be honest, I was careless. The leisurely life at school made me gradually lose my vigilance, which is why I was attacked after getting drunk."

"Thank you for your concern, Miss Brown."

"Yes, I will catch those people sooner or later. They won't get away."

"But right now, what I care about most is your studies."

……

“He actually came back…” Ron said incredulously. “I thought he would learn his lesson and hide in St. Mungo’s until the end of the school year.”

Silen nodded silently; he thought so too, and Lockhart could do it too.

Mrs. Pomfrey said he had been struck by a powerful dark spell, and although he survived, he would need to rest for a long time.

St. Mungo said the same thing later, and Lockhart could use this as an excuse to recuperate at St. Mungo until the end of the school year, at which point he wouldn't have to worry about being exposed.

But to everyone's surprise, he returned, albeit with a weakened body. Even Xilun was momentarily moved by his spirit.

If he didn't know who Lockhart was, he might have thought he was a responsible and good professor, an excellent teacher at Hogwarts, and a role model among wizards.

But he knew Lockhart, who had already lost face at the Duel Club, essentially revealing that he knew nothing.

The conversation didn't continue until he was suddenly attacked.

If Siron were Lockhart, or if Lockhart were capable of thinking rationally, he would never return to Hogwarts.

But then he came back.

Xiren seemed to have thought of something, narrowed his eyes, and stared at Lockhart who was surrounded by the crowd... So he still couldn't bear to part with the basilisk in the secret chamber?

Dumbledore was also looking at Lockhart.

He shook hands with Lockhart warmly.

"The best decision I made this year was inviting you to Hogwarts to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor." Dumbledore wiped away non-existent tears from the corner of his eye.

"Thank you, Gilderoy, for returning to your professorship at this time. Professor Snape should also like to thank you; I've always felt it was too much for him to be responsible for two subjects."

Everyone looked at Snape, who was staring blankly at Lockhart, looking anything but grateful.

……

(End of this chapter)