The slacker professor at Hogwarts

The torrential rain grew heavier and heavier, causing Lockhart some concern.

He looked out the window with a sense of helplessness, not knowing how to get back to school.

It's obvious that this heavy rain will last all night.

He knew perfectly well that it would be like this—it came from the experience of an elderly wizard with rheumatism who had spent most of his life observing the weather.

He knew of a magical trick that allowed the tip of a wand to extend into a barrier of airflow, turning it into an umbrella, and he also understood all the spellcasting techniques of the "Skyfall Charm," a high-level weather spell applied to an individual.

But he couldn't use any of them.

The only solution now seems to be to ride a flying broomstick and rush towards the school castle as fast as possible in the rain, but that's absolutely not going to work!

His image would suffer if the young wizards saw him in such a disheveled state.

Even if it were the original Lockhart, he wouldn't have done that.

The original owner knew that he was all show and no substance, and that many of his advantages were just a facade he had painstakingly created. He would not allow it to be tainted in any way.

Lockhart is even more useless than the original, so naturally he would pay attention to this.

Only by maintaining a good image can one better participate in Harry Potter's "epic heroic fairy tale," earn the maximum reward of being the "savior professor" this school year, and gain the possibility of magical advancement.

He wouldn't let such a good opportunity slip by.

Can……

That's what I said, but how am I supposed to get back?

He decided not to trouble himself with the problem, but to ask the monsters instead.

The car seemed happy to take him back, but it had recently damaged the school's precious willow tree, and the school had been turning a blind eye to it. It was rather inappropriate for it to brazenly run into the school now.

The long-bearded rabbit, however, expressed his willingness to help.

Lockhart keenly sensed once again that the primordial chaos magic within him was taking effect.

It flows with the unique rhythm of a forest witch—when you sincerely explain your troubles to the forest, you will find that the forest is very willing to help you, because you will always be the forest's darling.

Lockhart decided to call this magical state the Forest Witch's "Forest Darling State".

It's really fun.

Lockhart astutely observed the most fundamental difference between the fields of Defense Against the Dark Arts and Magical Creatures Conservation—Defense Against the Dark Arts specialists tend to close their minds to avoid the influence and harm of monsters, while Magical Creatures Conservationists prefer to open their minds and communicate with nature.

Guided by the long-bearded rabbit, he climbed into the passenger seat and crawled into the magic rabbit hole in the small storage compartment in front of him.

Before leaving, he reached his hand through the rabbit hole to say goodbye to the car lady.

Then, head down, they walked into a passageway filled with shimmering light.

As the robust rabbit moves forward, it sometimes turns, sometimes is pushed upward by an invisible force, and sometimes slides rapidly downward.

Finally, he saw a white light again.

On top of the head.

The burly rabbit squatted to one side, pointed to the hole with its fluffy little finger, and made a crawling motion.

It seems it has no intention of going over there, but is simply waiting for Lockhart to leave before closing the temporary passage it created.

"Thanks!"

Lockhart listened intently and could faintly hear the hooting of an owl, as well as the distant sound of a young wizard passing by and talking.

It seems there are no problems.

But he still carefully held the winged demon in his left palm before reaching out to rummage through the entrance of the magic rabbit hole.

"Oh~~~"

An aged voice rang out from outside the cave, "My old friend, you've come to see me?"

"Huh? It's a person?"

Lockhart cautiously peered into the hole and stared intently. He was shocked to discover that this appeared to be a professor's office. The air was filled with the damp, quickly dried stench of pets like cats and dogs, and he could also faintly smell a hot, dry odor that irritated his nose.

pat pat pat.

A pair of prosthetics limped closer. The newcomer looked down at Lockhart, tried to make out his features, and exclaimed in surprise, "Professor Lockhart?"

Hi~

Lockhart flashed his perfect smile. "Good evening, Professor Kettleburn."

Seeing that the other person was about to help him up, he quickly crawled out of the rabbit hole, scrambled to his feet, and helped the other person up, saying, "Please be careful, I can do it myself."

Professor Kettleburn looked somewhat dejected, patted his prosthetic leg, and sighed, "I'm old and useless now."

He looked terrible.

His aged body looked unhealthy and withered, his face covered with wrinkles and hideous scars, and he had only left arm left, and only half of his right leg from the knee down.

Lockhart had no reason to look down on the disabled old wizard, and flattered him, "Just a few days before I became a professor, I saw in the Daily Prophet that you had once again bravely ventured into the dragon sanctuary. Everyone admires you."

Professor Kettleburn is a professor of magical creature conservation and a legendary figure in the wizarding world. He is known in the community as "Kettleburn the Encyclopedia," which shows how outstanding he is in his field.

Based on his life experience, Voldemort and Newt should both have been his students.

Just like the stereotype that "Hufflepuff produces herbalists and magical creature conservationists," this big shot is also a graduate of Hufflepuff House.

His most famous deeds, besides his fervent love for dangerous little animals to the point that he only had one and a half limbs left, include being placed on probation sixty-two times during his teaching career. Although everyone now respectfully calls him a professor, his actual position is still that of a teacher.

His health is deteriorating, and it is said that he has approached Dumbledore several times to offer his resignation.

"I'm sorry to bother you," Lockhart said sincerely. "I don't know why that rabbit brought me here..."

"Dragon Cave Rabbit!" Professor Kettleburn interrupted his pleasantries, introducing the name of this magical creature with great seriousness, "because it likes to live near the lairs of the most powerful animals, especially the Fire Dragon Cave."

"It can guide you through the passages that represent their safety, which means they approve of you, and out of respect, you must know its name."

Lockhart nodded earnestly, "Dragon Cave Rabbit, yes, Dragon Cave Rabbit, it brought me here."

Professor Kettleburn smiled with satisfaction and gestured for Lockhart to sit down on a chair. He couldn't stand for long. "Hogwarts Castle has powerful protective magic, and only my office has lifted the restrictions on them, so of course they can only come here."

"I see," Lockhart understood.

"I don't recommend you hold the Winged Demon in your palm." Professor Kettleburn pried off his uncomfortable right prosthetic arm, stretched his shoulders, and pointed towards Lockhart's palm while holding the prosthetic. "I used to love teaching my students how to use Winged Demons to protect themselves, like those little Muggle toys, called... something like that..."

"Yo-yo," Lockhart quickly said.

"Yes, that's right." Professor Kettleburn smiled and placed his right hand on a shelf beside him. He picked up his wand from the table and waved it. A copper kettle and two cups floated over a brazier with small, fiery snakes leaping in the distance, and poured a cup of hot cocoa for each of them.

"But then one time during actual combat, I discovered that when the Winged Demon popped out, its sharp teeth could easily scratch our little fingers..." He shrugged as he spoke, "My little finger was cut off as a result, but luckily it was still attached by a layer of skin, so I didn't lose it completely during that adventure."

hiss~

Lockhart gasped and quickly stuffed the winged demon he was holding into his pocket.

Professor Kettleburn is a very talkative old man, but also a very lonely one. He is widely respected by the school’s teachers and students for his erudition on magical creatures, but his recklessness on the subject also makes many people keep their distance from him.

For example, the brazier used for heating during heavy rain contains a bunch of embers that could explode and ignite the entire house at any moment.

There are often differences between experts; some are good at academic research, while others are good at applying what they've learned.

Newt is the type who applies what he learns, while Professor Kettleburn, though knowledgeable about everything about magical creatures, sometimes really can't control it.

He once burned down the Great Hall of Hogwarts by misusing the Fire Snake during a school performance, which resulted in many professors and students being hospitalized for several months.

Lockhart wasn't worried about that; he took this opportunity to ask the encyclopedic old man for advice on how to raise the winged demon.

Dark magic creatures can eat whatever they want, and even if they go hungry for hundreds of years, it's not a big deal. But magical creatures are different; he doesn't know much about them.

Professor Kettleburn also liked the young man's attitude toward learning. Many young wizards, after graduating from school in their teens, completely forget about the pursuit of knowledge, as if the knowledge they gained during their seven years of childhood is enough for the rest of their lives.

Magic...

How could something so wondrous and dangerous be enough?

Yes, it is very dangerous, regardless of the field.

As another flash of lightning struck outside the window, the roar of thunder echoed throughout the entire castle.

The fire ash snakes in the brazier seemed to be startled, and they all lit up, making the whole room brightly lit and dazzling for a moment.

"Oh no!" Professor Kettleburn exclaimed.

The fire ash snakes shot out of the brazier like fireworks, igniting everything in their path. One of them even exploded inside the brazier, splattering sparks everywhere.

The fire shot into the sky in an instant, filling the entire room with smoke and flames.

boom!

Outside the window, a torrential downpour was taking place.

Blood was gushing out of every crack in the office window, surging and washing over every corner like a tidal wave.

In just a moment, Lockhart, not wanting to be soaked to the bone, found himself completely drenched in blood.

"Oh~ Merlin's pink shorts!"

Professor Kettleburn struggled to stand up in his chair, only to be slammed back down by a giant wave of blood. Before he could react, the blood vanished, leaving only the water glass in his hand, which had turned from hot cocoa into a mixture of blood and water, a sight that sent chills down one's spine.

He stared blankly at Lockhart in the seat opposite him, only to see him elegantly raise his glass and gulp it down.

After finishing the drink, he smacked his lips.

Lockhart felt a bitter taste in his mouth, a bitterness that reflected his state of mind.

For a fleeting moment, he felt that the reason these fiery ash snakes exploded was due to the curse on his own body, and that the threat of death was lurking around him at any time.

But then he would think that this might just be an accident, and that his own anxiety and overreaction were particularly ridiculous.

So he didn't enjoy the drink very much.

Seeing Professor Kettleburn's gaze, he quickly adjusted his mindset and gave a kind smile.

He planned to recommend this highly revitalized spring water to the respected old professor, as it would be very effective for the professor's depleted health.

Perhaps he could launch another beverage brand like "Fairy Spring"?

However, the old professor's behavior seemed so strange.

Professor Kettleburn looked at the young man covered in blood with some horror. He saw the young man holding the bloody water and showing him a smile that was both ferocious and elegant. His mouth was full of blood as he smiled, and his pupils widened in shock.

"!!!"

He was so frightened that his eyes rolled back and he fainted.

No?

Lockhart quickly stood up. "Brother, you're a tough guy who goes on adventures in the wild dragon reserve every few days. What haven't you seen? Is it really necessary to do this?"

He had originally intended to say that since things were already like this, why not quietly enjoy the spring water that could revitalize the other person's nearly depleted body?

This is good stuff, don't waste it.

no……

Dude, wake up!