The slacker professor at Hogwarts

"Many young wizards who are just starting to learn magic will discover this secret: the louder you shout, the better the magic will be."

As he spoke, Lockhart looked around and saw that some of the children who had performed well in the field of spells had expressions of approval on their faces, and he couldn't help but grin.

"Of course, as you get to higher grades and gain more experience in spellcasting, you will discover that the true essence of magic is unwavering will."

murmurs began to ripple through the audience, with some of the young wizards whispering to those around them about how they had indeed done it and how effective it had been.

For example, Harry Potter seemed to have gained some insight, turning to Ron and explaining that he had indeed shouted loudly while casting the spell, and it seemed that Ron was right.

Malfoy from the neighboring Slytherin house turned his head with a sneer, about to mock the other's foolish way of casting spells by shouting, when he suddenly saw Hermione Granger staring at Professor Lockhart on the stage with a lovestruck expression.

Oh.

Old man on the subway using his phone.jpg

He had recently seen many of his classmates being obsessed with Lockhart, which disgusted him.

Fortunately, the discussions didn't last long. The prefects of each college began to maintain order in the classrooms, taking the glorious task assigned by Professor Lockhart very seriously.

"I know..."

Lockhart strolled confidently across the stage, speaking eloquently, "Some students may not agree with this statement."

"They would think that the essence of magic is not a firm will, but a rich imagination, or the ability to construct images in one's mind."

He brandished his wand, which to him was no different from a fire poker, making a famous gesture—a perfectly standard basic transfiguration move—and his cool pose once again drew screams from some of the young wizards.

The prefects had to get busy again.

Lockhart simply watched with a smile, nodded to the prefects who were eager to take credit, and then continued his story.

"Many wizards find that when we have a good expectation of the effect of the spell, and ideally we can visualize the scene clearly in our minds, our spellcasting becomes magical and easy."

"For example, the restoration spell, 'Restore to its original state'..."

"For example, Polymorph and its corresponding reversal spell..."

Lockhart gave many examples of its application, and for each example, he would strike a pose and perform the most standard casting gesture, a gesture that even Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall, who were extremely proficient in Transfiguration, could not find fault with.

In this way, he quickly summarized a total of seven types, each with detailed arguments.

"Unwavering will, wonderful imagination, intense emotions..." He walked slowly on the stage, his golden wizard robes swaying and reflecting the lights of the great hall, making him shine brightly.

He asked, "Even though we've summarized so many secrets to casting magic, we've found that none of them can be applied to all areas of magic. So, what is the true essence of magic?"

He looked intently at each student, and even at the professors in the corner, noticing that they were also deep in thought, which made him raise an eyebrow.

Next, he randomly selected a few outstanding students to try answering the question.

Of course, being a cunning guy, he naturally chose those outstanding students who were eager to perform and were his fans.

Their excellence will create a stereotype among the young wizards at Hogwarts—look, Professor Lockhart's fans are all high-quality fans, you can't go wrong by following him.

Lockhart received many answers, but even top professors at Hogwarts might not be able to give a convincing answer to this kind of question.

In fact, there is no absolute answer to this kind of question.

Since you're destined to be questioned, as long as you have something to say, being questioned becomes an exploration rather than a rebuttal, and that's how you establish a more down-to-earth image.

Lockhart smiled and looked at everyone. "My answer is—romance."

"Yes, romance, the essence of magic." His eyes, full of wisdom, shone with contemplation as he spoke slowly and firmly, "If I had to give romance a qualifier, I would say fairytale romance, fairytale-like romance."

He looked intently at the young wizards below, saying, "Many young wizards think that life is long and that childhood can be wasted, so they don't focus their energy on their studies. But when you leave magic school, you will find that your greatest achievement in life may be the time you spent at Hogwarts during your childhood."

"If you, like me, graduate at 17 or 18 and embark on a round-the-world trip, seeing so many people and things, you will discover a phenomenon—the most creative peak of many wizards' magic in their lives is during their childhood."

"Many of the magic spells you've learned or witnessed, if you carefully examine the records, you'll find that they were almost all invented by those powerful wizards during their childhood."

Such examples abound.

Take Professor Snape, for example. He invented so much magic in his childhood, and how many spells did he invent after graduation?

Why is this happening?

Lockhart looked at the young wizards who had suddenly fallen silent. "I think they're starting to face the harsh realities of life and are starting to lose their romance."

"And it's a fairytale romance."

"Our romantic fantasies about magical effects, our unwavering belief in magical effects, how easily we entrusted our emotions to magic... such romance is lost."

"It's difficult for an adult wizard to live in a fairytale-like world anymore..."

"The natural romance of a young wizard's childhood is the best soil for magic. Cherish these seven years of school life, for it brings you endless possibilities."

The knowledgeable Professor Lockhart smiled as he looked at everyone in the audience. He could clearly see Snape in a corner of the audience with a gloomy expression. Snape was obviously deeply affected by what he had just said.

"Then, to be more specific?"

"Perhaps the direction was already pointed out to you when you were sorted into departments."

"Gryffindor, perhaps it's an adventure? To defeat the Great Demon King?"

"Slytherin, perhaps, is plotting a subversive conspiracy?"

"Ravenclaw, perhaps for its professional excellence? Or its illustrious reputation?"

"..."

He smiled and shook his head. "No, it can't be defined. Everyone should have their own romantic fairytale magic life."

"You'll have to go and find it."

"Now, let's move on to a real-life scenario and show you how remarkable the effects of 'fairytale romance' can be in spellcasting."

"I think I need to invite two assistants up on stage..."

"Let's have a fairytale performance."

He looked around the crowd and murmured, "I need a hero who wants to defeat the Great Demon King, and a wise man who firmly believes that he is right."

Oh, he quickly selected his target.

Even though many young wizards were actively raising their hands, he still focused his gaze on two young wizards in the crowd who were trying their best to hide behind their classmates.

"Harry Potter..."

"Draco Malfoy..."

"Would you please come up on stage?"