Hogwarts Wasteland: The Witch from the Borderlands

Chapter 85 An Unexpected Encounter

"Look who I see! It's Gilderoy Lockhart!" Harry exclaimed.

Before he could finish speaking, Hermione snatched the telescope from him. As a die-hard fan of Gilderoy Lockhart, she had always regretted not having the chance to meet this powerful ranger wizard. The only textbook for the first-year Defense Against Danger was "Countering Danger: A Wasteland Survival Guide," which was one of Lockhart's less successful works, but it still showed his extensive knowledge, powerful abilities, and detailed and beautiful writing.

Hermione had been looking forward to the start of her second year so that she could read the latest version of the Defense Forces textbook, an expanded edition that wasn't even available on the market yet.

It must be said that the existence of Hogwarts has effectively guaranteed the inheritance of the wizarding world. Although not every wizarding child has the opportunity to enroll, given the professors' rigorous teaching plan and cutting-edge knowledge that is even one step ahead of Malfoy Castle, every graduate is a pillar of the wizarding world. At least most of them have mastered Apparition, some spells that can be cast silently, etc., which is enough for newly graduated students to easily defeat those wild wizards.

Thanks to the magical telescope, Hermione could clearly see the scene at the city gate, including Gilderoy, who was wearing a grey cloak.

Lockhart looked slightly tired, his short, light-gold hair covered with a thin layer of dust, but it did not affect his resolute and handsome face. He rode a pure white winged horse with a hilt and a sheathed longsword at his waist, and a short staff on his back.

A winged griffon was pulling a covered wagon, and adults were carrying some still-shaken children off the wagon one by one.

At that moment, a well-dressed wizard cast a spell on his throat, and his joyful voice immediately echoed throughout Malfoy Castle: "Citizens! We have just received some exciting news! The esteemed ranger wizard, the new legend of the wizarding world, the pride of Malfoy Castle—Mr. Gilderoy Lockhart! has just escaped from the Basilisk and the Green Flame Party..."

The kidnapped children have been rescued! Remember! All the children! Now, all families who have suffered in this incident, please come to the South Gate to claim your loved ones!

In an instant, the entire city was in an uproar. The outer district, which had been filled with a somber and melancholic atmosphere, suddenly turned into a pot of boiling fish soup. A bustling crowd began to converge on the city gate, and even those whose children had not been lost wanted to see what this new legend looked like.

"My God! He really did a great thing!" Harry exclaimed enviously, dreaming that he too should perform heroic deeds like Gilderoy Lockhart.

"But Lockhart is actually from Malfoyburg?" Ron asked, puzzled.

"He never writes about his life in his books, so it's normal that he's not well-known," Hermione replied, still holding her binoculars and observing his every move.

"Voldemort really suffered a huge loss this time. With so many children rescued, will he die of anger in the Albanian forests?" Neville clenched his fist excitedly, feeling a deep empathy for the children.

Just then, Mrs. Lily rushed over, carrying large and small bags.

"Here you go, these are specially made high-end stacked pots. Those are half-price, half-gifts from the family. The four smaller ones are for the children!" She tossed all the bags to Mr. James and began to complain.

"Your good brothers are really something, this year's defense professor is Gilderoy Lockhart! If I hadn't talked to a few family heads, I wouldn't have found out until the start of the semester!"

"Eat quickly, kids, we need to hurry and say hello to this year's new professor!"

Hermione's eyes lit up. She hadn't expected that Lily was also a loyal Lockhart fan, and she was even more surprised that Dumbledore had managed to invite this famous ranger wizard to serve as the new Defense Against the Law professor.

She quickly shoveled the rest of the ice cream into her mouth, ignoring the tears welling up from the spicy flavor of the dogwood-flavored beans.

Harry exclaimed in shock, "Lockhart is the new professor! And he'll be the Head of Slytherin!"

"This white wizard, touted as the next Dumbledore, is actually from Slytherin!"

James was a little jealous and stuffed all the bags and packages Lily had brought back into his magic bag: "When he was sorted into his house, the Sorting Hat happened. The Sorting Hat struggled for a long time about whether to sort him into Slytherin or Ravenclaw. Over the years, only Professor McGonagall, Lockhart, and... triggered the Sorting Hat."

Mr. James didn't say the last name, but Harry quietly mouthed it to Hermione, letting her know that it was Peter Pettigrew. To this day, the Sorting Hat firmly believes that it was the right thing to sort Pettigrew into Gryffindor instead of Slytherin.

"Maybe the Sorting Hat is really senile. A wizard like Lockhart should go to Ravenclaw instead." Harry said, speaking up for his father, but the subtext was that the senile Sorting Hat should send Pettigrew to Slytherin!

But there was no time to think about that right now. Urged on by Lily, everyone quickly finished their cold drinks. Under Mr. James's mournful gaze, the two ladies, full of enthusiasm, pulled them through the crowd and headed towards the city gate.

By this time, some families had already picked up their children. They were embracing tightly on the roadside. Not only residents of the outer city, but also nobles from the inner city had parents rushing out to take back their beloved children who had been taken away. However, their numbers were small, and they had been very quiet until now.

Heaven knows how the Green Flame Party bypassed the even more stringent magical barrier of the inner city, or even how they managed to transport the basilisk into the stone wall; it remains an unknown mystery.

At that moment, a male voice, imbued with a powerful vocal spell, rang out over the city: "Following a unanimous vote by the Malfoy Castle Council, we will award Mr. Gilderoy Lockhart the Malfoy Castle Platinum Knight's Medal! The awarding ceremony will be held next week."

At that time, all citizens are welcome to come to the Peacock Square to watch the ceremony!

The bustling Peacock Square, a huge square that stretches from the end of Diagon Alley all the way to the inner city, where from the outside all you can see is the magnificent and towering platinum peacock statue in the sky, will probably attract people from all over the city. Although there is a difference between the inside and outside, it will still be quite lively.

The crowd surged to another climax as Lily led everyone through the cheering crowd with difficulty. Even the Muggles were happy for their masters' joy.

They passed through the city gate, and fortunately, leaving the city didn't require any complicated procedures. Soon, they saw someone sitting beside the covered wagon.

Lockhart was dealing with officials and reporters.

It's worth mentioning that Malfoy Castle does have its own newspaper, called the *Daily Occupy*, but unfortunately, due to the high cost of paper, the newspaper is basically only available to the upper class in the inner city, though it is also subscribed to by high-ranking members of other factions.

But even ordinary wizards can't afford to order it.

Moreover, since there were no owls, the newspapers were delivered by elves and wizards who possessed the ability to appease.

"Professor Lockhart!" Lily flashed her most perfect smile of the day, cutting into the crowd at the perfect moment. She sensed Lockhart's lurking impatience; these annoying flies were starting to make the ranger wizard uncomfortable.

As one of the most renowned Potions Masters, Lockhart had obviously seen Lily's portrait before. When he saw the newcomers, his eyes lit up. His future colleague was clearly more socially valuable than these nobles. He stood up, politely apologized to the others, and ushered the Potters and their children into the inner circle.