The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 135 Lockhart's End

By mid-December, temperatures in the Scottish Highlands had plummeted below zero.

Hogwarts also welcomed its first real snowfall of the school year.

The entire castle seemed to be shrouded in a layer of pure silver gauze, and the sky was a deep gray-blue, just like the winter in Narnia.

Countless white snowflakes drifted down from the sky, the castle was covered in snow, and the lawn was filled with snowmen that seemed to greet you.

Of course, if anyone wants to see these funny snowmen, they should be on guard, because who knows whose prank it is, there might be a few naughty guys hiding among them.

They would always throw snowballs when no one was looking, and these snowballs would land silently on the little wizard's head as if by magic.

This should have been a very interesting and fun thing, but today the castle is deserted.

All the young wizards gathered together as much as possible to discuss the major events that had occurred two hours earlier.

The Auror Office Director, Gadwin Robards, personally led a team to arrest Lockhart, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, who was having lunch in the Great Hall. A reporter from the Daily Prophet was also present.

It's been so many years, it seems like a very, very long time since anything like this has happened: an Auror storms into Hogwarts and takes away a professor who holds the position.

……

Slytherin common room.

Even though two or three hours had passed since the incident, the lounge was still bustling with activity, even lively and bustling.

Draco walked into the lounge from outside, holding a specially printed, extra edition of the Daily Prophet. Ignoring the lively scene around him, he went straight to his bedroom.

"Bang!" With the sound of the door closing, the surrounding noise was completely shut out.

"Ino! Check out the latest news." Draco waved the newspaper in his hand.

"Scarface is infamous again, along with his Weasley henchmen. I wonder who they hired. The Ministry of Magic's efficiency this time is unbelievable; Lockhart has already been convicted."

A three-hour verdict? Upon hearing this, Ino picked up the newspaper in surprise, and her eyes were immediately drawn to the bold, blacked-out headlines: "A Shocking Hoax! Lockhart's Trial," "Harry Potter's Contribution to This," "The Entanglement Between a Celebrity Professor and a Celebrity Student"...

It seems that the Daily Prophet understands its readers; these headlines alone are enough to make people want to keep reading.

What could have been explained in a single article was instead crammed into a full page by the Daily Prophet, which included not only descriptions of Lockhart's crimes but also some scandalous gossip and even student comments randomly interviewed in the castle.

As I flipped through the newspaper, I finally came across the real information.

Lockhart was convicted of fraud and intentional assault and sentenced to three years in prison in Azkaban. All his property was confiscated and handed over to the Ministry of Magic to compensate the injured wizards.

Money can be a powerful motivator, and the reason the Ministry of Magic acted so swiftly might be due not only to Professor McGonagall's influence but also to the considerable savings of the renowned author.

A very shrewd move; with irrefutable evidence, they decisively arrested and put in trial. As for compensation to the victimized wizards, the amount would be negotiated by the Ministry of Magic.

"I won't be hearing any freshly pickled frog love letters on Valentine's Day..." Ino sighed softly, casually tossing the newspaper onto the table.

"Valentine's Day?" Draco seemed to have discovered some secret, instantly leaning closer with a curious expression. "You're really in a relationship? Tell me about it!"

"Don't be so curious. Shouldn't you be thinking about how to deal with Scarface? Lockhart's fanatical fans aren't so easy to appease."

Ino knew very well that the only way to deal with the curious young wizard was to use topics that piqued his curiosity even more, otherwise he would face endless entanglement.

Today, Xiaodi is sharing a magical animal: the chameleon snail.

Level: xxx

Appearance: It resembles a giant snail, but it changes color every hour, like a kaleidoscope.

Habit: Wherever they crawl, they leave a trail of highly toxic substances; plants that come into contact with the venom will wither and burn.

(End of this chapter)