Hogwarts: Me? Fight Voldemort?

Lucius sneered and threatened, "You don't think that just 20,000 Galleons can solve such a big problem for you, do you? Even with these two formulas, it's barely worth me using my connections to help you."

If you can't bear to part with those two recipes, then good luck!

Having said that, he reached into the cell, making a gesture as if to take the parchment back.

Lockhart backed away, dodging Lucius's hand that reached for the parchment. After a moment of internal struggle, he finally gave in, "I agree. I need a quill pen."

“Very good! You won’t regret this decision!” Lucius took out an automatic ink quill and handed it to Lockhart, watching him sign his name on the parchment.

finished!

Lucius chuckled inwardly at Lockhart's foolishness, not even bothering to read the contract carefully before signing it.

Lockhart's cursive script remained perfect, and Lucius's smile grew even more genuine. He took back the parchment and said with a smile, "Tomorrow you will be tried on Wizengamot. I will prevent the use of the Truth Potion. You only need to insist that a dark wizard has controlled you with the Imperius Curse."

"Now I will cast the Soul-Stealing Curse on you, leaving you with traces of the curse."

After signing the contract, Lockhart had no way out. He nodded vigorously, having no choice but to believe Lucius's words.

"Soul leaving the body!"

……

Lockhart's case was so sensational that the Daily Prophet even changed its news release time the following day to provide readers with the latest news from Wizengamo as soon as possible.

Students eager to get the scoop couldn't wait to open the newspaper delivered by the owl. After reading the headline, Lockhart's fans immediately erupted in a deafening roar of cheers.

"I knew it! Professor Lockhart is innocent!"

Milton cried exaggeratedly and incessantly, then ran to Jimmy, knelt down, and hugged his legs, wailing loudly.

"let go!"

Jimmy felt that the people around him were looking at him more and more strangely, and the memory of Rita Skeeter's article from some time ago might be awakened again.

Milton, lying on the ground, kept pounding the ground while muttering "Professor Lockhart."

How much attention has this case garnered?

Many Lockhart fans even spontaneously protested for him at several entrances to the Ministry of Magic, which forced the Ministry to deploy a large number of Aurors every day to maintain order, otherwise Muggles might discover the entrances to the Ministry of Magic.

Even Rita Skeeter, who had disappeared for a long time, reappeared and published an article, which was still criticizing Lockhart.

For example, she didn't have the guts to commit crimes by lying that she was under the control of the Imperius Curse, but she did have the guts to continue criticizing Lockhart, and a lot of them!

Lockhart's case has just begun to show signs of a turnaround, with more indicative evidence emerging!

A prominent figure, along with several of Gilderoy Lockhart's early victims, spoke out, launching a new round of accusations against Lockhart.

Gilman Dan, a household pest control expert who had received the Order of Merlin, Third Class, reported Lockhart to Wizengamor and the Ministry of Magic.

Her restored memories revealed that Gidro Lockhart had plagiarized her manuscript and ideas six years earlier to create the book "Gidro Lockhart Teaches You How to Get Rid of Household Pests".

Two other elderly wizards claimed that Gilderoy Lockhart plagiarized their experiences and wrote them into a book.

The three men jointly reported Lockhart and volunteered to undergo truth serum testing, effectively ending the match.

Chapter 144 Lockhart Imprisoned

This news has once again ignited Lockhart's fan base, with some hidden extremist fans angrily denouncing Gilman Dan.

But all they could do was criticize him, because Gilman Dan was actually willing to conduct truth serum tests.

The so-called truth serum test is a series of interrogations conducted after a large dose of truth serum has been taken.

This test is almost impossible to fake because the test subjects need to stay in a room for half a month before the test.

No one will come into contact with them during this period. They will take a potion to eliminate all magical reactions, and undergo physical examinations at random times every day to ensure there is no possibility of lying.

After taking truth serum, the questions asked are sharp and tricky, probing from various angles and perspectives, and deliberately inquiring whether someone instructed them or whether the person being questioned is lying...

Any unclear or ambiguous information will be considered a failure.

Except for those who are absolutely certain, most people will fail the test even if they can't remember or answer some details clearly.

The evidence obtained from the truth serum test can be used as evidence to determine the verdict. Lockhart's case, which originally had a chance to be overturned, was completely proven to be a crime, and even the result of the attack on the Gringotts antidote in Turkey was overturned.

On January 6, Wisengamo delivered its final verdict.

Gilderoy Lockhart was sentenced to 80 years in prison and ordered to pay 20 Galleons in damages for four major crimes: intentional assault, destruction of magical relics, illegal acquisition of property, and commercial fraud.

However, when the Aurors from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement went to Gringotts' vault to collect debts, they were surprised to find Lockhart's vault completely empty, with only a small pile of Sikor and Nat, and not a single Garon.

Lockhart thought that the two bird-egg yolk shampoo formulas were worth something, but it turns out that the formulas were no longer in his possession and had been transferred to Lucius Malfoy.

Lockhart is now penniless and can't get anything out of him, so he was ultimately sentenced to an additional 40 years in prison, for a total of 120 years.

The verdict made headlines again.

The once-popular Gilderoy Lockhart mid-range hair care line also quickly failed, and the brand was directly banned. However, the Bird Snake Egg Yolk Shampoo was launched in Malfoy Pharmaceuticals with a brand new packaging and the price was reduced to 20 Gallons per bottle.

The price diluted Lockhart's influence on this shampoo, and although many former Lockhart fans were unwilling to use it, it still couldn't stop the witches' buying frenzy.

Lucius arrived at the temporary detention center in high spirits, nodded to the Auror guarding the door, and the moment he pushed open the door, his face immediately changed to one of exasperated anger.

“Lucius? Lucius! You have to help me, I don’t want to go to Azkaban!” Lockhart, who was in the temporary prison, saw Lucius and immediately jumped up from the ground, leaning against the iron gate and staring at the newcomer as if he were a madman.

Lucius retorted angrily, "Do you think it's because I didn't want to? No, it's because you didn't give me any chance. Why didn't you answer when I asked you if you had done anything else?"

“I…” Lockhart looked dejected and speechless.

Aside from speaking to people whose memories were about to be erased, he never spoke about his creative work.

Lockhart, still unwilling to give up, continued to pester him: "Save me, you must still have a way, right?"

"Unfortunately, there's no way around it. You just need to stay in Azkaban for 120 years to get out. By then, you won't be two hundred years old yet, and you can still enjoy the rest of your life, right?"

Lucius left with a cold remark, then turned and left, as if his purpose in meeting Lockhart was merely to kick him while he was down.

He was indeed there to kick Lockhart while he was down. According to Jimmy's orders, he had to make Lockhart lose heart and blame all the trouble on Lockhart's own stupidity.

Lockhart slowly slid to the ground inside the cell, completely devoid of energy, and even laughed maniacally.

Losing one's reputation and entering Azkaban as a criminal is tantamount to the complete end of one's life.

The following day, a photo of a completely dejected Lockhart imprisoned once again dominated the front page of the Daily Prophet.

Perhaps Lockhart would be happier knowing he'd dominated the front page of the Daily Prophet for ten consecutive days.

Crack!

In Jimmy's dorm room, an overjoyed Jimmy threw a party right there, having his house-elf Dobby go out and buy some food, drinks, and snacks to celebrate Lockhart's free room and board.

"I knew Lockhart was a good-for-nothing!" Ron said smugly, holding up his Coke. "Just imagine him turning that peacock-like image into what's in the newspaper, hahaha!"

Harry was also quite gloating. What Lockhart did was completely beyond his imagination. He had only thought of him as a novelist, but he never expected him to be a bandit and a dark wizard.

Stealing someone else's story and attacking Gringotts' curse breakers!

Jimmy laughed heartily, disregarding his image. He would receive 10% of the profits from the budget version of the formula, and he wouldn't have to do anything else. He would receive his share of the money from Lucius every quarter.

Lucius also fulfilled his promise to sell him the potion-making equipment at a low price afterward and to help him find a shop in Hogwarts.

Jimmy now owns two properties in Hogsmeade: one in a secluded corner of the main street where he runs a potions business, and the other near the entrance to Hogwarts from Hogsmeade.

The houses near the entrance to Hogsmeade Village weren't in good locations; almost all the good ones were already taken. The best place Lucius could find was a house on the other side of the street from the entrance, facing away from the main street.

Anyway, as a well-known figure on campus, Jimmy can definitely attract students, so there's no need to worry about traffic.

With this one wave, Jimmy has at least made a fortune; that day is called a bright tomorrow.

After a noisy night, the next morning, Jimmy started actively contacting alumni who had already graduated or were about to graduate, preparing to recruit menial workers for the assembly line.

Manufacturing the premium bird and snake egg yolk shampoo requires a considerable workforce, and Lucius's sales team provided Jimmy with a wealth of sales data and customer profiles.

His premium shampoo, priced at 45 Galleons, was specially designed for witches who cared about their hair. It would sell well in Lucius's shop and could also expand into overseas markets.

Not long after Jimmy spread the word around campus about Blaine Potions' job openings, he was caught by Professor McGonagall and brought to her office.

This is not about accountability, but about consultation.

Jimmy and Professor McGonagall sat on a small sofa in the office, chatting casually with black tea in front of them.

"Jimmy, are you really going to open a potions shop? As far as I know, that's not an easy thing to do." Professor McGonagall's words, tinged with concern, were surprisingly comforting.

Jimmy put down his teacup and said confidently, "Of course, no problem. I've already made an excellent product."

He reached into his pocket and took out a brand-new bottle of premium bird snake egg yolk shampoo.

The packaging box for this shampoo uses a light-reflecting ink hot stamping process, which gives it a colorful texture under light. The main body of the box is purplish-red.

The top is sealed with an oil paper sticker. The front displays the product name, "Elegant Shampoo," while the back lists the potion ingredients and the gold-stamped logo of Blaine Potions.

The luxurious feel is evident from the outer packaging alone. Upon opening, the bottle resembles the Canton Tower in Guangzhou, with the purplish-red shampoo clearly visible inside the crystal bottle.

The crystal bottle is wide at both ends and narrow in the middle. It is made of glass but has been reinforced with alchemy, making it difficult to break. It contains a full 500 ml.

Chapter 145 Professor McGonagall's Help

Professor McGonagall was completely stunned by the packaging and the quality of the product.

"Professor McGonagall, this is one of the main products I'm promoting with my Blaine Potions: 'Simple But Elegant' Shampoo. It leaves hair smooth and silky with a subtle fragrance. Each bottle is priced at 45 Gallons, but the cost is only 13 Gallons."

Jimmy showed the elegant bottle of shampoo to Professor McGonagall, then put it back in the box and gently pushed it towards her.

"This already opened sample is for Professor McGonagall; could you please help try it and promote it?"

"Hmm?" Professor McGonagall smiled and accepted it. After all, the cost was only thirteen Galleons, and Jimmy wasn't short of money these days.

However, she had another matter to ask Jimmy: "I will use it, and if it works well, I will add it to the job guidance list during the first week of summer... Blaine Potions. But I can also recommend some graduating seventh-year students to you; there are also a few students in Gryffindor who are good at potions."

Jimmy rubbed his hands together; he had almost forgotten about the school's career guidance. "Perfect! My business will continue to grow, and I'm confident I can recruit at least 300 employees of various kinds within the next five years!"

Three hundred people is quite a lot. There are only about two hundred thousand wizards in the whole world. Even though Britain is a traditional wizarding powerhouse, its wizard population is only a little over ten thousand.

Even if you include the thousands of fairies, hundreds of Veela, and even if you include the centaurs hidden in the Forbidden Forest, the vampires, and werewolves, the total population wouldn't exceed 20,000.

A company with 300 employees is enough to secure a place, or even a leading position, in the British wizarding world.

The job opportunities provided by Hogwarts can solve a large part of the graduates' employment problems, which is the key to ensuring that Hogwarts remains at the top of the world's wizarding school rankings.

Professor McGonagall worries about student employment every year, but Jimmy, even before graduating, already knows how to start a business to help the school. What a good student!

"Haha, I wish you success, Jimmy. You can write down the staff you need and the requirements in advance, and I will look for students who meet the requirements after using your product."