The slacker professor at Hogwarts

073 Tom, go get a headache!

Harry Potter is an interesting person. He is somewhat carefree in his daily life, but as soon as he enters a certain unique atmosphere, his will suddenly becomes exceptionally firm.

I'm willing to give it my all.

For example, he always thinks about avoiding homework at school, but as soon as he goes back to his uncle's house during the holidays, he tries his best to find opportunities to do his homework secretly. He is incredibly enthusiastic.

In Professor Lockhart's words, Harry is suited to improving himself in a tense and exciting environment.

And now, in the Duel Club, while the young wizards are training extensively on various spells against the basilisk, he still practices the Patronus Charm during everyone's breaks.

It's especially exciting.

Because Professor Snape was always mocking him.

Harry didn't think so. He once missed the days when Professor Lockhart used to guide them in class and practice. Only after comparing them did he realize how wonderful those times were.

That wretched Snape! He brazenly took over Professor Lockhart's class. How wicked!

Lockhart, who was eavesdropping on the expert's advice, discovered that although Snape always spoke in a sarcastic tone, among his many humiliating and vicious words, there were always a few words that accurately pointed out Harry Potter's current problems.

Hehe, this is clearly beyond the 'tense and exciting' feeling in Harry's comfort zone, where he can't listen to a single word.

But Lockhart listened to him.

Write it down, write it down!

I've learned something!

However, as a teacher, he couldn't just sit there and happily listen to Snape's insults about his background, saying things like "stupid Potter blood."

And the statement that "a second-year wizard trying to learn the Patronus Charm" shows a complete lack of self-awareness.

It would be bad if Harry were really discouraged by Snape and performed as poorly as he did in Potions class.

"Students, please stop for a moment."

Lockhart clapped his hands, signaling the young wizards in the office to quiet down, and then tapped the wall behind him with his wand.

White roots began to grow rapidly from a bud on the trunk of a large, crooked tree that was clinging to the wall. They crawled and wriggled along the wall, eventually forming the phrase "Professor Lockhart's Christmas Adventure".

At the end of the sentence, a slender branch sprouted, quickly forming a bud, swelling, and blooming, eventually blossoming into a pinkish-blue flower larger than an adult's head.

The scene looked so magical and natural that it drew gasps of amazement from the young wizards.

"I'm planning a fun adventure for Halloween. Any little wizards who are interested in joining can sign up with me."

Lockhart watched everyone's reactions with a smile. "There's only one requirement for registration: you must be able to successfully cast the 'Guardian Angel Charm'!"

Harry was initially excited, but his eyes dimmed upon hearing those words.

How he longed to go on an adventure with Professor Lockhart! His last adventure at Urquhart Castle was the most unforgettable and joyful experience he had ever had since he came into contact with magic.

"Oh, Harry, don't be discouraged! There are still two weeks left." Lockhart smiled at him, waving his arms to encourage him.

"I'm sorry, Professor Snape, but I have a different opinion regarding whether second-year wizards can successfully cast the Patronus Charm."

He first apologized to Professor Snape, then looked around at the young wizards, finally settling on Ginny and Luna.

"I believe even a first-year wizard could learn it successfully!"

"This brings me to the lesson I taught you when I came to Hogwarts."

He fiddled with his wand in both hands as he walked among the young wizards. "Sometimes we are amazed to find that it is not the wizards who learn magic, but the magic that chooses the wizards."

"So how do we make magic choose us?"

"The answer is to create the state that this magic likes best, to adjust our mindset and even our behavior. This is what I have always been saying—'Step into the romance of fairy tales, and the magic will naturally bloom.'"

He waved his wand lightly, striking the standard casting pose for the Patronus Charm. "The Patronus Charm is absolutely the most iconic spell against dark magic; it requires our hearts to be in a state of easily experiencing beauty and joy."

As he spoke, he tapped Draco's shoulder lightly with his wand. "If we keep trying to learn dark magic and make it more powerful, we will have to make our hearts more wicked. The more wicked we are, the better the magic will be."

"Once you've experienced some life, and once you've gained more experience and insights in practicing these dark magic techniques, you'll find yourself easily falling into that malevolent mindset, and the dark magic will become exceptionally powerful."

"Don't be complacent at this time, because danger is lurking there, and our minds will eventually be twisted by malice."

"What should we do?" Lockhart smiled at everyone, and seeing that they were all listening attentively, he continued, "The answer is to resist this depravity. We need the power of a beautiful heart to fight against it, and that is precisely the foundation of the Guardian Charm."

As he spoke of these things, he gazed intently at this group of young wizards, who were arguably the most outstanding of their generation at Hogwarts. "I hope you truly understand what I'm saying."

"Dark magic can be learned. In an academic sense, even the Slug Curse is dark magic. If you cannot summon the malice in your hearts, you will lose your fighting power in many areas of magic."

"But you need to know how to resist the temptation of dark magic to corrupt you, and how to resist malice from devouring your will!"

"The principles behind the two different directions of magical practice, 'Dark Magic' and 'Guardian Charm,' are the same. You must learn to place yourself in that unique state of mind, whether malevolent or beautiful."

"Remember, it is not a thought that comes to mind at a particular moment; it is a unique state of mind that always exists within the soul."

He tapped the wall behind him with his wand, and the tree roots climbed and spread again, outlining the words "Patron Charm".

"There aren't many ancient spells that have survived to this day, but this is one of them. I think you need to realize that it works so well for wizards that it has been passed down from generation to generation without being eliminated over time."

"It can fight not only external dark forces, but also internal dark forces."

Professor Snape, who stood aside silently with his lips pursed, understood this principle the most deeply. The biggest difference between him and the other Death Eaters was that he still retained the ability to feel good and was not completely devoured by malice.

Lockhart continued his story.

"I don't really agree with how society judges dark wizards today. I can tell you very frankly that if it really comes down to using dark magic, Dumbledore is one of the most powerful people in the world."

He listened with satisfaction to the few occasional gasps of surprise from the young wizards; it seemed that those who weren't surprised had begun to understand his words.

"But Dumbledore was definitely not a dark wizard."

"The criteria I use to judge a dark wizard is that their soul has been corrupted by dark magic and their mind has been devoured by malice."

He smiled and gestured to the words behind him, "That's why even in the Wizengamor Inquisition of the Ministry of Magic in various countries, a wizard who can successfully cast the Patronus Charm will be considered not a dark wizard."

"Let's get back to our previous topic."

Can a first-year wizard learn the Patronus Charm?

My answer is yes!

"As long as you possess the capacity to feel beauty, how could you possibly fail to cast a guardian spell? The only difference lies in the strength of your magical power."

"So how do we make it even stronger?"

He held up two fingers. "Two stages. The first stage is to make the silver light of the Guardian Charm take shape. It will have the form of some kind of animal, which means that the beauty in your hearts is real and tangible."

"The method is very simple: listen to the beautiful guidance in your heart, let it guide your behavior, will, emotions and everything else, and you will enter a state where the 'Guardian Charm' will completely choose you."

"In the second stage, the Guardian Charm begins to come alive."

Mentioning this, he smiled and looked at Ron and the twins, "I heard from a friend at the Ministry of Magic that your father, Mr. Arthur Weasley's Patronus, can speak and transmit messages across great distances."

Ron and his brothers stared at each other in astonishment, never expecting their father to be able to do such a thing.

"At this stage, it's no longer as simple as digging into the beauty within ourselves." Lockhart glanced at the thoughtful Snape, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Instead, we are constantly in a state of beauty, a state that is so wonderful—beauty is everywhere in life."

"Reaching that level is not easy; it requires a lot of wisdom in life."

He then looked at the young wizards and asked, "Tell me, if you reached that level, how would you behave?"

Ginny excitedly raised her hand, and after receiving the professor's permission, she met Harry's gaze as he turned to look at her. Her face flushed, but she still declared loudly, "The forces of darkness will find it much harder to influence our souls!"

She had every reason to be excited, not only to show off her intelligence in front of Harry, but also because she had received such guidance, which suddenly made her realize that she might have found a solution to the problems she had been facing recently.

"Perfect!"

Lockhart burst into laughter. "Perfect answer!"

Tom~

Go ahead and have a headache!