Chapter 22 Curse, what curse? Wait a minute, this doesn't feel right
Lockhart never cared about other people's feelings. He motioned to his photographer to take pictures frantically, and thick smoke drifted out of the camera, "fixing" Lockhart and Harry on the film.
"We can definitely be on the first page. Come on, smile more naturally." Lockhart showed his shining teeth and taught Harry some tips on smiling - I have won the "Wizard Weekly" award five times.
Charming Smile Award, Lockhart liked to talk about this honor.
But even after the photo was taken, Lockhart did not let Harry go.
"Girls and gentlemen, everyone look at me. I have an announcement!" Lockhart waved his hand to calm everyone down. He first presented Harry with an autobiography and a complete set of his works, and then he
A big news was announced: he will become the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts.
Lockhart hoped to use this to win over Harry so that he could continue to gain popularity as the savior. In his opinion, he had given Harry valuable books and the opportunity to make headlines, so Harry should have a good impression of him.
But he miscalculated, Harry himself did not lack dozens of galleons, and what Lockhart did made him extremely embarrassed.
Just when Lockhart was at the peak of his life, a somewhat discordant voice shattered his illusions.
"Mr. Lockhart, what should we do about the curse left by the Dark Lord?"
"Curse? What curse?" Lockhart showed a hint of confusion.
"It's the curse left by the mysterious man!" Tom's acting skills were full at this moment. "It is said that the mysterious man wanted to return to Hogwarts to teach as a professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, but the great Mr. Dumbledore saw through his
Conspiracy, rejected him. The angry mysterious man therefore cast a curse on this position, and no one can teach for more than one year!"
After saying this, the bookstore fell into silence. Most of the middle-aged women present had experienced that era, and what Tom said was indeed true: from a certain point in time, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts
It is indeed changed once a year.
Everyone had only talked about it in private before, but this was the first time someone had said it in public.
"Many of those professors have encountered misfortune or even died, such as Professor Quirrell last year!"
The fans in the audience were also diverted from the topic and started talking one after another.
"Professor Quirrell? I remember that he taught Muggle Studies before..."
"That happened a long time ago. Later, Mr. Dumbledore asked him to transfer to be a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, but he did pass away!"
"I heard that he was possessed by a mysterious man——"
"No, the Ministry of Magic said he died because of poaching unicorns."
In short, although everyone has different opinions on how Quirrell died, one thing is generally accepted: Professor Quirrell, who was still alive and kicking before, died less than a year after taking over as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
Then the topic couldn't stop the conversation. People searched their memories for the fate of those former Defense Against the Dark Arts professors, and were shocked to discover: This position seemed to be a high-risk profession. Many people retired for it and suffered injuries.
Some were maimed or even killed - there was even a professor who was gored to death by a wild boar!
Listening to the speeches in the audience, Lockhart almost lost his temper, but his good professionalism allowed him to keep the smile on his face. He took a deep breath, and then laughed.
"Why are you laughing, sir?" a fan asked cautiously.
"That's really a coincidence, because according to the plan, I will really only teach for one year! The world is so big, and I want to continue to see it, so if I insist, this curse also applies to me."
The fans in the audience nodded, feeling that this was very reasonable.
"Don't worry, everyone." Just when Lockhart almost got through, Tom stood up, "As we all know, Mr. Lockhart is an adventurer who is proficient in lifting curses. He once mentioned it in "Breaking with the Female Ghost"
, he solved the curse of the female ghost with only three spells. No one in Britain, or even the world, knows how to solve the curse better than Mr. Lockhart."
While Tom was talking, he was dancing and moving his hands as if he were playing an accordion, looking like a Lockhart fanatic.
At this moment, Lockhart was roasted by him on the fire. For the first time, young Lockhart felt what it means to be "one pink and ten black", and what it means to be "a fan responsible for the behavior of an idol".
"Ah this..." Lockhart just wanted to talk about it on stage, but the fans in the audience were already divided into two groups and started arguing. One group believed that the curse was left by a mysterious person, and not even Dumbledore.
If it can be solved, you anti-fans, let Mr. Lockhart solve it. Wouldn't it be difficult for him?
The other group thinks, good guys, you are the ones who turned out to be evil. You people don’t even believe Mr. Lockhart!
The two groups soon started arguing, and the situation suddenly got out of control.
In the end, Lockhart could only shout, making everyone look at him.
"I, Lockhart, a recipient of the Order of Merlin, 3rd degree, an honorary member of the Defense League against the Dark Arts, and a five-time winner of the Wizarding Weekly Most Charming Smile Award - of course I hate to mention this.
Keep it on your lips, because I don’t get rid of Wan Lun’s female ghosts with a smile – I will definitely do my best to break the curse together with Professor Dumbledore!”
The fans in the audience applauded one after another, and some even burst into tears. At this time, Lockhart's eyes were also filled with tears. Finally, tears of excitement fell from the corners of his eyes, and many fans also shed tears.
The atmosphere of the autograph session reached a climax.
Lockhart was filled with regret at this time: I'm so stupid, really, I shouldn't have accepted Dumbledore's invitation from the beginning. If I didn't accept the invitation, I wouldn't have become a cursed professor.
Being held up by so many people to solve this fatal curse...
At this time, he just wanted to say one thing to the little boy: I thank you for your eight generations of ancestors - Tommy, uh, Jimmy? Timmy?
Lockhart couldn't even remember his name.
He was wondering if he should find an excuse to resign to Dumbledore? If so, which excuse would be better?
But he had no way out the next day, because the "Daily Prophet" reported his book signing at Flourish and Blotts Bookstore with a front-page headline. It also focused on the cursed teaching positions in Hogwarts and took stock of them.
He mentioned the professors who had suffered as a result, and at the same time announced the news of his appointment as professor...
This is not the worst, because the next day, Dumbledore published an unprecedented statement in the newspaper - it would be impossible if he did not publish a statement, and he would have to recruit a professor every year! So Dumbledore said that Hogwarts
There was absolutely no such curse, and the previous stories of the professors were purely coincidental. He was looking forward to working with Mr. Lockhart to prove this.