The small town of Tsafdzo, the residence of the wizard Aghasheyan.
After finally getting rid of the Ministry of Magic officials, Old Hash frowned and looked at Gilderoy Lockhart who was preparing tea in the living room.
Lockhart's appearance is much thinner than a few years ago, and his dressing style is not as flamboyant as in the past, with a hint of simplicity and sophistication in his simplicity.
Of course, even if he seems to be deliberately keeping a low profile, paired with his golden curly hair, good looks, and the hearty smile hanging on the corner of his mouth at all times, he still exudes a sense of eye-catching-if the old Hash watched it decades later
Muggle programs, you will know what idol self-cultivation is.
This bastard guy, can he just write a book and print a photo on the cover and sell it? Sooner or later, he will fall into the hands of a certain woman.
Aghaxiyan muttered bitterly in his heart and glanced at the tea on the dining table with an unhappy expression.
"Are you really going to be a house elf?"
"Temporarily, yes." Gilderoy Lockhart directed the kettle to fill the cup with hot tea, showing a bright smile, "Considering the hurt and offense I have done to you before, since you proposed to raise a small family for three days,
If you serve according to elf standards, then I will naturally abide by my promise."
Aghaxi raised his eyebrows and looked around the living room.
The room that was originally full of dust, cobwebs, and messy has completely changed.
The dirty windows are now shiny and clean, and even the mold spots on the ceiling have disappeared. The tawny walls have returned to the neatness they should have before. Every furnishing in the kitchen and living room is placed in order, and the fireplace
The choking black smoke in the air has also been resolved...
"Okay, I didn't expect you to have such a talent besides forgetting spells and deceiving people?"
Old Hash shrugged noncommittally, walked to the dining table and sat down to look at the exquisite meals and tea.
"But I said it in advance, no matter how lowly you are, I can forgive you... But if it involves any publicity, on-site signings, interviews, etc., you'd better give up this idea as soon as possible - I won't
Go and help you save the gold galleons."
"Oh, to be honest, my best-selling book is actually Gilderoy Lockhart's Guide to How to Get Rid of Household Pests."
Lockhart directed his wand to dexterously take out the butter biscuits from the oven, and then placed them on the plate like a bird, and said with a smile.
"Compared to those exciting adventures, witches seem to prefer reading these reference books - anyway, as long as the photo on the cover looks better, and in the past year or so, I have also learned something new
A lot of knowledge related to housekeeping.”
"As for your concerns, if you are willing to authorize it, I will revise it and continue to publish it. If not, I will have the bookstore take it off the shelves and return the proceeds."
"This is not part of the compensation, sir. I have placed a commission with Gringotts Wizarding Bank. They will be responsible for calculating the approximate sales volume of bookstores in various places. The results should be out by the end of this month at the latest. By then
I will refund the full amount based on my income..."
Aghaxiyan glanced at Lockhart, snorted and said.
"Full refund? Haha - do you think I care about money? Bake your cookies!"
"Lockhart, your tone and demeanor tell me that you seem to have completely lost your desire for gold galleons. But it has only been less than ten years since you graduated from magic school. Unless you have not made any money from writing books in these years."
Otherwise, if some of your 'works' - well, not many, let's count half - have a writing process similar to that of "The Werewolf", then even if you empty three of your coffers, you won't be able to fill the holes in these years.
"
Old Hash always felt that there was something indescribably weird about Gilderoy Lockhart who reappeared in front of him.
Not only because of Lockhart's strange decision to "repent and mend his ways", but more importantly because of the certain aura that this young wizard inadvertently reveals in his demeanor, behavior, and conversation, a certain... He is only among a very few top wizards.
I have vaguely seen the indifference on my body.
As an old man who had experienced the last wizarding war, Old Hash initially suspected that Gilderoy Lockhart had been cast by the Imperius Curse.
However, as time passed, he quickly eliminated this speculation during the conversation with Lockhart.
Is it really that profitable to write the first edition of a novel? Or maybe this guy married into an ancient wizarding family with a lot of money?
Agha Xiyan looked at Lockhart thoughtfully. Lockhart's eyes looked extremely clear and pure, without any concealment or calculation.
This kind of look is very common among students in magic schools - they rarely have many distractions other than their ideals - but if you put it on a person who has been struggling in the magical society for nearly ten years and has been wandering around the Ministry of Magic for a long time,
, that’s so strange among the liars in the media.
Speaking of which...
If he remembered correctly, the last time he saw such a look was in... Ukraine?
Aghasyan's eyes couldn't help but be a little dazed. He vaguely saw in Lockhart's eyes the scientist who stood in the wizard's court, loudly refuted a group of magical government officials, and was eventually sentenced to be stripped of his position as headmaster and had his wand broken and placed under house arrest until death.
The shadow of the old principal of Dostoriz Magic School.
Ha, he is definitely old and confused - maybe it's a common problem among old guys.
Old Hash shook his head and glanced at Lockhart. This guy was not qualified to be compared with Mr. Novarte Ivanovich.
Even if he himself...since he refused the old Ivanovich's request on the grounds of seclusion a few years ago, he no longer has this qualification.
Noticing the look from Aghasheyan, Lockhart took off his apron and put it on the edge of the chair, and explained with a smile:
"You don't have to worry about me at all about gold galleons. Writing books can make more money than you think."
"There are too few recreational novels in the wizarding world, and it usually only takes four or five years for a novel to appear. I have exclusive display racks in many bookstores. If the price is five galleons a book, excluding printing, publicity, and bookstore commissions... these
For the cost, a book can earn at least three galleons."
"And in addition to adventure novels, I also have practical household magic that I have summarized from myself. Even if it is not enough for the moment, I will be able to pay it back later."
Practical...home magic?
Aghashe raised his eyebrows and glanced at Lockhart's apron hanging beside the chair.
"It can be seen that you have a wide range of interests in the creative field."
Until now, Old Hash has not completely accepted the fact that a wizard has full housekeeping magic points.
Lockhart grinned, his white teeth shining in the firelight of the fireplace.
"Whether it's writing a book or making a wizard's robe, there isn't much difference in essence, is there?"
"If you want to make money and become famous, you have to think about what people will pay for. I even considered whether to write a novel focusing on love, but considering the characters, I finally chose to write it first A more interesting autobiography, I have already thought of the title, called "Magical Me" - of course, that was before I repented. With the current pressure of public opinion, it is unlikely to be published in a short time."
Let alone the first edition of a new novel, given Lockhart's current situation, he might have to face trial after returning to England.
Old Hash nodded noncommittally and looked at Lockhart carefully again.
"I can authorize the story for you. I am saying that after the book "Wandering with Werewolves" has been revised, I think it can continue to be put on the shelves of various bookstores. However, some of the content in the book needs to be changed. At that time, I When I told you about that experience, I made up a lot of things. But in terms of income, I hope that I can divide it at least 30/70 in the future... Even if I die, I can designate the use. Do you have any objections?"
Aghaxiyan suddenly remembered that although he did not have much demand for Jin Gallon, other families did not necessarily need it.
After losing the backbone of their families, many wizarding families have been in a difficult situation over the years. Especially in the past few months, at least dozens of wizarding families who originally responded to Ivanovich have lost their news, but Hopefully it's not too late for him to lend a helping hand.
As long as Gilderoy Lockhart didn't brag this time, even if he took 30% of the income, he would still be able to earn a galleon per book.
If old Hash remembers correctly, Mr. Ivanovich's granddaughter is almost at school age...
"Of course, of course! No problem! I'm already 30% satisfied."
Gilderoy Lockhart said excitedly, a smile instantly blooming on his face.
You know, in Miss Fool's arrangement, if he does not get the authorization to adapt the corresponding creative prototype's story, all his previous works will be taken off the market - after all, he wrote them word for word, so no Feeling bad, you must be deceiving yourself.
"However, I may need to communicate with you about some creative skills. Adventure novels are different from real-life records. Readers do not need 100% sense of reality when reading stories. Some things that are fake at first glance sometimes appear to be false in the story. No need to deliberately delete it..."
Lockhart sat down, raised his finger enthusiastically, and was about to say something.
But a rough knock on the door interrupted his words.
Lockhart stopped talking and looked at the old wizard in confusion.
"Are there... guests outside?"
"Uninvited guest. Apparently——"
Aghaxiyan took out his wand and held it in his hand, squinting his eyes and looking warily towards the door.
Gilderoy Lockhart stood up and reached out to stop the old man who wanted to approach the door.
"Don't go there - the door is not safe -"
A few months ago, he had just experienced a "home visit" from an "enthusiastic fan". According to the subsequent indoor combat teaching cases of Tianming Group, when the uninvited guest visited, he rashly approached the door to observe what was going on outside. It's one of the stupidest things to do.
Click, bang——
It was accompanied by a bit of a teeth-searing sound and a violent impact.
The door to the room was suddenly knocked open.
"Collapse!"
"Collapse!"
Lockhart and Aghaxiyan roared in unison.
Two red beams flew forward, hitting the flesh with a dull sound.
The tall figure outside the door swayed, and after staggering back a few steps... he suddenly bounced forward like a pendulum, and fell heavily on the stall in the living room. Four or five figures passed over the cursed man.
The guy who was knocked unconscious rushed in at once.
"Dizzy——"
Bang! Crash--
Before Lockhart and the two could move their wands again, a deafening gunshot suddenly rang out in the living room.
The window on the right side of the living room shattered instantly, making a harsh and chaotic sound of glass beating.
"Don't make me shoot you, dear gentlemen—"
A man wearing a gray felt hat, with pale skin and a somewhat haggard appearance said in a hoarse voice. He was holding a dirty-looking rifle in his hand. He grinned, revealing the extremely white inside.
Teeth, trying to squeeze out a smile.
"Sorry, we don't mean to offend, but maybe only in this way... will you be willing to talk to us."