Chapter 18: Lockhart's Quiz and a Clever Proposal
The following day, the first-years had Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
Lockhart's class had become a joke after yesterday, but that didn't stop him from being adored by the girls. For instance, Hermione stubbornly believed that Lockhart intentionally released the Cornish Pixies to provide the students with practical experience.
When Evan arrived in class, he was not surprised to see all the girls sitting in the front row.
After everyone was seated, Lockhart entered the room and acted as though he were the brightest person in the world.
"Hello, everyone, I believe you should all know who I am!" Lockhart declared, flashing a charming smile. "Gilderoy Lockhart, Third-Class Order of Merlin; Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League; and five-time winner of the Witch Weekly Most Charming Smile Award, but I never speak of it, I didn't get rid of the Banden Banshee by smiling at it."
'How cliché,' Evan thought.
"I see that all of you have purchased my books, so today I think I'll give a little quiz. You may have some answers in your textbooks, but I regret to inform you that today's exam is quite different from yesterday's," Lockhart announced as he handed out the tests to everyone. "You have thirty minutes, begin now!"
"Evan looked at his test, which asked questions like 'What is Lockhart's favorite food?' and 'What is Lockhart's greatest desire?' There were over fifty questions like that.
Evan had a headache from seeing so many stupid questions. He didn't know the answer to any of them since he hadn't bought Lockhart's books.
But it didn't matter. He picked up his quill, thought for a moment, and began writing on the paper. He told Lockhart about the magical newspaper of Hogwarts and even invited him to join, all while expressing absolute adoration.
Evan tried to portray himself as a devoted admirer.
Even though Evan wasn't a true admirer, it was easy because many people around him genuinely admired Lockhart, so he could only refer to how they talked about him.
He attempted to mimic Hermione's tone, stating that the newspaper was solely dedicated to Lockhart, and Evan planned to distribute the newspaper throughout Hogwarts to expand Lockhart's influence.
Evan spent a lot of time describing the benefits of Lockhart joining, and by the time he finished the parchment filled with exaggerated praises, the thirty minutes had passed.
So Lockhart collected the papers and glanced through them.
"I am a bit disappointed that there was no one among the first-years like Miss Granger in the second year, who answered all the questions. If you had read the books carefully, you would have answered them correctly. For example, in 'A Year with the Yeti,' you would know my favorite food, and I made it very clear in Chapter Four of 'Gadding with Ghouls.'"
Lockhart quickly skimmed through the papers until he reached Evan's.
"Here's an interesting test paper," Lockhart whispered as he intensely examined the paper. "Yes, this is something I have always wanted to do, further expand my influence to become the most admired wizard. It's written very well!"
All the students gazed at Lockhart with curiosity.
People wondered what Lockhart was muttering about. Vicky Frobisher, who was one of Evan's roommates, tried to catch a glimpse of the paper's contents.
"Yes, I'll do it!" Lockhart exclaimed, setting the test paper down. "One hundred percent! Where is Mr. Evan Mason?"
Evan quickly stood up, and as he did, all eyes turned towards him.
As Evan sat back down, Colin whispered, "Evan, what did you write?"
"Not much, just invited him to pose for some photos, get your camera ready," Ian replied with a smile. "We don't have much time for pictures after class."
After the lesson, the rest of the time is relatively dull.
Defense Against the Dark Arts class had almost turned into a reading session; Lockhart asked students to stand up and read their books in order, making the class tedious. All students hurriedly left the room, except for Evan, who dragged Colin to the podium.
Lockhart praised Evan and offered his help if anything went wrong with the newspaper preparation.
Upon learning that the novels section had not received any manuscripts yet, Lockhart expressed his willingness to provide some unpublished manuscripts.
Later, Lockhart struck various poses for Colin to photograph.
Evan was amazed that, regardless of the angle, Lockhart always presented a charming smile.
Evan could only admire this.
Due to Lockhart's enthusiasm, they arrived five minutes late for the next class, and when Evan found out the next class was Transfiguration, his heart sank.
Unlike other teachers, Professor McGonagall was very strict. First-year students were warned not to cross her and Professor Snape's paths, or they would be in trouble.
Arriving late for the first class now, Evan felt fearful. As they approached the classroom, they saw a strange Ravenclaw girl standing outside.
She had dirty blonde hair, waist-length, very pale eyebrows, and bulging eyes that gave her a perpetually surprised expression. She wore a Butterbeer cork necklace and a Dirigible plum earring.
"What are you doing? It's class time," Colin asked.
"I'm looking for traces of a Nargle," said the girl absentmindedly, her gaze fixed on the classroom door.
"I'm sorry, what are you looking for?"
"A Nargle," the girl said, locking her eyes onto Evan, "You are Evan Mason."
"Yes, that's right."
"Luna Lovegood," Luna introduced herself, turning to look at Colin, "But I don't know who you are."
Before Colin could introduce himself, the classroom door opened from the inside by Professor McGonagall, who glared at them fiercely.
"Mr. Mason, Mr. Creevey, and Miss Lovegood, you are late!" her lips were tightly pressed, "If you're not going to come in, don't bother coming back."
Evan and Colin hastily entered the classroom, with Luna sitting next to them.
"What a nuisance, bumping into Luna," Colin whispered, "She's a first-year Ravenclaw student; everyone calls her crazy. I heard she believes Nargles and Crumple-Horned Snorkacks actually exist."
"But they do exist," Luna interjected.
"How can they, they're just imaginary...?"
"Shut up, Colin," Evan said, "Don't speak about things you know nothing about."
"A very wise choice," Luna remarked in a soft and melodious tone, "Intelligence exceeds measure is man's greatest treasure."
Colin attempted to say something but noticed Professor McGonagall staring at him, so he quickly shut his mouth.
"Transfiguration is one of the most complex and dangerous spells you will learn at Hogwarts. Anyone fooling around in my class will leave and not return. You have been warned."
After that, Professor McGonagall transformed her desk into a pig and then back to its original form to demonstrate the spell.
The students were amazed and started learning immediately, but soon realized it would take them a long time to achieve a feat like turning furniture into an animal.
After taking piles of intricate notes, Professor McGonagall gave each student a matchstick and commenced having them try to transfigure it into a needle.
For a new student, accomplishing this was a challenge. By the end of the class, Evan transformed the matchstick head into a needlepoint, becoming the fastest student in class.
Evan noticed a slight loosening of Professor McGonagall's mouth.
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