Before any trouble begins, let's introduce the root of all evil this school year, the protagonist in question: Gilderoy Lockhart.
To avoid bloating this chapter with unnecessary fluff, we won't go through his long list of honors or his intimidatingly numerous publications. You only need to know three things:
When it comes to showing off and being flashy, this gentleman is flawless. His accolades are truly dazzling.
As a bestselling author, he is a master-level professional, someone whose skill is unquestionable.
He's incredibly handsome and knows exactly how to leverage that charm…
Alright, the last point is one most people wouldn't dare mention, but we have to admit it.
Just with that face, this "combat power 5" loser managed to achieve the ultimate hidden achievement: winning over women from fifty-year-old moms to ten-year-old girls.
So really, this society that worships appearances might as well just collapse…
Why is Allen so full of resentment?
Because they were blocked by a crowd, a crowd of Lockhart's fangirls.
Today was Lockhart's new book signing. Somehow, this prolific writer had gotten insider information and turned it into yet another thrilling story. With his skillful writing, the adventure became vivid and lifelike, and unsurprisingly, it would become another bestseller.
If only Allen had the writing skills to intercept this nonsense, he would have done so already, but he didn't.
Don't even think about mimicking Lockhart's style; Allen couldn't even copy the books faithfully. He knew many bestsellers, but only roughly. The only one he could almost replicate was… Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
Fortunately, Allen's side had people who queued early, so there was no need to worry about the long lines at checkout. If he had joined the fangirls in line, he wouldn't even dare to ensure who would teach Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts this year.
At that point, the Daily Prophet might run a headline:
"Shock! The mysterious figure whose name cannot be spoken has cast another curse, sending famous author Lockhart to the hospital!"
With a dramatic subtitle like "Men Cry, Women Lament", it would make the perfect news story.
Thankfully, the Prophet's photographer stepped on Ron by accident, and Allen's group became "connected people."
Although Muggles have the concept of paparazzi, this was Allen's first encounter with wizarding paparazzi.
Lockhart's handsome face appeared in the same photo as a stunned Harry, and the previously lazy photographer suddenly sprang into action, as if their boss were standing behind them. This time, the photographer wouldn't give up easily.
But Allen maliciously considered a question, why was the photographer suddenly so serious about this story? Was Lockhart buying a headline just to boost his publicity?
It's hard to say. Given Lockhart's morals, it wouldn't be impossible, at least he was ready to ride the "Savior" hype.
Amid the photographer and Lockhart's disappointed gazes, the ruined Harry finally returned with his spoils, a complete set of Lockhart's books, quite expensive.
Allen cast Lockhart a look that said, "I care for your idiocy."
It wasn't disdain, Allen was just baffled. Why would a talented bestselling author risk his life poking at Voldemort's curse?
Being a famous author is already dangerous enough; why chase this headline? It's like deliberately tempting death.
Lockhart showed no self-awareness. Even as Harry returned, the reckless author was still blowing kisses to his fans.
Seeing the price tag on the books, Allen abandoned any attempt to reason with him. You sly fox, go seek your own doom!
And Harry?
He was flirting.
Exactly. The moment Allen selected books, Harry dumped his entire stack into Ginny's cauldron, generously claiming he could always get another set, a domineering, "CEO-like" aura radiated from him.
Perhaps even the heavens couldn't tolerate Harry's overwhelming arrogance. Karma struck quickly, though you can imagine it as a love triangle, if you like.
Two Slytherins appeared, Malfoys, one of whom knew Harry very well.
Because the other Malfoy was present, fighting was out of the question. Besides, Allen and the others hadn't returned to school yet and couldn't use magic. You can't fight with a wizard's wand like a regular stick.
If Allen had chosen to act seriously, he could have taken down ten opponents at once. On this street, shouting through amplified magic: "I, Allen, am not targeting anyone, but compared to me, all of you are trash in a fight!"
But it wasn't his turn. Mr. Weasley, fully combat-ready, jumped in and wrestled with the elder Malfoy. Allen, trying to intervene, stumbled about in panic.
When Hagrid appeared, the Malfoys quickly realized it was wiser not to risk it. Hagrid could handle them single-handedly.
Standing up, Lucius returned the textbook he had used to provoke Ginny. She blushed deeply.
After delivering a final warning, the Malfoys prepared to leave, but just before reaching the door, plop, Lucius fell to his knees. Allen, standing nearby, couldn't resist helping in small ways.
Standing, kneeling, rising, taking two steps, kneeling again, a cycle repeated until Lucius regained full control. Even sharp-eyed onlookers in line began laughing uncontrollably.
Amidst the laughter, Allen quickly went to the shelves inside the bookstore to retrieve other first-year books he remembered.
By the time he finished checking out, the others were already outside, the ones who had toppled books were clearly unwelcome.
At the Leaky Cauldron, Allen stayed behind with Ginny, who carried the most items and was therefore slowest.
Once inside, Allen signaled Ginny to pause, replaced the second-hand books in her cauldron with the ones he had purchased, and entered the inn with a shush! and a sly smile.
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