Tom immediately retreated into the diary the moment he was struck by the Spell; he dared not come out again.
He had been hiding for a semester, finally managed to control a little girl, only to be discovered shortly after.
He tried controlling someone else; as soon as he made a move on a cat, he was captured on the spot and fell into Dumbledore's hands.
He was initially despairing, but then things took a turn, and he controlled Lockhart.
However, as soon as he showed his head, he was hit by a Spell from who knew where.
Tom was truly exhausted; just destroy him, quickly.
Lockhart consequently lay in the Forbidden Forest for a night.
The next morning, Lockhart woke up in the Forbidden Forest.
A scream pierced the sky.
"Ouch! How did I get here? It hurts so much!"
He clutched his chest, where he had hit a tree after being blasted by the Spell; the entire area of skin was bruised purple, and there was still blood at the corner of his mouth.
Lockhart limped towards the Castle, each step sending a piercing pain through the wound in his chest.
He gritted his teeth, his mind a mess, his memories of last night fragmented.
He remembered admiring his handsome appearance in his office and designing an exquisite evening gown for his master, Charlie.
Then he grew increasingly sleepy, suddenly lost consciousness, and woke up lying in the Forbidden Forest.
The Forbidden Forest?
Lockhart felt a pang of panic.
How did he end up in the Forbidden Forest? Was it the diary?
He touched the pocket of his robe; the diary was still there.
Lockhart breathed a sigh of relief, then felt something was off.
Since the diary was there, what exactly happened last night? Should he show the diary to his master?
After being hit by the Imperio, Lockhart was completely subservient to Charlie, viewing Charlie as the supreme being.
This was also the terrifying aspect of the Imperio: completely twisting a person's perception without altering their memory.
Only those with extremely strong wills could break free from the control of the Imperio.
Lockhart quickened his pace, wanting to find Madam Pomfrey to treat his injuries quickly.
In the Hospital Wing, Madam Pomfrey's brow furrowed tightly when she saw Lockhart's appearance.
How many times had this happened this semester? He was a Professor, yet he got injured more frequently than students.
"Professor Lockhart, what happened to you?"
Lockhart opened his mouth, but couldn't manage to speak for a long time.
He couldn't very well say that he had inexplicably spent a night in the Forbidden Forest, that would be too embarrassing.
"Oh, it's a long story," Lockhart said dryly.
"I encountered a vicious Werewolf while preparing teaching materials for the students and engaged in a desperate struggle with him."
Madam Pomfrey clearly didn't believe him, but she didn't ask further, taking out a healing potion to treat Lockhart's injuries.
For a while after that, Charlie initially expected the Imperio to be completely broken.
But unexpectedly, Tom became very well-behaved and did not manipulate Lockhart again.
Charlie was a bit puzzled.
He could feel that the Imperio was still in effect, and his control over Lockhart remained stable.
Was Tom scared, and therefore didn't dare to act? It wasn't impossible.
That night, Charlie's Spell directly blasted Lockhart away, which must have scared Tom quite a bit.
Charlie decided to leave the matter alone for now; after all, Dumbledore would take care of everything.
Time flew by, and it was time for Hufflepuff's second Quidditch match, against Slytherin.
Although there was a Basilisk in the school, the Roosters spread everywhere kept the Basilisk from showing its head, so all school activities proceeded as usual.
Charlie sat in the stands, watching the match.
Hermione and Ron sat to his left, Ernie and Justin to his right.
The weather was beautiful.
Sunlight spilled onto the pitch, and the air was filled with excited shouts.
Hufflepuff students waved their yellow and black scarves, while Slytherin students held up silver and green banners.
The cheers from both sides rose and fell.
Charlie waved his wand, and a giant badger appeared above the Hufflepuff stands.
The giant badger, yellow and black all over, opened its huge mouth in mid-air and let out a deafening roar.
The surrounding Hufflepuff students shrieked wildly, their voices almost tearing through the sky.
Ernie jumped up, vigorously patting Charlie's shoulder.
"Charlie, you're amazing!"
Justin also shouted from beside him.
"Hufflepuff will win!"
The Slytherin students were not to be outdone; several older students also conjured a giant snake, hissing towards the Hufflepuff stands.
Seeing this, the Hufflepuff students also conjured badgers of various sizes, roaring towards Slytherin.
Charlie waved his wand, and the giant badger leaped up, tearing apart the swaggering giant snake in the sky.
The Quidditch match hadn't even begun, but a major battle had already erupted in the stands.
Badgers and snakes entangled in endless combat, but only Charlie's giant badger was unmatched.
Although Gryffindor was not participating in the match, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were still in the Hufflepuff stands.
Hermione also waved her wand, conjuring a badger.
She actually wanted to conjure a lion, but the current situation was clearly not suitable.
As for Harry and Ron, well, let's not make it difficult for them.
Hermione's badger soared into the air, accompanying the giant badger.
But compared to Charlie's badger, Hermione's badger's movements were a bit stiff, its fur not realistic enough, and it lacked a great deal in detail.
Hermione bit her lip, a flash of unwillingness on her face.
After a semester of trying to catch up, the gap between them had successfully widened.
On the pitch, the match began.
Cedric led the Hufflepuff team into the air, with Slytherin following close behind.
But Hufflepuff, relying on the excellent performance of the nimbus 2001 and their skilled techniques, steadily outclassed Slytherin.
Cheers erupted in the Hufflepuff stands.
But just then, Charlie felt a strange sensation in his mind.
The control of the Imperio began to loosen.
He suddenly looked towards the Professor's table.
Lockhart was at the Professor's table, staring at Harry in the stands with a strange smile.
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