More than twenty Cornish Pixies hung frozen in midair, their limbs and wings completely immobilized. All they could do was blink helplessly.
"Professor, did I do that correctly?" Sean put away his wand and looked calmly at Lockhart.
"Impressive, Sean!" Fred praised.
Lockhart hadn't expected anyone to handle all the pixies so quickly. He sized Sean up before nodding.
"Excellent, excellent. I heard from Dumbledore that fourth-year Sean Greengrass is an outstanding student. Now that I've seen it for myself, I must say—you remind me of my younger self."
"Unbelievable," Sean thought. "He can even take credit for this."
Lockhart stuffed the pixies back into the cage, then wrote a spell on the blackboard: "Immobulus."
"The first spell I'll teach you is Immobulus. It's very effective against small creatures."
From there, Lockhart launched into his storytelling-style teaching, weaving exaggerated tales of his "adventures" and how Immobulus had saved him countless times.
To be fair, his storytelling was vivid and engaging—far more captivating than Professor Morliss's lectures.
The difference was that Morliss's stories were real. Lockhart's were ninety-nine percent fiction.
After class, Cassius chatted with Sean as they walked out.
"This new professor is actually pretty interesting."
Before class, Cassius had been put off by Lockhart's awkward, overly charming smile. But after hearing his stories—and realizing he didn't assign homework—Cassius had changed his opinion.
"That's nothing compared to Professor Morliss," Chris said from the side. "Lockhart's lessons are all over the place. He spent an entire class bragging about himself and didn't even explain the structure of Immobulus. Are we supposed to figure it out ourselves?"
Chris's opinion was clear—Lockhart was useless.
Students who were good at studying thought Lockhart's teaching ability was terrible. Those who struggled academically found him entertaining and easygoing. Opinions were divided.
Defense Against the Dark Arts had always been a unique subject. The textbooks themselves contained very few spells. Learning defensive magic depended heavily on the professor.
It was like an apprentice system—students inherited their teacher's methods.
If someone cast "Sectumsempra," you'd know they were taught by Snape. If someone excelled at Memory Charms, they probably learned from Lockhart.
The problem was, Lockhart had no real skill.
He had only taken the job to boost his fame. After all, being the teacher of Harry Potter sounded impressive.
As for teaching? He simply leaned into what he was good at—telling stories and bluffing his way through.
"Sean, wait a moment."
Lockhart called out from the classroom doorway.
Sean turned back. "Professor, is there something else?"
Lockhart smiled warmly. "I'd like to give you a full set of my books."
"That's very kind of you, Professor, but I'll buy them myself. I'll have my uncle send them tomorrow," Sean said politely, declining.
Then he quickly walked away, not giving Lockhart another chance to speak.
"You're really going to buy them?" Cassius asked.
"Buy what? That pile of junk? I'd rather spend the money on 'The Strongest Senior,'" Sean replied.
"'The Strongest Senior'? What kind of book is that?" Chris repeated the title curiously.
"It's actually pretty interesting. You can find it at Flourish and Blotts," Sean said.
On the first day of classes, the professors didn't cover much material. Draco hurried through dinner, ditched his two followers, and returned to his dorm early. He needed a few hours of sleep so he'd have the energy to return to the Room of Requirement after curfew.
Just as he approached the Slytherin corridor, a voice called out to him.
"Master."
Dobby crept toward him, hunched over.
Draco was startled. He quickly looked around to make sure no one else was nearby before stepping forward.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded.
"Mistress sent Dobby to protect you," Dobby said. Though in truth, he had his own motives as well.
"Mother sent you? I don't need protection. I'll find the diadem myself. Go back home," Draco said.
He wanted to prove himself. This was a task given by Lucius, and Draco intended to show his father that he was capable.
Dobby didn't dare look him in the eye.
He wasn't usually afraid of Draco—at home, as long as he didn't make mistakes, Draco didn't mistreat him.
But now, things were different.
Now, he was terrified.
Because he knew Draco was no longer the same.
Narcissa had ordered Dobby to remain at Hogwarts. Since Draco didn't want him around, Dobby would have to stay hidden—and perhaps take the chance to find Harry.
"Draco."
Pansy's voice came from the corridor.
The moment Dobby heard it, he vanished instantly.
"Pansy," Draco replied, turning around.
Sean, on the other hand, wasn't planning to rest early. Even though he had business to attend to tonight, he didn't bother taking a nap.
After curfew, more than an hour passed. It was nearly midnight when Sean quietly slipped out of his dorm.
By sheer coincidence, he ran straight into Draco, who was also sneaking out.
They locked eyes in the moonlight.
Both froze.
They were both guilty—caught sneaking around late at night.
But Sean was experienced. Cunning. And, most importantly, a senior.
So he immediately put on an authoritative tone.
"Draco, what are you doing out here at this hour instead of sleeping?"
Draco, already timid, was instantly thrown off.
"I—I just… I think I left something in the common room," he stammered.
He awkwardly glanced around at the sofas and tables.
"What did you forget?" Sean pressed.
"…Maybe it's in my dorm," Draco said quickly, turning and rushing back inside.
The moment he shut the door, a thought struck him.
"Wait… what was he doing out there?"
But Draco didn't dare go back out to question Sean. He decided to wait another hour before trying again.
Sean, of course, knew Draco hadn't found the Horcrux the night before—and he never would.
Sean lit the fireplace, then entered Merlin's Chamber. He retrieved one of the Horcruxes he had hidden there.
Exiting through the girls' bathroom on the third floor, he returned safely to his dorm.
That mysterious person Sean had heard outside the bathroom the previous night appeared again.
But this time, Sean didn't run into them.
To Read 60+ ahead advanced Chapters, head over to P@treon
patreon.com/DarkVerse146