"Impedimenta! Avada Kedavra!"
Lockhart poured out his magic, firing spell after spell as he pressed the shadowy figure backward. The man dodged and blocked desperately, retreating in a panic. Under the relentless barrage, he couldn't even manage to Apparate.
Barty Jr. had only just broken free from his father's Imperius Curse—his strength hadn't fully recovered. He could only rely on trees and terrain to barely stay alive.
Lockhart's magic was draining rapidly—but if he could kill this man, it would all be worth it.
"Expelliarmus!"
Barty finally found a chance to counterattack, but Lockhart sidestepped it easily.
"Reducto! Shatter!"
Barty's cover exploded apart, forcing him to roll behind another tree in a sorry state.
"Severing Charm!"
The tree was sliced down instantly.
With nowhere left to hide, Barty was about to be cornered when several figures rushed in.
"Professor, we're here to help!"
Hermione was the fastest—her disarming spell struck from the side, knocking the wand out of Barty's hand.
Seeing this, Lockhart stopped. A wandless wizard had no real means to fight or escape—capturing him alive might be even better.
But Barty's cunning exceeded expectations.
He pulled out another wand and pointed it straight at Harry and Pandora.
"Avada Kedavra!"
Lockhart had no choice—he couldn't let his students die. He redirected his wand and countered with another Killing Curse, knocking the attack aside.
In that instant, Barty seized the opportunity and Disapparated.
Lockhart's follow-up curse hit nothing but empty air.
The students were terrified now—and realized they had ruined everything.
"P-Professor…"
Lockhart stormed toward them, barely containing his rage. "You! What were you doing here?!"
A series of loud pops echoed—Aurors had arrived, appearing out of thin air with wands raised. Lockhart immediately cast a Shield Charm, stepping in front of the students.
"Stop! It's Mr. Lockhart—and my children!"
"Ron, Harry, Hermione—are you alright?" Arthur's voice trembled.
"Stand aside, Arthur." A cold voice cut in.
It was Barty Crouch Sr., approaching with the Aurors. His face was tight with anger.
"Who did it?" he demanded, eyes sharp. "Who conjured the Dark Mark?"
"Shut up, Crouch." Lockhart snapped, fury redirecting instantly. He pointed his wand at him. "I suspect you helped your son escape. Drop your wand."
The Aurors looked between the two men, unsure who to side with.
"That person just now…" Crouch noticed Winky nearby. The house-elf must have seen his son. "Was it… my son?"
Though phrased as a question, he already understood. Slowly, he lowered his wand. The Aurors followed suit.
Lockhart's anger faltered at Crouch's immediate submission. He lowered his wand with a scowl.
"If anything had happened to Harry, I'd have killed you. Take Crouch back for investigation—helping his son escape… hmph."
"What about the attacker?" an Auror asked.
"Barty Jr. escaped by Apparition. I seriously question Azkaban's security. Don't tell me Peter Pettigrew escaped too."
"...I'm sorry, Mr. Lockhart," said a witch in robes. "The Dementors forgot he was an Animagus."
It felt like a bucket of ice water dumped over Lockhart.
He forced himself to calm down. All his effort to capture Pettigrew—wasted. No… at least Sirius's innocence had been proven.
Now, as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, he still had control—if he planned carefully and prevented Barty from infiltrating Hogwarts, things wouldn't spiral out of control.
He let out a cold snort. "Pandora, I'll take you back to your grandfather."
After escorting Pandora to the Minister's tent, Lockhart returned to his own. Before long, Harry and the others arrived.
"Professor, are you alright?" Harry asked. Hermione stayed silent, knowing she had made things worse.
"I'm fine. But he got away," Lockhart said grimly. "He'll likely try something from the shadows. Do you understand, Harry? You're in danger now. Be careful in everything you do."
"…I understand, Professor."
"Ron," Lockhart called impatiently.
Ron blinked. "Yes, Professor?"
"Keep an eye on Harry. And this term—don't do anything stupid."
"Uh… okay, Professor."
Lockhart suddenly felt drained, all enthusiasm gone. "Go back. Prepare for school."
As they turned to leave, Hermione spoke softly, almost in tears. "I'm sorry, Professor… I caused trouble again."
Seeing her like that softened him a little. "It's not your fault. I should've mastered the Anti-Apparition Barrier. Go on."
Hermione covered her face as she left. Whether she cried or not, Lockhart didn't have the energy to care anymore.