"Professor McGonagall, long time no see."
As Lockhart stepped out of the magical fireplace surrounded by green flames, he immediately spotted Professor McGonagall sitting at her desk and greeted her warmly.
Professor McGonagall looked up, her eyes landing on Lockhart—his smooth golden hair and emerald green robes—and scrutinized him the way she would a misbehaving student.
"Lockhart, you look a bit disheveled," she said sternly. "But your clothes are quite refined."
Lockhart gave an awkward smile at the comment. He had just decided—once and for all—never to travel by Floo Network again.
It seemed that learning the portal magic of Kamar-Taj needed to move up on his priority list.
With a casual wave of his right hand, his Sling Ring gleamed, and a simple rune appeared before him, glowing faintly.
Rune: Scourgify!
With a brief flash of light, Lockhart was instantly refreshed—every speck of dust and grime vanished under the spell's effect.
Professor McGonagall observed the rune with interest, clearly surprised, but said nothing more.
"The Headmaster is waiting for you in his office. You know where it is. The password is... Cauldron Cake."
"Thank you, Professor," Lockhart replied politely, then exited her office, heading toward the Headmaster's tower.
A faint smile tugged at his lips as he walked the familiar corridors and staircases of Hogwarts.
This visit to Dumbledore was essentially a pre-term debrief.
Until now, he had only communicated his teaching plans via owl post.
Aside from a brief encounter during his predecessor's departure, this was essentially their first proper meeting.
As far as Lockhart was concerned, probing was the best word to describe it.
Soon, he arrived on the eighth floor, standing before the stone gargoyle.
He straightened his robes and cast one of his own spells—Lockhart's Sparkle.
With a beaming smile, gleaming white teeth, and puffed-out chest, he confidently declared to the gargoyle:
"Cauldron Cake!"
Rumble!
The stone gargoyle shifted aside as the wall split open, revealing a spiral staircase ascending upward.
"Lockhart?" came Dumbledore's voice from the top.
"Yes, Headmaster, it's me," Lockhart called back, climbing the stairs briskly into a beautiful circular room.
He looked around at the portraits of past headmasters adorning the walls and waved politely to them.
At the center sat Albus Dumbledore—silver-haired, half-moon spectacles perched on his nose—behind a long, delicate-legged desk.
"Good morning, Headmaster!" Lockhart greeted warmly.
"One moment. Help yourself to a cauldron cake. Let me finish this page first, and then we'll talk."
"Of course, Headmaster. No rush," Lockhart replied, beginning to observe the office.
Besides the portraits, what truly caught his eye was a bookshelf behind Dumbledore.
Alchemy According to Nicolas Flamel
36 Applications of the Patronus Charm
Advanced Dark Arts Knowledge
Just reading the titles made Lockhart's eyes sparkle. He longed to borrow them all and dive right in.
Unfortunately...
He quickly averted his gaze and turned to study the silver instruments and colorful potions scattered about the room.
Then, his eyes locked on a golden-feathered phoenix perched on a stand near the window.
The creature tilted its head, curiously staring at Lockhart.
Their eyes met, and Lockhart gave his most charming smile, eyes glowing with admiration.
A real phoenix! A creature that could live for over a thousand years through rebirth. Its tears could heal most known illnesses—and its feathers were prized components in powerful potions.
Even a single feather could fetch dozens of Galleons.
Lockhart instinctively took a step closer.
Ahem.
Dumbledore's soft cough snapped him out of it.
Lockhart immediately straightened, his expression serious—as if he'd never considered doing anything inappropriate.
Then he noticed the book Dumbledore had just closed.
To his horror, the title read: Travels with Trolls by Gilderoy Lockhart.
Dumbledore smiled lightly. "Quite an entertaining read," he said, placing the book down to reveal a document underneath.
Lockhart's pupils contracted slightly, though he didn't glance down. Instead, he puffed out his chest and smiled even more brilliantly.
Needham Mac — Male, 45, residence: Himalayas, lives with yetis...
Damn. This wasn't a casual chat—this was definitely a test.
Needham Mac was the original source of the material for Travels with Trolls.
The original Lockhart had stolen his memories to write that book.
A book and a profile side by side? Anyone could see Dumbledore was suspicious.
The real question was... how much did he know?
"Headmaster, what would you like to know about yetis? A living, breathing book character is right here," Lockhart said in a lighthearted tone.
"Haha, yes, I actually am curious," Dumbledore chuckled, lifting the book. "I always thought the best way to handle a yeti was the Fire-Making Spell, but this book says otherwise."
"That's true, Headmaster," Lockhart nodded. "Most wizards think that way, but yetis, having lived in harsh, snowy environments, have incredibly high magical resistance. Regular spells barely affect them."
"Also, in those cold regions, fire-based spells are weakened—they're not the best choice."
"In my opinion, the Tripping Jinx is far more effective. It's a minor hex, yes, but yetis move slowly and have short legs—it's easy to trip them up. Whether you're trying to escape, capture, or even kill, it's your best bet."
"Seems you really know your stuff," Dumbledore smiled. "Hiring you for Defense Against the Dark Arts was clearly the right choice."
Lockhart smiled politely, saying nothing more.
He had known there were risks in taking the teaching position, so he made sure to study the stolen memories thoroughly.
Stolen or not, knowledge was still knowledge.
Come to think of it... stealing memories might just be the fastest way to learn...
He pushed the thought aside and tucked it deep within his mind.