A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

Chapter 87: Is Everything a Curse?

"Absolutely thrilling! I never even dreamed of such a plot twist." Fred and George muttered to each other, taking a detour and hiding in the bushes, peeking through the gaps to catch the commotion.

Dumbledore held Fawkes' hand, "Fear not, Fawkes. You'll be alright."

"You promise, Dumbledore?" half of his face turned pitch-black.

"I promise you, Fawkes."

Fawkes' expression gradually eased, and he drifted off to sleep.

Dumbledore withdrew his radiant fingers and turned to Kingsley, "We need to take him to the infirmary."

"But Minister Fawkes said..."

"The basilisk venom needs to be dealt with swiftly," Dumbledore stated.

The man named Kingsley quickly acquiesced, "I'll follow your lead."

Dumbledore turned to Flitwick and McGonagall, "Filius, Minerva, stay here, maintain order, and remove the basilisk." The two professors nodded in agreement.

Hagrid volunteered to carry Fawkes, and with Dumbledore and Kingsley, he strode purposefully towards the direction of the infirmary.

Lucius took advantage of the chaos to find his son, Draco Malfoy.

"What's the truth about the Chamber?" Lucius inquired.

"Potter and his gang did it! Dad, Potter's a Parseltongue, and that's how he found the Chamber!" Draco said, his expression sour.

"Parseltongue!" Lucius was genuinely taken aback; he had thought that it was his discarded diary given to the Weasley girl that had been discovered.

"Have they found out who opened the Chamber?" Lucius asked vaguely.

"No, not yet," Draco said, fearful, glancing at his father. He stuttered and didn't mention his brief episode of being controlled by a dark magical item.

"Is that so?" Lucius didn't catch this minor detail. His expression became enigmatically profound.

...

Rita Skeeter wanted to capture the Minister of Magic's dire situation on film, but when she glanced at the scene with Ludo Bagman, after some consideration, she quickly settled on her true target.

With comrades like these, you had to mess with them!

"Click!"

"Click!"

"Click!"

"Click!"

Ludo Bagman was at a loss, shielding his face, "Hey, stop it! Stop it now!"

Yet, Rita Skeeter became even more enthusiastic in her photography. Her creative fervor was exploding, but sadly, due to her reservations, she had not brought her self-writing quill and parchment.

She glanced secretly at Felix, who was silently observing all of this.

This reassured Rita Skeeter; it seemed 'he' didn't care about others. Next time she came to Hogwarts, she would be fully prepared.

"Merlin's beard, Professor McGonagall must be furious," Hermione said, hiding behind a massive column. Harry and Ron looked at their Transfiguration professor; her face was contorted almost beyond recognition.

The situation had escalated to Ludo Bagman rushing forward to wrestle the camera from Skeeter, but seemingly, relying solely on physical strength, Ludo Bagman wasn't a match for her. Skeeter's two-inch-long nails left several scratches on his face.

"My handsome visage!" Ludo Bagman was close to losing his mind.

Professor McGonagall had to step forward to separate the two, her lips trembling in anger. "Professor Lockhart, I urge you to leave this place immediately! As for you..." She looked at Rita Skeeter with disdain.

"Oh, you don't need to worry about me, Professor McGonagall." Rita Skeeter brazenly spoke, "I'm just wandering around. It's been many years since I returned to the school. Quite nostalgic."

"Suit yourself," McGonagall couldn't attend to her at the moment. She coordinated with Professor Flitwick to remove the basilisk.

Felix Harp looked around and saw Lockhart fuming like an enraged bull. He had no interest in getting involved. He turned and headed in the direction of the infirmary.

After a while, Lockhart had calmed down completely. He suddenly realized that he was facing an unprecedented crisis. He tidied his disheveled hair and said to Rita Skeeter, "Skeeter, we need to talk, one on one."

The woman glanced at him arrogantly. She held her greatest treasure, the magical camera, and handed it to her two assistants. "Guard it, and keep your distance."

Her assistants left, leaving only Lockhart and Skeeter in the open space.

Unbeknownst to them, the twins and the trio watched, holding their breath.

Rita Skeeter disdainfully cast a glance at Lockhart. She smirked, taking on the stance of a victor. "What do you want to talk to me about? I think there's no need for that—"

"The renowned bestselling author!"

Lockhart's handsome face twisted, but he looked around and said in a low voice, "We don't need to escalate this to such a point. I can offer you a sum of Galleons as compensation, as long as you never mention this matter again."

Rita Skeeter gave him a sidelong glance.

"Two thousand Galleons!" Lockhart said painfully.

No response.

"Four thousand!"

"Ten thousand Galleons! You greedy woman!"

Rita Skeeter put on a stiff smile, but she still didn't yield. She leaned in and said, "Lockhart, you might want to think about it first. Consider how much the reputation of a great author is truly worth."

"And," she toyed with her nails, "also think about how to clear your name from attacking the Minister of Magic."

"It was an accident!" Lockhart gritted his teeth as he stared at her, but she left satisfied.

He clutched his wand and considered making a move several times, but in the end, he gave up. He returned despondently to his office.

The lively courtyard once again regained its tranquility.

The twins exchanged a glance and silently left. Behind a pillar, Harry and his friends exchanged bewildered looks.

"Dirty money dealings!" Hermione exclaimed indignantly.

Ron shrugged, "That's normal. My dad got wind of the Malfoy Manor search way before today. You think why?"

Harry looked in the direction Lockhart had left, unable to help asking, "Do you think Lockhart might end up in prison?"

Ron answered without hesitation, "Hard to say, but if I were Fudge, I mean, as the Minister of Magic, I can't afford to lose that man."

"Don't you find it too coincidental?"

"What?"

"Everything that happened today was accidental, wasn't it? Considering that the basilisk has been dealt with, he could have smoothly sailed through a whole year, then write a book like 'My Year at Hogwarts' and earn a fortune in Galleons."

"You mean, the Curse of the Mysterious Figure?" Ron caught on.

Hermione blinked, quite interested. "A rather intriguing notion, Harry. Maybe the curse's true nature is to amplify the probabilities of various accidents. We could investigate."

Ron wore a pained expression, "Hermione, don't you think you're too busy lately? Let me calculate: classes, assignments, weekends teaching Muggle Studies, grading papers, studying special Transfiguration, and now you want to research curses..."

Hermione snorted and retorted, "Don't you think unraveling mysteries is quite fulfilling, Ron?"

...

Meanwhile, Rita Skeeter, who had initially been leisurely enjoying the scenery, doubled back after rounding a corner in the courtyard.

Her gaze searched relentlessly. Lockhart had moved quickly, and she had lost sight of him. However, she soon spotted an opportunity—

"Hey, you three! Young wizards, stop for a moment."

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