Chapter 13

The portrait of Headmaster Black began to cuss, and soon the other portraits were unable to keep their mouths shut and retorted, with one grumpy headmaster charging straight into the frame and thrashing him.

Dumbledore ignored the portraits, looking as if he was reminiscing, “Mr Hap is indeed very perceptive.”

“In my opinion, it’s a Muggle wizard’s declaration of war against the Purebloods. He’s more ambitious than you can imagine, he’s the next generation of Dark Lord.”

Dumbledore looked solemn: “That is a serious accusation! Severus.”

“You always trust people so easily, Dumbledore.” Snape grunted, “Perhaps he won’t start a war, I know him, he’s afraid of getting into hassle.”

“But as you say, he has so much potential, if I had to say who else in this century could catch up with you and that man, it would be him, and there would be countless people willing to be under his wing, watching his every expression, studying his every word …”

He said sarcastically, “History always goes around, and maybe this time, it’s the stupid lions who will follow him.”

“What will they call him? The White Lord, perhaps?”

“I never knew, Severus, that you had such deep prejudice against him.” Dumbledore looked astonished.

“Hmph! As I said, I know him better than you think, and I have taught him for seven years!”

Dumbledore weighed his words and decided to confess: “I did hesitate for a long time, I saw in his reflection another man. The same Muggle Orphan as a child, the same Slytherin, the same brilliance, the same pursuit of power …”

“But they are different nonetheless.”

“Voldemort used his magic to intimidate his companions and gathered them as his goons to fight off those who tried to bully him in the orphanage, and he keeps in touch with some people in the orphanage till the day of his death.”

“Voldemort was passionate about authority, and during his time at school he formed a core group around him – it was the prototype of the Death Eaters. Felix, on the other hand, didn’t care much about authority, as you said, he hated hassle, or maybe you could sum it up, he didn’t want to put much thought into things he isn’t interested in, and authority is one of them.”

“Voldemort was very good and polite at school, he had a very good relationship with every one of his professors, whereas Felix only spent his energy on the subjects he was interested in, as far as I know, he never tried to pass his courses in the history of magic, divination, astronomy, or flying! This is in spite of his record-breaking grades in charms of all time.”

“Voldemort pursued power with a fervour, and to that end, he delved into black magic while still at school, in which he possessed great talent. Before he graduated, his level of black magic surpassed the level of some dark wizards’ efforts in a lifetime.”

“And Felix …,” Dumbledore hesitated for a rare moment, “I have to admit that he also delved in black magic, right here in the Shrieking Shack. But before I could think of the proper way to intervene and dissuade him, he gave up on his own.”

Snape stared in awe, the Headmaster had got to the bottom of the boy!

There is so much about the past that even he didn’t know.

Dumbledore concluded, “Friendship, rejection of authority, dedication, calmness, and thoughtfulness, he had a lot of merits after all.”

Snape opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but finally refrained. Then he smiled sarcastically, only this time his sarcasm directed at the headmaster: “You’re still so ‘concerned’ about your students! Why don’t you tell me more about his experiences in the three years after his graduation? You’re not hiding in the bushes somewhere peeping while he travels the world, are you?”

“Severus, don’t be so harsh on an old man.” Dumbledore wore a sad expression, but the next moment his words left Snape dumbfounded, “But I did visit some of his colleagues in the Muggle world, and they spoke surprisingly highly about Mr. Hap, and I made sure that there was no sign of any magic being used.”

At the wide-eyed appearance of Snape, Dumbledore blinked, “Severus, you don’t think I’m really muddled, do you? Would let him be a professor at Hogwarts without knowing anything about him?”

…

As Snape emerged from the Headmaster’s office, he admitted that he was somewhat persuaded that the boy didn’t seem that bad.

Even if he had threatened him – with his deepest secrets.

But when he walked into the great hall and saw Felix waving his wand and turning the Ceiling into a giant snake with a silhouette in its mouth that he could see in the mirror every day, he nearly exploded!

He was wrong!

Felix Hap is an asshole!

…

Felix doesn’t know about the conversation at the Headmaster’s office, or that he’s even been given the title of “White Lord” by someone, are you serious?

He went through his duties, and during the course of the day, the Hogwarts professors arrived and Felix greeted them all.

He knows the importance of relationships.

Until someone unique appeared, a very handsome male wizard, wearing emerald green robes of a similar colour to his, with light, silky hair and white teeth.

Who is this Slytherin? Why it didn’t ring a bell?

Felix wanted to take a closer look, but soon that wizard approached him, “Felix Hap! I’ve learned a lot about you, and I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”

“And you are?” Felix always felt that this man looked familiar, but he couldn’t remember.

The wizard seemed to have heard something incredible, his mouth wide open, and he seemed petrified for a couple of seconds before his smile quickly returned, and he spoke eloquently, “Felix, you must be too busy studying Muggles to pay much attention to the wizarding world, but that’s okay! I can reintroduce myself and believe me, you are worthy of this honour.”

Felix: “… if you please.”

“I,” the male wizard winked, “am Gilderoy Lockhart, Third Class of the Order of Merlin, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defence League, and five-time winner of the Witch Weekly Most Charming Smile Award – but I don’t put that on my face anymore. I don’t smile to banish the ghosts of Valiant!”

Gilderoy Lockhart?

Felix remembered he had read his biography, quite an adventuresome one. Experienced and intelligent. But he seemed to be a bit of a prude, writing books where he usually concealed half the story, never revealing the key stuff!

Interested, Felix wondered how he could get something out of him.

“So it’s Mr. Lockhart, I’ve read your book, it’s excellent, your experience is fascinating …” Felix said flatteringly, and in less than three minutes he had become a friend of the new professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts.

He also impressed with the courage of the new professor, who didn’t mind the curse of the Dark Lord.

He knew how dangerous this course is, and even though Hogwarts is always short of professors, he didn’t dare to take that job.

What a brave man!

However, from the experiences described in his books, it seems that Lockhart is an extremely perceptive and talented wizard who always manages to turn the odds in his favour!

I guess I’ll have to pay more attention. What kind of miracle would this professor create?

Felix is in deep thought.

———-

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