Hearing McGonagall's concerns, Dumbledore raised his head.
"Minerva, I don't like him either."
"Then why did you…"
"Have you read Lockhart's books?" Dumbledore asked, pulling Wanderings with Werewolves off the shelf.
"I have. The content is decent, especially the advanced ' Homorphus Charm' he described," McGonagall replied.
The Homorphus Charm was a rare spell that could temporarily revert a transformed werewolf back to human form.
"Yes, an extraordinary magical talent," Dumbledore said calmly, "To be honest, I was quite surprised when I first read the book."
McGonagall raised an eyebrow. It took a lot to surprise Dumbledore.
"Minerva, I was surprised because I happen to know an old Armenian wizard who used that very same spell to defeat the Wagga Wagga werewolf."
"Perhaps… it's just a coincidence?" McGonagall offered hesitantly.
"That's what I thought. What if Lockhart had accomplished the same feat? I couldn't falsely accuse a distinguished wizard without proof," Dumbledore admitted.
"So, I sought out the old wizard. But he had lost many of his memories, particularly about the werewolf incident."
McGonagall's eyes widened, as if she were hearing a far-fetched tale.
"Since then, I've kept an eye on Lockhart, buying all his books and tracking his movements," Dumbledore continued.
"The advantage of age, Minerva, is that you meet many wizards and hear obscure stories." Dumbledore's long fingers brushed across the bookshelf.
"And in Lockhart's books, I kept finding more stories I just so happened to know."
"But the true protagonists of those tales were never Lockhart!"
McGonagall was stunned. When Dumbledore finished, she exclaimed, "Merlin's beard! This is fraud. That criminal! Lockhart belongs in Azkaban!"
"But we have no proof," Dumbledore said with a hint of frustration.
"So, you invited him to the school?"
"Yes. I believe that placing Lockhart in a normal school environment will expose his deception," Dumbledore explained earnestly.
McGonagall was silent for a moment, then asked, "But what will our students learn from this vain and self-serving fraud?"
After all, an entire year of Defense Against the Dark Arts was at stake.
"A great deal," Dumbledore replied calmly, "Students can learn many valuable lessons from a bad teacher: what not to do, and what kind of person not to become.
"I believe that teaching students how to conduct themselves is also a vital part of education."
McGonagall nodded thoughtfully, seemingly convinced.
…
As the summer holidays drew to a close, William and his group left one home and returned to two others in London.
Before leaving, William cast numerous protective spells around the house: Muggle-Repelling Charms, protective wards, and all-around safeguards.
The most effective spell, however, was the Fidelius Charm.
The Fidelius Charm was a complex piece of magic that concealed a secret within a living soul. Only the chosen Secret Keeper could reveal the secret to others.
As long as the Secret Keeper kept silent, even if an intruder pressed their face against the living room window, they would see nothing.
William cast this charm on the house, making himself the Secret Keeper. Only Hermione, Annie, Dumbledore, and Nicolas were permitted to enter.
With the new term starting soon, William, Hermione, and Annie would only return during Christmas or the occasional weekend. Most of their time would be spent at school, so the house needed to be well-protected in their absence.
…
On the last day of the summer holidays, Roy drove William and Annie to King's Cross Station.
After waiting briefly on Platform 9¾, Hermione arrived, and the three boarded the Hogwarts Express together.
They walked along the corridor, searching for an empty compartment.
"There's room in this one," Annie said, peeking into a compartment, "Luna's the only one inside."
She slid the door open, carrying her cat, Boba tea, and stepped in. William and Hermione followed.
"Hello, Luna," Annie greeted. "Is it just you in here?"
Luna nodded dreamily. "It seems so. Most students take one look and leave."
She had her wand tucked behind her left ear and wore a necklace made of Butterbeer corks.
On top of that, she was reading The Quibbler upside down.
It wasn't hard to understand why others avoided her compartment.
Boba Tea leapt out of Annie's arms, curled up in the warmest spot it could find, and began to nap.
Luna glanced at them over her upside-down magazine.
"After you left, the house disappeared," she said, tilting her head.
"That's because I used magic to hide it," William explained, quickly jotting down an address on a piece of parchment.
"Memorize this, and you'll be able to see the house again."
Luna studied the parchment intently. Moments later, it transformed into a small bird, which flitted around the compartment before bursting into flames.
At that moment, a stunningly beautiful girl with sleek black hair appeared at the door, accompanied by a boy.
It was Cho Chang and Cedric Diggory.
The two were arguing intensely, which was an unusual sight, as Cedric rarely interrupted Cho when she spoke.
After entering the compartment, they sat apart. Cho took a seat next to Hermione, while Cedric sat by William.
Separated by William and Hermione, the two continued their heated debate.
"I think Lockhart will make a great professor. Did you see what he wrote in his books—"
"That's just his own words!" Cedric interrupted loudly, "Lockhart is nothing more than a useless pretty boy."
That particular insult—"useless pretty boy"—was often directed at Cedric by certain envious Gryffindor boys.
And typically, such comments came from people who were, frankly, unattractive.
William remembered hearing it himself in first year. He'd taught the culprit a lesson.
"But Dumbledore invited him to teach us…" Cho argued.
"I respect the Headmaster, but he's made some poor choices. Look at the Defense professors we've had in recent years, they're nowhere near as good as William's lessons," Cedric shot back.
"What's going on with them?" Hermione whispered to William.
"They've had a falling out," William replied.
Before he could elaborate, Cho and Cedric turned their gazes toward him and Hermione, who immediately fell silent, huddling together awkwardly.
Suddenly, Luna burst into laughter. Loud, uncontrollable laughter that startled Boba Tea awake.
The little creature fluffed up, leaping onto William and hissing.
Luna's laughter grew so intense that she dropped her magazine, which slid off her lap onto the floor.
William glanced at the fallen magazine and noticed something peculiar. Picking it up, he saw an exaggerated cartoon of Lockhart.
In the drawing, Lockhart was wearing a woman's robe, standing beside a similarly dressed witch holding a quill and parchment.
The caption beneath the illustration read:
"Man or Woman? Lockhart and Rita Skeeter's Big Secret!"