HP: It's a snake, not a badger.

Chapter 69 Lockhart's Departure

Severus was in an exceptionally good mood. He had seen Dumbledore get scolded yesterday, and today he was able to beat Lockhart up. Plus, Emeric had grown three years older. He was overjoyed.

"Eri, stay with Draco and don't leave my sight."

"Okay~"

It wasn't until they reached the door of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom that Severus finally managed to suppress the mockery on his face. He straightened his expression and pushed the door open forcefully, his billowing cloak nearly knocking Emeric to the ground.

The man stiffened for a moment, then guiltily took Emeric's outstretched hand. He decided to beat him even harder later; it was all Lockhart's fault, otherwise he wouldn't have almost hurt Emeric.

Severus beckoned to Draco to come and take Emerick away. What if someone stole the child while he was dueling Lockhart? He'd been traumatized by the theft.

"Draco, you and Elie stay here and don't wander off, especially after the duel starts, understand?"

"Yes, Godfather."

Draco winked at Harry, who was in the distance, signaling him to come over later. He seriously suspected that his godfather was about to knock Lockhart away, possibly even hitting something nearby, so he wanted to be on the safe side by calling Harry over.

"Alright, children, gather around here! Can you all hear me? Very good. First of all, thank you very much, Headmaster Dumbledore, for allowing me to start the club. Let's applaud the Headmaster's wise decision!"

The classroom was pitch black, with all the light sources focused on the stage in the center, where Lockhart, dressed in a bright purple robe, was giving a passionate speech.

"Next, welcome my assistant, Professor Snape. Today we'll have a real-world demonstration for everyone. Don't worry, kids, I'll return your Potions professor to you unharmed. Don't be afraid!"

"Oh, and one more thing, today's duel champion will receive a signed copy from Lockhart himself! Rejoice, kids!"

"Oh~ Oh~"

Ron called out twice perfunctorily, and Hermione, standing next to him, couldn't help but cover her face, wanting to tell others that she wasn't familiar with the person next to her.

"Isn't this just to set the mood?"

"Shut up, Ron."

"Welcome to my assistant, Professor Snape."

The stage lights were split in two, one half shining on Lockhart in the center of the stage and the other half on Severus, the extravagant lighting effects making Severus's face appear dark.

He had no choice but to move forward, his wand trembling slightly as if sensing its master's rage. He wouldn't be Severus if he didn't beat Lockhart so badly he couldn't leave this room today.

"Before the duel begins, the two wizards must bow to each other, like this."

Lockhart took off his hat with his right hand and placed it in front of him, leaning forward and dramatically waving his left hand behind his back. Severus, on the other hand, moved his shoulder very perfunctorily; he was ready to swing his wand and knock the vase away.

"Then you need to walk to about two-thirds of the way up the dueling platform, raise your wands and hold them upright in front of your chest, and wait for the countdown 'three, two, one' before the duel begins!"

Both individuals on stage walked together to their designated spots and raised their wands.

"Three, two, one!"

"Eliminate your weapon."

"Bang"

As expected, Lockhart crashed into the wall. Severus, who was still standing on the stage, let out a soft snort and looked triumphantly at his defeated opponent on the ground.

"It seems Professor Lockhart's dueling skills..."

"Heh, kids, did you see that? That's a bad example. You have to concentrate when you're dueling. I was distracted for a moment. Snape, let's do it again."

"Of course...no problem, as many times as you like."

The man on stage stood under the spotlight, his smooth, handsome face filled with arrogance. He pointed his magic wand at the ground, his eyes filled with disdain for his defeated opponent.

"Is Lockhart out of his mind? Why does he think he can beat Professor Snape on the second try?"

"I suspect it might not be water inside; it could be slugs, otherwise there's no way to explain it."

"He may like body art; we should respect other people's hobbies."

"He doesn't think Professor Snape is an easy target, does he? He's very lucky."

The Slytherin snakes spew venom from their mouths, while the Gryffindors standing nearby choose to remain silent; they lack the elegance of such refined speech.

"Flying sand and stones"

"Armor Protection"

"Eliminate your weapon"

"Bang"

Lockhart appeared on the wall once again, and another humanoid mark appeared on the wall.

"Pat-pat, pat-pat, pat-pat"

Standing in the best viewing spot, Emeric clapped wildly, his excited little face flushed, giving it a powerful emotional impact.

"Children, you can begin your duels in pairs now. Thank you very much for Professor Snape's demonstration. I won't hold back next time."

Lockhart clutched his chest as he walked back to the center of the stage, resuming his flamboyant performance and adding insult to injury by accusing Severus of winning unfairly.

"Is it because you don't like winning? Otherwise, why did you lose twice in a row?"

Emeric couldn't stand any slander against Severus. The five-year-old not only spoke fluently but also had impeccable logic, and he immediately retorted.

"Hey, where did this rude brat come from? Get out of my classroom!"

The moment those words were spoken, the entire classroom erupted. Harry and Draco, their faces dark with anger, challenged Lockhart to a duel. No one could bully Ellie!

The Slytherin snakes were furious, especially the half-snakes, who wanted nothing more than to tear Lockhart apart. They hadn't been bullied since Emeric had reformed the house.

The Gryffindor lion cubs were also angry. Although Emeric had done a lot to restrict their adventures, he had also taught them a lot, mostly survival skills, which the elder Aurors in the family said were very useful.

The crowd below was about to explode, not to mention those on stage. Severus was even wondering what would happen if a heart-wrenching pain appeared now.

"Lockhart, what did you do? Ellie is alright, she's alright, I'm here, good girl, don't cry."

"Professor Sprout, he couldn't beat Professor Snape, and he spoke ill of the professor. I couldn't stand it and said a few words, and he called me a brat."

Sprout, who was passing by, heard a child crying and thought someone had been scolded by Severus and was about to come in to smooth things over. But when he opened the door, he found it was Emeric.

She immediately knew that Lockhart had bullied Emeric; no one in the classroom, except Lockhart, would bully little Ellie. The usually good-tempered witch couldn't stand it anymore, not only for Emeric, but also for the plants in her plantation. After Lockhart's last visit, nearly a fifth of her plants had died.

"Come on, let's go find Albus. How can you say such things to a five-year-old? Severus, is Mr. Green still there?"

"He's still in the principal's office."

"Lockhart, you need to explain to Ellie's parents why his eyes are swollen from crying. Severus, keep an eye on him. I'll go get Albus."

She took out a handkerchief and gently wiped away Emeric's tears, then immediately left. She was going to call Dumbledore and Gellert over, which would give her a good reason to get rid of Lockhart, that big cancer.

In a short while

The three emerged from a secret passage and walked up to Lockhart, whose face was ashen. Gellert's face was ashen, and he gripped his wand tightly. Dumbledore, standing beside him, looked serious.

"Professor Lockhart, I don't think a professor has the right to scold a student. You're fired."

"Why should I? I'm a professor personally invited by Dumbledore. What right do you, some nobody, have to fire me? And why don't you mention Snape scolding his students?"

"Gale, let me speak."

Dumbledore emerged from behind Gellert, bathed in the soft, dim light.

Lockhart apologizes for your mistake.

"Oh, okay, okay, I shouldn't have said that to a child, it's my fault."

Lockhart apologized dismissively; he had only said the wrong thing and felt that an apology was enough.

"Knock knock"

"Professors, may we come in? We have some things here that we need to give you."

"sure."

"Thank you very much, Professor Sprout."

"Here you go. We've gathered some evidence regarding Lockhart's improper use of spells."

"These are the victims' medical records. They all suffered from intense oblivion, and the perpetrator was the same person."

Lyra paused for a moment, then distributed the evidence to the professors, and Gallian took over.

"In addition, these are the victims' life stories. Their experiences before their deaths are exactly the same as those described in Lockhart's book. There are also timelines of Lockhart's travel experiences, with many overlapping points in time."

"No, no, no, these are all fake. You can't believe them. They're just jealous of me."

Dumbledore was very satisfied with their answer. Lockhart's teaching purpose was now complete, and he could be dismissed and sent to the Ministry of Magic.

Garian began distributing time chains and evidence to the young wizards. They had put a lot of effort into distributing these things, so it was important to spread them out, ideally so that the entire school would know that Lockhart was a criminal.

"I will take Pomona directly to the Ministry of Magic, and he will pay the price."