Hogwarts: I Am Such a Model Wizard

Chapter 277: Copying Homework is Wrong

Cedricʼs experience had left Kyle and Kanna a bit wary about the upcoming Defense Against the Dark Arts class. But there was no avoiding it; it was a required course, so they had to go.

In the afternoon, the two arrived at the classroom assigned by Lockhart. The walls were plastered with oversized photos of him, displaying his various awards and accomplishments. In each picture, Lockhartʼs sparkling white teeth gleamed like spotlights, giving the room the look of a press conference rather than a classroom.

Though Kyle and Kanna had arrived on time, the room was already packed, with only a few empty seats remaining in the last row. They made their way over, sat down, and the bell rang, marking the start of class.

Lockhart cleared his throat loudly, commanding everyone’s attention. He picked up a Gryffindor studentʼs copy of Voyages with Vampires, holding it high so everyone could see his own face on the cover, eyes wide open in a dramatic pose.

”I...” he said, pointing first to the image on the cover and then to himself. ”Gilderoy Lockhart, recipient of the Order of Merlin, honorary member of the Dark Force Defence League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly’s Most Charming Smile Award… but I donʼt go around bragging about that. I don’t rely on my smile to keep vampires at bay.”

With a grin, he held the book aloft once more, winking in sync with the image on the cover.

Kanna frowned, whispering, ”He really received the Order of Merlin, like you? Why do I feel like he’s... a bit unreliable? And what exactly is the Dark Force Defence League?”

”A once-famous organization,” Kyle murmured in response. ”The legendary Auror Alastor Moody and Barty Crouch, the current head of the Department for International Magical Cooperation, were once members. But...” He lowered his voice and continued, ”Over ten years ago, after Harry Potter became the Boy Who Lived, the organization began to fade.”

”Their focus shifted from combating dark magic to more of a social club, and a few years back, they even let in a suspected Death Eater—because he made a large donation.”

“After that, prominent members like Moody and Crouch all resigned, and the League’s reputation plummeted. Now it doesn’t even compare to the Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers, which used to be on par with it.”

”I know that group!” Kanna’s eyes sparkled with excitement. ”Professor Snape is a member of the Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers, and he wants me to join, too.”

”That’s not an easy feat,” Kyle replied with a smile. ”The Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers has tough entry requirements. Only those who can brew Felix Felicis before the age of thirty can qualify.”

”I know, but I’m still young. We still have plenty of time, don’t we?”

Kyle raised an eyebrow. ”We? Are you saying I’m included in this plan?”

”Don’t you want to join?”

“You could give it a try. It’s just Felix Felicis…” Kyle replied with a grin. “And maybe I’ll join before you do.”

“That’s not certain... I won’t lose to you in potions.” Kanna scrunched up her nose and playfully shot Kyle a mock glare.

...

While Kyle and Kanna were talking, Lockhart finally wrapped up his lengthy introduction and began handing out test papers. Kyle and Kanna each received a copy.

”Don’t be intimidated,” Lockhart reassured them as he returned to the podium. ”This is just a simple quiz to see how much youʼve read and understood.”

”You have thirty minutes. Begin!”

Kyle looked down at the test paper and felt an immediate headache.

What is Gilderoy Lockhartʼs favorite color?

What is Gilderoy Lockhartʼs secret ambition?

What is Gilderoy Lockhart’s birthday, and what would he like for his birthday?

There were over 50 questions, all centered on Lockhart himself. For the first time, Kyle was utterly speechless. He’d skimmed through a few of Lockhart’s books, but he’d focused on the stories rather than Lockhart’s personal details, and much of it had barely registered with him.

He vaguely remembered that Lockhart liked lilac and that he had some ambition involving a self-branded product... was it toothpaste? Or hair care potions?

Twenty minutes later, Kyle still had vast empty spaces on his paper. He glanced over at Kanna... Her paper looked just as empty as his, maybe even more so. Although he was fairly certain that Lockhart wouldn’t refuse a big pile of gold for his birthday, writing that down so plainly didn’t seem quite right.

Kyle scratched his head. If he’d known it would be like this, he might not have shown off so much to Lockhart yesterday by the Whomping Willow. Turning in a blank quiz now would be embarrassing. No choice, he thought, he’d have to copy answers if he wanted to keep up appearances.

Kyle looked around and soon zeroed in on a Gryffindor witch who had finished all the questions within the first ten minutes and was now gazing at Lockhart with pure adoration. She was clearly a devoted fan.

”Perfect,” he thought.

Kyle took out his wand and discreetly aimed it at one of the large photos on the wall. In the next second, the massive picture frame crashed to the floor with a resounding bang. Then a second and a third frame followed suit, falling one by one.

The Lockharts in the portraits shrieked in panic, the clamor drawing everyone’s attention. Taking advantage of the moment, Kyle quickly cast a Disillusionment Charm, slipping over to the Gryffindor witch’s desk. While the portraits continued wailing, he whispered a spell and created an exact copy of her test answers.

By the time Lockhart managed to calm the portraits, Kyle was already back in his seat, holding the copied answers as though nothing had happened.

”Looks like I need more practice with Nonverbal Spells,” Kyle muttered to himself. ”Almost got caught casting that one.”

Kanna looked at him, both amused and exasperated. ”All this trouble just to copy a quiz?”

”That’s only part of it,” Kyle replied with a grin. ”Nonverbal Spells are useful for all sorts of things.”

From the lectern, Lockhart, a bit flustered, straightened his slightly mussed blonde hair and smiled. ”There we go, all sorted! It seems the portraits, like me, got a bit overexcited. Continue writing; the thirty minutes are almost up.”

Kyle quickly transferred the answers to his own paper, checking them against the copied parchment. So Lockhart was selling hair care potions after all… he could have sworn it would be toothpaste. Lockhart was definitely in the wrong business, he thought. With his dazzling smile, he’d be a perfect toothpaste spokesman.

As Kyle scribbled furiously, Kanna watched him disapprovingly. ”Copying a test is wrong. We should be doing this ourselves!”

”Oh…” Kyle paused thoughtfully, then set the copied parchment between them. “Then let’s read it together?”

Kanna brightened. “Yes!”