Harry Potter and the Secret Treasures

Chapter 61: Lockhart’s Final Day

Fawkes kept circling the entrance of the chamber of secrets it was waiting for them.

Before they could leave Hermione and Lockhart stumbled in, Lockhart looked terrified, he was trembling, Hermione was pointing her wand at his back.

“Miss Granger, we may already be too late, we cannot save your friends, I am sorry, you know me and Mr. Mason….”

Before Lockhart’s words finished, they saw the huge basilisk’s body, Lockhart’s knees gave, he collapsed to the ground and with a panicked scream he shouted, “Snake, snake, big snake!”

“Oh, my God, are you alright?”

Hermione then saw Evan, Harry, and Ron, they were standing by the corpse of the basilisk, she ran up with flushed eyes and hugged everyone.

“We’re all right, but if you keep holding me so tightly, I won’t be sure!” Evan was weak, he felt that their hug felt longer than the other two people, “By the way, how did you get in here, with Lockhart?”

“That’s it….” said Hermione, she then lightly blushes as she ended their embrace.

Having heard her explanation, Evan now knew after they were taken away by the basilisk, Professor McGonagall and the other teachers hurried to the common room where the incident transpired, they intended to go to Dumbledore but the headmaster was entangled with the minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, and Lucius Malfoy.

When the chamber was opened fifty years ago the first victim was Moaning Myrtle, with that information she speculated the entrance was in the girl’s bathroom on the third floor, she then decided to ask professor Lockhart for help.

“But I didn’t expect him to come down with me to save you, he even tried to escape when he heard the basilisk was attacking the students.”

“So, I forced him to come with my wand, I couldn’t find anyone else to help, I didn’t want to delay it, I feared if I did you guy would…” said Hermione while looking down at Lockhart, who had collapsed on the floor.

Evan hurriedly held Hermione in his arms and patted her head, she looked frightened.

“But why was he trying to run away? I mean he is the defence against the dark arts teacher, he wrote so many amazing books,” said Harry in disbelief.

“This is how do you say… When I took this position, there were not any requirements…. I didn’t think…..” The four people turned and stared at him, Lockhart mumbled, “Books can be deceptive.”

“You lied?” Hermione looked up in astonishment, “Did you write those books?”

“My dear Miss Granger!” Lockhart moved to the side, “Think about it for a moment, if you don’t let people think it was all my doing, it would be bad for sales.”

“Readers won’t be willing to read the stories if they knew it was an ugly old American wizard who saved a village from the scourge of werewolves. Put my picture on the cover, it’s not hard to fool people. And the witch who banished the Banden banshee, she had a hairy chin. I mean, think about it…”

“So, you took credit for all the thing that other people have accomplished?” Said Hermione

“It is not as simple as it sounds!”

Lockhart shook his head impatiently and moved a few meters to the side, “I do a lot of work, I have to find these people and ask them how they accomplished these feats. And then I erase their memories with a charm so they forget it.”

“Memory Charm?” Evan was secretly wary; he had almost forgotten that this guy was a master of Memory Charms.

“Yes, if I have anything to be proud of it is memory charms. You know I have to work hard; I have to sign books and pictures. If you want to be famous, you must be prepared to work hard for a long time.”

It seemed Lockhart grabbed something from the floor, he then stood up panting, he had Ron’s wand in his hand, he showed a peculiar smile revealing his bright teeth.

“Well, children, it’s over!” said Lockhart, “I will bring the corpse of this serpent back to school and tell them you lost your minds in grief!”

“Professor, how can you do this!”

Harry, Ron, and Hermione where astonished, Evan was going to knock him down with a Stunning spell but when he noticed he had Ron’s broken wand in his hand, he gave up.

Evan could feel Hermione tremble in his arms, he patted her on her shoulders and motioned her to relax.

Lockhart isn’t anywhere near as talented as Tom, he won’t be able to cast a spell properly with a broken wand.

“I’m not stupid enough to let you expose me so say farewell to your memories, children!”

Lockhart lifted the broken wand high above his head and shouted, “Obliviate.”

Boom! The wand exploded; it was at least the strength of a small bomb.

Lockhart was struck by his own magic and went flying, he landed on the floor of the Chamber of Secrets.

Seeing the effect, Evan knew it was very powerful.

“God is he all right?”

“He was struck by his own memory charm; he shouldn’t remember who he is anymore. It may not be a bad thing for him, or Professor Lockhart will go crazy when we expose him,” whispered Evan.

“Professor?! Who are you talking about?” Lockhart looked up at them kindly, “This place is so strange, do you live here?”

“No!” Harry shook his head.

“Well, let us get out of here, we have been here all night, and we all need a good rest. Besides Professor Dumbledore is still waiting for us, don’t let him worry too much.”

He had a headache when he thought of Dumbledore’s questioning.

Who knows what the greatest wizard of the modern age will think, though he doesn’t mind helping Harry with Voldemort, it isn’t good to be manipulated by others.

After they defeated the basilisk and Tom, there was little to do.

First, he must be careful of Dumbledore, he doesn’t want to be controlled like Harry but this doesn’t concern him too much.

Second, the four founders left some secret treasures.

‘I don’t know what they are but from what the four founders said, it must be something that can greatly help against their fight with Voldemort and save Hogwarts. But the question is where are the four keys hidden?’ thought Evan.

Now that Lockhart has lost his memory, he will be exposed, he will be ruined.

This isn’t good news for the Hogwarts’ Magic newspaper, Evan now had to find something new to lure people in.

Evan saw Ron standing there with a perplexed face, Harry stood beside him. Hermione was wondering what to say she wanted to ask them about Tom. But Evan hurriedly stopped Hermione, “Leave Ron alone for a while, it can wait until tomorrow.”

Evan believed that after this, Ron and Hermione will learn to take what is written in books with a grain of salt.