Chapter 466 - 17: Fired

Chapter 466: Chapter 17: Fired

"Your salary will be paid in full. I regret to inform you, Gilderoy, that you are dismissed." Dumbledore delivered the words calmly, though his gaze seemed to sharpen slightly.

"What? You believed that girl’s story, didn’t you?" Lockhart said with forced ease. "Albus, you must not have seen how cleverly I handled things after the Basilisk appeared."

"I would be quite willing to hear your explanation. How exactly did you handle the Basilisk so cleverly, Gilderoy?" Dumbledore actually asked him.

"..."

As if Lockhart would know how to handle a Basilisk cleverly. He did not even know that a rooster’s crow could kill one. That was not entirely his fault, though. Records concerning Basilisks were vanishingly rare, and Care of Magical Creatures certainly did not teach anything like this.

"Incidentally, Hogwarts will be pressing charges against you." Those words came from Snape. He aimed his hooked nose at Lockhart. "I believe I should remind you, Gilderoy, that harming students is a line Hogwarts will not tolerate being crossed."

"You can’t do that, Severus." Only then did Lockhart’s expression change dramatically.

But he recovered very quickly. "Those children were simply terrified by the Basilisk. I understand how they feel, but surely you cannot treat everything they say as fact just because of that?"

Lockhart thought that once he left, he would publicly claim that he had resigned in protest after discovering the dangerous secret of the Chamber of Secrets. Hogwarts, in retaliation, would then be portrayed as having announced his dismissal and smeared his reputation.

"This prosecution is being backed by Mr. Lucius Malfoy. I hear he recently donated a very large sum of money to the Ministry of Magic," Snape said. "The harm you caused Draco Malfoy was witnessed by the entire school."

"That was only—"

"Only an accident?" Snape sneered. "If a spell Professor Lockhart has ’used countless times’ merely happened to go wrong, then indeed, perhaps no crime was committed. In that case, you had better start gathering evidence immediately. The students should still remember quite a few of your other ’accidents.’ They can all help prove that accidents are perfectly normal whenever you are involved."

Lockhart’s breathing finally grew heavier.

If Lucius pursued the charge relentlessly, Lockhart would probably be sent to Azkaban. But if he really defended himself by calling everything an ’accident,’ as Snape suggested, then everyone would likely realize that he was nothing more than an incompetent fraud.

"..."

Lockhart went back to pack his luggage. Quite a few girls in the school came to see him off.

Looking haggard and distracted, he signed a few textbooks for the rare students who still asked. He did not even care that his cursive failed to join properly. In the past, he would absolutely have drawn an extra heart with a witty flourish and called it a collector’s edition.

Hermione did not appear. This girl who had once been his most conspicuous die-hard fan had, the last time they met, pointed a finger at his nose and threatened to expose him as a fraud.

Perhaps he would never matter that much to her again.

Maybe he should find Lucius and use his superb Memory Charm to make the man withdraw the charges. But what then? How many people would he have to use the spell on? Draco, Snape, even Dumbledore?

All the way until he left, Lockhart remained sorrowfully absorbed in one question—why was everyone so mean to him?

"Not even half a year," Snape said to Dumbledore. Dumbledore had not stopped him from frightening Lockhart just now either.

Dumbledore looked rather helpless. "Perhaps I should simply cancel Defence Against the Dark Arts."

"Albus." McGonagall walked in.

She had Yimi tucked against her waist as though carrying a basket. Even if Yimi only looked like a little girl of around seven, the sight still demonstrated just how good the elderly professor’s physical condition was.

All the way there, Yimi’s little cheeks had been puffed out as she chewed on something, looking entirely carefree.

McGonagall set her down and said to Dumbledore, "I asked her. That spell came from You-Know-Who’s memories, but I cannot understand where that extraordinary strength came from. Perhaps it has something to do with her being a half-breed."

"She protected her friends from a venomous snake, didn’t she?" Dumbledore waved a hand.

They had questioned the three students first. That was unquestionably better than asking Yimi directly and receiving a long string of vague answers.

Although they could not understand the reason, Yimi had already beaten the Basilisk senseless before using the Killing Curse. Perhaps she had feared it would hurt the other three, or perhaps she had feared looking into its eyes or being bitten by its deadly fangs, and had therefore used the curse.

Neither of them had any intention of excluding Snape from the conversation. Only students tended to assume Snape was always up to no good.

Dumbledore’s expression grew more serious as he asked Yimi, "Tell me, child. What were you thinking when you used that spell?"

Yimi looked up and thought for a moment before answering, "That spell, is very useful. It doesn’t leave wounds, and it can kill the big snake, without ruining the meat."

"..."

Dumbledore had expected an answer about protecting her friends or something of that sort. This was the first time he had ever heard someone explain their reason for using the Killing Curse like that, and for a moment he was actually speechless.

It was, in its own way, certainly an intent to kill. A seven-year-old child had casually fired off a Killing Curse and killed a Basilisk because of it? Should they arrange the Christmas turkey the same way too?

"Do you know that this is an Unforgivable Curse?" McGonagall crouched down so she could look Yimi sternly in the eyes from a lower angle.

Avada Kedavra required powerful magic as a foundation, along with intense killing intent—or, more precisely, a clear desire to kill the target. If either was missing, the spell might do nothing more than give someone a nosebleed.

Its purpose was pure killing, and there was no counter-curse. If it struck, it could take a life instantly. And now this spell was in the hands of a seven-year-old child.

That was why McGonagall was so serious. The question of why Yimi’s strength fluctuated so wildly had even been pushed aside for the moment, although the peaks of that strength were absurd enough to rival a giant’s. If her strength when dragging the huge snake had been real, getting pummeled by her with all her might would probably be far more painful than simply being sent off by the Killing Curse.

"Unforgivable?" Yimi did not understand McGonagall’s wording. Her head contained only spells and their effects; many of the rules and implications surrounding them had never been explained.

For example, she knew plenty about Potions, but not very much about magical creatures.

McGonagall crouched there, gripping Yimi’s little hand. "That evil curse. You are not allowed to use it again, understand? At the very least, never even think about using it on a person. I do not want to read the news one day that you’ve been locked up in Azkaban. I ought to confiscate your wand and return it when you turn eleven."

"I won’t use it on people." Yimi hurriedly hid her wand behind her back.

Anyway, she had plenty of other ways to beat people up. It was obviously such a useful spell.

"Do you know Azkaban? It’s the most terrifying prison. The criminals locked inside are tormented by Dementors every day. They’ll suck away all your happiness..." McGonagall frightened Yimi on purpose, determined to root the idea that she must not use the Killing Curse firmly in her mind.

This was all because of that hateful Voldemort.

"Then." Only after Dumbledore was free did Snape finally get a chance to speak.

He gave the tiny girl who had used the Killing Curse a long look, then turned back to Dumbledore and resumed their earlier topic. "What do you intend to do? Use the Christmas holiday to hire another Defence Against the Dark Arts professor?"

A Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher?

Yimi’s ears twitched, and she immediately tuned out McGonagall’s ongoing lecture.

"If anyone still dares apply," Dumbledore replied helplessly. Ever since Voldemort cursed the post, nobody had managed to keep it for a full year.

Dumbledore saw Yimi take tiny step after tiny step toward him, grab the edge of his desk, and raise her little face to stare at him.

"Has Gilderoy already been dismissed?" McGonagall had stopped paying attention to the man altogether.

"Why not consider my proposal? Hire a new Potions professor." Snape made his meaning perfectly clear. He wanted Defence Against the Dark Arts.

"I think..." Dumbledore saw Yimi jump once, but ignored her. "I would still like you to work here for a few more years, Severus. Perhaps I should make it clear in the job advertisement that the position lasts only one year. At least then the professor can leave once the year is over and remain safe."

By the time Dumbledore finished speaking, Yimi had already climbed onto the desk. She stood there with both hands on her hips, staring at him.

She was only one step away from saying outright that she wanted the job.