## Chapter 227: Sirius's Revenge
"What about our Defense Against the Dark Arts class, then?" Hermione asked, a hint of worry in her voice.
"I imagine Dumbledore will find you a substitute teacher — don't worry, it's happened before."
Professor Flitwick reassured them, "You just need to be patient for a few days, and a truly excellent wizard will come to teach you Defense Against the Dark Arts."
Only then did the students relax.
But Flitwick knew it wouldn't be that simple.
Over the years, Hogwarts had gone through more Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers than all the other subjects combined.
Excellent… well, at least morally trustworthy and currently unemployed wizards were already few and far between, and the rumors of a curse made most people wary.
Only Snape had always hoped to teach the subject, but Dumbledore had never accepted his application.
...
The media reporters were more efficient than Professor Flitwick expected. The very next morning, they saw Lockhart's photo in the newspaper.
The blonde wizard was bound at the hands, being escorted into the Ministry of Magic. Scrimgeour fiercely pushed away the camera taking the photo—this scene was replayed repeatedly in the newspaper.
"I told my dad!"
A Slytherin student proudly told those around him, "When I saw Lockhart being led away by the Aurors, I knew it had to be big news, so I immediately messaged my dad! He took this picture!"
"Alright, very clever," one of their prefects said, eyes lowered, "But why would you say that out loud?"
He gestured to the side, where many girls with red, tear-filled eyes were glaring fiercely at the boy.
"Oh no, he's in for it," Michael said, gloating.
Wade turned to Harry, "If they knew you were the one who started it all..."
Harry quickly shushed him, his face drawn. "Please, don't even mention it."
Last night, they were chatting in the Book of Friends, and Sirius triumphantly told them that he and Lupin were the ones who reported Lockhart.
Sirius: That's a payback for that guy! Make him learn to respect other people's arms in the future!
The words he wrote on the paper were heavily pressed, as if he was still angry even after so much time had passed.
Remus: Michael told us Lockhart often gave you a hard time. Sirius was really furious.
Lupin's words carried a faint reproach: Harry, why didn't you tell us?
Harry: I didn't feel like he was giving me a hard time... Professor Lockhart just liked to have me perform, and he'd drag me into photos. He always seemed to think I liked being in the spotlight as much as he did.
Remus: But did you want to perform? Did you want to take photos with him?
Harry quickly replied: Of course not!
After a long while, Lupin's reply appeared, word by word.
Sirius: You silly boy, that is giving you a hard time.
Remus: Harry, even if it's a professor, you can refuse him. That's your right.
Their messages appeared almost simultaneously. Through the parchment, Wade could almost see their helpless yet heartbroken expressions.
Harry was silent for quite a while, perhaps reflecting on his dormitory bed.
Wade interjected:
Wade: Someone saw a few people who looked like Dark Wizards in Hogsmeade last weekend. Was that you guys and those Aurors?
Sirius: Haha, that was us.
Sirius: Scrimgeour was originally planning to lure Lockhart out and arrest him then. But I heard he was ordering Valentine's Day flowers, so I convinced Scrimgeour to wait until Valentine's Day to make the move.
Sirius: A dramatic twist in front of everyone, isn't that his favorite kind of development in his novels?
Wade suddenly felt that Sirius and Michael would definitely get along well; their revenge was both prolonged and ruthless.
In a way, they also had some Slytherin traits.
...
Three days after Lockhart's arrest, it was rumored that the Ministry of Magic's Auror office was flooded with letters, and Scrimgeour himself received a pile of Howlers.
All the witches in Britain seemed to be fans of that fraudulent author. They wrote countless letters to prove Lockhart was innocent and angrily denounced Scrimgeour for treating him so roughly without authority.
The public's strong reaction prompted the Ministry of Magic to expedite Lockhart's case and publish the evidence they had gathered extensively in the newspapers.
Most ordinary people had an innate trust in the government, and the wave of opposition quickly subsided. Aside from a few die-hard fans who continued to advocate for Lockhart, most of his fans turned to accusing Lockhart of using despicable means to deceive everyone's emotions.
And after Hogwarts' Defense Against the Dark Arts course lost its professor, it could only be temporarily taught by other professors who had no classes, rotating among the different years. But when they opened the textbooks, they all fell silent.
All seven years' books were Lockhart's novels and autobiographies, with less than one-thousandth of useful content.
"Alright... alright..."
Professor Flitwick was substituting for Wade and his classmates. He took a deep breath and said,
"Close your books, children. Our Defense Against the Dark Arts class doesn't need these. You should learn how to protect yourselves with magic and how to avoid harm from dangerous creatures."
The students, already tired of the theatrical performances, happily shoved their books into their desks and then looked at Professor Flitwick expectantly.
"Let me think..."
Professor Flitwick stroked his white beard, furrowing his brow in thought for a long moment before saying, "According to our syllabus, you should now be learning how to drive away Dwarf Pig Monsters... Does anyone know the characteristics of this creature?"
Several hands shot up.
"Miss Greengrass." Professor Flitwick randomly called on someone.
Daphne Greengrass stood up and said, "Dwarf Pig Monsters look like small pigs. They sneak into pigpens, pretending to be ordinary piglets, and bring disease to farms."
Terry from Ravenclaw added, "Dwarf Pig Monsters are fast-moving and difficult to catch."
"Very good, one point for Slytherin and one point for Ravenclaw." Professor Flitwick nodded with satisfaction and asked, "So, does anyone know how to deal with them?"
The students fell silent for a moment.
A few seconds later, Malfoy's voice rang out, "Pure white dogs can drive them away—the Ministry of Magic's Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures even keeps a dozen albino hounds for this purpose."
He slowly surveyed the room and said, "My father even provided a sum of money last year to feed those picky eaters."
"Excellent, Dwarf Pig Monsters fear white dogs. Another point for Slytherin."
Professor Flitwick ignored Malfoy's last comment, looking at the students and saying, "There's a simple Spell that can help us detect Dwarf Pig Monsters in time, to prevent them from causing greater damage..."
-----------
Machine Translation by: https:// randomtranslator.com/
Read ***+ original & fanfic translations in English, Español, Português, Deutsch, Français, or Русский
Or Translate for free at : https:// randomtranslator.com/translate
Join our Discord: https:// discord.com/invite/XXUR9nkjwa
-----------