Leaving the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, Lynn held his books and walked quickly toward the Hufflepuff Common Room.
Right now, he just wanted to go back and lie down, or study some interesting magic to wash away the mental pollution from Lockhart.
However, just as he rounded a corner, he bumped head-on into a figure.
Greasy black hair, a hooked nose—it was Snape.
Lynn's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly stepped aside to clear the path, nodding politely.
"Hello, Professor."
The two of them brushed past each other.
Lynn breathed a private sigh of relief and was about to quicken his pace—
"Lynn, stop."
Snape's voice rang out behind him, carrying an unquestionable tone of command.
Lynn's footsteps instantly froze in place.
"What is it, Professor?"
Lynn screamed inwardly: Oh no! I didn't get away with it!
Snape slowly turned around.
"If my memory hasn't suffered a ~rare~ lapse, shouldn't you have a Defense Against the Dark Arts class at this time?"
As expected, it was about this.
Lynn knew there was no point in denying it, so he admitted it quite frankly.
"Yes, Professor."
He was even prepared to have ten or twenty points deducted. Anyway, Hufflepuff's points were all the same—the little badgers didn't really care.
"Ha~" Snape let out a short, fake laugh.
"Our great... Hufflepuff... Order of Merlin, Third Class recipient... is actually—skipping class?"
He deliberately elongated every title and word, filling them with sarcasm.
"Truly 'impressive'... blah blah... [a series of extremely sharp sarcasms omitted here]... A student who does not study. Hufflepuff, ten points deducted!"
Lynn had practically become immune to Snape's sarcasm and point deductions.
But he had to refute the implication in Snape's words that he "didn't love learning"! This concerned his dignity as a (self-proclaimed) top student!
"Professor! I admit to skipping class, and I accept the point deduction!" Lynn looked up, his tone becoming serious.
"However, I cannot agree with Professor Lockhart's teaching methods! I believe it is a complete waste of precious study time!"
Lynn succinctly described how Lockhart decorated the classroom with narcissistic portraits, how he made students take quizzes about his personal preferences, how he didn't teach but only had students read the textbook aloud, and how he publicly critiqued those ridiculous answers in class.
Throughout the entire narration, Snape surprisingly and rarely did not interrupt him, simply listening with a blank expression.
"In comparison, I feel... it would be more appropriate for you to serve as the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor."
By the time Lynn finished, he noticed that the corner of Snape's mouth seemed to... very slightly... twitch upward.
Although the curve was so small it was almost negligible and instantly returned to its original state, Lynn was certain he had caught that fleeting trace.
In a moment of madness, Lynn asked, "Professor... did you... just smile?"
The words had just left his mouth.
"Privately criticizing a Professor and making wild conjectures—Hufflepuff, another five points deducted!"
Lynn: "..."
He just had to open his big mouth!
"Now, immediately, vanish from my sight."
Snape flicked his robes and turned to leave.
Seeing the corner of Snape's black robes disappear at the end of the corridor, Lynn let out a long breath. He'd lost another five points; while it didn't really hurt, it was still annoying.
He decided to turn his grief and indignation into... fishing.
Returning to the dormitory, he briskly set down his books, grabbed his precious fishing rod and bucket, and left the Castle again, heading straight for the Black Lake.
According to today's almanac, it was a good day for fishing.
He found a rock by the lakeside that he considered a prime spot and sat down. Baiting, casting, and waiting—the movements were done in one smooth motion, full of ritual.
The warm sunlight spilled over him, a gentle breeze brushed across the lake's surface, and occasionally a Merperson would leap out of the water in the distance, leaving a silver-bright arc—everything was so beautiful, except for the motionless float.
As time passed minute by minute, Lynn changed several types of bait and even secretly tried to use magic to cast a weak Enticement Charm on the bait.
The result only attracted a few curious water monsters that almost dragged his fishing rod away.
Finally, as the setting sun dyed the lake surface a golden red, he once again carried that bucket—which was just as clean as when he arrived—and returned dejectedly to the Hufflepuff Common Room.
Pushing open the dormitory door, William was sitting at the desk previewing Charms Class material, Edgar was sprawled out on the bed staring blankly at the ceiling, and Ollie was leaning quietly by the window, watching the sky gradually darken outside.
"Yo~ You're back?"
Hearing the movement, Edgar did a kip-up and sat up.
"You weren't there later, so you really 'missed out' on a lot of 'exciting content'!"
Lynn placed the empty bucket and fishing rod in the corner with a crisp "clatter" and threw himself unceremoniously into a soft armchair.
"Don't mention my tragic fishing experience... Tell me, after I left, what 'great' learning activities did our charming Professor Lockhart lead you through?"
"Don't even talk about it!" Edgar waved his arms.
"It was just the same old thing! He made us continue reading aloud those 'thrilling' stories from his book, Travels with Trolls.
Reading it wasn't enough; he insisted on making us stand up one by one and say, 'What did you learn from this great adventure? What kind of courage and wisdom did you sense from Mr. Lockhart?'"
William's tone was full of disdain.
"In your words, it was simply... 'reading comprehension'.
And the most boring, far-fetched kind at that.
I bet that even he didn't think of those 'deep meanings' and 'noble qualities' we analyzed when he was actually writing it!"
Even the usually silent Ollie couldn't help but turn his head. He spat out three words succinctly:
"Had enough of it!"
Lynn listened to his roommates' complaints and imagined the scene.
He felt that slipping away early had been an extremely wise choice.
Another week passed, and the calendar ruthlessly flipped to another day for Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
The sun was bright, and a gentle breeze blew across the Black Lake, creating shimmering ripples—everything seemed to be calling out to a devout fisherman.
Lynn held his fishing rod and empty bucket. After struggling internally for less than a second, he decisively chose to skip class.
"It's just a point deduction! Mental pollution is much scarier than losing points."
Lynn moved like the wind, slipping toward his "old spot" by the Black Lake with practiced ease.
He had just settled down on his favorite large rock by the lake when he got a creepy feeling.
Before he could even cast his rod, a majestic voice rang out behind him.
"Mr. Lynn."
Lynn's body stiffened. He slowly turned his head and saw Professor McGonagall.
Oh no!
"If I remember correctly, you should be in Professor Lockhart's classroom at this time."
Lynn opened his mouth, wanting to find an excuse like "observing the Black Lake's ecosystem for alchemy research," but under Professor McGonagall's gaze, all excuses seemed pale and weak.
He sullenly packed up his fishing rod, picked up the empty bucket, and followed dejectedly behind Professor McGonagall, being "escorted" back to the Castle, drawing many curious looks along the way.
Out of necessity, Lynn once again stepped into that Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom filled with narcissistic portraits.
He picked the most secluded corner, trying to lower his presence, and prepared to simply sleep through this difficult lesson.
Ding ling ling—
The class bell rang right on time.
The classroom door was pushed open again, and Gilderoy Lockhart walked in, looking as flamboyant as ever.
But unlike last week, he had something extra in his hand—a large cage tightly covered with a dark velvet cloth, which he carried carefully.
---
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