"Did you have a bug in your brain earlier?" Just as Draco was pretending to listen intently to Lockhart's speech, a somewhat ethereal voice reached his ears.
"Miss Luna, I think we should respect the hero who eliminated the Basilisk for us. He is currently giving a speech on stage, which is a basic courtesy." Draco turned around and found that the owner of the voice was the 'crazy girl' everyone talked about—Luna. Her voice was still ethereal, with a hint of uncertainty, but it was quite pleasant and could make people unconsciously lower their guard.
It seemed that no one around noticed that a Ravenclaw student had come to Slytherin's territory.
"Um..." Luna looked at Lockhart, who was speaking nonstop on the stage, then glanced at Draco a few times before saying with a pout, "I think he is the one with a bug in his brain."
Draco no longer knew what expression to wear when facing this girl with incredible intuition.
"Luna! How did you end up here?" A senior female student hurriedly approached them. She had long, curly brown hair and delicate features, but the most attractive aspect was her demeanour—intelligent and elegant. This was the Ravenclaw Prefect—Penelope Clearwater.
She pulled Luna aside, keeping her at a distance from Draco, then protected her behind her back and apologised softly, "I'm very sorry. Luna disturbed you. I will take her to where she should be. I hope you won't mind her mistake."
Then she quickly dragged the unwilling Luna away. Penelope felt she had a responsibility and duty to care for her junior student.
"He doesn't have a bug in his brain. He is a good person." Luna said angrily to herself. She felt that if she talked to Draco a bit more, she might be able to gain more useful information from her intuition.
Penelope could only shake her head with a pitiful look at Luna.
She couldn't understand why the Sorting Hat would place this girl in Ravenclaw. After all, Ravenclaw is a symbol of wisdom and intelligence, and this girl in front of her seemed to have no connection to it at all.
Even though she had become somewhat accustomed to Luna's eccentric behaviour, she still couldn't allow her junior student to stand so close to such a dangerous person, even if he was not that old.
"Not even as good as his two brothers." Penelope seemed to think of something, and a red blush spread from her ears to her face. A lady in love always unconsciously relates everything to her beloved.
"Why is your face red?" Luna asked.
"Is it?" Penelope quickly touched her face and then put her hand down. Then, with a serious expression, she said to Luna, "Don't change the subject. Stay away from that person in the future. Who knows what strange creature he will bring out next time? If you leave a deep impression on him, you might be the first to suffer next time."
"But if what you said is true, it's already too late."
"What do you mean?" Penelope had a bad feeling in her heart.
"At the beginning of this school year, I sat with him on the train. He even taught me many interesting games." Luna fiddled with her radish earring and said nonchalantly.
"What?"
Penelope felt she needed a new heart because the one currently running might explode at any moment because of the girl in front of her.
"Anyway, stay away from him in the future. Otherwise, even if I am the Ravenclaw Prefect, I will deduct points from my own house." Penelope tried to calm herself, but the previous revelation had briefly taken away her ability to think, prompting the following retort.
"The Prefect has no authority to deduct points." Luna stared at Penelope and said, always able to hit the mark.
Now it was the Prefect's turn to be speechless.
However, a round of applause ended the awkward atmosphere between the two.
Not far away, Lockhart's distinctive and charming voice could be heard: "I will always cherish my experience at Hogwarts. Being a teacher here will be one of the most memorable and valuable experiences of my life."
"Finally, it's over." Draco sighed in relief. Originally, he hated these long, boring, and pointless meetings the most. Moreover, he found Lockhart's speech completely uninspiring.
Of course, being uninterested and disdainful was probably just him. The other students listened attentively, their eyes fixed on the stage, afraid to miss any detail.
Just as Draco was about to stand up and pretend to applaud to 'welcome' this fake hero's departure, the few sentences that should have been the closing remarks began to expand again.
"I know everyone must want to know more details about my time teaching at Hogwarts and the more detailed process of my battle with the Basilisk. Since time is limited today, I have written down these experiences in my latest work! With that, he magically pulled out a brand-new book from his pocket. Draco, sitting in the audience, vaguely saw Lockhart on the cover, teaching on the stage and smiling perfectly at the camera. It seemed to have a special magical effect, making the cover shimmer and catch the eye.
Lockhart cleared his throat and continued, "The book is titled 'Lockhart: My Time Teaching at Hogwarts.' Actually, this book hasn't been published yet, but I know everyone is very eager for it. So, as the author, I used a small privilege to get a few sample copies to give away. Now, those who have the book can not only learn more details and secrets in advance but also get my personal autograph on the title page."
"I'm really starting to regret saving you, you useless Professor." Draco could only sit back down helplessly, silently enduring this seemingly endless sales pitch.
"First, Miss Granger should be the first reader of this book because, during the battle, she successfully drew the Basilisk's attention, giving me the chance to cast the spell successfully," Lockhart said to himself, then naturally pulled Hermione in front of him to receive everyone's gaze.
Hermione felt uncomfortable all over. Last time she received an award, she at least had peers with her. Now she was truly alone, and she felt a mess of emotions inside. The Headmaster's previous hints, her own feelings, and her inexplicable dislike for Lockhart all made her feel awkward on stage.
But she could only smile at everyone and Lockhart, showing her happy side.
Then she heard a faint cough on the stage.
She was sure that Lockhart must have heard it too because he suddenly shivered. Hermione stole a glance and saw that Lockhart was now looking at Professor Dumbledore.
Dumbledore still had a smiling expression, as if nothing had happened.
"There is an ancient saying, 'All good things must come to an end.'" Lockhart changed his tone and began to say his final goodbyes.
Gratitude mixed with a hint of awe—this should be Lockhart's current state of mind regarding Dumbledore.
A single cough was enough to make him understand.
Lockhart wouldn't believe that this old man, who always has a smiling face, is as simple as he appears, especially since Dumbledore holds all his secrets.
It's time to stop, Lockhart reflected. He realised he might have got a bit carried away.
"Those who didn't get my signed book don't need to be disappointed. You will soon see it prominently displayed at Flourish and Blotts. Now, I should hand the stage back to Professor Dumbledore so he can wrap up this term with a perfect ending."
"Ahem." Dumbledore cleared his throat and took over the speech.
Draco thought Dumbledore would say a few more polite words and be done.
It turned out he was naive. Professor Dumbledore had collected all those howler letters but hadn't destroyed them. He had been waiting for this very moment to use them all at once. Draco now understood why the Weasley Twins had given in earlier.
The Great Hall then erupted into a cacophony of animal howls, as if the creatures from a Muggle zoo had escaped.
Dumbledore explained, "I hope these howler letters will never be needed again. Today, consider this a farewell performance."
Draco could only roll his eyes at this 'childish' old man.
Soon, after enduring this torture on their ears, the ceremony finally ended. The students boarded the Hogwarts Express, returning home for a rewarding or exciting holiday.
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