great-warnovel Chapter 187 News of Parting
Chapter 187 News of Parting
Chapter 187 News of Parting
Time flew by and exam week arrived; this school year was finally coming to an end.
Lockhart was finally released from the school hospital by Madam Pomfrey. He had fully recovered, but his left hand was still not very strong. Flitwick had already finished teaching him the classes, leaving only the final exam for him.
Even though he had been hiding in the school hospital for so long, the students who went to visit him still noticed that something was wrong with the professor.
His once-signature confident and sunny smile is gone, replaced by a reserved smile, and sometimes he even avoids eye contact with his students when he speaks.
He was always staring out the window, lost in thought. His students assumed it was because the battle with the basilisk had been too intense and had left him badly injured.
Neither Hermione nor Dumbledore mentioned his multiple personalities to the outside world.
Fortunately, he no longer needs to teach students, otherwise the obvious change in style would probably have been noticed as abnormal very quickly. Now he only needs to prepare a qualified test, which is not a problem for the two personalities who share the same memories.
He drew inspiration from Hermione's methods of training Harry and the others, and also borrowed the right to use the Pensieve from Dumbledore.
Just as Hermione built the Borderlands, she also built a dreamlike exam space.
In addition to the written test, there is also a huge challenge of intelligence and courage, with difficulty ranging from low to high, listing all the knowledge points taught this year.
He divided the levels into passing and failing grades for grades 1-7 according to their difficulty. Students had to complete the level corresponding to their grade to pass.
Of course, you can continue to push forward; challenging those above your level will earn you bonus points, the specific amount of which will be determined by the professor.
Students can enter individually or in teams, but team scores are based on each individual's performance; don't try to coast to the finish line by relying on others.
Fortunately, the exam times for each grade were staggered, which prevented Lockhart from being overwhelmed with work.
In the second-year exams, Harry and his friends were not opposed to forming a four-person team with Draco (Hermione decided to take the challenge solo), but Draco declined, considering the opinions of the other Slytherins. His relationship with the other Slytherins had only just returned to normal, so he also chose to take the exam solo.
Hermione, with unstoppable momentum, cut through everything in her path, reaching the end of a checkpoint that even 7th graders hadn't finished. Facing the Muggle lines amidst a hail of bullets, she withstood layers upon layers of armored curses, tearing through the battlefield like a female war goddess. A terrifying shower of shimmering meteors turned tanks into fireworks, and her unreasonable gravity magic made her as fast as lightning, blowing away any obstacles in her path.
Even when facing enemy ambushes or concentrated fire, she could charge in and out seven times without flinching. The cumbersome artillery couldn't hit her, and even the planes in the sky were brought down and turned into scrap metal. After completing Animagus...
Even disregarding her progress in Transfiguration, her strength has made a leap forward. The Moon Form greatly enhanced her understanding of magic, and her magical power has increased several times over.
Lockhart smiled wryly at this. He had originally designed this most difficult level to allow students to sneak in and search for secrets to rescue hostages, but Hermione had turned it into an epic battle.
Harry's trio easily surpassed the passing grade for second year and even made it all the way to the fifth year. However, due to the gap in magic and physical strength, they were outmaneuvered and were picked off one by one by the vampires hidden in the Dark Castle, resulting in their unfortunate exit. Nevertheless, this achievement was enough to earn them a rating of 0.
Even George and Fred exclaimed that they had almost been outdone by their good younger brother. The two worked together well and made great progress, but they only managed to get through the fifth grade and failed at the door of the sixth grade.
Draco persevered alone. Although Lockhart would adjust the difficulty based on the number of people, having an extra pair of hands was often a huge help. Draco used all his strength and relied on the powerful Cruciatus Curse to only reach the fourth-year level. It was only because the Unforgivable Curse was not mentioned much these days that Draco was able to use this move without any punishment.
Undeniably, Hermione and her accomplices all finished this year's Defense Fist class with a perfect score of 0.
Their combat skills far surpass those of their peers.
Incidentally, after this period of adjustment, the Borderlands quartet finally managed to defeat Grick, who had been given a limb. With Harry, Ron, and Draco working together and using the Ironclad Charm, they managed to stop the surging dragon breath, creating an excellent opportunity for Neville to use his Kalia Swiftblade to pierce the dragon head on Grick's hand.
Then Draco cast the Crucifixion Charm, Ron charged forward with his shield, and with a stroke of genius, deflected Gary's battle axe, allowing Harry to finish the fight with a single chain.
As their second year was drawing to a close, they finally defeated their formidable foe and completely wiped out the city of Stoneville.
Of course, these demigods are not their true strength; otherwise, with the Great Rune, even Dumbledore would have to put up a fight.
However, this was followed by the news that Lockhart would no longer serve as Head of Slytherin and Professor of Defense.
He specifically sought out Hermione to express his apologies and gratitude.
"I've thought a lot during this time. Maybe the perfect me can do the job of teaching and nurturing people with ease, but the real me is not used to being watched," he said sincerely.
"Being with children doesn't make me happy; I'm more drawn to my past life in the wilderness."
Hermione remained silent. That was just how someone was; she had no reason to stop them from seeking a more comfortable way of life.
Although Lockhart's classes were interesting and the field trips were loved by all the students, that wasn't the real him. Throughout the year, the defense class was like a meticulously constructed stage play that satisfied everyone, except for the actor himself, who didn't actually like being the old general.
"I never imagined that this trial would help you rediscover yourself, but also cause Hogwarts to lose an excellent professor," Hermes lamented, at the cruel twist of fate.
Originally intended as a training exercise for the professor and students in preparation for their future return to the Scottish Highlands, everything went smoothly, but the professor ran away, which was quite a blunder.
Lockhart scratched his head. "I'm not deserting my post. I'll definitely come back to help! I mean what I say!"
"Where are you planning to go next?" Hermione asked.
"Let's go back to Malfoy Castle first," Lockhart said, gazing up at the sky.
"I need to bury my sisters."
"And it's been so many years since I've seen my mother. Maybe we should have a proper fireside chat." Hermione agreed. Lockhart's biggest takeaway from his battle with the Basilisk was being able to confront himself, his past memories, and his mother. Perhaps the conversation afterward would make it easier for him to move on and even reconcile with his mother.
"And then what? Continue being a wandering wizard in the wasteland?"
Lockhart thought for a moment: "I heard that the group of people who wanted to go to Greenland last year haven't set off yet because they can't find escorts."
"I plan to accompany them across the sea to see that so-called 'ideal land.' If it's just another black wizard causing trouble, then we'll destroy that cult!"
Hermione nodded knowingly: "But don't forget to update your book, I'm still waiting for the new textbook."
Lockhart laughed: "On this point, perhaps I can do better than that fake personality. Maybe in a few years, you'll see this Hogwarts story again, and you'll be one of the main characters."
The introverted Lockhart preferred to do solitary work, such as writing books.
Hermione waved her hand dismissively. As for Lockhart, she felt the same way the Finger Witches once did for King Vic – it was the admiration of a newcomer for a predecessor. But now, Lockhart's brilliance had faded, and she regarded this professor, who had been dormant in her heart for ten years, more as a friend, a boy who had just grown up.
"Oh, by the way, this is for you." Lockhart took his sword from his waist and handed it to Hermione.
"Thank you for waking me from my escape and my dreams," he said earnestly.
"This sword isn't valuable, but I've left some sword-fighting techniques inside. Once you hold it, you'll be able to use quite a few sword techniques smoothly."
He was a little embarrassed: "It may not be of much use to you, but consider it a token of my appreciation."
Hermione carefully accepted the longsword. Lockhart's various ingenious ideas about the Memory Charm opened her mind. This method of injecting memories into a sword to help others use sword skills was exactly the same as the War Ashes of the Borderlands.
Perhaps she could also infuse her memories of magic into weapons, allowing others to easily unleash powerful magic?
But that's all in the future. The school year is coming to an end, Lockhart is about to embark on a long journey, and everyone else's lives remain unchanged. Only Dumbledore will continue to have a ghostly headache over the selection of the Slytherin Headmaster and the Defense Defence Professor.