Lockhart's smile froze the moment Rita Skeeter leaned in.
He knew her well—after all, he'd been interviewed by her before. And he was painfully aware: Rita Skeeter was not someone to be trifled with.
So, as soon as she made her request, Lockhart blurted out,
"No, no! You shouldn't be interviewing me! You should be interviewing them!"
He gestured to the crowd of wizards cheering loudly around him. His modest deflection only stirred the crowd into an even greater frenzy.
Lockhart went on, voice ringing with emotion:
"They're the ones who gave me the strength to never give up! As long as I have their support, I'll never be afraid of anything!"
Rita Skeeter, watching Lockhart throw himself into the performance, fought the urge to roll her eyes. She tilted her head in feigned attentiveness, but her fingers moved discreetly across her chest.
Still basking in the crowd's cheers, Lockhart suddenly caught sight of her subtle motion. His eyes narrowed in confusion, then widened in alarm—Rita was tracing the symbol of the Deathly Hallows over her heart.
For a moment, Lockhart stood stunned. So close was she that there could be no mistake. Rita Skeeter… is with the Alliance?!
Seeing the flicker of shock in his eyes, Rita smiled knowingly. She understood that Lockhart had grasped her meaning, so she pressed on:
"Mr. Lockhart, can you tell us—how exactly did you drive back the Alliance?"
The surrounding witches and wizards fell into hushed silence, all of them eager to hear his answer.
Lockhart drew a sharp breath, then spoke with righteous clarity:
"No, no, I can't take credit alone! In fact, most of the work was done by the British Ministry of Magic—especially Mr. Thomas Vole, the former head of the Auror Office and now Director of the Floo Network Authority. I merely played a supporting role."
Rita's mind spun. So, the Alliance had already infiltrated the Ministry this deeply? If Thomas Vole was one of them… it was worse than she thought.
Not that she planned to say a word about it. After all, she now counted herself something of an unofficial member of the Alliance herself.
Recalling the contents of the note she'd received earlier, Rita let a sly smile slip across her face and continued:
"Mr. Lockhart, you're far too modest. Tell me, what made you charge into Gringotts without hesitation in the first place? Was it your sense of justice?"
Lockhart chuckled sheepishly at that, then smiled with disarming honesty.
"Well, if I'm being completely honest… I didn't really think that far ahead. When I heard Gringotts was under attack, my first reaction was—Merlin's beard, all my gold is in there! I couldn't just let them take it! That's my life's savings we're talking about!"
Laughter erupted all around. Far from being disappointed, the wizards found his candor endearing—his answer made him feel more real.
The cheers and applause resumed, this time punctuated with good-natured whistles.
Once the crowd had quieted again, Rita pressed on:
"One last question, Mr. Lockhart. After such a harrowing day, do you have any thoughts you'd like to share?"
Everyone leaned in to hear his response. But to their surprise, Lockhart went silent.
As the hush deepened, uncertainty rippled through the crowd. What was he thinking?
At last, Lockhart sighed deeply. Then he spoke, somber and sincere:
"What I've realized most today is… perhaps Gringotts isn't as safe as we once believed."
The crowd gasped. Conversations broke out all around, concerned murmurs rising in volume. Many in the crowd began to nod slowly, agreeing with his bold statement.
After what had unfolded today, who could honestly claim Gringotts was impenetrable?
Once the discussion had simmered down, Rita leaned in once more:
"Mr. Lockhart, what is it that you most want to do now?"
Her words had barely left her mouth when Lockhart's face lit up with joy.
"What I want most right now," he beamed, "is for the Hogwarts term to begin! Because as of today, I'm the new Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts! And there's nothing more thrilling than teaching young witches and wizards!"
He raised his voice, filled with pride.
"Hogwarts is waiting for me—and it's filled with the future of our magical world!"
That was all it took. The energy in the crowd reignited like a spark to dry kindling. The cheering returned with full force. It felt as if the entire wizarding community had turned out to celebrate his words, much like Molly Weasley clapping furiously at the end of a family Quidditch match.
Even Rita Skeeter couldn't help but admit—when it came to working a crowd, Lockhart was a natural-born genius.
Then, quite suddenly, Lockhart raised his hand.
The gesture alone was enough. Instinctively, the crowd fell quiet, sensing something important was about to be said.
With a deep breath, Lockhart shouted over the silence:
"Thank you all for your applause—thank you! I am Gilderoy Lockhart, recipient of the Third-Class Order of Merlin, honorary member of the Anti-Dark Arts League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award!"
He paused, flashing that famous grin.
"Of course, I'm also a published author—of no consequence, really! And now, I've also been named the newest Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts! You could say I've had some modest success."
The crowd chuckled fondly.
"But here's what I realized just now: without your support—without you—I am nothing."
A wave of applause surged through the square, louder and more heartfelt than ever.
When the cheers at last began to fade, Lockhart waved once more for silence, then called out in a booming voice:
"So, to show my gratitude for your faith in me—I've decided to do something for all of you! I'm going to open a bank—one safer than Gringotts!"
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