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On the morning of February 14th, during breakfast, everyone found out exactly what Lockhart had in mind to boost morale. Huge, dazzling pink flowers were plastered all over the four walls. Even worse, colorful heart-shaped confetti kept drifting down from the pale blue ceiling.
Augustus walked through the Great Hall and over to the Slytherin table."What the hell is going on?" he asked, turning to a visibly disgusted Malfoy. Malfoy, looking nauseated, just pointed toward the staff table—clearly too grossed out to speak.
Lockhart was wearing a bright pink robe that perfectly matched the decorations. He waved enthusiastically, trying to get everyone to quiet down. Across from him, the other teachers looked absolutely miserable.
From where Augustus was sitting, he could see a muscle twitching on Professor McGonagall's cheek. Snape looked like someone had just forced him to down a whole glass of firewhisky.
"Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!" Lockhart announced loudly. "So far, I've received forty-six cards! I want to thank each and every one of you! And yes, this delightful surprise was all my idea—but that's not all!"
He clapped his hands, and from the entrance hall came twelve extremely grumpy-looking dwarves. But these weren't just ordinary dwarves—Lockhart had dressed them up with golden wings and tiny harps slung over their backs.
"My cheerful, card-delivering cupids!" Lockhart beamed. "They'll be wandering the school all day, handing out your Valentine's Day cards! And there's more! I'm sure my fellow staff would love to get involved! Why not have Professor Snape teach you how to brew a love potion? If that's not your thing, Professor Flitwick here knows more about enchantments than any wizard I've ever met—sly old dog, that one!"
Professor Flitwick buried his face in his hands. Judging by Snape's expression, anyone daring to ask him about a love potion would probably be force-fed actual poison instead.
The school was soon swarming with card-delivering dwarves. Every student who received a card looked around excitedly before sneaking off to a quiet corner to read it. Much to Augustus's dismay, it seemed like he was the most popular recipient by far.
The dwarves kept hunting him down and stuffing cards into his hands with zero subtlety. By his estimate, he'd gotten at least seventy or eighty beautifully decorated cards. Loki, who was next to him, seemed to benefit by association and had picked up a solid thirty or so himself.
"Mr. Augustus, here's a lyrical message for you—a singing valentine," one of the dwarves said forcefully, plucking his harp in an annoyingly dramatic way.
Students walking by all stopped in their tracks, clearly entertained by the scene.
Apparently, nosiness knows no nationality—whether they were Chinese or British, everyone loved a good spectacle. Augustus stared coldly at the dwarf.
After so many cards, his patience was wearing thin. And now a singing message? This was beyond ridiculous.
"I don't have time for this. Move aside," he said flatly.
The dwarf clearly didn't think two teenagers could stop him from completing his mission. He reached out to grab Augustus's black robe to keep him from leaving. But a dangerous glint flashed through Loki's amber eyes.
With lightning speed, he whipped out his wand. A blast of ice-blue light shot out, freezing the dwarf in place.
"That was just a warning," Loki said coldly. "If you try anything else, you won't be so lucky next time."His voice was like ice, and the chill in the air seemed to spread out around them. Half the onlookers scattered immediately.
Augustus just shook his head and turned to leave. Lockhart had turned the school into a complete circus—he didn't want to be here anymore.
"Loki!" a voice called from nearby.
Augustus and Loki turned around to see Percy Weasley rushing over, chest puffed out."You can't just go casting spells in the corridor! I will report this—you know that!"
Loki sneered. "Well, well, the mighty prefect of the Weasley family. You really think you have the right to lecture me? Do you not realize that most of Hogwarts' rules were set by the Adams and Julius families? You think those rules can actually bind me? Don't make me laugh."
Percy faltered slightly, but still pushed on."Regardless, using magic in the corridors is against the rules. And when I report this, don't expect Dumbledore to favor your family. You'll see for yourself."
As he got closer, Percy finally realized that Augustus was standing beside Loki. He immediately grew hesitant and glanced nervously at Augustus.
Great, he thought bitterly. Why is he involved too? Augustus carried serious influence at school. Percy wouldn't dare directly confront him—but as a prefect, he had to at least save face. So he stiffened his back and pressed on awkwardly.
"Mr. Augustus, we were in the wrong. It won't happen again. How about that?" Augustus said gently, his tone polite.
Percy was a bit caught off guard by how reasonable Augustus sounded. He nodded quickly."Well, if Mr. Augustus says so, I suppose we can leave it at that. Loki, I hope this doesn't happen again."
Loki's face twitched with irritation. He let out a mocking laugh and was about to respond when Augustus waved a hand to stop him. Loki swallowed his words reluctantly.
"Well then, we'll be going," Augustus nodded at Percy, and the two turned and walked away.
Percy watched them leave with a small, satisfied smile. Under his breath, he muttered, "Now that's how a true heir behaves.
Compared to Augustus, Loki's got a long way to go. If I could build a connection with the Julius family, it'd do wonders for my future career..." He fell into thoughtful muttering as he turned back.
"Mr. Augustus, why didn't you let me speak?" Loki grumbled once they were out of earshot. "Percy was way out of line, acting like we should be scared of him. We've got both strength and status on our side—why should we let him push us around? People like that need to be reminded of their place, or we'll lose the respect our family deserves."
"You're still placing too much importance on family honor, Loki," Augustus said calmly.
"If you keep holding onto that too tightly, it'll become a shackle. It'll trap you in one way of thinking. If your vision broadens a little, you'll realize you don't need to stoop to Percy's level. All that scheming and power-playing only distracts from what really matters. Magic is like rowing against the current—if you don't keep moving forward, you'll drift backward. I just hope you'll learn to see through all the empty illusions and recognize your true goal. Don't let pride or politics cloud your soul."
"....."