"It seems everyone's grasp of the knowledge is quite solid, which pleases me greatly," Professor Lockhart said. "This shows that not only did you listen attentively to the lecture, but you also reviewed the knowledge you learned, which is indeed the attitude you should have as students."
"Therefore, I will add five points to each of the four houses," he continued.
The classroom fell silent.
Then there was an outbreak of enthusiastic cheers.
Harry reluctantly clapped his hands, thinking, these fools don't get it... adding points to everyone means no points were actually added, right?
"Alright, let's move on to today's learning task," Professor Lockhart said. "I need to introduce you to a creature that was previously confirmed extinct but has recently reappeared."
Hearing "previously confirmed extinct," the students perked up with interest.
Professor Lockhart opened the closet to reveal a creature that looked like a giant toad carrying a bundle of grass on its back.
"Who recognizes this creature?" Professor Lockhart asked with a smile.
No one raised their hand, not even Hermione, the class genius.
"Nobody knows?" Professor Lockhart raised an eyebrow.
"I know, Professor," Harry said.
Professor Lockhart was a bit surprised but nodded, "Go ahead, Mr. Potter."
Harry nodded and said, "I've seen this creature in a book before. It's called a Mud Monster, right?"
Hearing Harry's answer, Professor Lockhart looked surprised.
"I'm truly surprised, Harry," he said. "I didn't expect that at Hogwarts today, there's still a young wizard who can recognize a Mud Monster."
"Do you know more, Harry?" he asked again. "I'm looking forward to your answer."
"Sorry, Professor," Harry shook his head and said.
"Well, even so, that's excellent enough," Professor Lockhart clapped his hands. "Five points to Gryffindor for Mr. Potter's extensive knowledge!"
The Gryffindor seats erupted in applause and cheers for the five points added to Harry.
"I must declare that this magical creature was once thought extinct," Professor Lockhart said with a smile. "The Mud Monster's tongue is an important alchemy material—but their extinction wasn't because of the Mud Monster tongues. I once heard a rumor on my travels, that a Hogwarts transfer student was provoked by a Mud Monster and in a fit of rage, annihilated them to extinction..."
Harry: ...
Is it really that exaggerated?
He did know about this incident—or perhaps he had personally experienced it.
Because when they were out in the wild, Vivi had twisted her ankle, and when Harry was helping to massage her foot, a clueless Mud Monster interrupted.
Angry Vivi then bore a grudge against Mud Monsters, even learning flying magic on her own just to travel all over England to hunt and kill every Mud Monster she could see.
Harry didn't know why Vivi was so hot-tempered; in his impression, Vivi was always gentle, tolerant, and kind.
But the classmates, unaware of the truth, all looked at Lockhart with faces that read "I don't get it, but it sounds impressive."
"Alright, now I'll introduce you to these resurrected Mud Monsters—" Professor Lockhart clapped his hands. "In some swamps, or today's Forbidden Forest, you can find this creature."
"These beasts are adept at camouflaging themselves with their surroundings and only launch a fierce attack when prey comes close—'Revelio can help you spot them when exploring these beasts' habitats."
Professor Lockhart paused for a moment and then continued, "Mud Monsters have two common attack methods: one is to pounce, and the other is to lash out with their tongue like a fist—beware, you absolutely do not want to be knocked over by a Mud Monster or hit by its tongue; it doesn't feel good."
"After a pounce, Mud Monsters enter a defenseless recovery period, determined by their body structure, making them susceptible to being flipped or forcibly redirected by strong spells, such as 'Wingardium Leviosa,' 'Three Feet Away from the Enemy,' 'Summoning Charm,' and so on."
Professor Lockhart, reaching this point, lastly added, "When they open their big mouths, you can use 'Wingardium Leviosa' on their large tongues to lift them into mid-air, exposing their soft, vulnerable bellies."
Saying this, Professor Lockhart waved his magic wand and told the students, "Watch closely, I'll only demonstrate once!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Mud Monster pounced at Professor Lockhart.
"Depulso (Three Feet Away from the Enemy)!"
Professor Lockhart's spell hit the pouncing Mud Monster, making it topple over onto the ground and struggle to get back up.
"Do you see?" Professor Lockhart said. "Of course—you can always sidestep or roll on the ground to avoid it... to stay alive, there's no shame in that, children."
With that, he turned the Mud Monster's body back around.
The Mud Monster leaned back...
"Do you see? This is the standard move when a Mud Monster is about to flick its tongue—"
As Professor Lockhart finished speaking, the Mud Monster opened its mouth, and a tongue lashed out like a fist toward his face.
He wasn't flustered, moved to the side to dodge the tongue, and then raised his magic wand.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
The Mud Monster was lifted by its tongue, floating into the air.
"Professor, why not just use the Floating Spell directly?" Seamus raised his hand and asked.