Lockhart only provided a measly 200 Trick Points—less than what a few minor wizards could give.
Utterly disgraceful.
But compared to the extra reward he handed out, those points weren't even worth mentioning.
The bonus was truly delicious: a legendary-level Memory Charm!
"This basically means I can do whatever I want now. Hypnotizing the whole school or something… cough cough! No, no, don't go down that path!"
Louis stroked his chin, quite pleased with this unexpected windfall.
This time, it had been a rather complex fraud.
He had borrowed Mage Hand to use his teleportation ring and stuffed all those Cornish pixies inside.
To keep them from keeling over inside the storage space for various reasons, Louis even topped them up with a burst of Dog Talisman power.
Afterward, he released the pixies right out of Lockhart's "Four-Six-Three" notes, used illusions to enrage them, and neatly redirected all their fury onto Lockhart.
It sounded simple, but in practice it took quite a bit of effort. Still, the results were worth it.
"What on earth just happened? That was amazing! How did those Cornish pixies just vanish—and then pop out again?"
Leaving the classroom, Ron looked positively delighted as he watched Lockhart being carried away on a stretcher.
Harry, however, had a different reaction. He hadn't seen anything specific, but his instincts told him that such a miraculous stunt had Louis's fingerprints all over it.
He had no proof, though—and Louis clearly had no intention of admitting anything.
And so the last class of the day ended abruptly. Fortunately, there were no major losses—apart from the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor's handsome face, which would take several days to recover.
Sure enough, that evening as everyone gathered in the Great Hall for dinner, the prefects from each house came around to announce that Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons would be self-study for the next few days.
Although a certain Potions Master was itching to swoop in as substitute, his own workload left him no such time.
Unless he resorted to a Time-Turner—but such large-scale public use clearly violated its rules.
So, self-study it was.
The moment the news spread, groans filled the hall. The girls in particular were devastated—their idol had managed to land himself in the hospital wing on his very first day. And apparently, quite badly too.
"That's rubbish. His injuries aren't that serious. Madam Pomfrey could've patched him up in no time," Ron scoffed.
Harry nodded, then added slyly, "But I suppose Lockhart will still need some time to repair his thick skin."
It was obvious Harry wasn't talking about the skin on Lockhart's face.
"Well said," Ron agreed with a grin.
Over at the Slytherin table, Cassandra—who seemed to have taken up permanent residence at Louis's side—turned to him.
"What exactly happened in class?" she asked.
"I'd rather not say." Louis shot her a sidelong glance. "What, are you a Lockhart fangirl too?"
"Fangirl? Hardly. His books are entertaining, yes, but far too flashy. Still, I can understand it. A petty clown trying to dress up his tiny discoveries with theatrics."
Her sharp tongue caught Louis by surprise.
"You think those words count as elegant?" he asked dryly.
"Elegant?" Cassandra gave him a dazzling smile—one that left Blaise Zabini, sitting nearby, utterly spellbound.
"Let's hope you can be just as elegant when you're talking to your little girlfriend."
Louis felt a chill run down his spine. He jerked his head around and found Hermione staring at him with a blank expression, her knife and fork viciously sawing a German sausage on her plate. The method was brutal.
Poor sausage… just put it out of its misery!
The murderous aura rolling off her made Louis break into a cold sweat.
That woman had set him up!
His lips twitched. Staring straight down at his own plate, he muttered quietly, "You really hold a grudge, huh? Just because I wouldn't tell you what happened in class?"
"I never said that." Cassandra cheerfully dabbed her mouth with a napkin—her dinner consisting of just a small slice of bacon and a few vegetables. "Enjoy your meal."
With that, she rose gracefully and left, stealing the gaze of half the boys in the hall along with her.
That girl…
Louis glanced at Hermione. Seeing she was about to leave too, he quickly finished his own dinner and hurried after her.
...
Thankfully, Hermione wasn't the unreasonable type. She had only been momentarily dazzled by Cassandra's smile and felt a twinge of worry.
With a little reassurance from Louis, that worry was soothed, and no real conflict broke out.
Still—Cassandra's intentions were vile. Absolutely despicable.
But Louis couldn't do anything about her.
He, Louis Wilson, had always walked the line straight and narrow: doing every wicked deed possible and yet never punished—because he still had principles.
And bullying a girl? That crossed the line. Too vile, not something he could do.
A week slipped by quietly, and soon it was the weekend—time for Quidditch team practice.
"So, Gryffindor's training now. But the two of us? One Slytherin, one Ravenclaw. What are we going there for? We'll just be treated like spies and kicked out."
Louis looked at Hermione after she suggested they go watch.
"There's really such a rule?" Hermione blinked in confusion. "Isn't it just flying on broomsticks? There are strategies to that?"
"Of course there are…" Louis might not like Quidditch, but he knew at least some basics. After all, he'd read Quidditch Through the Ages.
But before he could finish explaining, a pair of twins suddenly popped up and grabbed him by the arms.
"No need to worry! If you want to watch Quidditch practice, go ahead." Fred winked at Hermione. "Right now Slytherin's hogging the pitch, and trust me, they don't care who's watching."
"Yeah, it's not like they've got any plans. Just a pack of thugs," George added.
"As payment—" Fred grinned. "We're borrowing your boyfriend for a bit."
But before they could even take two steps, Louis hoisted both of them up with ease.
"And just what are you two planning to do?" he asked suspiciously.
The twins might have been two years older, but Louis was already taller. Picking them up was child's play.
"We want to show you our technical breakthrough!" they said excitedly, unfazed by being dangled in the air.
"Technical breakthrough?" Louis's eyes lit up.
Could it be… a breakthrough with their Transforming Canary Cream?
Had they finally developed a product that could trigger full transformations?
---/---