"Lockhart… weren't you supposed to be an idiot now?" Harry blurted out.
Lockhart flashed a grin that looked downright grotesque on his dust-covered face—nothing like the carefully practiced "charming smile" he usually wore.
His wand stayed rock-steady against Hermione's temple, the tip glowing with a dangerous silver-white light.
"Oh, Potter, Potter," Lockhart said in that dramatic, theatrical voice of his, "did you really think the great Gilderoy Lockhart would be taken down by a simple backfired spell? I learned ten thousand ways to protect myself while dealing with the banshees of Wanlin!"
With his free hand, he yanked open his torn collar to reveal a flashy golden brooch pinned to his chest—a peacock with spread wings, faintly glowing with magic.
"Automatic Shield Badge," Lockhart announced proudly. "Handcrafted by Romanian dwarf artisans. Three hundred Galleons. It absorbs one malicious curse aimed at me per day. Pretty neat, right?"
"Of course, for the sake of realism, I pretended to get hit earlier," he added with a wink. "After all, the best actors know exactly when to take a break between scenes."
"What did you do to Ron?" Harry's voice shook with fury.
"No need to worry—he's just knocked out," Lockhart shrugged carelessly. "The silly boy was busy digging through the rocks with his back to me. Couldn't blame me for taking the opportunity."
Hermione struggled in his grip. Lockhart immediately tightened his arm and pressed the wand harder against her temple.
"Hold still, Miss Granger. That clever little head of yours is full of valuable knowledge—even if most of it is just dead facts from books. Still better than being a complete idiot who remembers nothing. Haha."
Julien quietly took a small step forward and brushed the dust off his robes.
His right hand slipped behind his back, signaling Rosier and Liriya with their agreed code: distract him, get ready to strike.
"So," Julien began in a casual, almost chatty tone, "you've been faking it the whole time? Since when? Was it when you shouted 'Peskipiksi Pesternomi'?"
Lockhart's face froze for a split second, then twisted with embarrassment and rage. "That was art! Artistic camouflage! You think I couldn't handle a few measly Cornish pixies? I was simply… evaluating your practical combat abilities!"
"And how did we do?" Julien asked with genuine curiosity. "Did we pass?"
"Hmph. Miss Granger barely scraped by. The rest of you…" Lockhart snorted, then caught himself. "Shut up! This isn't the time for chit-chat!"
His eyes swept across the Chamber and landed on the empty crescent-shaped slot at the base of Slytherin's statue. His pupils shrank sharply. "What did you just take, Black?"
It wasn't a question.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Julien replied with a perfectly blank face.
"Don't play dumb. I saw you pry it off the statue."
"Oh, you mean this pretty black crystal?"
Julien slowly pulled the star fragment from his pocket and gave it a little toss in his palm. "Didn't know you were a rock collector too. Should've said something earlier."
The moment Lockhart saw the meteorite, his breathing quickened. Greed flashed openly in his eyes.
"That's it! The thing the Moon Shadow Council wants! The 'Star Fragment'! Why do you think I bothered coming to this pathetic school to teach? For your childish admiration? Or to help you kids kill a basilisk?"
He let out a shrill laugh. "I came for this! For the stone! The Council promised me—if I bring it back, they'll give me real power. Not the fake glory I stole from other people's memories, but a true legend of my own!"
"I see," Julien nodded like it all made perfect sense. "So all those adventures in your books…"
"They're real! I just 'borrowed' them with a Memory Charm. How is that stealing?" Lockhart actually puffed out his chest with pride.
"But that's all in the past! Once I have this stone, I'll have genuine power! For example…"
"Like personally taking down a basilisk?" Julien finished for him.
"Exactly! Why didn't I think of that? New inspiration already." Lockhart glanced at the dead basilisk, then nodded toward Harry, who was still standing there looking confused with the Gryffindor sword in his hand.
"Harry, I can put you in my next book—With the Basilisk to the Death. How does that sound?"
"It'll say the brave 'Boy Who Lived' stabbed the basilisk through the brain, but still perished with it in the end. At the critical moment, I—Gilderoy Lockhart—defeated the Dark wizard and saved all the young witches and wizards. Perfect!"
"Ugh! You have no shame!" Hermione couldn't hold back anymore.
"Shut your mouth!" Lockhart snapped, tapping his wand against her head in irritation before turning back to Julien. "Throw the stone over here! Or I'll make Miss Granger forget who she is—though for her, it might just be going from 'bookworm' to 'complete idiot.' Not much difference!"
"You wouldn't dare!" Harry raised the sword, but he didn't move. He couldn't risk it with Hermione right there.
"Why wouldn't I?" Lockhart laughed wildly. "If you don't hand over the stone right now, I'll do it—one forget-all—"
"Wait, wait!" Julien quickly waved the meteorite. "Here, catch." He tossed the stone over while his left hand casually rubbed his nose. His wand had already slipped into his right palm, the silver lime wood glowing with a soft, warm light in the dim chamber.
The second he saw the stone flying toward him, Lockhart reached out with his left hand to catch it—while his right hand swung the wand straight at Julien.
The moment she was freed, Hermione dropped into a crouch.
"Obliviate!"
Two beams of silver-white light shot from the wands at the same time, crossing in mid-air.
Lockhart's spell slammed into a faint golden shield that suddenly appeared three inches in front of Julien—Rosier had silently moved into position and cast a reinforced Shield Charm.
Julien's spell, however, hit Lockhart square in the forehead and sent him flying backward.
"Not bad," Julien said, looking down at the fallen professor with genuine respect. "I have to admit—I'm actually impressed by your… dedication. Most people couldn't keep up an act like this for years when they're basically empty inside. That kind of mental fortitude is rare."
"What did you say?" Lockhart's face turned beet red. "Who are you?"
"What I mean is," Julien's voice suddenly turned ice-cold, "your biggest mistake was thinking you were the only one who knows how to use a Memory Charm."
"What Memory Charm…" Lockhart clutched his head and started spinning in circles. "Who am I? Where am I? What is this place?"