Return of Salazar Slytherin

144- Celebrity Killer Rita Skeeter

When people noticed the similarity with Lockhart's book, the entire British wizarding community was in an uproar!

Professor Lockhart actually knew a spell left behind by Salazar Slytherin?

That was... incredibly cool—wait a minute!

Wizards quickly realized something was off: Mr. Greengrass had stated that the Slytherin manuscript was only discovered in their family's vault in recent days. But according to Lockhart, the story of him using the Human Restoration Spell to cure werewolves happened over ten years ago.

The two stories didn't match!

Could one of them be lying?

If so, that would be a huge scoop.

Realizing this, The Daily Prophet immediately dispatched reporters to Hogwarts. Even if they couldn't find direct evidence of Lockhart lying, wouldn't it be fascinating to dig deeper into his story about werewolves? There were plenty of questions to explore, such as where he learned the Human Restoration Spell and how his spell differed from the one Mr. Greengrass had announced.

The reason they sent reporters to "interview" Lockhart rather than Henry Greengrass was simple: interviewing Lockhart could get the Prophet's editor a promotion and a raise. Interviewing Mr. Greengrass... well, that was less certain.

Soon, The Daily Prophet's special correspondent Rita Skeeter arrived at Hogwarts with her photographer assistant.

Rita Skeeter was a highly controversial figure in the British wizarding community. Her writing was sensational and, at times, completely fabricated. In other words, she had mastered the essence of journalism.

She was adept at taking quotes out of context, stirring up drama, and reading people like a book, all of which made her a force to be reckoned with.

Once she set her sights on someone, it was rare for them to escape unscathed.

It was hard to say what the Daily Prophet editor's intentions were by sending her to interview Lockhart.

Interestingly, despite being confined to his hospital bed, unable to move except for one hand, Lockhart was keenly aware of what was happening in the outside world.

He spent most of his days writing replies to fan letters—sometimes for seven or eight hours a day. The rest of his time was spent reading the latest headlines and keeping up with his fanbase at the school.

In fact, this social butterfly might have been more socially engaged than people outside the hospital!

So, the moment Rita Skeeter opened the door to his hospital room, Lockhart immediately understood her purpose.

This played right into Lockhart's hands: he had been searching for an opportunity to ride the wave of publicity surrounding the Human Restoration Spell!

The interview began in a light-hearted, friendly atmosphere. However, soon Rita Skeeter frowned. Lockhart was tight-lipped, refusing to disclose where he had learned the Human Restoration Spell.

Instead, he went on and on about his various adventures, and in the span of half an hour, he had practically recited the entire plot of his book Wanderings with Werewolves.

After he finished his tale, Rita Skeeter, having had enough, decided to cut straight to the point. She asked, "So, Professor Lockhart, you must be quite proficient in the Human Restoration Spell, then?"

This was a question Lockhart felt confident in answering, so he nodded, affirming that he was indeed very skilled in the spell.

A sly smile crept onto Rita's lips—she had been waiting for this moment.

Her instincts told her that Lockhart was hiding something. Perhaps he didn't know the Human Restoration Spell at all! Maybe his tales of adventure were either secondhand stories or outright fabrications!

"Wonderful! I'm sure the Ministry of Magic will greatly appreciate your contributions!"

A vague sense of unease stirred in Lockhart, but Rita Skeeter had already decided to wrap up the interview, snapping a quick photo of him lying in his hospital bed before leaving.

That photo struck Lockhart with a wave of shock and anger.

How dare they take a picture of him in such a humiliating state!!!

But Rita had already left the room and vanished, leaving Lockhart to collapse back into his bed, resigned to his fate—his coveted Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award would surely slip away from him now.

What Lockhart didn't know was that Rita's article would bring him far worse trouble than just that...

After leaving the hospital ward, Rita Skeeter, still eager for more, decided to interview a few students.

She wandered aimlessly down the corridors until her eyes lit up—she had spotted someone interesting!

It was Daphne Greengrass, the daughter of Mr. Jamison Henry Greengrass. Surely, Rita thought, she could get some juicy information about Lockhart from her. She quickly picked up her pace to catch up.

Rhys was just about to head to the Great Hall for lunch with Daphne when a flashy, blonde witch blocked their path.

"Excuse me, students, would you mind doing a quick interview?"

Rhys was about to refuse, but then he caught the second half of Rita's sentence.

"…It's about Professor Lockhart."

"Of Course!" Rhys agreed, and he, Daphne, Rita, and her photographer all made their way to the castle's courtyard.

"So, students, what do you think of Professor Lockhart? Would you say—oh, I mean no offense—but does his skill match his reputation?"

Rhys immediately picked up on the hidden insinuation in Rita's question. Delighted by the opportunity, he relayed the details of Lockhart's performance in their first Defense Against the Dark Arts class, leaving nothing out.

He even helpfully repeated Lockhart's claims about the Human Restoration Spell from the Hogwarts Express.

The scandalous revelations made Rita's eyes gleam with excitement, and her Quick-Quotes Quill was scribbling furiously, a blur as it recorded every word.

After the interview with Rhys, Rita Skeeter left, fully satisfied, not even bothering to stay for lunch—she needed to rush back to the editorial office to finish her article in time for the next morning's edition.

…

The next morning, Lockhart received his daily copy of The Daily Prophet right on time.

As soon as he got the paper, he immediately flipped to the front page.

His vision went dark for a moment—Rita Skeeter, that wretched woman, had indeed used the hideous photo of him lying in the hospital bed!

But when his eyes moved to the headline, his shock turned into rage, as the bold, blackened letters screamed out:

—"Gilderoy Lockhart: Great Adventurer or Just a Clown Seeking Attention?"—

"Gilderoy Lockhart claims to be skilled in the Human Restoration Spell. As widely known, the Human Restoration Spell was invented by Salazar Slytherin and only recently came to light. Yet, Mr. Lockhart claims to have used this spell to cure a werewolf over a decade ago. Reliable sources indicate that the version of the spell Lockhart used is vastly different from the one in Slytherin's manuscript—when asked for an explanation, Lockhart dodged the question."

"In his first Defense Against the Dark Arts class..."

"The true reason why Lockhart ended up in the school hospital is…"

Reading through the scathing text, watching his fraudulent image vividly portrayed on the page, Lockhart felt the world spinning around him.

"This.. This... By Merlin's Beard—Thud!"

Eventually, the shock became too much—he fainted on the spot.

——

12 Advance Chapters—