bacchusnovels Chapter 111 Laughing Happily 1 point
Chapter 111 Laughing Happily 1 point
Chapter 111 Laugh a Little Brighter
After obtaining the compound decoction made from Mr. Bokin's hair, Sean left Knockdown Alley.
As he was leaving, he saw Hagrid.
He was haggling with an old witch who was buying medicine to get rid of flesh-eating slugs.
Sean didn't say hello to Hagrid, but went back to Diagon Alley, where he bumped into the three little ones eating strawberry peanut butter ice cream at the entrance of Gringotts.
"Professor!" Hermione spotted her professor from afar and waved excitedly, calling out joyfully.
Ron and Harry followed Hermione's gaze, and the three of them immediately ran towards Sean. However, Harry's pace was a little slower, clearly because he hadn't yet recovered from the atmosphere of the "Chinese class" they had just had.
"Professor, I never expected to meet you here!" Hermione blinked her bright eyes, looking at Sean with surprise and delight.
Since returning home for summer vacation, her thoughts have often drifted back to her fantastical experiences in the magical world over the past year.
Throughout these rich and colorful memories, Professor Sean's presence was always ever-present; his wisdom and care provided her with immense support and strength.
Therefore, when the night is quiet, Hermione's dreams often take Professor Sean into them.
There, the professor always patiently explained the knowledge of Defense Against the Dark Arts to her alone, explaining every detail in a simple and easy-to-understand way, which greatly benefited her.
Whenever she wakes up from a dream, the feeling of fulfillment and deep satisfaction from being filled with knowledge lingers in her memory, something she is reluctant to forget.
"Harry, Ron, and I just came here together, but we had to take care of some things along the way," Sean explained to Hermione with a smile, while gently reaching out to ruffle her thick, beautiful hair.
He hadn't touched the little witch's hair in a long time, and he still felt a pang of nostalgia for that familiar touch.
This long-awaited act of intimacy made Hermes feel a little shy, her cheeks flushed slightly, but she did not flinch. Compared to shyness, she felt more warmth and emotion.
See, the professor hasn't forgotten her.
The four of them continued walking inside until they reached the entrance of Flourish and Blotts bookstore.
The three children were surprised to find a large crowd gathered outside the shop, all wanting to get in. A large banner was stretched out from a window upstairs:
Gilderoy Lockhart is selling signed copies of his autobiography, "The Magician Me."
Today from 12:30 PM to 4:30 PM
Upon seeing that it was Lockhart's personal autograph session, Hermione opened and closed her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but looking at Sean next to her, she swallowed her words.
The crowd seemed to consist mostly of witches of Mrs. Weasley's age. A weary-looking wizard stood in the doorway and said, "Ladies, quiet... don't crowd... watch out for the books..."
To prevent his appearance from causing an even greater commotion, Sean gestured for the three kids to go inside and buy books. Then he put on a black mask and walked straight to where the Weasleys were queuing.
However, along with their family were a pair of slightly uneasy Muggles.
"Hey, Phyllis...you're here." Arthur looked at the wizard wearing a black mask who was patting him on the shoulder. He tried to make out who Sean was, and was about to greet him loudly, but then he glanced at the crowd around him and lowered his voice, "We were just discussing where you went, worried that you might have run into some trouble."
"I had some things to take care of just now, sorry I'm late."
"Come, let me introduce you. These two are the Grangers, Hermione's family." Arthur warmly introduced the middle-aged couple next to Sean.
He and the Grangers had just come out of the Leaky Cauldron.
"Greetings, gentlemen. I am Sean Phillips, a professor at Hogwarts." Sean removed his black face mask, politely extended his hand to the Grangers, and shook hands with them one by one.
The Grangers seemed somewhat uneasy; they were clearly in awe of their daughter's school professor and a little nervous about interacting with such a prominent figure in the wizarding world. However, they tried their best to remain calm.
He shook hands with Sean.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Professor Phillips," Mr. Granger said somewhat nervously, his eyes revealing his respect for Sean.
Professor Sean Phillips noticed Mr. Granger's nervousness and smiled, saying, "Mr. Granger, there's no need to be nervous. I'm just Hermione's teacher, an ordinary wizard." He tried to make his tone calm and friendly, hoping to ease the other man's unease.
Mrs. Granger sensed Sean's friendliness and gently tugged at her husband's sleeve, signaling him to relax. Then, turning to Sean, she smiled and said, "Professor Phillips, we are very grateful for your teaching and care of Hermione. She often speaks of you at home, saying you are a very good teacher."
Hearing this, Sean felt both surprised and touched.
Although he knew Hermione's affection level towards him had reached 6.
But in a cheat device, it's just a cold number; it's nowhere near as direct and reassuring as the subtle feedback in real life.
Sean smiled and said, "Mrs. Granger, you flatter me. Hermione is a very intelligent and hardworking student; her achievements are all due to her own efforts."
Just as the group was about to continue their conversation, a deafening cheer suddenly erupted from the surrounding crowd.
Lockhart's appearance caused the commotion.
Sean looked up and saw Lockhart sitting behind a table, surrounded by huge photographs of himself. In the photos, his eyes sparkled as he looked at the crowd, and his teeth, white as stars, gleamed.
Today, Lockhart wore a magnificent robe in the same deep blue as the forget-me-not, a color that perfectly complemented his blue eyes. He wore a playful pointed wizard's hat askew on his head, and his golden curls rippled like waves beneath the brim.
At this moment, a short, short man with a bad temper was holding a large black camera and jumping around taking pictures of the group.
Each time the flash went off, a plume of purple smoke shot out of the camera.
"Get out of the way," he said to Ron, backing away to find a better angle. "This is for the Daily Prophet."
"That's amazing," Ron said, rubbing his foot where the man had stepped on it.
Gilderoy Lockhart heard it. He looked up and saw Ron, then Harry, and just as he was about to say something, he saw Sean standing behind a few people.
His face suddenly turned very pale.
He couldn't understand what methods the other party had used to get Rita to write an exclusive interview full of praise for him—the very adjectives that should have been used to describe his brilliant achievements and outstanding qualities were instead used on the other party, which left him feeling extremely confused and puzzled.
The day after the exclusive interview was published in The Daily Prophet, he immediately went to the Daily Prophet's headquarters to ask Rita for an explanation.
But to his surprise, they told him Rita wasn't there!
He clearly heard noises coming from Rita's office.
That despicable woman!
He took the money but didn't do anything; instead, he even served his rivals.
If he weren't busy dealing with the start of the new school year at Hogwarts and the progress of his new book signing, he would have made that woman pay—he's not exactly a "law-abiding" citizen. If that woman thought she had him figured out and that he would swallow his anger, she was wrong.
He will use his signature skill to provide his answer.
Lockhart's eyes darted back and forth between Harry and Sean until, after a long while, he jumped up and exclaimed, "Isn't this Harry Potter and Mr. Sean Phillips?"
1
The surrounding crowd noticed Sean's presence, and all eyes were on him.
Lockhart noticed this, and a flash of displeasure crossed his eyes.
He rushed forward, grabbed Harry's arm, and pulled him to the front, prompting a burst of applause from the crowd.
Since no one stopped him, Sean quietly followed. Lockhart walked on Harry's left, and Sean walked on Harry's right.
He knew what Lockhart was planning to do next.
Sure enough, when Lockhart tried to gesture for the short man to take a picture of him and Harry, he suddenly noticed that the person he least wanted to see was standing to Harry's right.
He intended to signal the shorter man to stop taking pictures, but the shorter man misunderstood and frantically pressed the shutter button repeatedly, puffs of smoke drifting onto the Weasley family.
Amidst the flashing lights, Sean struck what he considered his most handsome signature smile and pose, placing his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Smile more, Harry, the three of us can be on the front page now."
Sure enough, Sean noticed that Lockhart was forcing a smile throughout the entire photo shoot.
He naturally knew the reason behind it.
When different people praise two teachers, there is no more direct way than comparing them in the same photo—only when the tide goes out do you discover who's been swimming naked.
He is ten times more confident than Lockhart in terms of looks.
Sean can now officially announce that Lockhart's most prized "Most Charming Smile Award" will be coming to an end.
Lockhart quickly finished the photo session.
He looked at Sean, who had stolen his thunder and was smiling smugly, and he thought somewhat darkly that the other man would be able to maintain such a bright smile during his next words.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Lockhart raised his voice enthusiastically, waving his hands to quiet the crowd, "what an extraordinary moment we are in! I am about to share with you an exciting little secret in this wonderful occasion, a secret I have kept hidden for many days."
"Young Harry, the moment he stepped into Flourish and Blotts today, solely to find my autobiography—and now, I have the honor of gifting him this book, free of charge—" A thunderous applause erupted. "But what he doesn't know is..."
Lockhart continued, giving Harry a gentle shake so that his glasses playfully slipped down to the tip of his nose, "He will gain far more than just my insignificant copy of 'The Magical Me.' In fact, he and his classmates are about to gain a real, magical 'me.'"
"It is with great joy and pride that I announce that this September, I will have the honor of replacing Mr. Phillips as the instructor of the Defense Against the Dark Arts class at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"
Lockhart emphasized Phillips' name and glanced smugly in Sean's direction.
He wanted to see Sean's tearful expression.
(The next chapter is too explicit and has been suspended; it is expected to be released this afternoon.)