In the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, drawing from his "legendary" experiences of the previous sester and the recent sumr holiday, Kane quietly took a seat in the very back row.
While it was unlikely that Lockhart was currently giving off the "stink" of a possessed wizard, it was highly probable that he would try to drag Kane up onto the stage for a dramatic reenactnt, just as he had done at Flourish and Blotts.
Soon, Professor Lockhart pushed open the door. He stood behind the lectern, looking down at the young wizards in silent contemplation.
People say silence has power, and he seed to be styling himself after so misunderstood artistic villain.
Kane slowly pulled out one of Lockhart's novels. Generally speaking, they were suitable for all ages and perfect for killing ti.
Suddenly, Lockhart spoke.
"Today is our first lesson together, and I feel it's essential that we get to know one another. Therefore, my young friends, please fill out this questionnaire.
Ah, that's all we're doing for today's first class! The sooner you finish, the sooner you leave. Doesn't that sound marvelous?"
With that, Lockhart produced a stack of papers. He didn't even use magic; he personally walked around, handing a sheet to every student.
Kane received his and glanced at it. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favorite color? Oh, wait—that one had been crossed out.
Replacing the first question was: What is your favorite Defense Against the Dark Arts spell?
The second: What Defense Against the Dark Arts did you learn in your first year? The third: Is there any specific area of Defense you feel you lack proficiency in? The fourth: What spells do you wish to learn this term?
There were twenty questions in total. Filling it out would take less than ten minutes. This "double-whammy" of reduced workload and apparent responsibility moved the students nearly to tears.
They were genuinely touched. Compared to Professor Quirrell, they finally saw a professor who seemingly wanted to actually teach.
Kane, however, read through the entire thing with a skeptical eye. Lockhart was clever—or rather, whoever gave him this idea was.
On the surface, this looked like a standard start-of-term diagnostic test that any professor might give. But Lockhart was using it to dodge the first lesson entirely.
Not only did it buy him a full week of prep ti, but it also let the students do the work for him.
He could simply pick a few basic spells from the most popular answers, practice them until he could cast them passably, and then teach them back to the class.
If a student later complained, "Professor, this is a bit basic, isn't it?" Lockhart could simply point to the test results and say he was giving the majority what they asked for.
"Utterly brilliant," Kane whispered. He finished his paper and leaned back, crossing his legs and swinging his foot leisurely.
As for why he didn't bolt out of the door like the others to enjoy an early dismissal... unfortunately, he had been "detained." In the corner of his paper, a line of small text instructed him to stay behind.
If anyone else had left that note, Kane might have ignored it. But since it was Lockhart...
The other students didn't find it odd. So thought Kane was just being a "Study King," which explained how he beca the boss of the second year.
The few who knew about Lockhart's true "depth" and Kane's relationship with Dumbledore simply figured Kane had developed a new obsession with obscure teaching thods. Totally normal.
Soon, after the second-to-last Ravenclaw finished scribbling a list of legendary spells that weren't even in the textbooks (either out of genuine curiosity or a desire to ruin the curve), the room was empty save for Kane and Lockhart.
Lockhart closed the door and let out a long, relaxed sigh. He gathered the papers and sat down next to Kane. "Excellent. The class is finally over. Quick, help look through these, Kane. Which spells should I actually teach?"
"Er, ideally ones that are easy to learn," Lockhart added, his tone dropping. "You know, I don't exactly have a... natural gift for the more complex stuff."
Kane raised an eyebrow. He was right; Lockhart was exactly what he thought he was.
"Alright, alright, let see. But tell , Gilderoy, was this questionnaire your idea or did soone help you?" Kane asked while flipping through the spells.
"My magical execution might be... underwhelming, but my brain is sharp! How else do you think I was sorted into Ravenclaw?" Lockhart said with a flash of his signature pride.
"Right. One wonders what happened to the rest of the Ravenclaw students then," Kane muttered. "But how do you plan to build authority? Teaching level aside, you need them to be afraid enough of you that they don't get too close and notice the gaps."
"Exactly!" Lockhart leaned in. "How do I make them respect ? Or rather, fear enough to stay back?"
"Just stop being 'human,'" Kane suggested casually. "Take a leaf out of Snape or Filch's book. If you can take points or not, take them.
If you can confiscate an item or let it slide, confiscate it. Make it clear you're here to make their lives uncomfortable.
I'm a bit of a traitor to my fellow students for giving you this advice, but Hogwarts already has two legendary grouches; one more won't hurt."
"For example, what qualifies for a deduction?" Lockhart asked, taking a quill.
Kane pointed to a paper from a Gryffindor student. Whether the kid was a future Azkaban resident or just a troll, he had listed the Unforgivable Curses—Killing, Imperius, and Cruciatus—as his "desired learning list."
"Behavior like this. Ten points off. You can't let them make 'joke' requests like this without consequences. It sets a precedent," Kane tutored.
"Let try... and mind you, I'm not actually taking Gryffindor points, just practicing the tone..." Lockhart cleared his throat. "Ten points from Gryffindor! How was that?"
Kane nodded. The tone was spot on.
However, neither of them realized one crucial thing: the students had only been dismissed early. According to the clock, it was still officially class ti.
Therefore, Lockhart's "practice" deduction was, in the eyes of the House Cup hourglasses, perfectly valid.
In the common room, Hermione—who had worked herself to the bone earning points through clever answers—watched as ten points vanished from the Gryffindor glass. She felt a small part of her soul shatter.
Back in the classroom, the two continued their "dark" planning. Kane suggested that if he saw sothing he liked, Lockhart could "confiscate" it for a violation, only for it to find its way into Kane's pocket later via a "dirty" transaction.
A third-year's Auto-Note quill? Confiscated! A second-year's Endless Journal? Confiscated! Colin Creevey's cara? "No, that's too expensive," Kane corrected. "Leave that one."
And so, a sordid deal was struck. For the coming term, the students of Hogwarts would live under the "Dark Shadow" of Demon King Lockhart.
After Kane left, he headed straight for the greenhouses to practice his Weather Charms. But when he arrived, he found a crisis.
"Fruit fly! What's wrong, little guy?" Kane cried out. The small, friendly fruit fly was twitching in the dirt, looking like it was at death's door.
Professor Sprout arrived shortly after, having just returned from the Forbidden Forest. She hurried over to see Kane cradling the insect. "What happened?"
"I think it's just exhausted," Kane said, calming down as he noticed the wings still fluttering. "The field is huge, and it's clearly very responsible. It's been trying to cheer up every single plant in the greenhouse alone."
He pulled a stone brick out of Little Pumpkin and sliced it with a Shadow Blade into the shape of a tiny bed. Professor Sprout, ever prepared, produced two tiny blankets—one for a mattress, one for a quilt. They tucked the little fly in to rest.
"Now we have to go back to praising the plants ourselves," Sprout sighed.
Kane held up a hand. "Wait! I have another plan!"
Sprout looked at him, half-expecting another machine. "Oh? And what plan would that be?"
"Mmm... Professor, do you have any gold on you?"
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