Chapter 314: Agent Mikel
The Christmas holidays flew by, and soon students were returning to Hogwarts by train, filling the castle once more with lively noise and laughter. After the break, the fear of the recent attacks seemed to have faded slightly. Most students were laughing and joking, seemingly less haunted by worry than before.
Perhaps they believed the professors had taken care of the monster in the Chamber of Secrets over the holidays. At least, that's what Lockhart had claimed.
Lockhart was, surprisingly, the first professor to return after the break—so early, in fact, that he hadn't even attended the end-of-term feast. He had hurried off after his last Defense Against the Dark Arts class, returning later with triumphant flair. Whatever he had heard or experienced during the holidays seemed to have filled him with confidence, as he wasted no time in boasting that he'd solved the Chamber of Secrets mystery.
Kyle happened to be waiting near the foyer and overheard Lockhart speaking with Professor McGonagall.
"There won't be any more trouble, Minerva," Lockhart said in his usual loud voice. "I can assure you the Chamber of Secrets won't open again. I've found the true Heir but decided to grant him a chance. If he has any sense, he won't cause further disruptions."
Students nearby overheard him, and while some took comfort in his words, others were skeptical. Still, Lockhart's confident pronouncements seemed to ease the general tension around the castle.
Oddly enough, just five minutes earlier, Lockhart had given the exact same speech to Professor Flitwick... and ten minutes before that, he'd said the same words to Professor Sprout. Kyle, who had been nearby the entire time, couldn't help noticing that Lockhart was delivering these lines as if he'd rehearsed them.
Soon after, Professor McGonagall walked away, leaving Lockhart standing there, glancing around as if searching for his next target. It was likely he'd try Snape next—but Kyle wasn't sure how well that would go. Snape would either completely ignore Lockhart, endure him with dark patience, or, in a darker fantasy, might even cast a quick Langlock to silence him... or, for that matter, Sectumsempra to shut him up for good.
Kyle was tempted to stay and see how things unfolded, but just then, the person he was waiting for finally arrived. Cedric walked up the stone steps into the castle, spotted Kyle, and headed directly toward him.