Chapter 332: Mr. Smiley Hits a Wall
In the Defence Against the Dark Arts office, Kyle and Lockhart continued their back-and-forth exchange, with Lockhart jotting down every detail Kyle shared. If anyone had walked in, they might have mistaken him for a part-time journalist, meticulously documenting Kyle's story. After half an hour, a thick pile of parchment lay on the table.
"Amazing..." Lockhart said with admiration. "I've never met a young wizard quite like you. Such remarkable experiences at your age—you must have endless stories to tell."
Before Kyle's arrival at Hogwarts, Lockhart had only known him as the young wizard who had fended off a Werewolf at St. Mungo's, earning an Order of Merlin, Second Class. At the time, Lockhart had been rather resentful, feeling that the Order of Merlin was unfair. He had put so much effort into collecting stories, ridding villages of werewolves, and dispatching vampires, only to receive a third-class medal. Why had Kyle, for a single Werewolf, received a second-class one? Was it simply because he had connections?
Lockhart's initial impression of Kyle had been that of a lucky child who happened to know important people. If he'd had similar connections, surely he too would have received the same honor. But since becoming the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Lockhart had learned more about Kyle's reputation. He discovered from older students that the Magical Creatures incident, which had shaken the British wizarding community two years prior, had also involved Kyle. As a first-year, Kyle had been captured by the infamous dark wizard Oren in the Forbidden Forest—and somehow managed to escape.
Lockhart was itching to dig deeper into that story, but for now, he turned his attention back to the Chamber of Secrets.
"The story's nothing special," Kyle said, brushing it off. "Just a bit more troublesome than usual."
"Another admirable quality: modesty," Lockhart noted, a pleased smile playing on his lips. "Now, let's return to the Chamber of Secrets."
He flipped through his notes. "Where were we... Ah, yes—the Founders. I'm sure they must have taught you some powerful Charms or ways to make yourself stronger."
He looked at Kyle with feigned casualness. "I know it's probably a lot to ask, but if you could share just one... it would satisfy my curiosity."
"I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, Professor," Kyle replied, shaking his head. "Forget about powerful Charms. They didn't teach me a single Lighting Charm."
"Really... I see," Lockhart sighed, pretending to accept this. "I understand if you don't want to share."