Chapter 333: Percy’s Little Secret
The Hit Wizards searched the office and took almost everything, including the portrait and the signed photograph.
"Goodbye, Professor McGonagall, we'll leave you to it," said Hadd, almost whispering.
"Sorry, Professor, but there's nothing I can do about it," Hadd added with a slight smile. "Soon enough, I'll be an Auror, and I don't think I'll be coming back here then. Unless, of course, the school hires another Death Eater as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."
He was joking, but Professor McGonagall couldn't even muster a smile.
Death Eaters? Yes, there were last year... and even the master of the Death Eaters had come...
After a few brief words of farewell, Hadd turned and left the office, followed by two Hit Wizards carrying Lockhart.
"Hey, where are you taking me? Slow down, don't walk so fast... Oh, this is beautiful..."
Lockhart's voice echoed down the corridor. Kyle watched them leave, feeling an inexplicable sense of having been tricked.
Could it be that Lockhart had received news in advance and had actually been waiting for the Ministry? The more Kyle thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. No one would typically use a Memory Charm when the target was prepared; it was usually deployed in ambushes... surely Lockhart knew this. Whether it was cleverness or just plain desperation, wiping his own memory to avoid punishment was a drastic measure. After all, it was a steep price to pay, hardly worth it for petty issues, and likely useless in serious ones.
After Lockhart was taken away, word of his deceit quickly spread throughout the school. Lockhart wasn't a legendary adventurer at all—he'd merely stolen the stories of others and claimed them as his own. He was a complete fraud.
Some of his admirers refused to believe it, but many others accepted the truth without much resistance. It was unexpected, perhaps, but not unreasonable; his questionable class performances had always been a hint.