As Lockhart approached Gringotts, surrounded by a group of others, he was naturally stopped at the entrance by Carrow and his guards.
At this sight, all eyes turned to Lockhart in the crowd. He gave a stiff smile and stepped forward.
"Hey, everyone—I think you should recognize me! I'm—"
But before Lockhart could finish his sentence, several wands were already pointed at his forehead within mere seconds.
Sweat instantly beaded on Lockhart's brow as he looked at Carrow approaching him slowly. Awkwardly, Lockhart said,
"Really now—there's no need to treat me with such... hospitality!"
Carrow continued walking toward Lockhart, waving for his men to lower their wands.
Seeing this, Lockhart had just begun to breathe a sigh of relief when Carrow sneered and said:
"Gilderoy Lockhart, is it? I've heard you're quite the talent. How about a little duel to prove it?"
With that, Carrow drew his wand and motioned for Lockhart to draw his own.
At the same time, Mrs. Weasley whispered from behind Lockhart:
"Professor Lockhart, this could be a good opportunity. Show the Alliance what you're made of—if you win, maybe you can demand they let us inside!"
Upon hearing Mrs. Weasley's suggestion, a sudden light flickered in Lockhart's eyes. He forced himself to appear calm and flashed his trademark smile.
"A duel? Of course! If I lose, I'll walk away without another word."
He looked expectantly at Carrow across from him.
But before anything else could happen, Mrs. Weasley hastily reminded him:
"Professor Lockhart—shouldn't you say what happens if you win?"
The corner of Lockhart's mouth twitched.
Win? There's no way I'm winning this. Nothing about this looks like a duel I could actually survive!
Just as he was about to respond and embellish the scene further, Carrow cut in with a cold laugh:
"You think you'll just walk away if you lose? In a Alliance duel, the Unforgivable Curses are fair game."
Lockhart: !!!
Were it not for the forest of wands surrounding him, Lockhart might've blurted out:
"You old scoundrel—you've got no sense of honor!"
Glancing at Carrow, then around at the Alliance wizards staring him down, Lockhart couldn't help but swallow hard.
At that moment, Auston Greengrass stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the gathered crowd before settling on Lockhart.
"Gilderoy Lockhart? The Master wishes to see you. Come with me."
Lockhart: ...!!!
Still in disbelief, Lockhart asked,
"Just me?"
Auston nodded, a trace of impatience on his face. Seeing that Lockhart remained rooted in place, he stepped forward and grabbed Lockhart by the collar.
"You'd best move quickly. Don't keep the Master waiting—his time is precious."
As Auston began leading Lockhart away—Lockhart visibly alarmed—Arthur Weasley stepped forward and opened his mouth:
"I'm—"
But before he could say more, Carrow stepped in front of him, cutting him off with a cold smirk:
"We know who you are. No need for introductions. Since the Master didn't ask to see you, you'd best stay here and wait obediently."
Hearing this, everyone looked at each other in uncertainty, but no one dared protest.
When Lockhart was finally brought before Wentworth, he found himself staring at three young men and one young woman—youths no older than students. He blinked in surprise.
Wait... are these all leaders of the Alliance?
At that moment, Wentworth stood and introduced himself with a warm smile:
"Gilderoy Lockhart? A pleasure. I'm Wentworth—Wentworth Grindelwald."
Upon hearing this, Lockhart immediately plastered on his signature grin and replied flatteringly:
"Oh, I never would've guessed! The leader of the Alliance, and yet so young—what promise! Hahaha!"
Wentworth chuckled softly, then asked without warning:
"I heard that you've accepted Albus Dumbledore's invitation to become Hogwarts' next Defense Against the Dark Arts professor?"
Lockhart's eyes flickered. He quickly responded:
"Indeed! Headmaster Dumbledore holds me in high regard. After much insistence on his part, I finally agreed to take the post."
Ignoring the hidden meaning in Lockhart's words, Wentworth continued:
"Is that so? Wonderful. Allow me to make some introductions. This is Kirk, Head Boy of Hogwarts, currently in his seventh year and the Prefect of Hufflepuff."
Lockhart: ...!!!
"This is Cedric, a fourth-year student. And this is Cassandra, like me, a third-year. She's in Slytherin; I'm in Hufflepuff."
As Wentworth spoke, Lockhart felt a wave of dizziness.
Isn't Hogwarts supposed to be the best magical school in the world?
Since when did it become a training ground for the Alliance?!
Inside, Lockhart was now screaming:
"Headmaster, you've set me up!"
Cassandra frowned slightly at Lockhart's dumbfounded expression, but Wentworth appeared unfazed.
"Professor Lockhart, did you come here today to stop a student like me?"
Lockhart instinctively began to nod, but the countless soft clicks of wands being raised around him abruptly halted the movement.
He forced another smile—this time tinged with flattery.
"Of course not! I would never stand in your way, Wentworth. As a student of Hogwarts, I'm sure you must have your reasons. I merely came to see if there's anything I can assist with!"
Wentworth smiled noncommittally.
Just then, the sound of click! click! click! echoed through Gringotts' grand hall.
Everyone turned toward the noise. An elderly goblin, supported by another younger goblin, was slowly making his way forward, leaning heavily on a cane.
The sound came from the old goblin's cane tapping against the stone floor.
The younger goblin assisting him was the very same one Wentworth had released earlier.
As the two goblins approached, the younger one announced:
"Everyone, this is the High Elder of the goblins here at Gringotts, United Kingdom."
-------
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my Patreon ——— patreon(.)com/PrimalDemon [remove the parentheses ( )]