JJ

, I can only say, I'm afraid I know nothing less than you... But how did you find out? Miss Granger? "

Seeing Lockhart confirming her guess, Hermione breathed a sigh of relief.

"Because you've prepared so well, Professor," she said. "When I looked up the basilisk, I noticed something I hadn't noticed before... For example, in Mrs. Pince's register, the The one who borrowed that book was you, and you looked up the basilisk page specifically."

"Wait..." Lockhart was a little surprised: "You can check the loan records, but how do you know which page I checked?

Hermione looked a little proud: "There is a hair in that page, it's curly blond hair."

Lockhart was speechless.

"And the rest...I'm not sure what your contact lenses were for before the dueling club started, but the ones you made with the protector sap afterward were, whatever you think, the basilisk staring thing. And you're partying at the club. Tell us the history of the Chamber of Secrets, the Christmas present, and the magic you taught tonight...why do you have to suggest this way instead of telling us directly?"

Because the principal wants you to learn to be self-reliant! Lockhart said heartily.

"I can't hide it from you." He simply admitted, "Although I have said it many times, you are indeed the smartest witch I have ever met, Miss Granger.

"You can call me Hermione directly if you want."

"Well, if you don't call me 'Sir', Don't," and you: "Lockhart," I'll call you Hermione. ' Lockhart offered to exchange

Hermione hadn't thought it was going so fast: makeup, ok, professor...I mean, Lo...Lockhart. "

Lockhart sat down at the table with the teapot filled with milk and motioned for Hermione to sit down too.

"Then I'll just say it, I do know the location and the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, I know it's controlled by Miss Weasley, and I do know the Basilisk and its weakness - after all, I may have been attacked by the Basilisk at the moment. The only one still awake

Despite Lockhart's own admission, Hermione didn't feel relieved at all.

"But I don't understand one"

Hermione's expression told Lockhart that she was now in a very puzzled state: "Why don't you have the headmaster to deal with it directly?"

Not because of your tricks. Lockhart said heartily.

He thought about it for a while, and then used a more euphemistic speech.

"There are many reasons, Hermione, the most important of which is that the principal believes that things are still under control, so we might as well use it as a... Gwarts students are more helpful."

"Trials?" Hermione asked in disbelief. "Trials at risk? Why would we come to Hogwarts then? Wouldn't it be better to just throw the students into the Forbidden Forest?"

Her series of rhetorical questions pointed to the point, and Lockhart felt that if he didn't say something about the core content, he might not be able to explain it.

"The principal probably thinks...you guys have the ability to deal with it all," he replied dryly.

Lockhart's words were unconvincing, he could sense it himself, and Hermione had observed it keenly.

"But Ginny...she's not normal anymore! I asked Ginny's classmates

However, her spirits are getting worse and worse these days, people seem to be recovering, and occasionally she is suddenly irritable... She even suddenly lost her temper two days ago, throwing away the diary she had written for more than half a year.

"Lost? Where did it go?" Lockhart blurted out in surprise.

Hermione immediately read something from his expression: "What? Is there something wrong with that diary?"

Lockhart opened his mouth, but finally closed it without saying a word.

Horcrux is something that I "should not know" now.

Seeing him like this, Hermione looked a little disappointed: Io, I know, you must be hiding something from us, maybe we shouldn't ask, but I won't believe you want to harm us anyway. "

"Absolutely not." Lockhart solemnly assured, "Actually, the portrait outside the Myrtle's bathroom on the second floor has been monitoring it, and any movement will come to me, and I will evacuate nearby in time. Student, this is what the principal ordered."

Hermione seemed a little uninterested: "So you already knew... so, we are making decoction there..."

Lockhart remembered Snape's comments: "The materials are very rough, and many dried herbs are torn by hand instead of being smoothed and cut, which will definitely affect the effect, and it is best to separate the herbs in the early stage. Use three ±w, so as not to confuse the medicinal properties in advance..."

"Got it." Hermione stuck out her tongue: "The conditions are poor."

But she immediately realized that she had been diverted by Lockhart again.

"Professor... er... Lockhart, why does the principal have to let the students solve the problem?" Hermione asked the most crucial point.

Chapter 94 Telling the truth is not easy

Seeing that Hermione finally inevitably asked the key, Lockhart felt that he should not continue to hide it, whether it was because of love or reason.

But he also couldn't undermine the principal's plans or expectations, even if the secret was now dead in name only.

"Have you discussed these things with Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley?" Lockhart was very concerned about this issue.

Hermione shook her head, "Not yet."

"why?"

"because..."

Hermione hesitated, as if she wasn't sure if she should tell Lockhart something, but thinking that the question had been haunting her for a long time, and finally had the opportunity to talk to someone, she still shared her thoughts with Lockhart. said

"Because I always feel that we—I mean me and Harry and Ron, we are being designed to do something." Hermione looked distressed: "It was like this last year, although the protection of the Philosopher's Stone allowed us to I was very happy, but after thinking about the process carefully, every step in the middle was what we could handle, and we were just - graders at the time..."

Lockhart groaned in his heart: Yes, old Deng, something happened.

"...The same is true this year, except that the person who led us to find out the truth of the matter was replaced by you, not Headmaster Dumbledore, that's why I came to ask you." Hermione said her purpose for coming today.

Lockhart is really not easy to answer this question, because Deng Xiao's worries are obvious

no one likes being arranged, especially harry o potter doesn't want to be

It's time to become the savior that everyone is watching. If he finds himself forced to "train" to be a **** against Voldemort, the emotional instability of adolescence is unlikely to lead him to do something extreme.

It's Gryffindor after all.

Lockhart was relieved slowly, and he was quickly sorting out the words in his heart.

He wanted to make up a lie that was fair enough to deal with Hermione first, which wasn't very difficult for him. But when he saw the little girl's bright eyes, he felt a little speechless.

It's a strange feeling, when he is clearly confronted by reporters, bosses and investigation committees, he can make up 10,000 sets of lies without changing his face, but he is asked to lie to a child, and he still tells them to lie to them. Life-threatening panic, Lockhart found it difficult to keep silent.

"Can you keep it a secret if I tell you?" Lockhart asked suddenly.

Hermione was overjoyed: "Yes!"

"Are you willing to keep it a secret?" Lockhart asked again.

Hermione didn't feel the difference between Lockhart's two questions, but just nodded again and again.

"Well, if you insist, I can tell you some truth, and I can tell you the reason why we did it, but at the cost of..."

As he spoke, he took out his wand.

"I have to cast an oblivion spell on you, Hermione."

"What?!" Hermione looked surprised.

"A forgetting spell, of course, this forgetting spell will only be effective for a period of time. After you solve the problem of the secret room, my memory shielding magic will fail, and your memory will be released again." Lockhart explained to her. on.

Hermione was astonished: "But why? We have the right to know the truth about ourselves!"

Dike, you have rights, but we also have our own difficulties, and I believe you will understand after listening. If you can't accept it, I can even go and intercede with the principal and let him pick you and Ron out... Of course It's impossible to get him to abandon the plan, and neither can I. " Lockhart opened his hands to the little witch with a wry smile.

Hermione opened her mouth slightly, but said nothing and closed it again, as if she was struggling with pain in her heart.

After a long time, she opened her mouth again.

"I want to know the truth, I can no longer be like a fool, walking on the path that others have designed for me, unless I think it is necessary...I am no longer a three-year-old child."

Thirteen-year-olds are no different. Lockhart lamented.

He immediately asked, not giving Hermione too much time to think: "So, are you ready to be temporarily erased from a memory?"

He wanted to see how determined she was.

Hermione clenched her fists, but her eyes seemed more determined, a kind of tough gaze that Harry complained as "reminiscent of Professor McGonagall".

"I want to know the truth. As for what happens in the future, I will find a way in the future." She raised her head and looked directly at Lockhart for the first time in history, and her eyes did not evade at all.

Lockhart smiled reluctantly—in caring for her friends and exploring her own future, this little witch finally got rid of her idol halo, which was a great step for her growth.

Just...why now?

"Well, you little stubborn, if you insist..."

"I insist," Hermione repeated.

Lockhart rubbed his temples with his fingers: "Since you insist, then

Let's talk about it... First of all I have to tell you one thing - you guessed it right, it is indeed the principal who is testing you with the Philosopher's Stone and the Chamber of Secrets, he is trying to make you learn to search for information and clues, and then deduce the truth, and finally With courage and ability to solve problems, and I am also working for him. "

Hermione let out a long breath after hearing this.

"I knew..." she muttered softly, "like a puppet on a string...

"I hope this doesn't affect your perception of the Principal and me." Lockhart quickly remedied, "The Principal wants to train Harry Potter and you, he will never want to harm you, he just thinks ...well...he's got everything under control, and it's really not out of his control so far."

"Why did the Headmaster train Harry this way?" Hermione frowned. "Why not someone else? Why use such a dangerous method? What role do Ron and I play in it?"

Because he is the savior and you are all part of the savior team.

This is a very nonsense thing. Dumbledore kept saying that he did not believe in such things as prophecy, and Voldemort's attitude towards prophecy has always been scornful.

But when the "true prophecy" appeared, whether it was Dumbledore or Voldemort, their attitudes were just like those of the emperors who said "I never believed in auspiciousness"—as soon as the auspicious auspicious appeared, they swarmed like a vulture. The one that tells the world.

Are more capable people more superstitious?

"For some reason, Dumbledore thinks that only Harry can completely wipe out the man whose name can't be mentioned." He could only explain this first.

Chapter 95 The Savior is also a child

Because the Headmaster needs to develop Harry's ability to destroy Voldemort, and Voldemort is likely to return in a few years, the time is too tight, so the Headmaster chose to take a risk - this is Lockhart's speech to Hermione.

"And I decided to do what the headmaster said. Although I don't quite agree with the logic, I believe in Dumbledore. Even if he hides something from me, that kind of hiding is necessary, and... I'll go next. I really need the help of the principal for my own planning.”

Of course, Hermione couldn't be completely satisfied with this explanation, but she could only accept it temporarily.

"So, the 'that person' that Professor Snape said should be the headmaster? What price did you pay? ' Hermione asked another question that had been bothering her for a long time.

"I really don't know how you found out so many things. If you spent all your energy on the secret room, I would probably be relieved by this time and go to work at the Ministry of Magic." Lockhart did not answer this question directly.

"Tell me!" Hermione pleaded.

"...It's nothing, I just took a little risk, but doing things for the principal, it's impossible not to take risks." Lockhart shrugged, still not willing to say.

Seeing that Lockhart refused to speak directly, Hermione was a little disappointed. However, because of the frequent reading of newspapers, Hermione was not unfamiliar with the politics of the Muggle world, and she almost understood the purpose of Lockhart's actions with a little change of mind.

"For support at the Ministry of Magic?" she asked again.

"Yes," Lockhart admitted.

"My God." Hermione's expression was as if a certain celebrity's fans heard that he was on drugs

— like, "For power."

"In order to achieve the ultimate goal of eliminating black magic, it is the same as what I wrote in my book," Lockhart said solemnly, "you will understand, Hermione, the real way to eliminate black magic is always political. ."

"Politics? Black magic? I don't know, teach... Lockhart."

Hermione looked as if a traditional mathematician had heard the concept of "two parallel lines can intersect", and in her opinion should be such two parallel lines between black magic and politics.

Lockhart touched her little head: "You will understand sooner or later, Hermione, as long as you keep a kind heart and a smart mind like you are now, then when you encounter the ugly phenomenon in society You will use your reason to come to the same conclusion as mine."

"Yes, is it?"

Suddenly being touched by Lockhart, Hermione looked a little unnatural. It seemed that something was still deeply ingrained, and it could not be broken.

"Yes, after next summer, I will let the world know a completely different me." Lockhart looked smug.

"Then… good luck!" said Hermione.

When it came to this, the two had completely talked about it, but at the same time, in order not to reveal too much to Harry in advance, Lockhart had to cast an oblivion spell on Hermione so that she could keep this secret.

"That's fine... After using the Oblivion Charm, I don't have to worry about betraying my friends. I'm not sure I can keep it a secret." Hermione's voice trembled.

It was the first time Hermione had ever experienced such a thing as "erasing memory", and she seemed very disturbed.

"Take it easy, Hermione, I'm not boasting, of all my magic, I'm the best at it

The long one is the Oblivion Curse, which will definitely not have any side effects. ' Lockhart reassured her