Chapter 130: The Weasley Brothers

Lockhart seemed to have truly become a serious and responsible professor, even though his face was terribly pale, he still insisted on teaching his students.

Although it was still the same ridiculous stage play as before, everyone had become much more tolerant, believing that given his current condition, doing this was already no small feat.

Silven suspected that the current Lockhart might be connected to the escaped Riddle.

Besides his uncharacteristic return to Hogwarts, Tom Riddle had once said that the diary first appeared in Hogwarts—in Lockhart's office—but he hadn't had time to communicate with him before Malfoy stole it.

That Malfoy stole the diary was likely true, but whether Riddle had ever communicated with Lockhart was uncertain.

Silven had once believed this statement was true, because he had tested Lockhart several times, and the man's behavior had been perfectly normal, showing no signs of having communicated with the diary.

But now it seemed this idea had been hasty; perhaps all his earlier reactions had been faked.

Lockhart had deceived so many experienced wizards; his acting must have been extraordinary, and pretending to know nothing was child's play for him.

So Silven borrowed the Marauder's Map from the Weasley brothers again and carefully observed for a long time in his dormitory.

But he found nothing.

Lockhart's movements were too normal: daily routine was teaching, then, as before, lingering around the school to maintain his presence. After dinner, he returned to his office to write replies to his admirers, not going to the adjacent room to sleep until the early hours of the morning.

This went on for several days straight.

Not to mention sneaking off to the Chamber of Secrets—he barely even went to the second floor, spending more time wandering on the third floor or in the Great Hall, places crowded with students.

But this did not lessen Silven's suspicion of him; instead, it strengthened his belief that Lockhart was connected to Riddle.

Because the second-floor library and the school infirmary were also among the most frequented places in Hogwarts; before Lockhart was attacked, he had often been seen in these two locations, chatting with Lady Pince about nonexistent mysterious books, or trying to teach Madame Pomfrey the correct recipe for hair-growth potion.

Interestingly, at first Madame Pomfrey had actually believed him—after all, Lockhart's thick golden hair was highly convincing—until she personally brewed it once and discovered the so-called recipe was utter nonsense.

Her favorite cauldron exploded on the spot, the infirmary's glass shattered, and before this, she had never once failed in brewing a potion.

Madame Pomfrey did not know that Lockhart knew nothing about hair-growth potion; the recipe was fake. His goal was merely to use Hogwarts' infirmary as a platform to promote his own shampoo.

But later, Lockhart messed things up by stealing Malfoy's leg bone; before he could even express his intent, Madame Pomfrey forbade him from ever approaching the infirmary again.

Lockhart refused to give up, constantly lingering nearby looking for opportunities, until he nearly died in Hogsmeade.

But after returning this time, Lockhart uncharacteristically stopped caring about the matter entirely—he hadn't visited the infirmary for days, and rarely lingered on the second floor.

This behavior was the exact opposite of Malfoy's habit of visiting seven times a day, more like deliberately concealing something.

Was it because he had just returned to Hogwarts?

Or was he watching out for someone?

Silven thought it might be himself, since Malfoy had been exposed that way. But it could also be Dumbledore.

If someone had carefully observed, they would have noticed that Dumbledore's appearances in the castle had suddenly increased over the past few days.

Previously, he only occasionally came to the Great Hall for meals, but now Silven saw him every time he ate, seated among the faculty.

Last week he even went to watch the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw Quidditch match.

Silven didn't attend that match—he heard about it from Harry, who was quite pleased afterward, thinking both teams were too weak; the only somewhat enthusiastic cheer came when Cedric finally caught the Golden Snitch.

Cedric Diggory, a fourth-year Hufflepuff boy, like Harry, he was the team's Seeker, and he was much more handsome than Harry, making him one of the school's star players with many supporters.

But that wasn't the point; the point was that Dumbledore rarely attended matches.

Even if he were genuinely interested, the headmaster's office window directly faced the pitch, offering a far better view—he had no need to come down in person.

Dumbledore last came to watch a match because Quirrell had jinxed Harry's broom; what was his reason this time?

Gilderoy Lockhart—this was the only answer Silven could think of.

In addition, Snape's recent interactions with Lockhart seemed to have increased; Silven often saw them standing together talking.

But previously, Snape had disliked conversing with Lockhart most of all; every time Lockhart deliberately approached him, his face turned darker than Neville's cauldron bottom.

Under these circumstances, he clearly wouldn't seek out Lockhart himself unless he had some other motive.

Thus, even if Lockhart was connected to Riddle, he wouldn't act rashly in the short term.

Moreover, Silven felt that if both Dumbledore's and Snape's changes were due to Lockhart, this matter didn't seem to require his intervention.

So the next day, Silven found Fred and George, preparing to return the Marauder's Map to them.

But they didn't take it.

"After careful consideration, we've decided to give it to you," Fred said with a smile.

"Give it to me?" Silven said in surprise: "You're willing to part with it?"

"We're very reluctant," George made a pained gesture, "but we think you need him more."

"You're planning something…"

"Something big."

"Of course, we won't ask," Fred squinted and made a face, "every generation of students who want to break rules has their own secrets."

"As the older generation, our job is to help you," George said with a solemn expression, speaking in an artificially serious tone, "just like Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs did."

It was as if he'd seen a ghost—his words carried a hint of mission, sounding like something from last century, though in reality, they were only two years ahead of Silven.

"Alright, thank you for the gift," Silven unhesitatingly took the Marauder's Map back, putting it into his pocket right before their eyes.

A flicker of reluctance still passed over their faces.

"We've already memorized all the secret passages," George said, taking a deep breath, "and now we formally pass it on to you—we no longer need it."

"Then, Silven," Fred imitated Percy's tone, "mind your own business!"

"Don't get caught," George winked.

They left the common room laughing.

Silven took out the Marauder's Map again and stared at it for a while; he didn't actually need it right now—staring at the map was boring and a waste of time, which was why he'd planned to return it and focus on his own matters.

Silven had originally thought he could just ask Fred and George again when he needed it; he hadn't expected them to give it to him outright.

"No need to borrow it anymore," Silven smiled, then turned and returned to his dormitory.

……

(End of Chapter)