Chapter 535: It’s cool to be cool for a while
Professor Sprout bandaged the Whomping Willow very quickly. Several damaged branches were hung by bandages, which looked a bit ridiculous, like a person with a broken arm wrapped in a plaster and hanging in bandages.
However, Albert's focus was more on the cave hidden under the Whomping Willow, the passage leading to the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade.
If Professor Sprout wasn't here, he would really want to go in and take a look.
Speaking of which, when Sirius Black broke into Hogwarts, why didn't anyone think that this might be the way to bypass Hogwarts' protective magic?
It is obviously impossible for Professor Sprout not to have discovered the cave under the tree.
forgotten?
Sure enough, there are some things that cannot be studied deeply. Once you study deeply, you will find a lot of loopholes. Perhaps, he had also checked here before, but Blake had left early.
After all, who would pay special attention to a dog without anyone reminding him?
Albert did not continue to think about these questions, because someone came over this way, it was Gilderoy Lockhart.
This guy showed up at the perfect time, because Professor Sprout was almost finished treating the Whomping Willow.
"Good morning, Professor Sprout, and Mr. Anderson." Lockhart greeted the two with a cheerful face. "Last night, I heard that the Whomping Willow was seriously injured, so I came over to see if I could help treat it. , I also encountered many magical plants during my travels."
"I've almost finished treating the Whomping Willow, so I don't need to bother you anymore." Professor Sprout said dryly, obviously a little impatient with Lockhart's appearance.
"No, don't bother, I'm also good at treating magical plants." Lockhart had already taken out his wand and cut off some of the broken branches on the tree.
“Be careful, keep your head down!”
An anxious voice suddenly sounded in everyone's ears, and they saw that the trunk of the Whomping Willow had swept over out of thin air. Lockhart, who was trimming the Whomping Willow with his wand, was caught off guard by the branch and was thrown away violently. , fell heavily to the ground.
The next moment, more branches fell towards Lockhart on the ground, causing him to roll awkwardly to the left to avoid the heavy knocking branches.
Just when the Whomping Willow tilted its entire body, preparing to beat Lockhart into a pulp with a thick branch, the violent attack suddenly quieted down, and a crisis was resolved out of thin air.
"Oh, my God, are you okay, Professor Lockhart?" Albert asked with worry on his face.
Professor Sprout saw that the results he had just achieved were ruined, and then looked at the embarrassed Lockhart, and the sullen expression on his face could not help but diminish.
“Great, Mr. Anderson, you controlled the Whomping Willow in time, ten points for Gryffindor.” Professor Sprout said to Albert with a smile, “Please send Gilderoy to the school hospital.”
"Okay, Professor." Albert heard the implication of Professor Sprout's words, waved his wand to summon a stretcher, and then moved Professor Lockhart, who was lying on the ground and moaning, to the stretcher, and fixed him with a belt. On the stretcher, when he was about to carry the person to the campus hospital, he heard Professor Sprout's voice from behind him again.
"Very nice magic, Mr. Anderson, ten more points for Gryffindor." Professor Sprout was obviously very happy with Lockhart's experience.
There is no doubt that Lockhart was really unpopular with the professor.
"Then I'll go first!" Albert followed the floating stretcher back to the castle.
"Can you put me down, Mr. Anderson?" Lockhart struggled for a moment, as if he wanted to get off the stretcher. He didn't want other students to see his embarrassment.
"Professor Lockhart, I suggest you don't move around. The Whomping Willow hit you hard enough just now, maybe a few bones were broken." Albert's gentle voice sounded in Lockhart's ears: "In view of the black The Professor of Magical Defense is always cursed, so I think you should ask Madam Pomfrey to check you out, lest there are any undiscovered injuries that could lead to your sudden and unexpected death."
Lockhart's expression suddenly froze, and Albert's soft whisper made his hair stand on end like a demon.
Yes, he remembered that he was holding the cursed position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
So, the reason why the Whomping Willow suddenly attacked me just now was because of the curse of the Defense Against Dark Arts course?
Have you made a wrong decision?
At this moment, Lockhart regretted why he took over this position.
On the way to the school hospital, several students he met looked at him curiously. Albert believed that this matter would soon spread in the school.
After Albert carried Lockhart into the campus hospital, Madam Pomfrey looked at Lockhart on the stretcher with a strange expression. She listened to Albert's story while checking, mumbling something unknown.
Albert vaguely heard words like two bones were broken, but fortunately the internal organs were not damaged, and it was handled properly. Lockhart's face became even paler with fear.
Next, nothing happened to Albert. When he came to the hall, he heard many girls talking about Lockhart being injured and being carried to the school hospital.
As soon as Albert sat down next to George, a group of girls gathered around and asked what was going on.
After hearing that Lockhart showed Professor Sprout how to treat the wounds of the Whomping Willow, and was severely injured by the tree, several boys around him were stunned in surprise.
"Don't look at me, that's how it is." Albert spread his hands helplessly and said, "Maybe this is the curse of the Defense Against the Dark Arts course!"
Of course, Albert would not say that he secretly loosened the knot, causing the Whomping Willow to attack Lockhart.
“The curse is so terrible. I didn’t expect it to take effect on the first day of school.” Lee Jordan said in an exaggerated tone, sounding a bit gloating.
At this moment, they all shut up because Professor McGonagall, who was handing out the course schedules along the Gryffindor table to them, asked about Lockhart.
After hearing Albert’s story, Professor McGonagall actually gave Albert an extra five points.
“It seems that Professor McGonagall doesn’t like Lockhart either.” Fred looked at Professor McGonagall’s leaving figure and muttered softly,
George and Lee Jordan also nodded in agreement, otherwise how could they give Albert points?
While everyone was discussing Lockhart's misfortune, a loud noise filled the entire auditorium.
“…I wouldn’t be surprised if they fired you for stealing a car…”
Albert looked sideways at Fred and George with a strange expression. The voice seemed to be Mrs. Weasley.
After the roaring stopped, he even felt that his ears were still buzzing.
All the students in the hall turned and looked at the Gryffindor table, wanting to see who had received the roaring letter.
“Ron got the howler letter,” muttered Fred. “I’ve never seen Mum look so angry.”
“Me too.” George was still frightened.
As they spoke, the two of them looked in the direction of Ron, and saw that their younger brother had buried his head in his plate in shame.
This is the price of failure in pretending!
(End of this chapter)