Since receiving Dumbledore's handwritten letter at the end of June, Lockhart has been hesitating whether he should accept Dumbledore's offer to go to Hogwarts to serve as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
To be honest, being a professor at Hogwarts is indeed a respectable profession, with good salary and benefits, but the professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts is an exception.
When Lockhart was studying at Hogwarts, he knew that every year something bad would happen to the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, and he would have to quit the job. Many professors of Defense Against the Dark Arts would even be sent to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries because of various troubles.
As far as Lockhart knew, the last professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts who taught them spent seven years in the hospital because of a spell, and he still hasn't fully recovered.
This is not the worst. The previous Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Rowena Smith, has disappeared and her whereabouts are still unknown, and her life or death is uncertain.
The former Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Quirrell Quirinus, died tragically in the dungeon of Hogwarts. These cases directly illustrate the horror of the curse.
Lockhart was not interested in such a high-risk profession. He still valued his life very much and there was really no need to joke about it.
Moreover, after his novels became a big hit, Lockhart never lacked money. Moreover, as a writer, Lockhart was in the rising period of his career. His autobiography "The Magic Me" was about to be published. There was no reason to take this risk. Now he was only interested in how to make himself famous. Just one month after Gilderoy Lockhart wrote a letter to reject Dumbledore's employment, he actually received a letter from Dumbledore that he was about to visit.
To be honest, Lockhart didn't want to meet Dumbledore. He knew very well why the other party came, but after hesitating for a long time, he still didn't directly refuse to meet Dumbledore.
In fact, Lockhart really wanted to know how Dumbledore would convince him, and it was not a good idea to refuse directly. After all, he still needed to give Dumbledore some face.
At the end of July, Dumbledore knocked on Gilderoy Lockhart's door on time under the scorching sun.
"Long time no see, Dumbledore."
After Gilderoy Lockhart invited Dumbledore into the room, he said straight to the point, "I'm just a novel writer. The professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts is not suitable for me."
"Don't be modest, Gilderoy. I believe you are capable enough for this job." Dumbledore smiled and said, "After all, you have done so many amazing things. I remember that you seem to be an honorary member of the Dark Arts Defense League. It is very appropriate for you to be the professor of Defense against the Dark Arts."
Gilderoy Lockhart couldn't help but widen his eyes. Although Dumbledore's flattery made him feel comfortable, but...
"I know what you're worried about. In fact, you don't need to worry so much about the curse. Bard was the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor the last time, and he still left safely." Dumbledore seemed to see through Lockhart's worries and continued, "You only need to resign more than half a month in advance like Bard did, and you won't get into trouble."
Lockhart looked at Dumbledore suspiciously. He knew that Bard had served as the professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts and had gotten away with it, but could he really do it
There is no way around it. The position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts is so notorious that no one has been able to hold the position for more than two years.
"With your connections, you should be able to find a lot of people willing to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, right?" Lockhart asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Unfortunately, I can't find a more suitable candidate for the time being. The professors of this course are running out of staff too quickly." Dumbledore looked embarrassed. "If I were given more time, I would definitely be able to find another suitable professor, but now..."
"I'm sorry, Dumbledore. I'm afraid I'm not qualified for this job. As you know, my new book, The Magical Me, has been published. I need to think about what to write for the next book." Lockhart interrupted directly, "Novel creation is more suitable for me. It's a safe job."
"You can write about the story of your time as a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts." Dumbledore said without hesitation, "Mr. Albert has a good relationship with several Defense Against the Dark Arts professors. Perhaps you will have some common topics."
"You mean Albert Anderson, the one who won the International Wizard Chess Championship not long ago." Lockhart was a little surprised. He had naturally heard of the name of the youngest International Wizard Chess Champion.
"And Harry," Dumbledore added.
"Harry Potter?"
"Harry enrolled last semester and is a sophomore this year."
To be honest, Lockhart had no interest in Albert Anderson because he was not a genius. Chatting with a genius would undoubtedly reveal his true colors, and the "teacher" of this genius was Bud Brod.
Lockhart was somewhat interested in Harry Potter, the savior. If he could become the teacher of "Famous Harry", it would undoubtedly make him more popular than doing anything else.
Especially since he can write those things in his own book, he believes that the next book will definitely be a big seller.
In the end, the desire for fame overcame Lockhart's little caution, and he accepted the job because Dumbledore allowed Lockhart to resign early and allowed... Anyway, the headmaster gave Lockhart a lot of freedom.
Lockhart also planned to take this opportunity to make the books he wrote become textbooks that students needed to buy. This would undoubtedly make his works hot-selling again and accumulate and improve his fame among students.
"Okay!" Lockhart agreed, "but I have a request. If anything happens, I hope to resign in advance. I never thought that I was better than the previous dozens of Defense Against the Dark Arts professors. Since they can't get rid of the curse, I think I'd better take precautions."
"Well, I'm glad you can accept this job." Dumbledore smiled and shook hands with Lockhart. "I think you won't regret it."
"I hope so!"
…
Soon, God gave Lockhart an unexpected surprise. At the signing and sale of "Magic Me" at Flourish and Blotts Bookshop, he met the legendary savior: Harry Potter.
This savior was indeed as famous as the legend said, and immediately attracted the attention of countless people.
Lockhart seized the opportunity, took many photos with Harry, and announced that he would become the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts. He also gave Harry a complete set of his works as a gift. He hoped to use Harry's fame to make headlines, win some of Harry's favor, and lay the foundation for his future role as "Harry's teacher."
Of course, if Lockhart knew that his actions made Harry hate him, I wonder what he would think.