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Chapter 83: Chapter 83 Giedroy Lohart

To celebrate this good news, or perhaps to further capitalize on it, Lockhart decided to host a tea party at Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop in Hogsmeade, where he would meet face-to-face with his loyal fans.

Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop was located on a street corner in Hogsmeade.

The shop was named after its owner, Madam Puddifoot, who had decorated the windows with a variety of quirky trinkets, mostly in a very pale pink, the kind of color young girls adore.

Inside, the shop was cramped and cozy, with the steam from the tea creating a misty atmosphere. Almost all of the furnishings were adorned with tacky lace.

At this time of year, Hogwarts students were on vacation, so there were few young witches and wizards around Hogsmeade. Most of the people inside the tea shop were housewives and older witches who had made the trip specifically for the tea party.

The shop was already filled with groups of witches eagerly watching the small stage set up in front of the tea shop.

"My dear family, how are you all!"

With a loud voice, a flamboyantly dressed wizard emerged from behind the curtains of the tea shop.

Gilderoy Lockhart looked very handsome. He had wavy golden hair, teeth so white they seemed to shine, and a robe that was extremely lavish, covered with intricate and luxurious patterns, resembling a peacock in full display.

Lockhart took the stage holding a golden microphone, warmly greeting the crowd.

A wave of screams erupted in the tea shop as the witches shouted Lockhart's name and eagerly tried to move forward, even dragging their small stools with them.

"Please, everyone be patient. I've made sure to leave enough time for close interaction with my fans!" Lockhart flashed his signature smile, his smooth, even teeth reflecting the light, "Rest assured, I will treat every fan equally. Everyone will receive my autograph and..."

"A hug!"

The witches below grew even more excited, with one of them even fainting from the excitement.

Lockhart seemed prepared for this situation. He waved to the tea shop's counter, and the shop owner, Madam Puddifoot, who was plump and had her hair styled in a sleek black bun, immediately brought a cup of cool tea, struggling through the crowd to reach the fainted witch.

This small incident did not dampen Lockhart's enthusiasm. He stepped onto the specially constructed small stage, standing amidst the numerous candles arranged around it.

"First of all, although everyone certainly knows me, I still need to do a routine self-introduction." He said with a smile.

"I am Gilderoy Lockhart, a holder of the Third Class Merlin Medal, an honorary member of the Anti-Dark Arts League, and I've just recently won the *Witch Weekly* Most Charming Smile Award for the fifth time—of course, I don't flaunt this award. I don't rely on my smile to drive away the banshees of Mourningshire!"

The crowd erupted into enthusiastic applause, with the witches clapping so hard their hands were getting red.

"Excellent, I see everyone has brought my complete set of works—so let me first test how well you understand them..."

"...Firstly, in my book *Voyages with Vampires*, what food did the vampire become obsessed with after meeting me? Please raise your hand to answer."

Almost all the witches raised their hands. Even the witch who had fainted earlier, after drinking the cool tea prepared by Madam Puddifoot, had regained some energy and raised her hand high.

"Good, you there, beautiful lady." Lockhart picked a middle-aged witch with fiery red hair, a bit plump, and who looked gentle and kind.

"What's your name?" he asked.

The witch seemed surprised to be chosen and covered her face like a shy girl.

"Molly, Molly Weasley, Mr. Lockhart." She stood up, excitedly saying, "The answer to the previous question is lettuce!"

"Very good! Perfect answer!" Lockhart smiled as he took a bright pink rose from his pocket and handed it to Mrs. Weasley. "This is your gift. Thank you very much for reading my works attentively."

Mrs. Weasley took the pink rose, her face beaming with joy. The other witches looked on with envy.

Amidst the clamor, a pleasant voice suddenly broke through the chaos from the window.

"So... why did that vampire eat lettuce?"

Lockhart was momentarily stunned and looked towards the window of Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop, realizing that the window, which had been closed, was now open.

A figure with silver hair was sitting on the windowsill. One foot was resting on the window frame while the other dangled freely, and he was holding an open copy of *Voyages with Vampires*.

His voice immediately captured the attention of most of the witches present.

The witches looked at the handsome man who had suddenly appeared with curiosity, secretly comparing him to Lockhart, and found that Lockhart didn't seem as handsome as before after the comparison.

"Madam Puddifoot, how come there's a wizard here?" Seeing the sudden appearance, Lockhart was displeased and asked Madam Puddifoot sternly, "Didn't I say that only those with my complete set of collectible books and a limited invitation could come in? How is the security at your tea shop managed?"

Madam Puddifoot, seeing this business might receive a poor review, quickly squeezed through the crowd towards the window, trying to escort the uninvited guest away.

At that moment, Mrs. Weasley, who had just received the rose, suddenly exclaimed, "Oh my, you must be Professor Dracula, right?" She eagerly greeted Dracula, "Silver hair, wine-red eyes, incredibly handsome... it must be you!"

"You are..." Dracula looked at Mrs. Weasley's red hair and thought of her surname, finding it a bit curious... Could it be another Weasley?

"I'm Percy, Fred, George, and Ron's mother!" Mrs. Weasley said cheerfully. "My children always talk about you, especially Fred and George, who say you're the best Defense Against the Dark Arts professor they've ever had!"

"Don't you remember, you once asked me and my husband to send that crystal ball to Romania!"

"Oh, right! Thank you for your help!" Dracula said, suddenly realizing.

He almost forgot about this matter until Mrs. Weasley reminded him.

Thinking back, if they hadn't helped send that crystal ball to the Brown Castle, he wouldn't have received any messages from there and wouldn't have ended up attending Lockhart's tea party.

Mrs. Weasley warmly expressed her gratitude to Dracula, thanking him for his care of her sons at school and introducing Lockhart as the so-called Dark Arts expert, believing they would have much to discuss.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the tea shop, Lockhart, upon learning that Dracula was a Hogwarts Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, decided not to rush him out but instead came up with a more brilliant plan.

He walked to the side of the stage and instructed the photographer and the reporter recording the event:

"See that Hogwarts professor over there? In a moment, I'll go take a photo with him. You can write in your newspaper—'Shock! Hogwarts Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, who is also a renowned Defense Against the Dark Arts master, Anti-Dark Arts League member, and famous author, Gilderoy Lockhart's fan!'"

After saying this, Lockhart thought of Dracula's handsome face and was still a bit uneasy. He repeatedly reminded the photographer:

"Remember, when taking the photo, absolutely avoid showing the professor's full face! Position my 'most charming smile' in the center of the frame and just find a small corner for him."

The photographer gave an "okay" hand signal.

Lockhart finally relaxed, displaying what he believed to be a very fitting smile, and walked towards Dracula by the window.

"Ah, Professor Dracula, it's a pleasure to finally meet you!" he said with exaggerated enthusiasm.

At the same time, he extended a hand to Dracula and gave what he thought was a perfect smile for the camera.

However, Dracula frowned in disdain, showing no intention of shaking Lockhart's hand.

He could smell a heavy perfume on Lockhart, even more intense than Quirrell's! This scent was unacceptable to a vampire's sensitive nose.

After the incident with the Philosopher's Stone, everyone learned about Quirrell.

He had used perfume to mask the decayed smell from Voldemort's possession, and wasn't the weak, lecherous man students had believed him to be.

But Lockhart, looking vibrant and energetic, obviously wasn't afflicted by any dark magic.

So, one might suspect if such a person would have other physiological issues...

"Click."

The photographer captured a precious image—

Famous author Gilderoy Lockhart extending a hand with a forced smile towards the camera, while the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor beside him crossed his arms and looked out the window with a disdainful expression.

"Ahem, that's not how I asked you to take the photo!" Lockhart cleared his throat and urgently shouted to the photographer, "Destroy this photo immediately, do you hear me?!"

After saying this, to avoid further embarrassment, he thought of another plan.

Lockhart snatched the copy of *Voyages with Vampires* that Dracula had carelessly left on the windowsill and took out a peacock feather quill from his pocket, signing his name elegantly on the book's title page.

He planned to have the newspaper headline read:

"Breaking News! The famous writer was actually taken by Professor Hogwarts in public and his whereabouts are unknown!