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Chapter 36: The Young Wizards Begging for Snacks!

After Lockhart finished calling the names, he stood on the podium, looking at the young wizards below. Their expectant eyes gradually dimmed, extinguishing the last glimmer of hope that Professor Lockhart might give them a special effects show.

Lockhart noticed their disappointed expressions and, with a faint smile, said in a brisk tone, "Okay, I know what you are thinking. Actually, I wasn't ready to show it to you, but if you meet my requirements, I can show it to you once."

Upon hearing this, the young wizards' eyes immediately lit up, and they all stared at Lockhart with renewed interest.

Seeing everyone's high spirits, Lockhart raised the test paper in his hand and said, "Before that, you need to take a test." As soon as he finished speaking, the smiles on almost all the wizards' faces disappeared. The wizards sitting in the front looked as if their faces had frozen, while George and Fred in the back lowered their heads and whispered.

"I knew that Professor Lockhart would be up to no good."

"I knew it."

Lockhart noticed everyone's expressions, still smiling, and waved his wand, causing the test papers to float in front of each young wizard. He said, "I know it's really inappropriate to have a test in the first class of Defense Against the Dark Arts. But there's no way around it. The principal mentioned that your foundation in DADA is a bit weak and you need me to make up for it."

Lockhart was quite experienced in shifting blame, and even if the principal knew about it, he would laugh it off.

"So, I want to assess your level through this test and then formulate a targeted study plan for you." After hearing what Lockhart said, all the wizards looked even more dejected, realizing there was nothing they could do about it.

"But," Lockhart continued, his tone changing to one of temptation, "this exam is not for nothing. If you do well, there will be rewards."

Hearing this, the young wizards immediately raised their heads, their eyes lighting up, and they began to ask loudly.

"Professor Lockhart, what is the reward? Is it a snack?"

"Yes, professor! I like dragon milk cheese."

"Professor, if I get good grades, can I skip writing a paper?" George and Fred chimed in.

"Professor, I actually like chocolate frogs and moonlight toffee. Can you use this as a reward?"

"I like it too. In fact, strange-flavored beans are also fine."

Lockhart's face was full of black lines as he heard the wizards begging for snacks. It seemed that the story about giving dragon milk cheese to Alice had spread this morning.

"Shh!" Lockhart signaled for silence, and soon the room was quiet. He raised a test paper and said gently, "Don't worry, if you do well in the test, not only will there be snacks, but I will also give you a personal-made amulet."

Hearing this, the young wizards cheered in surprise. Lockhart added unhurriedly, "Of course, you two still have to write the paper."

George and Fred, instead of being dejected, were very excited. The reward was the most important thing, and they must take the test seriously this time. They had heard Ron talking about the magic amulet Professor Lockhart gave Harry, and they were envious. Now they had a chance to get one too.

Lockhart looked at the wizards and began to introduce the exam rules. "The exam lasts one hour, and the results will be determined according to O.W.L.s. Students who obtain the highest grade, O (Outstanding), can get a magic amulet made by me and 20 points for their House."

"Of course, if you want snacks, that's fine too. If you reach the E (Exceeds Expectations) level, I will give you the snack you want."

Upon hearing this, the wizards cheered. They knew that reaching O (Outstanding) was difficult, but E (Exceeds Expectations) was within their grasp.

"Students who achieve A (Acceptable) should study more and listen carefully to the lectures." As for P (Poor), D (Dreadful), and T (Troll), which symbolized unsatisfactory results, Lockhart didn't need to say much. They knew the consequences.

"The contents of this test paper are all derived from the textbooks you studied before. Their sources will be pointed out after the test."

As he spoke, Lockhart waved his wand. Almost simultaneously, a group of colorful fireworks appeared in the air and exploded with a small bang, signaling the start of the exam.

"Let's get started, the timer starts now."

Following Lockhart's order, the wizards immediately began answering the papers seriously. Lockhart watched them with a slight smile.

Everything he said was true, but he didn't think highly of their previous performance in Defense Against the Dark Arts. He had collected information beforehand. Last year's Professor Quirrell was focused on other matters, playing a dangerous game with Dumbledore. What could these wizards learn from that?

The year before, the professor was a vampire, reportedly drooling at the students. Despite this, there were no teaching accidents, but the wizards were scared and avoided classes.

The year before that, a normal wizard taught, but his teaching level was average, and he left after a year. As the years changed, the wizards lost focus on this course.

Both Defense Against the Dark Arts and History of Magic classes at Hogwarts were challenging due to inconsistent teaching quality. For the History of Magic, Professor Binns' lectures were too boring. For Defense Against the Dark Arts, the teachers changed yearly, disrupting the curriculum.

Lockhart's exam paper was not difficult. His main goal was to identify those who had been studying seriously so he could focus on cultivating them. He liked self-taught students because they were less demanding on his time and energy.

As the young wizards diligently answered their test papers, Lockhart observed with satisfaction. Everything was proceeding according to plan.

Chapter 37 Discussion: How to Solve the Problem if the Teacher Catches You Cheating on the Spot

Time passed minute by minute. Lockhart sat on the podium, took out a magic book, and poured himself a glass of water. He drank water and read at the same time. Occasionally, he looked down at the students who were answering the papers.

In his previous life, Lockhart had done a lot of monitoring exams, and he was quite familiar with this process. He knew when to be lazy and when to look up.

The only difference is that in his previous life, if he was lazy, he could play with his mobile phone, but now he could only read.

Soon, a quarter of an hour passed. Lockhart, who was reading a book, quietly heard the rustling sound of writing starting to become intermittent. What does that mean?

Lockhart, who had extensive experience in proctoring exams, naturally knew. Looking up at the students below, he saw obvious anxiety on some of their faces, and beads of sweat could be clearly seen on their foreheads. Lockhart shook his head slightly.

It's over!

It seems he still overestimated these students. Although the questions he asked were not particularly simple, they were not difficult. They were all written word for word in the textbook from the year before. At most, he only changed a few paragraphs, set up some small traps, and some he didn't change at all.

According to his estimation, no matter how bad their skills were, it would take at least half an hour for them to finish. It's only 15 minutes in, and only a quarter of the exam time has passed.

After a while, with almost half an hour left, Lockhart stood up and walked slowly toward the aisle between the desks below. While walking, he observed the students on both sides as they answered questions.

Lockhart didn't take two or three steps before he noticed the students of Slytherin House on the left and Gryffindor on the right. The quills stayed on the scrolls, motionless, their brows furrowed, and their faces slightly red. Seeing him walking by, they subconsciously pulled at the test papers, trying to cover the places where they couldn't write the answers.

Lockhart glanced at them, said nothing, and continued walking slowly toward the back. Of the four-page paper, most students had only written more than one page.

He had set the questions from easy to difficult. The first page of the paper was full of very simple questions, some of which could even be answered with common sense. The second page was a little more difficult, but if they studied hard, it should have been very easy to answer. The third page was more of a test for students who were talented and studied hard. The fourth page had only three questions—difficult ones that he had specially found. If any student could solve them, then the Lockhart Club would welcome them.

But after scanning through the papers, he found that most students started to get anxious on the second page. Some even didn't finish the first page. Lockhart shook his head slightly. It seems that in the coming period, these students really need to make up for their mistakes.

Lockhart continued walking to the back of the classroom, then turned around and walked toward another aisle, still slowly watching the surrounding students answering test papers. Although most students were anxious and hesitant on page two, some students started writing furiously on page three. Lockhart even saw a student who was thinking about the first big question on page four. He couldn't help but nod slightly. He remembered the student's name—David Macmillan, a young wizard from Slytherin House.

Suddenly, Lockhart stopped and looked down at the Weasley twins in front of him, his mouth twitching slightly. They had previously attempted to skip class, and now they were openly cheating on his exam. Lockhart sensed it briefly and discovered that the quills in the hands of the Weasley twins exuded a magical power. The nature of this magic was somewhat similar to the floating spell. Little did he know that this was Harry Potter's world-famous exam cheating tool—the automatic answering quill!

If a Hogwarts professor held an exam, the first thing they would do was consider confiscating these exam cheating tools. But he had no such awareness at all. After handing out the papers, he invigilated the exam based on his past experience.

With his thoughts turning, Lockhart looked at George and Fred, who kept their heads down and seemed to be answering the questions very seriously.

Then...

"Accio automatic answering quill!"

With a flying spell, the quills in their hands flew into Lockhart's hands. George and Fred raised their heads in embarrassment and looked at Professor Lockhart, who had a serious face in front of them. He had a reserved look and a guilty look on his face!

Discussion: How to Solve the Problem if the Teacher Catches You Cheating on the Spot?

Then, a voice came to their ears: "The size of your paper will be doubled. At least a 16-page essay and come to my office on Thursday at noon as well."

Then they watched Lockhart take out his wand and point it at their test papers. Under the gaze of the twins, the content of the original answers disappeared. They heard Lockhart's indifferent voice again: "Rewrite it, redo the test, and if I catch you cheating again, I will double the size of the essay."

Suddenly, the two of them looked at the blank test paper in front of them with sad faces. It's over. Originally, eight pages were quite long, but now it's 16 pages. It's terrible.

After Lockhart finished speaking, he continued to move forward. He wanted to observe carefully. Who dared to cheat?

After walking through the entire classroom, Lockhart nodded with satisfaction. On the first day of school, there were really not many people who dared to cheat on the spot, only the Weasley twins. Immediately, he returned to his seat and waited for the end of the exam.

Time passed slowly, and soon it was time to end the exam.

Boom! Lockhart waved his wand, and a ball of colorful fireworks appeared in the air again, exploding with a small bang, symbolizing the end of the exam.

"Okay, everyone stop writing." Lockhart's voice spread throughout the classroom, and most of the students who had looked anxious before let out a sigh of relief. Finally, they no longer had to think about it anymore; they really couldn't think of an answer. But there was still a trace of sadness on their faces, as if they knew their grades were probably going to be bad.

Others, like George and Fred, looked nervous and were busy answering the papers. Even though Lockhart told them to stop, they did not put down the quill in their hands. Only a few students looked calm, as if they knew their grades would not be too bad.

Seeing this, Lockhart waved his wand. In an instant, among the students who were writing furiously, their quills suddenly lost control and floated in mid-air. Immediately afterward, the test paper in front of each student also floated in mid-air and then floated towards the podium. As Lockhart gently swiped his wand, all the students' test papers were placed in a pile and placed neatly on the podium.

Chapter 38: Lockhart's Way of Training the Little Wizards

Looking at the thick stack of test papers placed on the podium, the students below were basically silent. The classroom was very quiet, as if a silencing spell had been cast.

Seeing this, Lockhart didn't say anything and sat down directly to grade the test papers. At the same time, the students below began to communicate quietly.

"How did you do?"

"What do you think? I answered with confidence at the beginning, but when I reached the second page, I couldn't continue. What about you?"

"Same as you, I seem to have seen the questions before, but I don't know how to answer them."

"Ah, it's done, it's done. I'm never getting that snack. It's good that I won't be criticized by the professor this time."

"It's so miserable. Many of the questions look familiar, but I can't answer them. I'm finished."

On the podium, Lockhart was grading papers quickly. With his rich experience in grading, he could tell which answers were correct and which were wrong with a simple glance. There was no need to write by hand; just a point with the magic wand, and corrections and marks would automatically appear on the test paper.

In addition, the vast majority of students had basically only finished page one and couldn't do much on page two. This significantly reduced the difficulty of marking. As time went by, the thick pile of test papers to be reviewed slowly shrank at a visible speed. Instead, there were now three stacks of test papers with different thicknesses. The thickest stack on the right was basically failing grades. The thin stack in the middle indicated passable and good results. There were only a few papers on the left with relatively good results.

It took almost no time for Lockhart to record everyone's results. Then he waved his magic wand, and each test paper floated in front of each student. After all the students received their test papers, most of them looked bitter, and one could imagine their results.

Lockhart stood up when he saw everyone's expressions and said with some sadness, "Have you all seen your results? I believe no one wants me to read out the results. My evaluation of this test is only one word - poor."

"Only four people got A (Acceptable), two people got E (Exceed Expectation), one person got O (Outstanding), and the remaining 42 people all failed. What does this mean? Your foundation is too low. Fortunately, you will not participate in O.W.L.s until next year, so there is still time to make up for it. Otherwise, according to the regulations of previous years, such scores would not allow you to enter advanced classes, let alone get N.E.W.T.s certificates."

After hearing Lockhart's reprimand, most students lowered their heads silently, looking at the red P (Poor) on their test papers with some shame. In response, Lockhart nodded with satisfaction. As the saying goes, know your shame and then be brave. Knowing shame is a good thing; only in this way will you have the motivation to work hard.

Then Lockhart reached out and took out a magic amulet, and said to everyone, "Okay, now that the results are out, I will also honor the rewards I promised. Now, let our only wizard from Slytherin House with an O (Outstanding) grade, David Macmillan, come up and receive your reward."

David Macmillan, who had always straightened his back, held his head high, and looked confident, had a smile on his face when he heard Lockhart call his name. He had been working hard on the test paper just now. It could be said that he racked his brains and finally got first place.

So, he ran all the way to the podium. Lockhart handed the magic amulet in his hand to the student in front of him, then looked at the students below and introduced it loudly.

"This is a magic amulet that I specially refined. It has a warning effect. If you encounter danger or black magic, it will warn you to stay away from danger. If there is no time to escape, it will automatically cast a layer of shield to resist the attack."

After hearing Professor Lockhart's introduction, David excitedly picked up the magic amulet in his hand, then raised it high above his head, waving it towards the classmates below as if to show off. The students below looked envious after seeing it. Seeing this, Lockhart nodded slightly.

After David returned to his seat with the amulet, Lockhart continued to speak to the students below, "As for the two students who got E (Exceed Expectation), you can tell me now what snacks you want. I'll have the owl send them to you then."

After hearing Lockhart's promise, the two students below were full of excitement, stretched their hands high, and shouted loudly at the same time.

"I want dragon's milk cheese."

"I want the carrot cake."

Hearing the shouts of the two students, the other students who had not received awards looked at them with envy. Lockhart saw this, and a faint smile appeared on his face. Knowing that the opportunity had presented itself, it was time to take the next dose of strong medicine. This strong dose of medicine should be able to take care of them.

"Cough! Cough!"

With a slight cough, all the students below immediately focused their attention on Lockhart. Seeing this, Lockhart said in a deep voice, "Such a test will be held once a month in the future. Those at the top will receive various rewards."

With that said, Lockhart took out his wand and waved it. Dozens of magic items floated out from the space bag, including amulets, hats, shoes, crystal balls, etc. Arranged neatly in front of many students, they then heard Lockhart's seductive voice ringing in their ears.

"These various magic items, including the snacks you want, as long as you do well in the monthly test, you will have a chance to get them. And if you make significant progress, you can also get my reward. I will list the specific rules later so that everyone can see them. As long as you work hard, anything is possible."

In an instant, all the students in the classroom were filled with excitement and started cheering. The classroom was in a state of excitement. They had never received any rewards in tests before. This time Professor Lockhart was actually willing to provide reward items, something as rare as magic items. Who doesn't like that? The most important thing is that it's not just once, it's monthly. If they don't get it once, keep working hard next month, and there is still hope.

Lockhart looked at the boiling classroom with a faint smile on his face. All his actions in this class can be described in one word: suppress first and then raise!

First, a test paper was used to completely correct the mentality of these students. He knew very well that the teaching skills of the previous Defense Against the Dark Arts courses were either very average or had problems. The whole class was very impetuous. Otherwise, the foundation would not be so poor. After completely correcting their impetuous mentality, he let them correct their learning attitude. It's time to stimulate them to study hard.

When it comes to excitement, based on his experience in his previous life, he liked to throw money at them. When the graduate students under him saw the large cash rewards, he had to praise them for their hard work. But now, he can't just throw gold Galleons at it.

On the one hand, the graduate students in his previous life were all adults, so there was no problem in tempting them with money. But now, these students are only fourteen or fifteen years old. He can't use money to seduce them, regardless of whether this violates their moral conscience. Lockhart was a little afraid that Dumbledore would call him to the office and give him a lecture.

Naturally, there is no problem in getting interesting magic items. On the other hand, it is naturally to spread the runes. The magic items he took out were all refined by studying the runes himself. These magic items are all related to runes. If they want to delve into them, they will only develop their interest in runes. As long as he gives a little guidance later, it is very conducive to the promotion of new magic systems in the later period.

Well, it's definitely not because these magic items are cheap to refine and affordable.

Chapter 39: Wizarding Holy Land: Hogwarts Library

Hogwarts, Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

Ring ring ring!

As the bell rang, the fourth-year Defense Against the Dark Arts class officially ended in the afternoon. A large number of wizards walked briskly, with smiles on their faces, excitedly walking out of the classroom door and towards the lounges of their respective houses. Only a few students stayed in the classroom, gathered around the podium, asking Professor Lockhart to answer some of their questions.

"Professor, why don't protective earmuffs work when you encounter a harpy?"

"The reason is simple. Their high-pitched screams can drive people crazy and are extremely penetrating. Ordinary protective earmuffs cannot resist them at all. The best way is to use a silencing spell to deal with them."

As Lockhart patiently answered every question, the young wizards soon left with satisfaction. Looking at the empty classroom, Lockhart felt very comfortable inside. He hadn't had such fun lecturing in a long time. The last class was for first-year wizards. The main purpose was to introduce them to magic and encourage them to increase their interest in it. This lesson was for the wizards in the fourth year. Although it took a lot of time to prepare the test in the first place, he quite enjoyed it.

He estimated that he had not taught in the classroom for nearly half a year. It's not that he likes teaching students very much; it's purely a professional habit. In his previous life, even if he had a research project, he would have at least four classes every week. This state lasted for about six or seven years, allowing him to develop the habit of attending classes regularly.

Then, Lockhart walked out of the classroom and towards his office. He needed to tidy up. He had finished the two major classes today, and he could spend the rest of his time freely. He would be going to a place he thought about day and night—the Hogwarts library.

In his previous life, Lockhart paid great attention to the quality of life. He liked to adjust his state through small rituals. For example, before reading a book, he would close his eyes and meditate for five minutes. Before doing something, it was a habit to print out his plan on a page and place it in the most conspicuous place in front of him, always reminding himself what to do next.

This time, entering the Hogwarts library, he decided that he must take a good wash and even change his clothes into a new set. This was his devotion to knowledge. At the same time, it was also a tribute to the Hogwarts library.

The Hogwarts Library's status in the wizarding world is like the British Library's status in the world in his previous life. World famous! World number one! Hogwarts is a sacred place for all wizards. Its legacy and rich collection can be called a repository of wizard civilization information. Since the establishment of Hogwarts more than 1,600 years ago, every principal has continued to enrich the library's collection. There was even a period when the principal at that time included the collections of pure-blood families.

Lockhart had seen these details in "Hogwarts: A History of the School." Of course, it didn't say it directly, but through hints, Lockhart understood. Otherwise, why would the book mention: "After some cordial and friendly exchanges, the Pureblood Families agreed with Hogwarts' philosophy of cultivating better wizards and voluntarily allowed the Principal to make copies of their books for the school's collection."

Tsk tsk tsk, look, this is what a Hogwarts principal should do. In Lockhart's eyes, it is simply a treasure that is difficult to describe in words.

When he walked into the library with a pious heart, he felt the peaceful atmosphere inside and heard the rustling of pages. There was peace in his heart. Especially seeing a large number of books emitting magic fluctuations neatly placed on a large number of bookshelves, the fire in his eyes was replaced by reason. Because reading a book is not just about finding a book and reading it. When entering the library, you cannot just find a seat and pick up a book to read. This is not called reading; it is called spending time. Everything must pay attention to methods and everything must have a clear purpose.

At this moment, Lockhart looked at Ms. Pince, the Hogwarts librarian, who was sitting at a table not far away. He walked directly to her. Although Lockhart deliberately controlled his footsteps, not wanting to affect others or tarnish this sacred library in his mind, it still made Ms. Pince, who had sensitive hearing, look up.

"Professor Lockhart, what book are you looking for?" Wearing a dark green wizard robe, Ms. Pince, who was tall and pretty, asked curiously. She was quite curious about the newly appointed Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. The fact that he came to the library on the first day of class was enough to show his love for knowledge. This made Ms. Pince, who loved reading, have a good impression of Lockhart, not to mention his handsome face. Especially since he came from Ravenclaw, which symbolizes wisdom. She was also a witch from Ravenclaw but later worked as a librarian at Hogwarts.

"Ms. Pince, you must have been working as a librarian for many years. I would like to ask if there is an inventory of the books in the library. I would like to have a general idea of the distribution of books in the entire library."

Ms. Pince was stunned for a moment when she heard Lockhart's request. For the first time, she heard that someone wanted to read the list of books. The average professor would either ask her directly where the books are, or ask her if she had any books to recommend, or at most ask her to make a list of recommendations. No one had ever directly asked for an inventory of the entire library's books. It's not that it is impossible to have, it just doesn't make much sense. After all, there are too many books. If you want a book, just ask her directly. She is very familiar with the placement of every book in the library.

Seeing Ms. Pince stunned on the spot, Lockhart repeated his request again, with a hint of certainty in his tone. "Ms. Pince, do you have an inventory of all the books in the library?"

Hearing Lockhart ask again, Ms. Pince came back to her senses, looked at Lockhart in front of her, and asked uncontrollably, "Professor Lockhart, do you know how many books there are in the Hogwarts library?"

Chapter 40: Lockhart's Way of Reading

Lockhart's office.

Lockhart sat at the desk in his office, slowly flipping through the thick list of Hogwarts books on the desk. He felt very excited and had a bright smile on his face. Although Ms. Pince did not understand Lockhart's request, when faced with a very reasonable request from a professor, she pulled out a carefully compiled list of books. This is the basic quality of a professional librarian. Well, it was definitely not because of Lockhart's handsome appearance, but simply because she was moved by his enthusiasm for knowledge.

After Lockhart got the list, he thanked her, returned to his office, and studied it slowly. As a university professor, he read a lot of books. He understood very well that entering a library and finding a place to sit down and read a seemingly high-end book was inefficient. In his eyes, it even felt like a waste of time. When he reads a book, he first looks at the author. What kind of research results has this author had? What great things has he done? If so, it means that as long as the author writes the book carefully, it will at least be of high quality.

Secondly, he looks at the table of contents of the book. The quality of a book can largely be judged by its table of contents. Through the table of contents, he can quickly understand what the book is about and what it involves. Even the essence of a book can be judged by the table of contents.

Through the list, he can quickly learn about the entire collection of Hogwarts library books. More importantly, he can completely understand the changes in the wizarding world over the past 1,600 years through this list. Whether it is in the fields of magic, potions, alchemy, etc., he can judge the development of wizard civilization over the years by the titles of the books.

Because the title is a core introduction to the entire book!

For example, just now Lockhart saw a book from 1340, "Subverting the Concept of Potions - The Importance of Wizards' Will," written by the famous potion master Susanna Gina. A brief look at the title of this book shows that in the 14th century, wizard civilization probably had a breakthrough development in the field of potions. Let's look at the potion books written before 1340: "18 Techniques for Refining Potions," "Detailed Explanations of 72 Kinds of Potions," "Seizing the Timing of Refining Potions," etc. It soon became clear that before the 14th century, the refining of potions was probably limited to techniques and medicinal materials, not much attention was paid to the wizard's emotions and will.

Nowadays, emotions and will are important to wizards. Even Lockhart, a novice in potion-making, understands their importance. This is the change of the times and the development of history. From this list of famous books, Lockhart can completely estimate the development and changes in various fields of the entire wizarding civilization, and can even simply speculate on future development trends.

This is the difference between a specialist scholar and an ordinary person reading books. It's completely an iteration of concepts, a dimensionality reduction attack on cognition. If an ordinary wizard saw so many books, he would be dazzled. He might become addicted to the ocean of knowledge and be unable to extricate himself. In the end, even if he walked out of the entire Hogwarts library, he would probably gain very little.

After all, there are too many books and too much knowledge. There is infinite knowledge in the world, only similarities and differences!

Hogwarts, Headmaster's Office

Dumbledore wore half-moon lenses and sat at his huge desk, silently listening to Professor McGonagall, in her dark green wizard robes, report on the start of the school year.

"Gryffindor House has been at the bottom again, and the reason is still the Weasley twins," Professor McGonagall complained, then continued to report, "Headmaster, the school has just started, and the school's food fund reserve currently totals 146 gold Galleons. The Ministry of Magic and the school board will allocate 600 Galleons at the end of the month, which is enough for all the students for the year, with some left for the cultivation of magical plants."

Seeing Dumbledore's gentle nod, Professor McGonagall continued, "Regarding teachers' funds, each professor's monthly salary is 50 gold Galleons. At the end of the year, there will be a bonus worth 100 gold Galleons." Professor McGonagall continued expressionlessly, "Headmaster, should the year-end bonus be paid directly in gold Galleons or should we purchase the corresponding items?"

Dumbledore thought for a while and said gently, "Let's change it to gold Galleons this year. We distributed items last year, and I felt that Snape's attitude was not great."

"Okay, Headmaster." Professor McGonagall picked up the quill next to her and quickly took notes before continuing to report, "Regarding Professor Lockhart, during class, he asked the students to take a test and reward outstanding students. He told me that he would personally prepare the rewards. However, Lockhart said that if the school is willing to provide a production fund, he would not mind."

After hearing this, Dumbledore smiled, nodded silently, and said nothing. Professor McGonagall did not repeat it and continued to report on matters related to the start of school. Regarding Lockhart's request, Professor McGonagall thought: He still wanted the school to provide funds for what he had promised, and the gold Galleons at Hogwarts were not easy to get. That money was donated by the Ministry of Magic and the school board. Besides, he himself said that he wanted to reward outstanding students, so of course, the school welcomes it. But since he said it, he shouldn't expect the school to bear this responsibility. Otherwise, in the future, whatever the professors say casually will be expected to be borne by the school—what kind of loss would the school suffer?

Professor McGonagall, who has always acted rigorously and is known as the Vice-Principal of Hogwarts, takes an attitude towards school funds: she will take it very seriously and will not let a single gold Galleon go to waste. Well, as long as it didn't cost Hogwarts money, she always had a favorable attitude.

Then, Professor McGonagall reported to Dumbledore one by one the matters and problems related to the start of school. Basically, she came with her own solutions to most problems, and Dumbledore did not veto them but silently nodded in agreement. Professor McGonagall is very accustomed to Dumbledore's attitude—because it has been this process for all these years. Everything in Hogwarts, big and small, basically passes through her hands. When problems arise, she reports them to Dumbledore for the final decision. Dumbledore trusted Professor McGonagall so much that he basically stayed out of Hogwarts-related affairs. However, Professor McGonagall still expressed her respect for the principal and would report to Principal Dumbledore at the beginning of every month.

Suddenly!

Dumbledore heard Professor McGonagall say, "Ms. Pince  said that yesterday Professor Lockhart asked her for a catalogue of library books. She believes that the book list can be made into a magic item, which can automatically tell the corresponding location of the books according to the professor's needs, which can reduce her work. So, I want to apply to the school to refine these magic items. I personally suggest that you do it. It will be a bit difficult for the school library to be managed by Ms. Pince  alone."

After Dumbledore heard this, he did not make any move and kept squinting in thought. Professor McGonagall was a little surprised by this. Such a thing should be worth doing. It would only benefit the school and not cause any harm.

Then she heard the first question Dumbledore asked today:

"You just said that Professor Lockhart asked Madam Pince for a catalogue of library books, right?"