Chapter 48: Lockhart's Old Habit

In Lockhart's past life, he set strict requirements for his graduate students when asking questions: no more than three questions at a time, and they must be specific and high-quality. They shouldn't be too broad or require thousands of searches to answer. This requirement was well understood by his graduate students.

Regarding the three questions Hermione had raised, Lockhart knew it reflected her true level. He had only briefly chatted with her on the train and hadn't emphasized much, so it was normal for problems to arise.

However, the more Lockhart observed Hermione, the more he liked her. At such a young age, she genuinely used her brain and thought deeply. Although there were mistakes in her thinking, it showed she had great potential.

Thinking of this, Lockhart suddenly became very interested and spoke to Hermione.

"Hermione, you asked three questions. I will answer the second one first. I will explain the remaining questions to you in detail later when I have the opportunity." Hermione was a little confused by Lockhart's refusal but nodded anyway.

Seeing this, Lockhart placed a new mango platter on the desk and asked Hermione to sit opposite him. He began to explain slowly.

"Today, I will share my way of thinking with you. This way of thinking may not be understandable for the time being, but you can write it down and slowly understand it in the days to come."

Hermione nodded in confusion, and Lockhart continued.

"I call this way of thinking 'control input.' What I mentioned before about a small quantity and high quality is a manifestation of this thinking. Controlling input can be understood as restraining oneself, controlling behavior, making one's actions conform to rules, and not doing unnecessary things. First, we must have a systematic approach, treating everything as a system and consciously limiting the elements that enter it.

"You must seize the right opportunity, act decisively when the time is right, and avoid unnecessary actions."

"Reduce system clutter."

"Pursue small amounts and high quality, and restrain your desire to overextend."

Hermione stared at Professor Lockhart with wide eyes, listening carefully to the unfamiliar and complex concepts. She tried hard to understand and remember the information being poured into her mind. Sadly, she found it challenging to comprehend the sentences despite hearing each word clearly. She nodded subconsciously, replying with "um" and "ah" to show she was listening.

Despite her confusion, Hermione sensed that what Professor Lockhart was saying was valuable. Especially as the golden sunlight shone through the glass, casting a golden halo around the confident and knowledgeable Professor Lockhart, she felt he was like a god or a wise man spreading the truth.

"Controlling input is a broad concept that can be applied in various fields," Lockhart continued.

Seeing Hermione's confused look, Lockhart realized he was overwhelming her. He sighed and said, "Hermione, you may not understand everything I've said, but that's okay. Just remember it for now. When you encounter situations in the future, you'll slowly understand what I mean. Finally, I'll give you three core principles of controlling input:

"Less is more!"

"Slow is fast!"

"Small is big!"

Hermione repeated softly, "Less is more, slow is fast, small is big."

Lockhart nodded gently. "Okay, Hermione. Don't worry too much about understanding everything now. You'll grasp it in time. For now, go back to the Gryffindor common room and enjoy your holiday."

Hermione, still processing the information, nodded and slowly left the office. As she walked out, she turned to look at the closed office door, feeling a mix of ignorance and awe. The confusion in her eyes faded, replaced by a light of fanaticism for knowledge.

If Lockhart were to observe Hermione's character recognition at that moment, he would see it fluctuating wildly before stabilizing at 75/100. Unfortunately, Lockhart had become less concerned with the system since entering Hogwarts. He was now fully engrossed in studying spells and runes, constantly seeking to develop more powerful magic suitable for wizards. He rarely checked the system, let alone character recognition or reputation draws.

Looking at the closed office door, Lockhart touched his forehead with a wry smile. His old habit of being a teacher had resurfaced. Seeing a bright and talented student like Hermione, he couldn't help but share his ideas, making her his follower and researcher, without considering her ability to accept it.

He understood it would take a long time to get students to truly embrace his ideas. Long-term immersion and indoctrination were necessary for them to adopt these concepts deeply. Instilling too much information in a short period could lead to resistance.

There were only six hours left in the countdown to his return to the Marvel world. It had been two weeks since the start of school, and students had become familiar with life at Hogwarts, including the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Gilderoy Lockhart.

After two weeks, students had three opinions about him. First to third years found him gentle and interesting. Fourth and fifth years thought he was strict, pushing them to learn a lot and leaving them with substantial homework. Sixth and seventh years saw him more as a friend, sharing knowledge, experiences, and adventures.

Despite their mixed opinions, all students agreed on one thing: Professor Lockhart was generous with rewards. Over the two weeks, students from every year had received snacks and magic amulets, creating a buzz of excitement.

At this moment, Lockhart was in the library, making a request to the librarian, Madam Pince, who was looking down at a book.

"Madam Pince, I need your help with something."

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