Harry Potter: The Golden Viper

As we all know, at Hogwarts, if a secret is known by more than one student or professor, the news will usually spread within one to three days, depending on how explosive it is. Even Hagrid's dog, Fang, knew about it.

As everyone discussed the surprising news of Mr. Bryan becoming their Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Harry overheard the conversation despite spending the entire day without leaving except for going to the restroom and relied on a few pieces of beef brought by Ron for lunch. He hobbled his way to the couch where Ron, Neville, and Seamus often discussed matters, maneuvering past jubilant senior students.

"Is it true, Ron? Mr. Watson is going to be our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor!"

"It's just the assistant professor, Harry," Ron clarified, making room for Harry, who was exhausted. "The news first came from Hufflepuff. I thought it was a joke, but on the way back from delivering your lunch, I overheard Ravenclaw's Michael and Terry discussing it in the hall. Apparently, Malfoy has already gone to confirm it with Snape," Ron explained.

Ron furrowed his brow, looking perplexed. "Honestly, I still can't understand how this happened!"

"But it's a good thing, isn't it?" Neville cautiously expressed his opinion, but when he noticed everyone looking at him, he immediately shrank his neck and hesitated, "I mean, he's an investigator, and he should know better than Lockhart when it comes to dealing with dark magic!"

Harry and Ron looked at each other without answering. It was hard to determine the teaching abilities of Mr. Watson since they hadn't seen him yet. Judging from Lockhart's performance in the dueling class last semester, it seemed unlikely that Lockhart could match Mr. Watson's skill, no matter how good he was at flattery.

At that moment, the Weasley twins, who had also just arrived, enthusiastically high-fived each other upon hearing the news, celebrating the prospect of their great adventures once again. Neville looked perplexed, but Harry and Ron understood what it meant. If Mr. Bryan became the assistant professor for Defense Against the Dark Arts, it meant that Fred and George wouldn't have his magical surveillance on them every night. It was like a weight was lifted off from the Weasley twins.

Boom!

Suddenly, Hermione walked over and slammed the heavy books she was carrying onto the coffee table, nearly collapsing it. She squeezed herself next to Harry without any reservation, forcing Neville, who occupied the most space, to stand up.

"Where have you been? Haven't seen you all day?" Ron asked, frowning at Hermione, who seemed to be in a good mood.

"Where else, Ron? The library, of course. I missed classes for a whole month, and now I have to race against time to catch up," Hermione rolled her eyes, as if Ron had asked a stupid question. "By the way, what were you guys talking about just now?"

Harry spoke cautiously, "We were discussing Mr. Watson becoming a professor's assistant. We were trying to understand why this happened and why he would be involved with this course. His original intention for coming to Hogwarts was to catch the heir of Slytherin, so it's strange that he's suddenly connected to this class."

Seamus chimed in, suggesting, "Maybe he has already secretly dealt with the heir."

However, it was evident to everyone that this speculation didn't hold up. If Mr. Watson had truly resolved the Chamber of Secrets incident, the school would surely make a big announcement about it.

"It's also possible that he has given up on that plan. Think about it, Dumbledore couldn't solve the problem, so how could a young wizard who came out of nowhere have the ability to solve it? Maybe he just wants to make some money while he's not yet kicked out of the school by the headmaster. As far as I know, professors are paid handsomely," Dean suggested.

This equally absurd speculation came from Dean. Dumbledore is not someone easily fooled, and if Bryan Watson really had such a shameful plan, Dumbledore would definitely see through it, at least according to Harry's belief.

Amidst the conversations, Harry couldn't help but feel a sense of relief that, within this circle of friends, no one seemed to perceive him as the heir of Slytherin. As he rubbed his numb hips, he summoned the courage to voice his uncertain opinion. He was hesitant because he feared his thoughts might anger Hermione.

"I had an encounter with Mr. Watson before," Harry began tentatively. "He's a powerful wizard. If he chose to become the professor of this course... well, is it possible that, like Quirrell, Lockhart is also putting on a weak and showman-like act and may be somehow connected to the heir of Slytherin?"

Hiss.

Except for Hermione and Harry, everyone let out a gasp of cold air. Ron stared at Harry in shock and stammered, "You, You mean Lockhart is acting?"

"You're overestimating his abilities, Harry!"

Dean was the first to express his objection, and he said sharply, "I can't see that he has such ability!"

Ron, who had always despised Lockhart, couldn't bring himself to believe that someone like Lockhart could be the heir of Slytherin or possess the necessary abilities. Being the heir of Slytherin was no easy task, and it seemed highly unlikely that Lockhart, with his reputation for being more show than substance, could be connected to such dark and powerful wizard.

Harry's suggestion was also met with skepticism from the others. Gilderoy Lockhart was notorious for his habit of embellishing stories and showering himself with flattery. Except for a few die-hard fans, the general consensus among the young wizards was that he lacked genuine magical prowess. It was difficult for them to imagine Lockhart having the skills and knowledge necessary to be connected to the heir of Slytherin. They couldn't help but question Harry's theory, considering Lockhart's history of being more about self-promotion than actual magical ability. To them, it was hard to imagine that Lockhart could be anything more than a charlatan.

"I understand it's hard to believe," Harry continued, his own uncertainty evident in his voice. "But if Lockhart's incompetence was just a disguise, similar to how Quirrell deceived everyone initially, then it would make sense why Mr. Watson took on this challenging role. After all, he was also a student at Hogwarts, so he must be aware that being the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor often leads to unfortunate outcomes. I mean, perhaps he has stumbled upon something significant, but he hasn't revealed it..."

Harry couldn't continue as his words were interrupted by Hermione's heavy coughing.

Everyone turned their attention to Hermione, whose face had gone from happy to ugly. Ron asked in surprise, "What's your opinion, Hermione?"

Hermione gave Ron a bitter look and then raised her chin haughtily. "I went to Professor Lockhart's office this morning."

"You went to Lockhart's office?" Ron immediately interrupted Hermione. "Don't you already have one of his autographs?"

Harry quickly kicked Ron, reminding him to stop talking. It didn't matter whether Lockhart was a suspect or not, or why Hermione had gone to his office. What mattered was that he would need Hermione's help to complete the potions and history of magic homework in the coming years. If Hermione was completely annoyed with them now, there would be no way for Harry to survive in the future.

In the middle of the night, Harry lay on the soft four-poster bed, squinting his eyes. His mind was filled with the menacing voice, his own Parsel-tongue abilities, Dobby's warning, and Malfoy's news about the Chamber of Secrets being opened fifty years ago. He was probably the person in this school most obsessed with this matter. Unless the culprit was caught and the Chamber of Secrets incident was completely resolved, he wouldn't be able to fully relax.

"But how is this possible, Harry?" Ron whispered in a low voice, turning over on his bed.

"How could someone like Watson be a fan of Lockhart? It's ridiculous to think that he became Lockhart's assistant just to get close to him. Hermione's idea is absurd. It can't be true. The things in his book are real?... no, I don't believe this!" Ron expressed his disbelief.

"I don't know, Ron," Harry replied, squirming as he faced the window. He stared at the brilliant stars, letting the hazy drowsiness overtake his consciousness. With an impressive gentle smile and lavender eyes in his mind, he muttered, "But at least, we can look forward to this class."

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