Chapter 83: Legendary Golden Wizard Stickers

Due to the time, in addition to gifting books, Lockhart also invited Harold to dinner at the Leaky Cauldron. A free meal? Harold had absolutely no reason to refuse. Old Tom's cooking was average at best, but his flavors were... unique. Some customers rather liked it—Lockhart among them. He seemed particularly fond of the food here, and insisted on dressing in extravagant robes every time he came to eat, always sitting in the most prominent spot, as if ready to be interviewed by the Daily Prophet's culinary column at any moment. Unfortunately, he'd never once been spotted. Most wizards, including Harold, weren't fans of that unique taste. Old Tom had probably lived in Spain when he was younger—every dish he made was packed with garlic, and he never held back. Harold had even suspected before that this was where Quirrell got the inspiration to use garlic to mask the rotting stench of Voldemort's soul. ... After a not-so-satisfying British-Spanish dinner, Lockhart ordered two bottles of butterbeer and began chatting with Harold. For the most part, it was Lockhart recounting his legendary adventures while Harold listened. To be fair, Lockhart really did have a talent for storytelling. If you could ignore all the self-aggrandizing, the stories were quite entertaining. "Those journeys introduced me to many friends. A prince from a wizarding tribe in Africa—he still sends me little gifts from time to time. And a mysterious vampire hunter—we once shared a glass of Wolfsbane under a full moon." "I don't want to boast about how close I am to them," Lockhart added meaningfully, giving Harold a wink, "but if needed, I might be able to help with your Distinguished Wizard sticker series." "That would be wonderful." Harold smiled. He had known from the start—Lockhart didn't send that letter or invite him to dinner out of the blue. "Too bad the first issue's theme and characters are already locked in." Harold pulled out a glossy poster he'd prepared in advance. At the top, written in elegant gold script: [Hogwarts Professor Series] Below were illustrations of six different wizards: Minerva McGonagall, Filius Flitwick, Pomona Sprout, and Severus Snape—the heads of the four houses. Above them were two more figures—one shimmering silver, the other gleaming gold. They clearly stood apart from the other four. Neither had a face. "This is..." "Someone gave me the idea—said this way, I wouldn't have to stress about who to choose as the 'face' of the collection." Harold gave his wand a wave. The golden figure's face shimmered, revealing none other than Albus Dumbledore. "I..." Lockhart had just opened his mouth when Harold continued excitedly: "But I didn't know you were joining Hogwarts, Mr. Lockhart—and as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, no less! That has to be fate." With another flick of his wand, Dumbledore's image shifted to silver, and Lockhart's face appeared on the golden figure, striking his signature pose from Witch Weekly. "Ah this... ha ha... this..." Lockhart's cheeks flushed pink, his whole body trembling slightly with excitement. This was his true goal—to have his face appear on every wizard's wand, further cementing his fame. He hadn't expected it to go so smoothly. He didn't even need to do anything special—just share a meal with an admiring young wizard. Lockhart was already imagining thousands of wands gleaming with his smile. So pleased was he, he completely missed something strange about the poster: If this was a "Hogwarts Professor Series," why were there two figures above the four house heads? McGonagall was Deputy Headmistress, a perfect choice for the silver sticker. And yet, she was lumped in with the "regular" set. "You flatter me... How could I... How could I be placed alongside Albus?" Lockhart feigned humility, though clearly worried Harold might change his mind. "Very well, if you insist—it's not a problem. Compared to Albus, who's spent the last few years stuck in a castle grading papers, my accomplishments are certainly more... vivid, don't you think?" He seemed to have convinced himself. "All right, then. Consider it a small gift to my future students." Lockhart beamed. "I'll take one hundred of those stickers, and tomorrow I'll slip them into copies of Magical Me as surprise gifts." His voice carried a note of superiority, as if choosing a sticker as a gift was a tremendous favor to Harold. In a way, it was understandable. The name Gilderoy Lockhart was still widely recognized in the wizarding world. Though his fame had dimmed a bit in recent years, he was still a household name with no shortage of admirers. "Of course, Mr. Lockhart." Harold put on a suitably thrilled expression, then added hesitantly, "However... it might be just a little expensive." "No problem. How much?" Lockhart said breezily. "I used real gold to embellish the Legendary Golden Wizard Sticker," Harold said cautiously, holding up two fingers. "So... each one is two Galleons." Lockhart froze. Not two Sickles? Two Galleons? A tiny sticker costing half the price of one of his books—it was... not cheap. Seeing the hesitation in his face, Harold added, "Of course, we could lower the cost. I can use regular gold-colored ink instead—then it's just ten Sickles per sticker." "No. Use real gold." Lockhart gritted his teeth. How could gold ink possibly reflect his status? That would be fraudulent. "Still going with one hundred?" Harold asked with a smile. "I just remembered—surprises are better in moderation." Lockhart's eyes darted. "Let's say... three—no, fifty. Make up the rest with Magical Creature stickers." Fifty stickers meant one hundred Galleons. Painful, yes, but still within reason. If only Magical Me's price hadn't already been announced by Flourish and Blotts yesterday. If he could've bumped the price to include the sticker cost, he could've gifted them without losing money. But he didn't get to make that call. So out of pocket it was. "No problem at all, just as you wish." Harold's grin widened. "Only... the Legendary Golden Wizard Stickers are complex, and take time to make. I may not have enough on hand right now." Lockhart's eyes lit up. If Harold didn't have enough, maybe he could reduce the order... "I'll deliver them to Flourish and Blotts tomorrow." Before he could speak, Harold continued, "The signing starts at noon, right? I'll make sure they're there before then." "N-No problem..." Lockhart replied, wincing. What a pricey dinner this turned out to be. Still, Legendary Golden Wizard Sticker... what a fantastic name. It was practically made for him! (End of Chapter)