HP: I beat the otome game at Hogwarts

After Lyra's relentless pursuit, Fred and George's faces were also successfully smeared with bright green. Then the twins produced the real letter—the one they had secretly replaced with a bomb letter.

Three spotted toad faces huddled together to look at the letter they had received—a letter from Hogwarts.

Meanwhile, others also received the same yellow parchment envelopes with the same green lettering—all were notices from the school.

The letter listed the books to be used in the new school year. Lyra discovered that, in addition to "Standard Spells, Level 4," there was a whole string of new books, all by the same author, Gilderoy Lockhart.

"Looks like everyone needs to buy Gilderoy Lockhart's books!" George frowned as he looked at Ron's new book list.

“Perhaps the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is a witch who idolizes Lockhart.” Fred finished reading his own reading list, then glanced at Harry and Ginny’s.

Lyra noticed that Mrs. Weasley glared at Fred after hearing this.

Mrs. Weasley was a big fan of Lockhart, and whenever she dealt with goblins, she would pull out Lockhart's book, "How to Get Rid of Household Pests," with a huge photo on the cover. In the photo, a handsome blond man with blue eyes would even wink at people. So Lyra found it very understandable that Mrs. Weasley liked him, after all, Lockhart's appearance was exactly the type that would make middle-aged women swoon.

It seems the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor next semester will be using Lockhart's book as the textbook for all seven grades.

But the knowledge level is different for each grade, so is it really appropriate to use the same textbook?

I have a feeling this new professor isn't very reliable.

Leila thought casually.

*

The twins' room was filled with the crackling sound of explosions again, something the Weasley family had become accustomed to.

Lyra handed George a towel; his face and hair were covered in a layer of black smoke, and if you smelled closely, there was a rotten cheese smell.

“I think maybe we shouldn’t have put the beetle’s eyes in,” Fred concluded, frowning.

Together they developed new prank products, drawing inspiration from the French products that Leila bought.

“Perhaps we should start with imitation instead of innovating directly.” Lyra had to admit that the three of them still had a rather limited knowledge of magic.

The three of them have conducted similar experiments many times recently, but progress has not been significant.

Gemini has always been very interested in pranks; they love bringing joy to others, and others love the joy they bring. But before, it was just a simple hobby for them, until they met Leila, who found their ideas very funny, not much different from the products in Joko's joke shop.

With Leila's strong support and encouragement—or perhaps without even needing encouragement—the three hit it off immediately and prepared to develop their own prank products, eventually opening a brand new joke store and revolutionizing the entire joke product industry.

Well, this grand dream is currently still in the dream stage.

Lyra provided many imaginative ideas (combining Muggle creativity). The twins not only have excellent hands-on skills, but as native wizards, they also have a better understanding of the preferences and acceptance levels of native wizards.

The three of them make a perfect experimental team—except that they are all third-year students and their magical knowledge is not yet sufficient to support this grand dream.

Sigh, Leila, George, and Fred lamented.

“I don’t know where my parents will get the money. We’re going to Diagon Alley next week to buy new school supplies. This year we’re going to buy five sets of new books. Lockhart’s books aren’t cheap…” George said, wiping his face with worry.

“My editor said we’d meet in Diagon Alley next Wednesday, but his reply was very cold. I wish my book could make as much money as Lockhart's…” Lyra was very envious of this man named Lockhart.

The twins knew that Lyra was secretly writing novels anonymously to earn pocket money. She had complained to the two of them that a distant relative (a stingy system) only gave her the most basic book and living expenses, which was not enough for her daily expenses.

However, Lyra's first book was quite profitable. She combined some clichéd plots she had read before to write a cheesy love story, and then changed the story's setting to the magical world, similar to a wizarding version of arranged marriage.

Unexpectedly, it became popular among witches, and even Mrs. Weasley had a copy on her bookshelf. Of course, Lyra kept her authorship a secret; currently, only the twins, the editor, and herself knew.

Unfortunately, the royalties he earned had been completely spent—especially after his extravagant trip to France.

However, Lyra has always been carefree and has no habit of saving money. Whether in real life or in the game, she believes in living for the moment; money, well, you can always earn more after you spend it.

When she sees that her peers' books are selling for more than hers, she can't help but feel envious, especially when those books become the textbooks she has to buy for the new semester.

Lyra was already mentally preparing herself to hate this colleague named Lockhart.

*

That wretched Gilderoy Lockhart!

Lyra stood at the entrance of Flourish and Blotts, absolutely certain that she disliked this fellow writer.

Lockhart held a book signing at Flourish and Blotts, where a huge crowd of fans, mostly witches of Mrs. Weasley's age, lined up eagerly to meet her.

So many buyers! So many sales! And so many huge royalties that are clearly visible!

The sea of ​​book lovers forced her to stop at the bookstore entrance, and jealousy made Leila unrecognizable.

She had just met with her editor and presented the outline of her new book, "The Domineering British Aristocratic Wizard and His French Wife Who Ran Away with His Baby," a classic melodramatic trope that was irresistible to most (especially wizards who hadn't seen much Muggle fiction). She also signed a contract guaranteeing a strict update schedule, which earned her a deposit for the book, barely enough to cover her expenses for the entire academic year.

Lockhart's royalties were more than enough for her to live a life of luxury throughout her time at Hogwarts!

Damn it, Lyra felt that if she looked at the long queue outside the bookstore for even a second longer, she would get uncontrollably conjunctivitis. She resolutely pulled out her recently earned royalties and shoved them into the twins' hands, entrusting them entirely with buying her new textbooks—she absolutely needed to go get a super mint chocolate mega ice cream to cool down!

Lyra turned and left with a menacing look on her face. The twins were a little confused, but they readily squeezed into the bookstore to run errands for her.

Meanwhile, Harry, who had already squeezed into the bookstore, was experiencing the embarrassment of digging out an entire Hogwarts castle with his toes.

As soon as he entered the bookstore, Lockhart grabbed him and forcibly dragged him to take pictures in front of everyone, completely using him as a tool for publicity—at the same time, he also learned the devastating news that Lockhart would become the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

Harry fled the crowd with a blank look in his eyes, and immediately gave the new book Lockhart had given him to Ginny, only to be caught red-handed by his old nemesis at school—Draco Malfoy.

This sharp-tongued and rude young master Malfoy insulted Harry and the Weasleys from head to toe, while his father, the elder Malfoy, only took his biting skills to another level—and soon, the elder Malfoy and Mr. Weasley were fighting.

The twins squeezed into the bookstore and witnessed this scene, immediately cheering for Mr. Weasley: "Dad, beat him up!"

Upon hearing the red-haired twins' voices, Draco Malfoy, who was initially worried about his father, instinctively turned his head to look around—he instinctively searched for the black-haired, gray-eyed girl who was always inseparable from the twins.