Looking at Erik, who was leading the way, and then at Thor, still restrained by his spell, Lockhart smirked.
Sensing the murderous intent in Thor's gaze, Lockhart chuckled softly and flicked his wand.
"Wingardium Leviosa."
With a swish of the Floating Charm, the bound God of Thunder floated into the air.
Then, following Erik, they all got into the car. Jane, Darcy, and the others saw this but didn't question it.
Maybe they felt a bit guilty for hitting someone with their car just now—or maybe they were simply curious about Thor's identity.
Naturally, Lockhart wasn't going to explain too much.
Once everyone was in, Erik drove, Lockhart took the front passenger seat, and Thor, Jane, and Darcy sat in the back.
With a press of the gas pedal and the engine roaring to life, the car slowly headed toward town.
Sitting in the car, Lockhart exhaled deeply.
He had been under serious mental pressure just moments ago. He was a thousand percent sure that Odin and the Ancient One had noticed him.
All of his earlier behavior had been a calculated performance—an effort to establish a persona.
He wanted to appear harmless—just someone who had accidentally ended up in the Marvel universe.
It was the best strategy he could think of.
When facing unknown powers, if you're not going to fight outright, you gather intel.
And in the process, you present yourself as a white wizard, a scholar, a professor.
After all, no matter the world, scholars and professors are typically seen as positive figures, right?
Yeah—his role model was none other than Dumbledore.
So even when Thor cursed at him, he only gave a light punishment without going overboard.
Hopefully, that would ease the Ancient One's or Odin's suspicions—at least temporarily.
Otherwise, if he had acted inappropriately—or worse, seemed outright evil—who knows?
A bolt of lightning might have descended from the sky, or a portal could've opened up, crackling with sparks, and a group of sorcerers might've stepped out.
Under the banner of "eliminating intruders," they could've wiped him out.
And Lockhart wouldn't have even had time to scream.
If it weren't for the danger, he probably would've erased the memories of anyone who had seen him.
Not to kill, necessarily—but definitely to extract their thoughts with Legilimency, then hit them with a heavy-duty Obliviate.
He was confident no one would notice anything amiss.
At worst, those Muggles might suffer some headaches—not that he cared. His moral flexibility was top-tier.
Now that they were safely in the car, it meant, in a way, that the Ancient One or Odin had permitted his existence.
Naturally, this made Lockhart breathe a little easier—relaxing, just a bit.
Still, the act had to go on. Until he reached a certain level of power, he had to maintain this image.
"Professor Lockhart," Erik said, handing over a bottle of water as he drove, "earlier you said you were a professor at Hogwarts. That sounds really prestigious, but I don't think I've ever heard of that school. Can you tell me a little about it?"
After accepting the bottle, Lockhart discreetly cast a poison detection spell. Finding nothing unusual, he unscrewed the cap and took a small sip before calmly replying.
"Hogwarts is a school for wizards, a place dedicated to training young witches and wizards. I teach Defense Against the Dark Arts there," Lockhart said proudly. Then he added, "The Dark Arts are extremely dangerous and deadly magic."
Hearing this, Jane asked curiously from the back, "Professor Lockhart, do you think someone like me could learn magic?"
Lockhart smiled and shook his head. "Learning magic requires talent and magical bloodlines. Ninety-nine point nine percent of people are Muggles—they can't use magic and don't even know the wizarding world exists."
Anticipating their confusion, Lockhart continued, "Muggles—that's what we call people without magical talent."
Hearing this, Jane, Darcy, and Erik all looked a bit disappointed, while Thor merely snorted. Still, no sound came out.
Yes, the Silencing Charm was still in effect.
After a while, Darcy took out some bread and snacks and generously offered them to Lockhart in the front seat.
"Professor Lockhart, these are my favorite snacks. They're really good—give them a try!"
She opened a bag of chips and handed it over.
Lockhart smiled, took a chip, tasted it, and nodded in appreciation. "Delicious. Thank you for sharing, Miss Darcy."
"Well, since Miss Darcy is sharing, I'll share some wizard snacks too."
He waved his wand, and from his enchanted pouch, a variety of magical treats floated out.
There were glowing blue candies, chocolates that emitted flames, multi-colored Every Flavor Beans, chocolate frogs, and more.
As the treats floated to each person, Lockhart introduced them: "These are Every Flavor Beans. Each one has a completely random taste. These are Moonlight Candies—they'll make your eyes glow blue. We've also got Chocolate Frogs, Cauldron Cakes, and Dragon Milk Cheese."
"Feel free to try them. They're quite tasty."
Looking at the restrained Thor, Lockhart thought for a moment and softly said, "Mr. Thor, I don't know where Asgard is."
"But I can release the spell now—if you promise not to cause any more trouble. Otherwise, I won't hesitate to restrain you again."
"If you agree, just nod."
Now much calmer, Thor thought for a moment and nodded reluctantly.
Seeing that, Lockhart raised his wand and cast the counter-spell.
Thor found himself able to move and speak again, a hint of joy flashing in his eyes.
Then, remembering something, he coldly snorted at Lockhart—but didn't do anything else.
Jane and Darcy didn't pay much attention to Thor's reaction—they were too focused on sampling the magical treats.
Darcy had just eaten a Moonlight Candy and noticed her eyes glowing blue. Finding it fun, she eagerly tried an Every Flavor Bean.
Immediately, her face twisted and turned red. "Spicy! So spicy!"
She quickly grabbed a bottle of water and drank deeply.
Jane laughed. She had already eaten several beans—beef-flavored, chicken-flavored, and one she couldn't quite describe. But overall, they were decent.
Seeing this, Thor and Erik hesitated but eventually started trying the magical snacks too.
After all, enjoying good food is a universal trait among carbon-based life forms.
For a moment, the entire car was filled with laughter and good vibes.
Even Thor was no longer glaring at Lockhart.
Back in the small town in New Mexico, at the house rented by Erik, Jane, and the others…
Everyone sat in the living room.
Darcy handed Lockhart a glass of water, looking curious. "Professor Lockhart, could you tell me more about your adventures?"
Jane and Professor Selvig also perked up, their eyes full of curiosity. Even Thor, though he looked unimpressed, listened patiently.
Now reduced to a mortal and unsure what to do, he still had to admit—this wizard could tell a great story.
Seeing their interest, Lockhart smirked.
Taking a sip of water, he began calmly, "I never shy away from sharing my adventures."
With that, he started recounting his battle with a ghoul—vivid and gripping.
Of course, he had actually used a memory charm to steal that memory from another wizard.
He just… dramatized it a little, made it sound more dangerous and exciting.
That, Lockhart could do in his sleep. After all, he was a best-selling author in the wizarding world.
As he talked, a new idea suddenly popped into his head.
Should I write a new book?
Title: Lockhart's Guide to Surviving Another World.
The thought made him smile, though he pushed it aside for now and continued entertaining Erik and the others with his tales.
Through warm smiles, kind conversation, magical snacks, and mesmerizing magic…
He'd hit them with a full charm offensive—and their attitudes had clearly softened.
Even Thor's hostility had faded significantly.
Hmm, the Ancient One must be seeing all this, right?
Hopefully, she now thinks I'm a well-traveled, justice-seeking white wizard.
Maybe she even has a bit of a favorable impression.
Maybe enough to let me study at Kamar-Taj.
Lockhart was very curious about the magic of the Marvel universe.
It seemed completely different from wizarding magic in the Harry Potter world.
As that thought turned over in his mind, he raised his voice slightly, revealing a trace of excitement.
Of course, it was just a thought. He didn't believe you could gain knowledge just by being likable.
Trade—that's the best way to get what you want.