Gilderoy Lockhart

### "Love to hate" factors

He has some comedic moments in both the novels and films, such as trying to drive the pixies away from his classroom.In his childhood, because he was the only one of the three children to display magical abilities, he was spoiled by his mother all throughout his childhood, sparking his narcissism and egotism.
Kenneth Branagh's performance makes Lockhart more competent and likable.

### Type of Hated Character

No information

**Gilderoy Lockhart** is a major antagonist in the 1998 novel of *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets* and its 2002 film adaptation of the same name. To the public eye of the wizarding world, he was a famous author and former Defense of the Dark Arts teacher. In reality, Lockhart was a fraud and used the Memory Charm to trick wizards and witches into telling him about their achievements before wiping their memories.

He was portrayed by Kenneth Branagh.

## What Makes Him a Hated Character?

* After graduating from Hogwarts, he traveled many places across the world, mastered the Memory Charm, and supposedly went on to combat against the Dark Forces. In actuality, he would trick many wizards and witches into revealing their greatest accomplishments, use the Memory Charm to wipe their memories, and take the credit for their deeds.
* When returning to Britain on his trips, he would publish works based on his supposed achievements and engage in book signings. He would delude himself into believing that the more attention he got from the public eye, the more his career would expand. Most of the wizarding world were fooled into believing his achievements, but Dumbledore suspected that something was amiss.
* Foolishly took the Defense of the Dark Arts teaching position by accepting Dumbledore's offer under the belief that teaching Harry Potter would expand his career. Even though Lockhart was initially hesitant on being a professor, he was worried not because the position was jinxed, but because his fame was already booming, which would take up time for his fans and publications.
* Upon seeing Harry Potter in Flourish and Blotts, he immediately dragged an exasperated Harry to bombard him with photographs, much to Harry's chagrin.
* On the first day of Harry's second year, Lockhart's DADA class involved taking a test that quizzed his supposed achievements, which almost nobody got high marks on. After the test, he would open a cage of Cornish Pixies that would make a complete mess of the classroom, hoping the class would take care of the chaos. When they failed, Lockhart tried doing so himself, only for a pixie to seize his wand and throw it outside a window, displaying his incompetence.
	+ After this incident, Lockhart's classes consisted of readings of his made-up achievements, where nobody actually learned anything from the class.
* Created a dueling club and made a fool out of himself through Snape disarming him and then angering a snake by getting it launched in the air rather than causing it to disappear.
* When Harry gets detention, Lockhart requests Harry sign some of his fan mail for him, and exasperates him further by advising him on fame. This annoys Harry to the point where he wishes he could have gotten Snape for detention instead.
* Inconsiderately decorated the Great Hall with flowers and forcibly redressed many dwarves as Cupids, despite the whole school's mood being serious and grim from the Chamber of Secrets being opened.
* Obliviously barged into a staff meeting discussing about the school's closure, especially in light of Ginny being taken down to the chamber. When the staff requested he try to rescue Ginny, Lockhart cowardly left and tried to pack his supplies before being forced to go with Ron and Harry.
* After disarming both of them, he gloated to Harry and Ron that he would leave Ginny to die and would wipe both of their memories off in an attempt to cover his tracks. He grabbed Ron's dysfunctional wand and attempted to perform a Memory Charm, only for it to backfire and cause him to lose his memories instead, giving him karma.
* Overall, Lockhart's narcissism, arrogance, and egotism caused everybody who known him to quickly forget about him. While Ron expressed slight sympathy at his fate, Harry and Dumbledore pointed out that Lockhart got what he deserved as an amnesiac at St. Mungo's.