Gilderoy Lockhart (Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defence League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award) is a fictional character in the Harry Potter series of books. He was a famous wizarding celebrity, having written many books on Dark Creatures and his encounters with them. He has blond, wavy hair and particularly straight and shiny teeth. He is extremely vain and highly self-obsessed. Despite his celebrity status amongst the wizarding hierarchy, his fan base consists mostly of middle-aged women and teenaged girls (who find him especially attractive).

Gilderoy Lockhart became Professor Gilderoy Lockhart when, in the school year of 1992-1993, he was appointed to the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts Teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In his first lesson, he gave his second year class a test which had nothing to do with the subject of the class but instead concerned his biography. He was not popular amongst his fellow staff members and was particularly disliked by Professor Severus Snape, who sought the position Gilderoy held. However, teachers and students alike eventually grew to tolerate him.

Kenneth Branagh played him on screen.

Gilderoy Lockhart was exposed as a fraud when, trying to avoid travelling into the Chamber of Secrets, he revealed that he had not in fact performed all the amazing feats described in his books — instead, he had been stealing others' stories, placing memory charms on those people and taking credit for their accomplishments. When he tried to modify Harry Potter's and Ronald Weasley's memories so they would be unaware of this fraud, the spell backfired on him due to Ron's broken wand. Consequently, Gilderoy lost his memory, and was sent to St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. On Christmas in 1995, Harry Potter saw Gilderoy in the hospital, slowly regaining his memory and saying he was so advanced that he could write joined up letters. Lockhart still gets fan mail, though he has no idea why.

Lockhart's Past

Nothing has been revealed about Lockhart's origins. Considering Lockhart's dishonesty, everything he says must be taken with a grain of salt. Lockhart claims he was once a nobody and, apparently, tried to get himself noticed as a child, but failed. It is worth noting that the healer in charge of Lockhart at St. Mungo's said he never got visitors, suggesting that either his family is dead or did not care for him.

External link

• Extra information about Lockhart from J.K. Rowling