One of Harry Potter's numerous Hogwarts nemeses was the acclaimed writer and wizard, Gilderoy Loackhart. Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling recently gave fans a little extra, and highly amusing, insight into the life of the now forgetful professor.

Pottermore, Harry Potter's online gaming platform and one-stop shop for exclusive series details, released three new audio clips about Lockhart for the character's Jan. 26 birthday. Narrated by Rowling, the short snippets explain more about the vain and fraudulent wizard.

Cunning and cowardly, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor rose to fame through the use of other's stories, and he was more than willing to let Ginny Weasley perish in order to keep his name intact. His self-serving actions as an adult reflect the Sorting Hat's difficulty in placing him as a child.

"So Gilderoy Lockhart was the only child in his family who showed any magical ability so he was very proud of himself in going off to Hogwarts and he was sorted into Ravenclaw house, though I suspect - and people will be unsurprised to hear - that he narrowly escaped Slytherin," Rowling recently revealed, according to The Guardian.

While Lockhart's status as the sole wizard in his family certainly informed his vain nature and his quest for adoration, Rowling places some of the blame on his mother.

"Gilderoy Lockhart isn't his pseudonym, Gilderoy Lockhart is his name and I think that that says something about his mother, who was very ambitious for her son and encouraged him in the belief that he was a remarkable person," Rowling said, according to The Guardian.

While all mothers seek to help their children excel and try and bolster their youngster's confidence, saddling the small Lockhart with such a "flashy" name probably didn't help the little wizard keep a level head.

Find out more about the world of Harry Potter by visiting Pottermore.

Tags: Harry Potter