The slacker professor at Hogwarts

Chapter 336 Is this the magic master?

Chapter 336 Is this the magic master?

To be honest, Sirius was still a little worried, so he decided to go and help Lockhart.

Perhaps this is an overstepping of authority, perhaps it seems to subtly express some kind of distrust, perhaps it's somewhat presumptuous—

But that's Sirius Black.

He acted this way even when facing Dumbledore.

Everyone who tries to get close to him can feel the passion hidden in the bones of this seemingly unconventional and rebellious guy.

He was just a little too self-centered, but for a wizard who had achieved something in magic, that was not a problem, and was even considered a sign of excellence.

However, this was somewhat unpleasant for Snape.

That jerk, he dumped all the trouble on himself!

Snape snorted and beckoned the three young wizards over, his face serious. "I'm here to teach you some things that aren't taught in class."

Having just gone through a major battle, the three little ones had to pull themselves together.

They all knew how valuable the private lessons taught by the Duel Club professors were, because these lessons were almost always offered depending on the professors' mood and the timing had to be perfect.

Professor Lockhart has set many questions about this, such as "I'll dedicate a class to this next time," but unless anyone asks, these so-called classes may really be a long way off.

anyway.

Now is a good time.

"Remember this, you shouldn't become reckless brutes like Sirius Black who only know how to fight!" Snape added his own personal message during his lecture, which made the young wizards look at him strangely.

"Combat is the most exciting part of an adventure, but adventure is never just about combat."

"Clean up the battlefield, conceal information, and create the situation you need—these are skills that won't be taught in the classroom, but everyone needs to master them during wartime."

"We'll start with the most basic Restoration Charms, which you all know and can cast well in class. But when faced with this complex situation, you can't simply wave your wands and cast a Restoration Charm and be done with it."

"The degree to which the scene is restored is the key to whether this magic spell is successful or not —"

This seems to be part of a course on magic casting, but it's not something that's taught in school magic classes. In fact, if you look at it through the framework of a "fairy tale adventure," you'll find that this part is indispensable.

Snape sometimes remarked that Gilderoy's magical theories could be quite useful at times.

Meanwhile, Sirius had arrived on the hillside outside Little Hangleton village and spotted Lockhart in the distance.

Lockhart was walking at a leisurely pace.

Behind him, the unconscious Tom floated in mid-air, his head and hands drooping.

As they approached, Morfin Gunter, who had been lying on the ground not far away, seemingly dead, suddenly floated up into the air. Countless silver-white memory threads emerged from his body, wriggling like a giant dandelion in bloom, swaying in the wind.

Lockhart easily drew his wand and erased and modified a portion of Morfin Gaunt's memories.

It comes easily to me.

But after doing all that, he didn't seem to stop. Instead, he made Tom Riddle float to Morfin Gaunt's side, causing Morfin Gaunt to also emerge with a large number of silver memory threads, waving his wand and chanting incantations.

Sirius stared blankly at the scene, feeling an overwhelming sense of terror creeping up from the depths of his heart.

He even vaguely saw a red thread extending from Tom and Morfin's bodies, pointing towards him, from the light emanating from Lockhart's magic battle.

Or rather, it's connected to oneself!

He carefully assessed his own condition, making sure nothing was wrong, before quickly running over. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "Gidero, what are you doing?"

Lockhart glanced back at him. "Dumbledore asked me to guide Voldemort to make some changes, which is not easy, especially since Voldemort has begun to notice my achievements in this area and has taken some precautions against it."

"I can only make changes little by little, shuttling between different time periods."

Seeing Sirius's still puzzled look, he gestured to the two giant dandelions floating in front of him. "They are blood relatives. I influence Tom Riddle through Morfin Gaunt. Some subtle changes are hard to detect, and over time, they become imperceptible."

Sirius suddenly realized, "This is the exploration of the 'relationship magic' field you've been talking about?"

Lohart nodded, thought for a moment, and then suddenly waved his wand.

The light of the spell surged, and Sirius seemed to be instantly pulled into a dazzling starry sky, so bright that he could hardly open his eyes.

"Relax and try to accept this state of complete exposure of your mind —"

Lockhart's voice seemed to come from a great distance, "This is an ocean of spirituality, a scene presented from the perspective of vitality within the magic of relationships."

Accept this state —

It's hard.

Sirius instinctively felt uneasy, a sense of shame of being naked in a crowd. It was more than that; it was a feeling of complete honesty, as if he were revealing his most private parts. He felt that he might become an insignificant speck in the starlight and completely lose himself.

Lockhart clearly sensed the problem and instructed, "Self-importance, Sirius, try to feel that mysterious ominous aura lurking within your magical bloodline."

Some people are just smart; they understand things immediately.

Sirius's body twisted and changed rapidly, and soon he turned into a big black dog.

In the context of wizarding civilization, black cats represent mystery and black dogs represent misfortune. Clearly, Sirius Black has begun to touch upon this unique magical power.

"this----"

Sirius Black was finally able to see the amazing view before him and instinctively opened his mouth to speak, but then realized that he couldn't speak in his Animagus form, so he quickly shut his mouth.

Then he stared wide-eyed in surprise, wondering if he had just imagined it, and barked.

Once confirmed, he exclaimed with great joy, "I can speak now?"

Lockhart smiled and nodded. "Dumbledore taught you methods, but you just haven't tried them. He instructed you on how to make your Patronus speak and deliver messages. The magical concepts contained therein can also guide you to speak in your Animagus state."

"Didn't you yourself say in the sharing session that the Guardian Charm and Animagus Transfiguration are both expressions of one's inner self and are closely related?"

Sirius thought about it carefully for a moment before realizing, "Yes, it's the method Dumbledore taught us, but it's not easy to get your mind to think that way."

Lockhart shrugged. "That's just how Dumbledore is. He's taught you everything he needed to, and arranged everything he needed to, but how you actually do it is up to you to choose."

Sirius pursed his lips, offering no comment, but instead raised an eyebrow thoughtfully. "Is this how you plan to handle Ron Weasley too?"

Lockhart shook his head. "No, I'm not a wise man like Dumbledore. In fact, I don't know where Ron will end up. All I can see is that his vitality is growing so strong, and he's moving forward. Whether the future is good or bad, as long as his vitality remains so radiant, I shouldn't interfere."

Vitality is a difficult concept to grasp.

But at this moment, in this unique ocean of spirituality, it becomes so tangible.

Sirius looked at Lockhart and seemed to see him as a huge and intense pillar of light, shooting into the sky, bursting forth in all colors, layer upon layer of dazzling brilliance, like a giant fireworks tree.

He then looked at the two people in front of him.

Morfin Gunter looked like a dark, unmoving stone.

On the other hand, Voldemort transformed into black smoke, churning and boiling like a ball of flame, burning fiercely and emitting endless, stinging rays of light in all directions.

"look!"

Lockhart gestured to the rock-solid Morfin Gaunt, "Even though he's alive, he looks utterly lifeless, like a living dead!"

Sirius stared at the dark wizard, remained silent for a moment, then looked at Lockhart, "Was I like that before?"

Lockhart grinned. "No, that's how Severus was before, but not you. You're more like a quiet volcano, deathly still, but burning with passion inside, as if it's about to explode."

The two chatted idly, Lockhart constantly waving his wand.

This intuitive world allowed Sirius to glimpse Lockhart's actions, which were actually quite simple: to exert the deepest influence through the connection between two spiritual entities.

Well, in this kind of magical world, Sirius can only watch the show and can't analyze anything.

This time, he could finally clearly see the red lines extending from the two people in front of him toward him.

Looking closely at the red line, you'll find that it's not actually a thread, but an extremely complex river of blood, with an incredibly intricate mechanism at play.

"This is magical bloodline," Lockhart explained from the side. "The Black family, known as the oldest pure-blood family, has a survival philosophy of marrying into all powerful pure-blood families. In this day and age, you can say that you, Black, are related to most pure-blood wizards. Anyone can find your blood relationship."

As he spoke, he gestured to the two people in front of him.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "I have absolutely no desire to have anything to do with Voldemort!"

Lockhart burst into laughter, turning to look at him. "Haven't you realized? You're related to everyone by blood! Don't you understand the value of that relationship?"

Seeing the confused look on the big black dog's face, he could only offer some hints, "Many curse spells are passed down through the power of blood relatives, and they are so powerful that they are difficult to reverse. You should have heard of a certain wizard who was cursed, and for thousands of years afterward, all his descendants suffered from the curse, such as the Blood Curse Orcs."

"Not to mention the most common high-end curse magic, many of which require a drop of the other person's blood, but you can even curse the other person directly with your own blood."

Sirius Black gasped, his voice rising involuntarily. "You mean, I can directly use the power of blood ties to curse everyone I'm related to, and now almost every pure-blood wizard and half-blood wizard in the world is related to me?"

Lockhart smiled slightly. "Yes, curse magic has always been one of the ills of wizards."

Sirius Black has made some progress, but he always feels like he's missing the mark. In the past, due to the so-called definition of "dark magic," he lacked understanding of many ancient spells.

This requires extra lessons, and it's not the right time to ask for advice. He can just go back and read the book himself.

While waiting for Lockhart to make his move, he gazed at Voldemort's dark spirit with a flickering gaze.

To be honest, Harry and his friends were a little frightened by Tom Riddle's encounter with them.

He's only in fifth grade! Voldemort was already this powerful in fifth grade. It's hard for him to imagine how terrifying Voldemort would be now.

"Gidero————"

He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Could you demonstrate the power of a master magician to me sometime? I'd like to experience it firsthand and know the difference between myself and Voldemort."

"The power of a magic master?" Lockhart's expression was somewhat strange.

"Yes! The relationship magic you've been talking about." Sirius's voice was pleading. He needed to deeply understand the gap between himself and the magic masters in order to adjust his strategy to defeat the Dark Lord.

After all, Voldemort is now openly appearing before everyone, even seemingly ready to re-engage in wizarding affairs, forcing everyone to consider the issue of "coexisting for the time being."

"In fact, there are no magic masters. Everyone just walks their own magical path and touches on magical realms that are extremely unfamiliar to ordinary wizards. Just like the Unforgivable Curse, which has no counter-curse yet, it makes people feel that they can't resist it."

"Ordinary wizards are like Muggles facing wizards, resulting in a de facto dimensional reduction attack, which is why we are classified as so-called magic masters."

"I just want you to know that magic is never about leveling up and fighting monsters; it's about exploring new territories one after another."

"It doesn't actually have a strict distinction between strong and weak, only between different domains."

"For example, in the field of divination in the occult, Professor Trelawney, the divination professor at Hogwarts, was able to deliver a terrifying dimensional reduction attack on the incredibly powerful Voldemort."

"The path to power lies in expanding one's own exploration domain, covering more and more magical disciplines, absorbing their wisdom, and embracing their changes, thus bringing about an all-round improvement in strength."

"This is Dumbledore's current state; his Transfiguration can be traced back to almost all the magic of our time." (This is also why many people say that Dumbledore actually knows dark magic but have never seen him use it.)

Lockhart's current research and exploration of "relationship magic" is actually on this path.

He is currently exploring two main areas: mysticism and modern mysticism, and transfiguration.

These are all effects brought about by the current experiences and journey of life, and are not without origin.

As he explained, seeing Sirius's thoughtful expression, he realized he had clearly taken it to heart, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction, like he was imparting knowledge and resolving doubts.

"In that case," he said, stroking his wand. "We can do it now, but are you sure?"

Sirius exclaimed happily, "Right now?"

"Yes, feel my magical power."

Sirius was about to get involved, and Lockhart, no longer holding back, quickly waved his wand, "That way I can finish this little soul surgery faster."

Magic surges!

It came in like a tide.

Sirius clearly sensed that all the red threads connecting the group had lit up, radiating a vitality unique to spiritual beings—joyful, surging, and interconnected!

Then, he completely lost the ability to act autonomously.

His brain instantly began to race, flashing through his mind from his early childhood to adulthood, scenes from his life rapidly appearing in his mind.

Painful, joyful, repressed, pleasurable, ambitious, weary and negative —

As memories unfolded, emotions surged, eventually transforming into a torrent of magical power. This power converged with the magical energy emanating from Morfin Gaunt's spirituality, and guided by Lockhart's wand, which seemed to have completely transformed into a pillar of light, it surged along the red line towards Tom Riddle's spirituality.

The wand was magnified wildly in his spiritual perception, and Sirius could only watch as it easily mobilized and manipulated its power, gently twisting, turning, stroking, and picking, performing complex and delicate operations on Tom.

Just then, the spiritual black mist around Tom seemed to be stimulated, transforming into a giant skull with its jaws open, spitting out a venomous snake that quickly bit into Morfin Gaunt and Sirius each.

Ah~

"~~

Sirius cried out in pain, suddenly breaking free from this spiritual awareness, staggering backward and falling to the ground.

He forcefully ripped open the collar of his wizard's robe, revealing two round black dots on his shoulder, as if snake fangs had actually pierced through.

"It's a magical effect similar to Harry's lightning bolt scar. I figured it out by observing Tom's manipulation of Harry and then observing Harry's condition."

Lockhart approached him, examining the black spot on his shoulder. "You could call it the Shadow of Death."

Sirius was taken aback. "The Shadow of Death? What does that mean?"

Lockhart helped him up. "Literally, you and Voldemort are mortal enemies. The more powerful he becomes, the more the shadow of death threatens your life. An ominous atmosphere hangs over you."

"That's the interesting part: the stronger the shadow of death he brings, the more ominous it becomes, and the stronger you become as a result."

As he spoke, he raised an eyebrow with a hint of smugness. "How about it? I didn't let you work for nothing, did I?"

Sirius swallowed hard, his lips twitching slightly. Suddenly realizing something, he asked, "Is this also an application of relationship magic?"

"Yes! You can think of it as a reverse application of the 'mutual dependence' magic." Lockhart waved his wand at Tom and Morfin, restoring them to their normal appearance. "Done!"

Sirius stared intently at the black spot on his shoulder, feeling that it served more than just that purpose; it was emitting a chilling, subtle tingling sensation, but it didn't hurt.

"The Dark Mark! No, it's Harry's lightning bolt scar!" He finally realized. "I can use it to detect if Voldemort is nearby, right?"

"In fact, you can also regard it as a kind of Dark Mark of a unique state. If you study it deeply enough, you can also directly peek at Voldemort's current state and location through this shadow of death, and truly curse him directly through it."

Lockhart shook his head with a hint of disdain. "Forget it. You'd be better off researching blood curses. That's not just Voldemort's specialty; it has enormous potential. That's the direction that will benefit your magical career."

Sirius was deeply shocked, only murmuring, "Is this what a magic master is like?"

"I can't say what your future path in magic will definitely be, because that's your life, but I can be sure that Ominous is a clear and definite choice, and this is my advice as a friend."

Lockhart cast a spell to make Tom Riddle float back to his side. "Tell Severus and the others that Tom should be heading back to Hogwarts by now. I need to take him there. I'll join you later and then we'll go find Lupin and the others."

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