allendalepharm Chapter 307 Modern Mysticism, Alchemy, and Weddings
Chapter 307 Modern Mysticism, Alchemy, and Weddings
Chapter 307 Modern Mysticism, Alchemy, and Weddings
Lockhart's holiday trip was joined by an unexpected companion—Professor Audrey Lemaître.
This witch, who specializes in modern occultism, recently borrowed a flying car (the one invented by Arthur Weasley), which is also a product of modern occultism, and occasionally exchanges research findings with Lockhart via email.
Upon learning that Lockhart planned to travel to the Muggle world, she couldn't contain her longing and asked if she could go with him, thus joining in.
"The foundation of the discipline of mysticism lies in human beings' imagination of the unknown."
Miss Audrey was very talkative in her area of expertise. "There's a saying in classical literature—humans cannot describe the unknown. But once you cross that limitation, the power of the mystical emerges."
"Modern mysticism is a subversion of the classics of witchcraft. It has changed from Muggles finding witches mysterious to witches finding Muggles mysterious. In fact, it all originated from a series of technological changes since the Muggle Industrial Revolution."
She pulled a thick magazine from her handbag, titled "The Mysterious Muggles," and opened it to a page. "Here's a report about Muggles. The Roslin Institute in the UK is researching cloning technology and has now achieved a technological breakthrough."
Lockhart actually knew that in two years they would be showcasing their extraordinary, remarkable, and controversial achievement to the world—the cloned sheep Dolly.
Asexual reproduction.
Even wizards with resurrection and other strange magic would exclaim in amazement upon seeing it.
Thus, modern mysticism found fertile ground for existence.
One can even anticipate that with the explosion of Muggle technology in various fields, modern mysticism will rapidly spread to all areas.
"Hogwarts has always been at the forefront of Transfiguration; that's the future, we all know that."
"But Beauxbatons also has such a future: modern mysticism! Our exploration of the classics, our in-depth exchanges with Muggles, and our accumulation of knowledge in alchemy and magical artifacts are all things that Hogwarts does not possess."
When this was mentioned, Miss Audrey's expression became somewhat strange. "I don't know why Headmaster Dumbledore of Hogwarts would tolerate such terrible and outrageous Muggle studies classes at their school. I've seen their textbooks, and they're a huge misleading guide for young wizards."
Lockhart shrugged, also finding the matter difficult to comment on.
Dumbledore even knows about missiles, so you can't just accuse him of fostering wizard arrogance, can you?
"Its prospects are particularly aligned with the new era you have proposed."
Miss Audrey looked at Lockhart with a look of reverence that seemed to say, "You have shown us the way." "Yes, we always thought it was just a niche subject, but after you raised the issues of the new era, we suddenly saw the future."
As she spoke, she gestured to the flying car next to her.
"Just like the magical cat you bred, it can appear in the lives of both Muggles and wizards without seeming out of place."
"In fact, if its appearance were to change again—"
"For example, flying saucers? Wizards don't even need to use illusion magic to openly fly them into Muggle cities, and even if it causes a sensation, it completely avoids violating the Act of Secrecy."
"Or helicopters, speedboats, and cruise ships —"
"This is the significance of modern occultism in the new era!"
Lockhart stroked his chin, deep in thought. He knew perfectly well why Miss Audrey was so eager to promote modern mysticism.
Firstly, her assertive attitude at the board meeting made her see the potential for the development of the discipline, but she also worried that she might abandon it because she did not understand the discipline.
Secondly, Grindelwald has begun to quietly spread rumors in various fields about the three magic masters discussing the "Triwizard Tournament" and the list of magic used in the event, which categorizes magic.
Lockhart has ties to Hogwarts, having studied there and taught there, and carries a strong Hogwarts influence. Miss Audrey worries that Lockhart has therefore neglected modern occultism.
After all, Beauxbatons had accumulated a great deal of foundational knowledge in this subject that Hogwarts lacked.
We can't afford to lose our skills.
Lockhart had encountered this kind of thing many times in his previous life. A manager would be parachuted into a new company, unaware of the company's seemingly unimportant but actually crucial underlying strengths, and would simply optimize it for the sake of efficiency or other reasons.
"Muggle studies, mysticism (including divination, astronomy, and ancient runes), alchemy, magical artifact research, and modern mysticism?"
Lockhart seemed thoughtful.
"Yes!" Miss Audrey nodded vigorously. "In Beauxbatons, the Muggle study of this subject is divided into three parts: etiquette, music, literature and literacy, and classical and modern life."
"It encompasses classical and modern life, not just Muggle studies," but rather the lives of Muggles and wizards before and after the Act of Secrecy, and before and after the Industrial Revolution.
"Furthermore, ancient mystical practices, such as the Nehemiah curriculum, were incorporated into music, literature, and moral cultivation."
In this way, a very clear framework is constructed.
In their subsequent discussion, two other threads were also unearthed.
That is, potion-making, magical plants, and magical creatures.
And also life magic, dueling magic, war magic, and shapeshifting.
Such rich teaching content obviously poses a great challenge to the course arrangement, but that's where the fun lies: Beauxbatons has a very unique book club culture.
The clubs that students spontaneously form can be regarded as small research groups.
This kind of interest-driven, spontaneous learning has a deep-rooted atmosphere at Beauxbatons.
For example, the flight class, which is not on the curriculum, is Quidditch training and was developed on its own by student reading groups.
Some long-established Quidditch clubs have accumulated broomstick maintenance skills that are not available outside of school campuses.
Casual conversation during the trip is an essential part.
The little golden retriever, the curled-winged demon, and the sack cover couldn't speak, while Boggart, being somewhat socially awkward, huddled in a corner.
There was also a Hakimi, which had been bred to talk, but at this moment, as the flying car burst out of the clouds and the sun shone brightly, it was dozing off lazily, unwilling to move.
However, the unjustly killed fairy got involved.
She is becoming more and more like a human wizard. The most obvious characteristic is that she no longer thinks based on emotions like a magical creature, but has begun to think based on rules.
She made a suggestion that greatly shocked Miss Audrey—that senior students could be sent to the Ministry of Magic or other organizations for internships.
Having served as a Ministry of Magic official for a time, she knew all too well that much of the magic needed for practical work was not valued in schools. Conversely, much of what schools emphasized was essentially useless in practice.
"You can do that?" Miss Audrey exclaimed in astonishment.
The wronged fairy nodded, smiling as she looked at the two people in front of her. "What magic masters and school professors see is the dazzling galaxy of magic, while what ordinary wizards see is the complex calculations of life."
"Centtina, this is a brilliant idea!" Miss Audrey exclaimed.
Cintina, the name the fairy who died unjustly gave herself, is an extension of the nickname Lockhart gave her, "Little Fairy." She was registered as a wizard with the British Ministry of Magic, and her surname is Lockhart.
And so, the journey continued.
Lockhart and his companions did not choose to go to the wizarding community. To be honest, compared to the entertainment facilities of Muggles, the wizarding commercial district looked like it belonged to the last century.
They even went to a haunted house.
It's incredibly thrilling and exciting.
Hmm~~~
This mainly refers to the staff working in the haunted house.
After they went there, the haunted house claimed that there were really ghosts in it, and it became one of the most popular tourist attractions in the area.
At the end of their trip, back in England, Lockhart took Audrey and her friends to Sirius's wedding.
Yes, he's finally getting married. (Chapters 275 & 277)
The other person is a Muggle, with a Muggle wizard sister and a brother-in-law from an ancient pure-blood family. (Similar to Harry's aunt Petunia)
The bride's name was Philip, and according to the Western tradition of a woman taking her husband's surname after marriage, she officially took his surname after the wedding, becoming Philip Black.
Philip wasn't a good girl; in fact, she was a punk musician who chased thrills and longed for a magical life, which is why she chose Sirius, who was a bit older.
This doesn't seem like a good choice; it lacks the loving housewife qualities of Ron's mother Molly and the authoritative housewife qualities of Draco's mother Narcissa, yet it unexpectedly suits Sirius.
Shared interests and common aspirations.
Yes, Philip was even more eager than Sirius to recreate the glory of the Black family.
This is the new life Sirius has chosen: a partner who supports him, is somewhat clumsy about how to develop the family's future, and also has a good network of pure-blood family connections.
Sirius has really changed. Even though he still has an indescribable air of a playboy, he has truly begun to become more composed.
He even had a wooden pipe dangling from his mouth.
He began to approach families with a good past relationship with the Black family, such as the Malfoys, but also more actively embraced families that were close to Muggles, such as the Weasleys, as well as many Muggle and mixed-race families.
He is more inclusive than Blake has ever been, and perhaps he can truly usher Blake into a new era.
The Black family's accumulated wealth and resources are so vast that if he were willing to take advantage of them, he could easily acquire far too much.
For example, at the wedding party, Lockhart overheard some pure-blood families urging Sirius to take over as head of the Department of Magical Creatures Control at the British Ministry of Magic.
One of the seven Secretaries of the Ministry of Magic, holding a high position and great power.
They possess extremely terrifying power to mobilize resources.
He can have whatever he wants.
Sirius was hesitating. Yes, he was really hesitant. Going from a rebel to the head of a family was a truly difficult challenge for him.
But what troubled him even more was his position at Hogwarts.
"Dumbledore agreed to let me teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, saying that you put me on the protection list to protect me from the Dark Lord."
Sirius, holding a wine glass, sought out Lockhart for a casual chat, saying, "But he actually wants me to take over as Head of Slytherin House!"
"Slytherin?" Harry Potter, his godson, exclaimed in surprise, then asked in confusion as if he had just realized something, "Snape—I mean, Professor Snape, he quit?"
Lockhart smiled and nodded. "Professor Snape will be coming with me to Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
Harry exclaimed again, "You're going to Beauxbatons?"
Well, it seems like nobody really told Harry about this.
In fact, apart from Percy, none of the Weasleys knew about this.
"I know!" Hermione said smugly from the side. "But don't worry, everyone. I heard that the school is going to hold the Triwizard Tournament next school year, and Professor Lockhart will still be at Hogwarts."
So the little ones had too many questions.
But now was clearly not the time for the children to interrupt, so Lockhart and Sirius discussed Dumbledore's plans.
"There's nothing wrong with the Headmaster of Slytherin House, is there?" Lockhart asked, somewhat puzzled.
"That's evil Slytherin!" Sirius muttered with a strange expression. "I've always hated it there."
Lockhart laughed heartily. "Alright, even if it's because of stereotypes, the Black family is probably all Slytherin except for you. Since you want to restore the family's glory and maintain good relations with other families, becoming the Head of Slytherin House is a good choice."
In fact, Lockhart guessed that Dumbledore's arrangement was intended to make his capable henchman Sirius Black a bridge of communication between purebloods.
Even now, with Voldemort completely out of power, he wants Sirius to reclaim these pureblood powers.
Blake has always been able to do this.
But it was difficult for the rebellious Sirius Black.
"Remember? I said the ominousness in the Black bloodline shouldn't be a dark ominousness, but a vibrant ominousness." Lockhart was used to thinking about problems from a magical perspective.
"An ominous sign—" Sirius pondered, "You also believe I should become Head of Slytherin House?"
Lohart nodded, "It's a good choice from any perspective."
Sirius was very willing to listen to Lockhart's guidance, not only because of their good relationship, but also because he felt that Lockhart never offered advice from the perspective of interests, positions, or plans, but often analyzed things from a magical perspective.
Magic, on the other hand, represents the future.
Then his heart began to truly waver.
"However, I don't really recommend you take on the role of Director of the Department of Magical Creatures Control," Lockhart shrugged. "While it would be beneficial for you to regain Black's glory, I personally prefer that you focus your remaining energy on magic."
"You know you have this talent; you shouldn't be wasting your life on paperwork."
Sirius's eyes lit up. "Yes, you're right!"
magic----
Looking at the sincere Lockhart before him, he suddenly felt a sense of clarity, as if awakened, and couldn't help but feel extremely grateful.
Seeing that the two had finished talking, the Weasley twins, who had been waiting anxiously, pulled Lockhart aside.
"What do you want?" Lockhart asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Professor, you will always support our magical experiments, right?" Fred and George both looked a little uneasy.
"Of course, even after graduation, look at your brother Percy, he's still using my investment funds," Lockhart said with a smile, reassuring the two students. "Don't worry about me abandoning you after I go to Beauxbatons."
"No, that's not what we meant," Fred said in a low voice. "We're planning to drop out of school."
"???" Lockhart was taken aback. Yes, he knew that twins didn't fit in well at Hogwarts, just like Newt, and found it difficult to absorb knowledge from this kind of standardized education. But weren't George and the others supposed to drop out next school year?
"We bombed the test, and Mom's furious. She thinks we're hopeless." George tried his best to look dejected, but it just looked like he was joking.
Just then, an uncontrollable scream suddenly came from the side, "You guys are dropping out of school?!?"
Lockhart turned around and was shocked to find the twins' parents, Arthur and Molly, standing behind him at some point.
He then looked at the twins with a somewhat helpless expression, indicating that they should fend for themselves.
Molly was clearly furious. Ignoring the occasion, she scolded her two sons, but their decision wasn't impulsive; they seemed quite determined, and so they started arguing.
Ron, standing nearby, recounted to Lockhart the family conflicts that had occurred during the holiday: "George and Fred only passed 3 of the regular wizarding exams! You know, Bill and Percy both got 12 excellent grades, and Mom always thought that getting excellent grades was a Weasley tradition."
The first three children were so outstanding. Even though Charlie was a bit rebellious and liked dragons, he still got excellent grades. Bill and Percy, on the other hand, had straight A's and served as prefects and student representatives.
Molly then had high expectations for the twins, who were also very smart from a young age.
However, passing only 3 subjects was incredibly disappointing. The two brothers had even talked about opening a funny toy store, which made her feel utterly hopeless.
Sometimes you have to admit that fate really does have its way with the Weasleys.
Arthur is a high-ranking official with real power, and also possesses powerful alchemical abilities such as creating flying cars. Molly is equally strong, and her sons are all exceptionally talented.
Then he became one of Dumbledore's trusted subordinates, siding with the right side.
Tsk~
No wonder the Weasley family is ostracized by pure-blood families. One family is worth seven or eight families of others. If they were allowed to continue to play happily with everyone, the British Ministry of Magic would be completely occupied by the Weasleys.
Gradually, many people gathered around. What was previously unknown to most people was now common knowledge: the Weasleys had produced two academically challenged students who had only passed three subjects.
The twins were even more unhappy now, and firmly shouted that they wanted to drop out of school.
"Why don't you come to Beauxbatons?" a voice suddenly rang out from the side.
Molly paused, turned around, and saw a beautiful young witch with an elegant figure. She couldn't help but wonder, "Beauxbatons?"
Miss Audrey nodded. "Yes, compared to Hogwarts, we have a wealth of experience in both magical artifacts and alchemy. I just heard the children talking about how their inventions seem to have been approved by Professor Lockhart. I think they would be a great fit for Beauxbatons!"
"It is a waste of talent to not receive systematic training in this area, but to rely on talent to explore. They should stand on the shoulders of giants to climb higher peaks."
"Of course, the most important thing is that we have a new principal, the great Gilderoy Lockhart, and our famous alumnus, the alchemy master Nicolas Flamel. Believe me, they will have a better future at the school."
Ah, this—
Molly blinked and turned to look at her husband, Arthur.
Arthur was also a little confused for a moment.
The twins looked at each other and shouted in unison, "We agree!"