allendalepharm Chapter 297 You have a nose now?
Chapter 297 You have a nose now?
Chapter 297 You have a nose now?
An interesting question—if Lockhart wanted to learn about information outside of school, what would be the best source?
Thanks to Lockhart's cultivated network of relationships, he has many good options.
Or the most authoritative figures, such as Dumbledore and Grindelwald, can even offer the most profound interpretations of some situations.
Or they could be top figures in various sectors of society, such as Rita or Umbridge, who can clearly explain the impact of events on various dimensions of society and which specific forces and groups are affected.
Or those whose social circles extend to deeper areas, such as Lupin, Mundungus, and Scamander Jr., can provide the most direct and genuine insights into the feelings of certain groups.
But Lockhart actually had better sources of information.
That was the elf resettlement office in the Ministry of Magic where he worked.
Lockhart knew all too well the role these magical creatures played in the wizarding world. Totto of the Crabbe family practically controlled the entire family's lineage, and Kreacher of the Black family could compile a long list of marriageable men for Sirius in a very short time.
Such house-elves —
Lockhart's office had over a hundred heads!
Among them is Dobby, a house-elf from the ancient and influential pure-blooded Malfoy family.
It was abandoned by Mr. Lucius Malfoy, who traded it for two more traditional and loyal house-elves (a male and a female, who were said to be pregnant).
Even though Dobby was strictly restricted by his former family and the Ministry of Magic from revealing any information covered by the confidentiality clauses of his former master, the Malfoy family, the information he could provide was more than enough.
Many house-elves are of such "noble birth" mainly because of the complete extinction of many pure-blood families brought about by the decades-long war between Dumbledore and Voldemort.
"The house-elves in Beauxbatons all have beautiful clothes," a house-elf told Lockhart with wide eyes. "But Barbiebo doesn't like Beauxbatons. It's full of rigid rules. My former owner said the school was like a grand, lavish stage play, where even the fish in the lake were playing their own roles."
"It's not life at all," the little elf Barbie recalled her former owner's comments.
"Nonsense, it's perfectly free there!" another elf retorted. "As long as everyone follows the rules, other schools don't care at all, which is the complete opposite of Hogwarts. At Hogwarts, everyone seems to break the rules, but the school actually manages everything."
"interesting."
Lockhart listened with great interest to the elves' argument while holding his coffee. "Within the rules, there are all sorts of restrictions; outside the rules, there are no taboos."
'
He recalled his memories of Beauxbatons from his previous life, but they were few. The most vivid memory was of the students standing up to show their respect when the headmaster appeared.
Upon discovering that the office manager preferred to compare the office to Hogwarts, the elves offered their own information.
"Beauxbatons doesn't have Dumbledore; they're heavily influenced by the Ministry of Magic."
"However, no Ministry of Magic can completely command the schools; decisions made by the French Ministry of Magic are often changed after a short period of implementation."
The Spanish and Portuguese Ministries of Magic often contradict each other; the Dutch Ministries of Magic are always the ones getting ripped off; the Belgian Ministries of Magic loves to show off but nobody respects them; and the Luxembourg Ministries of Magic is always interfering with the school's breakfast and alcohol consumption.
"Their student body wields considerable influence and sometimes clashes with professors, especially since many students come from pure-blood families and have powerful connections within the Ministry of Magic. Professors are sometimes forced to yield to them."
"Nonsense. My former owner said those students were ridiculous, that they acted all aggressive and domineering, which is exactly what the school wanted them to do. Like Barbie Bo's owner said, they were like fixed characters in a stage play, playing a fixed role."
"But actually, they're completely useless!"
"Beauxbatons doesn't have divisions, but students can choose their courses based on the reading groups they join. My master says their teaching is a mess; there are no exams during the school year, only a major exam before graduation, and they take the Common Wizarding Rank exam a year later than all other magic schools."
"It sounds very free, but Beauxbatons hasn't produced many famous wizards; the best graduates are all trained by their own families."
Or perhaps they achieve success through their own talent.
The elves' words were often incoherent.
Lockhart analyzed everyone's chatter and roughly figured out the school's unique characteristics.
Compared to the Board of Governors above the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Beauxbatons has a total of four influential bodies above the Headmaster.
The Board of Trustees, the Ministries of Magic of various countries, the major pure-blood families, and the major wizarding institutions.
This is bad news because the principal has to accept too much advice.
This is also good news, because with so many conflicting suggestions, the principal is able to gain his own space.
Excessive constraints and rules, excessive freedom and laxity, and too much tension lead to an excess of resources.
Based on Lockhart's understanding of Grindelwald, he immediately guessed which parts were being cleansed.
This ancient and outdated magnificent magic school is too entrenched to be anything but a powerful force to smash to pieces before sending a strong mission to reintegrate it.
However, everything should be done in moderation.
What Grindelwald wants is not necessarily what Lockhart wants.
He didn't want to take over when the school had already taken on the shape of Grindelwald.
"Little elves~"
Lockhart clapped his hands, looking at them with a smile. "I need you to help me find out something—"
He narrowed his eyes. "I need to know the list of Beauxbatons faculty and staff, and who among them has a background with Saints."
You can't go wrong leaving this to the little elves.
They can obtain this information too easily, and no one will notice them.
"Leave it to us, Mr. Lockhart, we guarantee to complete the mission!" The little elf Barbie patted its thin chest vigorously, eager to prove itself, as if it was about to travel through space to Beauxbatons to gather information.
Immediately, the other house-elves also became anxious and made their statements.
"No rush, no rush."
Lockhart waved his hand, signaling them to quiet down again. "I'm here today not just for Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
There's something else I'd like to share with you.
It was more of an exchange than a conversation; he was the one talking and the little elves were listening.
"I invented a spell, a contract spell based on 'protection magic' and 'blood kinship magic,' called 'mutual dependence.'"
"I think it perfectly fits the relationship between wizards and house-elves, creating a more harmonious environment for them to grow up together."
Some of the more knowledgeable house-elves turned pale.
As wizarding society changes rapidly, elves have evolved from "working for food" to "family helpers" to "family stewards," and now they are gradually trending towards becoming "family servants."
Contract magic targeting servants likely represents even more restrictions and punishments.
They were all afraid.
"I heard you right." Lockhart smiled and held up one finger. "The key word is growth potential!"
"This magic will help you become stronger, more in line with the advancements in modern wizarding, and more biological—or, more 'wizard-like' in a sense."
His voice was incredibly seductive.
"Some of you lost your castles because the wizards lost them; there was no longer the environment you needed to survive there—"
"Some were abandoned by their original owners because they no longer needed you—"
"Some even make mistakes. You have a hard time understanding the way human wizards think, which leads them to make misguided decisions—"
"The magic of mutual dependence can perfectly solve this problem."
"It allows house-elves and wizards to grow together, and to interact more like family, rather than master and servant —"
Lockhart waved his wand and demonstrated the spell. The aura of intimacy emanating from the magic made the homeless house-elves so eager that many of their eyes lit up.
Many wizards subconsciously look down on these house-elves, even equating them with other magical creatures.
But in reality, many elves have lived in wizarding families for generations, and some of them know more about wizards than many wizards do.
Naturally, they could understand Lockhart's description of the wonderful future.
"During the summer vacation, I will begin this magical research to improve this spell and make it more suitable for wizards and house-elves."
"No one understands better than me how important house-elves are to wizards!"
"No one knows this magic better than me!"
"I will select a few of you to be experimental assistants and bring you into this great experiment."
As for who to choose, that will naturally depend on their performance.
Or rather, he planned to select a few from among these hundred-plus house-elves to serve as their leaders.
In order to manage this extremely powerful force that others have overlooked.
As the excited house-elves howled and shouted "For Lockhart!" and disappeared through space, the wronged fairy who was in charge of managing these elves for Lockhart suddenly asked a question.
"Is this the life of a wizard?"
"You mentioned before that a more magical wizarding life, and I think house-elves are an important part of that?"
Lockhart looked at her in amazement. "You've actually started to think about this?"
The unjustly killed fairy smiled shyly.
"Yes, the wizarding life!" Lockhart looked at her with deep emotion. "I never imagined you would be the one who understands me the most."
The wronged fairy looked up at him earnestly, then suddenly said solemnly, "I will help you manage these house-elves!"
She had watched Lockhart transform from a weak wizard into a master of magic, but she knew all too well how weak Lockhart's foundation actually was.
The influence of internationally renowned authors is somewhat superficial, the members of the Ravenclaw Alumni Association are not so loyal, and the apprentices of the Duel Club have great potential but have not yet matured.
The team of house-elves he now commands will be a significant force, becoming the most important foundation for this man to ascend the throne.
In fact.
She overlooked one point.
Lockhart's most valuable force actually consists of these dark magic creatures, including herself.
The Wrongfully Killed Fairy, the Golden Retriever, the Boggart, the Sack Cover —
All of them, because of their "wizard life" and "fairy tale adventures," have gradually begun to exhibit biological characteristics.
Gradually, they became more than just ordinary magical creatures.
Each of them will be an indispensable presence in the future.
Soon, a steady stream of information began to arrive at the site of the unjustly killed fairy.
Although she was based in the house of the house-elf in the Ministry of Magic, she could easily travel through the magic door on the ghost ship to her office at Hogwarts and pass information directly to Lockhart.
Even Grindelwald, who was focused on Beauxbatons, was unaware of the intelligence gathering.
Lockhart even received a gift.
-
A wizard's pointed hat made of beautiful feathers they had collected themselves, a gift from the house-elves of Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to him, the future headmaster.
Lockhart's influence among the Pokémon-loving community is expanding rapidly.
He would also share some of this information with Snape and Lupin so that they could better adapt to life at school in the future.
During the final exam period, the three of them often found themselves gathering in Lockhart's office.
Snape even brought the crucible here.
"What exactly are you making?"
That day, a foul-smelling, pungent yellow smoke billowed from the crucible. The stench seemed to stir up suppressed emotions deep within Lockhart, who finally couldn't help but ask a question.
"Affinity potion," Snape hastily came up with a name for his newly invented potion. Seeing that he and Lupin were looking over curiously, he casually explained, "It can create the best first impression. Interestingly, the first impression itself has a unique and permanent memory."
"Prepared for the trip to Beauxbatons?" Lockhart immediately realized its purpose.
Snape nodded. "It's a spray. I'll prepare one bottle for each of you."
Old Si is always so reliable.
Lockhart clicked his tongue.
Lupin gave Snape a deep look, smiled gently, and said, "It seems you've begun to try to start a new life."
"Yes," Snape replied naturally, no longer bothered by the topic. "Lupin, perhaps you should try living for yourself too."
Lupin remained silent for a moment, unsure how to respond.
He wasn't troubled by whether or not he should live, but rather he simply didn't know what it meant to live for oneself.
He really tried his best to live.
He didn't know what else to do.
Snape didn't want to do this before, but now he understands; he simply doesn't know what to do.
Lockhart didn't say much, but he was particularly curious about Snape's potion.
He walked over, drew his wand, and waved it, carefully sensing the surging magical energy within.
"Blood magic?"
He looked at Snape with great curiosity.
The combination of spells and potions represents a profound realm that is completely beyond his reach.
Snape's lips curled into a smug smile.
"It's not just about blood ties; it explores the boundaries between people and self-expression."
Before he could finish speaking, his eyes widened suddenly.
Not only him, but Lupin also exclaimed in surprise, jumped up abruptly, and nimbly pulled his wand from the pocket of his wizard's robe.
because----
As Lockhart waved his wand, a translucent, slightly silvery-white figure emerged from the tip of his wand.
A figure appeared beside him in the misty smoke.
Voldemort!
"Tom?" Lockhart blinked.
Voldemort glanced at them, then casually raised a pale finger. The parchment on the desk floated up, and the ink from the ink bottle was drawn into the air like a dragon sucking water, automatically outlining patterns and printing words on the parchment.
"I've completed a small portion of the potion notes I promised you."
With that, he ignored the parchment still being printed, turned to the cauldron, raised an eyebrow, and said, "An interesting potion, Severus."
Snape gripped his wand tightly, staring at him in disbelief. "You—"
His voice was dry and hoarse. "How did you manage to get out here?"
Voldemort smiled slightly, elegantly gesturing to the potion in the cauldron, "Blood magic, but not just blood magic; it is the measure between people, and self-expression—"
Oh~
Lockhart realized what was happening.
I remember there was a scene in the original book where, when Voldemort was exchanging magical beams with Harry Potter, Harry's parents emerged from Harry's wand, seemingly using the power of blood magic.
That was an accident that Harry Potter couldn't control.
But for Voldemort, it was clearly just a unique technique.
Of course, Lockhart's attention wasn't on that. He stared at Voldemort beside him with great curiosity, exclaiming in surprise, "Tom, you have a nose?"
"!!!"
Voldemort's elegant demeanor faltered slightly, and his eye twitched visibly.
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