allendalepharm Chapter 296 Beauxbatons' Joint Plea for Help
Chapter 296 Beauxbatons' Joint Plea for Help
Chapter 296 Beauxbatons' Joint Plea for Help
Voldemort seeks to restore his soul to wholeness and rediscover positive forces such as love. What will this bring?
Lockhart had no idea.
Grindelwald, the prophet, might know something, but he simply smiled calmly and said nothing, not even revealing a word to Dumbledore.
But at least one thing is clear to everyone: the biggest source of trouble at this stage is not Voldemort, but Grindelwald.
This dark wizard, who once stirred up chaos that affected the entire world, became increasingly restless after his release from prison. First, he fueled the flames by pushing Voldemort, who "liked being Voldemort," into the limelight and making him the target of everyone's hatred. Then, he took advantage of the chaos and found the perfect opportunity to break free from Dumbledore's control.
After becoming the principal of Durmstrang School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he became even more ruthless.
Lockhart at least heard from Aberforth about Grindelwald's purge of opponents at Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
He wrote letters to Rita and Audrey respectively, but unfortunately he never received a reply.
Lockhart sometimes wondered if Snape's deductions were directed at the wrong person. The one who wanted to replace the Ministry of Magic with a "magic school-centered system" was not Dumbledore, but Grindelwald.
Old Ge is so enthusiastic.
Moreover, Dumbledore himself is the highest-ranking figure in the Ministry of Magic's central structure. He is the Chief Wizard of the International Confederation of Wizards, the upper echelon of the Ministry of Magic.
The final battle between Grindelwald and Dumbledore was for this globally influential seat.
Of course, given Lockhart's understanding of these two bigwigs, he couldn't help but speculate that it was a classic case of Old Man Gertrude stirring up trouble, followed by Old Man Dumbledore cleaning up the mess – a situation that fit their tacit understanding and habits.
One approach involves overcorrection, while the other focuses on appeasing the public.
Incidentally, part of the "overcorrection" was subtly and gently transformed into a common practice.
For example, among the new generation of young wizards today, no one questions how unconventional "wizards marrying Muggles" was back then, when it was such a normal thing.
Time slips away quietly.
For the next week, Lockhart stopped meddling in the affairs of the bigwigs.
In addition to continuing to teach at the Duel Club, he focused more on the club's four programs.
This is the foundation for his future.
Especially after leveraging the "Three Strongest Competition" in the next academic year, he will develop to a greater extent, and in terms of influence, he is estimated to be able to rival the big shots.
Instead of existing as "Dumbledore's subordinate and friend", or "Grindelwald's little brother", or "Voldemort's good friend and mortal enemy".
He is Gilderoy Lockhart.
He came into this world.
His voice deserves to be heard in this world.
This world deserves its stage.
That day, the young wizards suddenly became tense. The final exams, the ordinary wizard level exams, and the ultimate wizard level exams put the whole school in an extremely oppressive atmosphere.
The club's four major projects naturally came to a temporary halt.
Lockhart would return to his professor's residence, the Mushroom House, on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, during his leisure time, and couldn't help but feel a little sentimental.
Over the past year, this place was once a forum for five men to discuss politics. Now, Grindelwald has left Hogwarts, Professor Kettleburn is busy designing the next academic year for his "adventure fairy tales," Snape is hiding in a corner licking his wounds, and Lupin is often busy running around.
The stone fire pit where the campfire burned is still there, but most of the ashes from the grass and wood inside have been blown away by the wind to various parts of the forbidden forest, leaving only a pile of blackened and mottled stones.
Lupin returned home at night after a busy day.
He paused for a moment when he saw the campfire rekindled, then walked over and sat down quietly beside it.
Lockhart poured him a cup of warm milk tea that was sitting on the fire, and they enjoyed the rare peaceful night.
After an unknown amount of time, Lupin looked up at him and said, "Sirius won't be going to Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
-
???
Lockhart was taken aback. "Not going?"
"That's normal, isn't it? Harry's right here." Lupin's voice was soft. "Right now, Harry's the only thing this guy cares about."
"He told me that he planned to volunteer to Dumbledore as the professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts."
That's true.
Sirius Black didn't care about any new era or the "magic school-centric system" or any grand plans. All he knew was that Harry's childhood was a miserable one, marked by a lack of love, spent at his aunt's house due to the absence of a guardian.
He had to make it up to the child, even if he couldn't give him anything else, at least he gave him enough love.
Despite what Harry has experienced, he is still just a 13-year-old child, and a wizarding child who is particularly sensitive to emotions.
Lockhart strongly agreed with Sirius's approach.
Harry Potter's emotional deprivation during his childhood did indeed result in a number of congenital deficiencies for the child.
Lacking creative drive, with a sensitive and introverted yet impulsive personality, they need to be pushed by others to do anything.
The most important thing is that they lack ambition.
As expected, after Voldemort's death in the original book, he faded into obscurity.
Let alone becoming a groundbreaking figure like Dumbledore, he might not even reach the level of Professor McGonagall, who was equally unambitious.
It's such a waste of talent.
"And you? Are you planning to stay too?" Lockhart had made Voldemort sign a humiliating agreement this time, and Lupin's name was on the whitelist. If Lupin was willing to stay at Hogwarts, he could actually be exempted from the curse of being the professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Lupin pondered for a long time before finally shaking his head.
"I will not stay at Hogwarts, I—"
He never revealed the reason, but Lockhart actually knew.
Lupin was in a rather awkward position. When suspicion arose between him and his friends, between him and the Order of the Phoenix, and between him and Dumbledore, it couldn't be easily smoothed over with a simple "we still have feelings for each other."
Moreover, Voldemort was imprisoned, and there was no longer a powerful external force to mend the rift between him and these relationships.
The fact that he, James' best friend, missed out on Harry's childhood is the best proof of this.
He felt much more at ease with his new friend Lockhart.
Sometimes fate is so wondrous; his friendship with Sirius remained, and he was still filled with gratitude for Dumbledore.
But after losing James Porter, his best friend, as a bond, he began to drift further and further away from the past and embark on a different path.
"I want to go to Beauxbatons with you."
Lupin hesitated for a moment before speaking with some trepidation, looking at Lockhart with a hint of uncertainty.
In fact, he was somewhat unambitious and easygoing, but at this moment he did begin to have aspirations.
He now shoulders the responsibility for the entire werewolf community.
Even though every leader had explicitly stated their intention to accept werewolves—Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and even Voldemort—only Lockhart truly embraced the entire group and was willing to provide assistance to the whole clan.
Moreover, I've heard that werewolves are treated more kindly in the French wizarding world. (Chapter 277)
Lupin is just that kind of person.
He spent his whole life living for others.
In my youth I lived for my friends, in my wandering days I lived for my family, and now I live for the werewolf community.
His life was so humble that he always felt his life was light and adrift without carrying anything on his shoulders.
"sure."
Lockhart smiled and nodded. "Fate is sometimes so wonderful, isn't it? We will eventually walk down unfamiliar paths, and I'd love to see more fellow travelers on this journey."
Before anyone knew it, news spread that he was about to become the headmaster of Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and some people began to gravitate towards him.
This is an experience you can't get by being a professor.
Soon, he received a letter.
"A visit request from Rita."
"Rita, I've heard about you." Lockhart greeted Rita in his office. "I thought you'd be coming to see me soon."
Rita looked somewhat haggard, and upon hearing this, she shrank back in fear. "I've been targeted by Grindelwald. I don't know if coming to you will cause you trouble. You know, I always find a way to hide."
"However, I heard some rumors that you were planning to become the principal of Beauxbatons, which might be different from what I thought, so I came here."
Ravenclaw remnants always have a good sense of smell.
Lockhart smiled and gestured for her to sit down and talk.
"Actually, I brought someone with me. Of course, he's pretending to be visiting his daughter. He won't be here for a while," Rita said softly after glancing around. "Xenophilius Lovegood."
Luna's father, editor-in-chief of The Quibbler, and a member of the Ravenclaw Alumni Association.
Just then, someone knocked on the door. It was Xenophilius. He glanced at Rita as soon as he entered, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her nod slightly.
Compared to Rita, one of his own, Lockhart was not so casual. He no longer sat there casually, but straightened his back and looked very proper, full of doubt. "I can't imagine what you would want to talk to me about."
Xenophilius seemed a bit neurotic. He twitched the corners of his mouth, sounding somewhat unsure of himself, and said in a somewhat humble tone, "I want to transfer my daughter to your Beauxbatons School of Magic."
Lockhart was taken aback. "She's right here, what's wrong?"
Luna's talent is well-suited to the magical path of the "Forest Witch," and he had long wanted to mentor this exceptionally gifted little witch.
However, Luna was too young, and he felt she should receive more basic magical education at Hogwarts before being guided down this additional path.
He was afraid that if he gave her guidance now, Luna wouldn't be able to concentrate on her lessons at school, which wasn't a good development plan in modern wizarding society.
Xenophilius scratched his head vigorously, struggling to organize his usually excellent communication skills. "Grindelwald is backing my magazine with a price I can't refuse."
Lohart head.
He remembered that "The Quibbler" was the first to attack the giant bloodline of Orim Maxim, the current headmaster of Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
"I don't know if I'm considered one of his people anymore."
Xenophilius seemed confused about this. "I'm worried that Grindelwald and Dumbledore might have another disagreement, you know. It's been normal for this before. Dumbledore probably wouldn't mind, but I'm worried about the students at the school—"
He thought for a moment and added, "Dumbledore's supporters among the students will ostracize my daughter because of this. She is too young to go through this."
Lockhart understood, but asked with interest, "If that's the case, why not send her to Durmstrang?"
"How could that be!" Xenophilius's voice rose, his tone becoming somewhat distorted. "My daughter cannot become a dark wizard! She is an elf among mortals, she should be the purest of all!"
I really hope these words won't be perceived by the prophet Grindelwald.
Lockhart chuckled but didn't say anything. "In that case, you can just go through the normal transfer process. I don't think Professor McGonagall will stop you."
When this was brought up, Xenophile hesitated for a moment, his back bent considerably, "I heard from my daughter that you actually think highly of her?"
He carefully observed Lockhart's expression. "I heard there are only two lower-year students in the Duel Club. One is a child from the Weasley family, whom you like very much, and the other is Luna."
"I wonder if you are—are you—"
He had absolutely no leverage to make demands of Lockhart; all he could do was bend his back more, speak more respectfully, and adopt an even more humble posture.
Lockhart gave him a long look, and finally nodded. "I originally planned to take her under my wing and tutor her when she was in third grade, like Crabbe did."
Xenophonius's eyes lit up; he was so excited he almost jumped for joy, shouting, "Really?"
"Yes," Lockhart affirmed again.
"I—I—" Xenophilius became so happy that he became incoherent, gesturing with his hands, and finally reached into the pocket of his large, colorful striped coat and pulled out something about the size of a fist wrapped in leather, which he placed on the table.
Then, taking a small step back, he said respectfully, "I know I can't refuse any of Grindelwald's requests right now, but I want to say that if there's anything you need me to do, I'll do it at all costs!"
A person who seems unreliable to everyone else, when speaking the most sincere words, actually makes people truly feel the weight of their words.
Lockhart smiled and reassured him, "I've heard there are many elves and fairies at Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Perhaps Luna would like it there."
P.S.: The kind of little fairy from fairy tales, the size of a palm, will be mentioned in more detail later. Xenophilius laughed, a laugh that sounded a little bittersweet. He wiped his eyes, his voice trembling slightly. "I didn't know, I didn't know, some of my choices would affect lovely Luna. If Rita hadn't reminded me, I really wouldn't have realized it—"
"I am so grateful to you for protecting this child—"
He finally left, somewhat disheveled. In this rapidly changing new era, someone with some influence but still a nobody like him could hardly control his own destiny.
Rita watched his retreating figure, feeling a pang of sympathy for him.
Of course, she was lucky; she maintained a good relationship with Lockhart early on, before Lockhart came to power, and swore allegiance early on.
Her loyalty brought her incredible rewards—first, she became the editor of the Daily Prophet, and then she survived the clutches of the horrific Grindelwald.
PS: Chapter 266, the editor's seat was obtained with Lockhart's help. "Tell me about the situation at Beauxbatons School of Magic." Lockhart invited Rita to sit down.
When this was mentioned, Rita's expression turned strange. "Lockhart, you might not believe it, but this school has more than a dozen factions, and there's no clear distinction between them."
"Currently, the three factions have the greatest influence."
"One faction, under the guise of classical culture, controls a large number of the school's internal operating mechanisms."
Lockhart knew that Audrey Lemaître was a representative of this school of thought.
"The examination school had roughly the same influence and power as the classical school."
"The exam-oriented group?" Lockhart blinked, puzzled by the bizarre label. "What are their characteristics?"
"The power of a teaching model that follows the examination content regulations issued by the Ministry of Magic Examination Authority and the regulations for various professional certifications."
Rita spoke in a convoluted way, clearly not quite understanding it herself, "Anyway, this faction involves forces ranging from the Ministry of Magic to professors at magic schools, to various sectors of society."
"These forces from all walks of life are divided into two factions: one faction consists of influential organizations such as purebred companies, hospitals, and large organizations, while the other faction consists of highly profitable institutions such as factories, dragon farms, and drug cultivation bases of the newly rich."
understood.
Lockhart understood. "Principal Olem Maxim is a prime example?"
Rita looked quite surprised. "How did you know?"
"Giants are half-giants, incredibly powerful yet adrift like rootless duckweed, making them perfect as a balancing force between these powers," Lockhart explained casually, not bothering to elaborate further, and simply asked, "What about the third faction?"
"Lockhart Book Club." Rita's expression turned strange.
"What?"
"Beauxbatons has over a dozen Lockhart book clubs," Rita exclaimed. "The largest are six, all of them student groups. Even the professors can't ignore the power of these students! And it's foreseeable that with each graduating class, its influence will officially spread to the wider society."
6!
Lockhart didn't know what to say.
He tapped his fingers on the table, deep in thought, when suddenly he raised an eyebrow. "Grindelwald is targeting only the so-called 'exam-oriented' group?"
'
Rita nodded. "In fact, Grindelwald wasn't targeting anyone, but from what I've summarized, I've found that the exam-oriented faction was the most affected, almost completely dismantled, and the impact extended beyond the schools. The French Ministry of Magic and other major organizations were also greatly affected."
interesting.
Lockhart relaxed.
Rita pulled two letters from her handbag, one of which was particularly large and bulging, and threw it on the table. "After I escaped death from Grindelwald, the school professors saw hope and wrote a joint letter begging for your help."
As she spoke, she placed another thin letter in front of Lockhart, "But I prefer you to look at this one."
"This is from Professor Audrey Lemaître. She strongly advises against getting involved in this matter and hopes I can help dissuade her, worried that you might offend Grindelwald. She believes that standing up for those people at this time and becoming Grindelwald's adversary will not do you any good."
There are still some benefits.
After all, he's about to take office as principal.
Thinking of this, Lockhart raised an eyebrow, reached out and picked up both letters, taking out the papers to examine them.
The contents were roughly what Rita had described.
You tell them—
1
Lockhart smiled slightly. "I'll go to the school to see what's going on. If it's really a critical situation, I'll go to Grindelwald to resolve it."
"
If the situation is not critical —
Let's wait until the crisis gets serious before we deal with it!
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