allendalepharm Chapter 285 Ghost Ship Blood Ties and Family
Chapter 285 Ghost Ship Blood Ties and Family
Chapter 285 Ghost Ship Blood Ties and Family
Lockhart recently made a friend online.
That's right, it's Audrey Flamel, the etiquette professor at Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
However, instead of using Audrey's magical photograph, they chose the unique 'occult signal machine' she had previously provided.
Once this unique alchemical construct is activated, within a two-meter radius, communication issues such as those involving Muggle cell phones are no longer restricted by Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry's own protective magic.
This was done with Dumbledore's permission.
Lockhart didn't want his entertainment to expose Hogwarts' location to Muggle influence. Dumbledore himself was a top-tier alchemist who could help him determine if there were any potential risks involved.
So he communicated with this equally young wizard through Muggle email.
Lockhart felt great.
His previous contacts were either bigwigs from the previous generations like Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and Grindelwald, or a group with deep-seated grievances and political involvement like Snape, Lupin, and Sirius, or asylum seekers like Rita, Umbridge, and Lucius, or children like Harry and Hermione.
Before this, there was another person who gave Lockhart a relatively peaceful and pleasant communication experience, namely Newt's son, Scamander Jr.
Young Scamander is also a professor at the magic school, and he has a similarly open-minded perspective, so they get along quite well. However, young Scamander is not young at all, and it always gives him the illusion of talking to a kind, middle-aged man next door.
Lockhart and Audrey got along very well.
He was curious about the fact that Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry still adhered to etiquette.
From the initial questions to the subsequent conversation, the two gradually delved deeper into their topics.
Audrey's answer was interesting.
She said, "Aristocratic education cultivates a kind of pride, a polite pride, and the resulting inner strength is a kind of reinforcement that is difficult for those who haven't experienced it to understand. It may seem similar to the emphasis on pure bloodlines in other parts of Europe, but there is a fundamental difference."
Pure blood sanctifies the soul, and ritual heroizes it. We admire heroes, and we yearn to become heroes ourselves. Bloodline is innate, but heroism is something we cultivate, and everyone has the opportunity to achieve it.
Sacrifice and pleasure, dedication and power, order and the establishment of order...
"Thus, the wizards trained by Beauxbatons possessed magic that was even more magnificent and grand."
"This magnificent and grand characteristic is a hallmark of modern classical wizarding culture, completely distinguishing it from the mystery and ominousness of ancient classical wizarding, thus forming a new magical trend more in line with the times."
"Using the fairytale concept you mentioned in your book, *Voldemort the Mysterious Man: A Pureblood Supremacist with a Muggle Dad?*, it's more fairytale-like, more magical for modern people."
"When magical plasma transforms into dazzling fireworks, the experience of magic will be entirely different for everyone—whether casting the spell, being attacked, or simply observing."
"But Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry also faces a major problem: its etiquette has become dogmatic, rigid, and inflexible. People only care about grandeur and magnificence, losing the romantic experience and failing to develop that unique sense of pride."
People are no longer arrogant.
Therefore, there is no love in this world without a reason.
The reason why the original Gilderoy Lockhart is so highly regarded at Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is because he embodies the ideal that Beauxbatons aspire to.
Audrey Lemaître's fervent admiration for Lockhart stemmed from the fact that Gilderoy Lockhart had proposed the "Fairy Tale Theory," offering a solution to the Beauxbatons dilemma.
He is hope!
He was the only light on the path of confusion!
Lockhart is the same.
His curiosity about Beauxbatons also stemmed from the fact that he seemed to have found the best complement to fairy tales there.
Fairy tales, or rather magic, should not be far removed from life, but even though Lockhart is a professor at Hogwarts, it must be said that life at Hogwarts is somewhat detached from real life.
It is closer to the life of a pure wizarding community, but it is not as good as Durmstrang.
Moreover, in real life, the only pure wizarding community in the entire magical world that can be mentioned is Hogsmeade Village, which is next to Hogwarts.
More commonly, wizard communities are mixed in and hidden within Muggle communities.
The flying cars built by Arthur Weasley are the cultural symbol of the new era of wizards.
At least Lockhart felt that way.
Young wizards can experience this magical fairy tale from magic school, especially those from Muggle families, who have a deeper experience. However, Lockhart, an adult, can never truly enter into the fairy tale life while living in Hogwart.
That's why he moved to live in the Forbidden Forest the following year when he started teaching there.
But that's not enough, far from enough.
This is the life of an ancient wizard, not the life of a modern human, nor should it be the life of a wizard in the new era.
Many people in the wizarding world are confused about this.
The Forest Witch is a prime example of this; this spiritual type of person has long considered magic as part of herself, yet she is also madly infatuated with the bustling life of Muggles.
As we transitioned from primitive society to the industrial age, countless people faced this situation: their hearts had nowhere to find peace.
This has led to the wizarding world's back-and-forth struggle against the Law of Secrecy for nearly two or three hundred years.
Lockhart didn't start with the Secret Service Act; he disliked politics.
He started with life, seeking that most subtle point where one could find peace and tranquility, yet also be vibrant, full of life, and ever-changing.
Now, he vaguely has the answer.
"It's a glimmer of hope!"
He told Audrey, "Only in the ever-rising, vibrant changes and bursts of life can all unease find a place to rest. It doesn't have a place of complete peace, but it has a stable anchor."
Audrey couldn't understand, she could only wail in adoration.
Wow, what a brilliant idea...
It offers maximum emotional value.
It feels good to be admired, but Lockhart wants more than just admiration. He tries to describe his magical philosophy in simple words, hoping that more people can benefit from it.
"In the long river of life, we are like passengers on a drifting boat, laden with our spirituality, leading us through the ever-changing landscape of the river..."
"We are not at peace for the long river, but we are at peace for this ship."
"And our connection to all things in the world is like an anchor extending from a ship; it does not change with the changing vitality of the long river, but only depends on our ship."
hiss……
Lockhart was writing an email to Audrey when, at this point, a very unique realization dawned on him.
He suddenly waved his hand, startling the little golden retriever who was curled up in his arms and the unjustly killed fairy who was massaging his shoulders from behind.
The powerful surge of magic awakened the other children nearby.
Everyone looked toward the seemingly endless river and the dilapidated ghost ship on it.
Lockhart stared at the ship in amazement for a long, long time.
Finally, he typed in an email—"And what we need to do is take control of this ship!"
Snapped!
The email was sent.
He casually drew his wand and stood up. With a flick of his wrist, a long serpent appeared in the river of time and lunged at the ghost ship.
The enormous serpentine body rapidly coiled around the entire ship.
The ghost ship, seemingly a lifeless object devoid of any will, offered no resistance, allowing Lockhart to cast spells extremely quickly.
A moment later, a Pegasus appeared, so ethereal that it seemed to overlap with the ship's hull, leaving only a pair of enormous wings outstretched.
A moment later, a ferocious werewolf appeared on the deck like a shadow, raising its head and roaring.
"Yes, that's it!"
Lockhart licked his lips and flicked his wand again. The giant snakes, werewolves, and pegasus surrounding the ghost ship began to rapidly transform into eerie red lines, quickly disintegrating, dismantling, and reassembling, then branding themselves onto the ghost ship's hull like marks.
"Nice!"
He shouted excitedly. He thought it would be difficult, but the ownerless and unconscious ghost ship was like a shell whose soul had been eaten by a Dementor, just like the body he had transmigrated into. It was empty and he easily dealt with the bloodline mark.
The rest is simple.
He quickly cast the bloodline spell, without making any additional modifications; it was just the most basic bloodline spell, and a strange red line extended from the ship.
It originates from illusion.
Upon reaching the real material world, the red line had become as wide as a road.
He stared blankly at the red-lit path leading to the river of time, then turned to his friends, his face beaming with barely suppressed joy, and asked, "Do you want to come along?"
This was the first time he had asked his friends this question.
I never asked this question when I took them on adventures in the past.
The wronged fairy, somewhat puzzled, asked, "Where to?"
"Home!" Lockhart replied.
"Home?" The wronged fairy couldn't understand what "home" meant, and neither could her other friends.
"Home is a place of peace for the soul," Lockhart explained.
"Once the mind is at peace, the magic of life will emerge, and the life force will propel you, these dark magic creatures, toward becoming magical creatures, and begin to possess the same 'animalistic' nature as humans."
The other kids still couldn't understand.
The unjustly killed fairy simply asked, "Do you want us to go with you?"
Lohat nodded, but hesitated, rubbing his hands together. "Of course I hope so, but everyone has to have their own choices, right? I just want..."
Before he could finish speaking, a small, cool hand was placed in his palm. The wronged fairy looked at him firmly and said, "I am willing to follow in your footsteps forever."
The little golden retriever was very worried because it couldn't speak.
It could only anxiously gesture to Boggart, urging him to speak up for it.
Boggart clearly understood what home was; its most common location was the wizard's home. Having followed Lockhart for so long, he had more or less grasped some of the concepts of magic and understood that what Lockhart was talking about was definitely not just going into a house called home.
It looked around, trying to understand what its companions were thinking through telepathy.
Golden Retriever, Curled-winged Demon, Sack Cover.
It received an affirmative answer.
Finally, it looked at Hakimi, the newest member of its pack.
Hakimi was much smarter; he ran to Lockhart's feet, rubbed against Lockhart's trouser leg, and meowed.
"We're all willing!" Boggart answered, adding, "We'll always follow in your footsteps!"
"Ha ha ha ha……"
Lockhart burst into laughter, a hearty laugh, and beckoned everyone to step onto the red-lit road before them.
As they walked, they moved from reality to illusion, from the present to the uncertain river of time, and finally arrived at the ghost ship.
The red light road quickly split open, transforming into red lines that connected each of them.
In just a moment, all the friends suddenly had a very unique feeling, a feeling that was extremely subtle.
The face of the wronged fairy seemed to have gained a bit more liveliness. Her originally exquisite face, which was so exquisite that it didn't seem real, began to show some very natural expressions.
She actually started to express herself, saying, "What kind of magic is this? I feel like I've become so strange."
"Blood kinship magic!" Lockhart squinted, sensing the changes occurring within himself, his eyes unfocused, and murmured, "Using the ship as a medium, forming a blood relationship..."
It doesn't mean "blood relatives" in the traditional sense.
Instead, everyone entered the same "home," became a part of this "home," and became each other's blood relatives.
From then on, they became each other's "blood relatives" and protectors.
By using this perspective to perform "time rollback," every individual within the bloodline will no longer be affected due to the ghost ship's ability to travel through the river of time.
Not only them, but the ghost ship also underwent changes due to this magical connection with everyone.
It has become less broken and full of vitality.
The tattered sails on the mast unfurled and rolled open, revealing figures floating on them.
The Wrongfully Killed Fairy, the Golden Retriever, the Boggart...
Of course, there is also a very special pattern at the very top, which is a picture in which a snake, a horse, a werewolf, and a young figure with black hair and black eyes are all integrated into one.
These figures flashed by, and only Lockhart himself could clearly see the scene above.
Every figure in the picture is moving.
This is the mental world, the magic that Dumbledore taught us before. Of course, its current effect is more like the Weasley family's clock that indicates the status of family members.
The ghost ship has three floors on its deck.
The bottom floor is where everyone in the family lives. Lockhart led his friends closer and saw that each door had its own sign.
Looking up, the third floor contains the command platform and control room.
Go up the stairs to the second floor, where there are rows of doors, but no doors to rooms.
Now only five gates have inscriptions.
The first door: Hogwarts' mushroom hut.
The second door: the small building in Hogwarts Village.
The third door: a luxury mansion in London.
The fourth gate: the Quidditch Duel Club castle in the Grand Heights.
The fifth gate: North American farm.
When the other doors were opened, all that remained was a chaotic scene, but when these five doors were opened, the view outside was completely clear, as if taking a step forward would allow one to walk directly into it.
Standing in front of the door, everyone could see Professor Kettleburn happily grilling meat and sipping wine in the open space in front of the Mushroom House; the house-elves in the London mansion were cleaning; and Sir Humphrey Appleby, the Muggle, was directing some people to repair the castle in the Club Castle.
A voice came from inside the door, "Any cutting corners is unacceptable. I hope you understand the importance of repairing this castle..."
Of course, this isn't the most important part.
the most important is……
Lockhart and his friends all looked toward the second door, which was the small house next to Aberforth's in Hogsmeade. At that moment, in the dark hall, a sneaky figure quietly pushed open the window and slipped in.
"Thief?"
The thief's movements were somewhat clumsy. After climbing in through the window, he stumbled a step on the ground and quickly braced himself against a nearby cabinet. Then, he was jolted by the electric current released from the defensive magic cast on the cabinet, which made his whole body tremble.
Seaweed, seaweed, swaying in the wind.
(End of this chapter)