The slacker professor at Hogwarts

Chapter 277 This guy's trying to steal my ecological niche!

Chapter 277 This guy's trying to steal my ecological niche!

Lucius Malfoy was far more positive than Lockhart had imagined.

Two days later, he came to the school in the name of a school board member, along with several other school board members. After visiting the Duel Club's Quidditch Duel training session, he announced a donation of a large quantity of Firebolts, Firebolt maintenance tools, and sports protective gear.

This is a resource that even a wizard from a well-off family might not be able to accumulate in a lifetime.

Professor McGonagall was very satisfied, Lockhart was very satisfied, and the young wizards were even happier; everyone was delighted.

However, Lucius was far more eager for progress than Lockhart had imagined.

He hoped to take Lockhart to meet someone.

"Professor Lemaître actually intended to visit you, but considering her position as the etiquette professor at Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, it wasn't appropriate for her to come directly to Hogwarts, so I made the arrangements."

After Lucius donated some money, his attitude changed from awkward to friendly, and his way of speaking to Lockhart always gave people the feeling that "we are on the same side".

There was less deliberate flattery and more deliberate displays of intimacy.

Lockhart didn't care about that; he was just a little curious. "A professor of etiquette?"

This was a bit beyond his comprehension. Etiquette professor at a magic school? What kind of strange subject was that?

He thought it was some little carami, but Lucius gave a different answer.

"Strictly speaking, although Hogwarts is the oldest magic school, and Durmstrang has the most pure-bloods and its teaching is more focused on ancient witchcraft, Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is actually the most classically elegant."

is it?

Lockhart expressed his incomprehension, saying that wizards were not nobles. If it were really a matter of bloodline, and if one were to talk about classical and noble style, it wouldn't be Beauxbatons' turn.

hiss~

wrong!

Lockhart suddenly had a flash of insight and turned to Lucius, "Classic isn't just Muggle classics; it's also wizarding classics?"

While classical scholarship does indeed distinguish between witchcraft and magic, classical culture is applicable to both Muggles and wizards.

The classical culture of wizards?

What kind of ridiculous proposition is this?

Lockhart internally complained.

Lucius's eyes widened; he hadn't expected Professor Lockhart to grasp the key point so quickly.

He secretly marveled at how the other person had achieved such success at such a young age.

Yes, in the long history of wizarding, Beauxbatons School of Magic is indeed the school that emphasizes classical style the most.

The subtle thing is...

"This school therefore maintains close ties with Muggles, often claiming to preserve the classical culture of wizarding while regarding other magic schools as vulgar and themselves as elegant. No one can stop them from engaging with Muggle writers, artists, and philosophers."

"The enforcement of the Secret Law made some concessions in this regard because there were too many powerful wizards at that time who came forward to call for the protection of the classical culture of wizarding."

Lucius explained in a low voice, chuckling, "As you know, most of the Muggles who have the opportunity to become these so-called scholars are actually Muggle nobles and elites, or even followers of Muggle religions."

He also had even more explosive news: "In fact, Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has close ties with the British royal family and nobility here, far more than Hogwarts."

Mom!

This is so interesting.

"Professor of etiquette?" Lockhart pondered the title.

Lucius glanced around furtively, then whispered, "She's essentially Professor McGonagall at Hogwarts, but the Professor McGonagall who doesn't get along with Dumbledore."

Good guy.

Lockhart had a general understanding of the professor he was to meet.

They traveled there in a flying car. Lucius had arranged for them to stay at a Malfoy family vacation castle in the Glen Heights, not far from the Muggle castle that Percy and his family had bought.

Along the way, Lucius reiterated the importance of the witch.

"Mrs. Maxime, the headmistress of Beauxbatons, has never been able to fully control the school like Dumbledore has always been the norm at Beauxbatons."

"Professor Lemaître represents another faction." Lucius found it somewhat amusing to mention this. "He was the most frustrated headmaster in Beauxbatons' history, and he even went to the International Wizarding Federation's Department of Education to complain that there was a hidden dark force in the school."

"Indeed, that is the case. House-elves, garden fairies, all magical creatures and humanoid tribes managed by the school, school procurement, dormitory management, student etiquette training, student management organization training, and all other non-academic educational categories are firmly controlled by this department."

Lockhart raised an eyebrow, interrupting Lucius's introduction, and asked, "Professor Flamel? Flamel?"

Lucius smiled and nodded meaningfully, "Nico Lemaître."

"Audrey Flamel is their direct descendant; her mother is from the Lestrange family, one of the Twenty-Eight Pure-Blood Houses!"

This is interesting.

Lockhart's expression shifted slightly. "I remember you saying that the Lestrange family is also a board member of Beauxbatons?"

"Yes," Lucius said, pointing towards Azkaban. "As you know, all three members of the Lestrange family are imprisoned there now." (Bella had changed her surname and was now also a member of that family.)

In other words, Professor Audrey Lemaître is also a member of the school's board of trustees?

Lockhart seemed to see an enhanced version of Lucius, no, it should be an enhanced, enhanced, and enhanced version of Lucius.

He frowned slightly, unsure of what the other person would ask of him.

Lucius meant well, of course. He pondered what they had said during their last meeting and knew that Lucius was interested in the school, so he arranged this meeting.

But why would the other party make a special trip to the UK to meet, taking such a proactive step?

As the Flying Car approached the lakeside castle, Lockhart sensed the professor's difference.

A magical carriage was parked in front of the castle, pulled by six exceptionally tall rune horses (about the size of elephants). The carriage was so exquisite that it resembled a small palace.

A witch sat gracefully reading a book on a bench by the lake, while a giant wearing a magnificent half-armor stood behind her.

The giant was a full 7 meters tall, as imposing as a small mountain.

When Lockhart was researching werewolves, some sources said that werewolves were an army targeting wizards, but in fact, giants were.

Giants have even higher magical defense than basilisks, and most wizards find it difficult to damage them when casting spells. Throughout the long history of wizarding, these humanoid magical creatures have been a major headache for wizards.

Indeed, this is still the case today. All the witchcraft invented in the history of magic that targeted giants has been deliberately prohibited from being spread among the common people. The modern magic system has not invented any corresponding magic, and most wizards are helpless against this thing.

In such an era, having a giant as a guard would be incredibly cool.

Lockhart looked at the large man and clicked his tongue. "I think many people would speculate about the lineage of Principal Beauxbatons and Mrs. Maxime?"

Lucius smiled and nodded. "Yes, isn't it obvious?"

"So..." Lockhart gestured to the figure below.

"Deliberate humiliation!" Lucius answered directly. "Madame Maxim has always denied any question about her bloodline, claiming it's just malicious speculation. So the other faction used the giant guards, leaving Madame Maxim unable to refute them."

Professor Lemaître is clearly a strong-willed person.

Lockhart sighed and gestured for the car lady to fly down. Regardless of her strength or weakness, if this person didn't have any sense, he could teach her what "magic is power" meant.

The flying car had clearly attracted the attention of the other party. The witch who had been sitting on the bench reading a book stood up, scolded the restless giant, and walked towards the direction where the car had landed.

Soon, the car came to a stop, and Lockhart and Lucius got out.

"Professor Lockhart, let me introduce you..."

Just as Lucius was about to politely introduce the two, he suddenly saw a figure flash past him.

He was somewhat taken aback, and upon closer inspection, he realized it was Professor Lemaître.

Professor Lemaître looked so excited at that moment that he rushed over to Lockhart, getting very close, holding up the book in his hand, and excitedly shouted, "Giddro Lockhart!"

Her fair face and long neck quickly flushed red, and her tone and voice lost the aristocratic aloofness of the past, replaced only by the excitement of a young female fan.

"I am your fan, my name is Audrey Lemaître."

"Could you please sign your name for me?"

Not only was Lucius frightened, but Lockhart was also terrified.

Fortunately, Lockhart had extensive experience with such matters, and his face habitually broke into the most perfect smile as he very kindly accepted the books and the prepared quill pen from the other party.

Upon opening the book cover, there it was: his book, "Voldemort the Mysterious Man: A Pureblood Supremacist with a Muggle Father?"

"Excellent, very discerning. This is my proudest work, even Dumbledore approves of it."

As Lockhart spoke, he quickly signed his name and casually added a blessing—"May Miss Audrey Lemaître remain forever beautiful."

Audrey Lemaître was thrilled.

She looked young, in her early twenties, about the same age as Lockhart. She took the book, looked at the signature, and subconsciously took off her gold-rimmed glasses to make herself look prettier.

She seemed so excited. "You don't need Dumbledore's approval. I've heard everything. You played a crucial role in the battle to capture the Dark Lord. You were the most amazing one!"

Lockhart was a little embarrassed by these compliments and quickly replied, "No, no, I still have a lot to learn from Dumbledore, and I have a long way to go."

Audrey Flamel hugged the book tightly, nodding repeatedly, her excited face full of admiration. "You're always so humble. I remember you wrote this in this book—'I think I will always be an apprentice on the magical path, always maintaining the most humble and devout attitude.'..."

He bragged wildly.

She was like a fan who had finally met their idol. Having finally gotten the chance to meet their idol, she couldn't wait to say all the words she had been preparing for day and night.

They were praising Lockhart's education reforms.

They were praising Lockhart's unwavering support for the brain-dead child born into a pure-blood family.

They boasted Lockhart's absolute authority in the field of dark magic creatures.

They kept blowing one thing after another.

Don't say it.

You know what?

Lockhart really enjoyed it.

Leaving aside Audrey Flamel's own power, just consider this witch's beautiful face, elegant figure, overflowing admiration in her eyes, and the information and achievements she gleaned from all over the place about him...

Lockhart really knows how to get carried away.

Lucius opened his mouth repeatedly, raised his hand and lowered it, but he never got a chance to say a word.

He suddenly felt a little regretful.

I regret contacting this French pure-blood witch.

Damn!

This witch was much better at flattery than I was. After all, my flattery was somewhat insincere and I was careful with my words, but the other woman's flattery seemed genuinely heartfelt.

Sincere flattery sounds very pleasant.

hate it!

I hate it!

This is trying to steal my ecological niche!

Lucius wanted to slap himself.

He wanted to cry.

But he still had to stand awkwardly to the side and watch Professor Lemaître's performance. He even wondered if the witch in front of him was a fan of Professor Lockhart who had drunk Polyjuice Potion and turned into a witch.

Otherwise, how could he be so different from Professor Lemaître, whom he usually interacts with?

Where is your air of being more aristocratic than I, Malfoy?

Where is that overbearing air of yours, which was even more powerful than Professor McGonagall's?

Where is your pampered, dignified, and aloof demeanor?

How did it just disappear?

Lucius rolled his eyes discreetly, and looked at Dobby, the house-elf who was hiding and fearing the giant, and felt even more annoyed.

Even the servants were a head shorter than the other side.

"How are the banquet preparations going?" he asked coldly.

Lucius decided to replace Dobby; he always felt that the house-elf wasn't loyal enough and didn't like him at all.

Hmm, it seems Professor Lockhart is in charge of the Ministry of Magic's re-employment program for house-elves?

Perhaps this is a way to bother the other party.

He knows exactly how to build better relationships by getting the other person to do small, insignificant things, which helps the other person develop intimate feelings for him.

"Everything is ready," Dobby replied hesitantly, which annoyed Lucius even more.

"Bring over the tea, snacks, and dining table first," Lucius ordered. "Can't you see everyone standing here? Get to it!"

Then it's just a matter of waiting patiently.

He was most curious about why Professor Lockhart had suddenly become interested in Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

He always felt this was an opportunity.

Unfortunately, Professor Lockhart and Professor Flamel did not seem to discuss anything about Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Apart from Professor Flamel's mad praise, Lockhart answered some of Flamel's questions about the book.

"Wow~ Is that how it is?"

"Professor Lockhart, you're amazing!"

"I think I understand what you mean. You mean the angle of this magic cannot be from..."

"You are so learned, Gilderoy!"

"I admire you so much!"

Lucius listened to Professor Lemaître's exclamation, and felt a chill run down his spine at the sound of her voice, which was so different from her usual tone.

The two people chatting were so friendly that, without realizing it, Professor Lemaître's "Professor Lockhart" had become "Giddro."

Eek~~~

Lucius felt he couldn't stand it anymore.

He even felt like he was starting to feel superfluous as he sat there.

This……

The awkwardness started to get a little strange later on, because when Professor Lockhart and Professor Lemaître were exchanging contact information, they somehow started talking about Muggle cell phones.

Then Lucius saw a completely unfamiliar scene.

Both wizards pulled out Muggle cell phones from their pockets and exchanged phone numbers!

They even talked about something called "email".

Email, Lucius knew, was something wizards used daily, and together with owls, it was the wizards' most common communication network.

But what is an email address?

Lucius didn't understand.

He had originally intended to leave politely, but now he was filled with curiosity and began to eavesdrop.

There's no way around it; if he doesn't even know what an 'email address' is, how can he properly serve Professor Lockhart in the future?

He really wants to improve.

He firmly believed that the close relationship between Lucius and Draco and Professor Lockhart was enough to support the Malfoy family's glory for the next hundred years, and he had to be cautious.

"I might not be able to get through to them by email," Lockhart said, somewhat distressed. "Hogwarts doesn't allow the use of any Muggle electronic devices."

"There's a way!" Audrey Flamel exclaimed excitedly, as if she finally had something to show Lockhart, and she was extremely proactive.

She pulled out something from her bag that looked like a makeup box, about the size of a basketball. When she opened it, there was a base supporting a complex mechanical structure with all sorts of amazing gears turning.

"It can help you use Muggle electronic devices at the Ministry of Magic, but I'm not sure if it will work at Hogwarts."

Lockhart stared in amazement at the strange object. "Alchemy?"

When it came to his specialty, Professor Lemaître finally put away his excited fanatic demeanor and said seriously, "A sub-discipline of alchemy, modern mysticism."

This was already a blind spot for Lockhart.

But he didn't have any idol image to maintain in front of his fans. Instead, he sincerely asked, "Could you tell me about it? I didn't know anything about this before."

"Modern mysticism is a discipline completely opposite to mysticism." Professor Lemaître finally regained his professorial demeanor and began to speak eloquently.

"The earliest ancient mysticism came from the awe and fear of nature held by wizards and Muggles in their tribes. That's why we often see a lot of magic involving animal hides and bones, colored minerals, miasma and flames."

"Later, what we officially call mysticism, wizards and Muggles became more deeply involved in society. As wizards fought with humanoid and magical creatures for survival, witchcraft developed rapidly, and the Muggle population exploded, this discipline became, in fact, the mysticism of Muggles."

"Muggle mysticism?" Lockhart asked, not understanding.

Professor Lemaître nodded. "Strictly speaking, it's a discipline that deals with the collective emotional atmosphere created by the stereotype that wizards think Muggles think wizards are more mysterious."

"From the existence of ghosts to the witchcraft of sealing people to walls, the study of magic naturally evolved into two types of magic research: magical portraits and magical cameras."

Lockhart has probably figured it out.

Professor Lemaître further explained, "Modern mysticism is a unique branch, the opposite of which is that it is a discipline based on the collective emotional atmosphere brought about by wizards' stereotypes of Muggle mysticism."

"For example, the steam engine, complex mechanical structures, even the modern internet, and satellites in the sky..."

"These things are mystical to wizards!"

"Exploring the field of 'modern mysticism' does not mean that wizards should study Muggle science, but rather study this kind of mystery."

As she spoke, she gestured to the flying car that Lockhart had arrived in, "It is the result of research in the field of 'modern mysticism,' I can tell."

wow~

Lockhart suddenly began to understand Mr. Arthur Weasley's research direction.

Professor Flamel clearly recognized the car; after all, photos of Harry Potter riding in this car during his adventures were featured on the front pages of various newspapers and magazines.

She said, "The study of the modern occult has been greatly restricted by the regulations of the Ministry of Magic in various countries, which are similar to the 'prohibition of the misuse of Muggle items' in Mr. Arthur Weasley's work scope."

"Of course, Arthur's domain is magical creation, which looks far too conspicuous. We're in alchemy, so it's easier for us to develop in that area."

Lockhart remembered Dumbledore's Deluminator.

After all, Old Deng was an extremely powerful alchemist; I hadn't really noticed this before.

It suddenly dawned on him, "So, in practical application, alchemy, as represented by 'modern mysticism,' is actually aimed at researching magic to counter Muggle technological creations?"

Audrey Flamel's eyes lit up again. "You've only just heard of this subject and you're already thinking about it so deeply? Oh, you truly are the most powerful wizard of the new generation!"

Stop bragging!

Stop bragging!

Lucius was internally screaming, "If you keep going like this, I'll run out of things to say!"

(End of this chapter)