allendalepharm Chapter 276 Sirius's Blind Date
Chapter 276 Sirius's Blind Date
Chapter 276 Sirius's Blind Date
Snape's guess made a lot of sense.
However, the real world often doesn't operate according to logic; it's full of all sorts of unexpected events.
Because even half a month later, Sirius was still going on blind dates.
As for why Lockhart knew, well, it's because he happened to run into him today.
London, Six Dwarfs Restaurant.
"I didn't expect you to invite me to a Muggle restaurant like this." Lockhart turned his head and looked around the lavishly decorated restaurant.
After observing the figure playing the piano under the dance floor lights with great interest for a while, he smiled and turned to look at the couple in front of him who looked a little awkward.
"Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy."
Lucius followed Lockhart's gaze, somewhat embarrassed. "I didn't know my brother-in-law would be here. It's just a coincidence."
Coincidence?
So, at this point, Sirius Black was recognized as his wife's brother?
Sirius Black saw him accepting the Malfoys' invitation, and who knows what he'll say to Dumbledore about it.
Lockhart, however, didn't mind such a small gesture and smiled as he invited them to sit down.
"As many people who have read my biography know, although I was born into a pure-blooded mixed-race family, I was not well-off when I was a child."
"I know very little about traditional wizarding family life," Lockhart said with some curiosity. "Did ancient wizarding families teach their children piano? Did they teach them Muggle music?"
He didn't know much about music, but he could tell that Sirius Black, who was showing off on the piano, was actually quite skilled.
It really sounds great.
Lucius and his wife Narcissa exchanged a glance and replied with a smile, "In fact, the period when the Statute of Secrets was strictly enforced was only a short period in the long history of magic. In terms of time, wizards and Muggles have always lived together."
He stroked the snake head on his cane, and said with great emotion, "Music is not just music for Muggles, it is also music for wizards."
"That's an interesting point," Lockhart chuckled. "After Voldemort was captured, I noticed that many people suddenly became smarter."
This direct address caused Lucius and Narcissa to tense up and instinctively shudder.
The name of the Dark Lord is terrifying indeed.
If anyone else had dared to do something so suicidal in front of them, they would have certainly faced Lucius's wrath and turned on them. But in front of them was Professor Lockhart, a magical master who could be compared to the Dark Lord. The Malfoys dared not say anything.
In fact, their invitation to Lockhart was essentially an attempt to defect.
Although it wasn't said explicitly, that's the gist of it.
Grindelwald had previously discussed the so-called "pure-blood theory" with Lockhart, Snape, and others, and his analysis was incredibly thorough.
That is, when you feel that you are more noble than some people, you will subconsciously agree that there are others who are more noble than you.
Grindelwald said, "They need a master, a master who will bring order to their world. I think that's the greatest value of the 'pure-blood theory,' allowing us wizards who are determined to walk the path of magic to easily find a group of particularly useful servants."
Oh, I misspoke. We don't need to look for them; they'll come to us.
The significance of pure-blood families to Grindelwald is like that of house-elves to pure-blood families.
Regardless of whether Old Ge's words were biased or not, the principle is the same.
Look, Mr. Malfoy has come knocking.
They yearn for the glory of the Vixi family and the pride of pure blood, but they are forced to confront the reality that this world is ordered not by bloodline but by magical ability.
Their unique bloodline does provide them with a more favorable foundation for enhancing their magical abilities than other wizards, and their family's long and glorious history also provides them with ample resources, but ultimately everything depends on the individual.
Lucius is quite strong, and Narcissa herself, as well as her brothers and sisters from her mother's clan, are also quite strong.
But it has been a very long time since their family last produced a master magician.
"This restaurant used to be run by the Black family," Lucius said, trying to make conversation and ease the awkward atmosphere that had somehow arisen.
Lockhart, who had come with good intentions, smiled and followed up on his question, asking, "Isn't it anymore?"
Lucius nodded. "When an ancient family can no longer maintain its glory, it has to submit to the rules of the world. The Black family had to sell this restaurant to a Muggle nobleman to escape the Ministry of Magic's accusation of violating the Secrets Act."
Everyone is breaking the rules, which is not a crime. What is a crime is not having the power to protect one's behavior. In that case, one should obediently follow the rules.
This is a negative message, but it's reality. For example, Hagrid illegally breeds magical creatures and brazenly displays them to young wizards as teaching material, precisely because Hogwarts' influence provides him with protection.
The decline of a family is an extremely painful thing.
Lucius's expression turned serious, and he tried his best to appear sincere, so sincere that there was a hint of flattery. "Actually, I had considered sending Draco to Durmstrang School of Witchcraft and Wizardry before, but my wife objected. Now it seems that it was an extremely correct decision, allowing him to have the opportunity to meet such a good professor as you."
Lockhart's expression shifted. "What kind of school is Durmstrang?"
Lucius paused for a moment, then turned to look at his wife, Narcissa.
Narcissa clearly understood this issue better than Lucius, because the Malfoy family, as one of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry's board members, generally preferred Hogwarts when it came to their descendants' education.
"My mother graduated from Durmstrang School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and she often told us about the school."
Narcissa's voice had an indescribable elegance, an elegance and nobility that had permeated the very bones of every member of the Black family, a quality that even her marriage into the Malfoy family and change of surname could not change.
"The biggest difference between Durmstrang School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and Hogwarts is that Durmstrang recruits students from all over the world and only accepts members of pure-blood families."
Narcissa hesitated for a moment, then added, "But because there are fewer and fewer students, they are also lowering some of the requirements. They are now accepting mixed-race individuals with a good pure-blood family background."
Lockhart understood. He wouldn't accept every half-blood. Someone like him was out of the question, but a half-blood like Hannah Abbott, who came from one of the Twenty-Eight Holy Pureblood Families, was acceptable.
That's really interesting.
Grindelwald chose this school as its principal.
“There are many false rumors that this is a school dedicated to teaching black magic, but that’s not true,” Narcissa explained. “They are simply willing to confront the powerful influence of ancient witchcraft. While there are indeed black magic courses, students are always encouraged to learn them with greater restraint.”
Lucius added, "In fact, pure-blood wizards are far more thoughtful than ordinary wizards. They understand the dangers of dark magic and send their children to magic schools in the hope that they will grow up and inherit glory, rather than becoming dark wizards who are difficult to stand in the mainstream social narrative."
That makes sense.
If they knew they were being sent to a dark wizarding school and would only be able to make a living in Knockturn Alley after graduation, these self-proclaimed "noble" pure-blood families weren't idiots.
Lockhart understood; at least he knew that Grindelwald had been expelled by Durmstrang, who claimed to be dedicated to dark magic, because of his research into dangerous dark magic.
This is a problem that any ordinary person could see without even thinking about it.
Lucius added, "Demstrand's alumni associations and fellowships have always been a very strong international force."
He deliberately lowered his voice and whispered, "At their peak, they even openly declared themselves the 'true International Wizarding Federation.' Of course, as you know, Grindelwald and Dumbledore later appeared—"
understood.
Lockhart had a relatively clear idea of the power that Grindelwald would wield in the future.
He stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment, then asked, "What about Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? Do you know anything about it?"
Lucius nodded. "The Malfoy family is also one of the board members of Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
He said this somewhat embarrassedly, "But its influence there isn't actually that great."
Lockhart was taken aback. "The Malfoy family?"
Lucius nodded. "As I just said, the period during which the Statute of Secrets was maintained was only a short period in the long history of magic. In the era before the Statute of Secrets divided the wizarding world into the jurisdictions of the national ministries of magic, the European wizarding world, and even the global wizarding world, was actually always one."
"Moreover, our Malfoy family, as well as the Lestrange family, both originated from France."
"Another family is the Rozier family, which has branches in France, and the Black family has intermarried with many pure-blooded families in France."
Lucius meticulously traced the influence of these four families in France, which extended far beyond just the magic school.
Just then, Narcissa suddenly said, "The Black family is also one of the board members of Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and has always had considerable influence."
"This influence was still significant when I married into the Malfoy family and my sister married into the Lestrange family."
This right naturally belongs to the descendants of the "Black" family and cannot be given away as part of a dowry.
Now that Sirius's younger brother, the official heir, is gone, this right naturally passes to Sirius.
Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse, not to mention the Black family, which is known as the oldest and noblest pure-blood family. Even the dilapidated family fortune that Sirius Black has inherited is still an extremely formidable fortune.
Lockhart sighed.
It was finally confirmed that Snape had made a mistake.
Sirius Black doesn't need to marry some witch from France who has ties to Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; he himself is one of the school's board members.
Perhaps there is a period of transition right now, but with Sirius Black backed by Dumbledore's influence, Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry will probably find someone to establish a connection with him.
Of course, this is not a fault of war.
How could someone of his and Snape's humble origins possibly understand the intricate complexities behind these ancient pure-blood families?
It was precisely these qualities that made Lockhart see Lucius's value.
He saw the waiter finally pushing the food cart towards them from afar, intending to end the conversation, but simply said, "I know you care about the children. Draco is doing well in the Quidditch Duel Club. I was thinking if you'd like him to be more popular among the students, perhaps you could help provide some flying brooms for the kids."
This is no small sum of money.
Whether in competitions or regular training, Lockhart requires the young wizards to adapt to the most advanced fire bolts available today. Those things are very expensive, extremely expensive, both in price and maintenance.
While both are flying brooms, the Firebolt and the Sweep series have completely different meanings in reality.
The latter are tools for daily life.
former-
Actually, they are war machines!
Making Lucius responsible for this "arms" expenditure without offering any compensation is an outrageous demand.
However, Lucius agreed so excitedly that he exchanged a glance with his wife Narcissa, and the two of them finally breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as they have value, as long as they are needed, and as long as they begin to be needed, the glory of the Malfoy family can continue.
Because from then on, the powerful magic master Gilderoy Lockhart stood behind them!
Even if Dumbledore intended to settle scores with their family, he would have to consider this.
Coban Yaxley is still alive, everyone knows that.
Although Coban is now leading the Yaxley family to America to work for Lockhart, continuously pouring money, manpower, and resources into the project without expecting anything in return, who can deny that this is an investment?
The titles and powers of the Malfoy family, the Black family, and other families who hold the position of "school board member" were all acquired through investments made step by step in the same way.
For a time, both host and guests enjoyed themselves immensely.
Compared to the increasingly harmonious atmosphere between Lockhart and the Malfoys, Sirius Black on the other side of the stage was feeling much more uncomfortable.
Sirius was in such an awkward situation.
He wasn't like this before. He used to be a dashing young man, and he was once very successful. But then he got involved in the war, killed his best friend, and spent more than ten years in prison.
Rice in Azkaban is not nutritious at all.
No one knows what kind of inner torment a sinister Black endured when he walked into the dark Azkaban.
It is said that one can cast spells by invoking emotions, but few people have considered that if this path is feasible, the reverse is also possible.
As a continuous stream of dark external magic washed in, emotions that did not belong to his own heart began to grow within him.
Then these emotions began to stir his soul, unleashing an ominous magic.
The reason he didn't go insane like the others wasn't because of any Animagus, nor because of any nonsense about inner love and unwavering will; it's actually quite simple.
The ominous aura emanating from Blake's soul suggests that Dementors truly dislike eating him.
Dementors like to eat good, happy, beautiful, and positive things. In their eyes, he is probably just a stinking cesspool, that's all.
But this still couldn't change the pain in his heart, and the agony of being devoured by both the darkness of the Dementors and the ominousness of Black.
he.--.
Actually, it's not that he's not crazy.
Sirius feels like he's turned into a mad dog, and he's trying his best to act like a normal person.
Perhaps this is his path to redemption; he needs to act like a human being, to behave like one.
But when he actually tried to do it, he realized that he didn't actually know what a normal person should do.
Sometimes he would be awakened by nightmares in the middle of the night, walk to the full-length mirror next to his bed, and look at himself, only to see a dog's face.
Yes, he unknowingly cast Animagus while he was asleep!
His inner pride made him not want anyone to know about this, so he naturally and instinctively resisted welcoming his other half.
But Kreacher had already warned him.
Sirius knew that Kreacher made this arrangement because he cared about him. That wretched house-elf was just like that; once he considered himself family, he took it for granted that Kreacher would care for him wholeheartedly.
Okay, you treat me with sincerity, I will repay you a hundredfold.
Sirius Black is just that kind of person.
Unlike those who secretly laughed and speculated about him, he did not take blind dates negatively; he even tried hard to sell himself.
Kreacher needs a mistress, and the Black family needs a mistress.
He took over the Black family, he became the master of Kreacher, and he wanted to live up to everyone's expectations and do his best.
No one knows how proactive he is when going on blind dates, like right now, showing off his piano skills from his youth and his melancholic charm, trying to captivate the woman in front of him.
The woman seemed very attracted, completely smitten.
The woman only asked one question, "Sirius, this is our second meeting, and I only have one question—"
As she spoke, she looked down at Sirius, who sat somewhat awkwardly at the piano, and said, "Tell me, what is my name?"
This is a very simple question.
Once you answer, everything will be fine.
Sirius knows.
But he didn't know the answer.
He tried hard to recall what Kreacher had told him, but Kreacher had mentioned too many women's names, and the list of names was a jumbled mess in his mind, making it impossible for him to discern the answers in the fog.
He felt as helpless as a child who had done something wrong.
The woman sighed and looked deeply into Sirius's eyes. "I'm willing to marry you simply because I, a Muggle, am so madly in love with the magical world. Perhaps I can't become a wizard, but at least my child will be one."
"But at least you look good."
"Not to mention the Black family is absolutely the best I could find, isn't it? My sister's house-elf told me how rare someone like you is."
"But Sirius, can you really give me happiness?"
can!
can!
Sirius opened his mouth, but for some reason, he couldn't make a sound.
It felt like there was a stone stuck in his throat, making him feel indescribably uncomfortable, so uncomfortable that he wanted to escape from there.
The woman ultimately never got the answer.
She left, and Sirius didn't know how she left.
He simply sat forlornly at the piano, silently watching the instrument and his hands trembling slightly on the keys.
The overhead lights shone on him, making him the most eye-catching person in the restaurant, but all he wanted to do was hide in a dark corner and become a big black dog.
A person like him—
Is there really a future?
"Severus once felt that he had no future." A voice suddenly rang in his ears.
Sirius looked up and saw Lockhart, who was leaning against the piano with his arms crossed, smiling at him.
He said his life was filled with nothing but pain and hatred.
Lockhart shrugged. "People think that pain and hatred bring powerful magic, but that's not true. Only pain and hatred that are alive and vibrant can have magic, like Harry's, not a stagnant pool like Severus's."
"Severus was filled with helplessness, because his pain and hatred did not help him end them, but instead dragged him into an abyss, where all he could do was sink into despair."
"He didn't know what to do, but he's moved on now."
Sirius pursed his lips and simply said, "I don't care whether he can get over it or not!"
"Severus knows the answer." Lockhart looked at him with a smile. "Severus can give you the answer. I can feel his sincerity now. I think you can go to him. He will be willing to tell you the answer."
"Me?" Sirius looked at Lockhart in disbelief. "Go find him?"
"Why not?" Lockhart smiled and straightened up. "Of course we can cherish the past, treasure it so preciously, but that won't help the present. It's not an either-or choice; the coexistence of the past and the present is what creates a powerful life force. But the present is the beginning of everything, always will be."
"Sirius, aren't you also planning to start your life?"
start·--
Life--
Sirius remained silent, but his hands slammed heavily onto the piano keys without him noticing, producing a deep and powerful echo that resonated in his heart.
He stood up abruptly and quickly straightened his collar.
"You seem to have the answer yourself?" Lockhart asked, sensing the emotional state emanating from him with some curiosity.
"no."
Sirius shook his head and laughed, his laughter still melancholic, still with a touch of gloom, yet somehow different.
He said, "I don't think I need an answer. I plan to catch up with that woman, ask her name in person, and then remember it well."
Oh, Lockhart really found this interesting. Sirius was such a different person, a fascinating fellow.
He gave a thumbs-up and said, "Keep it up, buddy!"
Sirius Black tossed his half-grown hair triumphantly. "I think I'm still quite charming, aren't I?"
As he spoke, he strode outside, and as he approached a table, he smiled politely at them and then casually took the flowers from the vase on their table.
run!
He strode forward!
Amidst the gasps of others, he ran outside, then ran back amidst the gasps of others, personally and sincerely thanked Lockhart, and then hurriedly left again.
His life is like a gust of wind in the wilderness, perhaps never finding its place.
But sometimes, as Lockhart said, when you move, when you move with vitality, you are always the most dashing wind, howling and surging, and you can also go to the unknown future.