allendalepharm Chapter 263 Professor, I Want to Improve
Chapter 263 Professor, I Want to Improve
Chapter 263 Professor, I Want to Improve
Lockhart felt bad.
Very bad.
He vaguely saw the once clear and bright river of time before him begin to become blurred and blurred, layered and even strangely twisted and intertwined.
Is his eye damaged?
Or is there a problem with spiritual perception?
Do not!
No!
Lockhart seemed to see the reality of this world. The strange thing he had thought was a "green pentagram" finally became three-dimensional after the layers were pulled back, and then turned into a "starfruit" in front of him.
Abstract and bizarre.
It was filled with a mysterious and ominous magical aura.
In fact, calling it "layered" is a misnomer. These intricate and complex rivers of time blur the boundaries, and in some places are even disordered, stuffing themselves into the brain in a way that is extremely difficult to understand rationally. It makes one's entire mind feel like it is about to become numb because of the difficulty in comprehending such abstraction.
Fortunately, he had extensive experience dealing with non-existent phenomena like dark magic creatures, and he instantly summoned his guardian pegasus and the vicious werewolf to pull at his mind, preventing it from collapsing.
He vaguely sensed the effects of the "time rewind" spell he had cast on Voldemort.
It seems that something was transmitted from Voldemort to himself through the complex "social" relationship between Voldemort and himself.
Lockhart didn't know what it was.
He absolutely refused to accept anyone stuffing things into him, especially power that was beyond his memory and something he could control.
What should I do?
His mind worked quickly, and he soon came up with a solution.
What comes from 'sociality' can naturally go back to 'sociality'.
Tom, here you go!
An ancient, dilapidated pirate ghost ship, sailing through the river of time, appeared before them, its chains dangling, and the anchor, with Tom attached, swaying as if an electric current were flowing through it.
Then something unknown, transmitted from Voldemort's side, flowed into Tom's body after passing through Lockhart as a transit point.
Buzz buzz buzz~~
Lockhart could hear a strange sound transmitted from a soul, as if something was resonating, and then it spread and spread.
Blood tears instantly streamed from Lockhart's eyes. In a daze, he saw Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and the entire castle complex was radiating a unique aura.
And he was being protected by this halo at that moment.
Oh, this must be Voldemort's curse on Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It's some kind of 'love' power, a love that turns to hate—how wondrous. Well, at least that's the level Lockhart can currently decipher of this magic.
Then his vision blurred, and he saw one figure after another, these figures overlapping and intertwined in the long river of time. It was Severus Snape, who was currently in his office mixing potions.
It was Lucius Malfoy, who was currently in a secret meeting with some people to discuss something.
It's Bella, Bellatrix Lestrange, who is currently experiencing a series of fictional lives within the world of a fairy tale, helping Lockhart complete some experimental hypotheses.
It was Coban Yaxley, who was currently fleeing the destroyed farm in a panic. This guy had handed over the family business to Voldemort...
Sure enough, he had secretly left a trick in the protective magic here. Seeing that things were not going well, he took the opportunity to slip away and actually broke free from Grindelwald's spell seal.
Lockhart saw one Death Eater after another, who, because of the Dark Mark on their arms, were connected to Voldemort by a kind of "strong sociality," forming an inseparable network of connections over time.
The sound of his heart pounding grew louder and louder. He began to feel the burden brought about by what he was spying on, which was finally about to exceed the limit of what he could bear.
Once a certain threshold is reached, a loud crash occurs, and everything in sight seems to be torn apart like glass.
His vision, his perception, and his genuine feelings about the physical body returned to their original state.
"Phew~"
He took a long breath, put his hands on his knees, and began to sweat profusely, as if he had accidentally touched upon something extremely terrifying, mysterious, and ominous. He felt goosebumps all over his hands.
"Young man, your abilities have exceeded my expectations," Grindelwald exclaimed from the side. "Resurrection? What a terrifying magic!"
Lockhart weakly raised one hand and shook it, "I'll never use it recklessly again."
He was extremely fortunate to possess a ghost ship, and even more fortunate to have a strange connection between the ghost ship and Tom, which gave him the opportunity to transmit Voldemort's influence to Tom.
If it were someone else, he probably would have had to suffer in silence.
He didn't know if the magical world believed in "cause and effect," but the terrifying magical power of "fate" truly existed here.
When fate intervenes, there is nothing one can do about it.
Consider that Voldemort, with his exceptional talent, immense power, and overwhelming influence, was ultimately outmaneuvered and killed by a member of the Order of the Phoenix.
This situation is as absurd as if Dumbledore died when he and Bella faced off.
This is the terrifying power of fate.
Magic brings wondrous abilities, but also sinister influences; we must still know how to respect it.
Lockhart has never been so humble.
After a long while, he finally calmed down, used magic to clean the bloodstains on his face, and looked around with concern.
The first thing you see is Voldemort, his body wrapped in countless white threads resembling a cocoon, floating beside Dumbledore. The threads, like countless silkworms spinning silk, are multiplying and spreading layer upon layer towards Voldemort's head.
Dumbledore wasn't in the mood to listen to Voldemort's words at this point, and didn't give the villain a chance to talk.
"I intend to lock him up in Nurmengard until I find a way to kill him completely," Dumbledore said, looking at the two of them.
Grindelwald shrugged. "I have no objection."
Lockhart naturally agreed, "Me too."
Then everyone started cleaning up the battlefield, but there wasn't much to clean up anyway.
Cedric, Luna, and Crabbe rescued a large number of dark wizards and stuffed them all into Professor Lockhart's fairy tale book.
As for those Muggles from the Purge, they were all killed instantly by Grindelwald's simple spell, dead beyond any doubt.
He clearly had his own reasons, otherwise, the three young wizards would have risked their lives to save people in such a terrible war, and they wouldn't have failed to save even a single Muggle.
Grindelwald made some underhanded moves, and so did Lockhart.
For example, many of the basilisks that Voldemort bred, under his influence, hid far away from the battlefield and burrowed underground, leaving behind a total of thirteen.
Mass-producing basilisks is undoubtedly an extremely crazy thing to do.
The thirteen-headed serpent monster, even without the intervention of top-tier experts, is already an extremely terrifying force.
Lockhart even speculated that Voldemort might have some means to allow these basilisks to cooperate with the Death Eaters, such as through the "Dark Mark".
That remains to be seen.
The only question is whether Old Deng is willing to leave these basilisks to him, since he has every reason to get rid of these "devil's minions".
"Gellert and I will take Tom and leave first. You handle things here." Dumbledore seemed unconcerned about the situation and simply said, "Get the children back to school as soon as possible. Tom's arrest is not the end."
Lohat nodded, understanding what Old Deng was talking about.
Those followers and forces who had placed their beliefs and desires, such as "wizard supremacy" and "pure-blood supremacy," on Voldemort in the past...
It's hard to predict whether Voldemort will retaliate out of despair or do something irrational after his complete defeat.
The only certainty is that the entire wizarding world will be in chaos for a while, and this chaos may even extend to the Muggle world.
After Dumbledore and Grindelwald left with Voldemort, the three young wizards rode their flying brooms to Lockhart's side.
"Professor!" Cedric handed over the fairy tale book with a serious expression and asked, "What should we do with these captured dark wizards?"
Lockhart raised an eyebrow, took the book, and looked at him with a smile. "Why didn't you ask Professor Dumbledore just now?"
Cedric paused for a moment, then said, "Percy is about to start the Quidditch Duel Club, George and Fred have established a laboratory, and Ron is looking for partners to research a language for magical creatures suitable for Muggle life. Professor, they are all members of the Weasley family, and they all bear traces of the Order of the Phoenix."
Lockhart simply nodded gently. "I trust my student."
“Of course, that’s not what I meant.” Cedric looked at Lockhart very sincerely. “Hufflepuffs always have their own principles. We are honest, so we are Gryffindor’s best friends. We are loyal, so we often have the trust of Slytherin. We are not afraid of hardship, so we are more likely to be Ravenclaw’s loyal partners than Gryffindor and Slytherin.”
"Professor, you always say that the times are undergoing dramatic changes, and I also hope to find my own place."
This position did not come from Dumbledore, but from Lockhart.
He made his choice.
This choice may have been influenced by family connections. After all, everyone has seen that those loyal followers of Dumbledore did not receive much preferential treatment, while people like Fudge or Snape received generous rewards. This is also why many people are unwilling to openly stand by Dumbledore's side.
Lockhart, on the other hand, was willing to give opportunities to those around him, and then tell them, "You are all the protagonists of your own fairy tales," and "You should be true to your own hearts in order to receive a response from the magic within."
So Cedric stayed true to his heart and chose Professor Lockhart.
He was upright and kind, willing to spare the lives of those dark wizards. He was loyal to his own heart and to the choices he made, so he endured the pressure within himself and waited until Dumbledore left before bringing his two still naive companions to find Lockhart.
He is ambitious, but not ambitious. He simply longs to find his place and a bright future, but he is not greedy.
Lockhart liked this honest and intelligent student, and patted him on the shoulder with a smile. "Our Duel Club's 'White Elixir' project is about to start. It's a 'full-chain' operation model. We need to cultivate, we need to prepare potions, and we need to communicate with various wizarding organizations and possibly even Muggles—..."
"It doesn't wield the immense power of the Quidditch Duel Club, nor does it have the vast financial resources of the Domesticated Armor Labs, nor does it enjoy the great renown of the Hakimi Language Research—"
"This project, the 'complete industrial chain of Dictamnus dasycarpus pharmaceuticals,' must not be profitable, nor should it give the impression of building fame or power. It is destined to remain unknown."
"It is also complex, involving matters that touch upon every corner of human life."
Even so—
Lockhart's expression was somber. "Cedric, are you willing to do it? Can you do it well?"
Cedric's eyes lit up. "Yes, Professor, I assure you!"
"No, I don't need any guarantees!"
Lockhart gestured to the deeply plowed farmland around him. "This will be the future center for the cultivation and processing of white scallions. Cedric, I need you to prove to me that you are capable of doing all of this well."
How to do it?
He gave us direction.
"The only exit from here is inside that Muggle assassin organization. I need you to find a way to control this exit and prove to me, prove your ability!"
This is an extremely complex topic.
If the young wizard in front of him wasn't Cedric but Draco, it would be very simple, because Draco would not hesitate to use the Imperius Curse, one of the three unforgivable curses, to control the Muggles he looked down upon.
Even if those people have some wizarding blood and possess abilities that ordinary Muggles cannot have.
Arrogance is not always a mistake, at least not in the realm of magic.
Draco might be hesitant to use the Unforgivable Curse on wizards, but he wouldn't feel guilty using it on Muggles, and it wouldn't even affect his own purity of heart.
It's like how the Aurors of the Ministry of Magic casually use Oblivion Charms on Muggles.
He regarded himself as a god.
But from a non-magical perspective, this is not good. Lockhart can see Cedric's kind side and is looking forward to seeing what choice he will make.
"I must remind you, Dumbledore wants you to return to school as soon as possible; your time is running out!"
So—
What should I do?
"Professor, I've thought about this!" Cedric said excitedly, speaking rapidly about his idea. "We don't necessarily need to deal with those Muggle assassin organizations outside, or even contact them. I think keeping them unaware of us is the best approach."
"All we need to do is modify the fireplace in that textile factory's freezer, turning it into a one-way passageway, allowing only exit and not entry, and use it as one of our secret shipping outlets!"
"I think this is the best disguise; it looks like our entrance and exit, but it's actually just the exit."
Lockhart's expression shifted, and he asked again, "How exactly do you do it?"
This wasn't actually a test. Lockhart genuinely didn't know how to make the fireplace one-way; it was beyond his knowledge, and he really didn't understand.
But Cedric thought it was just a test and excitedly said, "Our Diggory family has the magic to modify magical fireplaces. Very few people actually know about this ancient craft."
Renovation?
Lockhart then looked at Crabbe and Luna beside him, but the two young wizards seemed somewhat bewildered.
Luna clearly had no experience with this kind of magic, while Crabbe's family modified the function of magical fireplaces by using their power to influence the Ministry of Magic to change the properties of fireplaces connected to the Floo Network.
This approach, which starts with technology, is quite unusual.
Cedric hadn't finished speaking when he said, "Our real way to get in and out is to strengthen the defensive magic here again, and then use the key that this magic allows to enter and exit. That way, we can get here directly from Hogwarts."
"But," he hesitated, "I don't really have a clue about the technology for door keys. Maybe I can look for them in the school library."
Lohat nodded, but in his mind he was thinking about a wizard he knew who also possessed magical knowledge of things like door keys, fireplaces, and castle defense magic.
—Coban Yaxley!
This guy was fleeing like a stray dog. If Dumbledore or the Order of the Phoenix caught him first, it wouldn't be easy to extract any magical knowledge from his head.
Lockhart needs to act quickly!