The slacker professor at Hogwarts

Chapter 254 Sleeping Dragon, Do Not Disturb

Chapter 254 Sleeping Dragon, Do Not Disturb

As is well known, the motto of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is "Do not disturb a sleeping dragon."

Albus Dumbledore is that sleeping dragon.

I'm awake now.

Therefore, those who dare to tease will pay the price.

Amidst the ruins, beneath a flagpole strung with countless corpses, all the wizards present fell silent, none knowing whether this war would affect them.

As the torrent of history rolls down, countless insignificant figures, too small to be recorded in history books, are swallowed up and disappear without a trace.

A new era?

I don't know who started talking about the "new era," maybe Lockhart spread it through his Ravenclaw alumni association or among the student community. No one can be sure, but many people are talking about the "new era."

Okay, now the "new era" has truly arrived, but it's not the new era everyone imagined.

Rather, it is Dumbledore's new era.

Too many people are terrified by Dumbledore's tough stance and are at a loss, hoping to figure out their place in this new era and how to cope.

Many members of the Hibiscus Ravenclaw alumni association were glancing at Lockhart.

Lockhart didn't really care about the young magic master who seemed unaffected and still had a lazy, vacation-like expression on his face.

Because he clearly sees how the situation is changing, as long as he grasps the pulse of the new era and acts accordingly, there is nothing to worry about.

then.

After the meeting ended and night fell, the figures quietly arrived at a house in London, England, that looked overly extravagant and ostentatious.

This is the house that the original owner bought.

Lockhart originally intended to sell it, and even had Torita help him find a buyer, but ultimately decided to keep the house because he had earned so many Galleons from the last book, "Voldemort the Mysterious Man: A Pureblood Supremacist with a Muggle Dad?"

It wasn't just members of the Hibiscus Ravenclaw Alumni Association who came over that night.

Of course, almost all of these people came here.

Interestingly, Fudge and Umbridge also came. These two were probably the ones who most wanted to get some information about Dumbledore from Lockhart, as they were terrified.

Lucius Malfoy and old Goyle also came, bringing along young Goyle and young Crabbe, hoping to use Lockhart's relationship with the two students to build rapport.

Newt's son, Scamander Jr., also came. Dumbledore specifically chose California as the venue for the International Federation of Wizarding Authorities' meeting, and mentioned the Scamander family's growing influence in the U.S. Congress and Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which made him feel somewhat uneasy.

Newt is Newt, and Scamander is Scamander. Although they have a connection due to their fathers' past relationship, neither Newt nor his son participated in the activities of the Order of the Phoenix during Voldemort's era. In addition, now that Grindelwald has been released, some things are hard to say.

There were quite a few other wizards who came with similar ideas, most of whom were wizards that Ravenclaw had brought along to promote the books last time.

Then everyone discovered that the wizards who came to Lockhart's mansion came from all over the world.

Unbeknownst to many, Lockhart's influence had grown to a completely different level.

Twitch, the house-elf of the Crabbe family, was very busy, quickly setting up the venue with the other house-elves to serve drinks to the guests.

In Tutu's eyes, its master, Crabbe, was Professor Lockhart's first apprentice, and therefore, he was definitely different in Professor Lockhart's eyes. Not to mention that Crabbe's future might be tied to Professor Lockhart, and they would share his fate.

Therefore, Professor Lockhart's affairs were naturally treated as Crabbe family affairs, and Lockhart hardly needed to give any orders.

I will do my best to help handle all matters.

As a house-elf from an ancient family, it knows all too well what kind of atmosphere to create for its master's various gatherings.

For example, right now.

You can serve less food and drink, but make sure to serve plenty of alcoholic beverages that can stimulate your emotions, preferably strong liquors that can get you high.

"I know what you're worried about."

Lockhart, holding his wine glass, looked at the densely packed figures and smiled. "This matter is actually quite simple. As long as we understand Dumbledore's style of doing things, we can figure out how to act in the era of the International Wizarding Federation's War Command."

It sounds simple, but how many people in this world truly understand Dumbledore's style of doing things?

Even Fudge, who was always pondering Dumbledore's ideas, probably couldn't figure it out.

Lockhart looked at the bewildered eyes and sighed helplessly, "The wizarding world... magic is power."

I believe that everyone here is a prominent figure in their respective fields, and you should all understand this principle.

"If we truly understand, we'll naturally try to figure out what that powerful wizard, who truly transformed magical power into authority, was thinking!"

He looked at these people, his expression slowly turning somewhat strange. "Do you have any?"

Looking around, Fudge seemed embarrassed, Lucius was frightened, Umbridge was uneasy, and Rita seemed to be wriggling around as if there were bugs under her buttocks. None of them showed any composure.

Of course, if someone truly understood, they wouldn't be here.

Lockhart felt he was about to lose his composure because he hadn't really figured out Dumbledore's ways of doing things.

No?

What do you guys usually do?

You are natives of the wizarding world, yet you understand the rules of this world even less than I, a transmigrator?

Lockhart once wondered if he had acted like a fool so much that all the fools in the elite wizarding community had gathered around him.

He didn't understand what these people were thinking.

Especially some members of the Ravenclaw alumni association, some of whom are bigwigs in the media industry such as newspapers and magazines, often like to use Dumbledore as a go-between.

He thought these people were confident they knew where Dumbledore's tolerance limit lay.

So it turns out he only survived this long by sheer luck?

Awesome!

It can't be that everyone knows the idea that "magic is power" but deliberately turns a blind eye, can it?

Lockhart picked up his glass, took a sip of his drink, looked around at the people, and gestured with his glass to Umbridge, who seemed hesitant to speak. "Dolores, you tell us what you want to say."

Umbridge glanced nervously to her left and right, especially to her boss, Fudge. Seeing Fudge urging her to answer Lockhart's question quickly, she stood up and said, trembling slightly, "Is he—is he going to tighten control over the Secret Service Act?"

She asked a question, and seeing that Lockhart didn't answer but just seemed to be waiting for her to continue, she mustered up her courage and continued, "In the meeting just now, he mentioned the historical development of the Statute of Secrets. Actually, in the very early days, the International Confederation of Wizards and the national ministries of magic had a hard time implementing the Statute of Secrets. The reason they were able to make it happen later was because they began to allow national ministries of magic to establish their own Auror offices."

"I—" She hesitated for a moment, but still said, "I am a half-blood wizard, although I grew up in a wizarding community,

But I also have some understanding of the Muggle world.

"The Auror office is actually more like a Muggle police force—."

"The most powerful armed organization for Muggles is actually the military."

"I mean—" she swallowed hard, her expression turning horrified, "Is he planning to develop an army of wizards?"

Lockhart raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "That possibility cannot be ruled out."

Immediately, the crowd erupted in commotion, and everyone appeared quite uneasy.

The Law of Secrecy is not a good thing for wizards; it seems more like it's protecting Muggles than protecting their rights.

Yes, this is a quote from Grindelwald, and it was so deeply ingrained in people's minds that it was still being secretly recited even after his downfall.

Lockhart looked at the people and shook his head, then asked them to quiet down.

"In fact, you may have a misunderstanding about Dumbledore."

He thought for a moment, then went to close all the doors and windows, casting a spell to prevent the house from being overheard.

"I'll only say this once: once you step out this door, I won't recognize you."

Lockhart didn't want to reveal private matters, such as Dumbledore's plans to work with Grindelwald to reform the Secret Code.

This is out of respect for Dumbledore.

As he said, Dumbledore is the strongest being in the world, magic is power, and people should know how to respect Dumbledore, including Lockhart.

But he can provide a reality-based analysis to broaden everyone's horizons.

He looked at his apprentice with a smile.

"Crawb, you tell everyone, how should we analyze a person's characteristics?"

In the corner, Lucius and Goyle exchanged a disbelieving glance. Yes, they couldn't believe that Professor Lockhart would let that fat idiot Crabbe answer such a question.

Is this a question that even an idiot could answer?

Crabbe stood up, bowed respectfully to the professor, and replied, "Professor, I know."

"We can never truly understand people's hearts, and we will never know what is going on in other people's minds. Therefore, if we want to know a person's character, we should look at what they have done, what they have accomplished, how they have reacted to those achievements, whether they choose to maintain what they have accomplished, or whether they try to correct those achievements!"

slap~

Lockhart snapped his fingers. "Perfect! Crabbe, perfect answer!"

Crabbe chuckled sheepishly, scratching his head. When he saw many people around him looking at him, he blushed with embarrassment, shrank back, and quickly sat back down.

Lucius and old Goyle were both stunned. Some of the pure-blood wizards from the British families who knew Crabbe's character were also stunned, all staring at the figure of this foolish child.

this-

That's outrageous!

How did Lockhart teach?

"That's the idea." Lockhart looked at the sea of ​​heads in front of him and slowly explained some things that everyone already knew, then walked slowly down the aisle through the crowd.

This is his usual teaching habit. Now it seems that even these guys who seem to be big shots in their respective fields need his tutoring.

"In a certain era in the past—"

"Any union between a wizard and a Muggle is forbidden and will result in severe consequences under the Statute of Secrets if discovered."

The most severe punishment announced could even be the death penalty.

"Including half-breed wizard children born from wizards and Muggles, they will also face this terrible calamity, and there are recorded cases of them being executed directly for their attitude."

"In those days, due to the strict implementation of the Secret Law, all the young wizards were trying their best to conceal their ability to cast spells. This excessive repression led to a large number of Obscurials being born within them."

".......

Lockhart recounted the history before Grindelwald's time, the various circumstances under which the Secret Service Act was strictly enforced, in a calm and gentle voice.

Walking through the crowd.

He said.

"Now, everything is different."

"I teach at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Slytherin, one of the four houses, upholds pure-bloodedness, but now we find that at least half of them are half-blood wizards."

"Our 'savior' who has been touted for over a decade, Harry Potter, is also a half-blood wizard."

"Not to mention that Muggle wizards are allowed to appear openly in everyone's sight, have the right to go to school, have the right to participate in various organizations, and may even become Minister of Magic."

"This was something that would have been hard to imagine in the past."

Lockhart walked to the front of the crowd, looking at everyone with a strange expression. "We all know that this happened..."

This is actually the biggest violation of the "Secrecy Law"!

"The union of wizards and Muggles, with Muggle wizards being allowed to live and participate in the wizarding world, has led to countless Muggles becoming aware of the existence of the wizarding world."

Lockhart shrugged. "With a Muggle wizard in the family, almost all the Muggles in the family are now allowed to know about the wizarding world."

"Over so many years, the number of Muggle wizards is countless, and half-blood wizards are extremely common. We can hardly even guess how many Muggles there are in the wizarding world."

As he spoke, the crowd began to stir. Some were filled with dread, while others even began to whisper among themselves.

When his apprentice Crabbe stepped forward and shouted for order, everyone quieted down again.

Lockhart smiled at everyone and continued, "In the past, if a wizard accidentally revealed the existence of magic to Muggles, he would face terrible punishment. Nowadays, although they are still punished, the severity of the punishment has been reduced to the minimum possible compared to the past."

"What did the wizards do?"

"Send out Aurors to cast Oblivion Charms on Muggles with impunity—simple and brutal!"

"I've even heard that some wizarding gatherings, like the Quidditch World Cup, allow Muggle merchants to sell goods that wizards need, but because the Muggles keep noticing the problem, they are constantly subjected to the Oblivion Charm."

"Over the course of several days of competition, it was extremely common for that Muggle to have dozens of Oblivion Curses cast on him repeatedly."

Lockhart spoke of these things with a cold smile on his face.

Some things, you know, they don't weigh much on the scale, but they can weigh a ton even on a scale that says they're worth a thousand pounds.

Of course, he was too lazy to say more about these things and steered the conversation back on track.

"Then, I'd like to ask everyone!"

He looked intently at everyone. "I ask you," he said, "in the decades since Dumbledore became the Chief Wizard of the International Wizarding Federation, has the wizarding community tended towards a more open or a more conservative and strict approach to the Statute of Secrets?"

Fudge gasped, looking incredulous, and muttered, "More open-minded—"

He wasn't the only one; countless people are marveling at the silent changes taking place in this world.

Lockhart smiled slightly and asked again, "So, does our International Wizarding Federation's Chief Wizard, the most powerful and greatest wizard of our time, truly not see these changes in society? If he has seen them, felt them, has he made any changes in response? Or has he allowed them to develop unchecked? Or even encouraged them to develop?"

The answer is obvious.

Dumbledore is actually on the side of opposing the "Secrecy Act"?

Oh, strictly speaking, they weren't "opponents," they should be called "reformers."

But even if we call him a reformer or something like that, it's a fact that Dumbledore has been quietly undermining the Law of Secrets during his decades of control over the wizarding world!

That's when the problem arises!

"If that's the case!" Umbridge exclaimed in disbelief, "Why is he reacting so strongly to the movie incident now?"

After asking the question, she realized the problem and added, "I know it might be because of the Mysterious Man and the Purifiers, but given how long the Purifiers have existed, it's not like we suddenly have to declare war on them now, is it?"

This is what truly terrifies everyone.

Both involve breaking the rules, but to some extent you, as a big shot, can accept or even condone it, while to some extent you start calling for action. So who knows to what extent you actually allow it?

Who knows if they might make a mistake in the future and become an enemy of Dumbledore and the International Wizarding Association, or even be branded with terrible titles such as "wizard traitor" or "wizard spy"?

This led to imprisonment, death, and even the destruction of his family.

"That's why I said—"

Lockhart looked at these people and sighed, "None of you have bothered to properly study Dumbledore's magical path and philosophy? Even if you haven't studied it yourselves, I think I should have written about it in my book, 'The Mysterious Artificial Earth Demon: A Muggle Father and a Pure-Blood Supremacist?'"

He looked at Fupao and Umbridge, well, those two were academic underachievers.

He then looked at Lucius. Oh, that's too much. This guy probably doesn't dare admit he's read the book.

But perhaps the bigger problem is like Dumbledore complaining to himself about the industry: you write it, but can others really understand it?

He looked at all the other practitioners, even the witches Rita and Mary who had explicitly declared themselves his subordinates. He knew they had all seen him, but it seemed that no one could say anything.

Helpless.

He shook his head and simply stated the answer directly: "Love, everything is based on love!"

"Businesses that operate on the basis of 'love,' and all businesses that violate the Secret Service Act, will face significant risks, and may even be prohibited."

"Any action that originates from hatred, and violates the Secret Service Act, will become an enemy of other actions."

Lockhart shrugged. "See, it's that simple."

The influence of a great magician's philosophy on the operation of the entire world is terrifying. Even the Minister of Magic's Robe finds it difficult to understand the true nature of the Ministry of Magic's practices, which he accepts so naturally.

What is magic as power?

This is!

Let this world, let this society, carry out his will!