allendalepharm Who is Chapter 228 for?
Who is Chapter 228 for?
Who is Chapter 228 for?
The elevator fireplace in front of them was not made by Muggles, nor could they make such a thing, just as fish cannot grow in the ground; they lack the necessary foundation.
This is a product of natural evolution.
Because the Secrecy Law forcibly separates two groups of people, but its implementation is inadequate, the resulting misalignment has created this unique zone of conflict.
Momo Ran is actually a product of this unique background.
Lockhart is particularly adept at this kind of exploration. His research in the field of dark magic creatures delves into the relationship between the collective, society, nature, and the individual. Compared to the so-called dark magic creature experts present, he is already a big shot on another level.
"Let's go."
Lockhart immediately beckoned his two apprentices into the flames, whereupon they vanished instantly.
The others looked at each other, and ultimately chose to believe the most authoritative Professor Lockhart's approach. Seeing him walk in so relaxed, they followed him.
Soon, they were enveloped in a feeling that made them extremely uncomfortable.
It's like falling into some kind of slimy lake. You can breathe smoothly, but it feels like your breath is about to disappear. You can feel that your limbs are unaffected, but you feel like you are being dragged into an indestructible abyss.
This is not the feeling of weightlessness that comes from an elevator.
"Amniotic fluid?" the expert from the French Ministry of Magic exclaimed in surprise. "No, no, no, it feels completely opposite to amniotic fluid. It's not nurturing life, it's nurturing death!"
He clearly had a keen sense of the nature of magic, but even after trying his best to carefully consider his words, he still couldn't clearly explain his true feelings about falling to his death.
Just then, a voice rang in their ears, "It is the soul trying to break free from the body's constraints that causes this detachment."
Everyone turned around at once and were surprised to find Professor Lockhart standing beside them, gesturing to the open elevator doors behind him, "We've arrived."
It was pitch black outside the elevator doors; you couldn't see anything.
Lockhart gently drew his wand and waved it forward. Instantly, a long serpent of fire surged and snaked forward, illuminating everything in its path as if it were about to burn everything.
"A Fiendfyre curse?!" the French Minister of Magic exclaimed, then shut his mouth in embarrassment.
Fiendfyre is a form of dark magic, which is prohibited by the Ministry of Magic. Exposing this is not a good thing. Should we stick to our principles and imprison Professor Lockhart at this time?
Well, watching Lockhart effortlessly and elegantly control the fire monsters created by Fiendfyre, it's probably impossible to even capture them; whether he can even defeat them is another question entirely.
Lockhart's reputation as a master wizard didn't just originate in British wizarding society.
Fortunately, a series of exclamations drew everyone's attention, preventing the minister from being embarrassed.
"Isn't this our Ministry of Magic?"
An Auror carefully dodged the serpent of fire writhing in mid-air, strode out, looked around, and shouted, "This is our Ministry of Magic Archives!"
Lockhart raised an eyebrow, followed everyone out of the elevator, and looked around.
The first thing that catches the eye is the tall dome, made of green steel and glass, painted with images of many magical creatures.
Beneath the dome, rows of enormous cabinets, resembling trees, with drawers stacked high, stood tall.
Lockhart knows this place.
Newt once escaped from here with his Zouwu from the attack of the Madagascar cat.
Just then, a meow suddenly rang out, and a group of magically transformed Madago cats had quietly surrounded the area.
"Ms. Ashley Hernandez, it's me!" the Minister of Magic shouted hastily. "Get these damned cats out of the way!"
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief after Ms. Hernandez, the archives administrator, came to confirm their identities.
A huge question immediately arose.
How did the Muggle elevator get to the Ministry of Magic's archives?
Have Muggles ever sneaked in here this way?
This……
So this is what they call "going to the magical world"?
The French Minister of Magic, his face grim, turned to Lockhart. "Professor Lockhart, can you confirm whether any Muggles have used this method to get here?"
Lockhart shrugged. "I just analyzed the elevator's characteristics to figure out its purpose. Whether Muggles know about it or know how to use it, I don't know."
Magic and magical artifacts that allow for spatial travel are actually quite common; Apparition and the Vanishing Cabinet at Hogwarts are nothing unusual.
What's strange is that this archive is the most secure place in the French Ministry of Magic, secretly guarded by countless magical artifacts and spells, yet this elevator passes right through it without any hindrance.
The Minister of Magic glared sharply at the people in the Auror's office. "Investigate! Don't let anyone who funded this company escape scrutiny, whether they're wizards or Muggles!"
The investigation is ongoing, but this matter has nothing to do with Lockhart.
He wasn't good at politics and intrigue, and he didn't know what was going on. Just like Fudge advised him, the waters here are very deep, so it's best to leave it to Dumbledore to handle.
Lockhart had to interrupt the other party's attempt to make a statement, and said very sincerely, "The research on this elevator is not yet complete. May I borrow your Ministry of Magic's Madago cat?"
The Minister of Magic was taken aback. "What's wrong with these damned cats...?"
He seemed to realize something halfway through his sentence, "The boundary between wizarding society and Muggle society? The gate between the two worlds?"
The French Ministry of Magic has a long history of using Madagascar cats as guards, and they are extremely familiar with the characteristics of this magical creature, so they reacted immediately.
The most amazing thing about this creature is that it can distinguish the boundaries between Muggle and wizarding societies.
The boundaries of society, something that even many wizards and politicians who have spent their entire lives in politics cannot fathom, were easily solved by a cat.
It's fair to say that the Madagascar cat played a significant role in enforcing the Law of Secrecy by the French Ministry of Magic.
Lohat nodded. "Let Madago follow us back in the elevator; maybe that will corroborate some of our guesses."
And so, the group returned to the elevator, where the archives manager brought in a group of Madago cats, filling the elevator to the brim.
The Auror holding the Floo Powder looked at Lockhart again.
Lockhart prompted, "Target: Head to the Muggle world!"
Auror hurriedly threw powder at the ground beneath him, and a burst of green flames instantly filled the entire elevator. Soon, that feeling of approaching death returned.
As they rose rapidly, Lockhart suddenly asked, "Can you still feel sorrow now?"
The people in the elevator looked at each other, then shook their heads in horror.
Just then, the elevator suddenly stopped, and with a ding, two Muggles squeezed in with official documents.
At this moment, the green flames in the elevator had quietly disappeared, and the enormous Madago cat had shrunk to the size of a normal cat. That extremely unique sorrow quickly permeated the hearts of all the wizards present.
When they arrived at the 27th floor, the group stepped out of the elevator. After the elevator doors closed, everyone immediately looked at Lockhart.
Lockhart simply stared in amazement at the elevator, stroking his chin and muttering, "So, by relying on a certain emotion, one can temporarily shut down their heart?"
As he spoke, he looked down at the Madago cat with its tail coiled on the ground, raising an eyebrow slightly. "Of course, it could also be some form that resonates with contemporary society!"
French Minister of Magic Lorraine looked puzzled. "Professor Lockhart, what are you talking about?"
Lockhart shrugged. "Nothing, just thinking about something else."
The latest novel is first published here!
He gestured towards the elevator, saying, "Do you need me to fix it, or do you think it's still useful?"
Minister Lorraine hesitated for a moment. He could clearly sense the value of this thing, but the fact that it could bypass the Ministry of Magic's supervision so easily, going directly to the Ministry's archives and then into other parts of the Ministry, was intolerable.
His expression shifted for a moment before he asked hesitantly, "Can this kind of thing be replicated?"
Lockhart chuckled. "Are you asking if there's a way to create Dementors, or to make ghouls reproduce and multiply?"
Minister Lorraine blinked before realizing that this was a dark magic creature; although it appeared to be a living being, it was essentially a phenomenon.
"Take care of it!"
He made a decision immediately. Without this valuable research object, he would still be the Minister of Magic; with it, who knows when something might happen and he would have to resign.
Making decisions couldn't be easier.
Everyone was curious about how Lockhart would deal with this dark magic creature whose appearance was completely unknown and which could not be seen or touched. The most likely possibility they discussed and guessed was that he would simply dismantle the elevator.
But that's clearly not the case.
Lockhart simply took out a snail shell, a very strange-looking snail shell, and after looking at it for a while, he felt as if his soul was being pulled out of his body and sucked in.
Holding the snail shell high in one hand, she drew her magic wand with the other and waved it gently at the elevator.
I don't know what kind of magic it is.
The wand swayed, and waves of terrifying, invisible magical energy rapidly rippled around them. Some of the wizards, whose magic resistance was lower than that of ordinary wizards for various reasons, were almost knocked off their feet and fell to the ground by this force.
Lockhart turned to the two apprentices with a smile. "Come help me. I need a Soulfire and a Patronus Charm."
Crabbe reacted extremely quickly, rapidly casting a spell with his wand, which he had prepared beforehand. Soon, a two-colored flame pattern began to spread outwards from beneath his feet.
Percy quickly cast a Guardian Charm, releasing large swaths of shimmering silver smoke that filled the entire elevator.
This is an assessment.
The test was to assess whether the two apprentices had grasped the characteristics of the dark magic creature he had just described, and whether they could flexibly use the corresponding spells to counter those characteristics.
Lockhart was delighted to discover that Crabbe and Percy both understood!
He realized that the dark magic creature in the elevator was not the "gateway between worlds" he had just discussed with the French Ministry of Magic, but a dark magic creature that was suppressing its bloodline and attempting to extract its soul.
It's the evil god I mentioned at the beginning.
Lockhart had taught the young wizards that they should treat dark magical creatures as if they were casting spells. The way the dark magical creature moved through space was almost exactly like the time travel of memories anchored in the illusion of teleportation.
More importantly, the attack state it adopts is almost exactly like the Imperius Curse.
This thing...
Lockhart really understands.
No one understands it better than him!
He even closed the door in the dueling club and talked about this part in detail. Defense against the Dark Arts, if you don't even understand the Unforgivable Curse, how can you discuss how to defend against it?
So the Soul-Stealing Curse still needs to be taught.
Therefore, Lockhart's test for his apprentices became the simplest question—how to defend against the Imperius Curse.
It also suggested that one could use a Soulfire or a Guardian Charm.
Crabbe and Percy gave a perfect answer!
The elevator was seen shaking and swaying rapidly in the visual scene, like a strange monster struggling, causing everyone in the French Ministry of Magic to exclaim in surprise. Only Lockhart clearly felt that something had suddenly appeared in the snail shell in his hand.
It can also be used as an illegal Floo Net fireplace, and it's a dark magic creature that can suppress the expression of bloodlines and the body!
This ability would be enough to completely save Lupin from the wolfsbane attacks that occur every month on the night of the full moon, allowing him to live a normal life from then on.
Of course, it can also be used to help Neville's parents, allowing them to return to normal life as Muggles and be discharged from the hospital.
hey-hey……
As for who it's for...
Lockhart intended to give it to Dumbledore.
(End of this chapter)