allendalepharm Chapter 130 The secret room is opened again, death!
Chapter 130 The secret room is opened again, death!
Chapter 130 The secret room is opened again, death!
Lockhart had to face the fact that Tom wasn't always so useful.
Aside from guiding and fostering magic that embodies extreme love and a tendency towards good, Tom's talents are actually focused on dark magic, especially magic centered around life.
Death, the curse of killing.
Eternity, Horcrux.
Life, resurrection.
All sorts of extreme, high-level black magic, when thrown at Tom, always gets very good feedback. Sometimes, Tom can even use the techniques to create new magic.
He's naturally good at this.
Or rather, this is his magical path.
On this path, Tom pursued the ultimate, even his flight charm wasn't just about flying, but about flying at supersonic speeds. Lockhart remembered seeing a post in his previous life where someone had roughly calculated Voldemort's flight speed based on the original text, and the answer was: 3800 kilometers per hour.
Yes, 3800 kilometers per hour!
That's Tom's flying skill!
In an era where most ordinary wizards can't even understand a simple armor spell, top wizards exist at such an absurd level.
However, this path of pursuing the ultimate in magic is clearly not suitable for Lockhart to guide him to study areas such as "casting spells with the mindset of anti-spells" and "self-pulling to gather willpower".
Tom can't do it.
In this respect, the magic that Lockhart could perform with ease became more difficult for Tom, and progress was not fast.
Fortunately, he had the assistance of a serpent monster with incredibly strong vitality.
However, this is only a supporting role. After all, Tom is just a Voldemort cub and hasn't grown to the top level of the great villain.
Lockhart decisively abandoned Tom.
He began to try it himself because he suddenly realized that this might be his own magical path, one that no one else could walk for him or for him.
Lockhart once again focused his energy on Dumbledore's "Manipulating Lightning" magic notes and the Crabbe family's magical records, continuously delving into their contents.
Of course, he would sometimes continue writing "Voldemort the Mysterious Man: A Pureblood Supremacist with a Muggle Father?", "The Story I Had to Tell with the Savior: My Time as a Professor at Hogwarts", and help Snape revise "Severus' Potions Class".
After the Christmas holidays, the temperature grew colder day by day, and the rainy season that lingered over Hogwarts seemed to never stop.
Lockhart finally received the new wizard robes from an American wizarding clothing brand. Unlike the more traditional wizarding clothing styles in Europe, the American wizarding society was more trendy, actively incorporating Muggle clothing design styles, which suited his aesthetic better.
He no longer needed to pretend to be the original owner, nor did he need to continue living the original owner's magical life. He gradually began to explore every interesting boundary of his own magical life.
that's it.
Time slips away quietly.
Before we knew it, it was mid-February, Saturday, noon.
Lockhart was stretching as he walked back to his office from the fairy tale book. He had been busy ever since he suddenly had the idea yesterday afternoon and was just about to catch up on some sleep when he suddenly heard a series of urgent hissing sounds coming from outside his office door.
It's snake language.
The message was, "Professor Lockhart, where are you? Professor Lockhart, are you there?"
It's Harry Potter.
Lockhart found it odd, wondering why Harry was using Parseltongue, and waved his hand to open the office door.
"Great, Professor Lockhart, I've finally found you!"
Harry Potter rushed in anxiously, but before he could ask any questions, he nervously glanced back at the door, gently turned the office doorknob and pulled it shut, carefully trying not to make a sound.
After closing the door, he rushed over and whispered, "Professor, Crabbe is dead!"
"???"
Lockhart was momentarily stunned. "Who?"
"Crawb, Malfoy's underling, Vincent Crabbe!" Harry Potter's expression showed no joy, only an indescribable solemnity. "The Chamber of Secrets door has been opened again, Crabbe has been attacked again, and many people have discovered that the damage was caused by dark magical creatures."
He handed over a photograph. The image was somewhat blurry due to the hasty shooting, but you could still see Crabbe lying on the ground, with words written in bright red on the wall...
—The door to the secret chamber has opened again! All who disobey me will be put to death!
"Someone discovered it last night, and the Ministry of Magic arrived this morning. They confirmed it was caused by an attack from a dark magic creature, and then..."
"And then..." Harry Potter trailed off.
Lockhart stared at the photo, raising an eyebrow. "And then everyone couldn't find me, so they assumed I did it?"
"I believe it wasn't you!" Harry's voice suddenly rose sharply, then he quickly covered his mouth and turned to look at the door, anxiously asking, "Professor, what do we do? Where were you earlier?"
"I was doing a magical experiment last night and didn't want to be disturbed," Lockhart explained casually, quickly stuffing all the manuscripts on the table, the fairy tale books spread out on the chair, and all sorts of things he didn't want anyone to see into the ring. Then, behind Harry's back, he stuffed the ring into the little blond's hand.
He waved his hand, summoning the red cloak, shrinking it, and tied it to the little golden retriever's back, completely concealing its tracks.
"Don't panic, Professor Dumbledore is here. He won't let me be wronged. What did he say?" Lockhart's tone was casual, as if he didn't care at all. In fact, he was already quickly packing up everything, including things that he didn't really need but were considered contraband under the Ministry of Magic's regulations. He had the little blond boy put everything away.
"Professor Dumbledore isn't at the school, nobody knows where he is!" Harry said anxiously behind Lockhart. "Professor Lockhart, maybe you should run away first..."
Bang!
A loud, violent impact resounded.
The office door was slammed against the wall with a powerful force, causing the small grove of trees inside the office to rustle loudly.
"Escape?" Scrimgeour, Head of the Auror Office at the Ministry of Magic, strode in, his deadpan eyes fixed on Lockhart, and rapidly brandished his wand. "Expelliarmus!"
In an instant, Lockhart's wand was launched from his hand with tremendous force.
However, this disarming spell did not take full effect.
Lockhart gracefully raised his hand and caught the flying wand perfectly.
Anti-disarmament tactics!
Harry Potter watched in amazement at the fluid movements; even though Professor Lockhart had personally instructed him and Draco on how to do it, they still couldn't do it as well as the professor.
Only by actually practicing this technique can one truly understand how difficult Professor Lockhart's work is, and how profound his understanding of disarming spells and the workings of magic is.
Auror Master Scrimgeour didn't have time to be as amazed as Harry Potter. His expression changed, and he gripped his wand tightly, aiming it at Lockhart. A group of Aurors rushed in from behind him and quickly surrounded him.
"you……"
Before he could speak, Lockhart gave him a gentle smile.
"Sorry, I just caught it out of habit. After all, as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts, I know all too well how to deal with Disarming Charms."
Lockhart shrugged, casually tossing his wand into the hand of Kingsley, who was looking at him with a complicated expression. Without saying anything, he simply crossed his arms and leaned casually against his desk, watching the group. "See, I can cooperate with you, but you'd better cooperate with me. I want to know why you're barging into my office like you're arresting criminals?"
An Auror nearby attempted to use a binding charm on Lockhart, but Scrimgeour quickly grabbed his arm and stopped him.
Just kidding, who knows how many dark magic creatures are in Lockhart's office? If a fight breaks out, they'll probably be wiped out in no time.
Scrimgeour didn't want the Aurors to become a joke again.
He looked gravely at the relaxed Lockhart, subtly signaling Kingsley to be on the lookout for possible attacks from dark magical creatures. "Giddon Lockhart, you are suspected of multiple murders in magical schools. Please cooperate with our investigation!"
"Really?" Lockhart chuckled, looking around at the tense Aurors with a teasing expression. "How amusing! When did you Aurors become so quick to act?"
This is a stereotype. Aurors are always the last ones to clean up the mess, cleaning up the floor, repairing houses damaged by magic, and dealing with Muggles who have overheard wizarding events.
Okay, that really is a stereotype.
Excluding Dumbledore and a small group of top wizarding giants, as well as the wizarding leaders of various magic schools, the most powerful force in the entire wizarding world is undoubtedly the well-trained Auror team.
The latest novel is first published here!
Scrimgeour clearly sensed the sarcasm in his words, and his face darkened. "Someone submitted a suspect investigation to me, it's about you, and we've been compiling your information lately."
He slowly stepped forward, carefully observing Lockhart's every facial expression and subtle body language. "The records show that a few days ago you and your student Vincent Crabbe appeared at the Crabbe family vault at Gringotts Bank. Considering that you were also present when the Crabbes died last time, we can't help but suspect that there is some connection between them."
Show.
Who was it that so skillfully strung together these pieces of information and created this situation?
Okay, Lockhart actually knows the answer.
Coban Yaxley!
This Death Eater, who revealed his malice towards him upon their first meeting.
He had to admit that he had underestimated this guy. He had always had a stereotype about these Death Eaters from the original books, thinking that these crazy idiots could only use magic to attack him, at most turning the Disarming Curse into a Killing Curse or something like that.
Coban Yaxley was clearly not that kind of Death Eater.
This guy is first and foremost one of the Twenty-Eight Holy Pureblood Families, and secondly, he's a seasoned veteran in the Ministry of Magic's bureaucratic system, clearly knowing better how to use his own power than to rely on magic.
Suspicion investigation...
Clearly, even before today's incident, the Co-training had already begun to secretly influence the powerful Auror department.
As for what kind of investigation it was, Lockhart naturally had his own guesses.
As the saying goes, every wild goose leaves a trace, and there are no secrets that stay hidden forever. In just nine years after graduating, the original owner of this body wrote more than a dozen best-selling books. Leaving aside whether he had that much time to go through so many adventures, the strength he displayed in the books far exceeded the level he showed when he first graduated.
It's a gap similar to that between Crabbe and Snape.
Even if no one knows that he used the Oblivion Curse to steal other people's lives, there will still be suspicions.
With his extensive experience, the veteran from the pedagogical background could easily find a reason for the Aurors to investigate by simply framing someone based on this point. As for what they would find, it would all be within the scope of what the pedagogical background wanted to see.
It's a chain reaction, one link leading to another.
In the past, everyone carried a sedan chair, and even if there were doubts, no one would deliberately bring them up to make enemies, so they could maintain their outward appearance of prestige.
Now Lockhart is completely on the opposite side of Voldemort; what's coming will come, and there's no way to avoid it.
It's not magical at all.
Old Fu, you're really too low. You can't kill me, so you plan to have your men do it this way?
Lockhart scoffed dismissively. "Just based on suspicion, you plan to mobilize so many people to arrest me in front of my colleagues and students at Hogwarts?"
His voice lowered, "Do you know how much damage this will do to my reputation?"
Scrimgeour simply said coldly, "If you are innocent..."
"If I am innocent, my reputation will be damaged!" Lockhart's voice was filled with a terrible rage, an rage that everyone could feel, as if it possessed a magical power, swirling wildly through the office. One of the Aurors surrounding him was clearly not mentally strong, and his legs had already begun to tremble in this storm of anger.
Just then, a series of disordered footsteps sounded in the hallway outside the door.
The professors finally arrived. Professor McGonagall, her face tense, said in a harsh tone, "Scrimgeour, this is Hogwarts. You cannot take anyone from my school!"
As soon as she finished speaking, an Auror staggered and fell to the ground in the corner, drawing everyone's attention.
The Auror's face immediately turned red. He didn't want to, but he had just been focusing all his energy on fighting against that terrifying and suffocating anger, which suddenly vanished in an instant, making him look foolish.
Fortunately, another voice drew everyone's attention, preventing him from looking like a clown.
The visitor was Coban Yaxley.
He pushed his way in and held up the documents in his hand. "A special arrest warrant officially signed by the Minister of Magic. We need Professor Gilderoy Lockhart to come with us to the Ministry of Magic for investigation!"
"This is just a suspicion!" Professor McGonagall was so angry she was trembling.
"I'm sorry, Professor McGonagall." Coban Yaxley said sternly, taking a report from a subordinate in the forensic science office. "We have conducted a detailed examination, and Vincent Crabbe clearly died from an attack by a dark magic creature. In this school, only Professor Lockhart has been so brazenly raising dark magic creatures, which is a reasonable suspicion. Given the gravity of this incident involving a student's death, he must cooperate with the investigation."
Professor McGonagall hesitated, pursing her lips as she turned to look at Lockhart.
"I demand to see Crabbe," Lockhart requested. Deaths caused by attacks from dark magic creatures were often not true deaths, and he needed to find out what was going on.
"No!" Scrimgeour's attitude was absolutely firm. "You must come with us immediately!"
"Gidero Lockhart..." Coban drawled, his eyes filled with cruelty and pleasure, yet he spoke with a righteous indignation befitting his status, "Don't try any tricks to escape. Let me tell you, we've seen this kind of thing many times."
Well, what can Lockhart do?
His mind was simply not capable of making a proper response.
after all……
At this point, he was just a Boggart.
He glanced back out the window and could see that in the corridor beneath the castle, the Winged Demon was releasing a mist of Oblivion Charm that affected everyone. Within the mist, his master, led by Harry Potter, was going to find Crabbe.
(End of this chapter)