allendalepharm Chapter 115 Forging Your Own Path
Chapter 115 Forging Your Own Path
Chapter 115 Forging Your Own Path
Lockhart had a wonderful Christmas holiday.
Spending time with his favorite student, Tom Riddle.
The basilisk was a bit too weak; it lay there, barely alive, like a tattered rag, lacking any of the imposing presence of the Slytherin Chamber of Secrets monster.
It's not durable, sigh.
Professor Lockhart knew how to tap into potential, and after countless tireless attempts, he was amazed to discover that Tom was a true treasure.
This isn't the Pensieve containing memories; it's Voldemort's Horcrux, and the most unique of all his Horcruxes.
Its value lies not only in the fact that it contains all of Voldemort's memories from when he was 16, but in its ability to think!
They can accept new information and think about it!
Tom, the young Voldemort, displayed an enviable magical talent.
He truly deserves the title of "the most powerful and dangerous dark wizard in history," regardless of what Lockhart teaches Tom.
The other party's ability to draw inferences from one instance to another, the breadth of their divergent thinking, the depth of their problem-solving, and their insightful understanding of magic are truly astonishing.
During this time, Lockhart and Tom became very close friends, sharing everything Lockhart knew.
Hmm, it's just that Tom has a bit of amnesia and often has to start over.
He even talked to Tom about the "spiritual" path of magic, like the Forest Witch, and told him in detail about the Forest Witch and his own insights into magic related to the natural forest. Then Tom gave him a big surprise.
Tom Riddle invented a magic trick based on what he told him!
Although Little Tom disliked this spiritual approach to magical practice, he still managed to create a spell. As Lockhart continued to practice and come up with new ideas, he would even make improvements to the spell based on the feedback!
Majesty Lockhart couldn't even imagine how heartbroken he would be when he finally had to destroy this Horcrux.
Tom~
What would I do without you!
1
Lockhart quickly abandoned Tom, leaving him aside.
One reason was that the basilisk couldn't stand it, but he also had something important to do.
His book, "Where Are the Dark Magic Creatures?", has finally been released.
Upon its release, it seemed as if the entire wizarding community was discussing the book.
This was thanks in no small part to the exceptionally capable Rita Skeeter, and also to the assistance of pure-blood families like Lucius Malfoy. But most importantly, it was thanks to the support of Minister Fudge and Deputy Minister Umbridge.
Auror Kingsley was right; once Lockhart entered the Ministry of Magic's ranks, he was naturally an ally of Fudge and Umbridge.
Regardless of their personal relationship, Lockhart's increased influence within the Ministry of Magic was of great benefit to both of these high-ranking officials.
Lockhart was thus forced to travel to bookstores around the world to hold one book signing after another.
New York, Manhattan, Paris, Florence.
Very busy.
This is an effort to completely digest the original owner's memories, and it cannot be wasted.
Of course, this has a different meaning for the children who co-authored the book.
This was especially true for Crabbe, who, having just finished his parents' funeral, appeared particularly dejected.
If his friends hadn't dragged him here, who knows what might have happened to him, all alone in the vast Crabbe Castle.
Snape, who accompanied and protected the children, seemed somewhat tense. Unlike Lockhart, who was carefree and always laughing, he was constantly on guard against possible attacks.
Death Eaters generally look down on Fenrir Greyback, but that doesn't mean they underestimate his strength.
But nothing seemed to have happened along the way, and his worries seemed somewhat unnecessary.
And so, they finally arrived at their last stop: the British Ministry of Magic building.
This was granted by Minister for Magic Fudge, who believed that Lockhart, an internationally renowned author, was the pride of the British wizarding world, and that the Ministry of Magic must provide him with sufficient support so as not to become a laughing stock for other national ministries of magic.
Snape was finally relieved. No matter how ruthless Fenrir Greyback was, he wouldn't dare to come to the Ministry of Magic to attack others. Besides, Dumbledore was also there, as the Chief Inquisitor of the Wizengamor Court, presiding over several cases.
Lockhart, on the other hand, became wary at this moment.
He knew perfectly well that Fenrir Greyback was just a minor character; the real target of his attacks was Coban Yaxley.
This guy was also present at that moment, with a beaming smile, but Boggart sensed immense hostility and sneer from him.
really.
Just as Professor Lockhart had one arm around Harry and the other around Draco, with a large group of students who had participated in the writing standing around him, posing for a laugh under Rita's direction, a mournful cry drew everyone's attention.
Everyone looked over and were shocked to see a group of Aurors holding wands, controlling a werewolf floating in mid-air as they walked in through the gate.
This is a unique method of escorting criminals used by Aurors, employing a levitation spell.
Such a strong and controlled scene is enough to deter many people with ill intentions, creating an image of a well-trained and authoritative figure.
The only problem was that there was a weeping old woman behind them, and seeing so many newspaper reporters in the Ministry of Magic's hall...
She burst into even louder sobs, crying out, "My husband is not a criminal, he was wronged! It was not his fault that he was poisoned by wolfsbane. Every full moon night he would lock himself in the cellar and never come out. He has never hurt anyone."
Upon seeing this, Minister of Magic Fudge's face darkened.
He had a terrible time lately. A group of werewolves and dark wizards attacked the students at the school, and the Aurors were unable to catch the criminals. He was once again blamed for his "incompetence".
He originally planned to take advantage of the large crowd and numerous reporters at Lockhart's book signing event to have the Aurors escort the werewolves through, creating the illusion that the matter had been resolved.
If he had just been vague in his statement, the matter would have been forgotten in the public eye.
After all, there's a saying—Aurors exist to protect people? No! They exist to make people feel that they are being protected.
I never expected that such a simple matter could be made so complicated.
"Who is that old woman!" Fudge looked sternly at Scrimgeour, the Auror leader in charge of maintaining order, and Coban Yaxley, the head of the injury assessment office.
Scrimgeour watched this scene with a cold eye, vaguely sensing a conspiracy. While the reporters were watching, he didn't say anything, but simply shook his head slightly, indicating that he didn't know what was going on either.
Coban Yaxley reacted quickly: "I immediately had someone calm the woman down and remove her from the scene."
Before Fudge could say anything, the reporters excitedly rushed toward Auror and the old woman, causing a brief chaos. When he quickly stepped forward, his expression changed, and he saw the reporters chattering away, saying things that gave him a headache.
"Are you saying that the Aurors couldn't catch the criminals, so they made your husband take the blame?"
This directly addresses the internal systems of the Ministry of Magic.
"The Ministry of Magic is outrageous! Your husband was clearly a victim of werewolves, yet now he has to pay the price for werewolf criminals!"
This person is good at storytelling and evoking emotions.
"I've read Lockhart's book; he has a spell that can save werewolves. Madam, you can ask him for help. That way, your husband can explain the situation in front of everyone, and we'll help you!"
This is just someone who enjoys watching the drama unfold.
It's even possible that they wanted to take this opportunity to allow the media's power to encroach on the Ministry of Magic's authority.
Every reporter present had their own ideas, and everyone wanted to make a big story.
The old woman was clearly inspired. She excitedly glanced around quickly and soon spotted Lockhart on a small platform. She rushed excitedly into the crowd of fans, shouting, "Lockhart! Gilderoy Lockhart! Please, help me!"
The reporters, with an air of righteous indignation, helped her push aside the people blocking her way and led her to Lockhart.
The old woman wept bitterly, pleading for Lockhart's help as if she were facing a savior.
That appearance immediately lifted Lockhart up.
The surrounding fans were also deeply moved. Seeing their idol become the hope for saving everything was incredibly exciting.
Someone shouted, "Giddro Lockhart!"
First, a few people joined in the chanting, and the emotion quickly spread to everyone around. Everyone began chanting in unison, "Giddro Lockhart! Gilderoy Lockhart! Gilderoy Lockhart!"
Good guy!
Lockhart glanced at Coban Yaxley, who was standing outside the crowd watching the scene with a cold smile. This old politician's tricks were really fancy. Unlike the terrifying threats of other Death Eaters, his actions were aimed directly at the heart of the matter.
It's worth noting that in the original story, Lockhart attended a few classes at Hogwarts and quickly ruined his reputation among the students, making everyone think he was all show and no substance.
So how could adults in society, especially those seasoned bureaucrats in the Ministry of Magic who are always scheming and have so much experience, not see through it?
Yes, Lockhart did indeed recount his method of dealing with werewolves—the Restoration Charm—in his bestselling book, *Wandering with Werewolves*.
This magic is clearly not something an ordinary wizard can cast. If it were Dumbledore, people would be willing to believe it, but when it comes to Lockhart, who is a flamboyant and peacock-like person, it raises a big question mark.
Compared to the absurd notion of "stealing other people's experiences to compile a book," these skeptics are more inclined to believe that Lockhart's book is entirely fabricated.
With over a dozen bestselling books containing such rich and intense battle details, and considering that Lockhart graduated from magic school less than a few years ago, plus the effort and time required to write the books, and the fact that he didn't demonstrate the abilities a magic master should have upon graduation, it's natural to feel that Lockhart's character is full of flaws.
Coban Yaxley hit the nail on the head!
If Lockhart is as helpless against this move as the original owner, then the image he has worked so hard to build will be completely overturned.
If these journalists then cooperate in spreading the word, it will be a huge blow to Lockhart's reputation, which he relies on for his livelihood.
Will parents still want Lockhart to stay at school to teach their children then?
Having left Hogwarts and lost Dumbledore's invisible protection, dealing with Lockhart will be much easier.
Even the re-arranged attacks could be directly attributed to fans who "turned from fans to haters."
There was no way around it; Lockhart was too good at managing reputation, and he immediately came up with a complete plan for Coban Yaxley's future.
What can he do?
He chose to embrace the challenge!
He has already walked the path of the original Lockhart, publishing books, signing books, and pushing his image as an internationally renowned author and magic master to a higher level, welcoming fans all over the world.
Now, he should break away from the original body's trajectory and forge his own unique path.
He needs to process the memories, not become the person in those memories; he already has his own magical path.