The slacker professor at Hogwarts

082 Coban Yaxley

Corban Yaxley is a force to be reckoned with, having remained a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Magic even after Voldemort's downfall.

This is a well-known Death Eater. Although he claimed in the Wizengamot Tribunal that he was coerced by Voldemort into supporting him, many people actually know what kind of person he is.

Even so, despite the large number of "pure-blood supremacists" being purged from the Ministry of Magic, he was still able to remain in his position at the Ministry.

This is even more impressive than Barty's.

Barty was only implicated because his son was a Death Eater, but Coban Yaxley was a true Death Eater.

Not just any ordinary follower, but a core member bearing the Dark Mark on his arm, entrusted with a great mission by the Dark Lord—something Fenrir Greyback the werewolf longs for but doesn't yet possess.

The intricacies involved are actually not complicated.

The cruelest aspect of the wizarding world is that its essence has always been "magic is power".

In this world where all kinds of power are concentrated in one person, a powerful wizard who has mastered countless mysterious powers should not be pushed too far if he cannot be killed or imprisoned in Azkaban.

Otherwise, no one knows what such a person might do.

Corban Yaxley is a wizard whose magical power is enough to make everyone wary, and as one of the Twenty-Eight Holy Pureblood Families, the Yaxley family has a great influence in wizarding society.

Lockhart felt a chill run down his spine at being targeted by such a powerful figure!

There is absolutely no hostility in this world without a cause, and for Boggart to call it "extreme hostility" is clearly no ordinary emotion.

Is it...

Voldemort has escaped from Hogwarts and has finally decided to contact these traitors?

Dumbledore said that Voldemort was now too weak to do anything, but he didn't say that Voldemort couldn't give orders to the Death Eaters who were still loyal to him.

"You know about that curse..."

Coban Yaxley was clearly an active member of this "We're Not Dead Yet" club. This cunning politician was always adept at steering the conversation, looking at everyone with a mysterious expression, "Do you think our Professor Lockhart will make it to the end?"

can!

can!

Lockhart roared inwardly, even though this damned curse would always cause him all sorts of problems, preventing him from being re-elected, he didn't think he would die in office like that brainless Quirrell from the previous term!

He gave the old man a deep look, then burst into laughter, a particularly bright laugh. "Of course, everyone will witness how I got to the end, Mr. Yaxley."

He didn't seem to mind the topic at all, and went so far as to risk his life in this small club to let everyone place bets. This optimistic attitude obviously brought a great atmosphere to the gathering.

Ms. Mellors looked at Lockhart with increasing satisfaction, stroking her large tree branch cane to show her support for the young man. "Giddro, when you return after completing your year of teaching, I'd like to offer you some support."

Once the bigwig spoke, the others made various promises.

During this time, Mr. Coban Yaxley, who was the most enthusiastic, seemed eager to expand his influence within this small group. He raised his glass and shouted, "Giddro Lockhart! Let us celebrate his great cause! I also want to support the growth of outstanding young people..."

As he spoke, under everyone's gaze, he looked at Lockhart and said, "After you've taught for a full year, I'm willing to give you the oak forest farm of my family located in the Białowieża primeval forest!"

Upon hearing this, everyone around gasped in surprise.

Many members' expressions changed when they saw Mr. Coban Yaxley. Was he really that generous?

One of them exclaimed in a fawning, almost obsequious tone, "Is it that forest of magical oak trees that supplies materials to Ollivander's wand shop? I heard it's home to a lot of magical creatures!"

"Yes!" The other man stared intently at Mr. Yaxley, swallowing hard. "I've heard that this mysterious forest has a large number of Bowtruckles and extremely rare Moonfoxes!"

The droppings of the Moon-obsessed Beast are an extremely valuable magical resource, capable of causing magical plants and various magical herbs to grow wildly and mature at an incredibly rapid pace.

Mr. Coban Yaxley smiled without saying a word, simply enjoying the eager gazes of the crowd.

Such a precious gift...

Lockhart sneered inwardly. It seemed that this Coban Yaxley was very clear that he wouldn't live to see the end.

and many more!

A chord in his heart was suddenly struck, and a piece of information was quickly grasped—it was located in the Białowieża rainforest.

You see, starting tomorrow, he will be taking the young wizards to the Crabbe family's rainbow fish farm in the Białowieza primeval forest.

Is it a coincidence?

Or is the curse still in effect?

Or perhaps Voldemort's plan to use this subordinate to exact revenge on him is about to begin?

Lockhart's heart surged with excitement, a strong sense of anticipation filling his mind. It's coming, it's coming!

Then...

Bring it on, even more fiercely!

I'm waiting!

……

Lockhart never expected that Lyle Lupin would be the first to provide him with dark magic creatures.

After the dinner, he followed Lyle through the fireplace of the Pighead Bar to a more remote public fireplace in central England, and then used a flying broom and a Disillusionment Charm to sneak into an abandoned Muggle slaughterhouse under the cover of darkness.

Honestly, if he hadn't known Lyle Lupin's character and how Voldemort was hostile towards him, he wouldn't have dared to come to such a remote place.

As the two landed in the courtyard in the middle of the slaughterhouse, a cold wind howled and a chilling aura swept over them. In a corner, a strange, pale figure was howling and struggling in a filthy pool of sewage.

"It's me, Mr. Alvart, good evening." Lyle greeted the ghost in the cesspool, led Lockhart into the slaughterhouse, and introduced, "This ghost is my hired bodyguard, responsible for scaring away Muggles who try to get close here."

Soon, they arrived at a large door bound with many thick iron chains. As he waved his wand, the chains slid like long snakes, and the door opened.

Lyle raised his wand, and a bright light emanated from its tip, illuminating Lockhart's view of the slaughterhouse interior like a large lamp.

--people!

A more precise term would be—people imprisoned in two rows of iron cages extending into the darkness!

Men, women, young and old!

"Merlin's lace-trimmed panties!" Lockhart exclaimed, staring in disbelief at the scene before him, smelling the faint scent of blood, and looking at the middle-aged man holding a wand.

The middle-aged man in front of me, with his back to me, suddenly seemed to have lost his shy, old scholarly image; his withered and thin figure suddenly appeared eerie.

He swallowed hard, then quietly took a step back. "Lyle... I mean... what is this...?"

He felt uneasy, and for a moment he thought of the curse on him, wondering if it was going to happen to him again tonight.

Lyle didn't turn around, but stared intently at the people in the iron cage, his figure shrouded in darkness.

His voice was low and still had that honest, unassuming tone, but it began to sound unlike him. "Gidero, don't be afraid, these aren't human..."

He seemed to be trembling as he said this, "After all, the Ministry of Magic stipulates, doesn't it? They fall under the jurisdiction of the 'Office of Beasts' or the 'Office of Others'..."

"Of course, we know that's a silly claim. From an academic point of view, they should be considered dark magic creatures, right?"

"Lyle!" Lockhart sighed. "No, you're wrong. They are human. You were the one who enthusiastically invited me to join your club to advocate for werewolves. You were absolutely certain they were human back then."

Lyle turned back to look at him with some surprise. "Actually, I was just trying to take advantage of your influence as an internationally renowned author. I didn't expect you to actually think that way."

Lockhart shrugged. "Then you obviously haven't read my book, 'Wandering with Werewolves.' The spell I used to help the residents of Vorga Vorga subdue the werewolves was the 'Restore to Human Form Charm.'"

"Restore! Human form!" he explained the name of the spell. "See, they were human to begin with."

Lyle grinned, said nothing, and led him into the slaughterhouse, waving his wand to light the torches on the wall.

Illuminated by the firelight, Lockhart then realized that there were more than a dozen humans present.

"How can there be so many?" He was stunned. Although werewolf packs are difficult to count in population data, there's no way they could suddenly have this many, unless...

Lyle lowered his head, took a large iron ladle, scooped some water from a bucket, and poured it into the water trough inside the iron cage. After hearing this, he was silent for a moment, pursed his lips, and stood up. "Actually, there were only two originally, both werewolves that had maliciously attacked other wizards. I found a way to help them escape the Ministry of Magic's trial and brought them here."

"The others..."

"They were all heinous death row inmates I captured from Muggle society, and I found a way to infect them with wolfsbane."

Ah this...

Lockhart looked at Lyle in disbelief. "Do you know what you're talking about? Is this something I'm supposed to know?"

Oh my god, will he be murdered to silence him?

Lyle pursed his lips, his eyes filled with sorrow and weariness, and shook his head. "I spoke with Dumbledore tonight. He said you're a top expert in dark magic creatures and that you're very reliable. I..."

He wasn't the kind of evil experimenter he was after all, so he naturally believed what Dumbledore, the great wizard who had been so kind to his family, said.

He didn't even consider whether saying these things would cause him any trouble.

But perhaps he no longer cares; he seems to be teetering on the brink of collapse from exhaustion.

Lockhart was naturally aware of his situation; Bigfoot Remus Lupin, Lyle's son, was an infected werewolf.

Lockhart sighed, patted him on the shoulder to comfort him, then looked at the somewhat dazed people in the cage and shook his head. "To be honest, Lyle, I kind of regret it. I shouldn't have considered including werewolves in the young wizards' adventures."

Lyle panicked and quickly explained, "It won't transmit wolfsbane to the young wizards. I designed a whole set of magical devices including a muzzle, gauntlets, and foot covers. You know, wolfsbane is transmitted through blood and saliva, so this is foolproof."

"You can use them as you please, don't worry, I swear!"

“No, you’ve misunderstood.” Lockhart pointed to the people in the cages and sighed. “I mean, they really are people. You see, even without a full moon, they’re still human. I can’t accept that the young wizards treat these people like wild animals, and I’m afraid they do too.”

"Can……"

Lyle struggled to say something, but ultimately couldn't utter a word.

Lockhart glanced at the cauldrons and herbs piled in the corner, somewhat understanding. "You're looking for a cure for wolfsbane?"

Lyle looked dejected and frustrated as he stared at the werewolves. "I may never find a way out."

He just wanted to see his son, and his wife also wanted to see their son; they both missed him terribly.

He longed to develop a cure for wolfsbane, and then excitedly write to his son with his wife, saying, "Son, don't wander anymore, come back. You don't have to hide from this world anymore. We... miss you so much."

No one knows where the original wolfsbane came from.

If it was developed by a dark wizard, then the wizard must be extremely wicked, because when infected individuals turn into werewolves during a full moon, they lose all reason and instinctively attack those close to them first.

This seems to be a very clever mechanism for expanding the population, turning the closest relatives into werewolves together, in order to improve the werewolves' survival ability in wizarding society.

But such a mechanism is definitely the biggest curse for Lyle.

His son, Remus Lupin, therefore avoided them, fearing he might cause them terrible harm.

How long has it been since he and his wife last saw the child?

Five years?

ten years?

Time has stretched on so long that it has lost its meaning.

Looking at the middle-aged man with tears in his eyes, Lockhart finally understood why the man had brought him here.

He wanted to provide the werewolves to him so that he could use his power to conduct research in this area.

"terribly sorry."

"I'm not a top expert in dark magic creatures; I just have a little more information. I don't have any ideas on how to cure werewolves."

He hesitated for a moment, then said, "If you need, I can teach you the 'Restore to Human Form Charm,' but it's an extremely complex spell and not easy to learn."

The Restoration Charm is a high-level spell in the field of Transfiguration. Its difficulty is similar to that of the Patronus Charm in the field of Defense Against the Dark Arts and the Occlumency Charm in the field of Charms. Some people know it, but those who are proficient in it are very few and far between in the entire wizarding world.

Strictly speaking, it might be even more difficult, because very few wizards venture into this field.

Transfiguration can be broadly categorized into five areas.

These are the Polymorph Charm (for a single target), the Transformation Charm (for two targets), the Vanish Charm (for transforming from existence to non-existence), the Summoning Charm (for transforming from non-existence to existence), and the Restore Charm (for removing the polymorph).

Among them, "Restore" serves as the undo spell for the other four types of Transfiguration. Apart from some of the most basic and commonly used spells, most areas require further in-depth study based on a thorough mastery of Transfiguration.

It's much, much harder.

It could even be said that Transfiguration can sometimes be done with magic and willpower, while Restoration requires advanced magical scholarship.

For example, the "Cleanse" spell within the Vanishing Charm category, and its undo spell, has never been studied by any magic master to this day.

For example, Hagrid can turn Harry's cousin Dudley into a pig's tail, and Harry can turn Aunt Maggie into a balloon. The transformation is easy, but it is very difficult for them to undo it on their own.

The Restoration Charm is a high-level forced restoration charm within the restoration technique of "Transfiguration," a high-level branch of Transfiguration Charms.

This spell has a wide range of applications; it can be used to deal with Animagus, Disguise Magus, werewolf transformations, and so on.

Let's break this down in detail...

The point is, Lockhart can't use it either!

This was an extremely difficult technical task, and he even doubted that Dumbledore himself could do it, otherwise there would have been no need to go through the trouble of preparing the screaming shed for Remus. (Of course, it's also possible that Grindelwald's skill in Transfiguration led Dumbledore to instinctively avoid mastering this highly specialized magic.)

Lockhart eventually softened his heart.

He looked at his elderly father, who had tried everything but was now on the verge of collapse in despair, and felt a pang of pity.

Knowing the original story, he was well aware that Lyle's son, Remus Lupin, would die on the battlefield during the final battle at Hogwarts a few years later, and he couldn't imagine how much pain his father would feel at that time.

After many years apart, they met again, but were separated by death.

Hey~

Perhaps the "Restore to Human Form Charm" can offer him some hope.