Chapter 238: The Changing of the Era Begins
"What's it for?"
Fudge looked at the languid cat no, the animal Lockhart called a "Hakimi"—that the young wizards were playing with. It seemed to have nothing to do with the 'era-changing research' Lockhart had mentioned before. The cat soon transformed again into an animal much like a tiger, though it was even larger because of its thick, fluffy fur. Its disposition, however, hadn't changed; aside from its more intimidating roar, it still seemed quite lazy.
"It was bred from a Madagom Cat, and it has an extremely strong magical bloodline. It isn't easily affected by the bloodlines of other magical creatures, and it possesses a stable bloodline trait," Lockhart explained excitedly. "It can breed with a Madagom Cat, and the offspring will not be as ugly as a Madagom Cat."
Fudge still looked utterly bewildered.
Grindelwald, who had appeared without anyone noticing, explained with a smile, "It's similar to so-called pure-blood wizards. Every pure-blood family has their own specific abilities, and no matter how much different pure-blood families intermarry, the offspring still retain the magical abilities and characteristics of their own lineage."
"!!!" Fudge's expression immediately became strained. Grindelwald could make such jokes freely, but he, the Minister, would not dare to utter such words.
"Of course, its most prominent feature is that it has no offensive capabilities on its own, only a protective nature," Lockhart said, gesturing to the Hakimi playing with the students. "Look, it won't attack the wizards, and it's very intelligent. It can sense if someone has ill intent, and it will specifically avoid people who do."
"It's as sensitive as a unicorn…"
For example…
The Hakimi glanced around the crowd and, by instinct, gravitated towards the pure-hearted Luna Lovegood.
Lupin's eyes lit up. "A Patronus? Gilderoy, have you bred a Patronus?"
Lockhart gave a smug chuckle. "Impressive, isn't it?"
Lupin was genuinely astonished. A Guardian Beast? It seemed that no wizard had been recorded as having bred one in recent history. Not every magical creature bred by a wizard to guard their home or treasure was a Guardian Beast. Hagrid's giant spiders and three-headed dogs, for instance, were too aggressive. The most famous Guardian Beast was the Sphinx, which the ancient Egyptian wizards had bred to be the most stable and perfect protector.
"A Guardian Beast is a classification of magical creatures, a term generally used before modern magical systems were established," Lupin explained to Fudge. "Now we classify magical creatures based on their threat level to humans, so the term is rarely used. Gilderoy means that this…"
"Hakimi!" Lockhart reminded him from the side.
"Right, Hakimi. It will loyally protect its owner and their home, and will only retaliate if its master or their home is attacked," Lupin said, with a note of awe in his voice. "This is without a doubt the most useful magical creature. Many experts in magical creatures and Dark Arts breeders dream of creating a being like this."
"So…" Fudge spread his hands. "It has great commercial value?"
Pets, after all, were common in the wizarding world. He didn't just mean that young wizards each had one; he would even buy his relatives' children some Puffskeins as toys. He valued the economic benefits, but he was more concerned with Lockhart's earlier claim about changing the era. This didn't seem so outrageous.
"You imbecile!" Grindelwald felt his patience with stupidity wearing thin as he looked at Fudge with disdain. "Didn't he say, 'It was bred from a Madagom Cat?' What did you think that meant?"
"Huh?" Fudge still didn't get it.
Grindelwald's gaze was strangely fixed on the Hakimi. "It means that in the Muggle world, it's a normal animal. It can be adopted by Muggles as a simple cat. Muggles can raise these magical creatures in great numbers. But if the owner is attacked by a wizard, it will transform into a Dark creature to protect them!"
"!!!" Fudge's eyes widened, and he gasped.
"This thing…"
"Can be used to replace Kingsley Shacklebolt?"
Well, that was a little rude, but it was true that Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt's main job was being assigned as the Muggle Prime Minister's bodyguard. But Kingsley also served as the Prime Minister's special secretary, responsible for liaising between the Muggle government and the Ministry of Magic, a role a Hakimi could not fill.
"It can enter thousands of Muggle homes!" Grindelwald had zeroed in on the key point. "Especially the homes of important Muggles!"
Grindelwald looked at Lockhart with a peculiar expression. "A Hakimi has the ability to protect every Muggle official, unless they are dealing with an expert who knows how to handle such a Dark creature, is that right, Gilderoy Lockhart?"
Lockhart wouldn't go along with that. "There's no such thing. The Hakimi's classification is closer to a Dark creature than a magical beast, and it does indeed have unique traits. But the main trait is that its abilities will change based on the owner's spirit and the experiences they've had together."
"This characteristic makes it incredibly difficult to counter; it's a trait with no real traits."
Heh.
Grindelwald didn't believe that for a second.
"And the first batch I breed will be given to the Muggle-born and half-blood wizards at the school, so their families will have the ability to better protect themselves in the upcoming war!" Lockhart's words sounded incredibly sincere.
But old Grindelwald was cynical; he saw the worst in everything. He just chuckled. "The families of Muggle-born wizards, that's a truly fascinating place to start."
Right then.
Lockhart couldn't be bothered to explain anymore. It was far more pleasant to discuss this with Remus Lupin, an expert in Dark creatures, than with a dimwit like Fudge or an ambitious schemer like Grindelwald. And that was exactly what he did.
The two transformations of the Madagom Cat had too many similarities to the effects of the wolfsbane potion. Once you discovered the underlying principle, everything became clear. By exploring these characteristics, they could better find a way to solve the problem. Lupin was clearly aware of this as well, and the two began to discuss the matter with great enthusiasm.
Gradually, not only Fudge but even Grindelwald, who had never been fond of small animals, couldn't understand the academic content that lay outside his field of study. After listening for a while, he stopped getting involved.
What's more, Grindelwald hadn't come to observe Lockhart's research in the first place. His target was Fudge.
"You fool," he said, looking at Fudge. "I must remind you to stop running to Hogwarts every other day. You got your position with Dumbledore's support. You come to Hogwarts, and those who know think you are here to see Gilderoy, but for those who don't, who do you think they'll assume you're here to see?"
Fudge's political instincts were sharp enough to understand Grindelwald's meaning in an instant. There were two layers to it. The first was a warning: you are Dumbledore's man, not Lockhart's. You need to understand your position clearly, or Dumbledore will quickly abandon you.
The second meaning…
"To see whom?" Fudge gasped, looking at Grindelwald in disbelief. "You mean… they'll think I'm here to see you?"
Grindelwald's lips curved into a faint smile. "What do you think?"
Fudge managed to force a smile, a very ugly one, and said with great difficulty, "I… I don't know."
Grindelwald sneered. "Come with me. I have something for you to do."
Could Fudge refuse?
Of course not. He was on the verge of tears.
Gilderoy, help me!
Unfortunately, Gilderoy was so caught up in his conversation with Lupin that he didn't even notice what they were talking about.
"Yes… yes, Lord Grindelwald."
Fudge suddenly felt a strange, bewildered sense of loss. He couldn't understand how this had happened. He had started out simply not cooperating with Dumbledore, but somehow, he had gotten to the point where Dumbledore, Lockhart, and Grindelwald could all order him around at once.
Was this what they called moving backward in the world?