Chapter 250: I Won't Disappoint You!
Before Lockhart left the Black family's ancestral home, he performed another thorough and complete check-up on the Longbottoms and Lupin.
From memory to time to body, he did his best to check everything he was capable of checking. It wasn't because anyone owed him anything, nor was it because he was trying to gain anything. It was simply who he was a person who was happy to make his own "social circle" a better place.
Life was a fairy tale, and everyone was the protagonist of their own story. Whether this story would eventually lead to a vibrant and beautiful fantasy or a strange and twisted dark tale was entirely up to the individual.
In short, Lockhart was a good man! A great one, even.
Neville was moved to tears, so grateful that he was practically weeping. For the first time in his life, he truly felt the genuine love of his parents.
To be honest, Neville's childhood hadn't been any better than Harry's. Harry had lived in a family without love but was otherwise fairly normal. Neville had lived in a family with love but where everything else was abnormal.
His grandmother's excessive strictness and possessiveness were all-encompassing. For instance, when Neville had nightmares about his parents being tortured by the Cruciatus Curse, his grandmother would relentlessly cast a Forgetfulness Charm on him, causing him to become forgetful and slow as he grew up. His uncle was the same, once throwing little Neville out a window just to see if he was a Squib or a wizard.
Some people might complain that Dumbledore's neglect of Harry's childhood suffering was highly inappropriate, but they simply didn't understand what kind of people wizards were.
Uncle Vernon's words weren't wrong; wizards were all mad.
With magic flowing from the heart and spells drawn from life, how could wizards not be strange?
"I don't know what method Severus will use to treat you," Lockhart said, looking at the Longbottoms. "But from my perspective, the best way for you to regain your magical power is to delve deeper into your own lives."
He smiled and patted Neville, who was standing beside him. "Neville, remember the tradition of our Dueling Club? The old guide the new! I think it's time for you to tell your parents about the 'Fairy Tale Life' theory. This might be a way."
Neville immediately became excited, puffing out his chest and answering with all his might, "Mmm!"
Lockhart and the Longbottoms were all amused by the serious, grown-up expression on Neville's round, chubby face.
"In fact, this is a great opportunity," Lockhart suggested sincerely. "Living as Muggles, yet having had so much magical experience, perhaps you will discover a form of magic that is more compatible with the new era. You know, the new era has quietly arrived. The various problems between Muggles and wizards—maybe magic will be the answer."
The Longbottoms looked thoughtful.
Then, Lockhart turned to Lupin. He thought for a moment, realizing they had already discussed everything in depth, and there seemed to be nothing left to say. He simply smiled and said, "If you truly lead the werewolf community, and you're looking for an undisturbed place for the werewolves to live, you might consider the Bialowieza Primeval Forest. I have a Rainbow Ball Fish farm there."
"I've never had the time or energy to look after that place. If you need it, you can help me manage it and establish a gathering place for yourselves there."
"A Rainbow Ball Fish farm?" Lupin had heard the young wizards from the Dueling Club talk about that place.
Lockhart nodded. "Just like Hogwarts, it's Unplottable, cannot be found, and will not be disturbed when uninvited. Fudge helped me re-establish Floo Network access, so getting in and out is convenient. The amulets harvested from the Rainbow Ball Fish were once a major source of income for the Crabbe family, enough to feed all the werewolves."
Lupin's heart was moved.
And so, Lockhart's trip to the Order of the Phoenix headquarters came to an end. He wasn't a member of the Order, and it wasn't truly appropriate for him to stay there. He suspected that as soon as he left, Dumbledore would come and cast the Fidelius Charm on the Black family's ancestral home.
The Fidelius Charm was an extremely complex and powerful "castle protection spell." Its most wonderful feature was that it could set a Secret-Keeper. Only when the Secret-Keeper revealed the location to others could those people know that "such a place exists in the world." And even if others who knew about it tried to reveal it, they weren't the Secret-Keeper, so anyone who heard the news would know the place existed but would never be able to find it.
The Secret-Keeper for the Order of the Phoenix headquarters was originally Dumbledore himself. In fact, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry itself had a similar, but more complex, spell. The acceptance letters, personally signed by Deputy Headmistress Professor McGonagall, served the purpose of "the Secret-Keeper informing a specific group of people about the existence of the school."
This was what Grindelwald had said.
Old Gellert, when he was in the mood, would teach some "Castle Magic" to Lockhart. He would generally teach whatever came to mind, which was also a way of fulfilling Dumbledore's promise. But the spells he taught were clearly not enough for Lockhart to be able to repair Nurmengard prison.
In the end, while Old Gellert and Old Albus were wary of each other, they were also both wary of Lockhart. Just as Lockhart was wary of them. They had different paths, but their relationship wasn't hostile like it was with Voldemort. This was already a sign of respect for Lockhart; the only other people they would do this for were magical masters like Nicolas Flamel or Myerleth.
Bidding farewell to everyone, Lockhart took his flying car to the Burrow to pick up Percy. It had to be said that although Arthur's eyes had been glued to the car, he never once asked for it back. This was not only because Mrs. Weasley was standing with her hands on her hips, watching her husband, but also because Lockhart had already offered compensation.
At that time, Lockhart had asked Dumbledore to be the middleman to discuss the ownership of the car with Arthur, promising to provide another car or a helicopter as compensation. Arthur hadn't wanted it, nor had he dared to, as too many people were watching him. So, Lockhart had asked his Muggle brother-in-law to get Arthur a computer and connect the Burrow to the Internet.
This wasn't difficult; the village of Ottery St Catchpole, where the Burrow was located, was primarily a Muggle village, and a telephone network already existed there. It was said that his Muggle brother-in-law had even recommended the car travel website they had built to Arthur, which made Arthur's mouth water.
And so, they set off. Lockhart's schedule was packed.
First, he took Percy to Malfoy Manor, where Lucius was holding a grand banquet, inviting some important figures from the "Wizards' Council." Fudge and Umbridge were also in attendance. In fact, this banquet was originally planned by Fudge and Lucius together, and its purpose was to lay the groundwork for Lockhart's joining the "Order of Merlin."
At the banquet, Lockhart was ostensibly a guest, but he was always the center of everyone's conversation.
People came for profit; they came and went for profit. How could people not like a young and energetic new magical master who had no desire to get too involved in politics and also had an extremely wide-reaching global influence?
Even Madam Myerleth, the most senior person at the banquet, went out of her way to show her affection for him, telling the interesting story of the "bet" from the past in front of everyone.
The other protagonist of that bet was Corban Yaxley. (Chapter 82) That guy had said in front of so many people that if Lockhart could serve as the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor for a full year, he would give his family's oak forest in the Bialowieza Primeval Forest to him.
Of course, everyone now knew that Corban, that evil werewolf, was planning to attack the great Professor Lockhart. He had used the many Dark wizards his family had raised abroad to launch a sneak attack on the escorting party.
And it was on that day that Professor Lockhart's journey as a "magical master" officially began.
A promise made must be kept! Otherwise, Madam Myerleth would be the first to object. And so would every member of the "We're Not Dead Yet" club. This was no longer just about buttering up Lockhart; Corban had been showing off in front of everyone, and if he didn't honor the bet, he would be slapping everyone in the face.
The banquet instantly became lively.
Fudge immediately thumped his chest and promised that the Ministry would enforce it, it must be enforced. They would arrange for the Aurors to handle the matter right away!
But in truth, if Lockhart hadn't shown his "magical master" status, who would have been willing to help him claim this precious resource? Wouldn't it be more fun for everyone to wait patiently for a few years until Corban, who had escaped from prison, was completely dead, and then secretly divide the spoils?
That was an oak forest, a magical oak forest that could be used to make wands! It was said that the forest also housed Bowtruckles and Mooncalves.
Don't be fooled into thinking these magical creatures are common just because Newt seemed to be able to get them so easily. In fact, just one Bowtruckle was enough to tempt a goblin who already possessed a lot of wealth.
Not to mention the Mooncalves, which were a rare and precious find! These magical creatures usually lived in burrows and only came out during a full moon to dance and seek a mate on their hind legs in the moonlight. At that time, wizards had to collect their droppings before the full moon ended, or more accurately, before the moonlight disappeared from the sky. These droppings, when sprinkled on magical herb gardens and flowerbeds, would make the plants grow at an incredibly fast rate. This worked for almost all magical herbs!
One by one, they were simply too valuable!
It could be said that the oak forest Corban Yaxley had promised was a huge treasure.
The banquet was lively until late at night. Lockhart and Percy stayed at Malfoy Manor.
After the house-elf Dobby led them to the guest room and left, Percy finally let out a deep breath, looking less than happy.
"What's wrong? Is it too much pressure to meet so many important people at once?" Lockhart lay languidly on the sofa, easing the swirl of alcohol in his mind. Damn, the Malfoy family's liquor is a bit too strong. This is the first time I've been drunk since I transmigrated.
Percy pursed his lips and shook his head. "The Ministry of Magic has always been a place I longed for, but I don't know why I suddenly don't like it anymore."
In the end, Lockhart had influenced him too much, with a greater desire and a more interesting future, so he began to look down on the Ministry's conniving and scheming ways.
Lockhart laughed heartily. "I don't like it either. It looks like everyone is smiling, but in reality, no one is. This is a dark fairy tale!"
Percy pursed his lips. "Professor, I want to find Hermione and Draco. They're waiting for me to decide on the venue for the 'Quidditch Dueling Competition.'"
"No hurry!"
Lockhart waved his hand. "Tomorrow, I'm going to a Ravenclaw alumni meeting. I'll take you again. You can get to know those people, and then the competition you're running will be much easier."
Percy couldn't have been more grateful. No one had ever paved the way for him like this, whether it was his parents and brothers in his own family or the other professors at school who highly praised him. He vowed sincerely, "I won't disappoint you!"
Lockhart smiled as he looked at him. "No, this is your life. I won't get too involved. I have my own life to live."
"Huh?" Percy was stunned. "You're not going to be involved in the 'Quidditch Dueling Competition' project?"
Lockhart let out a sigh of relief, finally recovering from the dizziness of being drunk. He stood up. "If you need my help, just ask. I'll also publicly state that it's my property to reduce your pressure, but in the end, it's yours."
With that, he patted his shoulder and walked toward the room Dobby had prepared for him.
Percy stared blankly at the professor's back until he entered the room, and a small monkey scurried to the door and cautiously looked out before closing it. He then looked out the window at the place where the banquet had just been held at Malfoy Manor, as if he could still see the hypocritical faces holding wine glasses and laughing loudly.
He suddenly felt the charm of the professor's personality. He was so different!
"I won't disappoint you!"
In the dim guest room's living room, his eyes shone like stars as he whispered that firm vow.
In the following days, Professor Lockhart indeed did not get too involved in the young wizards' affairs. Aside from taking Percy and Crabbe, his two apprentices, to a Ravenclaw alumni meeting, and then taking Ron and Hachikime to visit Newt's son, he didn't bother the students again.
It wasn't easy. He finally had a chance to do his own things.
Travel!
To travel alone around the world.
In fact, he wasn't really alone. Lockhart had many little companions with him.
The Cursed Fairy, the golden-furred three-handed monkey, the Boggart, the Swooping Evil, the Sack Monster, and another Hachikime he had decided to keep.
Ever since he accepted Professor McGonagall's invitation to become the Professor of Magical Creatures at Hogwarts, he had been consciously and unconsciously reducing the frequency of his Dark magical creatures appearing in front of others. Whether he was teaching at school, interacting with Grindelwald and others, or meeting members of the Order of the Phoenix, or even people like the Malfoys.
He was trying to weaken the sense of presence of these little companions.
Others knew, but they hadn't seen them, so a sense of mystery appeared.
This was a very unique "social" inverse experiment. Lockhart could feel every subtle change, especially after the little companions rarely appeared in front of the Dueling Club's young wizards, the "social" detachment made the "social bond" between the little companions and Lockhart even tighter.
Thus, a mysterious power appeared between him and his little companions.
Lockhart found it hard to describe that subtle change. It was ineffable, yet it was so clearly displayed in front of him through his magical senses. If he had to force a description, it would be similar to the unique power of "bloodline magic"—so wonderfully strange.
This day, the sun was bright.
Lockhart sat in the driver's seat of the flying car, the golden-furred monkey perched on his shoulder, the Cursed Fairy in the passenger seat, the Swooping Evil hanging upside down from the roof in the back, and the Sack Monster, looking like a hollow wizard, sat in the back with a yawning Hachikime and the Boggart, which had turned into the corpse of the Upside-Down God.
"Let's go!"
"Time to travel~"
Swoosh~
The car lady made a beeping sound, soared into the sky, and disappeared into the clouds.
........
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