Chapter 274: A New Beginning
This adventure was a bit bewildering for the young wizards. They could feel the excitement of the adventure itself, but it was hard for them to grasp the deeper meaning. Fortunately, they had Professor Lockhart.
Lockhart always taught them everything he understood without reservation, eagerly hoping that they would grow up as soon as possible. The growth of a wizard was extremely fast. Sometimes, just experiencing one event was the difference between an ordinary wizard and a magical master.
After the adventure, it was the Dueling Club's usual discussion session. Then, Professor Lockhart would explain his views, hoping to inspire his students. Especially for Draco and Ron, these two children seemed to have given up on the power of the Patronus Charm, which was not a good thing.
"Vitality is a very broad term. It flourishes, so it is full of life's tension. It is tough, so it is also resolute..."
"To put it in the context of what I taught you before, it has two sides: 'social' and 'self-will'..."
After returning from the river of time, the young wizards gathered outside the stone house, discussing with the professor. Lockhart looked at his students. "I'm very much against the idea that learning Dark Arts will make you a Dark wizard. Only when your mind turns dark and destructive do you become a Dark wizard. You can't say you want to learn Dark Arts and then completely give up the Patronus Charm. That means you are giving up your life's tension and toughness. You are giving up life. The so-called power and terrifying might of the Dark Arts that you show at that time is nothing but the final burst of a dying life."
"..."
The young wizards' lesson continued. Professor Kettleburn and Professor Lupin were also listening intently. They also had so much to learn. The essence of learning magic was a journey of life. Magic was always the most extreme romance in a wizard's fairy tale life. And in Professor Lockhart's eyes, this romance was so real, so close to life, instead of being just mysterious, ominous, and bizarre.
Professor McGonagall was also listening in. She rarely attended Professor Lockhart's classes because she was too busy. At this moment, she understood a little bit why Professor Dumbledore had been so tolerant of some of Lockhart's actions and why Dumbledore was willing to let Lockhart organize a student organization at the school. This was not easy. Dumbledore had been careful to prevent Tom from doing the same thing back then.
Now, the answer was very obvious. Tom longed to use the power of the magical school to build an army. But Lockhart longed to teach a group of magical masters, magical masters with their own ideas and their own self-will!
"The world will be a better place because of Gilderoy Lockhart!" Dumbledore had once said to Professor McGonagall.
This beauty came not only from the future potential of these young wizards but also from the travelers who had been lost in the mist. Professor McGonagall looked at the distance and could see that Lupin and Professor Kettleburn were so serious, and she could feel how joyful their life force was. Perhaps this was vitality. These two people, who usually seemed to have lost their self and their lives, also seemed to be bursting with a strong life force. It was wonderful. A smile was on Professor McGonagall's face.
Dumbledore's face was ashen. His expression was as if someone had built a latrine in his backyard. Oh, it wasn't as if; it had actually happened. This stone house in front of him was exuding a strong aura of darkness, stagnation, death, and ominousness. It was so familiar. It was clearly Azkaban! The current state of this stone house was exactly the same as that of the terrible Azkaban. The dense aura of Dark Arts was deeply repulsive.
This was definitely not because there was a Dementor in the stone house. Even if a Dementor stayed in a place for a long time, it wouldn't completely change the nature of that place. After it left, flowers would still bloom, and the earth would still be full of life. But this place would not. It had been completely changed. Or, to put it in the context of the recent experience, it had completely become a part of that Dementor, a part of its two-faced body, filled with a magical power of self-imprisonment.
"What are you going to do with it?" Lockhart didn't go into a long speech with the students. After explaining the key points, he let the children go back and think for themselves. When he saw Dumbledore staring at the stone house, he walked over and asked.
Dumbledore didn't say anything. He just gently raised the Elder Wand in his hand. Threads of silver smoke-like stuff surged from the tip of the wand. This was the power of the Patronus Charm, which came from the mind, from the life force brought about by his long life, and it was heavy and profound. Everyone knew that the Patronus Charm could resist a Dementor, but no one had ever delved into the deepest level and touched the concept of "vitality" like Lockhart. Dumbledore had never thought about this aspect either. But he knew now. He also knew how to completely destroy such a "mini-Azkaban."
But he ultimately gave up. He put away his wand, turned to look at Lockhart, and said with a strange expression, "Do you think it's suitable for imprisoning Tom?"
Lockhart blinked and shrugged. "Don't ask me. You should make the decision yourself."
Dumbledore always had to consider many things. Lockhart's thoughts were simple. His mind was now full of Transfiguration theories, and he couldn't be bothered to think about Voldemort, the future of the wizarding world, or the war. It didn't matter.
For Dumbledore, this process of Muggles turning into Dementors, which he had glimpsed and even participated in in the river of time, was just an interesting anecdote. For Lockhart, it was a clear grasp of the key to Muggles becoming magical beings. It was vitality. To be more precise, it was the rhythm of the mind. And then, in a magical life, it was to see the magical bloodline of a wizard or a magical creature.
The principle was such, but how to do it was a very, very complex thing to research. Lockhart had a vague idea that it might be time to strip away the messy foreign memories in his mind. And then become a pure self.
Dumbledore couldn't get any answers from Lockhart. He could see that Lockhart's words were not what he was thinking, and he seemed to be immersed in some thoughts. He shook his head and thought to himself. In the end, he made a decision. He looked back at the highest spire of the Hogwarts Castle group. There was a window of the headmaster's office. A flame-like figure flew out and was quickly approaching them.
With a crisp cry, Fawkes, the phoenix, arrived in front of them. Dumbledore reached out and took the small birdcage from its claws. He gently tapped the birdcage with the Elder Wand. The birdcage quickly grew, becoming a full four meters high, similar in size to the doorless stone room inside the stone house that was used to contain the Dementor. Inside the cage, Voldemort was looking at him coldly.
"Dumbledore, you can't kill me. In the end, you'll see with despair that I will escape this danger and once again reach the pinnacle of the world!" His voice was as hoarse as a vicious and cold snake, low, dark, and malicious.
Dumbledore just looked at him with a calm expression and sighed. "Tom, don't you know where you went wrong?"
"Wrong?" Voldemort laughed. "No, I'm not wrong. I just lost. It's that simple." He took a few quick steps, almost sticking to the edge of the iron cage, and looked at Dumbledore coldly. "What about you, Dumbledore? You've never failed, right? So you've never reflected on what mistakes you've made either. "
There was no saving him. Dumbledore looked at the student who should have been his proudest with deep regret.
"You'll see soon. You'll feel it soon, hehehe..." Voldemort's laugh was hypnotic. It could even be described as a child's mischievousness, full of schadenfreude. "Who do you think those people in your Order of the Phoenix are to you? Followers? Worshippers? You'll find that without me, they won't need you either!"
"They won't need you, do you understand, Dumbledore!"
"I'm watching, Dumbledore, watching your Order of the Phoenix fall apart, watching them suddenly turn against you. I hope you'll go to Azkaban then and look at my Death Eaters!"
"And then think about this question—Albus, don't you know where you went wrong?"
Dumbledore looked at him calmly, even with a smile on his face, and said gently, "Tom, everyone should have their own thoughts. First and foremost, everyone shouldn't be anyone's; they should be themselves."
"Is that so?" Voldemort didn't agree with this view at all. "They will live their entire lives without understanding. They need an answer. They need a belief. The answer and belief for the Death Eaters is me. And you will never be the answer for the Order of the Phoenix."
"When I die, they will still be Death Eaters. When you die, the Order of the Phoenix will be gone!"
Dumbledore sighed. The Voldemort in front of him was always immersed in his own world and couldn't listen to what others said. There was no need to communicate anymore. He waved his wand. The wind howled. A mist emanated from the Forbidden Forest, covering the birdcage and the stone house. Vaguely, sunlight shone on the mist, creating reflections like mirrors.
When the mist dissipated, the birdcage had disappeared, and only Voldemort's maniacal laughter could be heard vaguely from inside the stone house.
Dumbledore turned to look at everyone. Professor McGonagall, Professor Lockhart, Professor Lupin, and Professor Kettleburn. He instructed, "From now on, tell the children not to come near here."
Professor McGonagall nodded solemnly.
Lockhart, on the other hand, chuckled and teased, "I'm afraid the more you forbid it, the more they will want to come and see."
At this point, Dumbledore couldn't help but crack a smile. "Yes, so Gilderoy, you have to keep these children in line, especially Harry."
It had to be said that almost all of the excellent young wizards currently at Hogwarts were in Lockhart's Dueling Club. These were also the people who liked to sneak out at night, break rules, and go on adventures. Lockhart nodded seriously. "Okay."
Although he still had his doubts, had Dumbledore really locked Voldemort in this "mini-Azkaban"? Who knew. With an arrangement like this, Dumbledore might have his own other intentions and plans. Lockhart couldn't be bothered to think about it. It was impossible to guess what a top wizard like Dumbledore, who was over a hundred years old and had been involved in politics for almost his entire life, was thinking, unless he was willing to let others know.
As the few of them were talking, a figure suddenly appeared out of thin air in the corner. This caused everyone to look over. It was Hogwarts' house-elf, Dobby. Dobby looked very excited. He scurried on his little short legs, his big ears flapping, and shouted, "Dumbledore, Dumbledore, Professor Snape succeeded!"
Dumbledore was surprised and looked down at him with some confusion. "Succeeded in what?"
"He cured the Longbottoms!" Dobby shouted excitedly.
"!!!" Everyone was shocked.
"Let's go, let's go see!" Dumbledore was clearly a little emotional. He took out his wand and was about to Apparate directly. He suddenly saw Lockhart looking at him with eager eyes. He thought for a moment. "Gilderoy, you come too."
So, with the permission and leadership of the leader of the Order of the Phoenix, a group of people quickly traveled to Grimmauld Place in London. Hmm, number 11 Grimmauld Place in London. A place for Muggle houses. When they arrived, they appeared directly at the door. Lockhart looked at the building next door, number 12, but found that he could only see number 13. Sirius's house was now hidden by magic. Without Dumbledore, the Secret-Keeper, telling him the specific address, Lockhart couldn't enter it, and even if he knew the address, he didn't know how to get in.
Magic was sometimes so wonderful. Lockhart didn't know how miraculous and bizarre it must have felt for those Death Eaters who had seen Harry Potter's photo and home address in the newspapers over the past decade, only to go to Harry's uncle's house or even his elementary school and find nothing, as if they were living in two completely different worlds from everyone else on Earth.
Perhaps it was the same feeling he was having now. He looked back and forth between buildings 11 and 13 and clicked his tongue in amazement. It was these little miraculous things that came together to form the magical charm of the wizarding world. He loved it.
Soon, the door opened. Dobby, the house-elf, opened it. Everyone walked in quickly and immediately heard the sound of the child Neville sobbing hysterically as if a pig was being slaughtered. Neville's father smiled as he rubbed Neville's head, full of affection. Neville's mother hugged both father and son tightly. They were finally back to normal!
As everyone walked in, Kingsley, who was standing by the door, gestured to the corner of the hallway with a strange expression. "What's wrong?" Dumbledore didn't understand.
Kingsley chuckled. His usually serious face was now a bit comical. "Sirius took Snape over there. He wants to thank him but can't bring himself to say it. You know."
Immediately, everyone looked a little tense. Dumbledore coughed. "Let's give him some privacy. We'll go in and celebrate with the Longbottoms." It was too late when he said it, because Lupin and Lockhart were already running in that direction. Dumbledore didn't stop them and simply led Professor McGonagall into the room.
"Severus, how did you do it?" Lockhart rushed over excitedly. From a distance, he could see Snape and Sirius standing silently with red eyes, leaning against the walls on opposite sides of the hallway. His arrival broke the strange quiet.
Lupin could see that both of them were secretly relieved, and he couldn't help but smile. "The wolfsbane. I said it could be the key to the cure."
Snape was a little proud when he talked about his ultimate solution. "From now on, the damage from the Cruciatus Curse will no longer be incurable!"
"Awesome!" Lockhart gave him a thumbs-up in admiration.
"I think I should thank you," Snape said, looking at Lockhart but as if he were talking to Sirius and Lupin on the side. He said, "You let me know how to redeem myself, and you let me know how to take on my own guilt and mission!"
As he talked about these things, a sense of relief he had never had before appeared on his face. It was the feeling of a person who had lived for a long time in a dark cave, thinking they would rot there for the rest of their lives, but was rescued one day and walked out to look up at the sun in the sky, feeling the free and light breeze on their face, and a surge of vitality emanating from within. It was like a new beginning! It was so wonderful.