Chapter 277: She's Stealing My Niche!
Lucius Malfoy was far more proactive than Lockhart had imagined. Within two days, he arrived at the school with several other Governors, using his title as a Governor. After observing the "Quidditch Dueling Tournament" training of the Dueling Club, he announced the donation of a large batch of Firebolts, Firebolt maintenance tools, and protective sports gear.
This was a resource that even wizards from well-off families might not accumulate in a lifetime. Professor McGonagall was satisfied, Lockhart was satisfied, and the young wizards were even happier—a situation where everyone rejoiced.
However, Lucius was more eager for advancement than Lockhart had imagined. He wanted to take Lockhart to meet someone.
"Professor Lemay actually planned to visit you personally, but considering her position as the Etiquette Professor at Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, it wasn't quite appropriate for her to come directly to Hogwarts, so I made some arrangements."
After donating some money, Lucius's attitude shifted from his initial awkwardness to a more familiar tone, always giving Lockhart the feeling of "we're on the same side." The deliberate flattery decreased, and the deliberate closeness increased.
Lockhart didn't care about that; he was just curious. "Etiquette Professor?" This was a bit outside his realm of knowledge. An Etiquette Professor at a magical school—what kind of bizarre subject was that? He thought it was some small fry, but Lucius gave him a different answer.
"Strictly speaking, although Hogwarts was the earliest magical school, and Durmstrang has the most pure-bloods and a teaching bias toward ancient sorcery, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic is actually the one with the most classical character."
Is that so? Lockhart didn't understand. Wizards didn't have true nobility. If it were about bloodlines and classical nobility, Beauxbatons shouldn't be the one to claim that style, right?
Hiss~
No!
Lockhart suddenly had an epiphany and turned to Lucius. "Classical isn't Muggle classical; classical is wizard classical, too?" In terms of classical scholarship, there was indeed a distinction between sorcery and magic, but classical culture was universal for Muggles and wizards.
Wizard classical culture? What a ridiculous proposition. Lockhart was inwardly complaining.
Lucius's eyes widened. He hadn't expected Professor Lockhart to immediately grasp the key point. He sighed inwardly, thinking no wonder the man achieved such success at a young age.
Yes, in the long history of wizards, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic was indeed the school that paid the most attention to classical airs. The subtlety in this was...
"This school therefore has a significant connection with Muggles. Often, under the pretext of preserving wizard classical culture, they view other magical schools as crude and themselves as elegant. No one can stop them from communicating with Muggle writers, artists, and philosophers."
"The enforcement of the Statute of Secrecy made concessions in this regard because many powerful wizards at the time appealed to protect the classical culture of wizards." Lucius explained quietly, chuckling. "As you know, the Muggles who have the opportunity to become these so-called scholars are mostly Muggle nobles and elites, or even followers of Muggle religions."
He had even more shocking news: "In fact, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic has a close relationship with the British Royal Family and nobility on our side, much more so than Hogwarts."
My goodness! This was incredibly interesting.
"Etiquette Professor?" Lockhart pondered the title.
Lucius glanced around, trying to look secretive, and then whispered, "She's the equivalent of Hogwarts' Professor McGonagall, but the McGonagall who is at odds with Dumbledore."
Well, now. Lockhart had a general idea of the professor he was about to meet.
The LeMay Power
They traveled by flying car. Lucius had arranged for them to meet at a Malfoy family resort castle in the Highlands, not far from the Muggle castle Percy had bought. Along the way, Lucius repeatedly emphasized the witch's importance.
"Madame Maxime, the headmistress of Beauxbatons, doesn't have complete control over the school like Dumbledore does. This has actually always been the norm at Beauxbatons."
"Professor LeMay represents another faction's power." Lucius found this amusing. "The most aggrieved headmaster in Beauxbatons' history even went to the International Confederation of Wizards' Educational Department to complain that there was a hidden dark force in the school."
"In fact, it's true. House-elves, Garden Fairies, all the magical creatures and humanoid tribes managed by the school, school procurement, dormitory management, student etiquette training, student administrative organization training, and all other non-academic educational categories are firmly controlled by this faction."
Lockhart raised an eyebrow, interrupting Lucius's introduction, and asked, "Professor LeMay? LeMay?"
Lucius smiled and nodded, full of meaning. "LeMay of Nicolas Flamel."
"Aurélie LeMay is their direct descendant. Her mother is also from the Lestrange family, one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight pure-blood families!"
This was getting interesting. Lockhart's expression shifted. "I remember you saying the Lestrange family is also a Governor of Beauxbatons?"
"Yes." Lucius pointed in the direction of Azkaban. "As you know, the three Lestrange family members are currently locked up inside." (Bellatrix changed her surname, but is still considered a member of this family.)
In other words, this Professor Aurélie LeMay was also a Governor of the school? Lockhart seemed to see an upgraded version of Lucius—no, an upgraded, upgraded, super-upgraded version. His brow furrowed. He wasn't sure what the other party's demands would be upon meeting him.
Lucius's intentions were naturally good. Guessing from their last conversation that Lockhart was interested in the school, he arranged this meeting. But why was the other party so proactive as to specially travel to Britain to meet him?
The Clash of Idols
Before the flying car even approached the lakeside castle, Lockhart felt the difference in this professor. A magical carriage, pulled by six exceptionally tall Abraxan horses (about the size of elephants), was parked in front of the castle. The carriage was as exquisite as a small palace.
A witch was sitting on a long bench by the lake, reading with an elegant posture, and behind her stood a giant wearing luxurious half-plate armor. The giant was a full seven meters tall, as burly as a small mountain.
When Lockhart was studying werewolves, some records mentioned that werewolves were the armies targeting wizards, but in fact, giants were the true threat. A giant's magical defense was even higher than a Basilisk's. It was difficult for most wizards' spells to cause harm to them, and in the long history of wizards, this type of humanoid magical creature once gave wizards a huge headache. In fact, it was still true now. All the sorceries invented against giants in magical history were deliberately restricted from spreading among the public, and the modern magic system hadn't invented corresponding spells. Most wizards were helpless against them. In this era, having a giant as a guard was incredibly attention-grabbing.
Lockhart looked at the large figure and clicked his tongue. "I imagine many people speculate about Headmistress Maxime's bloodline?"
Lucius smiled and nodded. "Yes, isn't it obvious?"
"So..." Lockhart gestured toward the figure below.
"Intentional humiliation!" Lucius answered very directly. "Madame Maxime has always denied her bloodline issue, claiming it's malicious speculation. So, the other faction started using a giant guard. Madame Maxime, therefore, can't make any rebuttal."
This Professor LeMay was clearly a strong-willed person. Lockhart sighed, motioning for the Car Lady to fly down. Regardless of how strong-willed she was, if she lacked discernment, he could certainly teach her what "Magic is Power" meant.
The flying car was clearly noticed by the other party. The witch sitting on the bench stood up, scolded her restless giant, and walked toward where the car was landing.
Soon, the car settled, and Lockhart and Lucius stepped out.
"Professor Lockhart, let me introduce you..." Lucius was about to perform the customary introduction when he saw a figure flash past him.
He was a little stunned. He looked closely, and it was Professor LeMay. Professor LeMay looked incredibly excited, quickly running up to Lockhart, getting very close, holding up the book in her hand, and excitedly exclaiming, "Gilderoy Lockhart!"
Her fair face and long neck quickly flushed with excitement. Her tone and voice lost the aristocratic coldness he had experienced in the past, replaced only by the euphoria of a young fangirl.
"I'm your fan! My name is Aurélie LeMay!"
"Could you sign this for me?"
Not only was Lucius shocked, but Lockhart was too.
Fortunately, Lockhart had extensive experience with such things. His face habitually bloomed into the most perfect smile. He kindly took the book and the prepared quill from her. Opening the cover, it was his book, Voldemort: Pure-Blood Supremacist with a Muggle Father?
"Excellent, great taste. This is my most proud work. Even Dumbledore approves of it." Lockhart said as he quickly signed it, adding a blessing: "May Miss Aurélie LeMay be beautiful forever."
Aurélie LeMay was overjoyed. She looked young, in her twenties, about the same age as Lockhart. She took the book, looked at the signature, and subconsciously took off her gold-rimmed glasses to make herself look more beautiful. She looked so excited. "You don't need Dumbledore's approval! I've heard everything! You played a key role in that great battle that captured the Dark Lord! You are the most amazing one!"
The flattery made Lockhart a little embarrassed. He quickly said, "No, no. I still have a lot to learn from Dumbledore, and a long way to go."
Aurélie LeMay nodded vigorously, hugging the book tightly. Her excited face was full of admiration. "You're always so humble! I remember you wrote in this book—'I believe I will always be a student on the magical path, forever maintaining the most humble and devout attitude.'..."
A frenzy of praise. She was like a fan who had finally met her idol. Now that she had the chance, she couldn't wait to express everything she had been preparing for days and nights. She praised Lockhart's educational reforms. She praised Lockhart's refusal to give up on the spoiled children from pure-blood families. She praised Lockhart's absolute authority in the field of Dark magical creatures. One praise after another.
Don't even say it. Lockhart genuinely enjoyed it.
Putting aside Aurélie LeMay's power, the witch had such a beautiful face and elegant demeanor. The admiration in her eyes was practically overflowing, and she was speaking about all the information and achievements she had gathered about him... Lockhart was genuinely feeling a bit puffy.
Lucius stood by, opening and closing his mouth, raising and lowering his hand, unable to get a word in. He suddenly regretted it. He regretted contacting this French pure-blood witch.
Damn it!
This witch was much better at flattery than he was! After all, his compliments were somewhat false, and he had to use tact, but her flattery seemed to be heartfelt. Of course, heartfelt flattery sounded amazing.
Hatred!Such hatred!
She's stealing my niche!
Lucius wanted to slap himself. He wanted to cry.
But he had no choice but to stand awkwardly watching Professor LeMay's performance. He even briefly suspected that the witch in front of him was a fan of Professor Lockhart who had drunk Polyjuice Potion. Otherwise, she wouldn't be completely different from the Professor LeMay he usually dealt with.
Where is your aristocratic air, which is even more noble than my Malfoy air?Where is your aggressive aura, which is even more powerful than Professor McGonagall's?Where is your dignified, noble, and self-important demeanor that makes you avoid eye contact?
How did it all disappear?
Lucius quietly rolled his eyes. Looking at the house-elf Dobby, who was hiding and nervously avoiding the giant, made him even more annoyed. Even his servant was shorter than the other side's guard.
"How are the preparations for the banquet?" he asked coldly.
Lucius decided to replace Dobby. He always felt that the house-elf wasn't loyal enough, and he disliked the way he looked. Wait, didn't Professor Lockhart also manage the re-employment of house-elves at the Ministry of Magic? Maybe he could trouble him with this matter. He knew all too well how to build a better relationship: asking the other party to do a small, painless favor helps the other party develop intimate feelings for him.
"Everything is ready," Dobby replied timidly, annoying Lucius even more.
"Bring the refreshments and the tables over first," Lucius instructed. "Can't you see everyone is standing here? Hurry up and set it up!"
Then came the patient waiting. Waiting and observing why Professor Lockhart suddenly cared about Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. That was what he was most curious about. He always felt this was an opportunity.
But unfortunately, Professor Lockhart and Professor LeMay didn't seem to discuss anything about Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. Aside from Professor LeMay's frantic praise, Lockhart was only answering some of her questions about his book.
"Wow~ Is that how it is?"
"Professor Lockhart, you are so amazing!"
"I think I understand your meaning a little now. You mean, the magical perspective cannot be derived from..."
"You are so knowledgeable, Gilderoy!"
"I admire you so much!"
Lucius listened to Professor LeMay's exclamations and her completely different tone of voice, feeling a wave of goosebumps. The conversation between the two of them was so intimate. Without realizing it, "Professor Lockhart" had become "Gilderoy" in Professor LeMay's mouth.
Ewww~~~
Lucius felt he couldn't stand it anymore. He even felt that he was starting to become redundant sitting there.
This... this awkwardness became strange later on, because as Professor Lockhart and Professor LeMay exchanged contact information, they somehow started talking about Muggle mobile phones. Then Lucius witnessed an extremely unfamiliar sight.
Both wizards pulled out Muggle mobile phones from their pockets and exchanged phone numbers! They even talked about something called "email"?
Lucius knew about mail; wizards used it every day, and with the help of owls, it was the most common communication network for wizards. But email, what was that? Lucius didn't understand.
He was about to politely leave, but now he was listening with his ears strained, full of curiosity. He couldn't help it. If he didn't even know what "email" was, how could he serve Professor Lockhart well in the future? He was so eager to improve. He firmly believed that the intimate relationship between two generations of Malfoys, Lucius and Draco, and Professor Lockhart would be enough to support the Malfoy family's brilliance for the next century, so he had to be cautious.
"Email might not reach me," Lockhart said with a bit of distress. "Hogwarts can't use any Muggle electronic devices."
"There's a way!" Aurélie LeMay became excited, as if she finally had something she could show Lockhart. She was extremely proactive. She pulled out something like a cosmetic box from her bag. It was about the size of a basketball. When opened, it revealed a base plate supporting a complex mechanical structure with various strange gears turning.
"It can help you use Muggle electronic devices in the Ministry of Magic, but I'm not sure if it works at Hogwarts."
Lockhart looked at the strange object in amazement. "Alchemy?"
Finally, on a professional topic, Professor LeMay put away the excitement of a fan. She said seriously, "Modern Occultism, a sub-discipline of Alchemy."
This was already a blind spot in Lockhart's knowledge. But he didn't have any airs in front of his fan and sincerely asked, "Could you explain it? I haven't learned about this before."
"Modern Occultism is a discipline completely opposite to Occultism," Professor LeMay finally regained her professorial demeanor and spoke eloquently.
"The earliest Ancient Occultism came from the reverence and fear of nature by wizards and Muggles in tribes. That's why we often see many spells involving elements like animal hides and bones, colored minerals, miasma, and fire."
"Later, what we formally call Occultism evolved. As wizards and Muggles moved deeper into society, the wars between wizards and humanoid/magical creatures for survival led to the development of sorcery, and the population explosion of Muggles caused this subject to become Muggle Occultism."
"Muggle Occultism?" Lockhart asked for clarification.
Professor LeMay nodded. "Strictly speaking, it is a subject about the collective emotional atmosphere caused by the wizards' stereotype of what Muggles perceive wizards to be mysterious."
"From entities like Ghosts to the sorcery of sealing people into walls, which naturally evolved into two magical studies: Magical Portraits and Magical Cameras."
Lockhart generally understood.
Professor LeMay then explained, "Modern Occultism is a unique branch. Its opposite lies in the fact that it is a subject about the collective emotional atmosphere caused by the wizards' stereotype of Muggle mystery."
"For example, the steam engine, complex mechanical structures, even the modern Internet, and satellites in the sky..."
"These things are mystery to wizards!"
"The research into the field of 'Modern Occultism' is not about wizards studying Muggle science but about studying this mystery."
As she spoke, she gestured toward the flying car Lockhart had arrived in. "It is a research achievement within the scope of 'Modern Occultism.' I can tell."
Wow~ Lockhart suddenly understood Mr. Arthur Weasley's research direction.
Professor LeMay clearly recognized the car. After all, the "Savior" Harry Potter bravely venturing into the world in that car was a photo featured on the front pages of various newspapers and magazines.
She said, "The research in Modern Occultism is severely restricted by the regulations of the Ministries of Magic in various countries, similar to Mr. Arthur Weasley's work on the 'Misuse of Muggle Artifacts' laws."
"Of course, Arthur's domain is magical artifacts, which is too conspicuous. Our field is Alchemy, which is easier to develop in this aspect."
Lockhart recalled Dumbledore's Deluminator. After all, old Dumbledore was also an extremely powerful Alchemist. He hadn't noticed this before.
He realized, "So the Alchemy represented by 'Modern Occultism,' in practical application, is the magical research for countering Muggle technological creations?"
Aurélie LeMay's eyes sparkled again. "Can you grasp such a deep concept the first time you hear about this subject? Oh, you truly are the strongest wizard of the new generation!"
Stop the flattery!Stop the flattery! Lucius was screaming internally. If you keep this up, I'll run out of things to say!