Chapter 279: Dumbledore's Deluminator
Lockhart returned to the school and headed straight for the mushroom house in the Forbidden Forest, passing the stone hut built by the young wizards on the way.
Voldemort was imprisoned in the stone hut. But that wasn't the point. Lockhart had no interest in Voldemort. The main point was that Dumbledore was standing silently in front of the hut, lost in thought.
Lockhart could feel a sense of solitude emanating from Dumbledore—a solitude that was spirited, full of life, and vitality. This was a fascinating state. Through his research, which had moved from 'The Magical Life of Fairy Tales' to the domain of 'Sociality,' Lockhart was starting to understand that what Muggles perceive as positive or negative emotions cannot be simply classified as magically positive or negative.
Many wizards didn't grasp this concept. People often said that Dark Wizards had to harbor extreme malice to cast Dark Magic, but in reality, all wizards in battle needed to possess such malice. The difference was between a stagnant 'malice' and a vibrant, life-filled 'malice.'
This realization allowed Lockhart to view the world differently; everything changed.
For instance, the Dumbledore before him. He shouldn't have been lonely. He had so many people who understood him, whether it was his close friend Professor McGonagall at school, the admirers among the students, or his numerous friends and people who trusted him outside the school. Dumbledore's personality had always been gentle, willing to tolerate different opinions and give others more chances. He was a warm, kind old man basking in the sun. He was always surrounded by his students playing and laughing.
But not now.
Dumbledore was no longer merely frail; he was starting to have the energy and spirit to change the world. As soon as a person sets out to do something, some people and things start to move away. The greater the resistance to that task, the fewer people they find around them, until there is no one left.
Dumbledore was in such a state now: full of life's vigor, yet solitary. This supremely powerful state of mind made the sky above the entire Hogwarts castle grounds and the Forbidden Forest appear clear and serene, with everything lucid, save for the twinkling stars.
This was the pinnacle of Transfiguration: the reflection of the state of the world brought about by one's self-will—real, yet formless and grand. Lockhart looked at the scene with awe, carefully sensing the subtlety it contained.
Dumbledore turned around, looked at him, and smiled kindly. "Well, do you want to learn it?"
"Yes!" Lockhart answered without hesitation.
"It's actually very simple. The magic notebook I gave you, Controlling Lightning, already contains the principle. The spell for entering this field of knowledge, 'Mind Communication,' has already been taught to you, and I've told you the most core key points of Transfiguration..."
Without realizing it, Dumbledore had already taught Lockhart his philosophy. He was never an overbearing person who demanded others follow his path. He taught the crucial content, and as for what one would ultimately learn, the rest was up to the student's own practice.
Now, standing in front of the prison that held Tom, he had thought a great deal and suddenly felt the desire to fully articulate his own philosophy.
"I have a different understanding of the composition of life than you do."
Dumbledore motioned for Lockhart to sit on a nearby stone. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a dish of Cockroach Clusters, speaking as if he were casually snacking on sunflower seeds.
"The sociality composed of all things, nature, and collectives, and then the individuality of the body, mind, and soul... I don't see it that way."
"In my eyes, it becomes very simple—the World, Self-Will, and the central area where the World and Self-Will intermingle."
"In fact, the world every person sees and perceives is different, and this stems from the difference in each person's Self-Will."
"The movement of Self-Will brings about change, and thus the world also begins to change."
He gently waved his old, wrinkled hand. Flowers bloomed in the nearby grass, swaying with the night breeze.
"This is the Self-Will changing the world. But it's not that I changed the world; it's that I desired a change, and the world followed by changing."
As he spoke, he gently moved his hand, as if caressing the earth. A surge of life force, extremely conspicuous in Lockhart's view, welled up. He could sense that the surrounding trees, flowers, and grass were all nurturing the power of burgeoning life under the surging vitality. The small grass hadn't bloomed yet, but it was destined to bloom.
"This is the area where Self-Will and the World intermingle. The world hasn't changed yet, but it's destined to welcome change."
"Understanding these two concepts naturally leads us to ponder the question: In some sense, is the world I perceive my world?"
"Or rather, Am I the World?"
Having explained this far, Dumbledore smiled and looked at Lockhart. "Do you understand?"
Lockhart nodded, then shook his head. "I understand the principle, but I don't know how to translate it into a practical way to cast a spell."
"It's alright, take your time to think. This is a life-long subject." Dumbledore said with a smile, picking up a Cockroach Cluster, popping it into his mouth, and closing his eyes to enjoy the rich, bursting flavor of the candy. After a while, he sighed and said, "Tom also took a very long time to understand this back then."
Lockhart looked at him in surprise. "You taught Tom?"
"Yes," Dumbledore said wistfully. "Just like now, I longed for the young to step toward a deeper future, to open up a wider world." He gave a regretful smile.
"I am not a person of high moral standing. In the past, to draw a clear line with him and prevent my followers from misunderstanding a potentially wrong path, people always thought I simply sent Tom to school and then ignored him, with no further interaction."
He looked deeply at the stone hut in front of them. "In the beginning, everyone liked him. He also acted very sunny and kind. Naturally, I hoped to give him more guidance, hoping this unfortunate boy could have more possibilities in the future."
"I never liked him, but that didn't stop me from being willing to give him a chance back then..."
He didn't want to talk too much about Tom. The greatest achievement of his teaching had become his greatest failure—it was the regret of investing the majority of his life's energy and time into the field of education. Talking too much about regret always leaves a knot in the heart.
He thought for a moment, pulled a lighter out of his wizard robes, and handed it to Lockhart. "A little toy, a gift for you. It can help you better understand the world of Transfiguration I speak of."
Although he called it a "little toy," it was actually a Deluminator, an alchemical creation he commonly used himself.
Lockhart took the Deluminator with some confusion. At Dumbledore's signal, he struck it as if using a lighter. A hazy mist appeared where a flame should have been. But it was only for an instant, flashing and then extinguishing.
"!!!"
Lockhart keenly sensed the difference in the translucent white light. He blinked and looked thoughtfully at Dumbledore.
"That's right," Dumbledore smiled. "It's exactly as you suspect."
Then, he raised his hand and gestured. "You can try it again."
Lockhart swallowed, focused his mind, but didn't strike the lighter again immediately. Instead, he quickly recalled the principles of Transfiguration Dumbledore had just explained.
The change in Self-Will brings about a corresponding change in the World.I am the World.
Click! The Deluminator opened.
A hazy mist appeared again. This time, it did not extinguish but maintained a rich, mysterious aura.
Something incredible happened!
Lockhart suddenly heard a large volume of jumbled voices. The sounds were layered but clearly distinguishable, allowing him to clearly hear that they were coming from different people. He tried to listen clearly to the words inside. He didn't bother trying to listen to a specific person, he simply intended to hear clearly, and then the myriad voices quickly faded, leaving only one source.
A voice came through. "We should more clearly demonstrate our loyalty to Your Excellency Lockhart. Only he can protect us, only he can make Dumbledore cautious, otherwise Dumbledore will definitely not spare us!"
This was... Lucius Malfoy's voice. He seemed to be talking to someone.
Lockhart's expression immediately became awkward as he looked at Dumbledore. The old man listened with interest to Lucius's loud shouting, then spread his hands innocently to Lockhart.
Does a tiger in the forest care about a rabbit's goodwill toward it? No, not at all. Dumbledore was merely tolerant of the rabbits that liked to jump around; it didn't mean he wasn't a tiger.
"You can press it again," Dumbledore prompted.
Click! Lockhart struck the Deluminator again. This time, a blue, glowing orb quickly bounced out of the Deluminator and appeared in front of him, then rapidly collided with him, instantly merging into his body.
"This is..."
He carefully sensed the change in himself, a little surprised. "It seems a piece of information tells me Lucius Malfoy's current location! I can feel that if I Apparate now, I could appear right in front of him!"
Dumbledore smiled and nodded. "That's just a small function of it." (PS: The functions of the Deluminator mentioned above come from the original books.)
Small? Wasn't it absolutely ridiculous? This function was so exaggerated...
...so...
Lockhart suddenly gasped, looking at Dumbledore in disbelief. "Voldemort cast a spell on his own name! Everyone who speaks his name out loud is sensed by him, and then the Death Eaters quickly appear before them to kill those who dare to utter his name!"
Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, it's exactly as you suspect. He learned it."
It was the manifestation of his teaching achievement in the way Dumbledore least desired. He imparted this knowledge hoping to lead Tom to a greater magical world, not to be used for slaughter!
Lockhart's expression was a little strange as he gestured with the Deluminator in his hand. "Aren't you worried that I'll be the next Tom?"
Dumbledore shook his head. "I don't know, but I no longer care."
Yes, he no longer cared. He was tired. He was willing to lead this world toward a better direction. As for the rest, that was up to the world itself. He couldn't be bothered anymore. Another Lockhart after Voldemort? If that were truly the case, it meant the world deserved a catastrophe. Who knows?
"I hope you don't stop at this small function. Use it well and go on to understand the truly vast world of Transfiguration." Dumbledore patiently advised. "This is my endpoint, and it was Tom's endpoint, but I hope it is only your starting point."
Lockhart nodded.