Chapter 298: "Lockhart Reading Club" (Part 1)
Due to the appearance of Voldemort, the entire office fell into an indescribable, dead silence.
Even though Lockhart and Voldemort were there chatting and laughing, the air seemed suppressed by an unutterable suffocation.
Although Snape and Lupin had not yet reached the ranks of magic masters, they could still feel a sliver of faint, dark, ominous, and mysterious magical fluctuations.
The two people laughing and talking in front of them were actually attacking each other!
In a method of spellcasting they could not understand!
They looked at each other wordlessly, terrified!
Lockhart felt very awkward; he and Old Voldy had started out trying to play dirty tricks on each other, and back and forth it went...neither side could do anything to the other, yet they were stuck there.
Neither wanted to be the first to withdraw.
He really hoped Snape and Lupin would say something to break this awkward deadlock.
The result was nothing; they were just standing there in a daze, the wands held in their hands as useless as fire pokes.
Fortunately, a burst of hurried footsteps sounded in the corridor outside the office.
"Professor!"
"Something has happened!"
Before the person even arrived, they were already shouting anxiously outside.
The person who came was Percy Weasley, this increasingly steady apprentice; at this moment, he was clutching a piece of letter paper, his face flushed with excitement.
The office door was not closed; he rushed in quickly and was met head-on with the sight of Voldemort leaning elegantly by the desk.
"Ga..."
His face turned pale instantly; he swallowed hard. The habits cultivated in the Dueling Club made him instinctively draw his wand first, before he saw Professor Lockhart, Professor Snape, and Professor Lupin standing nearby.
"What is the matter, to be in such a panic?"
Lockhart smiled and broke the silence of the office.
"It's...it's like this..." Percy tried his best not to look at that translucent, ghost-like figure of Voldemort, screaming in his heart that he hadn't seen it, yet his teeth still chattered as if he couldn't speak.
Until he saw Lockhart's smiling face...gentle, calm, and steady.
So, as if suddenly relieved, some color finally returned to his pale face; he looked down at the letter and said hurriedly, "As you know, I have been contacting Beauxbatons and Durmstrang to establish training teams for 'Quidditch Dueling,' and so I have maintained contact with some students in these two schools."
Lockhart nodded, signaling him to relax.
Percy handed over the letter. "It's news from Beauxbatons; there are several student forces there named 'Lockhart Reading Clubs,' and they are preparing to organize strength to drive out Headmistress Olympe Maxime."
"They claim that Madame Maxime cannot be allowed to linger in the school without leaving, and they have also listed a roster of professors 'abandoned by the new era,' planning to expel them from the school along with her."
"How is this possible?" Lupin walked over curiously, expressing that it was hard to understand.
He could not imagine students like Harry, Ron, and Hermione...or rather, those even more outstanding ones from the previous generation like James, Sirius, Lily, Bella, Lucius, and so on...gathering together with the intent to expel Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, and others from Hogwarts.
Just thinking about it felt ridiculous.
Snape, however, expressed understanding. "Compared to the mischief of Hogwarts students, the students of Beauxbatons are full of rebellion and freedom, and besides..."
And besides, the Headmistress and professors of Beauxbatons weren't that powerful.
Of course, this sentence was somewhat inappropriate to say in front of a student like Percy.
Lockhart whistled, finding this sort of thing quite interesting instead. He took the letter and began to read; the content was much like what Percy had said, and it looked not like "we intend to," but that they had already begun to take action.
His focus was different from the others; with great interest, he pointed to a few words on the letter: "Abandoned by the new era?"
This reason for expelling professors was very special.
Percy clearly had no way to answer this question; he was not that well-informed regarding outside news.
"Fine, I will handle this matter; you focus on your exams."
Lockhart looked at Percy. "The professors are all looking forward to the results you achieve in the N.E.W.T. (Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test) level examinations; put these matters aside for now."
Percy was one of those very rare students who achieved twelve "Outstandings" in the O.W.L. (Ordinary Wizarding Level) examinations; before him was his brother Bill Weasley, and before that was Barty Crouch Jr. over a decade ago.
They were few; he could be said to be the pride of the professors of all subjects, and everyone was full of expectations for him.
Percy's mouth moved, and he finally nodded, saying respectfully, "Professor, I will not let you down."
The members of the Dueling Club were many, but those who truly received one-on-one teaching from Lockhart himself were only Harry and Draco at the very beginning, as well as Crabbe and Percy.
The few of them considered themselves special.
After Percy left, Lockhart shook the letter in his hand. "I intend to go to Beauxbatons to see the actual situation; do you two want to go together?"
Both men in front of him were to go to Beauxbatons with him next school year, so they were naturally concerned about the situation there.
Lupin hesitated for a long time and finally shook his head. "I'm sorry, I have to be responsible for the final exams; I have no way to leave at this time."
Snape was the same, and moreover, the potion on the table was being brewed and he could not leave.
"Irresponsible professors~"
Voldemort commented from the side, looking at Lockhart with great disdain. "You are also a school professor, aren't you? You don't need to be responsible for final exams?"
No matter how evil a Dark Lord he was, Voldemort, who regarded Hogwarts as his own home, still could not stand Lockhart's irresponsible behavior.
Lockhart chuckled, looking completely relaxed. "The Boggart can handle these things perfectly."
Mentioning this, the expressions of the several people in the office became strange.
Dark magical creature cultivation was a particularly evil subject; even with the Basilisk which had origins at Hogwarts, people generally believed that those who cultivated Dark magical creatures were Dark wizards.
Evil god sacrifices, Mirror wraiths, Wish-granting genies...in too many wizarding bedtime fairy tales, those who did such things were villains.
And Lockhart was undoubtedly a master in this field.
To be able to cultivate a monster that scares children, like a Boggart, into a humanoid creature...this was a skill that made one's skin crawl.
The Banshee, who was arranged to help with office work at the Ministry of Magic...
The Boggart, who was arranged to help with teaching, exams, and even grading homework at Hogwarts...
Lockhart was walking a path that was difficult for modern wizards to understand.
The flying car soared into the sky, passing through the clouds in a leap, and flew rapidly toward the direction of Beauxbatons.
The distance between the two schools was not very far; Hogwarts was in the Scottish Highlands, and Beauxbatons was in the Pyrenees mountain range. (The border mountains between France and Spain.)
Over there, Professor Audrey Lemay...the Etiquette Professor, equivalent to Professor McGonagall's position at Hogwarts...had already been contacted in advance via Muggle telephone and was waiting outside the school.
Beauxbatons similarly possessed powerful castle magic; without permission, one could fly over the entire mountain range without finding the school's location.
"Gilderoy~"
Professor Audrey Lemay jogged to the side of the car, very excited to see her idol again.
She had started out like everyone else, as a fan of "Lockhart," until Lockhart wrote the biography of Voldemort; only then did she become a total fanatic, and through subsequent correspondence between them, she had become completely captivated.
"You shouldn't have come at this time; I asked Editor-in-Chief Skeeter (Rita) to remind you of the seriousness of this matter."
She was very worried.
Then she saw Voldemort emerging through the passenger seat; her eyes widened suddenly, looking terrified.
"He...he...he is dead?"
Audrey was in a bit of disbelief; she actually saw the ghost of Voldemort.
"Oh, no, he is still being kept locked up by Dumbledore; you can think of him as a shadow."
Lockhart explained casually, "Family members who miss someone excessively can always see the figure of the deceased through some magical items, similar to the Mirror of Erised, but not relying on magical items, rather through some magical power."
He had tried his best to explain the principle simply and thoroughly.
Miss Audrey expressed that she did not understand.
Miss Audrey expressed that she was very shocked.
She really wanted to say it would be best not to let other people in the school see Voldemort's figure appearing beside Lockhart; she opened her mouth, but in the end said nothing.
Perhaps Lockhart had his own considerations.
Lockhart had no considerations whatsoever.
He simply did not care; yes, he didn't care what others thought.
His strength was already enough to support the level where he didn't care about others' ideas, and others had to respect his.
Everyone would have to get used to this.
Just because he had a charming, perfect smile and affinity didn't mean he should be treated and bullied the same way as Dumbledore.
Lockhart and Voldemort reached some agreements in the car.
First was mutual respect: Voldemort could not pop out of the wand when he was bathing, using the toilet, or having private conversations with others; he had to respect privacy.
Second was permitting the other's existence: Voldemort guaranteed not to cast spells on anyone...even if Harry Potter was right beside Lockhart...in exchange for Lockhart not finding ways to prevent him from appearing as a ghost.
"What on earth happened at Beauxbatons?"
Lockhart told Audrey not to mind Voldemort and focus on the current problem.
The two of them soon arrived by a magical fountain; flowers held in the hands of two small angel reliefs sprayed out a fountain arch, and a door appeared in the middle.
They stepped on the moss-covered stones in the pool and entered, and a gorgeous, glittering castle came into view.
Different from the majestic and mysterious style of Hogwarts, the castle of Beauxbatons looked relatively dreamlike, more like the kind of fairy tale castle little witches would like.
Looking out, the hills near the castle rolled, and various woods were dotted with magical fountains, dwarf cottages, stone-carved chessboards, and so on...magical creations full of childlike interest yet carrying a luxurious style.
"Over there~"
Miss Audrey pointed to a small grove not far away that was tall and sky-reaching, with silver silky tassels hanging down; there was a house with a fire dragon stone carving coiled on top.
"This is the gathering place for the largest 'Lockhart Reading Club' student organization...'Rosier's Tearoom'; they are there discussing and plotting the expulsion of the Headmistress and some professors."
As she spoke, she was full of helplessness. "They can't even wait for the exam holidays in a few days."
Clearly, as long as they waited a few more days until the final exams ended, Headmistress Madame Maxime would resign and leave to take up a post at the French Ministry of Magic.
Lockhart was full of curiosity about all this. "I heard the rules at Beauxbatons are very strict? When eating in the dining hall, even if you are halfway through a meal and the Headmistress arrives, you must stop and stand up to salute?"
"Yes, this is classical etiquette; everyone must abide by it." Audrey was, after all, the Etiquette Professor; this was her business.
She invited Lockhart to her office.
Bypassing the tallest castle which served as the main teaching building, they arrived at a three-story small building surrounded by vines and flowers, its original architectural style unclear.
This small building was very interesting.
There were many elves and fairies flying around the garden at the entrance; on the left side of the first floor was a reception room, and on the right side was a meeting room, where many house-elves wearing exquisite clothes were having a meeting.
Following the stairs to the second floor, Miss Audrey led him to a study that was more private than the reception room.
The study was surrounded by shelves; in addition to being packed with magic books, there were also exquisite alchemical tools and magical items whose uses were temporarily unknown.
The center was clearly divided into three parts by the color of the floor tiles.
One part held a giant workbench, seemingly used for manufacturing magical items; beside the workbench was a large refrigerator with a lot of parts and wiring exposed.
One part held what looked like a very old giant piano, and beside it stood a harp emitting a dim light.
The final part was the desk.
The two sat down at the desk, and a house-elf wearing a tailcoat brought two cups of coffee and set them down, arriving quietly and leaving noiselessly.
"Welcome to 'Nicolas Flamel's Cellar'." Audrey smiled and picked up her coffee.
This was the name of this three-story small courtyard; every little house had a name.
Lockhart raised an eyebrow, gazing at the continuous mountain ranges outside the window and the various small buildings dotting the mountains. "There seem to be many private territories here?"
Audrey nodded. "This is a tradition of Beauxbatons; every pure-blood family has a small territory here that belongs exclusively to them. At a certain point, the students' influence grew, and student cliques began to have their own territories as well."
Talking about this, she had a somewhat teasing tone. "Within this small territory, the school cannot interfere with their freedom. Of course, if they are still hiding here during class time, the Etiquette Professor has the right to impose punishment."
"An interesting tradition."
Lockhart looked around with full curiosity, keenly catching the key point of this passage: "At a certain point?"
Audrey sipped her coffee in silence, set it down elegantly, and picked up a small towel to wipe the corners of her mouth; only then did she sigh. "Everyone is afraid to say it, but in fact, it is the 'Dumbledore Era'."
Oh-ho?
When did Old Dumbledore influence this school so deeply?
"How so?" Lockhart quickly recalled Dumbledore's life, but unfortunately, he didn't know much regarding information about Beauxbatons.
"This must start with the 'Wizarding Council' that has existed since ancient times."
Audrey turned back and pulled a double-layered fruit plate from the shelf, opened the lid, and signaled him to taste the nuts and small cookies inside. "At that time, the two most powerful forces in the world were the 'British Alliance Wizarding Council' and the 'French Alliance Wizarding Council'."
"Even in the era when the influence of the 'International Confederation of Wizards' greatly increased, the two major Wizarding Councils...by recommending talent to the Confederation through the various national Ministries of Magic...still deeply controlled this world."
This was the essence of pure-blood internal marriage.
Pure-blood families conspired with each other, forming the immense influence of the Wizarding Council, thereby controlling and influencing the Ministries of Magic.
And although the International Confederation of Wizards seemed to be a higher existence, it also had to be limited by rules; all internal personnel could only come from recommendations by national Ministries of Magic.
The Malfoy family was situated within such a system, maintaining great influence over the wizarding world.
"The two Wizarding Councils controlled the pattern of the world, until Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald and became the Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards; everything changed."
Miss Audrey continued.
"Even if we all know that the great Dumbledore does not care that much about power, what actually happened was...under Dumbledore's leadership, the most influential forces in the international wizarding society were those contained within the 'British Alliance Wizarding Council'."
"In the 'Dumbledore Era,' the 'French Alliance Wizarding Council' was constantly being squeezed for promotion space; everyone was full of confusion."
"Especially the new generation studying at the base, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic; facing increasingly tightening living space, every young student had to face the difficult question of 'the future'."
"At that time, our pride, Nicolas Flamel, had to stand up and say, 'Study, children, the future is right there,' and thus reading clubs began to appear one after another."
Talking to this point, Audrey took a breath and looked deeply at Lockhart. "No matter how Dumbledore declared his own inclusion of 'half-bloods' and 'Muggle-borns,' what we actually saw stepping onto the national Ministries and the international stage, possessing great influence and power, were all pure-bloods!"
"Occasionally there were a few decent half-bloods; either those too outstanding were collectively excluded and withdrew, or they suffered discrimination and marginalization overtly or covertly, forced into aggressive struggles for living space to the point of being described as clowns."
"You, Gilderoy Lockhart, are the only exception!"
"Born into a commoner half-blood family, you emerged from the forces constructed by countless pure-blood families influenced by the 'British Alliance Wizarding Council' and became an internationally renowned author with immense influence."
"This is a kind of victory, a victory that all of us can empathize with."
"And so you became a hero of frantic worship among the student body of Beauxbatons."
"It is no accident that Beauxbatons has over a dozen 'Lockhart Reading Clubs'."