novelnext Chapter 267 The Pursuit of Death
Chapter 267 The Pursuit of Death
Chapter 267 The Pursuit of Death
As the saying goes, there are no wrong titles, only wrong names.
One of the most important characteristics that makes Dumbledore known as "the greatest wizard of the century" is that while he has an extremely firm stance, he also has a very tolerant mindset.
Of course, such greatness can sometimes be criticized.
For example, his followers could not receive special treatment from him because of their victories, nor could they be promoted to a better political position.
Cunning bureaucrats all understand one thing: if you don't seize the opportunity to expand your advantage, you're a fool.
So, after the International Wizarding Federation meeting ended, a frenzy of dividing up the soup and broth began.
This is the kind of petty, despicable behavior that Dumbledore despises.
Grindelwald and Lockhart wouldn't do that, though they could have acted as if they disdained it, but they were dragged along by their subordinates and had no choice but to get involved.
They did not have the right to a share because they joined Dumbledore in defeating Voldemort, but because they possessed both powerful magical abilities and a fearsome influence.
Take Lockhart for example. Although he was at odds with Voldemort, he had a very good reputation among many pure-blood wizarding families and had a huge number of enthusiastic fans all over the world, not to mention the more closely connected Ravenclaw Alumni Association and Dueling Club.
They have to fight for the people below them.
For example, Rita Skeeter, who was vying with Umbridge for the title of "Lockhart's first loyal subordinate".
For the past two years, Rita has been working tirelessly, seizing every opportunity to become a Lockhart fan. She is extremely proactive, and it can be said that she has contributed to the establishment of Lockhart's current title as a "magic master".
Lockhart's identity as a "master of magic" was incredibly useful, and he benefited greatly from it.
Now, the editor-in-chief of the Daily Prophet has been arrested under the guise of being Voldemort's henchman.
The position of head of such an influential newspaper is now vacant.
How could Lockhart not help Rita fight for it?
It's fair to say that without Lockhart, Rita, with her background, magical abilities, and the influence she had cultivated over the years, would never have been able to secure the position of editor-in-chief.
Without Lockhart, she wouldn't be able to control the massive sponsorship funds and influence from the pure-blood families and various forces behind the newspaper.
In addition to the editorship of The Daily Prophet, Lockhart also received three farms.
These farms should, in principle, belong to the Yaxley family. After Coban was officially recognized as a "hero," they should not have been divided up. The real reason is that these farms had been transformed by Voldemort into breeding grounds for Basilisk.
Apart from the farm where Voldemort was captured, the other five farms all produced basilisks at various stages of development. These were all breeding bases established by Voldemort with so many resources.
Therefore, if the author wants to make a clear distinction between himself and Voldemort, he can no longer cling to these "evil caves of the Dark Lord".
There were six in total. Lockhart took three, and Grindelwald took the remaining three.
Lockhart strongly suspects that Grimm also covets the breeding of Basilisks. Although Grimm doesn't have Parseltongue, Parseltongue isn't the only language in this world that appears from the Slytherin to the Gaunt lineage.
They might even be interested in Hagrid's magical creature breeding, or his Hakimi breeding, who knows?
And so, having taken away the newspaper editor-in-chief and the basilisk breeding base—two huge prizes—Lockhart could no longer participate in the division of other assets. In the end, he was just one of the Dementors who had somehow joined Voldemort's side when everyone was dividing up the spoils.
I intend to use it as a teaching tool for students.
The impact of Voldemort's capture is far from over; too many problems have been exposed, and someone needs to solve them or negotiate new solutions.
For example, the presence of these Dementors, which should have been in Azkaban prison, inevitably raises questions about the extent to which the prison's defenses have been breached.
The problem could be big, because the rules of Azkaban were built around the abilities of Dementors, dark magic creatures. It could also be small, because Voldemort's most loyal Death Eaters are still imprisoned in Azkaban and haven't escaped despite the presence of a Dementor traitor. But that's none of Lockhart's business.
Carrying the suitcase containing the Dementors, off to school!
Then Lockhart saw Voldemort!
Right next to the phoenix stand in Dumbledore's office, in a huge birdcage.
"!!!"
Lockhart was stunned. "Didn't you say you were going to imprison him in Nurmengard Prison?"
Dumbledore was busy working on a strangely shaped alchemical device when he heard this. He picked up a linen cloth, wiped his hands, and then gently tapped the birdcage with the Elder Wand.
A thick cloud of mist quickly filled the birdcage, blocking out Voldemort's figure and angry roars. Then the cage rapidly shrank, instantly becoming only the size of a palm.
Dumbledore reached out and caught the small birdcage floating in mid-air, hung it on the phoenix stand, and smiled at Lockhart, "You and Gellert must have guessed that it was just a public announcement."
Lohat nodded, deciding not to interfere further in Old Fu's affairs.
Instead, Dumbledore gestured for him to sit down, clapped his hands to summon two chilled drinks, took a sip himself, and then looked at Lockhart seriously. "Now that Tom has been arrested, I hope you can tell me, did you take Tom's diary?"
Lohat nodded. Since he had been asked, he didn't hide anything. He reached into his pocket, patted the little golden retriever's head, and made it take out the diary that he had helped hide.
Then he took the diary and placed it on the table. "I used it to do a lot of magic experiments."
Dumbledore's expression turned strange. He examined the diary in front of him, pushed up his glasses with some doubt, and then picked up the Elder Wand to study it.
After a long pause, he was stunned. "It is indeed a Horcrux, but it's empty inside?"
"Yes, as I just mentioned, I conducted some magical experiments," Lockhart explained earnestly. "A study about time, memory, and magical bloodlines. I first used the basilisk's life force to resurrect him, then took him into the river of time, and then killed him—."
Dumbledore's expression grew increasingly strange. He didn't even know whether he should show sympathy for Tom, whom he so disliked, which left him unsure of how to respond. He could only listen quietly to Lockhart's account.
"I thought it was going to be completely destroyed or enter the world of death, but now it has been 'captured' by a dark magic creature in the river of time and is in a very unique state."
"I have no way to get it out right now because I don't know much about that dark magic creature that appeared in the river of time."
"But I can assure you, it can no longer function as a Horcrux—"
Lockhart had pondered this question carefully. "Theoretically speaking, he should be in a state of wandering spirit, just like Voldemort was before!"
Dumbledore fell into deep thought, his fingers tapping lightly on the table, making a soft, rhythmic sound. "Two versions of myself exist in this world?"
"That's right," Lockhart replied.
He continued, gesturing to the small birdcage that the phoenix was curiously rummaging through, "In my guess, if we kill this resurrected version of him now, he might really die, and then young Tom will become the only me, and the resurrected version might be the young Tom."
"All magic that is connected to time becomes so paradoxical," Dumbledore lamented, but also cautioned, "I want you to know that Tom's evil is his nature, and no matter what age he is resurrected at, he will ultimately meet the same end."
"In terms of time, that's certainly true." Lockhart agreed with this idea.
Lockhart has always been open and aboveboard. He wouldn't have told me unless I asked, but since you have, and given your respectable abilities, I will naturally tell you everything I know.
He summoned the dilapidated ghost ship.
They planned to ask Dumbledore if he could see if there was a solution.
Tom is somewhat of a liability to him now, and he doesn't necessarily need to keep him.
Unfortunately, Dumbledore also had no suitable solution to this.
He had a second question: "I remember when you reminded me about Tom's Horcruxes, you also mentioned 'there's more,' and I'd like to know the answer."
"Harry, Harry Potter," Lockhart answered directly. "Voldemort knew how to create powerful magic while killing, and how to control and influence that magic. This is the basis for his ability to create Horcruxes."
"Essentially, Lily Potter's protective magic of 'love,' which was based on her own life, should have been Voldemort's forte. He may have underestimated it, or perhaps he overestimated his ability to handle it."
Dumbledore listened to this new perspective and pondered, "To suffer the greatest defeat in one's own area of expertise is a common curse in prophetic magic."
This is another perspective.
Lockhart continued, offering his perspective: "But Voldemort didn't understand the power of 'love,' and he clearly paid the price for it. This method of manipulation and control, ingrained in his habit of killing, also turned into him using it to kill himself and create Horcruxes after he failed."
"So, because of the magic and methods he used to create Horcruxes, and Lily Evans's 'love' blood magic, this coincidence created—Harry was turned into one of Voldemort's Horcruxes."
Dumbledore casually grabbed a pile of cockroaches from the plate, tossed it into his mouth, chewed, and muttered, "Find solutions based on characteristics."
Right, this is the theory you teach the children.
"Yes, I have an idea for solving the Harry problem," Lockhart admitted.
He chuckled, "The root of the problem still lies in the magic of 'love'."
"If Voldemort had a concept of love and didn't intend to kill Harry Potter, then he would never die until Harry Potter died."
"If Voldemort had no love, after he killed Harry, he would have faced death himself because all the Horcruxes were destroyed."
Lockhart recounts Dumbledore's original solution to this problem.
Let Harry be killed by Voldemort once.
This method is hardly wise; in fact, it could be said to be overly reliant on Professor Trelawney's prediction.
Otherwise, based on general reasoning, if Voldemort had the chance to cast the Killing Curse on Harry, given his personality, he would definitely try again if he found that he couldn't kill him the first time.
Then Harry died.
Lockhart brought this up at this moment to see if Dumbledore had truly changed, based on his reaction.
The answer is yes.
Have!
"Hmm~" Dumbledore chewed on the pile of cockroaches noncommittally, swallowed it, picked up his drink and took a sip before saying, "A very good idea, but I think I also have my own way of thinking."
Lockhart was taken aback, filled with curiosity. "What method?"
He considered many options, but ultimately found that they all boiled down to the step of "having Voldemort kill Harry once".
"Tom's here!" Dumbledore smiled, gesturing with his cup to the birdcage on the shelf. "I think you don't need to mythologize the Horcrux magic too much."
"There are countless magical explorations of immortality in the history of wizarding, and Horcruxes are neither the only nor the best," Dumbledore explained with a smile, seeing Lockhart acting like a curious child. "For example, there was a witch in the early Middle Ages who invented a kind of witchcraft that also granted her the ability to seemingly live forever."
"She can be born from her own offspring. Of course, if she has no offspring, her enemies can also give birth to her, and if her enemies have no intention of having children, those who participated in harming her may give birth to her."
Good guy.
Lockhart was stunned.
"To use the power of slaughter to pry open the continuation of magical bloodlines? And the preservation of one's own will?" he murmured.
Dumbledore smiled and shook his head. "It's not recorded in the documents, so the specific mechanism is unclear. She was ultimately killed by a group of dark magic creatures. As you know, dark magic creatures cannot reproduce. Moreover, this attack by dark magic creatures was not orchestrated or guided by anyone, so there were no accomplices. Thus, she completely disappeared into the annals of history."
He crossed his arms, looked at the young Lockhart before him, and said very sincerely, "We can learn lessons from history, namely that all magic that pursues immortality will ultimately bring misfortune and destruction."
Old Deng didn't mention these things on a whim or in casual conversation.
"I sensed the power of the 'resurrection spell' you cast on Tom, but I urge you to use this magic with caution. Remember, running from death will only bring its pursuit."
This is the earnest teaching of our elders, hoping that the new generation can walk the right path.
It is also a release of intimate information.
it is more than words.
It's probably saying that I still consider you a promising young person, and I'm still willing to keep the promise I made last year: "I can teach you some magic tricks when I have time." I still acknowledge your talent.
So, stay at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and teach with peace of mind.
Dumbledore, he has always been tolerant, as long as he believes that this person is not beyond redemption.
Fortunately, his kindness was met with a kind response. Lockhart gestured to the suitcase placed to the side, "A Dementor, not the kind that Boggarts transform into. I think with this, the students will have a very wonderful experience and understanding."
He should go teach his students.
In fact, students need to learn about magic, and so does he.
When everything settles down and the outside world becomes noisy again, Lockhart will never forget his original intention, which is the wondrous magic.
This battle between Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and Voldemort also greatly benefited him.
Lockhart had a new idea of what the future of magic should look like.
He wants to learn Transfiguration.
This is an extremely in-depth and systematic discipline, one of the most brilliant disciplines in the modern magic system, a discipline that even ancient witches and wizards could hardly reach.
The path of magic is long, and he has only just begun.