Chapter 124: Wizards, Muggles, and Chimaeras
Lockhart called his companions back because he had to go out.
Vincent Crabbe's visit was to fulfill old Crabbe's promise and formally transfer the ownership of the family's Chimaera breeding grounds to him.
They needed to do two things.
The first was to register with the Ministry of Magic's dedicated archives department. The Ministry of Magic was considered nothing in the eyes of the Sacred Twenty-Eight Pure-Blood families, but they could not ignore the authority of the Wizengamot Court. After registration, the assets would be legally protected.
The second was the actual private transfer, which involved changing the magical protections of the Chimaera breeding grounds, similar to a safe house.
But Crabbe clearly couldn't do this. His family now only had a few loyal house-elves left, and no other family members.
All he could do was hand over the dragon statue from his ancestral home, which had been made into a Portkey, to Lockhart, along with the complete and unique Floo Powder recipe for the mysterious fireplace entrance to the Chimaera breeding grounds.
In addition, he also hoped to entrust some family collections to Lockhart.
This matter was even kept secret from Draco Malfoy, his good friend, to whom he should have sworn allegiance. He didn't let his good friend know.
This child, whose parents had passed away, had visibly matured. Though still somewhat simple-minded, he seemed to have started thinking. "Actually, the Crabbe family has another branch in Italy, which was disowned by the family for insisting on marrying a Muggle."
Sitting in the flying car on the way to the Ministry of Magic building, Crabbe pursed his lips and gazed out the window at the clouds, which resembled cotton candy, for a long while before speaking. "If I also get killed by people sent by the Dark Lord, like my parents, I hope you can help me deliver these family collections to them, so they can continue the glory of the Crabbe family."
Lockhart chuckled. "Aren't you afraid I'll just keep them?"
Crabbe shook his head naively. "Professor, I'm just clumsy, not stupid. You are a great professor. I can feel that you actually care about me and Goyle. Others only treat us like idiots."
Just as Snape had said to Old Malfoy, there might be no other professors in the world who would still hold expectations for these two children, Goyle and Crabbe.
Yes, he was indeed not stupid.
At a time when even Old Malfoy himself might be purged by the Dark Lord, this helpless child began to desperately seek reliance.
He knew that a child of his status could not receive the protection of Dumbledore, the most powerful wizard of the age. Instead, Professor Lockhart was genuinely, tangibly, right in front of him.
This was a biological instinct; he didn't need much thought to know what to do.
Humans are sometimes truly peculiar creatures.
Crabbe's growth happened in an instant.
Lockhart sighed and patted the boy's shoulder. "When you come of age and marry, if you haven't had any misfortune by then, I will return all the family collections you've entrusted to me."
Crabbe opened his mouth, seeming somewhat shy about discussing such a naked exchange of interests, which only adults would talk about. But he ultimately mustered his courage and said, "You can take half as payment."
He knew very well that if he truly died, everything the family owned, with no one to inherit it, would be taken by the Ministry of Magic or possibly even the Malfoy family. It would be impossible to leave anything to that disowned Italian branch of the family.
Being disowned from the family tree was a very serious matter for ancient wizarding families. Even the official Ministry of Magic would not consider a disowned descendant as an heir to divisible property.
Just like the Gaunt family, one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight pure-blood families. Many people thought that this direct descendant family of Slytherin only had Voldemort as a blood relative,
But that was simply not true.
The blood descendants of the Gaunt family had great influence in American wizarding society. Gormlaith Gaunt and her Muggle husband came to America and founded Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Through generations of teaching and social development, this family had become an inseparable part of American wizarding society.
Even so, neither the Gaunt family nor the British Ministry of Magic would consider this family, which had developed in American wizarding society, as a branch of the Gaunt family.
Lockhart quickly took Crabbe through all the formalities, taking the dragon statue's tooth, which served as a Portkey, and the unique recipe for the Floo Network fireplace.
There were two recipes.
"The main entrance leads into the Chimaera breeding grounds, the way you took everyone in before," Crabbe explained. "There's also a warehouse door, which used to be a warehouse within the breeding grounds that was open for trade and cargo."
"The warehouse's previous fireplace was connected to the Ministry of Magic's Floo Network. By using this unique Floo Powder provided by the Crabbe family, you could come here through any fireplace."
He shook his head. "Later, because the breeding grounds were closed, this fireplace was disconnected from the Ministry of Magic's Floo Network. If you want the Ministry to reconnect it, you'll need to find some influential people to help."
Lockhart nodded, looking at the contents described on the parchment in his hand. Such a marvelous design for a Floo Network passage filled him with emotion.
This was the profound heritage of ancient pure-blood families.
They say "a dying camel is bigger than a horse." Even in their most destitute times, the things these families casually brought out might be unobtainable for many ordinary wizards, even if they struggled their entire lives.
Just like Merope Gaunt, Tom Riddle's mother, who was disliked by both her father and brother. Even at her lowest point, she still wore a Slytherin locket around her neck.
The Crabbe family's vault was located in the deepest part of Gringotts. The goblin escorting them led them through countless doors in the main hall, chose one, and then rode a small cart along tracks, winding deep underground. After passing through various anti-theft magical waterfalls and mists, it took a long time to reach the vault door.
Here, a 5X dangerous class Chimaera was used as the vault guardian. It was a dangerous magical beast with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a dragon's tail.
As the two approached, the Chimaera began to roar violently, rattling its chains. The goblins escorting them quickly took out prepared meat chunks emitting a medicinal scent to pacify it.
"Historically, there is only one recorded instance of a wizard successfully killing a Chimaera, and that wizard later died from exhaustion, falling from his Pegasus," the goblin guiding Lockhart and Crabbe proudly introduced. "This place is very secure!"
Yes, not considering the absurd abilities of top magical powerhouses like Dumbledore and Voldemort, for ordinary wizarding society, there might be no safer place in the world than a Gringotts vault.
The goblin quickly opened the family vault for Crabbe. It placed its palm on the door, and soon a pattern like snake scales emerged on the door, lighting up one by one, then seemingly like a strange snake, it drilled into the adjacent wall, and the door instantly vanished.
Once opened, a golden light immediately rushed into view. Looking around, it was a dazzling expanse of gold, filled with all sorts of golden artifacts. The goblins did not follow them in, staying outside the door with two other companions, patiently waiting for Crabbe and Lockhart to enter.
"Mum said—"
Crabbe stared blankly at everything in the vault. "She said it's okay if I'm clumsy, as long as I don't do anything evil, or anything too good, just live my own life. The family's legacy is enough for me and several generations of my descendants to live a prosperous life."
He swallowed. "A lifetime of endless delicious food."
He seemed to think of something to eat, rubbed his chubby belly, then his face fell, his eyes filled with sadness,
Apparently, he was thinking of his mother.
He stood dazed for a while, then continued, "Mum kept scolding Dad, scolding him terribly, scolding him for following Malfoy, scolding him for greedily wanting to achieve family glory."
"Professor, do you think Mum was right?"
Lockhart didn't give him a direct answer, because there was never a single correct answer to such a question. "It depends on the person, Vincent. Different Crabbes have different life paths to walk."
Crabbe clearly couldn't understand such words, and looked up at him somewhat foolishly.
"Ask your own heart." Lockhart patted his shoulder. "No one can give you the answer to this kind of question; you have to find it yourself."
"If you still don't know the answer now, then humble yourself, content yourself with being a student, and time will give you the answer."
Crabbe nodded blankly, then lowered his head and began to repeatedly murmur the phrase, seemingly intending to memorize Professor Lockhart's teachings.
This child was truly clumsy.
But Lockhart truly saw that peculiar wizarding state in him, perhaps it could be called "truth."
Such "truth" was not purity, nor did it distinguish between good and evil, much less class.
If Crabbe chose to follow Malfoy, and then together pledge allegiance to Voldemort, choosing to fight for the future glory of his family, then that would also be worthy of the "Crabbe" family name he bore.
If he truly settled down, lived a complacent life, and no longer interfered in the struggle for living space between pure-blood wizards and Muggle-born wizards, that would also be fine. After all, he was clumsy, and those without a brain participating in such struggles were destined to be cannon fodder, even if Malfoy was willing to pull Crabbe along.
Lockhart didn't really understand the future that well either.
No one could be sure that with the victory of Dumbledore's faction, the victorious side would eventually, due to needing to integrate into the wizarding community, prioritize their own interests, and Muggle-born wizards would instead become the most hostile to Muggle society, becoming the new "pure-blood families."
Or, under the influence of Muggle ideologies brought by Muggle-born wizards, and the shrinking living space caused by Muggles' rapidly advancing technology, wizarding society would ultimately be completely dismantled by Muggles, reduced to the state of that Chimaera guarding the vault door, powerful enough that ordinary wizards couldn't deal with it.
Who knew what the future held?
The original books only covered seven years of content, but he was to live a lifetime in this magical world, perhaps a very long lifetime.
Crabbe needed an answer.
And so did Lockhart.
He no longer discussed these matters with Crabbe, letting Crabbe lead him to see the items he was to manage.
The glittering furnishings before them didn't seem to be it. They walked to the deepest part of the vault, arriving at a large coffin-like box in an inconspicuous corner.
The coffin was a traditional European wooden rectangular shape, made of ordinary oak, looking unremarkable.
Opening the coffin lid, it revealed a humanoid magical construct woven from various magical animal feathers, various magical materials, and gemstones.
"I don't know what it's for, but it shouldn't be very valuable," Crabbe said casually, then looked back at the vault to confirm that the greedy goblins hadn't followed them in. Only then did he ask Lockhart to help him prop the coffin lid, which had been placed to the side, against the wall.
He drew his wand and cast a spell at the coffin lid: "Alohomora!"
But it had no effect.
This was a bit awkward. Underachievers were like this; they couldn't even master this basic spell properly.
"Let me." Lockhart stepped forward, drew his wand, and lightly touched the coffin lid, quietly chanting the spell.
He could easily cast this spell. He had now completely assimilated his original self's memories and everything else. Except for the most advanced Obliviation Charm, he could still normally cast spells like the Undetectable Extension Charm, Apparition, simple healing charms, and repairing charms.
"Alohomora!"
As the magic was cast, the unremarkable coffin lid, which had shown no magical aura, suddenly lit up with a platinum-colored pattern.
These patterns rapidly outlined and intertwined on the coffin lid, forming an exquisite door and a brass-colored doorknob.
Crabbe grasped the doorknob and opened it. They looked inside, and indeed, a slightly dim room appeared behind the door.
The room seemed filled with various exquisite shelves. In the center, a staff inlaid with precious gems and jewels was obliquely inserted into a small pedestal, emitting a faint glow that illuminated the room.
Below the staff was written: The glory of the Crabbe family comes from fire.
.....
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