Chapter 143: You're a Madman!
The process of apprehending Corban Yaxley wasn't complicated; Lockhart didn't even have to lift a finger.
"They've changed a lot." Snape, who had observed the entire capture, had a complex expression. Even though he disliked Harry Potter so much, he had to admit that the young wizards had performed exceptionally well.
This excellence was multifaceted.
From the power and skill of their spellcasting, to their grasp of timing, their coordination, and most importantly, their state of magical readiness all far exceeded Snape's expectations.
What surprised Snape the most was actually Hermione.
Yes, Hermione Granger.
Though Hermione usually performed exceptionally well at school, Snape hadn't actually thought much of it.
Hermione's past excellence stemmed from hard work, not inherent talent. He hadn't felt that the young witch possessed much talent; she was far, far behind the likes of Percy Weasley or Cedric Diggory.
In Lockhart's words, she was "not magical at all."
She seemed more like a Muggle prodigy than an outstanding young witch.
The most vivid example of that distinction, of course, was Lily Evans.
Lily also came from a Muggle family, yet she was completely different from her sister Petunia. That innate feeling of being a witch was something he, unlike a writer like Lockhart, found hard to describe, but that didn't mean he couldn't see it.
Yet now, Hermione was beginning to show what a witch should be like.
"Desire!" Lockhart chimed in with a smile. "Innate talent is certainly good, but that only means destiny is arranging for you to walk this path. But I believe acquired desire is the most precious, for it will erupt with an immensely powerful will!"
Snape fell into contemplation, nodding slightly.
Sometimes, even if he didn't admit it himself, the truth was this: Dumbledore had pulled him out of the mire, dragging him back to teach at Hogwarts. In the process of being saved, without realizing it, he had developed the mindset a professor should have.
Thinking more about educational philosophy was a change he had never consciously felt before.
Of course, more importantly, Snape clearly felt the change in his own mindset in the half-year since Lockhart's arrival. He had begun to ponder his own magical path and had finally reached a turning point.
He was actually truly being influenced by this friend, starting to abandon the idea of bloodline determinism and beginning to consider the power of the mind.
"Adventure is never that simple..."
Lockhart glanced at Madam Marie, who was asleep on the sofa, his expression unreadable. "Yes, it's not a pre-arranged stage play, where we just perform and assume there'll be a happy ending. No, its dangers constantly remind us that one misstep can lead to utter damnation."
"So, without an exceptionally firm will, no one can achieve anything."
Lockhart turned to Snape. "This will isn't about actively psyching yourself up, or gritting your teeth to muster courage; it's about genuinely believing, from the bottom of your heart, that this is how it should be."
"From the bottom of your heart?" Snape frowned slightly. His past concept of magical will leaned more towards control, leading to spells like the Tongue-Tying Curse and the Bat-Bogey Hex. But Lockhart's idea of magical will was more about mental drive, a realm utterly foreign to him.
"Yes." Lockhart casually waved his wand, casting a Stunner on one of Madam Marie's subordinates who had secretly woken up and was feigning unconsciousness. He sat nonchalantly on the sofa opposite Madam Marie, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the witch who could potentially bring him utter ruin.
"We are extremely sensitive to danger. At such times, we have countless ways to resolve that danger."
"But if we listen closely, we can hear the call of adventure. So we choose the most magical way to resolve it, even if we have no certainty, but we still believe, from the bottom of our hearts, that this is how it should be."
"Because..."
He shifted his gaze from Madam Marie and smiled at Snape. "We believe that magic can definitely help us solve everything. That's the secret to magic blossoming."
Believing in the impossible, placing hope in the mysterious, and then the mysterious responds to the wizard's call, and magic blossoms.
When "fairy tale adventures" delve this deep, sometimes it truly requires a powerful spirit and unwavering will, to not alter one's path, in order to continue towards a higher level of magic.
Actually.
His original self stole the memories of so many powerful wizards; was such a hidden danger truly difficult to resolve?
His original self already had a solution.
As a charlatan, his natural inclination was always to deceive.
The method was simple.
It involved fabricating a Dark magical creature that stole time, then he, as a hero, would bravely fight this terrifying monster, turning the experience into another book. The title was already chosen: My Toughest Victory.
But to conjure an invisible Dark magical creature out of thin air and make readers believe it required a more solid reputation as a Magic Master—that was why his original self hadn't written this book yet.
He knew his reputation was actually quite hollow and lacked authority.
Now, Lockhart possessed that authority.
He had established a solid reputation at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, with students and professors spreading his name to the outside world. He had also steadily showcased his abilities in adventures and solidified this foundation by writing a new book, Where Dark Magical Beasts Roam.
Now, he didn't even need to take the risky path of following his original self's idea and writing My Toughest Victory, a book that would require extensive information and potentially have loopholes. He only needed to release Where Dark Magical Beasts Roam 2, subtly inserting a "time-stealing Dark magical creature" among a host of genuinely existing Dark creatures. The rest would be left to his fans to argue on his behalf.
A perfect narrative!
In his past adventures, he had repelled that Dark magical creature, saving many lives, but that shapeshifting monster had since committed evil deeds while disguised as him. So, he swore to capture this hateful monster.
See? There was no more perfect way to fill that plot hole.
The only problem was, it was a lie.
It wasn't about whether a lie could solve his predicament; it was that it wasn't magical.
The moment Madam Marie appeared before him, Lockhart vaguely felt the call of adventure.
Lockhart yearned for a passionate life.
He never resisted adventure.
Even if the matter was incredibly dangerous, with utter ruin just one misstep away.
But adventure was never a pre-arranged drama with a guaranteed happy ending waiting for you to perform. It was extremely dangerous, otherwise it wouldn't bear the name "adventure."
It required immense courage to firmly stick to one's magical path.
"Even if I end up disgraced, even if I end up dead, even if I lose everything..." Lockhart smiled brilliantly. "To walk this magical path, I will never regret it."
Having transmigrated to a world with such marvelous magic, if he didn't go a little crazy, if he didn't pursue it selflessly, wouldn't it be a wasted transmigration?
What was the point of a safe, stable life?
"I don't have to become a Magic Master, I don't have to live for hundreds of years, I don't have to leave a good name in this world..."
Lockhart murmured, "I don't care!"
"I only care about magic!"
"I chose this path simply to bring forth more magic, then to experience its wonder, to let it bring me joy. Beyond that, I care for nothing!"
Even if he completely messed up, and those dozen powerful wizards knew he was the Gilderoy Lockhart who had stolen their memories, even if his reputation ended up worse than Voldemort's, becoming another Dark Lord everyone wanted to hunt down and kill...
So what?
Lockhart would only feel—Ah, another great magical adventure has arrived!
Come on!
Be more intense!
"You're a madman!" Snape's brows were tightly furrowed.
"Haha~~" Lockhart shrugged. "That's just how wizards are. I'm happy with it. I think I was born to be a wizard, so magic should naturally appear on the wand in my hand!"
"See, it's that simple."
The principle is just that simple. If you don't let your mind soar freely and joyfully, if you cling to fame, status, and all these other things, then what do they have to do with magic? Will mystery respond to you? Will magic respond to you?
No!
What you pursue in those things doesn't require magic!
....
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