Chapter 159: Thank You
Madam Mary thought she would be sent to Azkaban, knowing the grave mistake she had made by attempting to rescue a convicted criminal from the Ministry of Magic.
Or perhaps she might be killed by Lockhart, as she understood the cruelty of the real world. In this magical world where immense power coalesced into individuals, offending a powerful figure could easily lead to death.
Just recently, Lockhart had killed "thousands" of Dark wizards who attempted to break out of Azkaban and attack Ministry employees, all without a Wizengamot trial, and yet he was hailed as a great hero afterward.
But she hadn't expected that she would be kept, fitted with magic-restraining ankle cuffs, and become a research assistant in the Department of Mysteries' Hall of Bloodlines.
It wasn't easy for Lockhart to arrange this, as the Ministry of Magic was essentially an organization that opposed individual extraordinary power; it had to adhere to certain rules of the game.
Fudge could handle these things.
Madam Mary saw Lockhart and Fudge discuss it for a long time. She didn't know how Lockhart had persuaded Fudge.
Actually, it was quite simple.
Lockhart needed to properly deal with the hidden dangers left by his original self. He merely subtly hinted that he could thereby get rid of some small leverage Dumbledore held over him, and the shrewd Fudge understood how to win over this young magical master.
Lockhart was not in sync with Dumbledore—ha, Fudge was thrilled to realize this.
In fact, Fudge wasn't wrong in his thinking.
Lockhart disliked politics, and in his eyes, Dumbledore was more interested in politics than magic. Following Dumbledore would inevitably lead him into the political game sooner or later.
Not everyone in this world wanted to play Dumbledore and Voldemort's games.
Madam Meliflua was unwilling, Nicolas Flamel was unwilling, Professor Flitwick and others were unwilling, and many high-ranking Ministry officials like Fudge and Scrimgeour were also unwilling. There were far too many people who disliked getting involved in this matter.
Lockhart could have a very good personal relationship with Dumbledore; he liked the wise and tolerant old wizard. But that didn't mean he had to risk his life for Dumbledore.
So he didn't want the leverage of his memory theft to become Dumbledore's bargaining chip.
It wasn't a question of whether Dumbledore would use it against him, but rather that he couldn't give him such an opportunity, lest they all ended up in that situation.
Fudge could undoubtedly be of great help in this matter.
In fact, the same logic could be applied to the Dark Lord Voldemort.
When Lockhart first found himself completely opposed to Voldemort, he was very willing to help Dumbledore kill the Dark Lord. He actively went with Dumbledore to deal with a Death Eater, and after Dumbledore confirmed Voldemort wasn't present, he immediately revealed Voldemort's trump card—the Horcrux information—to Dumbledore.
But he realized he had made a mistake.
Even if Voldemort believed in magical numbers like "seven," without knowing that Harry Potter was one of his Horcruxes, and before turning Nagini into a Horcrux, Lockhart found he couldn't determine how many more Horcruxes Voldemort would create or where he would place them.
He had changed the future.
This was quite despairing. If Dumbledore couldn't handle Voldemort's mysterious methods, how could he?
Then the troubles began: first, Corban Yaxley, a pure-blood family patriarch and high-ranking Ministry official, targeted him, then Fenrir Greyback, the werewolf pack leader.
Too many followers were willing to die for Voldemort.
So many that Lockhart didn't know when some inexplicable person would pop up again.
He disliked this endless trouble.
To solve this problem, he sought the help of magic, hoping to influence some things through the Tom Riddle Horcrux.
The effect was good.
He first managed to deal with the curse Voldemort had placed on the Defense Against the Dark Arts professorship at Hogwarts, embedding himself within the magic and occupying the protected position, completely preventing himself from being killed by Voldemort personally.
Then came this adventure experiment on the night of the full moon.
He successfully injected a false impression of "being Voldemort's friend" into a certain point in the past and hid it within the mists of history.
This approach was actually based on his deep understanding of Voldemort. Yes, no one understood Voldemort better than he did.
He had discovered a truth that would astonish everyone.
That is, Voldemort was actually a very emotional person.
Leaving Dumbledore aside, consider Professor Horace Slughorn, who had taken good care of Voldemort during his schooling, or Mr. Borgin, his employer during his working days. In their later experiences, one could see Voldemort's concern for certain people and things. Even as his personality became increasingly extreme, he showed clear restraint in some of his targeting methods.
Lockhart didn't need to actually become someone close to Voldemort; he detested this extremist, terror-wielding idiot from the bottom of his heart.
He only needed to plant this hidden emotion, concealed by the mists of history, deep within the other's mind, combined with the blood relation magic he had previously embedded, which would be enough to instinctively prevent Voldemort from targeting him.
This was a very profound thing.
Solving this problem through magical means.
Of course, this didn't mean Lockhart had to join Voldemort's camp; he simply wanted to detach himself from the binary opposition narrative of Voldemort and Dumbledore.
Voldemort could be dealt with, but not by participating as cannon fodder in a war.
There was still a long time ahead. The Diary Horcrux, Tom Riddle, was in his hands, giving him sufficient initiative over future events.
"So..."
"It's not time yet, Madam Mary."
Lockhart repeated this sentence to Madam Mary. Under her bewildered gaze, he smiled and drew his wand, checking Corban's condition.
The experiment was a success.
He now had a spy who could infiltrate the Death Eater ranks and the upper echelons of wizarding society. This would be an extremely useful pawn, far more effective than simply killing him off.
Madam Mary's first task in the Department of Mysteries' Hall of Bloodlines was to clean up the aftermath of the previous magical experiment.
She was restricted from using magic, so she had to kneel on the ground with a bucket of water, diligently scrubbing away the magical traces outlined by dragon's blood and potions.
While cleaning, she felt deeply remorseful.
She didn't know how much effort and resources Professor Lockhart had spent helping her retrieve her memories, and yet she had committed such an ugly betrayal.
She silently put away a copy of "Breaking Up with a Banshee" from the floor and placed it on the table. After cleaning everything and seeing no further instructions from Lockhart, she picked up the book again, somewhat curiously, to read.
It was one of Professor Lockhart's acclaimed bestsellers.
The book told the story of his adventure to a magical island and a series of interesting events that occurred between him and the island's legendary banshee.
There were many uncanny senses of déjà vu within it, such as meeting a good friend named Tom there, or the evil Dark wizard (Corban) who imprisoned the banshee...
She looked at Lockhart with some confusion.
"Time is truly terrifying, isn't it?" Lockhart walked over, took the book from her hands, and gently caressed it. "Its content has changed. I had my students verify it with their copies of this book, and the content inside is different from what I wrote."
Professor Lockhart seemed a little sad. "Indeed, for authors, their works are like watching their own children; they are lives born from their own souls."
"I am so sorry." Madam Mary was somewhat flustered. Looking at the professor who was still willing to give her a chance for redemption, her heart was filled with mixed emotions. "To help me, you..."
Lockhart shook his head, saying nothing more, simply pulling out a quill and signing the book's page, writing: "May you walk further along this magical path, Mira Mary."
After writing, he handed it to Madam Mary, a gentle smile on his face. "Now, it's your story. I think you'll want to keep it."
Madam Mary looked at Lockhart with a startled expression, feeling like a child who had done something wrong and was then treated gently, almost wanting to cry.
She suppressed the churning emotions in her heart, bowed slightly with utmost seriousness, solemnity, and reverence, extending both hands to accept the book. "Thank you, Professor Lockhart."
Some people are truly worthy of being called great.
This kind-mannered, learned, wise, and tolerant Hogwarts professor simply gestured towards Corban Yaxley not far away, saying, "I hope you can find the answers in your heart through your interactions with him from now on."
Madam Mary felt even more mortified.
She expressed her heartfelt gratitude.
Only...
She didn't notice that after Lockhart left the Hall of Bloodlines, passing through the mist outside the small room, he didn't exit via the Ministry of Magic's dedicated elevator for the Department of Mysteries, but instead walked directly into a golden door.
Following that door straight ahead...
...he arrived directly at his Hogwarts office.
Lockhart turned back to look at the fairy tale book on the floor, a mysterious smile on his face. The Golden Retriever (likely a reference to his loyal persona or pet) picked up the fairy tale book from the floor and ran over to hand it to him.
"Good boy~"
Lockhart smiled as he stroked the Golden Retriever's head.
Magic, sometimes it's magnificent and dazzling, and sometimes it's terrifyingly bizarre, truly wondrous.
....
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