Chapter 214: A Wizarding Army?
Percy Weasley was in his seventh year, with only one school year left at Hogwarts. Unlike the other students still engrossed in the joyful campus life, he was already preparing for his future.
His life plan had never been clearer. With his mother's encouragement, he hoped to join the Ministry of Magic, which was the most respected path in the mainstream society of the day. After working there for a while and hitting a ceiling, he would go on to teach at Hogwarts or take up a position in an international wizarding organization before returning to the Ministry to climb to even greater heights.
See? He knew exactly what to do, and he was absolutely confident he could do it well.
He always held himself to high standards. While other students were giving their all to prepare for the crucial nine subjects of their O.W.L.s, he set an even higher bar for himself—twelve subjects. And he planned to get Outstanding in all twelve.
Only a handful of students in the history of Hogwarts had ever achieved that. This honor would be his greatest stepping stone into any institution, offering him endless possibilities.
But now, he was lost.
He had met Professor Gilderoy Lockhart. The professor hadn't told him which path to take, but had instead pointed him toward a path of self-discovery and a deeper dive into the magical world. At first, Percy didn't know how to choose, but he was ultimately a smart wizard. He didn't sink into the mire of indecision and instead forged his own path.
Social achievement? Yes.
Magical achievement? Yes.
Why couldn't he have both? Why did he have to choose between a political career and a magical one? He wanted it all!
And that's how this competition came to be.
This event wasn't just a practical application of Professor Lockhart's lessons on magical adventure; it was also a stepping stone into the Ministry of Magic's Department of Magical Games and Sports, or even the various international competition clubs under the International Confederation of Wizards. He hoped to first hone the prototype of this competition in the Duelling Club, then promote it throughout the school, using the impressive results as leverage when he graduated and went out into the world.
He would pioneer a new, meaningful, and profitable field with immense social value, and he would do it as its leader.
But it was very difficult.
For example, in the competition taking place right now, all the students were flying on the Firebolts that Professor Lockhart had gifted them. It wasn't a matter of the Firebolts being too expensive; other standardized brooms could have been used. The issue was their attributes.
The Firebolt could accelerate to 150 miles per hour in ten seconds, and its braking charm was unparalleled.
What did it mean to cast a spell on a broom like that?
Don't let his clumsy, useless brother Ron's current retreat at the hands of Draco and Hermione fool you. Percy would bet that Ron, while casting spells on a Firebolt, could easily overpower most of the students in the entire school. If it were a fight to the death, Ron could easily kill most of his classmates, easily! The spells Ron cast would take effect before his opponents could even find him, let alone cast a counter-curse.
The changes Professor Lockhart had brought about had subtly widened the gap between the Duelling Club members and the other students to a degree that an ordinary young wizard couldn't even imagine.
Because of this, a terrible thought would sometimes pop into Percy's head.
Maybe a broomstick race or a Quidditch match was the better way to go. Had his so-called "improvement" already strayed from a mere competition and stumbled into the field of training a wizarding army?
A wizarding army!
Percy, on his broomstick, looked down at the competition below, trembling with excitement and anxiety. He looked nervously at the professors in the stands, trying to gauge their attitude.
Then, in a corner, he saw Dumbledore and "the Mysterious Man," Professor Lockhart's assistant, watching the competition with serious expressions. The Mysterious Man seemed to sense Percy's gaze, looking up at him with his strange, mismatched eyes, a slight smile on his face.
Gulp.
Percy swallowed, desperately trying to reassure himself. No, I'm just putting on a sports competition. Yes, a sports competition. It's a sports competition, no matter who asks!
The competition ended with Harry's team winning. It was a very interesting result.
Harry Potter's strategy was correct: the charging player served as a target to create opportunities for others. When Hermione and Draco focused on Ron, Ginny and Pansy created chaos, and Neville seized the chance to hit Hermione. Then, amidst the students' boos, Pansy used a foul to help Draco hit her own team's Ginny, resulting in one being eliminated and the other being disqualified.
Next, Ron charged in wildly, taking out Crabbe and Luna, only to be hit by Draco. In the end, only Draco and Neville were left for the final showdown.
At first, everyone thought the outcome was a foregone conclusion. Draco was undoubtedly stronger than Neville, both in flying and spellcasting. But the wizarding world was always full of surprises; you could never underestimate anyone.
The high-speed broomsticks and the intense barrage of smoke bombs that filled the air made the entire battlefield difficult to see. It was at this moment that Neville showed his excellent sense of timing. It was a terrifying ability to seize the right moment—one move, one victory!
BANG!
The "0 vs 1" in the sky turned into a beautiful firework, and a sweating, panting Neville sat on his broomstick, cheering excitedly.
This moment was captured by a student named Colin and became the front page photo of The Daily Prophet, announcing the arrival of young wizards on the world stage. Rita Skeeter, who had smelled the story and rushed to the school for an interview, exaggeratedly spread the word about Percy, who had planned the event, the older students who had kept order, and every student who had participated in the competition.
In an instant, the entire school became a flurry of activity, with countless owls flying into Hogwarts every day.
Lockhart did not take part in the excitement, even though all the interviewed students and Rita would have been happy to give him credit. He was busy. Snape had dragged him off to find the person who had been absent from the exciting competition—Professor Lupin!
"Don't you think it's strange how he keeps disappearing and appearing out of nowhere? Sometimes when I see him at school, I always feel like he's looking for something!" Snape sounded paranoid.
Lockhart had never seen Snape this emotional. To be honest, the usual Snape was so lifeless that he seemed like a cheerless old man in his fifties or sixties. Even after he had a new lease on life from Lockhart's potion, he only seemed a little more active. Only now did he truly act like a fiery young man in his early thirties.
"Is that strange?" Lockhart said helplessly, as he trudged through the Forbidden Forest behind Snape. He watched Snape periodically toss some powder forward to track Lupin's footprints, rolling his eyes in exasperation. "Severus, you've never been a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, you wouldn't know…"
Snape stopped short, turning to him with an irritated scowl. "I have! I substitute taught his classes every time there was a full moon!"
"That's not the same!" Lockhart spread his hands. "I have to remind you, on top of a mind-numbing workload of classes and essays to grade, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor also has to find their own teaching materials."
"I had some connections, and I got help from the 'We're Not Dead Yet' Club to provide me with a batch of dark magical creatures. I also had enough money to buy supplies from Mr. Borgin and other sources," Lockhart gestured to the glowing golden footprints that had appeared in the powder. "But Professor Lupin doesn't. He has to find his own."
Hogwarts loved to get its professors to do things for free. For example, Professor Sprout grew her own materials for Herbology. The previous Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Quirrell, had to go capture a troll to use as a teaching aid.
Of course, you could also say that the professors Hogwarts chose were wizards who had already achieved great things in their fields and would naturally bring their own resources with them.
Snape's brows furrowed. "Are you saying he's in the Forbidden Forest looking for dark magical creatures?"
Lockhart spread his hands. "It's very likely."
"I don't believe it's that simple!" Snape thought for a moment, then gave a disgruntled sniff and continued walking forward, tossing the tracking powder from his bag as if it were worthless, even though it could have fetched a high price off-campus.
As he walked, the footprints in the powder suddenly became messy. It looked like he really was chasing something!
"A rat?"
Snape carefully examined the footprints of the thing Lupin was chasing, frowning. He had worked with countless rats in his Potions classes and could tell at a glance that the footprints belonged to a simple pet rat.
"Ha!" He let out a contemptuous laugh. "Has this werewolf been wandering for so long that he's become accustomed to eating rats and can't break the habit now that he's at school?"
Then the smile vanished from his face.
Lockhart walked over, looked down, and gave a very clear answer. "It's Peter Pettigrew."
"!!!"
"What?!!!"
"Who?"
"That's impossible! He's dead!"
Snape was stunned, looking at Lockhart in disbelief, wondering if he had imagined hearing such a preposterous name.
"That's right, Peter Pettigrew. He's an Animagus who can transform into a rat," Lockhart said, giving an answer that shocked Snape beyond measure.
"He's alive?!" Snape's voice became a sharp, high-pitched shriek.
"Yes. He was the one who told Voldemort where the Potters were hiding. Then he faked his own death while being chased by Sirius Black. Of course he's still alive."
"!!!"
(End of Chapter)
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