Morning, Lockhart's Office
The golden sunlight streamed through the glass, casting a warm glow over the entire office. Lockhart sat leisurely, holding a magic book and reading it with interest. Sunny, the Golden Snidget who had just finished exercising, took a sneaky look at Lockhart. Seeing that the Keeper didn't notice him, he cautiously walked towards the office door.
When he was close to the door, he turned around to check the distance from the Keeper. Satisfied, he flapped his wings quickly and teleported through space. In an instant, a golden light flashed, and Sunny disappeared from the office.
Lockhart, who was mentally sharp, noticed this but let Sunny leave. The morning exercise was complete, and the next round was scheduled for the afternoon. As long as Sunny was safe, he didn't mind. After spending time with Sunny, Lockhart understood his temperament. Sunny was greedy and active, similar to a child's personality.
Raising children, according to his experience, required a balanced approach—neither too loose nor too strict. Setting goals and daily tasks helped develop good habits and influenced character and actions positively. He didn't have much time to care for Sunny himself, and although Hagrid seemed like a good caretaker, his temperament made Lockhart hesitant. Hagrid might overfeed Sunny, turning him into a fat version of the Golden Snidget. So, for now, he took care of Sunny alone.
While he was reading leisurely, there was a sudden knock on the window. Lockhart turned his head and saw an owl. Seeing the newspaper hanging from the owl's chest, Lockhart's lips curled up in a smile. He quickly opened the window, fed the owl some food, took the newspaper, and opened it expectantly.
The first thing that caught his eye was a huge black headline and a slowly changing picture. The picture was one of him winning the "Wizard Weekly" Most Charming Smile Award. Ignoring the picture, Lockhart focused on the eye-catching title, and the corners of his mouth curled up.
[Squib Becomes a Wizard - Shocking News from Hogwarts]
The appearance of the report marked the official start of his marketing plan. Lockhart turned his attention to the content below.
"How to make a Squib a wizard? This has been a problem in the wizarding world for thousands of years. But after many years of research by Professor Lockhart at Hogwarts, hope has emerged."
"Professor Lockhart said that practicing meditation can allow Squibs to possess magical powers and then perform magic."
"It is said that Professor Dumbledore is very supportive of this and believes that this research will benefit the development of the wizarding world."
"Professor Lockhart mentioned that the meditation method experiment is coming to an end and only needs to be tested on a small scale before it can be promoted on a large scale."
"Therefore, 100 Squibs are now being recruited for the final test. During the testing process, all expenses incurred will be provided by Professor Lockhart. And it's guaranteed that there won't be any life-threatening danger."
After reading the entire report, Lockhart nodded with satisfaction. The Daily Prophet had done an excellent job reporting, covering all the essential points without any unnecessary embellishments. The rest depended on the public's response.
Daily Prophet, Editor's Office
Editor-in-chief Cotton sat in his office chair, looking at the opened envelope in front of him, and shook his head in distress. He knew that resolving this matter wouldn't be easy. Last time, he had chosen to delay the news release, giving pure-blood families and Hogwarts a day to communicate.
Now, looking at the report about Squibs gaining the ability to cast spells, how could he not publish it? If the communication between the two parties had gone smoothly, he would have received relevant information, making it easy to suppress the news. But since he hadn't received any, it meant that Hogwarts or Dumbledore was more determined. Therefore, he had no choice but to make it public and chose the biggest and best position to avoid offending anyone.
Even if the pure-blood families were displeased, they had been given the opportunity, but they didn't take it. Yet, being the editor-in-chief of the Daily Prophet, he faced problems again. The pure-blood families still hadn't given up and wanted him to report on the high risks regarding Lockhart's research results. Their actions made him feel cornered. Reporting this matter would make him a scapegoat, offending Dumbledore directly.
But not reporting it was also problematic. The Daily Prophet was deeply entangled with various pure-blood families. Although he was the editor-in-chief, he was helpless. How could he solve this?
Editor-in-chief Cotton kept thinking, trying to find a compromise that would shift the blame away from himself. Suddenly, Cotton's eyes lit up as he thought of someone who could stir the pot—Rita Skeeter. She could definitely cause enough trouble to distract everyone.
Thinking of this, Cotton picked up his quill and began writing.
"Dear Miss Rita Skeeter,"
Night, Hogwarts Third Floor
Lockhart cast an Invisibility Charm on himself, becoming invisible. His destination was the girls' bathroom on the third floor. This couldn't be seen by others—a professor running into the girls' bathroom would be scandalous.
Being cautious to avoid accidents, especially with ghosts and portraits around, he soon reached the girls' bathroom. Pushing the copper handle on the door, he slowly walked in and looked around. The bathroom was dark and humid, with stained walls, a waterlogged floor, peeling tiles, and dim candles.
Despite feeling slightly uncomfortable, Lockhart walked forward, focusing on a sink with a small snake pattern engraved on the side wall of the faucet. After finding the right place, he turned to the side room, aware of the ghost that always haunted the bathroom—Myrtle. If not handled well, her presence could lead to leaks.
Not only could the existence of the Slytherin Chamber of Secrets be exposed, but his own reputation would be tarnished. He had prepared for Myrtle. In the innermost compartment, he saw Ghost Myrtle sitting on the toilet, feeling sorry for herself. Lockhart gently waved his wand: "Soul Sleep!"
Instantly, a light gray mist emerged from the wand's tip, spreading around and enveloping Ghost Myrtle. The ghost didn't notice it at all. Myrtle just felt sleepier and sleepier until she closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep. Seeing this, Lockhart nodded with satisfaction—the last hidden danger was resolved.
Lockhart then focused on the sink with the snake mark. He took out a dark green magic book, the Parseltongue Book he had refined earlier. After turning a few pages, he gently clicked on a word with his wand, infusing it with a bit of magic. Instantly, a hoarse, gloomy voice emanated from the book.
"Hiss. (Open)"
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[Up to 50+ Chapter available and 10 chapter Weakly Update at p@treon.com/goldengaruda]
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Boom!
Accompanied by a Parseltongue voice, the faucet above the sink emitted a dazzling white light and then spun rapidly. Soon, the sink began to move sideways, revealing a huge hole, which was actually a very thick water pipe.
Lockhart stepped over the stagnant water and looked at the dark hole of the pipe. With a flick of his wand, a ball of light quietly emerged and entered the hole. Suddenly, the nearby dark water pipe was brightly illuminated. Lockhart could clearly see the dirt on the sides of the pipes and the darkness beyond.
After examining it for a moment, Lockhart waved his wand and outlined a very complex and mysterious rune. "Life Detection!"
As the runes were formed, a light green mist filled the water pipe with the wave of his wand. As Lockhart continued to infuse magic power, the light green mist continued to emerge and poured into the depths of the water pipe. Lockhart closed his eyes slightly, feeling the feedback brought by the spell.
Some very subtle breaths of life, likely belonging to cockroaches and insects, were present but could be ignored. A slightly stronger breath of life, although numerous, likely belonged to rats and other small animals, and could also be skipped. After a moment, a very powerful breath of life appeared, and the corners of Lockhart's mouth curled up.
Finally found you, Basilisk!
Since he was going to enter the Slytherin Chamber of Secrets, the first thing he needed to do was ensure his own safety. He didn't want to reach his destination only to have a basilisk pop up behind him. That scene would be very embarrassing. Lockhart had planned to conquer the basilisk from the beginning. With Parseltongue, it is relatively easy to control the Basilisk.
With his thoughts turning, Lockhart confirmed the powerful breath of life. With a thought, he waved his wand, and silver light enveloped the surroundings, sweeping away the nearby sewage while creating an illusion to cover up any abnormalities. Then, under the action of a Transfiguration spell, a clean chair was transformed. Seeing this, Lockhart sat directly on it. After observing that there was no abnormality, he found a suitable position to lean on.
Then, "Astral body projection!" Lockhart's soul jumped suddenly and appeared outside his body again. After a brief look around, he looked at the body leaning on the chair and the dark green Parseltongue Book next to it. With a gentle wave of his hand, the Parseltongue Book rose, floating next to Lockhart's soul. After everything was sorted out, Lockhart nodded with satisfaction.
The peculiarity of the basilisk is that anyone who looks into its eyes will immediately face the risk of death or petrification. If Lockhart were to go there physically, he really wasn't sure if he could avoid the basilisk's gaze. What an injustice it would be if he accidentally glanced at the basilisk and was killed. On the contrary, if he is in the state of the soul, with the special characteristics of the soul shell, he can at least withstand the gaze of the basilisk and avoid it in time.
Thoughts flashed, Lockhart's soul carried the dark green Parseltongue Book and flew towards the powerful breath of life he sensed. A moment later, Lockhart saw a huge snake's tail in a corridor. It was instantly clear that the basilisk had been found. Thinking of this, Lockhart waved his hands and controlled the opening of the Parseltongue Book.
"Hiss" (come to me)
A hoarse, gloomy, weird, and evil voice spread from the Parseltongue Book all around. Soon, Lockhart saw the basilisk's tail slowly disappear. After a while, a huge snake head appeared in front of him. To Lockhart's satisfaction, this time the basilisk kept its eyes closed, so he didn't have to worry about the risk of being petrified. Although the soul shell can protect itself, it is naturally best if there is no danger.
Immediately afterward, he used the Parseltongue Book and made a sound again.
"Hiss." (Lie down)
After hearing the sound coming from the Parseltongue, the Basilisk seemed to feel something, and it took a while to react. In Lockhart's eyes, the basilisk's head began to slowly lower, and the snake's brain was close to the water pipe. Seeing this, Lockhart was slightly shocked. Opening the Parseltongue Book again, another voice came out.
"Hiss. Hiss" (Let go of your mind and don't resist)
After the sound disappeared, Lockhart slightly sensed the level of resistance in the basilisk's heart. After finding that it was indeed significantly reduced, he began to wave his hands, outlining a dense pattern of pale golden runes. To be precise, it was a magical contract written in runes. Soon, a magical contract was quietly formed. With Lockhart's forceful push, the contract flew into the basilisk's mind.
"Hiss." (Accept the contract)
At the same time, Lockhart once again ordered the basilisk through the Parseltongue Book.
Buzz!
After the contract floated into the basilisk's mind, Lockhart noticed that the creature wanted to resist, and its huge body twisted subconsciously, causing quite a stir. But with the influence of Parseltongue, the resistance was greatly weakened. He couldn't help but lament the influence of Parseltongue on snake magical creatures, which was really terrifying.
After a moment, Lockhart felt the feedback that the contract was successfully signed, and the corners of his mouth curled up. Now, this basilisk truly belonged to him. With Parseltongue control, problems could still arise. After all, Lockhart could use Parseltongue, but there was no guarantee that other wizards couldn't also use it.
Therefore, Lockhart's attitude towards Parseltongue was to use it as a transitional tool or special magic. Only when the basilisk signed a magical contract could he influence or even control the basilisk through the magical contract. Lockhart would then be truly relieved. In any case, the priority of magical contracts is definitely higher than the priority of Parseltongue. After all, the magical contract acts directly on the basilisk's soul.
Thoughts flashed, and Lockhart used the contract to remind the basilisk to continue to maintain its current action—lying down and closing its eyes. After feeling the basilisk's aggrieved but compliant mood through the contract, Lockhart nodded slightly.
Then, Lockhart looked around the surrounding environment and branded a magic mark on the surface of a nearby water pipe. Then he quickly flew towards his body. After a while, Lockhart's soul came out of the water pipe hole and saw his physical body leaning on the chair. With a sudden pounce, the soul returned to the body. Slowly opening his eyes, Lockhart looked at the water pipe hole, feeling the magical contract he had just signed and the basilisk's current state, and nodded slightly.
Immediately afterward, Lockhart held the Sling Ring and outlined a circular portal with sparks. Through teleportation, he looked at the basilisk lying on the water pipe on the opposite side with its eyes tightly closed. A faint smile floated on Lockhart's face. Stepping out of the portal in one step, he came to the Basilisk. Lockhart reached out and took out two large transparent lenses.
This was the magic item that Lockhart had specially refined for the Basilisk—contact lenses. The basilisk would definitely follow him in the future. But the creature's indiscriminate killing method could easily cause problems. Including him, the master, if he accidentally saw the basilisk's eyes, he would be finished. Therefore, for safety reasons, Lockhart added an insurance measure: contact lenses for the basilisk. When he really needed the basilisk for an indiscriminate attack, he would just remove the contact lenses.
Lockhart compared the size of the basilisk's eyes and slightly modified the size of the contact lenses. He waved the wand close to the basilisk's eye. After feeling that it was almost done, Lockhart passed the contract and asked the basilisk to slowly open its eyes. During the entire opening process, Lockhart could clearly feel the magic of the basilisk's eyes being absorbed by the contact lenses, so he nodded.
After the basilisk fully opened its eyes, Lockhart made the contact lenses completely fit into its eyes.
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[Up to 50+ Chapter available and 10 chapter Weakly Update at p@treon.com/goldengaruda]
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