Lockhart's indifferent voice echoed from a distance.
Tom's smile faltered as he watched Lockhart make a strange gesture. A red flame ring appeared in mid-air, enclosing the Killing Curse he had released. Lockhart then pinched the ring, shrinking it and encapsulating the Killing Curse within a ball of red flame mixed with green light.
Feeling the powerful magic waves emanating from the light ball, Tom's face grew solemn. Summoning his original black shield for defense, he prepared for what was to come.
"Tom, try to defend this," Lockhart's voice called out disdainfully.
Tom's face contorted with rage. He had been bullied in the orphanage, but since mastering magic and gaining power, no one dared to treat him this way.
Lockhart noted the change in Tom's expression and smiled. He understood Tom's type well, having encountered such people before. Ambitious and vengeful due to past bullying, they had no qualms about using any means necessary to achieve power and retaliate against those who wronged them. Such individuals were difficult to deal with due to their lack of a moral compass but could be submissive when faced with superior strength.
As Lockhart's thoughts raced, the magic ball of light formed by the sealing ring swayed slightly at his fingertips. Seeing Tom's fully alert stance, Lockhart smiled and lightly touched Tom with his fingertips.
In an instant, the red flames mixed with green magical light shot towards the dark shield.
Boom!
The cursed light ball exploded mid-air, sending a torrent of pseudo-Killing Curses towards Tom. The runes on the dark shield shone with dark green light, straining to resist the onslaught.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A barrage of pseudo-Killing Curses impacted the dark shield like raindrops, their crackling sounds intermingling with the shattering of the shield. The scene mirrored Tom's earlier attack on Lockhart, only now the shield was dark instead of red flames.
Feeling the immense pressure from the magical assault and sensing the shield's imminent collapse, Tom quickly mobilized stored magic to reinforce it.
Meanwhile, Lockhart leisurely approached Tom, the purple-gold light on his body resisting the surrounding magic erosion.
Soon, the pseudo-Killing Curses were exhausted, and the shield seemed nearly transparent. The entire soul space appeared somewhat unreal, but Tom remained clear.
Step by step, Tom, having expended significant magic power to repel the attack, breathed a sigh of relief. But hearing Lockhart's approaching footsteps, his heart sank.
Lockhart, holding a long whip covered with thorns and red flames, approached Tom, who raised his yew wand.
"Avada Kedavra!"
The familiar Killing Curse shot towards Lockhart, who crushed it with a swing of his whip. Tom felt a sense of helplessness, unable to hide even if he wanted to.
Continuing to cast spells, Tom tried to block Lockhart's progress.
"Avada Kedavra!"
"Avada Kedavra!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Lockhart sauntered forward, effortlessly breaking the false Killing Curses with his whip. Soon, he stood directly before Tom. Without a word, he swung his whip, disarming Tom and binding him tightly.
Tom groaned as the sharp barbs of the flame whip pierced his soul, causing damage even to his fragmented state.
Lockhart, a faint smile on his face, approached Tom. "Tom, do you know?" he said sarcastically. "When you mentioned that the notebook was refined using Salazar Slytherin's methods, I knew it was a dark magic item. And it is indeed the case."
Lockhart continued, as if sharing a revelation, "Salazar Slytherin, one of the four founders of Hogwarts, was a famous dark wizard. Any item he refined, even if old, is far from ordinary."
Looking at Tom, Lockhart aimed to mislead further. "Magic items like you, capable of independent thought and research. Telling me you can't lie! Do you think I would really believe it? Do I look stupid to you?"
Tom, hearing Lockhart's derisive words, appeared dejected, his head lowering as if conceding Lockhart's point. But in reality, his eyes gleamed with hope. Lockhart only saw him as a thinking magic object, not realizing his true identity.
"I'm very sorry, Professor Lockhart," Tom said, feigning regret. "I didn't mean to deceive you. I feared you might lock me away, and I didn't want to remain in darkness forever."
Tom trembled, portraying fear and longing for freedom, like a magic object yearning to see the light after years of imprisonment.
"Snort!" Lockhart scoffed. "I'm not interested in your apologies. Surrender or die! Choose!"
Lockhart's right hand opened, revealing a pale golden rune floating above his palm. It drifted before Tom. "This is the contract rune," Lockhart explained. "If you surrender, sign it yourself. If not, you will die."
He added, "After surrendering, continue as my research assistant. I will teach you advanced rune knowledge. But if you have ill intentions, don't blame me for destroying you."
Tom's face showed hesitation, but inside he was elated. He had feared losing the opportunity to learn Lockhart's runes, but now he could even gain advanced knowledge. The contract was a small hurdle—he was just a soul fragment, not the real body. With his peak strength, breaking the contract later would be easy.
Deciding quickly, Tom grasped the golden contract rune, integrating it into his soul.
Lockhart nodded in satisfaction. "Tom, trust me, your future self will thank you for this choice. Work hard and contribute, and even the possibility of regaining a human body is not out of reach."
=========================
[More Chapter and More Update Weakly at p@treon.com/goldengaruda]
=========================
Defense Against the Dark Arts Office
"Tom, these three research projects are left to you. If you don't understand anything, refer to my research notes," Lockhart wrote in his black notebook.
Soon, a line of text appeared in response: "Okay, Professor."
Satisfied, Lockhart nodded and placed the Horcrux notebook and his thick research notes back into the box. From now on, the Horcrux who signed the contract would serve as his first full-time worker. With Tom's magical talent, Lockhart believed the Horcrux would be an invaluable assistant.
Hogwarts, Second Year Defense Against the Dark Arts Class
"The Defense Against the Dark Arts course is primarily about teaching you how to protect yourselves," Lockhart began, standing on the podium. He waved his wand, and two shining golden words floated in the air: "Protect Yourself."
Seeing the confused expressions on the faces of the students, Lockhart pointed his wand at Harry Potter, who was sitting at the front. "Harry, come up and explain what you understand by 'protecting yourself'."
Harry, startled, quickly stood up. After a moment's thought, he said, "Professor, I think protecting myself means being able to fight back when others bully me."
Lockhart gestured for him to sit down. "What Harry said is correct," he continued. "Many people think that protecting themselves means defeating their enemies. But that's not nearly enough."
Lockhart then pointed his wand at Malfoy. "Malfoy, do you have a different perspective?"
Malfoy stood up and replied, "Professor, I believe protecting yourself means improving your own strength. As long as you are strong, you don't need to fear any threats."
Lockhart nodded. "What Malfoy said is also correct, but we are talking about the definition of protection, not the methods of protecting yourself."
He looked around the room. "Does anyone else have a different answer?"
Most of the students looked at each other, unsure of how to respond.
"Hermione, tell us what you think," Lockhart said, noticing Hermione's raised hand.
"Professor, I think protecting yourself can be divided into many situations," Hermione said confidently as she stood up. "For example, when we are exploring, we must prepare in advance to prevent unknown risks. That's protecting yourself. Also, when facing dangerous magical creatures, we must escape in time. That's also protecting ourselves."
Lockhart nodded approvingly. "Hermione gave excellent examples. Five points for Gryffindor."
He gestured for her to sit down and then addressed the class. "Protecting yourself can be defined in three major categories based on my personal experience. They are: protecting your physical safety, protecting your reputation, and protecting your property."
As he spoke, Lockhart waved his wand, and the three categories floated in the air.
"Protecting your body, as Harry mentioned, is crucial. Protecting your reputation is equally important. Even those who aren't famous need to safeguard their reputation."
He waved his wand again, and an image of a wizard being pelted with rotten vegetables appeared. "When a person's reputation is smeared, even if you know it's false, people around you will believe the lies. They will think you're a bad person, and abuse, isolation, and violence will become the norm."
The students shuddered at the scene.
Lockhart continued, "Now, let's talk about protecting your property."
He waved his wand again, and an image of a large pile of gold Galleons appeared. The students gasped at the sight.
"It's also vital to protect your property. Imagine if you saved gold Galleons for most of your life and then someone stole it or you were cheated. What would you do?"
He changed the scene to a wizard living in poverty in a shabby hut. The students shivered, imagining their hard-earned money being stolen.
"Professor, how can we protect ourselves?" a timid Gryffindor girl asked.
"This is what I will teach you in the future," Lockhart replied, waving his wand to erase the images and replace them with the words "Protect Yourself". "I will teach you not only how to avoid fighting but also how to protect your reputation and your property."
"Now, which one do you want to hear about first?"
The students shouted, but the loudest cries were for protecting property.
Lockhart nodded and calmed the class. "Protecting your property is a big concept. First, we need to understand how our currencies, such as gold Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts, were created."
He waved his wand, and a golden Galleon appeared in the air. "Gold Galleons are refined by goblins. Initially, goblins served wizards as the losers of the war. Contracts were signed, such as not being able to hold wands, so wizards felt secure."
"But ancient wizards, few in number, chose to delegate management rights to the goblins who refined gold Galleons. With their miserly nature, goblins managed the currency well initially. Over time, however, as wizards weakened and peace allowed goblins to grow stronger, they began to demand more control over wizard currencies."
"Institutions like Gringotts emerged later, and goblins started setting currency rules."
"To protect our property, we must understand the rules of currency, besides preventing theft."
Lockhart used his usual teaching method, waving his wand to display various pictures and stories, subtly instilling ideas about goblins as threats and the importance of monetary sovereignty.
The students, still young, couldn't deeply analyze like fifth or sixth-year students. Therefore, Lockhart focused on engaging stories and visuals to attract their attention.
However, Lockhart didn't notice Dumbledore standing quietly outside the classroom, listening for a while before leaving quietly.
=========================
[More Chapter and More Update Weakly at p@treon.com/goldengaruda]
=========================
También te puede interesar
Comentario de párrafo
¡La función de comentarios de párrafo ya está en la Web! Mueva el mouse sobre cualquier párrafo y haga clic en el icono para agregar su comentario.
Además, siempre puedes desactivarlo en Ajustes.
ENTIENDO