Chapter 60 Call Ginny to the Office
In Lockhart's understanding, there were two extremes on the wizarding path: the academic school and the spiritual school.
The academic school always produced masters, who never stopped exploring higher levels of magic, such as Dumbledore, Nicolas Flamel, and Herbology Professor Pomona Sprout.
The spiritual school, on the other hand, advocated naturalness. They lived their lives like fairy tales, and magic would naturally choose them.
Thus, it was very strange that spiritual school wizards always gave people the feeling that 'they were the real wizards' rather than just magicians.
For example, the magizoologist Newt Scamander, the Divination Professor Sybill Trelawney, and Luna Lovegood, who was about to come to the office.
This was a little witch with a personality completely opposite to Hermione Granger. Hermione leaned towards 'logic and reason', while Luna leaned towards 'intuition'.
Wizards who walked the path of the spiritual school always gave people a strange feeling, making them seem like crazy witches or mad wizards, but if one just accepted this style, they would find that they were actually very easy to communicate with.
Ginny's Weasley family was also an ancient wizarding family, and they could easily accept wizards of this style.
The relationship between the two girls was very good.
Of course, these two little witches of the same age who grew up in the same village might have had many interactions in their childhood; Lockhart was not clear on this.
He just stood in the corner outside his office door, looking gloomily as Luna comforted the apprehensive Ginny. The two little sisters encouraged each other as they walked into his office.
These two little witches did not realize that the office they entered overlapped with a huge book. As they walked in, the pages closed, completely bringing them into the world within the book.
Lockhart stroked the wand in his hand, his expression flickering. Finally, with a flick of the wand, he strode towards the office door.
"What are you doing?" A voice suddenly sounded from the corner of the corridor beside him.
Lockhart almost jumped out of his skin. Turning his head, he was surprised to find that it was Dumbledore. He immediately breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help but complain, "Professor Dumbledore, are you always so elusive?"
Dumbledore smiled slightly, with a hint of 'you understand' helplessness. "I've been paying more attention to what's been happening at the school recently. I sensed strong magical fluctuations and came to take a look."
The powerful magical item, "Caro's Bedtime Story Fairy Tale Book," being opened again as a trap clearly touched some of his taut nerves.
Lockhart understood. "My 'Duelling Club' is preparing to recruit some excellent newcomers. This is an assessment."
His face was smiling, but his heart was cursing.
Ginny was involved in the secret of Voldemort's Horcrux diary, and he didn't want Old Albus to get involved at this time at all. Otherwise, if Voldemort's curse was triggered again, he would have nowhere to cry.
Lockhart had to surprisingly find that the biggest obstacle in avoiding being cursed again was actually Dumbledore.
Old Albus, are you on Voldemort's side?
Are you specifically targeting me?
Lockhart was always good at disguising his emotions. His face was full of composure and calmness, and no problems could be seen unless Dumbledore intended to use Legilimency on him, in which case there was no way to hide.
Dumbledore nodded and didn't say anything more.
He recognized Lockhart's abilities and sense of responsibility in teaching. This was a good professor—he had this judgment.
Lockhart waited until Dumbledore left before striding into the office.
Or rather, into the fairy tale book.
At this moment, the scene in the fairy tale book was exactly the same as his office, even the crack in the wall and the Cornish pixie hanging in front of it were there.
The two little witches were being guided by the words of 'Professor Lockhart', slowly relaxing their tense emotions, and beginning to talk about their understanding of magic.
At the door, the real Lockhart, who had originally planned to take action, couldn't help but listen for a while and was also somewhat amazed.
Ginny Weasley was a very standard 'warrior' type of wizard, with a keen sense of grasping combat timing and a strong instinct for battle.
And Luna was a very special witch, like the 'forest witch' and Professor Trelawney, possessing a unique spiritual sense in some aspects.
In the mysterious system, the images sensed by the spiritual sense were not real but based on reality.
For example, the 'Whizzing Worms' that confused people's minds were a manifestation of a wizard's mental state.
A liar could not become Luna's life partner because she could always clearly see the other person's state—yes, directly see it.
In the original story, Luna reminded Harry not to stand under the mistletoe, saying, "It's often infested with nargles."
'Nargles' were also creatures that existed only in spiritual sense and not in reality. These parasitic plants would absorb moisture and nutrients from their hosts, eventually withering together.
Interestingly, in the context of wizarding society, kissing under the mistletoe was a custom representing romantic love.
The meaning behind this, emmm...
It could only be said that Harry and Cho's emotional experience at that time was very complicated.
Sometimes there were always some naturally gifted wizards who were so dazzling. These two little witches were really good seedlings.
Teaching one was teaching, teaching two was also teaching. He began to seriously consider bringing Ginny and Luna into his 'Duelling Club'.
Of course, taking on apprentices was taking on apprentices, but some things still needed to be done.
Next, 'Professor Lockhart' took a crystal ball from a crooked shelf behind the desk that was being squeezed by the trunk of a large tree, and tapped it with his wand in a pretentious manner, telling the two little witches to look carefully at the crystal ball to see if they could get any inspiration.
As an internationally renowned bestselling author and magical master, his words did not arouse any suspicion in Ginny and Luna.
They curiously looked at the magical crystal ball, wondering what wonderful things would happen next.
Soon, their bodies instantly stiffened, and boundless fear seemed to fill their minds. Even the office in their vision became particularly dim, as if they could only see the crystal ball flickering.
Lockhart's gentle voice sounded in their ears, yet it seemed to come from a very far place. "Relax, try to completely relax yourself. The best way to deal with the influence of dark forces is to think of the most beautiful and happiest things, believe that it will bring you infinite power."
This was very effective!
Luna soon felt much better.
Ginny was somewhat confused. There were too many happy things in her life, but upon closer thought, they didn't seem so happy after all.
Under the guidance of the professor's words, she had to constantly dig into her memories, to excavate the most beautiful memories in her soul.
Very good.
Baby.
In the pitch-black darkness, Lockhart stood behind her with a smile, his wand quietly pointed at her, watching her gradually enter the deepest state of completely opening her mind.
He knew what level to reach, because Tom had given him an example.
The wand waved gently, and strands of silver light emerged from Ginny's head, but they were hidden in this darkness and completely invisible.
This was to guard against Tom in the diary Horcrux. Even if he also possessed the ability of a Pensieve to enter memories and observe the surrounding environment, he would have no way to discover that he had been hiding aside from Ginny's memories.
Constructing such a scene didn't require too many complex operations; it was just the "Caro's Bedtime Story Fairy Tale Book" adjusting the light of the surrounding environment.
Lockhart understood too well what memories were like. Some missing parts would not leave traces in the memory.
He could easily grasp this degree.
The Memory Charm cast at this moment was a copy.
He copied all of Ginny's memories of contacting the diary Horcrux, not letting go of any details.
Obtaining comprehensive and detailed information was a necessary preparation before the war.
The outcome of a chess game often depended on what happened outside the board. Lockhart, who planned to go all out, had too many ways to influence Ginny.
As for giving Ginny some memory modification, he would not do so for the time being.
Memories that had been tampered with by the Memory Charm could not deceive Tom, at least not now. He had to weave a reasonable explanation for Tom so that he wouldn't become alert because of it.
In the end, Lockhart's target was not Tom, but Voldemort outside the school.
This seemed to be the same, but in fact, the difference was too great, with too much room for manipulation.
"Hehe~"
"The future is long~"
"Let's play slowly!"
First, let me take a good look at what our Mr. Riddle has secretly done to this poor little witch.
In the dimness, a smile soon appeared on Lockhart's face.
He looked at the Basilisk in the memory, released and hungry, eating rats in the sewer, his eyes full of fascination.
Hagrid's roosters had all been killed cleanly.
The Chamber of Secrets...
It was time to open it!
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