chapter 2

<p>Lockhart house, London, 1973<br/>Gilderoy stood alone in a room full of drawings of himself, they were all made by him and while it was far from being the work of an artist, they were all better than what a normal eleven-year-old boy should be able to make.<br/>They were part of one of Gilderoy long lasting project, together with perfectionating his writing.<br/>This project consisted in the realization of a piece of art that could emulate his beauty, as he didn't know nor trust anyone else to be able to portray the perfection he represents.<br/>Well maybe he could trust his mother since she already made a work of art like him once and for that he will always be grateful to her.<br/>In fact, he is also grateful to his other family members for the help they gave in creating the boy known as Gilderoy Lockhart.<br/>His mother certainly had the most difficult part as she had to carry him for nine months, but he wouldn't be here if his father didn't give a part of himself to her, moreover would he have come out this good had there not been some previous unsuccessful trials?<br/>So, his sisters too are also part of the process that took place to create him, as in his mind they are beta versions of himself and because of that he tries to be gentle to them; after all it must be difficult to accept to be just a failures that served a greater purpose.<br/>Gilderoy knew that he must reach success for them too, as many sacrifices were made for him and he certainly wasn't ungrateful enough to not pay back what was given to him.<br/>Now before him stood the first mystery of his career and he can't fail to solve it for the sake of his family too, who always supported him.<br/>First, he gave it a long lasting look, trying to find any irregularity or particular he didn't notice the first time.<br/>Left with no other choice he decided to try opening it, so he slowly raised the cover and went to the first page.<br/>On the first page stood strange symbols he didn't understand, they seemed to form some phrases, but Gilderoy was unable to give them a meaning.<br/>'I see that my first adventure starts with an unknown language' he thought.<br/>This was not unexpected as the book seems to be very old, moreover it would be too easy if he was given everything he could have needed.<br/>He was about to go looking through the library to find any mention of this strange language, but before he could do so, the symbols lightened up till the writings became pure light and changed their position.<br/>When the light faded what was left behind was syllables that formed another language that Gilderoy knew very well, English.<br/>"Greetings, little boy from the future, it sadden me to not be able to meet you personally, but I'm sure that my soul in the afterlife will be pleased that I finally met someone capable of carrying my legacy. My name is Allanon (not the one from the "sword of shannara", I don't know anything of this trilogy, but I found the name to be fitting) and when I walked among the livings, I was a druid who specialized in the mind arts. If you are reading this book, it means that you have a strong ego, which during my many experiments I found to be the most important requirement to progress in the vast word of the mind arts. I know that this may be an abrupt introduction, but I think that it is better to act immediately and slowly build trust later, after all it took too much time to find someone worthy of becoming my successor and I can't risk losing this chance" Gilderoy finished reading the first page and turned to the next, but he didn't find any other word.<br/>He scrolled all the pages, but they were empty, void of any mark, but this didn't solve the sense of dread that Gilderoy started feeling.<br/>"What did he mean with 'act immediately'?" murmured Gilderoy.<br/>Soon he decided to read again the first page and he soon find many inconsistencies.<br/>For example, if this druid was from the past, how did he know I was a little boy or that I spoke modern English, did it even exist in his age. Could it be that he was a seer?<br/>This was the first question that Gilderoy formed in his mind, and he didn't expect any answer, in fact he was certain that there was a better explanation than him being a seer.<br/>"I see that you already found where the problem lay, but no I was not a seer I preferred to concentrate on myself rather than looking at a distant future." Said a voice in his mind.<br/>From the tone it sounded like the voice of an old sage you would picture when reading a book.<br/>"You are inside my mind… you entered from the very start" accused Gilderoy.<br/>"You have to take in consideration that it took 1 or 2 minutes to transfer my whole being inside your mind" replied the voice, having no problem with admitting that he had entered the young man mind.<br/>"That… that is illegal, I will tell mom about it!" Shouted in his mind Gilderoy.<br/>"They made it illegal? Well, I can understand the reason for that, but in the end, you can't count on society when faced with power and when it comes to the mind, I was the greatest expert in my time and probably yours too, if they limited that much the practice of mind arts. I doubt anyone can help you" said the voice.<br/>"Weren't you supposed to be dead?"<br/>"I did die, but before leaving this word I decided to leave behind a part of me, so I created a being made with a piece of my soul that contained all my memories and that being would be me. You will be able to achieve the same if not more, as long as you follow my teachings." Said the voice.<br/>"Why should I do that? You are just a creepy old man that entered inside my young genius mind? Are you trying to possess my perfect body to complete your nefarious plans?" asked Gilderoy, scared of the possible loss of himself.<br/>They are robbing his identity! Where is the UNESCO? They are trying to rob the most important cultural heritage of the county if not of the whole world!<br/>"…Maybe my past self should have expected that a big ego may also have huge side effects, like egocentrism and the inability to respect others" murmured the voice.<br/>"Hey, I'm a modest guy! What is the problem with being aware of my worth" protested Gilderoy forgetting of his earlier fear, after hearing the voice badmouthing his glorious self.<br/>"Well, it's so late to change plans. Boy we are stuck together, so you either become a master of the mind arts or you will never be able to get rid of me. The only way to reach such a level in your era, which lack a lot of knowledge related to the mind arts, is to learn from me what I'm offering" Gilderoy had many strange quirks and also many bad habits, like the one of not pursuing anything if he can't be the best in it, but he isn't an idiot, who can't understand the situation he is in.<br/>Moreover, he already knows that he is talented in the mind arts and that if he learns from an expert he may become the best in the world in this field.<br/>The words "best in the world" were like a drug and the more he repeated them in his mind, the more he found the new voice in his head to be bearable.<br/>He is in a situation without escape and the only way ahead can also help him achieve his goals, so there is no further reason to refuse.<br/>"What is a parasite in front power and fame?" He asked himself.<br/>"I can hear your thoughts, you know?" said the old man, but how could he expect a nice treatment after forcing himself in his mind?<br/>"Ok, I'll learn from you, but don't have it against me, if it will take little to no time for me to get rid of you, after all my geniality has no equal" stated Gilderoy.<br/>"Your egocentrism certainly has no peer; do you think you are a protagonist fated to reach the apex?" asked the voice.<br/>"Think of it, doesn't this sound just like the background of one? A young and talented wizard get trained by a sage and old man, who will act as his mentor. It's as if I'm king Artur and you are Merlin, with the only difference that I'm better than Arthur Pendragon and you… well we'll see how competent you are" said Gilderoy with a huge smile on his face.<br/>"… not as competent as I though considering that I chose you as my successor" said the voice with a tired tone.<br/>"Ah right, how should I call you?" asked Gilderoy, ignoring the last phrase pronounced by the voice.<br/>"Even if I'm just an artificial being created by Allanon, I possess all his memories and I'm mentally what he was, so I would like you to still call me Allanon, as I consider it my name and would find it strange to be called any other way" said Allanon trying to explain what he thought of himself.<br/>"Yeah, yeah whatever helps you sleep at night" dismissed Gilderoy as he only wanted to know how to call him, not his insecurities of being just a part of what was once a great man.<br/>"Maybe I should present him to my sisters. They will become friends quickly considering how similar they are" thought Gilderoy, happy with the realization that he is a good brother.</p>