M2

Chapter 71: Mirror Space

"Aunt May, can you tell me how you met Mr. Stark today?" Peter asked eagerly as they sat at the dinner table.

May looked up, seeing the expectant look on Peter's face. She smiled and began, "I was really surprised to see Tony Stark today. I was at work in the bookstore café when I saw him get out of a car and walk toward our shop. I couldn't believe it. He was actually looking for Lockhart."

Peter interrupted, curiosity piqued. "Are Mr. Lockhart and Mr. Stark friends? Why else would Iron Man be looking for him?"

May shook her head. "No, they don't know each other at all."

Then, in a mysterious tone, she added, "Guess what Lockhart's attitude was towards him?"

Peter started guessing, "He should be very happy. After all, Iron Man came to his store."

May shook her head incredulously. "No, he found it annoying! He was actually annoyed that Iron Man came to his store!"

"Really?" Peter couldn't believe it.

May nodded. "Indeed, when I called him, his tone was annoyed."

Seeing Peter's surprised expression, May continued in a whisper, "Do you know what shocked me even more?"

"What is it?" Peter asked, curiosity mounting. "Did your boss refuse to see Stark?"

May shook her head again. "Tony Stark wanted to meet him today, but Lockhart said he wasn't free and suggested tomorrow or the day after. I told Tony Stark, and he actually agreed."

Even as she finished the story, May still found it unbelievable. In her eyes, billionaires were usually very arrogant, and an ordinary bookstore owner daring to refuse them seemed incredible. Especially someone as famous for his arrogance as Tony Stark. It made her wonder if Lockhart's identity was more complex than it seemed.

Peter, however, was focused on something else. "You mean Tony Stark will come to your bookstore tomorrow?" He didn't wait for May to reply before pleading, "Aunt May, I have a holiday tomorrow. Can I come to your bookstore and read some books?"

May looked at him hesitantly. "No, I don't want you doing anything stupid."

"Please, Aunt May! You know he's my idol," Peter begged, raising his hands in a pleading gesture and pretending to be pitiful.

Seeing Peter's pitiful and expectant eyes, May hesitated but then slowly said, "Okay, okay. But you can only watch. Don't run up and do anything stupid. You have to promise me this, or I'll be in trouble."

Peter nodded quickly, excitement in his voice. "Okay, Aunt May. I promise. I won't cause any trouble. If someone does, I'll help stop them."

He began waving his arms, showing off his muscles. He wasn't joking this time. As Spider-Man, Peter Parker was confident he could protect his Aunt May and ensure her job was safe.

Lockhart's Home at Night

Lockhart stood in his study, reviewing the knowledge that had emerged in his mind. Holding the Sling Ring, he drew slow circles in the air, visualizing complex patterns and associating his mind with the image of the bookstore.

As his right hand slid, a sparkling circular portal gradually appeared. Although the speed was slow, it was steady. Lockhart looked at the dark bookstore café on the other side, the tables and wooden chairs vaguely arranged, and smiled slightly before stepping through the portal.

Inside the Vientiane Book Café, Lockhart waved his wand, and a bright light emerged from the tip, illuminating the whole bookstore instantly. Then, realizing he was in a public place with glass windows, he sighed, waved his wand again, and the lights disappeared, leaving only the ambient lighting.

Although he sensed no Muggles nearby, the thought of being seen made him uncomfortable. He realized he needed to renovate the space to create a dedicated area for mages, shielding it from Muggle sight.

Casting a Confundus Charm on the surveillance cameras ensured no one would notice anything unusual. After a brief look around, Lockhart focused his spiritual power into the Sling Ring. Visualizing complex runes, he drew the Sling Ring slowly and pushed it forward.

A clicking sound, like a mirror breaking, surrounded him. As if passing through a mirror, Lockhart found himself in a silent world—mirror space.

Lockhart looked around with great interest. The scene was highly similar to his bookstore. Feeling a close connection with the mirror space, he raised his right hand. The bookstore seemed controlled by an unknown force, rising from the ground and transforming, its roof shrinking around it until the whole structure resembled the Eiffel Tower. Standing on a high platform at the top, Lockhart looked down at the brightly lit New York City, feeling excited.

Mirror space had always fascinated him. The control just now was limited, but he knew he needed more practice to reach the level of Doctor Strange in the movies. Still, he wasn't in a hurry.

Later, Lockhart manipulated the mirror space, transforming various shapes and practicing Kamar-Taj and Hogwarts magic. After a few hours, he opened a portal leading back to his study, needing a good rest before his appointment with Tony Stark the next day.

Chapter 72: Tony Vents His Dissatisfaction

New York City, Vientiane Book Café

May woke up early, got ready, and rushed to the book café. She was expecting a very important guest today and needed to prepare in advance. When she arrived, three store clerks were already at the door. She quickly took out her key and opened the door.

Inside the café, she noticed that some books seemed to be out of place compared to last night, but she didn't think much of it, assuming she might have misremembered. She quickly instructed the clerks to start cleaning and prepare coffee and tea. Tony drank coffee yesterday, and her boss wanted tea. Although May felt a little out of place, she had to be ready to provide whatever they wanted.

To her, today's opportunity could be pivotal for the café's success. Regardless of whether her boss approved of the publicity, she believed that no business-minded person would refuse a chance for profit.

Soon, the entire store was clean and open for business. A while later, her nephew, Peter Parker, quietly entered the café. They had agreed to pretend not to know each other to avoid unnecessary trouble. Peter ordered a cup of coffee and found a spot with a good view, reading silently. However, May could see the excitement and anticipation in his eyes.

What May didn't notice was Alice, the receptionist, giving Peter a strange look. Alice had seen photos of May's nephew before and recognized him as the young man reading by the window. She quickly masked her thoughts and resumed her duties.

As time passed, it was almost 8:30. May saw her boss, Lockhart, approaching from outside and hurried out to greet him. Peter, curious about his Aunt May's boss, watched with interest.

Lockhart entered the café, pleased with the quiet atmosphere. The main purpose of opening the café was to avoid unnecessary trouble and earn magical resources, not money. Hence, May's marketing efforts were meaningless to him.

However, Lockhart noticed a slightly handsome young man near the window with a strong breath of life. Recognizing him as Spider-Man, Peter Parker, Lockhart smiled and nodded at May. "May, I'll be in study room 101. When Tony Stark arrives, bring him in. Also, bring me a pot of tea."

May nodded in understanding, and Lockhart went to study room 101.

As it approached 9 o'clock, a commotion outside caught May's attention. She saw Tony Stark arriving in his Iron Man suit. May quickly ran out and waved. "Mr. Stark, the boss is waiting for you in study room 101."

Tony Stark, in his Iron Man armor, entered the café, waving to the guests inside and causing a stir. Several people, especially the women, rushed to take photos and get autographs. Passersby outside also joined in, creating a crowd. Peter seemed ready to join, but held back.

Tony was easy-going, agreeing to fans' requests, signing autographs, and posing for photos. It seemed like the café was his territory. May, seeing this, lit up with joy and instructed the clerks to take photos, thinking this would be great promotion for the café.

However, she forgot that it was past 9 o'clock, and her boss was still waiting in the study. Tony seemed absorbed in the attention, forgetting his appointment.

Lockhart, sensing the scene outside, was speechless. He understood Tony was venting his dissatisfaction from being rejected the previous day. But Lockhart wasn't going to indulge him.

He gently waved his wand and cast several spells: "Repello Muggletum," "Obliviate," and "Sugestio." A transparent ripple spread from the tip of his wand, enveloping the entire bookstore. Pedestrians outside seemed confused and continued walking without noticing Iron Man. Inside, the crowd surrounding Tony slowly moved outside, their memories of the encounter becoming hazy. They remembered meeting Iron Man and taking photos but couldn't recall details. A thought ingrained in their minds to keep this as a personal secret.

May and the clerks seemed unaffected, returning to their tasks. Peter, under Lockhart's control, returned to his seat and continued reading, though a brief flash of clarity crossed his eyes before turning to confusion.

Tony, unaffected by the spell, was shocked by the scene. He called Jarvis, closed his armor mask, and prepared to escape. Then, he heard a gentle voice.

"Mr. Stark, I'm waiting for you in study room 101."

Chapter 73: Lockhart's Curse Research

Lockhart felt the effects of his three spells and nodded with satisfaction. During his time in the Harry Potter world, he had extensively studied mind magic. Given his proficiency in memory spells, he retained a wealth of research knowledge.

Initially, he optimized the Muggle-repelling charm, allowing him to selectively block or admit certain Muggles. Later, Lockhart combined Kamar-Taj magic with psychological knowledge from his past lives, delving deeply into memory manipulation, consciousness, and cognition. The two additional spells he used today were among his smaller achievements. The results were remarkable, though there was a minor side effect—a feeling of displeasure from tampering with people's minds. Although it had little impact on Lockhart, he tried to avoid frequent use to prevent psychological repercussions. He theorized that the original Lockhart's poor personality might have been a side effect of overusing memory spells.

With Tony Stark's disruption now resolved, the psychological suggestions Lockhart implanted ensured everyone would keep the encounter secret. This idea was deeply embedded in their subconscious, compelling them to defend their actions even to themselves.

After casting the spells, Lockhart called Tony over. Soon, Tony Stark exited his Iron Man suit, turned it into a suitcase, and walked towards study room 101. As the wooden door of the study quietly opened, Tony, holding a trace of fear from the earlier strange scene, saw Lockhart sitting calmly inside.

Tony hadn't forgotten the eerie scene, recognizing that without the magic potion provided by Lockhart, he might have reacted aggressively. Even so, Lockhart's method of mind manipulation left a bad impression on him. He resolved to start work on anti-magic armor.

Lockhart watched Tony Stark place the suitcase aside and sit in the chair opposite him. Lockhart glanced at the suitcase with interest, as if nothing had happened earlier, and gently asked, "Mr. Tony Stark, why do you want to see me?"

Tony, recalling the information SHIELD provided, felt more confident but still a bit stiff. "Thank you, Mr. Lockhart, for the potion. It was very effective and saved my life."

Lockhart nodded slightly. "You should thank SHIELD. I just provided the potion to them. Who they use it on is their business."

Tony replied, "I've already thanked SHIELD. This time, I mainly wanted to meet and chat with you." He hesitated briefly, his original plan of leveraging wealth suddenly seeming inappropriate. Wizards, unlike capitalists, played with magic, not technology. Nevertheless, he continued, "I want to buy some magic metals for research."

Lockhart was puzzled. He expected Tony to seek more of the life-saving potion. However, he understood when Tony explained, "Not long ago, SHIELD invited me to participate in a wizard gold coin project. This gold coin should be provided by you, right?"

Lockhart nodded, and Tony continued with a hint of pride, "Originally, their project made no progress, but with my involvement, we achieved breakthroughs. Using Stark Industries' database, we analyzed the gold coin's elements and characteristics. We found elements similar to gold, rare earths, antimony, tungsten, tin, and other strategic resources. However, there are unknown elements we couldn't identify. We speculate these are magic metals. With more of these metals, we can attempt to synthesize a wizard gold coin."

Lockhart nodded, feeling nothing wrong with Tony's statement. He felt a touch of admiration for Tony's technological genius. Lockhart originally had little confidence in artificial synthesis, but Tony's involvement brought hope.

Lockhart, showing no outward emotion, felt a strong interest, which Tony noticed. Tony was pleased, knowing he hadn't mentioned the most crucial part. The unknown elements in wizard gold coins had amazing properties. Using them in Iron Man armor could greatly enhance its combat power. This was a key reason Tony approached Lockhart—obtaining these metals in large quantities would allow him to create a stronger, possibly magic-resistant armor, showcasing the combination of science and magic.

Lockhart didn't know Tony's full intentions, but even if he did, he wouldn't care. Science would advance, but magic wouldn't regress. Lockhart initially placed most of his hopes on Kamar-Taj, expecting little from SHIELD. Tony's involvement was a pleasant surprise.

Suddenly, Lockhart waved his hand, and over ten fragments of magic metal flew out from his space bag, landing on the table. Pointing to the metal fragments, he said, "This is the magic metal I currently have. You can take these for testing. If they don't help, I will send another batch next month."

Chapter 74: The Theory of Magical Radiation

Something was wrong today. Peter Parker thought silently to himself, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was. Everything felt a little off, especially seeing only a few customers in the book café. His intuition kept nudging him, as if something had been distorted.

But as he looked at the photo he had taken with Tony Stark, a sense of joy overcame him, and he pushed those thoughts aside. The photo had been hard to get, and he needed to cherish it. He also had to keep it a secret.

Peter hesitated, debating whether to try to eavesdrop on his idol or not. He had promised Aunt May he wouldn't pester Tony Stark, but his curiosity was strong. If Lockhart were to observe him closely, he would notice a silver light and a red light constantly entangled in Peter's mind—Lockhart's spell at war with Peter's instinct. The spell was effective, keeping Peter's thoughts mostly in check.

Peter decided to let go of his doubts and focused his perception, trying to listen in on the conversation between Tony Stark and Mr. Lockhart. Unfortunately, the study's soundproofing was excellent, and he couldn't hear anything.

After a while, Peter's eyes lit up as he sensed May carrying a tray of tea towards the study. He carefully followed her movements with his perception, hoping to catch something from the conversation.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Tony, who was discussing theories with Lockhart, heard the knock and frowned slightly. He disliked being interrupted but saw Lockhart nod and say, "Come in!"

Tony stopped speaking as May entered with the tea tray. She placed the cups on the table, poured tea for both men, and suddenly heard Lockhart's voice.

"May, when Mr. Stark leaves, give him the store bank account information . He will transfer an amount of 1 million dollars into it, to be used for maintaining the café."

May was stunned for a moment. One million dollars? What had her boss done to earn that from Tony Stark? She glanced at Tony, who nodded slightly, confirming the arrangement. May had no more questions. The boss had earned the money, and her café management hadn't even turned a profit.

Feeling a bit frustrated, she soon felt revitalized. If her plan worked, the café could definitely make a lot of money. This was an idea that came to her yesterday, and Lockhart's magic today prevented her from noticing any oddities. If he had noticed, he might have provided a magical suggestion.

As May agreed and left, Lockhart added a spell to block sound and perception. He poured tea for himself and Tony and resumed the conversation.

"Tony, continue. Your point of view sounds very interesting."

Tony smiled, took a sip of tea, and continued, "Lockhart, you mentioned that magic impacts technological products, causing them to fail. I believe magic has an unknown type of radiation with special properties. It transforms the human body, granting unimaginable abilities, while also drastically affecting technological products."

Tony added, "A lot of cases show that many technological products react adversely or become non-functional in areas with special radiation. If we analyze this unknown radiation, we might neutralize or eliminate it within a certain range, allowing technological products to function normally."

Lockhart thought of Hogwarts, especially the vast magical power contained within it, and nodded. Seeing Lockhart's reaction, Tony became excited and continued, "If we can neutralize magic radiation, technological products like positioning systems, flying mechanisms, and scanning devices could operate normally."

Lockhart found Tony's description fascinating. It sounded like Tony was aiming to break into magical places like Hogwarts with his Iron Man armor. Though unlikely, it would be interesting to see.

Lockhart silently recorded Tony's valuable points, planning to test them in the Harry Potter world. Full realization of Tony's theory was impossible, as magic in the Harry Potter world allowed consciousness to override matter, exemplified by the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts. The theory of magical radiation couldn't fully explain this, but it might impact magic in certain ways. Lockhart decided to let Tony test his theories to perfect the magical practice system.

After a while, Tony finished his tea and was about to pour another cup when Lockhart used the Sling Ring to make the tea rise.

Seeing this, Tony exclaimed, "Lockhart, is it really impossible for me to learn magic?"

Chapter 75: On the Importance of High-Quality Workers

Hearing Tony's regretful tone, Lockhart shook his head. "For you, it's almost impossible. The magic I practice has strict bloodline requirements. Additionally, practicing magic requires an open mind. For a genius like you, who has achieved so much in science and technology, this is difficult to achieve. Even if you could practice magic, the conflict between your scientific mind and magical principles would render it ineffective."

Tony nodded helplessly but wasn't too discouraged. He believed technology was as powerful as magic. Moreover, he was confident that, even if someone mastered magic, he could still outdo them with his technological prowess.

Lockhart couldn't read Tony's thoughts, as he hadn't mastered Legilimency to the level of Dumbledore where he can just see into Tony eyes to read his mind. However, Tony's question had made Lockhart ponder deeply. How could a genius like Doctor Strange, who firmly believed in the material world, quickly master Kamar-Taj magic and become the Sorcerer Supreme? Part of it was due to Strange's innate magical talent. Another part was the drastic change in his life after his hands were severely injured, rendering him unable to perform surgery. This pushed him away from science and fully into the realm of magic.

Lockhart suspected that the Ancient One had a hand in Strange's fate. Otherwise, it would be difficult for such a gifted person to abandon his achievements in science completely. If someone wanted to combine science and magic, it wasn't impossible. Figures like Doctor Doom from the Marvel universe were prime examples. However, Lockhart believed in the purity of magic and chose to focus solely on it, using science only as a supplement.

Lockhart and Tony continued their conversation, discussing various aspects of magic and science. Lockhart's knowledge from past lives allowed him to keep up with scientific discussions. Time flew by, and soon it was noon. Before Lockhart could invite Tony for lunch, Tony asked to leave, saying he had a date.

As Tony Stark left the book café, Lockhart asked May to see off the guests. He began to clean the study, using his wand to make the debris fly back to their places. Closing his eyes slightly, he reviewed the valuable information he had obtained from their chat.

During the conversation, Lockhart had shared some basic magical theories with Tony. He believed that Tony's pride would keep him from divulging this knowledge. Additionally, with these magical theories, Tony might research interesting things that would eventually benefit Lockhart.

Lockhart could have taught Tony to learn magic through Kamar-Taj's methods, despite Tony's lack of a magical bloodline. Talents and cognitive barriers could be adjusted through magic. But Lockhart saw no value in this. There were many types of workers, and while he knew many top geniuses in magic, he knew very few in the field of science and technology, with Tony being the top one. This made him reluctant to let Tony delve into magic.

Underground Base

Alexander Pierce, the head of Hydra, looked at the tall, thin figure in front of him, especially noting the metal-like right arm. Hesitation flashed in his eyes. Next to him, Sitwell, a Hydra agent, asked respectfully, "Sir, do you need to dispatch the Winter Soldier this time?"

Pierce remained silent, contemplating the situation. Sitwell, noticing his hesitation, did not press further. Suddenly, Sitwell's phone buzzed. He glanced at it, and his expression changed. He approached Pierce and whispered, "Director, there's news from SHIELD. The target's abilities have been updated. It appears he has the ability to control people's consciousness and memory."

He showed Pierce the information on his phone. "After investigating the collective evacuation of the Vientiane Book Café, it was determined that all personnel had their memories altered and received strong psychological suggestions to keep everything that happened a secret. The wizard professor is suspected of having memory and mind control abilities. It is recommended to treat this with caution and cease all monitoring to prevent him from accessing SHIELD-related information."

Pierce was silent for a moment, then ordered the Winter Soldier to withdraw and return to cryostasis. His strategy had been to let SHIELD test the wizard professor to gather information without revealing Hydra's involvement. With Nick Fury ordering the probing to cease, Pierce's strategy was no longer viable. Yet, he wasn't willing to let the wizard act freely.

Curious about the magic mentioned by Nick Fury, Pierce planned to have someone test it. He hesitated to send his ace, the Winter Soldier, knowing the risks of mind control. Instead, he decided on a different approach.

Pierce made up his mind, considering the need to investigate the wizard professor thoroughly without endangering Hydra's assets.

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