Chapter 25: Hogwarts Express

Hogwarts, Headmaster's Office

Dumbledore watched Lockhart walk out of the Headmaster's Office, flicked his wand, and closed the door.

"What do you think?" Dumbledore asked, looking at the portraits of past principals.

"He doesn't look like a dark wizard," the portrait of Principal Dilys Derwent jumped out first and said. "A typical Ravenclaw wizard, extremely intelligent and with a strong desire for knowledge."

"He is a qualified professor!"

"Hmph!" Principal Phineas Black's portrait snorted, "Of course you say good things about him; he is from your Ravenclaw house. I feel he is more suitable for Slytherin House. Look, just now he was thinking of dragging Dumbledore into his club."

"Okay, stop talking." The portrait of the previous principal, Armando Dippet, interrupted. "Let's listen to what Albus has to say first."

Looking at Principal Dippet's gaze, Dumbledore said thoughtfully, "At the moment, there is no problem. He is a genius and a good young talent. The runes he just talked about really opened my eyes. At least one thing is certain: he is different from Quirrell and has nothing to do with Voldemort." At the end of the sentence, Dumbledore had a hint of a smile in his words.

In any case, Voldemort is the most troublesome problem, and the changes in his old student can be investigated slowly later. But there was another thing that surprised him. He had previously planned to explore the thoughts in Lockhart's mind by Legilimency. Just when he was about to cast the spell, he found that his mental power seemed to have encountered an obstacle. This obstacle was very weak, and he could break through it with a little force, thus learning Lockhart's thoughts. But this would definitely arouse the other party's vigilance. After all, it is not very polite to use Legilimency on a wizard. Especially if he was discovered, it would only arouse the hostility of the other party. Therefore, Dumbledore chose to give up and felt a little emotional. Such a clever method, it seems that Lockhart has indeed had many adventures in recent years. Well, Lockhart's previous performance had weakened Dumbledore's inner doubts a lot.

"I think there are some things to deal with. Let's talk among ourselves first." After thinking for a while, Dumbledore said. As he spoke, he stretched out his right hand, and the phoenix beside the window flew up and landed on his arm.

Bang!

A golden flame appeared with a "bang" and disappeared together with Dumbledore's figure.

Hogsmeade, Lockhart's Home

"Clean!" Lockhart emerged from the magic fireplace at home and once again cast a cleaning spell on himself. Watching the original dust disappear, Lockhart secretly decided that he must study Kamar Taj's Portal magic. Although it is not as suitable for combat as Apparition, it is definitely the best choice for traveling. Lockhart touched the necklace hanging around his neck and raised the corners of his mouth slightly. The preparations made in advance were indeed effective.

Since he knew in advance that Dumbledore was good at Legilimency, he had to find ways to guard against that. The function of this necklace is very simple: it is a warning. As long as it feels that someone is forcibly using Legilimency on him, the necklace will light up for everyone to see. Although it does not have a strong defensive effect, it is very effective against people like Dumbledore. A gentleman can deceive others. It would be better if people like Dumbledore were not discovered. Once there is a possibility of discovery, he is too considerate of other people's thoughts and chooses to stop taking action.

So is reality. He only felt the necklace touch slightly, but there was no reaction. If it were Voldemort—humph—he actually has a magic item on him that can resist Legilimency. The scene of noseless Voldemort, who directly cast the Cruciatus Curse without listening to his subordinates' explanations, suddenly appeared in Lockhart's mind, and a smile suddenly appeared on his face.

But there was one thing that disappointed Lockhart. He saw Dumbledore asking him about runes before, and he was very happy in his heart. He quickly introduced the runes eloquently. The result: the more he introduced, the more excited he became, but Dumbledore didn't seem to feel much and just nodded or praised from time to time. Somewhat perfunctory!

Lockhart thought. No, the great cause of studying runes requires Dumbledore's participation. Otherwise, without the endorsement of the White Devil Dumbledore, he might be besieged by a group of pure-blood families before he even started. Although Lockhart looked down on those pure-blood families, there was no denying their strength and influence. They will not watch helplessly as a brand-new magic system affects their status and rights. Lockhart put himself in their shoes for a moment. Who dares to interrupt his magic research and ruin his plan? Who would want to kill him for that? Even if he couldn't defeat them directly, weren't there indirect methods?

The nuclear bombs in the Muggle world are not a good option. Maybe he can get hold of machine guns, rocket launchers, and high explosives. Of course, Lockhart needs to think about this. He is not as arrogant as Grindelwald. If he really did such a thing in front of the wizarding world, he is afraid that, like Grindelwald, he would have to face the encirclement and suppression of the entire wizarding world, and even Dumbledore would have to take action. Not to mention, the magical world also has prophecies and divination, which are unscientific but very magical. No, when he thought of this, Lockhart felt a sense of urgency in his heart. Later, he must get close to Trelawney, the Divination Professor at Hogwarts.

Platform Nine and Three-Quarters

Lockhart, wearing a common wizard robe, holding a suitcase in his left hand and his wand in his right, stood in the waiting area, waiting quietly. Although it was said that he could take the Floo Network directly to Hogwarts, Lockhart clearly expressed his refusal to Floo! Well, it was actually because Lockhart was interested in the Hogwarts Express. On the one hand, it was because, in his previous life, the Hogwarts Express was one of the most classic scenes for many Harry Potter fans. He wanted to experience it himself, and it was like fulfilling a dream from his previous life. On the other hand, he wanted to explore how the magic train works. Because as far as the information he has is concerned, the magic and technology in the Harry Potter world are in conflict with each other.

In short, if there's magic, there's no technology; if there's technology, there's no magic. Therefore, Hogwarts, including many wizarding families, does not have Muggle technological equipment. He heard that the trains at Hogwarts were transformed through magic, and he wanted to learn from this. When he returns to the Marvel world, he might be able to shine. Therefore, Lockhart came to the waiting platform early and waited for the train. Before long, the waiting platform was filled with a large number of Hogwarts students. The young wizards in first and second years are still young, and their parents are accompanying them. But most of the fourth- and fifth-year students were waiting alone with their luggage, and their parents had already left.

At this moment, Lockhart had already cast a spell on himself to reduce his sense of presence—these little wizards were too annoying. Especially the little wizard who keeps chirping on and on.

Bang! Bang! Clang!

The sound of a train arriving at the station was heard in his ears. Lockhart looked at the slightly worn Hogwarts Express, which was mainly black and mixed with red, and the corners of his mouth were slightly raised. Seeing a large number of young wizards pouring into it, he stood there quietly with a complicated expression in his eyes.

This is the atmosphere of school!

It feels so familiar. In his previous life, when the university had just opened, he could see a large number of students dragging a large amount of luggage in at the gate of the school, pouring in like water. Unfortunately, in the two years before his death, for safety reasons, the school issued a policy to restrict the flow of people, so it was rarely seen. Today he saw it again. Even though he is in another world, he still felt a sense of intimacy in his heart.

Lockhart watched quietly. He saw the restraint of the first-year wizards and the excitement of the second-year wizards. At the same time, he also observed the reluctance and nostalgia of the senior students for their holiday life. This scene seems familiar and quite nostalgic. His heart is clear and calm, neither sad nor happy.

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