Chapter 83: New Candidates for Workers

Hogwarts, Defense Against the Dark Arts office.

Lockhart sat at his desk, looking at the black notebook on the table, carefully reviewing his meticulously forged memories. After thinking for a moment, he controlled a quill next to him and silently wrote:

*On Runes and Immortality - Gilderoy Lockhart*

*Experiment 16: In addition to maintaining the immortality of the soul, extending lifespan must also provide sufficient vitality for the body. Research has shown that soul runes are beneficial to increasing the activity of the soul, but at the expense of the body's vitality. Therefore, the human body must be strengthened, and we can start with the bloodline.*

*Idea 1: Pure wizard blood.*

*Essay: It has been two weeks since I came to Hogwarts as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. I have to say that the books in the library have really helped me a lot. The differences between ancient runes and modern runes are worthy of in-depth study. Through comparison, we can find new functions and more effectively display the meaning of runes.*

A dense section of rune research plus essays, basically a full 10 pages. After finishing writing, Lockhart closed the notebook, took out a delicate blue wooden box from the suitcase, which also contained a notebook of his research on runes, and then put the black notebook in it. At this moment, a smile appeared on Lockhart's face.

There was no need to rush into researching Voldemort's Horcruxes. First of all, the first thing to do is to be able to communicate with the Horcrux, and how to let the other party communicate with him efficiently? There is no doubt that he can only give the other person what they want; otherwise, no one will pay attention to him for no reason.

And what could Lockhart give to Horcrux Voldemort? Is it possible that he can provide life force to the notebook and help him resurrect like in the original work? Lockhart would only do this if he was mentally retarded. Or pretend to be a child and get this notebook by chance. So what's the point?

He knew what the most valuable thing about Voldemort's Horcrux was: the fragment of his soul, specifically, Voldemort's own talent. This is a Dark Lord who can fight against Dumbledore, and his magical talent is beyond doubt. Pretending to be a child and discussing runes with him would be a waste. It would be better to use the immortality that Voldemort has been pursuing as bait to lure him. As long as he has desires, he has weaknesses. If there was a weakness, Lockhart might be able to exploit it.

Well, actually, Lockhart's core goal is to make Voldemort work for him. This is what he considers to be the most valuable thing about Voldemort's Horcrux, besides the notebook itself.

What is most important in the 21st century? Talent!!! A person's intelligence, especially the intelligence of top talents, is a valuable asset that cannot be measured in value. This sentence makes what Lockhart often mentioned in his previous life equally feasible in the wizarding world.

Now Lockhart gave Voldemort a general idea of pursuing immortality through runes, as well as a detailed introduction to runes. The rest depends on the other person's desire to pursue immortality. As for the effect, Lockhart said that just now he sensed several extremely obscure spiritual thoughts sweeping through him. However, the other party did not forcefully break through his memory but just wandered around the periphery to capture his emotions. This was not what Lockhart had expected.

He had previously specialized in studying the methods of many mind masters, which were almost the same as what Voldemort just used. They all sense the other person's emotions and thought fragments, and then combine them with their own experience to obtain their own information without anyone noticing. This is the method a master of mind thoughts should have. For example, Dumbledore did this before, and Voldemort did the same. Directly entering other people's minds to obtain memories is too crude a method.

Well, of course, what Voldemort obtained was all information he had forged before. What he forged was a professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts who was obsessed with using runes to pursue immortality and power. He believed this would surprise Voldemort.

---

*At noon the next day, Hogwarts corridor.*

Lockhart had just finished teaching today's lessons to the fifth-year students and was preparing to return to his office. As a result, in the corridor, he saw Snape walking towards him, wearing a black robe and an expressionless face.

"Hi, good afternoon, Professor Snape."

Snape saw Lockhart across from him, probably because of the previous transaction, so he had a stiff smile on his face, nodded, and replied, "Good afternoon, Professor Lockhart." Then he walked directly past Lockhart and towards his office.

Regarding Snape's attitude, Lockhart shrugged, but after thinking about it, he turned around and said, "Professor Snape, when are you free in the afternoon? I'll go to the office to find you. Your goods have arrived."

After hearing what Lockhart said, Snape turned around, stared into Lockhart's light blue eyes, and said, "I have classes in the afternoon, and I'm free at 8pm." Lockhart thought for a moment and nodded in agreement. After Snape saw it, he didn't say anything and turned around to continue walking to his office. Although he was interested in the two unknown magical plants mentioned by Lockhart, he now had a pot of potion boiling and needed to go back in time to adjust the heat.

Lockhart was walking leisurely, and from time to time some young wizards who had just finished class would say hello to him, and of course, he would respond with a friendly nod. Soon, he returned to his office. After returning to the office, Lockhart took out the delicate blue box from the nearby bookshelf and took out the black notebook inside. Turning to the latest page, he continued to write:

*No. 58 Rune Conjecture.*

*Guess the meaning: Soul Cloud*

*Effect: It has the effect of nourishing the spirit. It is suspected to be related to the soul. It can consume either vitality or magic power.*

*Guessed uses: Improve spiritual power, enhance the spirituality of magic items, and temporarily enhance the psychic telepathy of wizards.*

Lockhart simply wrote a few lines of conjecture about rune No. 58 and briefly sketched a rune No. 58, then closed the notebook again and put it back into the blue box. Communication with Voldemort couldn't be accomplished overnight, and he never thought about letting the other party reveal his identity through a few lines of words. Therefore, Lockhart is prepared to reveal some information that is helpful to the soul and immortality in his notebook from time to time. He believed that before long, Voldemort would take the initiative to talk to him.

After all, he simply put forward his conjecture, and at most he could only draw a rune. If the other party wants to get more key information, they can only communicate with him. Lockhart was quite skilled in this move when discussing projects in his previous life.

---

Later that evening, Lockhart went to Snape's office at the agreed time. Snape, as usual, wore a stern expression, but there was a glimmer of curiosity in his eyes.

"Good evening, Professor Snape," Lockhart greeted as he entered the office.

"Good evening, Lockhart. You mentioned you had something for me?" Snape asked, his voice as sharp as ever.

"Yes, indeed," Lockhart replied, pulling out a small, carefully wrapped package from his bag. "This contains the two unknown magical plants we discussed."

Snape's eyes narrowed with interest as he took the package. "Interesting. I'll examine these later. Thank you."

Lockhart nodded, "I believe you'll find them quite fascinating. Also, if you need any assistance with your research, don't hesitate to ask."

Snape gave a curt nod, "I will keep that in mind. Now, if you excuse me, I have some potions to attend to."

Lockhart took his leave, feeling a sense of accomplishment. As he walked back to his office, he couldn't help but think about the potential alliance with Voldemort's Horcrux. If he could tap into that dark power, it would open up new possibilities and avenues for him. But for now, patience was key. He needed to let Voldemort come to him.

As he settled back at his desk, he reflected on his strategy. Everything was falling into place. The seeds were planted, and it was only a matter of time before they bore fruit. With a contented sigh, Lockhart resumed his studies, knowing that the future held great promise.