Hogwarts: From Luna's House to Godhood Through Intense Competition

Mr. Snape, did you know... that the Chamber of Secrets was opened fifty years ago? And only I... know what really happened back then!

Chapter 3: The Adventurer Lockhart? The Deceiver Lockhart?

"The secret chamber was opened fifty years ago?" Lockhart gripped the quill tightly, his almost vanished thirst for knowledge suddenly resurfacing, making him want to know about the secret chamber.

He glanced nervously at the door, wondering if it was just his imagination, but he felt as if the door was trembling.

He slowly wrote down a line of text: "What kind of monster is inside?"

What the monster is doesn't matter, because it may have already been destroyed. If I'm not mistaken, Dumbledore will do what he did back then: find another scapegoat.

“What did you say?” Lockhart’s eyes widened. “Dumbledore found a scapegoat?”

That's right! Pansy Parkinson is the scapegoat.

Lockhart recalled, "Snape also mentioned Pansy Parkinson at that time!"

New handwriting emerged from the notebook.

I hope Dumbledore and his companions never came looking for you, otherwise you might end up like me, forced to do nothing to protect yourself and wait for future generations to uncover the truth.

Upon seeing this line, Lockhart's mind raced with countless conspiracy theories. He wrote down, "What do you mean? What exactly did Dumbledore do?"

Mr. Snape, you can also go to the awards room on the fourth floor. There's a special contribution award medal there that belongs to me; it's the result of my choice to comply.

[Back then, I was just an ignorant child, misled by Dumbledore, and made a mistake I'll regret for the rest of my life—I accused Rubeus Hagrid!]

The honor I received tormented me, like being trapped in a whirlpool from which I could not escape! Yet, I was also afraid; I feared someone would discover that I was Dumbledore's accomplice.

I felt guilty towards the victim from back then, so I decided to give my life to express my remorse. But before that, I left behind a notebook to expose Dumbledore's crimes.

Lockhart couldn't help but sigh, "Deeply entangled in the vortex of honor..."

Looking at the string of words appearing on the notebook, he could empathize and understand that feeling of torment.

Especially at Hogwarts, this feeling of torment grew stronger as his fanbase dwindled...

Lockhart jolted awake, abruptly putting down his notebook. "No! I can't get myself into any more trouble! It's more important to escape!"

Just as he was about to close the notebook, stuff it into his suitcase, and leave, new content appeared on the notebook.

[Gidro Snape...sir? I remember Pansy Parkinson telling me they had a professor named Gilderoy Lockhart.]

This professor is quite amazing. Despite having written so many books, he has never demonstrated any real magic in class...

Upon seeing these two lines, Lockhart felt a chill run down his spine and immediately picked up his notebook, attempting to tear it in half.

After finding it difficult to tear, he tried stabbing it with a letter opener and splashing ink, but to no avail.

[Mr. Lockhart, those books must have brought you a considerable income... Do you really think you can escape unscathed?]

Perhaps the adventurer Lockhart in the book could indeed do that. But... isn't it a bit too much to assume that Lockhart is a con artist much like the Squib?

Lockhart frantically scribbled down a line: "What exactly do you want to do?"

"I am not your enemy, Professor Lockhart. I can help Pansy Parkinson become the heir to the Chamber of Secrets, which will also help you become a normal wizard."

"Really?"

[A drop of blood on the notebook is all it takes for us to communicate better.]

Lockhart's lips trembled, his gaze shifting back and forth between the letter opener and the notebook.

As if he had made a decision, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and picked up the letter opener, stabbing it into his finger.

As the blood dripped, he also felt a sensation of falling, as if he were weaving through the pages of a book, flitting among a strange array of colors and light.

At the end of the eerie colors, there seemed to be a figure. Only after he regained his balance could he finally see the figure's exact appearance.

He was a handsome young man with black hair and black eyes, dressed in a Hogwarts school uniform, exuding a cold and unhurried aura.

“Mr. Lockhart… so this is why you can’t cast spells?” The young man snapped his fingers, and a mirror appeared in front of Lockhart.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Lockhart let out a terrified scream, "Who is this? What have you done to me! I'm getting out of here!"

The mirror showed a human figure that looked like stained glass, with every inch of skin appearing as if pieced together, and it looked extremely distorted.

However, what terrified Lockhart the most was the large rift in the middle of the humanoid figure;

The crack looked extremely fresh, as if it had only recently opened; the edges were even twitching and wriggling, as if trying to close up and heal...

"So that's how it is..." The young man snapped his fingers again, making the mirror disappear. "Mr. Lockhart, you should calm down and listen to me!"

"He stuffed other people's memories into his own, but because he couldn't integrate these memories, his suppressed magical talent deteriorated further, and he became a stitched-together monster."

Unable to see that strange expression, Lockhart calmed down a bit, opened his mouth, and trembled as he asked, "How...how did you know?"

"What? You're willing to talk now?" The young man wore a smug smile. "Want to take it a step further? For example... eliminating those who know your secrets?"

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After lunch, Vizette and Luna walked out of the castle gate one after the other.

Vizette appeared to be carrying a pot of mandrake, but in reality, she used a levitation spell to make the pot move with her, so it didn't take much effort.

Luna walked ahead, her waving wand like a joyful butterfly, clearing a path through the snow on either side.

The rainy weather at Hogwarts finally ended, and the snow arrived just in time, blanketing the castle in a thick, white blanket.

After the heavy snow, free from the worries of overcast and rainy weather, the sun reappeared in a flash.

It struggled for a while with the lingering clouds before finally breaking through, casting brilliant sunlight through the edges of the wispy clouds.

Sunlight spilled onto the ground, reflecting off the snow on both sides of the road, making it look as if two golden mountain ranges had been created out of thin air.

Luna would occasionally raise her wand and pick out a few beautifully colored leaves from the "Golden Mountains".

If the leaves are hidden treasures, then Luna is the discerning Niffler who can always spot them immediately, dig them out, and stuff them into her pocket...

Chapter 4 The Unique Mandrake

The journey from the castle to the greenhouse wasn't short, but Vizette felt that time flew by.

It seemed like only a blink of an eye before Luna, who had been clearing the way for him, turned around, her cheeks flushed. "It feels like only a short while has passed, and we've already arrived at our destination!"

With the Christmas holidays approaching, it means the weather will get colder and colder.

The mandrakes have grown bigger and bigger, and now they've become restless. In addition to digging into the soil to breathe, they're also looking for opportunities to try and climb out of the flowerpot.

Sprout, with pink earmuffs around his neck and a shovel in his hand, said, "If the mandrake gets cold, the tubers may die, and all our efforts will be wasted."

"Therefore, it is very important to take measures to keep warm! We need to put socks and scarves on the mandrakes, and make sure these cute little guys don't get cold."

"First, tap the edge of the flowerpot three times with a shovel... Yes, just like knocking on a door... After all, they've grown up. Wait until they've extended their roots before you start shoveling soil."

Beside her were two baskets filled with brightly colored scarves and socks. "These little guys are very picky about colors, so you'll have to keep an eye on their reactions later."

This was also the reason why Vizette brought mandrake to the greenhouse.

Besides him and Luna, about a dozen other people, including Neville, Hannah, and Cedric, stood in a semi-circle around Sprout.

Dressing up mandrakes is a delicate task, so it's not suitable as part of a formal course. Therefore, only a small number of students were invited, making it a unique private lesson.

As Sprout distributed the earmuffs, Luna leaned close to Vizet and said, "Our mandrake seems unusually well-behaved? It's usually very docile... like a moon-obsessed beast."

“It does look quite similar.” Vizette nodded. “Only when I bring the special fertilizer will it be so eager to jump around and dance.”

……

After everyone had put on their earmuffs, Professor Sprout picked up a pot of mandrakes, raised it as if shoveling a spade, and then tapped it three times on the edge of the pot.

The mandrake in the pot reacted quickly; as soon as the third tap was finished, it immediately stretched out its roots and began to pry open the surrounding area.

Sprout then raised the shovel and tilted the flowerpot slightly so that everyone could see it clearly.

She had barely removed the surface soil when the mandrakes eagerly sprouted, quickly clinging to the edge of the pot as if trying to escape.

Sprout grabbed the mandrake, pulled out a sock and a scarf from the basket, and waved them in front of the mandrake.

The mandrake tossed the orange scarf aside and waved its roots at the light blue socks.

Sprout held up the scarf and shook it before changing his socks to orange, successfully keeping the mandrake warm.

After finishing the task of keeping the first pot of mandrake warm, she gestured for everyone to remove their earmuffs.

"See? Normally, it will show aggression towards things it doesn't like. However, the force with which it swings varies; you'll have to figure it out yourselves..."

Sprout added a few points, then had everyone put their earmuffs back on, split into pairs, and begin dressing the mandrakes in winter coats.

……

Just as Luna said, the mandrake they were tending to was usually very well-behaved.

When Luna put socks on it, it obediently shook its head and cooperated. Even when Luna paired it with socks of different colors, it didn't show any sign of resistance.

Moreover, this mandrake is at least one size larger than other mandrakes.

If it weren't for the discrepancies in the details and Sprout's personal confirmation, Wizette would have thought it was ready.

Neville and Hannah also took apart the soil, but the mandrake was not so cooperative. It didn't like any of the different colors it was given and kept waving its roots, looking impatient.

Seemingly disturbed by the mandrake, the mandrake in front of Vizet suddenly opened its mouth wide, and the mandrake that Neville was holding also opened its mouth wide.

Luna tilted her head, picked up the colorful mandrakes, and brought them to the two baskets.