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

……

Dumbledore beckoned with his finger, caught the cup of potion that flew towards him, and pushed it towards Marlowe Fryant, saying, "Marlowe, this is the Buffet Brain-Boosting Potion you asked me to prepare..."

“The quality is exceptional!” Marlo Fofan exclaimed in surprise, leaning closer to Altom Avakian and raising his glass. “Give me some face! I’ll toast you!”

Altom Avakian took a step back, clutching his clothes to try and avoid making any more clanging metallic noises.

He looked suspicious. "Does this cost money? Surely you're not going to make me treat you after I drink it? You guys are so cunning! I've lost all my chips..."

Marlowe Fong quickly replied, "Of course not... I'll definitely treat you!"

“That’s great! Cheers!” Altom Avakian laughed heartily, stretching out his hand in another direction.

Marlo Fou was skilled at his work. Seeing Altom Avakian open his mouth wide, he immediately brought the cup to him and poured the entire potion down his throat.

"Hiccup!" Arthom Avakian obediently drank the potion, hiccuped, and finally calmed down, standing there in a daze.

“Superior quality!” Marlowe Fou placed the cup back on the desk, as if he had breathed a sigh of relief. “The Buffet brain-stimulating drug I used to calm him down will take at least half an hour to settle him down.”

Vizette stepped forward, bowed, and said politely, "Professor Freund, I am Vizette Lovegood, it's a pleasure to meet you."

“Vizette… Lovegood?” Marlowe Fofon murmured, scrutinizing Vizette carefully. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Dumbledore tapped on the desk, and a teapot and teacups immediately appeared in front of him. "Come and sit down for a while! Have some hot tea and some snacks to warm yourself up."

After Marlo Foufong took his seat, Vizette glanced at Artom Awakian, who was still standing.

“Let’s wait a little longer!” Marlowe Fofon said. “The Buffet’s mind-clearing agent has just taken effect; he won’t be fully alert for a while.”

"Okay." Vizette nodded and then sat down.

……

Marlowe Fou turned his head and looked at Vizet again, "When Damocles came to visit before, he mentioned a newly promoted junior potion master in England..."

"He said that the novice potion master was probably a student, but his potion-making skills were quite high. I think... he must be talking about you, right?"

Vizette nodded slightly. "Professor Frye, if no one happens to share my name and also happens to be a junior potion master in England, then it should be me."

"It's mainly because of Professor Snape's excellent teaching, and I only brew some regular potions, so the quality is relatively consistent. As for potions... I still have a lot to learn."

Marlowe Fryant nodded gently, a kind smile on his face. "Hmm... a good boy!"

“Damocles…” Dumbledore smiled and added three sugar cubes to his tea. “Marlowe, was the person who visited you Damocles Bellby?”

Marlowe Fryant nodded. "I had been in contact with him before, so after he received the Order of Merlin, he came specifically to thank me."

Chapter 16 The Misguided Wizard

Vizette listened quietly to get a sense of what Dumbledore and Marlowe Fryant were talking about.

Damocles Belby is also a potion maker, and according to the Daily Prophet, he recently received a Medal of Merlin for inventing the Wolfsbane Potion.

Marlowe Fong is an authority on werewolf research, and can even be called the first of his kind;

He disregarded his own safety and spent a long time with werewolves, conducting comprehensive research on their habits and summarizing many related theories.

Damocles Belby will make a special trip to thank Marlowe F. F., indicating that F. F. F. contributed a great deal of valuable information.

Marlowe Fryant chatted with Dumbledore for a while, then turned the conversation to Wizette.

“Albus, no one should be coming, right?” Marlowe Fou turned to look at the door, took a sip of tea, and asked, “The person who can help restore memories…”

"Could it be Vizette? It's not that I don't trust your judgment, it's just that he's too young! I've actually looked for quite a few potions masters before, including Damocles..."

“Marlowe, I understand you. It’s normal to have this thought.” Dumbledore nodded gently. “But you should at least give it a try.”

He pushed a piece of blueberry cake toward Marlowe Foufant and poured Vizette some tea. “Vizette, tell us in detail… about this Mr. Altom… which book is he the protagonist of?”

"Could you explain in more detail?" Vizet blinked, taking the time to organize her thoughts while drinking tea.

"When I was in the room just now, I heard a 'clinking' sound coming from outside the door. I guess it was the sound of coins... and copper nat at that."

“When Mr. Avakian looks around and speaks to you, he always mentions a key word: ‘bargaining chips’…”

“In ‘Wandering with Werewolves,’ ‘chips’ is a word that appears frequently, so he should be the protagonist of this book.”

“Of course, there’s an even simpler way to tell,” he said, changing the subject. “I know Professor Frey is an authority on werewolf research.”

"The Daily Prophet once published a report about Mr. Belby, who was able to win the award because he invented the wolfsbane medicine."

"With two elements related to werewolves added together, it seems that Mr. Avakian... should also be related to werewolves, so he can reach the same conclusion."

……

The opening plot of "Wandering with Werewolves" can actually connect to the story of "Boat Trip with Vampires".

After sending the vampire back to his hometown, the protagonist wins the favor of the vampire's sister. To avoid being bound by marriage, the protagonist abandons his luggage and leaves the manor with only a few copper nuts in his pocket.

After leaving the manor, the protagonist hides in a village where dark wizards gather, using a few copper knuckles as chips to try and win big, gradually making a name for himself, inevitably attracting the attention of the dark wizards behind the scenes.

The true identity of the mastermind behind the scenes is a werewolf. On the night of the full moon, the protagonist casts a spell to restore the werewolf's human form, and the werewolf follows the protagonist away from the village, embarking on a life of wandering together.

The term "chips" is mentioned only in the protagonist's victory declaration after winning:

"All the magic I possess is a stake for betting on success or failure. I have far too many stakes, so you absolutely cannot beat me!"

……

“Chips… those are valuable items.” Altom Avakian, who had been standing the whole time, seemed to finally come to his senses and plopped down in his seat.

“Marlow, how are you feeling now?” Dumbledore asked Marlow Foufant. “Actually, what I’m trying to say is… he’s quite familiar with Lockhart and has learned some tricks of the trade.”

Marlowe Fou suddenly realized, "You mean... that Oblivion Curse that even you can't break?"

Before Dumbledore could speak, Altom Avakian excitedly interjected, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's give it a try!"

"Without the Buffet brain-clearing agent, I'd be like a madman every day... I might as well take a gamble! Even if I only have one chip, it's still an opportunity!"

“Since the parties involved have no objections…” Dumbledore gave a helpless smile, “Vizet, why don’t you give it a try!”

“Alright!” Vizette looked at Altom Avakian. “Mr. Avakian, do you think the sense of accomplishment after winning chips is your favorite emotion?”

Arthom Avakian raised his eyebrows, beaming, "Of course! Especially when you're betting big! It feels like... like drinking a whole pot of mandrake leaf tea!"

Vizette coughed lightly, nodded, and said, "Understood! A sense of accomplishment... then I'll begin!"

He raised his wand, pressed it against Arthom Avakian's temple, and chanted the incantation to break the Oblivion Charm, "Hanging!"

As Vizette's understanding of mental magic deepened, his spellcasting became increasingly proficient. He then set about using a sense of accomplishment as a "fulcrum" to restore Arthom Avakian's memories.

To his surprise, there was no memory of being affected by the Oblivion Curse in Altom Avakian's memory.

……

Vizette opened her eyes and truthfully recounted what had just happened, "Headmaster Dumbledore, I couldn't find any related memories... I'm afraid the memories are with Lockhart."

Dumbledore nodded gently and said in a mild tone, "You've worked hard, but it's not entirely unexpected."

Marlowe Fong shrugged and sighed somewhat helplessly.

Altom Avakian spat. "Looks like we've lost... That bastard is really cunning!"

“Actually, I have another question in my mind…” Vizette looked at the three people in front of him, “Mr. Fryfon, since you are familiar with Belby, why can’t you ask him for some ideas?”

"In that case, perhaps we can bring charges against Professor Lockhart without restoring Mr. Avakian... or at least the Ministry of Magic will investigate, right?"

Marlowe Fryer wore a wry smile, hesitated, and said, "This..."

“The problem mainly lies with me,” Altom Avakian shrugged. “Actually, I’m not exactly a good person…”

"The reason I bother with dark wizards or dangerous magical creatures is mainly because the reward is high... Actually, my hobby is..."

He pulled a handful of copper knit from his pocket. "High risk, high reward! That's why I love using copper knit... Even though it's worth very little, having a huge pile of it makes a big impression!"

"Because of this peculiar hobby, no one is willing to testify. I also have some criminal records in Armenia. Without real memories, no one will believe me."

“That’s how it is…” Marlowe Fofon shrugged. “Giddro Lockhart is clever; he specifically targets these kinds of…not-so-honorable wizards, which is why he’s hard to detect.”

Chapter 17: Fake Memories Used to Alert the Enemy

When Lockhart steals other people's stories, he tries to find wizards who live in remote mountains and have little contact with the outside world as his targets.

In addition, given the eccentricities of these wizards, even if someone comes to their door and notices their abnormalities, they usually attribute the abnormalities to failed magical experiments or accidental potion accidents.

In some respects, Lockhart had made very meticulous preparations to ensure that the secret would not be discovered.

If it weren't for a stroke of luck that Dumbledore and his crew discovered him, Lockhart would probably have been hard to spot unless he was exceptionally outstanding.

This led Wizette to a question: "Headmaster Dumbledore... if Lockhart had simply kept his disguise and tried not to reveal his true strength..."

"Actually, he probably won't be discovered, right? Even if someone wants to verify it, he can use 'finding material' as an excuse to temporarily disappear from the public eye."

"Once the hype dies down, he'll return with a new book, which will be a response to some of the previous doubts... So why did he come to Hogwarts?"

“Yes…as long as he maintains the original rhythm, no one will be able to find his weakness…” Dumbledore nodded, “but people are prone to desires…”

“Making money through his writing is only the first step. After gaining wealth and recognition from his fans, he will have higher pursuits and desires, such as the various titles he always talks about.”

Hearing this, Vizette almost hallucinated, hearing the introduction so familiar it was practically calloused: "I... Gilderoy Lockhart... a third-class recipient of the Order of Merlin..."

Lockhart remembered these titles very clearly and would always recite them before engaging students in a performance in class.

Dumbledore continued, "When Lockhart felt he had gained the approval of others and possessed considerable wealth, he would naturally want to go further."