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

"For example... coming to teach at Hogwarts and gaining Harry's favor or even support could help Lockhart take another step forward and achieve what he really wants to do."

"That's what I told Lockhart back then, and it's also the reason he was willing to go to Hogwarts. He simply couldn't refuse it... to become the 'savior' professor."

The influence of Voldemort still lingers even now; otherwise, people wouldn't use terms like "that person whose name cannot be mentioned" or "mysterious man" instead of calling him by his name.

Harry's defeat of Voldemort, leading to the collapse of Voldemort and his followers and restoring the English wizarding world to normalcy, had a profound impact.

Thinking of this, Vizet looked at Dumbledore and asked, "Headmaster Dumbledore, can I understand it this way? If it weren't for unforeseen circumstances... he probably wouldn't have left Hogwarts so easily, right?"

"Yes!" Dumbledore answered readily, then asked with interest, "Have you come up with a solution?"

“I just have an idea,” Vizette said thoughtfully. “Since he won’t leave Hogwarts easily, we can use Mr. Avagyan… to provoke Lockhart a little.”

Dumbledore stroked his beard and smiled, "Before, you wanted to try to 'lure the snake out of its hole,' but now you're preparing to 'stir up trouble'?"

Vizet nodded and explained his thoughts, "Based on my understanding of mental magic and memory, it's actually a good thing that Avakian is experiencing mental confusion."

Both Altom Avakian and Marlo Frey were somewhat puzzled. "What does this mean?"

Dumbledore helped explain: "This means that memories weren't erased by some means, but rather hidden and stored away. We can think of stored memories as a dessert cabinet..."

"Altom's current situation is that one of the desserts, along with the drawer compartment, has been completely removed... The resulting empty space will affect other memories as well."

"But if this memory is erased, then the cabinet will actually change... It will directly discard this empty space and re-enter a sealed state, so it will not be affected."

After saying that, he picked up a toffee finger biscuit. "Vizet, you can continue."

Vizette nodded. "Lockhart's magical theories are impressive... Now it seems that the reason he was able to master these magical theories is because his memories were not destroyed."

“Lockhart needs to periodically revisit those memories to ensure he can handle questions… to avoid forgetting the contents of the book and to reduce the likelihood of exposure and questioning.”

"And Mr. Avakian's appearance in front of him would arouse Lockhart's suspicion... that something might have happened to the preserved memories, and thus he would examine them."

“I get it!” Altom Avakian chuckled. “Once that bastard feels guilty, we’ll be able to find where the memories are hidden!”

His smile quickly faded. "But I'm in a very bad state right now. Even with the Baffy brain-clearing agent, I can't stay awake for long."

Wizette said, "Since the story in 'Wandering with Werewolves' is based on your own experience, we can create a temporary grid to temporarily replace the real grid."

"Did I hear that right?" Altom Avakian asked in surprise, looking at Dumbledore for confirmation. "To actually do...that much?"

Marlowe Fryant was also looking at Dumbledore, with a very similar look of confusion on his face.

“Magic is truly amazing,” Dumbledore said with a smile. “However… I’m afraid we’ll have to trouble Vizet with this.”

"When I brought you here, didn't I already tell you? I found a very reliable helper."

“I think it’s a good idea!” Altom Avakian rubbed his hands together, looking excited. “If a student were to carry it out… wouldn’t that be a case of risking big for small? I love this kind of thing!”

“Headmaster Dumbledore, I still need your help,” Vizzett said, looking at Dumbledore. “Because my experience is insufficient, I may not be able to recreate much of what is in the book.”

“Of course.” Dumbledore nodded, pressing his wand to his temple. “Please wait a moment…”

After a short while, he pulled out a silver thread and handed it to Vizet.

Based on Lockhart's words, Wizette continued to refine the "pivot theory," and what could be done according to this theory was not just as simple as breaking the Oblivion Curse.

Wizette also remembered Archimedes' famous quote: "Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world."

This statement can also be applied to the "fulcrum theory." As he continues his research, he will be able to leverage more and more things using the "fulcrum."

What he can do now is use the "sense of accomplishment after winning chips" as a fulcrum to pry open Altom Avakian's memories and insert the false memories constructed by Dumbledore...

Chapter 18 The Potion That Creates Something from Nothing?

The process went even more smoothly than expected. Dumbledore's creation of the false memories was very effective; there was almost no resistance when filling them in, as if they were the original memories.

This led Vizet to believe that Dumbledore must have been prepared in advance, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to achieve such a level of completion in such a short time.

When the effects of the Baffa brain-clearing agent wore off, Artom Avakian did not fall into confusion, proving that Vizette's approach and plan were correct.

Marlowe Fryer stared at Vezel in astonishment, muttering, "Incredible..."

Arthom Avakian covered his head, closed his eyes, and sensed it. "It feels like I've recovered..."

"But why... do I feel like things that were fun before aren't so fun anymore..."

“Altom, you need to stay at Hogwarts for a while,” Dumbledore explained. “So there are some things you need to avoid.”

Altom Avakian nodded, saying nonchalantly, "That's true! Shuffling and dealing are important steps anyway, let's just wait for that bastard to fall into the trap!"

……

"By imbuing them with special properties through guardian charms, we can create potions..."

As Vizette left the headmaster's office, she kept recalling what Snape had said.

Today, besides continuing to practice the "pivot theory," his biggest gain was his conversation with Snape.

The thought that he might actually be able to create magic potions "out of nothing" made him want to try it out.

After learning new knowledge, being able to try it out effectively will definitely help solidify that knowledge.

Without realizing it, he was already in the Potions classroom, standing in front of his locker.

“The potion ingredients that I’m currently familiar with enough and whose properties are simple enough are…” Vizet opened the storage cabinet, “horned slugs and dried nettles.”

"To brew a potion to treat boils, I'll need snake fangs... porcupine quills..." He rummaged through the potion ingredients and found the remaining snake fangs and porcupine quills.

"Palmtop Protector!" Vizzet raised his wand, attempting to construct a steamed horned slug directly, as Snape had instructed.

Of course, he also had his own ideas about it.

Using the Guardian Charm is the method of construction, and the construction process... he chose the magic circuit, which is a secret unique to him.

Using the Guardian Charm to manipulate the soul and construct the magical circuit of the horned slug is an extremely mentally taxing process that requires maintaining a high level of concentration throughout.

Furthermore, Vizette needs to incorporate ancient magical powers to speed up the process of creating the potion ingredients.

Even just completing one construction would make him feel a sudden darkness before his eyes and a slight sense of dizziness.

To avoid fainting again and ending up in the school hospital, he rested for a while before starting to construct the second horned slug.

The horned slugs obtained in this way are actually fluid-like, perhaps best described as an "extract".

The extract from horned slugs is a deep black, while the extract from dried nettles is a dull yellow.

Vizette added the crucible and immediately began adding the various ingredients according to the steps for preparing a boil-treating potion.

Having studied under Snape for a long time, making such a simple potion was naturally a piece of cake for him, and the cauldron smoothly emitted pure pink smoke.

Looking at the potion before him, Vizette felt an indescribable excitement. "This method really works! That legendary realm... is just water and sugar, fire and a cauldron!"

He quickly made a new connection: "If it's possible to concoct potions 'out of nothing,' then it seems not so different from casting spells and chanting incantations to release some effect, right?"

……

"Why should there be a difference?" Snape's voice suddenly appeared.

Vizette turned to look at Snape, who was also staring at him expressionlessly.

"Potions and magic are the prerogative of wizards," Snape continued. "Even if a Muggle followed the same steps to brew a potion, he would only get a pot of poison."

“You could even think of it this way: each syllable of a spell can correspond to a potion… the boundary between the two doesn’t need to be so clear.”

Wizette tried to understand what Snape was saying, "Professor Snape, you mean..."

"You don't need to know all that yet!" Snape crossed his arms. "First, lay a solid foundation, fully understand the properties of potions... then you can leave!"

He made way for her, saying, "I don't want another annoying ghost wandering around the Potions classroom because of a sudden death!"

Vizette blinked, conjuring a simple mirror, and found herself with droopy eyelids and a tired appearance.

He quickly waved his wand, tidied up the Potions classroom, and then bowed to Snape, saying, "Professor Snape, I'll go back and rest now."

Snape picked up the bottle of boil-healing potion, examining its color, his eyebrows unconsciously rising high.

His cheeks puffed out, but he ultimately said nothing and silently returned to his office.

-------------------------------------

With only two or three days until the Christmas holidays, Lockhart held a small mirror between his fingers, reflecting a bloodless and extremely haggard face.

He moved the small mirror with difficulty, so that it reflected on the top of his head, revealing an incredibly shiny scalp, even shinier than his previously carefully styled hair.

Lockhart felt somewhat dazed; he had almost forgotten how long he had spent in the school hospital.

It was as if the door to the school hospital had isolated him from the world.

He had seen Ravenclaw celebrating outside through the open door, and he had seen Filch grabbing at the students, but he had never seen anyone come to visit him.

"Could it be because my bed is too far inside? That's why they didn't see it?" Lockhart put down the mirror and murmured to himself.

“I’m the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor… I’ve been gone for so many days… Don’t they feel something’s missing?”

The doors to the school hospital opened, and Mrs. Pomfrey entered.

Seeing Lockhart clutching the mirror, Mrs. Pomfrey comforted him, "Lockhart, you should be brave and take the next step. Getting a wig is a good option."

“Oh…okay…” Lockhart nodded somewhat blankly, stuffed the mirror into his pocket, and slowly moved to the bedside to stand up.

Madam Pomfrey was right; the potion couldn't make him grow hair. During this time, he had gradually regained some of his spellcasting abilities through the notebook. It was time for him to leave!

Lockhart let out a long breath, forced a smile, and firmly pulled the wizard's hat over his head before walking out of the school hospital...