The slacker professor at Hogwarts

Chapter 373 Published

It's clear that today's Quidditch Duel School Team Tournament can't continue.

Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and Lockhart all had to participate in meetings with the Ministers of Magic from various countries to address the issues arising from this unexpected incident.

Some more perceptive people have clearly noticed this situation.

That is the "Three-way Battle" which clearly depends on the will of these three principals. It constantly showcases the excitement of the competition and various unexpected wonders, but it can never escape the will of the principals.

The following meeting was very delicate.

The conference was held in a white seven-pointed star-shaped building in the New Era Basin.

This building appears to be specifically designed for large conferences. Upon entering, three giant flags bearing the emblems of the three major magic schools hang from the tall and wide dome.

There were many people attending the meeting.

The principals and key figures of the three major magic schools, important figures of the International Wizarding Federation and the Ministries of Magic of various countries, members of the International Wizengamo Management Organization and the Wizengamo of the Ministries of Magic of various countries, important figures of the International Aurors and the Auror organizations of the Ministries of Magic of various countries, representatives of the Examination Authority, the Order of Merlin, the Association of Extraordinary Apothecaries, and representatives of the major pure-blood families —

Some people will be surprised to find that almost all of the most powerful and influential people in the entire wizarding world are here.

This is even higher level than a meeting of the International Confederation of Wizards!

And so, naturally, the three-way battle brought everyone together here.

The first to take the stage and speak was Cornelius Fudge, Albus Dumbledore's political vanguard and Minister of Magic of Great Britain.

Despite Fudge's usual cunning and manipulative demeanor towards Dumbledore, he has never disagreed with Dumbledore on crucial issues.

He vehemently denounced the Death Eaters' madness and passionately recounted the dangers of such behavior.

Then the French Minister of Magic, Orim Maxime, began to use this as an excuse to make a fuss.

Mrs. Maxime was the former headmistress of Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but lost her position due to Gellert Grindelwald's machinations.

In protest against this, the Western European pure-blood families represented by the French Wizarding Council united and used their influence to force the nearly 100-year-old French Minister of Magic to step down, and replace him with Madame Maxime.

They had high expectations for this female minister who had giant blood.

However, some of the things Mrs. Maxim said seem rather intriguing.

She believes that the attack during the Triwizard Tournament exposed the incompetence of the Aurors in the various national Ministries of Magic.

They believe a new Auror team should be formed specifically to protect the event.

And strengthen the team's capabilities.

How to strengthen it?

The Ministry of Magic was clearly unable to do this, and could only send them back to magic schools for further education, giving the three headmasters a headache.

But is it really just a headache?

"Mrs. Maxim has secretly sided with Grindelwald?" Lucius Malfoy said to Barty Crouch in disbelief.

Old Barty, his face expressionless and devoid of emotion, simply said, "No one can ignore the growth of these young wizards. The Aurors obviously need to improve as well. They are the most combat-ready among the new generation cultivated by the wizarding world."

Lucius chuckled softly. "You know, from now on, these people won't just be obeying the Ministry of Magic, but also magic schools."

"I can guarantee that whoever is in charge of these Aurors, Grindelwald will exert his influence to make them follow the Triwizard Tournament's 'Tournament Curse Usage List,' which will be different from the previous guidelines centered on the 'Secrecy Act.'"

Old Batti's gaze deepened and sharpened. "This is what the new era is like, isn't it?"

New Era —

Lucius fell silent.

He remained silent, but Old Barty had something to say.

Old Barty leaned closer and whispered, "I heard the Malfoy family is trying to invest in Beauxbatons and some wizarding businesses in France, but this attempt to expand overseas hasn't been very successful. The Lestrange family in France, along with those pure-blood families in Western Europe, are resisting you?"

Lucius's face darkened, a flash of anger crossing his eyes. "They can only sabotage me in secret; they dare not target me openly, because they know who's behind me!"

Old Barty chuckled, "You can imagine."

Lucius was indignant. "The Malfoys are not outsiders! The Malfoys also originated from the French wizarding world!"

"Let's give up there!" Old Barty suggested. "I don't know if you're interested in the German wizarding world."

"Germany?" Lucius exclaimed in surprise. "I can't think of anything good about that place!"

"The rigorous approach unique to the German wizarding community has enabled them to play a vital role in the wizarding professional certification system from Europe to the Americas. This is a force that is difficult for ordinary people outside the examination authority to imagine."

Old Barty whispered, "Thanks to Beauxbatons' existence, the voice of the French wizarding world has always been louder than theirs. They desperately need a powerful force to rely on, you know."

He pointed out, "Now is a critical moment. The German Minister of Magic is too greedy and stupid. Too many people are against him, and things have escalated to the International Confederation of Wizards."

"They need to replace the Minister of Magic, but they don't have a good candidate."

"Malfoy walked into them, Malfoy became them, Malfoy was raised as a flag, I think you should be able to see this prospect."

Lucius shook his head, showing no interest in becoming Minister of Magic.

Malfoy wanted influence that went beyond the Ministry of Magic, not just the Minister of Magic.

"That's the crux of the problem!"

Old Barty's expression was full of meaning as he gestured to the stage, "No matter how close Fudge is to Lord Lockhart, he can't openly support Lord Lockhart on certain occasions. He has no choice."

"You see, Fudge has Dumbledore behind him, and Madam Maxime has Grindelwald behind her. At this moment, no one on stage is speaking up for Lord Lockhart."

"The German Minister of Magic has the background, but the current minister is a fool, unless he becomes Malfoy."

Lucius gasped, his gaze fixed intently on Old Barty. "You're planning to use your power to support me?"

No one can ignore the influence of the Crouch family, a long-established family in the British wizarding world, in the Commonwealth of Wizards, especially in an era when the oldest family, the Black family, has lost its influence.

Barty simply smiled and said, "Only if the Malfoy family is worthy of support."

"What do you want?" Lucius frowned, his expression full of vigilance.

"The board of directors of the three major magic schools have clearly not yet adapted to the new era; they must make some changes."

Old Barty said in a somber tone, "The Durmstrangers' Board of Trustees is almost entirely dominated by Grindelwald's men, but that's not the case at Hogwarts and Beauxbatons."

"It's time to oust some incompetent board members and select some useful people to join, such as the Crouch family."

"I hope you can lead us into Hogwarts, into Beauxbatons."

Lucius raised an eyebrow. "Us?"

Old Barty nodded. "This is also the opinion of Ms. Melissa, and many others."

"How interesting!" Lucius quipped. "With the shift to a new era, whether it's the Anglo-French alliance or the Franco-British alliance, most people have chosen to side with Lord Lockhart?"

He doesn't think everyone is doing this for the Malfoy family.

Old Batistuta smiled and shrugged, "After experiencing the fierce battle of today's match, I believe everyone has their own answer."

Look at Ron, look at Hermione, look at Draco, look at Cedric, look at all these little wizards.

Everyone knows who brought about these changes.

Unbeknownst to many, the most mainstream theme in the wizarding world has quietly shifted from "wizards and Muggles in the era of Dumbledore and Grindelwald" to "pure-blood supremacy and Muggle wizards in the era of Dumbledore and Voldemort" to "making magic great again in the new era."

Quietly and without fanfare, yet attracting so much attention.

This isn't about taking sides; it's about wanting to board the ship of the new era.

On this ship, one eye-catching figure after another has appeared, rising again and again in this highly anticipated three-way battle for supremacy, their dazzling brilliance no longer able to be concealed.

Lockhart was indifferent to the meeting.

He sat in a secluded corner, discussing his new book's sales strategy in hushed tones with Rita and others.

In his previous book, "Voldemort the Mysterious Man: A Pureblood Supremacist with a Muggle Dad?", he gave up most of the profits in order to promote it, which resulted in the book consistently ranking number one on the bestseller list but generating little revenue.

Now he needs more funds; several projects have ushered in a development opportunity, and the amount of money he needs is not ordinary.

It's time to release more new books.

Two books he wrote.

King's Cross Station: Albus's Transfiguration World

"Giddro Lockhart Teaches You How to Conjure a Spiritual Messenger" (This book discusses the relationship between the self and the spiritual realm within the realm of magic, as well as the three spells of Guardian Charm, Serpent Summoning, and Anima Protection).

In addition to these two books, I also included two student books.

Gilderoy Lockhart's Guide to the Path to Magical Mastery—and Hermione Granger's Journey Through It All

"Professor Lockhart's Fairy Tale World" (Inspired by Hermione, this work was spearheaded by Percy Weasley in collaboration with the Gazette of the Duel Club, inviting young wizards who were members of the club to compile the fairy tale theories taught by the professor.)

"This is a great opportunity!"

Elrian Greengrass, editor-in-chief of The Wizarding Weekly, gestured to the topic being discussed on stage: the re-education and strengthening of the new Auror teams. "If you have a way to designate these books as their teaching materials, or important reference books," he said.

This is obviously not a difficult task.

Lockhart had no idea that the first pot of gold for his new book would come from the textbook fees paid by the Aurors, obtained from the various Ministries of Magic.

Rita Skeeter, editor-in-chief of the Daily Prophet, clearly looked down on these Aurors, considering them too low-class. "I think we should focus on the Triwizard Tournament," she said. "Every time a young wizard performs well, it's a great opportunity to promote these books!"

"Yes, I agree." Xenophilius Lovegood, editor of The Quibbler, was all too good at conspiracy theories. "I think many people have a lot to say about this attack, and the giant cat that Ron Weasley summoned is a good topic."

He became more and more excited as he spoke, looking at everyone, "Let's hype this up together, making the cat's magic sound more and more absurd, until we arrive at the correct answer, which is the guide written by Lord Lockhart, 'Giddro Lockhart Teaches You How to Conjure Spiritual Messengers'."

The editor-in-chief of *Curse of Innovation* looked at these veteran journalists, hesitated for a moment, and then offered his opinion: "I think we should focus on the new era. What's happening among the new generation in the three-way battle for supremacy in the New Era Basin are all fragments of this new era."

"And the best commentary on the new era is the wisdom contained in the magical books written and guided by Lord Lockhart."

wow~

That sounds like it might be true.

Anyway, Lockhart really enjoys discussing things with these people; they always come up with some very constructive ideas.

Lockhart left before the meeting was over.

Because Audrey Flamel brought news that Voldemort had appeared in Beauxbatons.

This wouldn't have been a big deal; Voldemort also had the identity of Beauxbatons' vice-principal, but the timing of his appearance was somewhat problematic.

Now that I've come here, I don't even know what I'm here for.

Audrey dared not be negligent and hurried over to the meeting room to remind and inform them.

So Lockhart decided to just go and talk to Old Voldemort directly.

Ever since Dumbledore used his Transfiguration to bring the three schools together, the way of life in the three schools began to change.

For example, the young wizards at Hogwarts no longer look forward to adventuring in the Forbidden Forest; instead, they prefer to come to the New Age Basin.

The same applies to Beauxbatons.

In response to this situation, the wealthy Beauxbatons spent a fortune to build a palatial castle in the middle of the road between the school and the New Age Basin.

Anyone attempting to cross this road must pass through the castle and obtain permission from the guards in a designated inspection room. (Sometimes house-elves are in charge.)

The castle was now largely complete, and many rooms had already been rented out as shops.

Lockhart unexpectedly spotted three shops at the most conspicuous corner near the interrogation room:

At the entrance of Severus's potion shop, there's a poster for the "White Dried Seed Medicine" organization's White Dried Seed Emergency Spray.

A shop with a sign for a colorful fish sculpture displayed various amulets, clearly part of the business Lupin led the werewolf community to develop at the colorful fish farm.

And a narrow, elongated shop, only a few square meters in size, with no sign, but inside hung photos of himself with the Duel Club students. Upon closer inspection, the shop contained only a vending machine in a style reminiscent of the Weasley twins' quirky antics.

The vending machine is a sculpture of a rabbit wearing a top hat, leaning on a cane in one hand and holding a honey jar in the other.

A sign hung below the honey jar that read: "Blank issue of the Duel Club Gazette, 1 Galleon per copy. (Please put it in the jar)"

Lockhart, somewhat curious, took out a Galleon and dropped it in.

"Thank you for your patronage~" Mr. Rabbit said in a sweet, witchy voice, which sounded like it was recorded by Lavender, a member of the Duel Club.

He released his cane, took off his hat, bowed slightly, and a copy of the "Duel Club Gazette" was revealed inside the hat.

Upon closer inspection, it wasn't completely blank; the first few pages listed indexes of recent trending topics.

It also suggests that if readers want to subscribe to a topic, they should write the index from the previous list in the blank space, and the subsequent content will be displayed.

The topic can be changed until the entire blank journal is filled with content.

Lockhart found it amusing, so he took out his magic quill pen and wrote the "Heart of Blessing" spell. Texts began to appear, and even some magical images appeared.

The photo mainly shows Ron casting Anima to protect Hakimi Cat during the event, with a small note below: "Provided by Rita Skeeter of The Daily Prophet".

A large number of reports and discussions quickly appeared below.

The most outrageous one is the article by the magical master Gellert Grindelwald, which is being generated little by little.

The key point is that Lockhart knew perfectly well that Old G was still participating in the meeting!

ha~

caught you!

While holding such an important meeting, I secretly wrote a magic commentary.

Lockhart chuckled, rolled up the magazine, and led Audrey toward the top floor of the castle.

Old Fu was there.

This is the closest he is to the New Era Basin.

Standing there, you can see some of the events happening in the New Era Basin, and if your eyesight is good, you can even see some live footage of the competition.

But seeing it is one thing, but the more inaccessible one is to the New Era Basin, the more one longs to enter.

"That's the future!"

Voldemort stood on the edge of the empty castle's top floor, the cold wind howling through his magical robes, his silhouette vaguely forlorn. "And I have been banished."

"Gidero~"

"Can you understand how I feel? I've been banished from the future, banished from the stage of the future world."

Lockhart understood perfectly well; the shapeshifting magic he cast on Harry had secretly shared Harry's Anima Protection.

Otherwise, why would he be called the "life thief"? Harry stole from Voldemort, so why can't he, the first generation, steal from him?

hey~

So Lockhart was indeed able to sense Voldemort's current state of mind and chaotic thoughts through Harry's Anima Guardian.

But sometimes thoughts can be deceiving, especially for Voldemort, who has achieved great mastery of Occlumency and Legilimency. Some thoughts are nothing but a jumble of weeds, and to truly understand the truth, one must communicate face-to-face.

"What are you planning to do?" Lockhart asked.

Voldemort turned around, his face full of melancholy and distress. This was the first time Lockhart had seen such a negative emotion as frustration on the face of this great villain. "There's nothing I can do."

He reached into the pocket of his wizard's robe and pulled out a thick stack of manuscripts. "Looking back on all the circumstances I've been through, I realize that it's actually you, the person I hate the most, who is willing to give me a chance."

Lockhart chuckled, unconcerned, and curiously took the manuscripts. He glanced at them and was astonished to discover that they were the potions book that the other party had promised to write.

The first page of the manuscript even had a special note in red ink: "Please write Tom Riddle in the author's column."

It means don't write about Voldemort.

"It seems the only thing I can do now is to become the vice-principal of Beauxbatons," Voldemort sighed deeply. "Help me publish this book. I think Dumbledore and Grindelwald will approve of it and tacitly allow me to teach Potions at Beauxbatons."

Lohatt nodded. This was an agreement he had made with Voldemort before. He had promised Voldemort that he would establish a potions laboratory in Beauxbatons, and Voldemort had promised to share his knowledge of potions at the school.

but----

Will Lao Fu be willing to accept this?

Obviously not!

Lockhart wasn't afraid of what Voldemort might do at his school; in fact, he was somewhat looking forward to it, because—

This is his fairytale adventure!

Tom~

Feel free to cause trouble!

I'm waiting!

Lockhart smiled at Voldemort, solemnly put away the manuscript, and promised, "You will soon see your Potions monograph in major newspapers and bookstores."