The slacker professor at Hogwarts

Chapter 382 A Glass of Wine

Lockhart described the scene of the spiritual sea before him as "a pot of soup".

A potion undergoing countless mysterious changes is brewing, destined for a final outcome. But this outcome is merely a direction; Lockhart yearns to participate, to reach into his wand and stir, unleashing his own will.

Seeing Lockhart frowning in thought, Audrey suddenly had an idea and said, "Perhaps I can be of some help."

Lockhart was taken aback, looking up at her. "What?"

"Actually, I am also putting your fairy tale theory into practice, but I am trying to integrate it into my own magical path."

"As you know, the descendants of our Flamel family have been deeply cultivating and accumulating knowledge on Nicolas Flamel's magical achievements, such as divination, one of Nicolas Flamel's most proficient fields —"

A little bit of charming smugness appeared on Audrey's face, and she shook her head slightly. "So I invented a fairy tale machine."

Lockhart blinked. "A fairytale machine?"

That sounds pretty cool!

He quickly became interested, dispelling the imagery and bringing everyone back to reality. Then, led by Audrey with great enthusiasm, they arrived at her office at Beauxbatons School.

"Nicole Flamel's cellar," Lockhart remembered the name of her little house.

Amidst the luggage of the house-elves working on the first floor, he and Cindy followed Audrey through a trapdoor in the corner of the house-elves' meeting room into the cellar, which was densely packed with all sorts of strange things.

Unlike the scene I saw last time, here a small platform has been built in the center with granite, and it is covered with all kinds of mysterious runes.

Pipes extend from some strange objects on the surrounding shelves, leading to a platform and connecting to a familiar-looking object on a small table on the platform.

A desktop computer monitor!

And it's a 23-inch monitor.

"What is this?" Lockhart looked at the thing with great curiosity.

"I call it—" Audrey, bent over busily activating some devices in the corner, turned around and said with a hint of pride, "A participant in the mysterious fairy tale!"

"Cool!" Lockhart exclaimed.

Cintina also looked at the strange thing with great curiosity. As a creature that was more inclined to be close to nature, no matter how hard she tried to enter human life, she was still very unfamiliar with these industrial creations.

You could even say she found this thing incredibly mysterious, more mysterious than a bottle of potion whose purpose was unknown.

Yes, mysterious is the right word.

Magical props from modern occultism sometimes evoke such wondrous feelings in people just by looking at them.

Finally, when Audrey finished her work, streams of light flowed through the surrounding pipes, and the computer monitor in front of her lit up.

Some strange, silvery mist began to swirl in the scene.

"what?"

Lockhart approached the object with surprise. "I'm starting to think this is some kind of variation of the Pensieve, especially since it seems to carry an aura of timelessness."

The most amazing thing about the Pensieve is not that you can directly view a certain memory, but that the person who enters that memory can walk around the surroundings during that time period, outside the vision of the memory's owner.

This is already a magical effect that allows one to enter a unique time dimension.

The machine in front of him gave Lockhart that feeling, and it was even stronger than the Pensieve.

Audrey stepped onto the small platform, adjusted her glasses, paused for a moment upon hearing this, and shook her head. "The technique I used wasn't related to the Pensieve, but rather a diviner's crystal ball, which falls under the category of mysticism."

Lockhart remained noncommittal; he was quite certain of his feelings, but arguing was pointless. Perhaps all paths lead to the same destination, and the boundaries between different areas of magic are often blurred, with some overlap.

Audrey drew her wand and tapped it on the monitor, chanting what appeared to be an ancient Greek incantation. After checking the machine again, she stood to the side, her hair tucked behind her ear, indicating, "It's ready to use now. You can sit in the chair opposite me."

Lockhart pulled up a chair and sat down with anticipation. The scene was all too familiar; it was just like this when he used to come home from get off work and prepare to play games. For a moment, he felt a little dazed.

"Before using it, I want to clarify one point. It is a participant in mysterious fairy tales," meaning that its function is to allow us to participate in certain mysterious fairy tales as our own fairy tale experience.

"For us, it really happened."

"But the mysterious fairy tales we've been involved in don't necessarily actually happen."

Lockhart asked curiously, "Not necessarily?"

Audrey nodded. "I can't be sure either. Everything is intertwined with mystery, but we should assume that the part of the 'mysterious fairy tale' we're participating in through this machine hasn't actually happened."

"Okay!" Lockhart readily agreed.

"Now, please recall everything you saw in that pot of soup in front of the machine, in as much detail as possible," Audrey instructed. "Stare at the screen until you feel yourself sinking into the mysterious mist within it."

Lohat nodded. It was easy for him; he didn't need to recall anything. Every change in the Sea of ​​Spirituality was unfolding before his eyes.

This is a unique ability similar to Grindelwald's Eye of the Prophet, except that Grindelwald sees the future, while he sees the present.

Audrey waved her wand above the computer screen, muttering in a spell-like tone.

"Oh, all that is mysterious, respond to the heart of the voyeur!"

"It brings to life the magical fairy tales shrouded in the mists of history!"

"Help me!"

"Help me find the fairytale adventure that's perfect for me!"

"Show it to me!"

"Let me step into the world of mysterious fairy tales!"

Soon, an image appeared on the computer screen.

The image was extremely blurry; only a figure could be vaguely seen. The other person seemed to be sitting on the other side of the table, looking at Lockhart through the computer screen.

The blurry figure swayed unsteadily, looking somewhat eerie, muttering, "Give me wine, I want to drink!"

Audrey waved her arm excitedly. "Great! It responded!"

She ran quickly to the cellar entrance and called to the house-elves outside, "Get me a bottle of wine from the wine cabinet, the best one!"

Soon, the house-elf traversed the space and arrived, handing over a bottle of wine with its sticker already smudged.

Audrey waved her wand to open it and handed it to Lockhart, then pointed to a very blurry corner of the blurry image on the computer screen, "That should be a wine glass, pour some wine into it."

Lockhart gave a silent "wow," then held up the bottle and tried to stick it through the computer screen in front of him.

It was quite interesting; they actually put it inside.

Then pour wine into the glass in front of the other person.

"Pour it slowly, try to communicate with it!" Audrey leaned closer and reminded it in a very soft voice, "Don't pour it all at once, it might get drunk after drinking it."

Lockhart understood and controlled the angle of the bottle to slow down the flow of the liquor inside.

"Hurry up, pour more, this wine smells so good!" the blurry figure on the computer screen urged.

Audrey whispered in my ear, "Ignore it, talk to it."

Lockhart thought for a moment, then asked, "What kind of being are you?"

The blurry figure swayed, muttering irritably, "Wasn't the interview already over? Why are you asking again?"

It patted its head, thinking it was drunk again, and quickly sat up straight, looking somewhat respectful as it said, "I am a fortune teller! I am half-blood, my mother is a Muggle, and my father comes from a pure-blood family of fortune tellers."

Fortune teller?

Lockhart was a little puzzled, wondering what kind of help the other party could offer him.

"Communicate," Audrey mouthed, "anything is fine."

Let's give it a try.

Lockhart thought for a moment and asked, "What are your thoughts on fairy tales and interpersonal relationships?"

The person on the computer screen eagerly picked up his wine glass and gulped down a mouthful. Then, seemingly realizing that his behavior was somewhat rude, he awkwardly wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

Sit upright.

As if answering an exam, he explained his views: "From a fortune teller's perspective, everything can be attributed to mystery."

"Mystery is never something mysterious or esoteric; it truly happens between people, and every unique soul brings a unique power to mystery."

"As for fairy tales—"

The man seemed to be deep in thought. After a while, he hiccuped and then mumbled, "Fairy tales—I watched my grandfather do fortune-telling when I was little. It was really interesting. He seemed to be telling stories."

"I asked him why he had to tell stories when he made a prophecy, and why he had to use the tone of a bedtime fairy tale."

""

He said that everything brought about by mystery is never ordinary; everything is full of legend, and all the legends between people are fairy tales.

interesting!

Lockhart asked curiously, "Could you try to do a divination from a fairy tale perspective? Like telling a fairy tale?"

The blurry figure behind the computer screen hesitated for a moment, "Prophecy is generally uncontrollable, you know. Fortune tellers mostly use things like tea leaves, crystal balls, sand, and cards for divination. Prophecy is a very difficult thing."

"But I have a way!"

Seemingly not wanting to disappoint the person across the table, it hesitated for a moment before saying, "I need alcohol, lots and lots of alcohol, until I'm completely drunk."

Lockhart raised an eyebrow, a smile playing on his lips, and held up the bottle. "As you wish."

As he spoke, he reached into the computer screen again to pour the other person a drink.

I have to say, the person across from me can really drink. He kept drinking one glass after another, and when one bottle wasn't enough, he opened another one.

The figure stopped when the second bottle was empty.

He sat on the table, swaying back and forth, muttering something in a daze.

Lockhart had to lean closer to listen carefully, and finally, some drunken ramblings reached his ears.

"The one with the power to conquer the Dark Lord is approaching—born into a family that has defeated the Dark Lord three times—born at the end of the seventh month—the Dark Lord has marked him as his formidable enemy, but he possesses an energy the Dark Lord does not understand—one must die at the hands of the other, for neither can live; only one can survive—the one with the power to conquer the Dark Lord will be born at the end of the seventh month—"

hiss~~

Lockhart suddenly felt a very peculiar sense of dread.

He felt as if he had suddenly stepped into a magical fairy tale, and everything began to come alive quickly.

First, there's the person reciting this passage, swaying their head and gradually unfolding a vibrant tapestry of colors.

His face was pale, his high cheekbones flushed with the redness of drunkenness, his pupils were dilated behind thick glasses, and he had a head of messy, curly hair with sparkling, colorful accessories sticking out from his hair.

And colorful linen skirts with lots of quirky decorations.

It was none other than Professor Sybil Trelawney, whom Lockhart knew so well!

Then there's the surrounding environment.

Before her appeared an oily table with a half-finished glass of red wine on it. Behind the chair was a slightly dark room, and her reflection was faintly visible through the greasy glass windows.

A tall figure, who seemed about to leave, stopped and turned back in surprise to look at Professor Trelawney.

She wore a large pink wizard's robe covered with shimmering star patterns, and her thick white hair and beard were spread out loosely.

Albus Dumbledore!

Lockhart knows!

This is the scene where Dumbledore, in order to recruit a Divination professor, interviewed Professor Trelawney and predicted Voldemort's death on the spot.

Just then, an angry shout came from not far away.

"Who is it?"

"Who's there!"

Lockhart was startled and quickly pulled back, increasing the distance between himself and the computer screen.

The shouting continued from the computer screen, "Get out of my bar! What are you trying to eavesdrop on?"

Oh~

It's Aberforth, Old Deng's brother, and the owner of Pighead Bar.

"I—I'm just a little drunk—my head's spinning—" Ichiyuki's slightly embarrassed voice came through, muttering, "Don't push me, I can walk by myself. How can I just lean against the door? You're absolutely awful!"

Lockhart's expression immediately turned strange.

Severus, you idiot, you look really stupid.

Of course, what's even more foolish is that you took half of the prophecy you overheard and reported it to Voldemort.

Tsk~

Just then, Lockhart heard a sharp alarm, a flashing red light appeared, and the computer screen in front of him began to distort.

As if the signal was bad, the entire screen began to flicker. This flickering spread rapidly, and very quickly the entire machine, the table, the small platform, and even the entire cellar were flickering.

An angry voice boomed in my ear, distorted and eerie, as if coming from a great distance, yet also as if right beside me, "Albus! Who gave you permission to cast spells in my bar?"

In an instant, the flickering in the cellar stopped.

Already in a panic, Audrey hurriedly detached the auxiliary device connecting the "participant in the mysterious fairy tale" and attempted to turn off the machine.

However, even though she disconnected everything, and even shut down the machine that was supposed to be "participants in the mysterious fairy tale," the channel still remained open.

Dumbledore's voice came from the other side, "I've detected someone eavesdropping, I—"

Before Old Deng could finish speaking, his younger brother, Abu Fors, interrupted him rudely, "Ha~, by the time you, you slow-witted fellow, realize it, the Ugly family will have already left. I just discovered you first, and I chased Ugly away!"

"Alright." Old Deng seemed unwilling to argue with his brother and finally dispelled the magic.

In an instant, the computer screen went completely dark.

Lockhart was left staring blankly at his own reflection on the screen.

In that reflection, his eyes seemed to glow with an eerie, bow-shaped light, and his spiritual sea was churning rapidly.

Audrey drooled, somewhat embarrassed, and approached, "I never expected it to connect to Dumbledore's place, and that I would be discovered. His magical power almost came to our place through this machine."

Lockhart slowly turned his head, his eyes filled with starlight, and smiled slightly. "I think I know what it feels like to hear Grindelwald's legend!"

How interesting!

Stepping into the world of legend?

What is this? An advanced version of fairy tale insurance?

Lockhart felt a surge of excitement, as if he had found the key to unlocking the future.

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