More and more students were experiencing the convenience and comfort brought by various alchemical tools and potions, and they sincerely praised Lucien for it.
Loyalty.
"Indeed, thanks to Lucien's invention, it's much more convenient when I lead the team for training."
Hearing this deliberately drawn-out remark, Harry felt both annoyed and speechless. Ever since Flint had been put in detention and Quidditch practice had been interrupted, Malfoy had somehow started leading the Slytherin team's training.
From then on, whenever the two met, if Malfoy didn't mention it at least three to five times, it would be out of character for him.
"Malfoy, isn't your captain's detention over yet?"
Harry's impatient question made Malfoy laugh. He shrugged, pretending to be troubled.
"Who knows? Anyway, our Head of House has plenty of toads, rats, bats, and the like to deal with."
...
Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor's Office.
Lockhart's old diary lay open on his desk. He occasionally scribbled in it with a bright peacock-feather quill, and at times he muttered to himself.
"That… that monster won't actually kill people, right?"
"I just want to create a big story. I'm not planning to end up in Azkaban. That's not the kind of experience worth boasting about…"
"That monster looks a bit frightening. It's so large. It could eat someone, couldn't it?"
Lockhart wrote down these worries and fears in the diary. Strangely, his handwriting disappeared the moment he finished writing, as though it had been swallowed by the page.
However, within two or three seconds, new words appeared in the same place.
"That is a Basilisk. Following my method, you can completely control it."
"Don't worry. As long as you don't look directly into its eyes, the worst outcome is petrification. Petrification can be reversed. At most, you'll be confined to bed for a few months."
"Besides, no one will know you're behind all of this. The world will only remember Gilderoy Lockhart, the man who subdued the Basilisk, saved Hogwarts, protected young witches and wizards from danger, and became a hero of the wizarding world."
"At that time, praise, admiration, honour, fame… all of it will be yours."
Reading the diary's words, Lockhart's breathing grew heavier, yet he still hesitated and wrote,
"Tom, but I'm still worried…"
As the ink touched the page, Lockhart failed to notice the faint strands of life force and soul energy being drawn from his body, disappearing along with the ink into the surface of the paper.
They flowed deep into the diary.
This was a spacious circular room, filled with many strange silver objects, with empty picture frames covering the walls. A Sorting Hat lay casually on a shelf.
Anyone familiar with the place would be surprised to find that its overall layout was very similar to the Headmaster's Office at Hogwarts, though the furnishings and details differed greatly from the one Dumbledore currently used.
On a large armchair, a boy of sixteen or seventeen lounged lazily.
His hair was black, his eyes dark, and his face pale, but his features were indistinct.
An open diary lay before him as well, looking almost new, as if it had only just been put to use.
Lines of ink appeared on its pages—it was Lockhart's handwriting.
The black-haired boy, whom Lockhart called Tom, sniffed lightly.
"Still too little life force and soul energy."
His features became slightly clearer. Tom glanced over the diary's contents and let out a mocking sneer.
"Cowardly, greedy, ignorant. I don't even know whether to call him easy to manipulate."
Tom already clearly understood Gilderoy Lockhart's desires. He wanted fame. He wanted to complete a visible, genuine adventure.
Under his guidance, Lockhart had quickly accepted the idea of using a Basilisk to create a crisis.
However, when he had actually entered the Chamber of Secrets and seen the Basilisk according to Tom's instructions, the man had lost his nerve.
He began to hesitate. Should he release the Basilisk? Should he control it to create chaos and panic? Should he ultimately defeat it to gain honour and fame?
Originally, Lockhart had followed Tom's instructions completely, and through that compliance, Tom could draw more vitality and soul energy from him.
But now, Lockhart's hesitation and reluctance had slowed everything down.
Tom needed that vitality and soul energy. He needed it to strengthen himself.
The current "Tom" was merely a fragment of a soul hidden within the diary, unintentionally split off by the original Tom Riddle when he was sixteen, and fused with the diary to become a Horcrux.
As long as he absorbed enough soul and life force, Tom could complete himself and obtain a new body.
At that time, the young Tom Riddle could return to the world and merge with his original self, together—
"No… I am me. I won't merge for now. I'll observe. Hmm… I wonder how the original is doing now. Has he reached the pinnacle of magic? Become a rich noble or a powerful cult leader? Become the ruler of the wizarding world…?"
Tom picked up his quill and began to write in the diary:
"Gilderoy, my friend, if you're truly uneasy, we can experiment with animals first and see whether the Basilisk really obeys your commands."
The handwriting here quickly vanished as well. To ensure the plan proceeded smoothly, Tom would control the Basilisk to cooperate with Lockhart's performance.
But once he absorbed enough life force and soul energy…
"Then it will be time for the false to become real. If many young witches and wizards die at Hogwarts, Dumbledore will surely be forced out of the Headmaster's position."
Tom still remembered the great fire Dumbledore had ignited using his treasured wardrobe when he first came to the orphanage to collect him.
The flames had been fierce and beautiful, leaving a deep impression on him.
He also remembered that, despite his excellent performance at school and the favour he enjoyed from teachers and classmates, Dumbledore had always regarded him with suspicion.
When Tom learned from Lockhart that Dumbledore had become the current Headmaster of Hogwarts, resentment and anger flared up once more.
"How can such a narrow-minded old man, who fails to recognise my talent, be Headmaster? Just as before, he uses magic and authority to suppress others, forcing them to submit to his will."
Tom wanted to obtain a body and drive Dumbledore out of Hogwarts.
To do that, he needed Lockhart to obey him and steadily offer up his life force and soul.
Seeing the words appear in the diary, Lockhart tightened his grip on the peacock-feather quill, still clearly uneasy.
"Experiment with animals? Many of those students have pets, and there's also a cat wandering around the school. Tsk, how can a dignified magical school have such a filthy stray cat…"
________
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