Hogwarts: Bourne Returns from Warhammer

Chapter 226 Lockhart is popular again
Tiredness is a necessity.

After measuring the distance between the depths of the Forbidden Forest and Hogwarts Castle with their footsteps - even though the route chosen by Burn was close to a straight line - Harry and Ron were only halfway through, and both of them were already almost going crazy with exhaustion.

"Bourne, I'm not talking about you, why did you lend the broomstick to that guy Malfoy?" Ron felt a little aggrieved and began to complain.

He couldn't understand why they were all Gryffindors, but Bourne lent the broomstick in the lizard's wallet to an outsider in Slytherin.

"That's because he accidentally overpowered the spell just now. It's almost impossible for him to walk back to the castle by himself..."

Bourne patiently explained to him.

In fact, as long as some sensitive issues are not involved (such as someone trying to transgress, an alien or heretic rebellion, someone harming the interests of the human race, etc.), Bourne is usually very easy to talk to.

"...I don't want to carry him across mountains and rivers anyway. If you want to carry him, he shouldn't have returned to the castle yet. I can use the 'Flying Curse' to summon the broomstick and Draco back together."

"Forget it then."

Ron acted decisively.

Then, he took another big gulp of the uplifting potion, which Bourne also took out from the lizard's wallet.

"Harry, why don't you speak?" Ron asked his good brother.

He thought that Harry was also exhausted, so he quickly handed over the remaining half of the bottle of potion.

"No, I'm actually fine." Harry waved his hand, pushed up his glasses that had slipped from the bridge of his nose due to sweat, and refused the potion Ron gave him.

"I'm just thinking about one thing: Judging from Malfoy's performance just now, although it's unclear whether those out-of-control Bludgers during the Quidditch match were caused by him, I think that in Lockhart's office The sounds I heard in the nearby corridor most likely had nothing to do with him."

"why?"

"At the beginning, someone was speaking those terrible words about 'murder' in the secret passage hidden inside the wall.

But when we met those big spiders, they could also talk - the kind of words with "click, click" noises - which inspired me to notice something that I had ignored before. I remember what I heard at night Those terrible words seemed to have some strange accent.

It's that 'hissing' sound...

This is somewhat similar to the sound I heard when I met a big snake in the zoo before, so I suspect that what is hidden in the wall may be..."

Harry did not continue, because both Ron and Burn stopped in their tracks, and Ron was looking at him with a shocked look.

"You mean," Ron considered the words and couldn't help but swallow as he spoke, "that you can understand what the snake said?"

"Yes, is there anything strange about this?" Harry asked a little puzzled: "When I had my first magic riot, at the zoo, I made a glass wall containing a big snake disappear. This Isn't it a common thing? I guess there are many little wizards who can understand what animals say."

Ron almost shook his head like a weather vane on a typhoon day.

He turned his attention to Bourne, "Harry can talk to snakes!"

"No," said Harry, "I mean, the main thing was that I accidentally released a big python, and the python jumped at my cousin Dudley - it's a long story - at that time The big python told me that it had never been to Brazil, so I unknowingly let it out. I didn't mean to. At that time, I didn't know that I was a wizard..."

"That python told you that it has never been to Brazil?" Ron asked in a weak voice.

"What's the matter?" said Harry, "I bet there are a lot of people at Hogwarts who can do that."

"Oh, they can't do that," said Ron. "It's not a common skill. Harry, it's terrible."

"What's so bad?" Harry frowned.

"It's Parseltongue!" Ron said, "It means that a person can speak the language of snakes, and anyone who can speak parseltongue can control snakes."

Harry was still a little confused: "Is there any problem with controlling snakes? I've seen it on TV - it's a Muggle household appliance, a bit like the 'moving pictures' here in the wizarding world - in India. There are many jugglers nearby who use flutes to tease snakes."

"That's different." This time it was Bourne's turn to explain: "Parseltongue is an extremely rare magical talent that few wizards can master. In the history of wizards, the most famous Parseltongue is Slater The founder of Lin, Salazar Slytherin."

"Almost all Parseltongues are dark wizards!" Ron said in a horrified tone: "Of course, Harry, I'm not talking about you. But if you are really a Parseltongue, then you are very likely to be one." Salazar Slytherin’s great-great-grandson or something.”

"That's not necessarily true." Seeing that Harry's expression froze because of Ron's words, Bourne had to explain more.

"I mean, the probability that all Parseltongues are dark wizards and that Harry is the great-great-grandson of Slytherin is actually very unlikely.

First of all, Mr. Salazar Slytherin is not a dark wizard - the definition of "dark wizard" came only after the Ministry of Magic was established. At the time when the Big Four were active, the Ministry of Magic had not actually been established, so He was far from a dark wizard.

Moreover, even if we take a step back, if Salazar Slytherin really had any bad conduct, the other three of the Big Four would not co-found Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with him.

You know, "Hogwarts: A School History" clearly records that the castle, Forbidden Forest, and Black Lake of Hogwarts were actually the earliest Slytherin family territories. If founder Slytherin was really a despicable villain, how could he be willing to make such a selfless donation?

Secondly, Parseltongue must be related to Slytherin, which is definitely incorrect.

It is true that Slytherin himself was a Parseltongue, but there were other Parseltongues before him. For example, there was a 'Despicable Herbo' in ancient Greece. He was also a real Parseltongue in history, and he lived earlier than Slytherin.

However, whether it is introduced in "Hogwarts: A School History" or in all current magic history books, Slytherin has no blood relationship with that 'despicable Herbo'.

Because 'Despicable Haierbo' had carried out a series of very taboo and dark magic experiments since his youth, he had lost his fertility early and had no heirs to pass down.

This is tracing the origins upwards, and if we use Slytherin as a node to push back, the only direct family lineage left is the 'Gaunt' family.

The Potter family's well-documented history can be traced back to the twelfth-century wizard Linfred of Chichicombe, a well-known and eccentric man locally nicknamed "Portley". He probably liked playing with pottery or something, and over time the surname was simplified to 'Potter'.

Since the eleventh or twelfth century, the genealogy of so-called 'pure-blood wizards' has basically been well-documented. Harry, if you go back to the school library and borrow any magical genealogy book, you can actually find stories about some of your grandfathers, great-grandfathers, and great-great-grandfathers.

In my impression, none of them showed the talent of Parselmouth, and it seems that the Potter family has never been married to the Gaunt family.

Therefore, it is highly unlikely that you have Slytherin blood.

Parseltongue is a magical gift and should not be demonized.

Although many people will misunderstand it, just like the Dumbledore family, people who attract the favor of the fire phoenix will appear every few generations, but not all phoenixes who are willing to be partners with wizards will only look for people from the Dumbledore family. Likewise, 'parseltongue' and 'dark wizard' are not 100% synonymous. "

Byrne said a lot in one breath.

Highly summarized with examples.

The two young wizards were "unconscious" when they heard it - yes, they actually didn't understand it completely - of course, this did not prevent Harry from finally heaving a sigh of relief, and Ron was so relaxed that he patted his head. A few times on his chest.

However, after they walked forward for a while, Harry, who was gradually recovering, suddenly thought of something.

He stopped suddenly.

Ron, who was following him, bumped into him. The two little wizards rolled into a ball and fell on the thick humus soil of the Forbidden Forest. Not even bothering to say sorry to Ron, Harry looked at Bourne with wide eyes: "Bourne, I remember, you just said, 'The only direct bloodline of Slytherin is the Gaunt family.' That's right. Bar?"

He looked at Ron, who also realized something.

Ron nodded and said: "The secret passage we passed through, the warning sign hanging on it, the name signed on it is Corvinus Gaunt!"

"He also warned that there were snakes in the secret passage." Harry said, "But when we went from the secret passage to the Forbidden Forest, we only saw big spiders! Where did the snake go?"
-
"It could be hiding right here!"

Tom Riddle was a little excited.

He was still worrying about how he would find the basilisk just now, but who would have thought that in the blink of an eye, someone would send him a clue.

Of course, to be precise, Hermione found the famous Professor Lockhart, hoping that he could help find a few young wizards.

"They have been entering this secret passage for several hours," Hermione said anxiously. "This secret passage seems to have been built by a Slytherin student named Corvinus Gaunt. He is still hanging at the entrance of the secret passage. I got a sign saying there was a snake inside."

Lockhart still had a calm expression. He really wasn't too worried: after all, isn't it normal to discover a secret passage in Hogwarts Castle that no one knew about before?
Even if you can't find a way out for the time being, it's probably because this secret passage is a prank.

After all, didn’t the little witch say that the person who built the secret passage was named “Corvinus Gaunt”?
It is completely normal for a few Gryffindor lion cubs to break into the Slytherin snake's den and encounter pranks and tricks.

Therefore, Lockhart was not worried at all.

He just followed Hermione's prompts and touched the little angel shrine on the wall, and then found that it didn't respond when he touched it.

"This should be an anti-theft charm to identify bloodline and gender - it is the same as the anti-theft waterfalls in Gringotts - I don't know who is copying whose idea." Tom Riddle felt He made his own judgment based on the hidden magic fluctuations inside the wall.

If it were Voldemort decades later, he would definitely think that the goblins of Gringotts were copying the descendants of the Gaunt family. However, the Tom Riddle in the diary is younger, more rational, and more able to accept some views that he will certainly not agree with in the future.

Of course, he couldn't reveal the truth to Lockhart 100%, because it would hurt the fragile heart of this good-looking guy.

[Maybe you should let that little fat boy try. 】

[After all, this is a 'prank' done by a Hogwarts student, and he probably doesn't want any professor to trigger the mechanism. 】

Tom Riddle was persuasive and used deception to induce Lockhart to open the entrance to this secret passage.

Gilderoy Lockhart quickly looked through the diary, holding a quill in his hand, pretending to be calculating something.

He didn't want to show his ignorance in front of the young wizard, so he just told Hermione and Neville that he was using arithmetic to find clues.

"After calculation and divination, Mr. Longbottom, you may be the one who can open the entrance to this secret passage now... Well, it's really a cunning design, but it doesn't trouble me..."

He smiled at Hermione and Neville, and although it seemed casual, he actually said it very proudly.

"...You know, I got very high marks in the divination class back then, and Professor Lip, who taught this class back then, had a high probability of opening my third eye.

If I hadn't gone on adventures around the world to support justice and fight against dark wizards, I might have become a prophet now. "

Gilderoy Lockhart was one of those people who could perform at any time and anywhere, whether in the underground corridors or in his own classroom.

Nine out of ten are dedicated.

However, what he didn't expect was that the people watching his performance this time were not only the two little wizards with clear and silly eyes in front of him, but also another very unique and strange audience.

In particular, this viewer is very sensitive to terms such as "prophet" and "Third Eye" - hearing someone press these sacred words on her head with such arrogance made her feel like she had been stabbed in the lungs with pokers. tube.

"Cow shit! No, it's a dead cow, a cow corpse!"

(Anyway, it’s a long series of words starting with Bull)
Accompanied by a series of sharp curses, under the surprised gazes of Lockhart and the two young wizards, a woman's figure flashed out from beside the stairs in the underground corridor. She was also carrying an oversized bag filled with durian. Glass barrel of gin.

To Hermione, the woman was tall, thin, and dressed like a giant, shiny insect.

Her name is Sybill Trelawney, and she is also a professor at Hogwarts. She just teaches a series of divination courses that young wizards take after the third year, including arithmetic divination but not astrology courses. .

There were some torches burning with magical flames on the walls on both sides of the basement corridor. Professor Trelawney walked into the firelight, allowing the "people" present to see her face clearly. A pair of big glasses magnified her eyes several times their original size. She was draped in a thin and transparent shawl decorated with many shiny metal pieces; countless beads and chains hung around her long and slender neck. There are also many bracelets and rings on the arms and hands...

Her face was very red, as if she had been drinking, and the occasional wine burps she had while talking confirmed this fact.

"No one can judge whether others have opened their Third Eye. The person who really says that is outrageous." Professor Sybill Trelawney said loudly.

Moreover, she also forcefully poured the large bucket of gin in the glass bucket that was suspected to have been placed by Snape in the Potions classroom to process potion materials in front of her, as if through a crystal ball. He glared at Lockhart.

Her eyes, which were already magnified several times by the glasses, became even bigger in the eyes of Neville and Hermione, as big as a big apple.

She began to divine Lockhart in a disembodied voice, like an aria.

"Darkness is following you... Even if you can escape Halloween... you can't escape the death knell that will inevitably ring at Christmas..."

"Only by raising your head can you find a way out...lower your head, and you will really lower your head...and step by step into your own grave..."

"Hogwarts is not Vanity Fair... Put down everything you got here... Leave, leave immediately, you may get a small amount of redemption..."

Gilderoy Lockhart was angry and frightened after being scolded like this. But just when he was about to say something, Professor Sybill Trelawney raised her hand and stuffed a vat full of gin into his arms.

As a wizard born in Ravenclaw, I can only say: Gilderoy Lockhart allowed everyone to maintain the stereotype of Ravenclaw.

The glass bucket filled with alcohol pushed him directly to the ground - he couldn't lift it up, he couldn't lift it up at all - and just when he was trying to break through this embarrassing situation with his face reddening, he was trying to break through. , and accidentally used too much force, overturning the glass bucket to the ground and breaking into pieces of glass.

A high degree of gin flowed out, and accidentally some of it spilled onto the torch stuck on the wall, and the flames immediately ignited the strong drink.

"Oh, no! Help me quickly!" Gilderoy Lockhart was so frightened that he lost consciousness because the flames followed the alcohol and ignited his hair and clothes.

This scene also frightened Sybill Trelawney, who had caused this scene. She almost woke up from the wine in an instant. She hurriedly rummaged around herself to find a wand to put out the fire, but in the end she only found a lonely .

At critical moments, the little wizard is more reliable.

Neville bravely picked up the black notebook dropped by Gilderoy Lockhart from the ground, picked it up and smashed it against the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor's chest with permed curly hair, face with foundation, and wearing a floral shirt. …

Anyway, he will do whatever it takes to stop the flames from spreading.

Hermione was smarter. She quickly pointed her wand at the professor whom she admired so much: "Aguamenti (clear water like a spring)!"

Although it is wrong to use water to extinguish alcohol on fire (not to mention that young wizards do not understand this, even for Muggle students of the same age as Hermione, this kind of chemical knowledge is considered beyond the scope), but Hermione cannot resist the spray from her wand. The amount of water coming out was enough and fast enough. Even the temperature dropped and the flame was gradually extinguished.

Therefore, Lockhart finally survived again without any danger today.

(End of this chapter)