Chapter 203: A Brand New Field
"I don't understand!"
After class, Grindelwald sought out Dumbledore. He pointed to a group of students walking towards the Forbidden Forest outside the floor-to-ceiling window. "Look, Lockhart is building an immense influence among the student body. This is exactly what you feared when you tried so hard to prevent Tom from enrolling."
"So I truly don't understand why you would allow this to happen?"
Dumbledore slowly walked to the window, looking down at the students and at Snape, who was hesitating whether to follow. He pursed his lips and didn't answer.
"Oh, look—your carefully-crafted 'Boy Who Lived,' the scions of the Sacred Twenty-Eight pure-blood families, the hard-won elite Muggle-born students, student representatives, prefects..." Grindelwald muttered on relentlessly.
"Gellert!" Dumbledore sighed, wearily taking off his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose. He finally spoke the answer he didn't really want to face himself. "I'm old."
"Hmm?" Grindelwald turned his head to look at Dumbledore.
Old Albus shrugged helplessly. "In these decades since I defeated you, I haven't felt particularly proud or happy. Every day has been difficult..."
He let out a long sigh, his eyes a little cloudy as he looked towards the young wizards entering the Forbidden Forest. "I don't want to bear the burden of fighting that maniac, Tom. That madman always makes one feel worn out and exhausted."
He was old. Truly old.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have said such a thing, wouldn't have viewed Voldemort's existence with such fatigue and pessimism.
He was truly speaking his mind, sharing something he would almost never tell anyone else—how much he despised that lunatic, Tom.
He didn't care about Tom's feelings for him; he was only disgusted by them. To be loved by such a malicious and muddle-headed parasite was not an amusing thing. He wished Tom would just die immediately, regardless of who killed him, as long as he was gone.
He had no desire to save this madman's soul. He was a very tolerant person, willing to give people like thieves or straying individuals like Snape a second chance, but it was best for this waste, Tom, to simply die!
"Perhaps this is no longer my time. I once gathered a large number of people I thought highly of and formed the Order of the Phoenix, hoping they would fight Voldemort and bring a new era to this world."
Grindelwald listened in silence and let out a laugh at this point. "So you failed, didn't you? There was no new era, and you're still desperately holding on."
Dumbledore nodded. "The one I initially had the highest hopes for was Minerva (Professor McGonagall). Her talent in Transfiguration was on par with ours, but she had no great ambition. You know, people without ambition rarely achieve great things."
In fact, Dumbledore had had high hopes for too many people.
He had hoped that these people would step up, that they would lead others into a new era, an era that didn't need Dumbledore. Benjy Fenwick, the Prewett brothers (Molly Weasley's two older brothers), Marlene McKinnon, Caradoc Dearborn, Dorcas Meadowes, the Longbottoms, the Potters... so many wizards with the potential for the future couldn't survive those difficult years of war. Despite their exceptional talents, they either died or suffered irreversible, permanent injuries, and their futures were lost forever.
And even among those who were still active, people like Alastor Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Arthur Weasley, and even the turncoat Severus Snape—they all felt like they were missing something, just a little bit.
"On the other hand, I had no expectations for Lockhart at all," Dumbledore said, his eyes gazing distantly towards the Forbidden Forest. "But he has given me so many surprises."
Grindelwald looked at Dumbledore's weary expression with a hint of sadness. He knew that when a person lost their will to fight, they could no longer accomplish anything.
"Perhaps..."
Dumbledore looked back at Grindelwald but finally shook his head. "I considered letting you out, but I foresaw a war, a terrible war."
Grindelwald pouted unhappily but said nothing more. He was a proud man who was never willing to reveal his inner state, even to those he was closest to.
After a moment of silence, perhaps feeling the atmosphere was too heavy, Grindelwald changed the subject. "So now you're hoping Lockhart will take on your burden and lead the wizarding world into the future? Are you sure he can do it?"
Dumbledore gave a slight smile. "You are the Seer. You should be able to see the future more clearly than I can."
"The future is always uncertain," Grindelwald's eyes narrowed. "I can only see certain possibilities in Lockhart."
"That's enough," Dumbledore said, turning and walking back to his desk. He picked a Every Flavour Bean from a bowl and threw it into his mouth, chewing. "I can still hold on for a few more years."
"Wait!"
Grindelwald's eyes snapped open, and he looked at Dumbledore with suspicion. "I suspect you were just playing a trick on me with what you said! Everyone says I'm good at misleading people, but only I know that it was you who first said, 'For the Greater Good.' You always use what seem like the most dignified and righteous words to guide others. You're the one who's best at misleading people!"
"You're hoping I'll help Lockhart, aren't you?"
Dumbledore put his glasses back on and looked utterly helpless. "Don't always think the worst of people!"
"Heh," Grindelwald simply sneered.
The students were always full of enthusiasm and restlessness. Even though they had to walk a long way, they excitedly arrived at Professor Lockhart's new home.
Some of the N.E.W.T. students had joined the Dueling Club, with the Weasley brothers being the most conspicuous, making people exclaim over the thriving Weasley family. Percy, George, Fred, Ron, and Ginny. But what was particularly interesting was that even though the Weasleys had deep affection for each other, they each had their own small circles and didn't always stick together.
Sometimes people had to acknowledge this fact: almost all the people who had been part of Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix and enjoyed the fruits of victory after defeating Voldemort were members of pure-blood families, and many of them from the Sacred Twenty-Eight.
This wasn't a derogatory point. On the contrary, it showed many people a future—a future led by Dumbledore, in which a large group of pure-blood families would also be tolerant towards Muggle-born wizards.
"Professor, why aren't you still the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and instead became the Care of Magical Creatures teacher?"
A student asked curiously. Not everyone knew about the curse on the Defense Against the Dark Arts position; after all, it was an unofficial rumor that some didn't believe.
"Magical creatures are an indispensable part of wizarding life," Lockhart said with a smile, looking at the young students before him. "Whether they are Dark magical creatures, magical creatures, or other magical beings."
This principle was similar to how pure-blood wizards tolerated Muggle-born wizards: when wizards embraced magical creatures, it would also lead to many wonderful things.
"Don't think that because Care of Magical Creatures is an elective that starts in the third year, that it's not important to wizards. In fact, it's already integrated into every wizard's life."
Lockhart began to ask, "Do you remember what you prepared after you first received your Hogwarts acceptance letter in your first year before coming to school?"
That was easy!
Harry would never forget the beginning of his magical life. "Wand, robes, textbooks, and a pet!"
"Yes." Lockhart looked around the crowd and then at Hermione. "I had you start studying ritual magic, so tell me, what is the symbolic significance of these items?"
Hermione lifted her head proudly, looking completely confident. "The wizarding robe represents a change in the wizard's identity, the textbook is for magical knowledge, the wand is an extension and enhancement of one's will and magic, and the pet brings about a complete change in one's lifestyle!"
Identity, knowledge, magic, and lifestyle. The lifestyle part, especially the pet, was truly different from the moment a wizard acquired a magical pet.
Hermione was initially reluctant to accept the strange pets of the wizarding world. She hadn't even considered the idea in her first and second years, not even getting an owl. After experiencing a few things last year, she thought more about magical life and finally made a decision this summer, buying a cat that looked like its face had been squashed—Crookshanks.
To be honest, most magical creature pets didn't have any special functions; their main purpose was companionship for children. Having too much powerful magic was actually a dangerous thing. So things like Neville's toad, Harry's owl, Ron's rat, Hermione's cat, and so on all seemed so unremarkable to wizards, who unconsciously didn't even treat them as magical creatures.
But Hermione, who came from a Muggle family, felt the difference between magical and ordinary creatures so clearly.
"He's like a person!" Hermione's mother said of Crookshanks, holding a fairy tale book, The Frog Prince, and excitedly fantasizing, "Is he a transformed prince or princess?"
"He's not like our Muggle cats. Even if they look similar, they're really not the same," said Hermione's father. "I've never seen a cat like this!"
Yes, even a pet cat that was so mundane it was barely considered a magical creature was still so magical in the eyes of Muggles.
Hermione's cat could actually do backflips—and that was exactly what Lockhart was trying to say. Magical creatures entering Muggle households brought a magical life. In fact, the most common example was the owl. Many Muggle families with a young wizard would have an owl to send letters to their child when they were away at school.
And this kind of lifestyle change would have an extremely subtle impact.
According to Lockhart's theory, this Muggle family would subsequently be more likely to have more wizards born into it.
"Harmlessness and domesticity. Magical creatures have a wonderful and interesting future of development."
Lockhart smiled and gestured for the students to come to the edge of the forest. He blew a whistle, and a group of Mada-Go-cats jumped down from the trees and scampered over to them.
In his eyes, the Mada-Go-cats had too much potential for application. Existing in wizarding society as powerful magical creatures and in Muggle society as ordinary cats—was there any better animal to integrate into Muggle life? Cats and dogs were already the most easily accepted pets for humans.
The only problem was... Mada-Go-cats were too ugly!
"Students, the Dueling Club's new course is about to begin!"
Lockhart led the students in another direction into the Forbidden Forest. "Please allow me to introduce the new teacher I've found for you!"
Snape, who had finally decided to come, had just reached the edge of the forest and was about to stride forward when he froze.
What?
Lockhart replaced me?
Without my permission?
What does this mean?
His gaze became extremely dangerous. His clever mind was already guessing which new professor Lockhart was going to introduce to teach the Dueling Club!
Lupin!
Who else could it be but Lupin!
That damn Gilderoy Lockhart!
"Hagrid!" Lockhart shouted. "Hagrid Rubeus, an expert in Care of Magical Creatures and a master in the field of breeding!"
Snape was stunned.
The students were stunned as well.
"Him?" Draco almost laughed out loud. "That big lump?"
"What do you mean?" Harry said, looking at Draco coldly. "What gives you the right to make a face like that about Hagrid?"
Draco sneered and was about to continue when he saw Ron pull out his wand and point it at him, in a 'you'd better watch what you say, or I'll attack you' stance.
Hermione stepped forward, glaring at Draco. "Please be respectful to others, or you'll find that others won't respect you either!"
Draco rolled his eyes, very annoyed.
"Kids!" Professor Lockhart said with a laugh, beckoning to everyone. "Come on, I'll take you to Hagrid. He's already got several new species he's bred."
"And he's also taking care of a lot of werewolf pups. You'll love these werewolves; they're truly beautiful."
"Next, we're going to enter a brand new field, magical creature breeding. Those who love magical creatures can learn the wonderful techniques in this, and those who don't plan to go into this field can also observe the flow of magical power and the changes in magic in these creatures. I think this will be very beneficial for all of you."
Snape didn't say anything, but just followed along silently, looking somewhat expectant.
Yes, expectant.
In fact, Potions had two main foundations: Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures. Of course, Potions masters didn't need to focus on the techniques of growing magical plants or raising magical creatures, but rather on how to apply them.
But breeding?
This would undoubtedly greatly expand the depth and breadth of the field of potions, bringing more possibilities. He had recently been thinking about how to cure the Longbottoms of the effects of the Cruciatus Curse. Many past potions had not been very helpful, and perhaps new species would bring these possibilities.
Especially...
That kind of werewolf pup?
His eyes flashed with a dangerous signal, thinking about what he could do to get one from Hagrid to dissect and try to use in a potion.
..........
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