Chapter 111: Protection, Loneliness, and Me
Tom's understanding of Bloodline Magic was different from Snape's.
Or rather, it was much broader. He undoubtedly viewed Bloodline Magic from a higher perspective, exploring its essence more deeply.
"A magic that explores love, bloodlines, home, loneliness, happiness, betrayal, severance, and the unbreakable."
Look at his description; it differs from the melodramatic narratives Snape offered.
Sixteen-year-old Tom was still cautiously exploring this power, full of anticipation and ambition, confronting a force that touched his emotional wounds.
Fortunately, at this stage, he was still willing to believe, unlike later, when he would completely disdain such things.
In the time that followed, it was Little Tom's private lesson that commenced.
Lockhart listened as Tom shared all his explorations and thoughts on this magic, discussing the content of the materials and his own judgments, identifying which parts of the books were wrong, which were narrow-minded, and which were even foolish notions.
As he listened, Lockhart couldn't help but entertain an absurd thought.
The curse attached to the Defense Against the Dark Arts professorship at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry—was it actually Bloodline Magic? Was it Tom's intense passion that he then completely severed, manifesting as "love"?
So later, Voldemort kept his focus on Hogwarts, not because Dumbledore was there, but simply because it was the home he cursed by completely severing his love for it?
Severed, yet paradoxically, the connection felt so strong. The power of love, sometimes, presented itself in such an absurd state, full of fate's mockery.
Lockhart couldn't help but recall the content about the former Defense Against the Dark Arts professors in the original story.
Oh~
Merlin's lace knickers!
He seemed to have discovered something astonishing.
It appeared that all the professors who died due to the curse in the original story were connected to Voldemort!
Quirinus Quirrell in Harry's first year died—Voldemort was possessing the back of his head.
Lockhart in second year and Lupin in third year did not die in office.
Barty Crouch Jr. in fourth year had his soul sucked out by a Dementor and died—he was a loyal Death Eater.
Dolores Umbridge in fifth year did not die in office.
Severus Snape in sixth year did not die in office. Although he was also a Death Eater, he had completely betrayed Voldemort.
Amycus Carrow in seventh year was sent to Azkaban for life imprisonment. It's uncertain if he received the Dementor's Kiss punishment—he was also a loyal Death Eater.
Oh my god~
Lockhart gasped. This curse of old Voldemort's, was it aimed at himself?
He completely severed ties with this "home," yet deep down, he yearned for it madly, clinging to it, unable to obtain it, unable to let go, hurting intensely, and finally, forcing his way back, only to meet his demise.
So it really is Bloodline Magic?
Is the school my home? Is the Headmaster the patriarch, and the professors the elders?
Hey~~~
Lockhart couldn't help but shrink his neck, rubbing the goosebumps on the back of his hands. So he had inexplicably become Voldemort's "blood relative" now?
Oh my god~
This was far too stimulating!
Lockhart's eyes lit up. He looked at little Tom in the diary and chuckled, I'm your elder now, you know. Come on, call me Uncle Lockhart. Okay, now's not the time to be cheeky.
He also needed this magic to protect his original self's blood relatives, but he didn't want to end up as miserable as Snape and Voldemort.
Old Snape also said that Lily's approach was more restrained, yet it enhanced the spell's effect.
Too much love would only bring pain.
In this regard, asking Tom was definitely the right move.
He began to inquire about the questions he cared about in the tone of a professor evaluating a student. Unknowingly, he gained a very deep understanding of this magic.
Great, time to get to work!
He paused his conversation with Tom, citing an urgent matter to handle. This was essential; he had to act upon and contemplate the information Tom had given him to produce more insights to influence Tom.
Proud Tom wouldn't willingly follow the guidance of a professor who couldn't explain anything, especially in a field as sensitive as "love" to him.
Outside the fairy tale book.
The sky was bright.
Hogwarts once again welcomed a rare, sunny morning.
Lockhart was preparing to ask Snape to borrow the Head of Slytherin's fireplace, but Snape advised him to be more cautious. "You must ensure that this leaves no trace."
He was somewhat confused. "Cleaning up traces?"
Snape shook his head. "If no one else knows how you do it, it's very difficult for it to be spied upon by divination or other magical forces. In fact, this is also the principle behind why safe houses and similar magic are so effective."
Understood.
Severing the sociality of the matter.
Fate, divination, rituals, and similar magical fields have always been collective willpower magic derived from human sociality. When detached from the collective, the matter becomes unknowable.
Lockhart couldn't help but remember that the Pensieve could show the surroundings unknown to the memory owner, but some things and people would quietly vanish from it, seemingly based on the same principle.
Since that was the case, how should he travel?
Lockhart sought out the Car Lady again. She seemed to dislike staying in the Astronomy Tower but was also afraid of the Dark Lord's retaliation and dared not return to the Forbidden Forest, looking somewhat sullen.
"Lady, let's go, come with me on an adventure."
"And by the way, I'll fulfill my previous promise and find my skilled blood relative to fix your car body, which was smashed to pieces by the Whomping Willow."
Lockhart's house was easy to find.
In his autobiography, Magical Me, he detailed his origins and proudly claimed his intelligent and wise Muggle father.
To be honest, constantly stealing memories from powerful wizards, especially some of them being so dangerous, blindly writing down his background in a widely published book was extremely foolish.
But alas, his mother liked it.
Gilderoy's mother absolutely adored when her famous son's fans showed up. She would always excitedly share amusing anecdotes about Gilderoy with them.
His mother understood how to manage fame; she wouldn't show fans naked baby pictures of Lockhart. She also knew how to promote how warm and loving the Lockhart family was, laying a solid foundation for Lockhart's reputation.
However, Lockhart's relationship with his two older sisters wasn't actually very good.
This was also due to his mother.
Unlike Petunia, Lily's sister, who came from a Muggle family and whose wizarding blood was almost imperceptible, essentially a standard Muggle, his two sisters, coming from a mixed-blood wizard family with a witch mother, were strictly speaking "Squibs."
But his mother constantly referred to them as "Muggles."
His mother wasn't prejudiced against Muggles; otherwise, she wouldn't have married Mr. Lockhart, a Muggle, and loved him so deeply, bearing him three children.
But his sisters didn't see it that way. They could clearly feel their mother's favoritism towards Gilderoy, so there was some resentment in their hearts.
However, this resentment wasn't enough to turn into hatred. After all, they both had loving parents and a famous younger brother who tried every means to please them. Their relationship remained distant but not estranged.
Lockhart soon arrived at his parents' house.
Yes, quickly, knowing the way by heart.
It wasn't far from the Ministry of Magic building, just across the River Thames, less than two kilometers away.
The Lockhart family didn't actually live here before. Thanks to his mother, who was good at managing the household, and his excellent celebrity son, their family came into contact with a large number of figures from upper wizarding society.
Through the Anti-Dark Arts League and the Order of Merlin, they also met some pro-Muggle individuals. The ultimate result of their efforts was his father's promotion to a position at the newspaper's headquarters, and his two sisters' families also managed to integrate into Muggle high society, with one brother-in-law even starting a sizable internet company here.
Those Muggle nobles who were aware of the existence of wizards were actually very happy to help these pro-Muggle wizards.
Just a little something leaked through their fingertips was enough for them to easily leap from the bottom of society to a respectable middle-class life.
This was the benefit of Lockhart, the internationally renowned writer, diligently cultivating his fame.
Given this situation, blindly adopting Snape's method of completely isolating blood relatives from wizards would undoubtedly cut off the Lockhart family's path of advancement. The likely consequence would be to push these blood relatives into hating Lockhart.
If they had never experienced the affluence and glamour of high society, they might have tolerated the simple warmth of an ordinary journalist's family.
But with towers rising and falling, resentment would be almost inevitable.
Lockhart had to handle this matter cautiously.
He had a hearty lunch at his parents' house and then sought out his brother-in-law. After more than a year apart, the skilled panel beater brother-in-law he remembered had now developed a bulging belly.
Dressed in a respectable three-piece velvet suit, wearing a glittering pocket watch, and puffing on a cigar, he looked quite pompous.
He was no longer the diligent, handsome young worker of his memories. He was involved in car trading. Hearing Lockhart refer to the car as "Lady," he somehow managed to find and summon a group of female mechanics dressed in bikinis and wide denim overalls to service the car.
Of course, he also suggested Lockhart get a better car, stating that the Car Lady, a Ford Anglia classic, was a popular model with a friendly price point and too many units in circulation to be considered an antique, and its performance as a new car wasn't sufficient.
The brother-in-law offered to give Lockhart a car and told him to pick one from the garage later.
Then he was splashed in the face with car wash soap.
The Car Lady was angry.
"It—it's one of those—" The brother-in-law was clearly astute, realizing the mechanics wouldn't dare spray him, and then understood the problem.
Lockhart smiled mysteriously and nodded.
"Oh, I'm sorry~" He sincerely apologized to the Car Lady, then quickly pulled Lockhart away from this seemingly ill-tempered magical creation.
Not long after arriving at the office with this brother-in-law, the other brother-in-law also arrived. Lockhart only learned during their casual chat that they intended to jointly establish a car information website.
In 1992, the British internet was heading towards a commercial climax, with countless hot money pouring into this emerging industry. Even a simple idea could easily attract a large amount of investment.
Not to mention they also planned to bring in their father-in-law, Mr. Lockhart, from the media industry. They intended to create a car information website from the perspective of "travel information" to boost car sales.
A very good idea.
After ten years, when the internet bubble burst and countless internet companies collapsed, the Lockhart family could successfully revert to poverty, perfectly coinciding with the effects of Bloodline Magic.
Alright, just kidding.
Lockhart didn't get too involved in their discussion, just sat quietly with a smile, pondering the potential effects of Bloodline Magic.
In the evening, the Lockhart family held a lively family gathering.
Lockhart's parents, two sisters and their husbands, and three boisterous children. They had made a name for themselves in society by leveraging Lockhart's fame and were now climbing towards higher peaks through their own abilities.
The lively atmosphere was enchanting, as the panel beater brother-in-law playfully performed an act that made the children laugh heartily, while the other brother-in-law pulled his sister into strange wizard robes and werewolf furs, clumsily fighting, the scene noisy and enthusiastic.
Lockhart quietly drew his wand in a corner of the crowd and gently waved it.
Magical power quietly bloomed.
He didn't go as far as Snape, exhibiting more of Lily Potter's and Tom Riddle's restraint. The effect was similar to Harry's family's situation, merely severing social ties with Voldemort and his subordinates.
This magic was very mysterious. He couldn't feel any changes in these blood relatives, yet he clearly sensed that the magic was at work.
Because it seemed to be affecting him, the caster.
More precisely, it was affecting the caster.
Magic surged. In the visual realm unseen by his family, silver light swirled like smoke, and a Patronus horse galloped cheerfully among them, while murky black rolled like flames, and a vicious werewolf roared beside Lockhart.
Yes, Bloodline Magic, yet it unexpectedly triggered the powers of both the Patronus horse and the vicious werewolf.
Protecting family, being alone—
He watched the increasingly noisy figures at the family gathering. Amidst them, he felt as if he was increasingly swallowed by an unnoticed corner of darkness, a peculiar state full of detachment yet vaguely intertwined with close connection.
Oh~
Understood.
So that's what Bloodline Magic is.
Protection!
Loneliness!
And Me!
These three elements collectively formed the underlying essence of this magic!
Magic swiftly circulated between "Protection," "Loneliness," and "Me," finally stabilizing and completely disappearing.
"Gilderoy, Gilderoy, come quickly, it's your turn to perform for the children!" his brother-in-law excitedly called out.
Lockhart smiled and walked forward, watching the horse galloping happily under the lights, and the werewolf remaining in the shadows behind him. He suddenly had a very strange realization.
The Bloodline Magic Snape described lacked the "Me." Yes, that was crucial; he mistakenly stood in the position of "Loneliness."
Voldemort's Bloodline Magic, however, was the opposite: it lacked "Protection," so the "Me" began to tug with "Loneliness," ultimately leading to social fragmentation.
From this perspective, Lily's Bloodline Magic was the most complete, yet it also had a major flaw: her death removed the "Me" from this magic. "Protection" and "Loneliness" began to tug at each other, ultimately leading to internal fragmentation within the bloodline.
What a wonderfully interesting state.
Magic was sometimes so simple. He waved his wand, cast a spell, and Voldemort and his minions could no longer harm his blood relatives.
Yet magic was sometimes so complex, eroding all influencing power into the caster themselves in a more fundamental way.
So, how could this magic be improved?
As Lockhart performed, making the children laugh heartily, a massive, pale ghost, seemingly devoid of all life, appeared. It scooped up the lonely werewolf and tucked it into its chest, then vanished again.
Locking loneliness in a cage, not destroying it, but merely confining it.
Thus, a silver protective glow radiated, filling the air with pleasant and joyful laughter, full of booming noise and warmth.