Chapter 204: "Yes, What's Wrong?" - Hogwarts Super Gilderoy Lockhart

Young wizards often thought Professor Lockhart was an omnipotent deity, knowing all the secrets of the world. But that wasn't quite true. When Lockhart was the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, his greatest strength lay in the sub-discipline of 'Defence Against Dark Creatures.' For 'Defence Against the Dark Arts' itself and 'Duelling,' he still relied on Snape to teach the young wizards. At the time, the young wizards didn't know that Lockhart was actually attending the lessons alongside them, learning right along.

Now, with Lockhart taking on the Care of Magical Creatures class, he'd pilfered Newt Scamander's knowledge, yet still felt it wasn't enough. He'd discovered that his deep dive into 'the romance of fairy tales' had led him to the domain of 'wizarding life and magical living,' which, he realised, actually required 'breeding Dark magical creatures' and 'breeding magical creatures.' He was already embarking on the former journey, but the latter was an entirely new and unfamiliar territory.

And in this territory... Hagrid was the only god!

Lockhart believed that Madagore Cats were absolutely the future. Until he found other magical creatures with similar characteristics, how to breed new varieties of Madagore Cats that could conquer the hearts of wizards and Muggles with their appearance and charm became his primary objective. And for this, he really had to seek Hagrid's help. Who else could he turn to? He asked himself, was there anyone else? Lockhart thought about it for a while and couldn't think of anyone else who could accomplish such an amazing feat.

"Breeding new varieties, the beautiful kind?" Hagrid looked down, a little bewildered, at the pitter-pattering Madagore Cats running towards him, his heart melting. "Oh, what adorable little fellows."

Lockhart immediately felt a pang of despair. While Hagrid was certainly technically capable, his aesthetic sense might diverge a little from that of most humans. "Not that kind of cute, but more... special..." He tried his best to explain.

Just then, screams from the young wizards echoed from a distance, particularly from the young witches. Lockhart turned to look, and there, he saw the young wizards, even the boys, gathered around a few wolf cubs.

Those wolf cubs were truly beautiful: fluffy white fur with an ethereal, almost satiny softness and sheen, bright blue eyes, pink little noses, and bushy tails. They seemed a bit larger than typical puppies, with more slender builds, combining handsomeness with cuteness, and strength with grace. Their beauty was hard to describe in words; one could only say that these creatures perfectly aligned with human aesthetic preferences. The first glimpse of them made one instinctively think – I want one too!

"Exactly like that!" Lockhart exclaimed, pointing at the wolf cubs, feeling as if he had found his ideal template.

"Oh, like that," Hagrid said, sounding a bit unenthusiastic. He certainly agreed the wolf cubs were pretty, but only pretty; they weren't the "adorable little" kind he preferred. In a giant's eyes, fierceness was the most natural and harmonious state for a magical creature. These wolf cubs truly looked entirely unthreatening.

"Trying to crossbreed Madagore Cats with werewolf cubs isn't an easy task," Hagrid mused, scratching his head.

"???" Lockhart froze. What? What was that? Crossbreeding Madagore Cats with werewolf cubs? How could that possibly... Wait, it actually sounded like it could be possible! Lockhart's eyes lit up, and he looked at Hagrid with hopeful anticipation. "Is there a way to do it?"

Hagrid shook his head. "It'd take a massive amount of time and effort, and I don't really have that much time." As the Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts, his daily duties were demanding. All the creatures in the vast Forbidden Forest required his attention, not to mention his membership in the Order of the Phoenix often meant important missions. Any remaining free time, naturally, he hoped to dedicate to his beloved field of crossbreeding animals. He was already too busy with his own "little darlings" he wanted to breed.

Lockhart nodded in understanding, yet still pressed his request. "Could you perhaps explain this knowledge to the young wizards while you're breeding animals?" Lockhart lowered his expectations. "You could also have the students help you. I imagine that would ease your burden quite a bit."

Equal exchange is the most common form of transaction; from the most intelligent humans to animals without sentience, they instinctively accept this natural rule. Lockhart didn't beat around the bush with Hagrid but straightforwardly proposed a trade.

Hagrid hesitated, then gave an embarrassed, good-natured chuckle. "Usually, students only come to help me when they're in trouble. Wouldn't this be... well, not quite right?"

Oh, Lockhart remembered. In the year before last, Harry and Draco had been given detention and were sent to help Hagrid in the Forbidden Forest, where they discovered the previous Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Quirrell, feeding on a unicorn. Was that truly a punishment? Lockhart didn't think so. He smiled and gestured towards the young wizards in the distance. "Look, they actually love magical creatures too."

Hagrid turned to look, and seeing the young wizards and the wolf cubs interacting harmoniously, his heart instantly melted. His eyes filled with tenderness as he murmured, "How lovely."

Snape didn't think it was lovely at all! He clutched his wand, guarding them from the side, silently cursing Lockhart and Hagrid for their recklessness and irresponsibility. These wolf cubs were no good! These weren't ordinary wolf cubs; these were werewolves! Did they understand "werewolf"?! The kind that, if they bit you, you'd be expelled from humanity! The unfortunate thing was that wolves expressed affection by nipping (similar to a child shaking hands); it was a bite of goodwill, but a malicious attack was also a bite. One slip, and a young wizard's life would be utterly ruined! Snape himself had once been led to the brink of being bitten by a werewolf and absolutely loathed the very idea. If there was even the slightest hint of trouble, he swore, truly, he swore he would promptly slice any wolf cub attempting to bite in half with a Sectumsempra! As for what to do after killing it... that wasn't something to dwell on too much.

"Alright then." Hagrid finally agreed, walked over, and shooed the wolf cubs back into their den, calling out to the young wizards, "Children, don't get too close to them. It wouldn't be good if you got bitten." He then waved his large hand, beckoning everyone towards the place where he bred new animals.

Snape breathed a sigh of relief, though not without a hint of regret, his piercing gaze sweeping over the wolf cubs before he finally followed the group.

They walked for a long time, a good half-hour's journey, until they reached a place in the Forbidden Forest piled high with rocks.

"Be careful, everyone. These stones can be loose. Don't cast spells on them, or they might collapse and bury us." Hagrid kindly warned them as they entered a cave through a rocky crevice, which only made the young wizards simultaneously draw their wands and look around warily, as if ready to cast spells at any moment. This was clearly the result of Professor Lockhart's teaching: when feeling threatened, no matter what, draw your wand, decide on your first spell, and be ready to cast it in an instant.

"Oh, relax, everyone, relax." Hagrid tried his best to soothe the young wizards, but it clearly had little effect. He turned to Lockhart for help, but received a look that said, "There's nothing I can do."

What then? They could only continue onward. They walked through crevices between large rocks, winding their way diagonally downwards, quickly entering an underground cavern system. And they continued to go deeper.

"This used to be the nest of an animal that looked a lot like a Mantis-worm," Hagrid explained. "I don't know what it was, but I found it eating a lot of animals in the Forbidden Forest. I accidentally killed it while trying to chase it away, and then I found its nest right here."

"That probably wasn't a magical creature; it was likely a Dark creature."

Hagrid continued his explanation, leading them into a downward shaft that had been dug out and expanded, following large stone steps suitable for his stride. They walked for an unknown length of time; the deeper they went, the colder it became, until finally, frost coated the walls and stone staircase, forcing everyone to walk even more carefully to avoid slipping.

At last, they reached the deepest part, and everyone shivered involuntarily. A terrifyingly cold wind seemed to carry magical attacks, piercing straight into their bones.

"Soulfire!"

"Warmth Charm!"

Crabbe, almost without thinking, instinctively cast these two spells. A rapid glow of bi-colored flames spread from his feet, and everyone touched by the light instantly felt transported from the bitter cold of winter to the comfortable warmth of spring.

"Oh, no, don't!" Hagrid turned around frantically, waving his hands at Crabbe, looking extremely anxious. "You quickly—"

But just then, a terrifying roar echoed from a dark corner in the distance. It was a bizarre, resonant roar, like a trumpet, intertwined with a peculiar buzzing vibration. Crabbe looked at Hagrid in confusion, and only when Lockhart called his name did he react and dispel the magic. So, everyone had to face the biting cold once more.

"Roar~" The creature quickly lunged from the dark depths. When it was close, its chains tightened, pulling it to the ground. It agilely flipped up, roaring at everyone.

"Merlin's beard!" the young wizards exclaimed in unison. Even Lockhart and Snape collectively gasped.

The magical creature before them was unbelievably hideous! It had the body of a lion with a thick, semi-transparent scorpion tail growing from its back, and a human-like head perched on its neck! The human-like head had eyes, a nose, and ears like a person, but its mouth was filled with three rows of sharp, shark-like teeth. This head had red hair and a full beard, its thick fur extending down to the lion's body, mingling with all the lion's mane, looking utterly repulsive.

"A Manticore!" Snape's expression was grim. "They say its hide can defend against almost all curses, more valuable than dragon hide!"

Hagrid nodded sadly. "Yes, humans are always so cruel. Because of this trait, they were extensively hunted for protective leather armor and wizard robes. Now, Manticores are very rare."

Lockhart looked at Snape with a peculiar expression. "You know about this creature?"

Snape glanced at the sorrowful Hagrid and replied in a low voice, "Yes, the animal's tail is the best ingredient for highly poisonous potions and antidote formulations."

Understood. Lockhart nodded.

"This Manticore is in heat now, and it looks very uncomfortable. I can't find a lioness to breed with it," Hagrid said mournfully. "Living alone in this world, like a monster no one accepts..." Lockhart clearly understood what Hagrid meant. He was about to offer comfort, but before he could choose his words, Hagrid continued.

"So I brought it here. It's too cold here, completely unsuitable for its survival. Perhaps it will therefore feel the warmth brought by a Fire Crab..."

Hagrid sincerely explained his approach to crossbreeding magical creatures. Unlike Lockhart's imagined method of preparing special mating potions, or forcibly making them, Hagrid actually created opportunities for cross-species breeding based on the animals' characteristics. This seemed to involve a deep understanding of the magical creatures' own magical properties.

Lockhart could feel that the Manticore's constant roars, while seemingly furious, also carried a hint of bluff, as if begging Hagrid to let it go. The biting cold was causing it immense pain, even making it desperately crave a little warmth, no matter how small.

"You're actually planning to crossbreed this thing with a Fire Crab?" Snape listened, utterly stunned. "Fire Crabs are Manticore food!"

Hagrid nodded, but then looked puzzled. "Yes, what's wrong?"

"!!!" The young wizards listening were all dumbfounded.

Chapter 204 - Chapter 204: "Yes, What's Wrong?"