Chapter 36: The Sudden Death Curse
The first two potion ingredients Snape needed for his improved recipe, dew and sound, were very simple things to collect.
But it was precisely these things that completely changed Lockhart's life trajectory.
Before this, the classroom, library, office, and Great Hall dining room were all within the main building of the school castle complex.
But now, Lockhart had to start stepping out of this small comfort zone.
He wouldn't let his mind become too tense, constantly worrying about Voldemort's curse; if he did, he wouldn't be able to live.
But he also wouldn't completely let down his guard, taking all the little creatures with him every time he went out.
After class in the afternoon, carrying a pot of Screaming Plant seeds, he walked among the young wizards, watching them play, frolic, and chase each other, feeling a sense of being in another world.
These energetic young wizards with their magical abilities were too boisterous, too boisterous.
Lockhart even encountered a group of young wizards having a dung fight.
Yes, a dung fight!
To be precise, they were throwing 'Stink Pellets' at each other, prank items that were no different from dung.
They looked like dung, smelled like dung, and smeared an entire corridor.
Lockhart had to specifically take a detour to avoid them.
In this regard, he particularly understood the anger of Hogwarts caretaker Mr. Filch. He didn't want to get involved with that stuff at all.
Especially since he had no way to deal with it.
The Scourgify charm could solve this problem well, but the key was that he couldn't cast it.
This was why he usually didn't wander around the school; encountering even a small problem would expose the truth of his incompetence.
This was also why he was so fixated on Voldemort's Horcrux diary and so valued the potion that Professor Snape was helping him improve.
Magic!
He really wanted to have the ability to cast spells smoothly!
"Professor Lockhart!" Young wizards greeted him along the way, and Lockhart would always give his standard perfect smile, offering a few words of encouragement or signing the books or cards the young wizards handed him.
This kind of thing, where fans screamed wherever he went, he initially found amusing, but after doing it many times, he became somewhat annoyed and mostly walked with hurried steps.
After all, he wasn't the original Lockhart, and he wasn't so keen on being fanatically pursued by people.
But now he had to return to his initial state, interacting more with these little fans so that the Screaming Plant in his hands could hear more voices calling his name.
Unknowingly, he had already taken on some of the mannerisms of the original Lockhart, at least the things he did were similar.
Or perhaps it should be called this—he was stepping into the 'charmed life of Gilderoy Lockhart, the life-stealing celebrity.'
Sometimes he would simply go to the Quidditch pitch to watch, and the enthusiastic Hermione would pull him into their Gryffindor group, where he would sit with them and cheer.
Then, only when they excitedly rushed towards their own house team at the end of the match, would he quietly walk towards the Forbidden Forest alone, holding the Screaming Plant.
Lockhart didn't venture too deep into the Forbidden Forest, only wandering along the edges.
The weather at Hogwarts had been gloomy lately, as if brewing a heavy rain. The air humidity was high, making it easy to collect dew.
This task was proceeding smoothly.
Today, he had brought an extra small cloth bag, intending to also start collecting some fine sand—'sand from the woodland path where one always walks when deep in thought.' This was one of the materials he had chosen for the simplified construction of a 'Pensieve-style cauldron.'
The sky gradually darkened.
The air in the gloomy weather felt somewhat oppressive.
The distant shouts from Quidditch practice faintly drifted over, making the edge of the Forbidden Forest seem even quieter.
Only a few dog barks came from Hagrid's hut.
That was Fang, Hagrid's pet, a Neapolitan Mastiff that looked fierce but was actually gentle.
Clearly, Hagrid had gone to the Quidditch pitch again to watch Harry Potter and his teammates train, leaving Fang alone in the hut.
Fang was barking fiercely, sounding somewhat manic, which made Little Goldies in Lockhart's wizard robe pocket want to cast a 'Silencio' on it.
Fortunately, Little Goldies now somewhat knew to ask its master's opinion first.
Lockhart just shook his head with a smile, not letting it scare Hagrid's pet.
Speaking of which, Hagrid's life on the edge of the Forbidden Forest was quite enjoyable. He not only had several magical creature enclosures but had also reclaimed farmland and planted a large number of pumpkins, and even raised some chickens.
Every morning, the crowing of these roosters would penetrate the Forbidden Forest and the Black Lake, reaching the castle complex.
Of course, this year was a bit special.
These roosters would all be killed by Ginny Weasley because they threatened the Basilisk.
Regarding this point, recently, when Harry Potter was organizing information about the Basilisk, the young wizards were all very curious as to why an ordinary rooster could kill such a powerful monster as the Basilisk.
The answer was actually obvious.
Basilisks and little Goldie-like 'existence contrary to common sense' dark magical creatures were powerful because they 'existed contrary to common sense,' and they also perished because they 'existed contrary to common sense.'
As long as someone reminded them, hey, you don't exist.
Then they would die.
The principle was somewhat similar to that mythological story from Lockhart's previous life, where the old woman selling hollow cabbages said to Bi Gan, "How can a person live without a heart?", and then Bi Gan died.
So, did reminding the Basilisk that it wasn't a normal existence really require a rooster's crow?
As long as the underlying logic was understood, there were actually many ways.
Lockhart picked up sand with his small cloth bag, passing by the chicken coop, and casually went over to take a look. There seemed to be no movement.
It seemed Ginny Weasley hadn't taken action yet.
He shook his head, not thinking about this matter, and continued towards the Forbidden Forest. But at this moment, a small figure appeared in the shadows beside a large tree.
Wearing a long white dress, it looked somewhat luminous in the shadows.
The little face was as delicate and beautiful as a doll, but the entire face was as pale as if it had lost blood.
She held a large rooster by the neck, lifting it up, tilting her head and looking at Lockhart with a very empty gaze. Her voice was ethereal, like a sleep-talking mumble, as she softly asked, "Are you looking for this?"
Lockhart was stunned.
He seemed to have seen this very unique state of the little girl somewhere before.
The memories in his mind surged and searched quickly, and soon found the answer.
—The Imperius Curse!
One of the three Unforgivable Curses, it could turn others into puppets who obeyed orders.
A tremor suddenly surged in Lockhart's heart, and he reacted extremely quickly, throwing himself to the side.
Just in that instant, as the little girl raised her wand and recited the incantation in a very fast voice, "Avada Kedavra!", a green light almost grazed his hair and flew past.
"!!!"
Holy moly!
Lockhart gasped, and before he could steady himself, another green light shot towards his chest.
"Avada Kedavra!"
The curse was filled with indifference and malice towards life, even carrying a curiosity that seemed to enjoy watching human life be destroyed, like a child pouring boiling water into an ant nest. Such a rich and evil will could not possibly belong to a little girl like Ginny Weasley.
Tom!
Tom!
Rolling mist surged at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, and a gray wolf leaped out with light steps, blocking between Lockhart and the Killing Curse.
As the curse struck, this summoned forest spirit dissipated back into the mist of the woods.
Through the mist, another ghastly green light of the Killing Curse pierced through.
"!!!"
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