Chapter 215: What Business Is It of Theirs?
"Gilderoy Lockhart…"
In the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts, Dumbledore looked at Lockhart with a peculiar, pained expression. "You always seem to know things others don't."
Lockhart shrugged, picking a Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Bean from the candy bowl on the table and leisurely unwrapping it. "Strictly speaking, I suppose you could say I'm a prophet of a kind."
A prophet?
Dumbledore involuntarily glanced at Grindelwald.
Grindelwald scoffed at Lockhart, watching him pop the candy into his mouth. "In that case, my mysterious prophet, do you know if that particular candy is going to taste like pepper soap?"
Lockhart winced, chewing twice before swallowing with great difficulty. He then grabbed the icy drink on the table and gulped it down, finally letting out a long sigh. "I do now."
Snape, watching the men's idle chatter, grew impatient. "The point is Peter Pettigrew! He's been right under our noses all this time!"
Grindelwald gave Lockhart a cold look. "Yes. Why didn't you say anything before?"
Lockhart belched and put the glass back on the table. "Because I needed to keep an eye on him to find Voldemort's trail. But yesterday, I had a fight with Voldemort, and I realized I might have the ability to confront him head-on now. So there's no need to put up with that guy lurking around anymore."
"You fought Voldemort? Yesterday?" Snape exclaimed, looking Lockhart up and down to make sure he was unharmed. He was, of course, looking perfectly fine and full of energy.
Dumbledore's brows furrowed. "Peter was a member of the Order of the Phoenix. I think you are mistaken to use him to find Voldemort's trail."
Lockhart's lips curled into a smirk, and he raised an eyebrow. "Do you still think that to this day?"
Dumbledore fell silent. Perhaps he truly had misjudged this time, otherwise he wouldn't have let Sirius Black suffer for over a decade in Azkaban.
Lockhart looked at Grindelwald, who pouted. "Don't look at me. I'm a prophet, not an oracle. The past is always buried in the dust of history, unlike a prophet's vision."
"Alright then." Lockhart's expression turned serious as he spoke of the hidden past. "The Fidelius Charm you arranged for the Potters… Sirius, thinking he was clever, believed there was a spy in the Order and that his role as Secret-Keeper would definitely be targeted. To prevent the spy from leaking this crucial information, he secretly switched Secret-Keepers…" Lockhart's expression grew strange as he said, "…to Peter Pettigrew, the spy himself."
"Voldemort was good at creating deadly threats, and Pettigrew was a coward afraid of death. It was a foregone conclusion that if they ever met, Peter Pettigrew would become a spy."
Snape was trying to suppress his anger, wanting to curse, but he knew this wasn't the right place. He simply glared at Lockhart in frustration. "Why didn't that fool Sirius choose Lupin? Didn't the Marauders always say Lupin was the most reliable?"
Lockhart threw his hands up; how was he supposed to know?
Dumbledore sighed, full of sorrow. "Because of Lupin's werewolf identity, many in the Order at the time suspected that he was the one who leaked information about a critical operation. It was an unbearable betrayal, and many brave warriors of the Order died."
Too many good people had died in that war. Excellent wizards like Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape had lost the chance for a brilliant life that was now forever forgotten. The atmosphere in the office grew heavy.
Luckily, there was still a mischievous man trying to derail the conversation.
Grindelwald said coldly, "Traitors should be killed! Lockhart, why did you help conceal this?"
"I just told you!" Lockhart ignored him and looked at Dumbledore. "Last year, the Ministry official and pure-blood family head, Karkaroff, also wanted to kill me. You know there were many ways for him to take me down. I almost ended up in Azkaban once. But you said you needed him to lure out Voldemort, and you told me to be patient. I did as you asked. So you cannot blame me for doing the same thing."
He hadn't said anything before because he needed Peter Pettigrew to help resurrect Voldemort. By following that trail, he could catch a newly resurrected and most vulnerable Voldemort and finish him once and for all. He was speaking now because he had found a way to deal with Voldemort, so there was no need for schemes. Schemes always had loopholes, and once he had the ability to fight honorably, he was no longer attached to them.
Dumbledore said nothing, but the gentle look on his face showed that he wouldn't hold it against him.
Grindelwald, however, was intrigued. "You said you had a fight with Voldemort yesterday? What was the outcome?"
Lockhart's face lit up, and he let out a mischievous chuckle. "He's a werewolf now. The kind of werewolf where the lycanthropy is cast into his very soul!"
"!!!" Grindelwald.
"!!!" Dumbledore.
"!!!" Snape.
Everyone was stunned!
Dumbledore coughed as if he had choked on his drink, looking Lockhart up and down, and shaking his head in awe. "He's going to hate you for this."
Lockhart shrugged nonchalantly. "I have no doubt. He is my greatest source of entertainment. I welcome him to come and play with me whenever he wants."
He would never have dared to say something like this before. But now, Lockhart was already fantasizing about the next time he would drag old Voldemort into a fun past to fight.
Like right now! In this very office, with Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and Snape all present!
Heh. Oh, Voldemort, come on and play with us!
"I just want to know where Peter Pettigrew is!" Snape was radiating an aura of murder. Even though he was shocked by Lockhart's newfound audacity, his attention was quickly pulled back to the matter at hand.
"I don't know," Lockhart said, gesturing to Grindelwald. "Perhaps our prophet here knows?"
Grindelwald shook his head. "I never do that. I only observe the grand sweep of events, not the details. The future is never set in stone; it changes with people. When you learn a detail of the future, that detail is destined to change."
"He won't escape," Dumbledore said gravely. "All the secret passages in Hogwarts have been sealed. Apparition points on the bridge are temporarily suspended, and the Dementors are guarding the only open entrance at the train station. He can only be in Hogwarts."
It was a complete disgrace. Peter Pettigrew had hidden in the Weasley household for years and then was brought to Hogwarts by Percy and Ron, living right beside them without being detected.
An Animagus… Dumbledore looked at Lockhart thoughtfully. "Did Sirius escape Azkaban the same way?"
Lockhart nodded. "He must have. As you know, the Animagus form suppresses the wizard's personality, and all magical power within their body is inaccessible. To a Dementor, he would simply not be considered a human."
So... Dumbledore realized that having the Dementors only guard the train station wasn't enough.
He immediately stood up, pulled out the Elder Wand, and walked to the window of his office. He aimed his wand at the area across the Black Lake and waved it lightly.
"This way is forbidden!"
Twisting lines of light, like cracks on an eggshell, spread and flickered across the sky and the ground before fading away a moment later.
"Rather than catching Peter Pettigrew…" Dumbledore turned to Lockhart and Snape. "I would like you both to focus on the children. I do not want them to be harmed because of this!"
Each House had its own management system, and he trusted the heads to handle it. However, Lockhart's group of students in the Duelling Club had been growing more and more restless lately. He liked this kind of restlessness, but given the current situation, sacrifices sometimes had to be made.
"The Duelling Club…"
Before he could finish, Lockhart abruptly interrupted. "The Duelling Club would be more than happy to participate in this hunt, Professor Dumbledore. You cannot stop the children from becoming warriors."
Dumbledore looked at him with a sharp gaze.
Lockhart pushed on, "Forget everyone else, let's talk about the prophecy that you and so many others believe in—that the savior Harry Potter will defeat the Dark Lord. But I have to say, Harry probably couldn't even beat Peter Pettigrew, let alone the Dark Lord! He needs more experience and improvement; he needs to grow! This is a chance!"
"You've all seen the exciting competition Percy organized; you can see their progress!"
Dumbledore's expression grew strange. "Some sensitive people who have experienced the war, like Nicolas Flamel, Mermelus…" He waved his hand, listing off several names. "They have all written to me asking, 'Albus, are you building an army? Is this a reform of Hogwarts' teaching methods?'" He looked at everyone helplessly.
Lockhart laughed. "So what if you are? What business is it of theirs? This is your Hogwarts!"
Grindelwald suddenly burst into laughter, slapping the table. "That's exactly what Dumbledore told them, hahahaha…" He was laughing so hard that tears streamed down his face.
Dumbledore's face changed entirely. He glared at Grindelwald. "I don't recall ever writing back to them!" He was furious. He knew that letting that damned, restless Gellert out would only lead to trouble!
He looked at Lockhart with some annoyance, only to find that Lockhart and Snape were quietly backing away towards the office's spiral staircase. When he looked at them, they immediately bolted.
"!!!"
Damn it! Every single one of them, old and young, was a handful.
Dumbledore felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him.
(End of Chapter)
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