Snow lay thick across the Hogwarts grounds, the kind of quiet that made you want to huddle up in a blanket with hot chocolate and read your favourite book.
Inside the Room of Requirement, Gilderoy paced, his wand tapping lightly against the floor as he went over everything again. Today was about the ritual, the Core Restructuring and Expansion, and once it began there would be no stopping midway.
The book lay open before him, its yellowed pages filled with Rowena Ravenclaw's precise script. He had read and reread it enough times to know most of it by memory, but that didn't stop him from checking again. Every symbol, every marking, every Latin phrase had to be exact. One mistake wouldn't just fail the process, it could damage his core.
He turned to the section again, eyes moving across the diagram. The circle that would anchor his magic, the runes that would guide the expansion, the method to handle the incoming flow, everything was written clearly.
This was it. No turning back.
He began preparing, placing candles in their exact positions and adjusting them until they matched the diagram. Chalk lines followed, drawn carefully across the floor, each rune checked and corrected where needed. Once done, he stepped back and looked over the entire formation again before moving forward.
Gilderoy stepped into the circle and knelt. He cut his palm slightly and placed it against the center mark.
He began the incantation, voice steady as the Latin rolled off his tongue.
"Corpus refoveo. Os roboro. Sanguinem renovare."
As he spoke, the chalk-drawn circle reacted. Blue light spread across every line and rune in an instant, steady and clear, turning the rough markings on the floor into something entirely different.
Gilderoy froze for a brief moment, caught off guard by the sight. He had worked with magic, cast spells—but never seen something like this, where a simple chalk circle came alive and glowed like it had its own presence.
Then suddenly, the world went black, and in the next instant he found himself standing in a white space that stretched endlessly in all directions, with a single figure standing in front of him.
Gilderoy could guess who the person in front of him was—The original Gilderoy Lockhart.
Same face, same body, but the expression was different. There was a smile, but the eyes didn't match it, sharp and cold, and for a moment, angry.
"YOU," the original Gilderoy said, his voice echoing slightly, "I do not know if I should be mad or furious."
Jon stayed silent, unsure what to say.
The original Gilderoy continued without waiting. "I read all your memories and saw everything. That I was in a lady's novel named Harry Potter, and how in that story I was nothing more than an incompetent fool with no real impact."
Jon frowned slightly, uncomfortable with how casually that was said.
"You went through my memories?" Jon grimmanced. "What the hell is wrong with you? That's like watching someone naked."
"Yes, and I appreciate how you have been training these past few months," Gilderoy replied, a faint smirk forming, "aside from your perverted indulgences."
Jon snapped back, "You are the pervert. Your whole family is pervert. Also weren't you the one peeking at my private moments?"
Gilderoy smirked wider. "Well, it was technically my body, though I am somewhat impressed by your goal you dreamed in your life as Jon that if you got isekai'd into Harry Potter. What was it again… ah yes, fame, power, women, I will conquer all."
Jon raised his middle finger towards Gilderoy. "Go bugger yourself."
Gilderoy laughed before his expression settled again. "Anyway, the reason you ended up in my body and I died was because the world lines separating worlds were getting closer a few years ago, so it was the goddess's decision to pull me out."
Jon frowned. "Who?"
"Did you not meet a goddess before you crossed into my body?" Gilderoy asked.
"Emm. No?"
"Then I can't tell you more, she must have her reasons," Gilderoy replied, "all I can say is that she is the source and creator of all energy, not just magic."
Jon stayed quiet for a moment.
"Anyway, she offered me a better deal, to go to another magical world with my memories intact, so I accepted," Gilderoy added, stepping forward and slapping Jon on the back, "I have no animosity against you for taking my body, I was faking it earlier."
"Why can't I still see some of your memories?" Jon asked.
Gilderoy shrugged slightly. "Because I didn't want you to. Simple." He stepped closer. "Here, I'll unhide it."
He raised a hand and tapped Jon's forehead.
The next moment, the memories hit.
A younger Gilderoy moved through the house. He listened when spoken to, but never really cared. His family tried to involve him, talk to him, bond with him, ask him about his life at Hogwarts, but he kept himself apart, answering only when needed, never staying longer than necessary.
It didn't change as time passed.
Every memory carried the same pattern—small arguments, dismissive replies, the way he looked at them like they were beneath him.
As Gilderoy progressed through his Hogwarts years, even his mother wasn't an exception. She was a witch, but she lived with his father and sisters, who were muggles, and that was enough for him. In his mind, she was no different from the rest. He started treating her the same way—kept his distance, already separating himself from all of them.
The belief stayed constant. "I am a wizard. I will achieve bigger things than they ever could."
The memories continued like that until Jon reached the last one.
His trunk was packed. The house was quieter than usual. His family tried again to talk to him, to say something that would make him stay connected, but he didn't give them anything back. No apology, no hesitation. He walked out without looking back.
Jon exhaled slowly, anger and disappointment settling in as he looked at Gilderoy.
"I'm sorry," Gilderoy said, his voice low, shame clear in his expression. "I never realized the importance of family when I was alive. I saw your previous life… how you cared for your parents. Hell, I even saw Harry Potter, alone at Hogwarts, still longing for his parents… and finding a family with Arthur and Molly Weasley."
"Jon," Gilderoy started, then paused, correcting himself, "no… not Jon. You're Gilderoy now. So do one thing properly—take care of my family for me." His tone dropped. "I was a real bastard to them. Thought I was better than them. I can't fix it… but you can."
Jon looked at him, seeing the regret in his eyes, then gave a small nod.
"Well, all that stuff aside," Gilderoy said, "I think it's time for us to leave. We can't stay here too long."
Gilderoy raised his hand, and Jon gave it a quick high-five.
---
I was a bit sick, so I took a short break, but I'm fine now. Will post as usual from now on.
I came back and saw people were still giving me stones even while I was on break and not posting chapters-thank you and love you❤️ (no homo)
Drop Stones as Usual.
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