Chapter 21: Chapter 21: Lockhart's Ideal World!
Outside Flourish and Blotts in Diagon Alley, the Weasley twins cheered on their father with a mix of caution and encouragement.
"Dad, be careful with his fists."
"Dad, beat him up, hit him in the face with your fist."
"Dad, be careful, he is going to do something secretly."
"Yes, dad, use some strength and hit like you mean it."
Harry Potter, clutching the books Lockhart had given him, looked at George and Fred in surprise. Their father was fighting with Draco's father, Lucius Malfoy, but the twins did not intervene. Harry, who had a horrible first impression of Lucius Malfoy, secretly wished for Mr. Arthur Weasley to win. Lucius had arrogantly mocked Harry and even praised the Dark Lord who killed his parents, sparking a fierce dislike in Harry.
The situation escalated when Lucius mocked Hermione for being a Muggle-born and insulted the Weasley family as paupers. This drove Arthur Weasley to the edge, and the two men began to brawl. While Harry was concerned for Arthur, he couldn't deny the satisfaction of seeing Lucius Malfoy getting what he deserved.
"Good, Mr. Arthur, punch him hard in the face and kick him a few times, preferably in the vital parts," Harry muttered under his breath.
Suddenly, Harry spotted a familiar figure emerging from Flourish and Blotts. It was Professor Lockhart, who had just given him free books. Lockhart watched the clumsy melee with an almost amused expression. These two men had no real combat experience—it looked more like a children's scuffle.
Lockhart, with Thor's extensive combat experience, easily stepped into the fray. He grabbed both men by their wrists and with a gentle twist and pull, had them both wincing in pain.
"Lockhart, please be gentle!"
"Be gentle, be gentle, it hurts! It hurts! It hurts!"
Looking at them indifferently, Lockhart chastised, "Both of you are from pure-blood families. Isn't it a bit uncivilized to fight outside my book launch? I remember that I didn't offend either of you."
Quickly, Arthur and Lucius, still in pain, assured him, "No, no, Lockhart, be gentle, it hurts!"
Lockhart loosened his grip and advised in a calm tone, "Both of you are parents. You should set a better example. Look, your children are watching and even cheering for injuries. Is this appropriate?"
Chastened, Arthur and Lucius glanced at their children, saw the remaining excitement on their faces, snorted at each other, and began to separate. Lucius, feeling embarrassed, pulled Draco away with a huff but not without throwing a disdainful remark, "Hmph! Damn half-blood!"
Lockhart, with his sensitive hearing, caught the comment and watched Lucius leave with a critical eye. Arthur, apologetic, turned to Lockhart, "Sorry, Professor Lockhart, I'm very sorry for disturbing your book launch."
"It's okay, Mr. Weasley. As a professor, my concern is the impact on the children. That's why I intervened. I apologize for any pain caused. Now, let's clean this up." Lockhart flicked his wand, and the scattered books neatly stacked themselves and flew to Arthur.
Lockhart, noticing Arthur's embarrassed look as he glanced at the old books, especially those Lockhart had written, preemptively reassured him, "Mr. Weasley, your presence at my book launch shows your support. Please accept these books as an apology for the discomfort." He then handed over seven of his books.
"Haha, thank you, Professor Lockhart. My daughter Ginny adores your books. This is indeed a valuable gift," Arthur responded, his face lighting up as he quickly stowed the books away.
Lockhart nodded and turned back towards Flourish and Blotts. Unnoticed by others, a black notebook among the piles of scattered books quietly vanished with Lockhart.
Later that evening in Lockhart's home, he sat at his desk, fixated on the black notebook. It was one of Voldemort's Horcruxes. Concerning its disposal, Lockhart had no intention of tampering with such a potent piece of dark magic created by a wizard of Dumbledore's caliber without first increasing his own strength. For now, sealing it seemed the best option to ensure a peaceful year at Hogwarts where he could teach and study without undue risk.
Today's book launch had been a success, and his plan had gone smoothly except for Lucius's derogatory comment which irked him. Lockhart despised the narrow-minded, class-driven purity ideology of the wizarding world. The conflict between pure-bloods, half-bloods, and Muggle-borns infuriated him. His aspiration was to study magic peacefully and advance magical knowledge.
Lockhart, feeling a renewed sense of purpose after Lucius's insult, realized the difficulty of conducting peaceful research in such a discriminatory world. However, he remained optimistic. "Everything will change," he mused. "Yes, everything will change. My ideal world is one of pure magic, where everyone pursues truth and learns magic."
And this vision would begin to take shape starting from his upcoming meeting with Dumbledore, for which he had meticulously prepared.
Touching the dark blue necklace around his neck, Lockhart's eyes gleamed with resolve.
=========================
[More Chapter available at p@treon.com/goldengaruda]
=========================
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone