The Ancient Wizards of Hogwarts

In the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, Cassandra, sitting next to Harry, frowned slightly:

"Why hasn't Lockhart come to class yet?"

Harley tilted her head and guessed:

"Maybe you're still recovering from your injuries in the school hospital?"

"It's just a broken bone. Do you need to recover from the injury overnight?"

"Hmm~"

Faced with Cassandra's rhetorical question, Harley didn't know how to answer.

An Indian girl from Ravenclaw sitting on the right side of Harry spoke softly:

"I heard from Gryffindor students that Professor Lockhart originally only had a broken arm, but because he tried to use magic to repair the broken arm, he ended up pulling out the entire arm bone. The boneless arm was limp. , like rubber, I bet this must be very serious!"

"You can't be so stupid..."

Harry's expression was a little subtle, and he muttered something under his breath, then turned around and asked, "Patil, who did you listen to?"

"My sister, Parvati."

Padma Patil explained softly, "She is a Gryffindor student and is roommate with Lavender Brown, who sent Professor Lockhart to the infirmary. Brown told her these things personally."

"That's probably true. It fits my imagination of Lockhart."

Cassandra held her chin with her right hand and looked out the window with a somewhat contemptuous tone, "If it's just a fracture, it can be cured in just one second. But in this case, she must take Shengguling to let the bones regenerate." Grow it out. It took at least one night and was so painful that I imagine Lockhart wimped out and cried while the bone grew."

Harley asked doubtfully:

"Even if it takes one night, it should have grown by now, right?"

"Who knows?"

Cassandra sneered, "Maybe he was afraid of coming to class and deliberately hid in the school hospital?"

"Snapped!"

The door to the classroom was suddenly pushed open, causing almost all the students' eyes to focus on the person who pushed the door open.

That person was Lockhart. He was still wearing the same purple-red robe that he wore yesterday. When he saw the eyes of dozens of students in the classroom focused on him, his expression was somewhat stiff.

Cassandra stood up and accused mercilessly:

"Professor Lockhart, you are twenty minutes late!"

"Ah ha ha……"

Lockhart tried to act stupid and walked through the desks on both sides to the podium with an exaggerated smile.

Just when the other students thought he was about to start class, he walked straight to his office and slammed the door.

"boom!"

Even though the line of sight was cut off, the Ravenclaw and Slytherin students could still hear the obvious sound of rummaging through boxes and cabinets.

"What is he doing?" Harley didn't know why.

"Who knows? Maybe he was fired and is packing his luggage."

Cassandra seemed to be gloating, but Harley didn't think it was evil, because if that were the case, most people would be happy.

"that……"

Padma, who had just taken the initiative to answer their questions, hesitated and asked softly, "Blake didn't come to class. Do you know why?"

Harley reacted immediately, so was she telling them those things just to find out Ash's whereabouts?

"There must be something important."

Harley's answer was a bit ambiguous because she didn't know where Ash was now.

Maybe as a Dragoon or Wolfrider in the Room of Requirement, maybe not at Hogwarts, since Ash was perfectly capable of leaving the school without anyone noticing.

At least that's what Harley thinks.

Snapped!

Finally, the office door opened again, and Lockhart appeared in the sight of the students dragging the box.

The trunk seemed heavy, for Lockhart's movements were laborious.

Cassandra stood up and asked:

"Professor Lockhart, where are you going?"

Lockhart, who had just come down the stairs and was almost 'dragged down' by the box, managed to stand still. His expression was awkward for a moment, but he soon returned to normal, with the same confident smile as usual on his face:

"In fact, the Ministry of Magic sent me a letter last night. They hope that I can help continue to fight against those dark creatures. Although it is regrettable, I think I will not be able to continue to be your teacher."

"Of course, although the time is short, we have established a deep friendship. I know you will be reluctant to leave, and I also miss the time with you. But I am sorry, as a recipient of the third-level Order of Merlin, I can't refuse the Ministry's request!"

"So I must report to the Ministry of Magic immediately to help them fight against those werewolves and vampires!"

"So, goodbye, dear classmates! Don't miss me~!"

While Lockhart loudly and proudly promoted his 'deeds' of being invited by the Ministry of Magic, he dragged the box and pushed open the door, turned around and left without any nostalgia, and disappeared from the sight of others.

Snapped!

The door slammed shut, and there was dead silence in the classroom.

until--

"Wuhu!"

"Okay! He's finally gone!"

"I've been waiting for this moment for a long time!"

"Thank you to the Ministry of Magic! They finally did something right!"

The students' excited cheers echoed through the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, and those who didn't know thought they were celebrating a holiday. Although for these students, this is almost the same as celebrating the holidays. And as long as it can get Lockhart out of school, it is the best holiday gift!

Cassandra smiled extremely happily, her eyes curved into crescent shapes.

But perhaps out of reserve, she did not cheer like the other students, but just hummed a festive ditty.

“Jingle bells, Jingle bells, Jingle all the way.

Oh, what fun it is to ride, In a one-horse open sleigh! …”

"Perhaps this is very satisfying." Harry seemed to have some realization.

——

Hogsmeade, room above the Three Broomsticks.

Ash lifted the illusion spell, sat opposite Malfoy, looked at the muscular middle-aged man beside him, and said in surprise:

"So this is the person you're looking for?"

"That's right."

Lucius Malfoy smiled and nodded, "This is Sean Goyle, my most trusted subordinate."

"Hello, Mr. Black."

The muscular Sean Gower showed an honest smile.

"Mr. Malfoy, with all due respect."

Ash frowned slightly and asked in a deep voice, "Are you sure he can serve as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts?"

Lucius shook the wine glass and chuckled:

"No, no, Ash, you don't have to worry about this. Although Goyle is only a half-blood, his magical talent is very good, enough to defeat most wizards. Although he does lack teaching experience, as long as he has the recommendation of us school directors, I guess it won’t be difficult.”

Ash fell into silence, seemingly thinking, but actually a little speechless.

Although Sean Gower seems to be a simple and honest man, it is undeniable that he does have some strength. Just like Lucius said, he is powerful enough to crush most wizards.

Because Goyle was also a former Death Eater, and strength was one of the core criteria for joining the Death Eaters.

After Voldemort's death, the Death Eaters fell apart. With the help of Lucius, Goyle and Crabbe successfully got rid of the charges of Death Eaters. Therefore, Goyle and Crabbe are now loyal supporters of Lucius, and can even be said to be retainers of the Malfoy family.

Both powerful and loyal, at least in Lucius's eyes, Sean Gower is indeed the most suitable candidate.

However, Ash just felt speechless. He really didn't know where Lucius got his confidence!

If the original plan had been followed, it would not be difficult for Goyle to replace Lockhart. But this must be based on the fact that Lockhart is still employed at Hogwarts and there is no successor to the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

But the question is, hasn't Lucius considered other 'variables'?

As the principal of Hogwarts, Dumbledore's existence itself is the biggest obstacle!

Even if Lockhart was useless, Dumbledore would not easily let Lucius add sand to Hogwarts.

If Lucius wants to successfully place his own people at Hogwarts, the best choice is to find a highly respected and powerful wizard, and it is best for this wizard to remain neutral and not biased towards pure blood. The family is not biased towards Dumbledore, but in fact he still prefers the pure-blood family in his heart.

Only such a person can effectively guarantee the interests of the pure-blood family without causing Dumbledore's resentment!

So Ash originally thought that the reason why Lucius took so long to prepare was because he was looking for a suitable candidate.

The results of it?

Ash thought Lucius would come up with a pair of twos, or even worse, an ace.

As a result, after a long period of trouble, Lucius threw out a pair of three!

One-on-three, you also want others to be able to afford it, right?

What a fool you are!

Even if Goyle has been acquitted by the Ministry of Magic, no one will pursue his former identity no matter what he does. But in Dumbledore's eyes, Goyle was still a pure Death Eater. It was absolutely impossible for him to let a former Death Eater serve as a professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, especially at the critical moment when Voldemort was about to make a comeback!

So Ash has no idea what Lucius is thinking. Even if you want to fool the ghost, you can't burn the newspaper, right?

unless……

Ash frowned slightly, and he suddenly discovered a blind spot:

It was impossible for Goyle to enter Hogwarts as long as Dumbledore was around.

But what if Dumbledore isn't here?

Combining Lucius' various behaviors in the original work, and then inferring the logic of his behavior in reverse, Ash finally discovered the problem:

If Voldemort is the final BOSS in the later stage, then Lucius is the stepping stone villain in the early stage.

As a stepping stone villain, Lucius's purpose is to be slapped in the face.

When he first appeared, he gave Ginny a diary, hoping to take the opportunity to open the Chamber of Secrets, ruin the reputation of the Weasley family, cleanse Hogwarts of Muggle wizards, and drive Albus Dumbledore away. Leaving Hogwarts is like killing three birds with one stone.

And this may be the commonality of Death Eaters. The young Voldemort wanted to kill three birds with one stone, but in the end he got nothing and the Horcrux was destroyed.

And Lucius also wanted to kill three birds with one stone, but he also got nothing. He stole the chicken but lost the rice.

Although many people were petrified by the basilisk, no one was actually killed. Ginny was also proven innocent, and Dumbledore was not expelled from Hogwarts. Not only did Lucius fail to achieve any of his goals, but he also suffered for himself. Lay hidden.

On the one hand, Voldemort's Horcrux was destroyed, and Lucius would inevitably be held accountable by Voldemort for this in the future. On the other hand, he tried to kick Dumbledore out, but was defeated. He was kicked out of the Hogwarts School Board and completely lost the opportunity to interfere in Hogwarts.

It was Chen Rui who got numb after eating Sichuan peppercorns.

But from Lucius's own perspective, his situation was that Qin Shihuang touched the wire and lost!

Because from the beginning, his goal was not only the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, but also Dumbledore, the principal of Hogwarts!

In Lucius's view, as long as the Chamber of Secrets incident escalates and casualties occur, Dumbledore's resignation is certain.

By then, the two positions of principal and Defense Against the Dark Arts professor will fall into Lucius's hands, killing two birds with one stone!

It must be said that Lucius's plan was perfect, but it was limited to a plan.

because--

It's over!

Look at this Hogwarts, where is the diary, the secret room, and the basilisk?

Ash suddenly asked:

"Has Cassandra written to you lately?"

Lucius frowned and asked doubtfully:

"No, why do you ask?"

"No, I'm just asking..."

Ash waved his hand and did not explain.

Although I don’t know why Cassandra didn’t write to Lucius, it at least proves that Lucius doesn’t know what happened in the school. In other words, the outside world doesn't know what happened at Hogwarts.

After all, it all happened in one day. The students only knew that the secret room was opened and had no idea what happened. Although the professors claimed that dozens of students were killed in the attack, this was soon proven to be a lie by the professors, and the students were not even sure whether the secret room had actually been opened.

Malfoy clearly noticed something was wrong and frowned and asked:

"Ash, has something big happened at Hogwarts recently?"

Ash pondered for a moment and then slowly spoke:

"I only know that Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets was opened two days ago, but the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets was solved by Professor Snape and Dumbledore that day without causing any casualties."

"As for the details of this matter, you might be able to ask Professor Snape. He should know more details."

Well, that’s right!

It was all done by Dumbledore and Snape, it had nothing to do with him.

"The basilisk was killed by Dumbledore?"

Lucius' face darkened. The basilisk he had so much hope for disappeared so quietly? So how could he use this incident to force Dumbledore to step down? If Dumbledore cannot be removed from power, wouldn't all the plans he had laid out all this time be in vain?

Lucius took a deep breath, suppressed the emotion of questioning, and changed the subject in a stiff tone:

"That's a good thing. Do you know who opened the secret room?"

Although Lucius was filled with hatred, and although he wanted to know more details about the matter now, he also knew that Ash was just an ordinary student, and what he knew must be very limited, and he would not be able to get it even if he continued to ask. Useful clues.

"I don't know, Dumbledore didn't make it public."

Ash shook his head, the look of regret on his face was genuine.

Lucius lowered his head, his expression uncertain, so he had to go and ask the witnesses of the incident in person.

Fortunately, Snape had a good relationship with him. If he asked him in person, Snape would not refuse.