bacchusnovels Chapter 212 What Amnesia?
Chapter 212 What Amnesia?
Chapter 212 What Amnesia?
The counterpart to the Oblivion Curse is the Armor Curse.
Harry had already closed his eyes, but when he heard the familiar words "Protect yourself," he turned his head sharply and found that familiar figure standing at the door of the Chamber of Secrets.
"Principal Sean!" he shouted joyfully, his voice filled with the relief and happiness of surviving a close call.
Sean gave Harry a warm smile.
In contrast to Sean's smile, Lockhart's face turned ashen.
His previously confident and arrogant expression froze instantly when he saw Sean suddenly appear, as if struck by a heavy hammer.
An indescribable panic and fear welled up in his heart. Sean's arrival undoubtedly meant that his plan had failed.
Is there any way to salvage this situation?
It's definitely... still possible.
Lockhart tried to convince himself.
Originally, all he had to do was erase Harry's memories; now, all he had to do was add Phillips' name to the list.
Phillips is nothing.
As someone in the same industry, I know best what kind of person the other party is.
Besides, I'm several years older than that Phillips guy, how could I possibly not be able to subdue this brat?
Lockhart thought to himself, then slowly aimed his wand at Sean.
"Let's have a duel between writers!" Lockhart felt an unprecedented surge of courage; it was the first time in his life he had felt such a strong determination and confidence.
At that moment, he seemed to transcend the boundary between reality and fiction, becoming one with the brave, fearless, and wise characters he created.
But... his coolness only lasted three seconds.
Just as Lockhart was preparing to teach Sean a lesson as a senior, a spell struck him with lightning speed. He had no time to react and could only watch as his body slowly rose into the air, until the ground was getting farther and farther away from him.
It’s over.
This was Lockhart's first thought.
How is Phillips so amazing?
This was his second thought.
Sean walked slowly to Harry's side, helped him up, took out a handkerchief from his pocket, and simply wiped the blood off Harry's body before stuffing the blood-stained handkerchief into his own pocket.
The enemy's blood is in hand.
After doing all this, he looked at Lockhart, who was hanging in mid-air, and said, "Mr. Lockhart, your conspiracy ends here."
Lockhart twisted his body, trying to say something, but then Sean cast a silencing spell on him, rendering him speechless.
Is this the end of the matter?
It seems...: still not.
Sean took out the mirror he always kept on his desk, and a familiar figure appeared in the mirror.
Dumbledore's signature, sharp blue eyes were meeting his gaze through his alchemical artifacts, as if... The story had only just begun.
Sean picked up Lockhart's wand, which had fallen to the ground, then took a rope from his pocket, tied Lockhart up, and had Harry lead the rope behind him.
Carrying the unconscious Ron, Sean led Harry and Lockhart out of the Chamber of Secrets, flew out of the pipes, and followed the long corridor to the door of McGonagall's office.
Sean knocked gently on the door, waited politely for a few seconds, and then slowly pushed the door open.
The subtle sound of the door hinges turning was exceptionally clear in this tranquil environment.
As the door opened, a scene he had anticipated, yet which was somewhat cramped, came into view—Professor McGonagall's office, a space that was not spacious to begin with, was now filled with people.
The office was crowded with the deans of the three colleges, some standing and some sitting, each with a different expression.
Sean was not at all surprised by this scene; otherwise, he wouldn't have come to McGonagall's office immediately after leaving Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets.
"Professor Dumbledore." As soon as Sean stepped into the room, he immediately found Dumbledore and greeted him politely.
Then, as if remembering something important, he quickly reached into his pocket, carefully pulled out Fawkes, and handed him to Dumbledore, saying with an apologetic and explanatory expression:
"I just saw an animal fly by on the road. It was too dark to see what it was, and I was worried it might be some kind of dangerous creature, so I used a petrification spell to freeze it temporarily. I think you won't mind me doing that, right?"
Dumbledore didn't speak; he simply took Fawkes' feathers and carefully smoothed his slightly ruffled feathers, as if comforting a frightened child.
Then, he raised his head and scrutinized Sean in front of him with his unique, seemingly insightful blue eyes.
"What are you all doing here...?" Professor McGonagall gaped as she saw the four oddly dressed people walk in.
He looked rather confused.
Lockhart was bound and covered in mud and slime, Harry's robes were stained with blood, and Ron in Phillips' arms was unconscious.
"We've caught the murderer in the Chamber of Secrets," Harry replied.
Then he began to tell them the whole story.
He spoke for about fifteen minutes, and everyone listened attentively; the room was completely silent.
He recounted that he always heard that ghostly voice, and later realized that it was the sound of the basilisk lurking in the water pipes; he also mentioned that he and Ron had followed a spider into the depths of the Forbidden Forest, and Aragog revealed to them the location where the basilisk's last victim was killed.
Therefore, he deduced that the weeping Myrtle was the unfortunate victim, and that the entrance to the secret room was likely hidden in her bathroom.
"Very good," Professor McGonagall encouraged Harry as he paused, "So you've found the entrance—by the way, you broke over a hundred rules along the way, but how did you manage to escape alive, Potter?"
So Harry continued, his voice becoming hoarse from talking so much.
He told them how the Sorting Hat gave him the sword and how Sean arrived just in time.
When he mentioned Lockhart, he didn't know how to continue the conversation.
So, he instinctively turned his gaze to Sean and Dumbledore.
Sean also looked at Dumbledore. "Professor Dumbledore, this is the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor you found. Shouldn't you be the one questioning him?"
With that, Sean slightly raised his hand and released the silencing spell from Lockhart. Then, Lockhart's wailing cries echoed throughout the office.
"Dumbledore, oh no, Phillips, please give me another chance, I was just momentarily blinded by greed..."
Dumbledore sighed softly, his gaze lingering for a moment on Lockhart's tear-streaked face before turning to Sean, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.
He slowly walked towards Lockhart. "Gidero, don't you want to say something?"
Lockhart choked back tears, trying to cover his face with his hands as if to hide all his shame and fear. "I...I know I was wrong, Professor Dumbledore. I just...I just wanted to be remembered, to be a great wizard. I..."
"Greatness is not achieved this way, Gilderoy," Dumbledore's voice was gentle yet firm. "It comes from inner courage, integrity, and a genuine pursuit of knowledge. You have lost the chance to become a truly great wizard, but more importantly, you have betrayed those who trusted you."
At this point, Dumbledore paused, seemingly giving Lockhart, and himself, some time to process the heavy atmosphere. "Now, you must face the consequences of your actions. Hogwarts can no longer tolerate such behavior, but I will not push you further into darkness. You will be relieved of your teaching duties and will be subject to further investigation by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."
Lockhart's body trembled even more violently, but he did not argue further, only sobbing softly, as if accepting this inevitable end.
"As for your future," Dumbledore continued, "that will depend on whether you are willing to face your mistakes and strive to correct them. Remember, everyone has the opportunity to redeem themselves; the key is whether you are willing to seize it."
After saying that, Dumbledore turned around and met Sean's gaze again, his eyes filled with both weariness and determination. "Phillips, let's talk about our business now."
Sean nodded.
He had wanted to do this for a long time.
The fact that Dumbledore is here means that something must have happened with Lucius, which means he has to change his strategy.
Before that, he had something else to instruct. He turned to Professor McGonagall, "Minerva, could you please take Ron to Madam Pomfrey and wait by the fireplace for the Ministry of Magic to come? I've already notified them to come and take Lockhart away."
Professor McGonagall glanced at Sean, then at Dumbledore, and nodded. The other three heads of the department followed behind Professor McGonagall, preparing to give Sean and Dumbledore some space for a private conversation.
As Lockhart was being led away, he muttered blankly to himself, "It's all my fault for losing my memory... I shouldn't have let myself lose my memory..."
"Amnesia?" Dumbledore, having caught the key phrase, suddenly looked up at Lockhart. "What amnesia?"