The slacker professor at Hogwarts

The guardian horse trotted down from mid-air and circled around Lockhart.

Voldemort's curse had disappeared sometime ago, but he was too lazy to think about it anymore.

Lockhart's attention was completely drawn to his Patronus.

It was a truly wondrous experience. He gently stroked the horse's mane, and could vaguely sense that it wasn't some kind of creature, or perhaps a gray wolf or some kind of forest spirit.

It is the beauty in one's heart.

Yes, its nature is that simple.

With the blessing of magic, it materialized and appeared before me, protecting me.

No wonder people always say that the Patronus Charm is the most effective magic against the power of dark magic. When the beauty in a wizard's heart has been materialized to such a real degree, the malice, darkness, and ferocity of dark magic will be completely dispelled by beauty.

Modern wizarding society doesn't use many ancient spells anymore. Too many spells have been abandoned or modified by wizards throughout history for various reasons. Only a few spells have retained their original ancient form.

The Guardian Spell is one of them.

His friends also jumped out, curiously looking at this interesting guy.

Interestingly, they are not afraid of Lockhart's patron saints. They can feel a calming and soothing aura from Lockhart's patron saint spells, which makes them feel exceptionally comfortable.

Everyone was curiously trying to touch the guardian spirit. After a while, the bold little golden retriever jumped onto the horse's head, curling up like a golden little hat.

Just then, a voice suddenly came from the corner of the principal's office, "I can sense your heart through your magic."

Lockhart turned around in surprise and found that Dumbledore had appeared there at some point and was looking at his Patronus with great interest.

"It's full of spirituality," Old Deng commented on his magic, full of admiration. "I never imagined that dark magic creatures could get along so well with their guardians."

Lockhart paused, then pointed at the guardian horse and asked, "Can't your guardian spell be like this?"

Dumbledore smiled and shook his head, beckoning him to sit down at his desk to talk. He clapped his hands, and two steaming cups of black tea appeared on the table.

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then explained, "This is a characteristic of you gifted wizards. To us ordinary people, magic is just magic."

Good guy.

Old Deng said he had no talent, and Lockhart didn't even know if this was Versailles.

Dumbledore seemed quite talkative, explaining the differences: "I've heard your lessons for young wizards. You said, 'Magic chooses wizards, and wizards adjust their mindset and behavior to accept magic, thus achieving a perfect harmony between mind and magic.' You also said, 'Enter the fairy tale, and magic will naturally blossom'..."

He seemed to be savoring these words, then shook his head. "Very insightful, and very inspiring to me."

"Sometimes I find it hard to understand some of my old friend Newt Scamander's behavior. He's not as articulate as you are and can always explain things clearly, which has caused a lot of trouble in our communication... But now I understand him a little better."

Old Deng's voice had a unique warmth. "You have opened your hearts to the world, but you are also more concerned about your own feelings. You are integrated into the world, yet you are independent of it. This is an extraordinary life experience."

Dumbledore stroked the strange ring on his finger, raised his eyelids to look at Lockhart, and said, "I am different. I choose magic."

He chose magic, not the other way around.

Lockhart was somewhat surprised as he listened to Old Deng explain the differences in detail.

"We are more concerned with the world, but in fact we close ourselves off from it." Dumbledore laughed with a hint of self-deprecation. "We expect to change the world, but we fear that the world will change us, and we are afraid that magic will affect us."

"Whether it's the negative emotions brought about by black magic..."

He waved his hand, gesturing to the guardian spirit playing with dark magic creatures in the corner of the office, "It's still the overly positive emotions brought on by ordinary magic."

"We pay more attention to the world, but sometimes right and wrong, morality, rules and everything else are blurred, because that's just how the world is. So we don't let ourselves go to extremes. Black magic can't bring us viciousness and hostility, and guardian spirits can't bring us happiness. We don't let magic affect us."

"By closing ourselves off, we become more self-centered, not in an extreme way, but in a way that gives our magic a powerful will—to use our unwavering 'self' to exert tremendous power to change the world!"

These are two completely opposite paths of magic.

There is no right or wrong, nor is there anyone stronger or weaker.

It varies from person to person.

The office lights shone on Dumbledore's half-moon spectacles, making them gleam and obscuring Lockhart's gaze.

But he could almost sense the complex emotions of the old man across the desk.

"The reason I'm discussing this with you is to say that Harry Potter isn't the right path for you."

Lockhart was stunned, a somewhat absurd thought flashing through his mind, and he looked at the man known as the greatest wizard of his time in disbelief.

After hesitating for a moment, he finally mustered the courage to ask, "You didn't catch him?"

He is Voldemort!

The office suddenly became quiet.

An extremely strange atmosphere lingered in the air, as if filled with smoke and dust, making people hold their breath.

After a long while, a sigh was heard.

"Yes, nothing was found."

Dumbledore leaned back wearily in his high-backed chair. "He was clearly alert enough that the moment you used the Portkey, he immediately realized that only I had the authority to make Portkeys that could function at Hogwarts, and he left immediately."

Dumbledore is human too, and he can also feel frustrated, let alone such a powerful and proud figure.

Despite Lockhart risking his life to tell him the news, he got nothing.

No one knows what it felt like for him to look at the deserted Spider Cave, casting a lot of powerful magic but still not finding any trace of Tom's departure.

In fact, this situation may have occurred even earlier.

Perhaps it was during the long wait for Harry, the so-called savior, to grow up on Privet Drive; perhaps it was when Voldemort killed his students James and Lily; or perhaps it was when he no longer believed in the wand in his hand and began to look forward to Professor Trelawney's prophecy.

He is old.

It's not that my body is getting old, it's that my mindset is getting old.

Full of exhaustion and scars, perhaps his life had long since stopped on the day he imprisoned Gellert in Nurmengard.

Who knows?

Life always moves forward, but the mind may remain forever in the past.

Just like Severus.

Dumbledore could sense Lockhart's astonishment without needing Legilimency; his life experience was rich enough to read the disbelief, astonishment, and pity in the young man's eyes.

He doesn't need pity!

This made him somewhat embarrassed.

He just kept talking, changing the subject, "I've listened to your lectures, and you talked about the three stages of the Guardian Charm. It made a lot of sense, but you actually got one thing wrong."

"I haven't met many people in my more than 100 years of life who have the mindset of 'life is beautiful everywhere', but those people don't easily integrate into this complex society."

Seeing that Lockhart's attention had been drawn, he shrugged. "Life is always complicated. People who are too positive or too negative are always seen as oddballs."

"Arthur's life was also very complicated. Although he was also full of the ability to perceive beauty, he didn't reach the level you described."

"The reason his guardian spirit can speak and transmit messages over long distances is actually because I invented a spell and taught it to these members of the Order of the Phoenix."

He drew his Elder Wand, swung it in a complex casting motion, and chanted the incantation, "Telepathy!"

Next, seeing Lockhart's interest, he began to instruct him on how to cast spells correctly.

The guidance of a master is truly different; Dumbledore could always clearly find the reasons why Lockhart could not perform successfully and constantly correct him.

Just as he said, magic is magic; he chooses magic and doesn't need to conform to it.

"Soul-to-soul communication!"

Lockhart waved his wand at the guardian horse and suddenly had a strange feeling that his five senses were being distorted and extended.

His five senses seemed to be connected with the horse's.

Wow~

Such a surprised sound came from the horse's mouth, startling the little golden retriever.

Lockhart waved his wand again, severing the mental connection, and carefully felt the subtlety within. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he gestured for Dumbledore to look at the wand in his hand.

"It is it that is at work, extending my will!"

This time it was Dumbledore's turn to be amazed. "My judgment was right. You are truly insightful. Many in the Order of the Phoenix cannot grasp the essence of this magic."

Grasping the essence of magic is a completely different level.

Lockhart performed the same complex spellcasting motions again, a deeper thought forming in his mind. "This set of motions you designed... it amplifies our willpower? Oh, no, no, it should be that it strengthens the connection between me and my wand?"

Before Old Deng could answer, he tried combining the movements with the casting motions of a cleansing spell, "Cleansed and refreshed!"

He cast the spell on his own clothes, and the magic still cleaned them, but he could really feel the difference.

It was a state where one's own will was imposed upon it, and the intensity of the spellcasting increased by more than one level!

"How amazing!"

He excitedly told Dumbledore.

Dumbledore stared at him in disbelief for a long while before nodding with a smile. "I know a lot more about these kinds of magical tricks. You can come to my office sometime and I'd be happy to share them with you."

God!

Lockhart couldn't help but get excited.

Magic tricks? You call this a magic trick?

He began to look forward to Dumbledore's Master Class, the most powerful wizard of his time.