Chapter 73 Tom, Go Have a Headache!
Harry Potter was an interesting person. He was often somewhat lackadaisical in his daily life, but as long as he entered a certain unique atmosphere, his will would suddenly become extraordinarily firm.
Willing to give it his all.
For example, at school, he always tried to avoid homework, but as soon as he went back to his uncle's house for the holidays, he would desperately look for opportunities to secretly do his homework, becoming incredibly proactive.
In Professor Lockhart's words—Harry thrived in tense and stimulating environments to improve himself.
And now, in the "Dueling Club," it was the same. While the young wizards were extensively training various spells against the Basilisk, he would still intersperse his practice of the Patronus Charm during everyone's breaks.
He was particularly motivated.
Because Professor Snape was always mocking him from the side.
Harry didn't think so. He once especially missed the days when Professor Lockhart guided their practice in class. Only after having a comparison did he realize how wonderful those times were.
That detestable Snape had brazenly seized Professor Lockhart's lessons. It was simply too bad!
Actually, Lockhart, who was eavesdropping on the master's guidance from the side, noticed that although Snape always spoke in a sarcastic and harsh tone, amidst a large amount of insulting and vicious words, he would always interject a few extremely precise points that highlighted Harry Potter's current problems.
Hehe, this clearly exceeded the "tense and stimulating" environment within Harry's comfort zone. He couldn't take in a single word.
But Lockhart did.
Write it down, write it down!
Learned it, learned it!
However, being a teacher after all, he couldn't just happily listen from the side as Snape's insults touched upon topics of origin, saying things like "stupid Potter bloodline."
And that "a second-year wizard attempting to learn the Patronus Charm" was simply overestimating his abilities.
If Harry was really discouraged by Snape and performed as badly as he did in Potions class, that would be terrible.
"Class, please stop for a moment."
Lockhart clapped his hands, signaling the young wizards in the office to quiet down. He drew his wand and tapped the wall behind him.
A white root began to grow rapidly from a bud on the trunk of a crooked big tree clinging to the wall. It quickly wriggled and crawled on the wall, converging into a sentence—"Professor Lockhart's Christmas Adventure Trip."
At the end of this sentence, a thin branch sprouted, quickly budding, swelling, and blooming, finally blossoming into a pink-blue flower larger than an adult's head.
This scene looked so magical and natural, causing the young wizards to exclaim in amazement.
"During the Christmas holidays, I plan to go on a fun adventure. Any young wizards interested in participating can sign up with me."
Lockhart looked at everyone's reactions with a smile. "There's only one requirement for registration, and that is to be able to successfully cast the Patronus Charm!"
Harry had initially become excited, but upon hearing this sentence, his eyes dimmed.
How much he wished to go on an adventure with Professor Lockhart! The experience of the last adventure to Urquart Castle was simply the most unforgettable joy he had experienced since encountering magic.
"Oh, Harry, don't be discouraged! There are still two weeks left," Lockhart said with a smile, waving his arms to encourage him.
"I'm sorry, Professor Snape, but I have a different opinion on whether a second-year wizard can successfully cast the Patronus Charm."
He first apologized to Professor Snape, then turned his gaze to the surrounding young wizards, finally stopping at Ginny and Luna.
"I believe even a first-year wizard can successfully learn it!"
"This brings us to the content of the lesson I gave you when I first came to Hogwarts."
He played with the wand in his hand as he walked among the young wizards. "Sometimes we are amazed to find that it is not the wizard who learns magic, but magic that chooses the wizard."
"So how do we get magic to choose us?"
"The answer is to create the state that magic loves most, to adjust our mindset and even our behavior. This is what I have always said—'Step into the romance of fairy tales, and magic will naturally bloom.'"
He gently waved his wand, striking the most standard casting gesture for the Patronus Charm. "The Patronus Charm is definitely the most iconic magic for resisting dark magic. It requires our hearts to be in a state where we can easily feel beauty and joy."
As he spoke, his wand gently tapped Draco's shoulder. "If we keep trying to learn dark magic, thinking about making its power greater, we will have to make our hearts more vicious. The more vicious, the better the magic's effect."
"When you experience some life, when you have more experience and understanding in casting these dark spells, you will find that it is easy to enter that vicious state of mind, and dark magic will become exceptionally powerful."
"Don't be complacent at this time. Danger lurks quietly at this moment, which is that our hearts will eventually be distorted by viciousness."
"What should we do?" Lockhart looked at everyone with a smile. Seeing that everyone was listening intently to him, he continued, "The answer is to resist this corruption. We need the power of a beautiful heart to fight against it, and this is precisely the foundation of the Patronus Charm."
Mentioning this, he earnestly gazed at this group of arguably the most outstanding young wizards of this generation in Hogwarts. "I hope you can truly understand what I'm saying."
"Dark magic can be learned. In an academic sense, even the Slug-Vomiting Charm is dark magic. If you cannot mobilize the malice in your hearts, you will lose combat effectiveness in many areas of spells."
"But you need to know how to resist the dark magic that induces your own corruption, how to resist the malice that devours your will!"
"The principles of practicing magic in two different directions, 'dark magic' and the 'Patronus Charm,' are the same. You must learn to put yourself in that unique state of mind, either vicious or beautiful."
"Remember, it is not a thought in your heart at a certain moment; it is a unique state of mind that has always existed within your soul."
His wand tapped the wall behind him, and the roots climbed and spread again, outlining the words "Patronus Charm."
"There are not many ancient spells that have survived to this day, and this is one of them. I think you need to realize that its effect on wizards is so good that it has been passed down through generations and has not been eliminated by the river of time."
"It can not only fight against external dark forces but also against internal dark forces."
Professor Snape, standing aside with pursed lips, felt this principle most deeply. The biggest difference between him and other Death Eaters was that he still retained a heart capable of feeling beauty and had not been completely devoured by malice.
Lockhart continued to speak.
"I don't really agree with the way dark wizards are judged in today's society. I can be very blunt with you: if one were truly to use dark magic, Dumbledore is also one of the most powerful people in this world."
He heard a few scattered gasps of surprise from the young wizards and was very satisfied. It seemed that the few who weren't surprised had already begun to understand his words.
"But Dumbledore is definitely not a dark wizard."
"Being influenced by dark magic to the point of spiritual corruption, having one's heart devoured by malice, this is the criterion I believe for judging a dark wizard."
He smiled and gestured at the writing behind him. "So even in the Wizengamot trial courts of various countries' Ministries of Magic, wizards who can successfully cast the Patronus Charm will be considered not to be dark wizards. This is the reason."
"Returning to our previous topic."
"Can a first-year wizard learn the Patronus Charm?"
"My answer is yes!"
"As long as you possess the ability to feel beauty in your hearts, how could you possibly fail to cast the Patronus Charm? The only difference is the strength of the magic power."
"So how do we make it stronger?"
He held up two fingers. "Two stages. The first stage is to make the silver light of the Patronus Charm take shape. It will take the form of a certain animal, which represents that the beauty in your hearts is truly condensed and tangible."
"The method is simple: listen to the guidance of the beauty in your hearts, let it guide your behavior, will, emotions, and everything else. You will enter a state where the 'Patronus Charm' will completely choose you."
"The second stage is when the Patronus Charm begins to have life."
Mentioning this, he smiled at Ron and the twins. "I heard from a friend in the Ministry of Magic that your father, Mr. Arthur Weasley's Patronus can speak and transmit messages across great distances."
Ron and his brothers exchanged astonished glances, not expecting their father to be able to do this.
"In this stage, it's no longer as simple as digging into the beauty of our hearts," Lockhart glanced at the thoughtful Snape, a slight smile appearing at the corner of his lips. "Rather, we are constantly surrounded by beauty. That state is so wonderful—life is full of beauty everywhere."
"Reaching such a realm is not easy; it requires more wisdom in life."
Saying this, he looked at the young wizards. "Tell me, if you reach such a realm, what kind of manifestations will there be?"
Ginny excitedly raised her hand. After receiving the professor's permission, she met Harry's gaze as he turned back to look at her, her face flushed, but she still said loudly, "Dark forces will have a hard time influencing our souls anymore!"
She should have been so excited. Besides showing her wisdom in front of Harry, receiving such guidance suddenly awakened her, and she realized that the problems she had been facing during this time might have found a direction for resolution.
"Perfect!"
Lockhart burst into laughter. "Perfect answer!"
Tom, go have a headache!
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