Hermione, join me as Minister of Magic!

Seeing Lockhart's awkward expression, Master Newt took the initiative to explain to him

"The basilisk is afraid of the rooster's crowing because it's deadly to him - but it's also not easy to learn because you're trying to simulate not just a rooster's sound, but an emotion in it It is very important to have the arrogance that yearns for the light to come and at the same time declares that this place is your own territory... I will teach you."

"I..." Lockhart didn't know how to say no.

During the period when Mrs. Scamander brought her afternoon tea, two men, the old and the young, were outside the sunny house, crowing like lunatics.

During this period, many people in the village passed by. After seeing the behavior of the old and the young, they all bent down with a smile.

Lockhart felt that his face was burning, but in order to take care of the old urchin's mood, he could only force himself to study hard.

After shouting about a dozen times, Newt finally said that it was almost done, remembering this feeling should be able to immobilize the basilisk.

And Lockhart also secretly made up his mind, even if he was bitten to death by the basilisk, he didn't want to learn how to crow like a rooster in front of anyone again.

Even so, after seeing Newt's excited look, he still didn't know how to refuse.

He knew very well that if he dared to talk about politics or magic with Newt, the other party would definitely kick him out. Only when they talked about magical creatures did they have some common language.

It's just that he really didn't expect that the old man is so old that he can still stay true to his original aspirations, just like him in his 20s.

Lady Scamander frees Lockhart.

She brought some tea and told them to have a good rest, saying that if they continued, the hens in the chicken coop would be too noisy to lay eggs, so Newt stopped with a sense of satisfaction.

You have a good understanding and a quick learner.Your hunting ground guard told me that a family of horned camels has recently moved into the Forbidden Forest, another day I will teach you the horned camels courtship dance..."

Thank you and will never come again.Lockhart thought.

Dumbledore introduced Newt to him because Newt has many disciples and grandchildren in the Department of Magical Creatures of the Ministry of Magic, and if there is no accident, Newt will be responsible for editing the teaching materials of magical creatures for the next ten years. All Hogwarts students who take Care of Magical Creatures are his apprentices.

In addition, this big man once fought on the front line against Grindelwald. If such a person is willing to become a banner against Voldemort, the effect may be no less than that of Harry Potter joining the Order of the Phoenix.

Unfortunately, it took Lockhart half an hour to confirm that Newt would never join the Order of the Phoenix

Rather than saying that he is a Hufflepuff, it is better to say that he is more like the cynics of Ravenclaw who just want to study for life in the field they like and don't like participating

and politics.

This is certainly the reason why Dumbledore likes this student, but it is a bit reluctant to expect him to take the initiative to participate in any political events. If Voldemort's group did not harm his close relatives or friends, I am afraid that Newt will not react at all.

It's better to maintain a certain good impression as it is now.

Probably because Lockhart didn't say anything "off-topic", so the old man also seemed very talkative 5 After entertaining Lockhart and drinking afternoon tea, he still wanted to keep him for dinner 5 But Lockhart called Dumbledore to wait The excuse of answering declined.

Before leaving, Lockhart also saw the legendary Niffler.

At this time, it seemed to be dying. Judging from the fact that its eyes were abnormally cloudy and the color of its claws had changed from a healthy brown color to dark black, its lifespan might be running out.

Don't look at it as inconspicuous, but it was the one who stole his and Dumbledore's marriage certificate from Grindelwald at the beginning... that is, the blood alliance, otherwise Dumbledore would not have been able to turn against Grindelwald.

Seeing Lockhart staring at the snuffer, Newt felt a little sad. After all, there are fewer and fewer people and things that can commemorate the great war, and there are very few who can accompany him.

"This is the law of nature. The longer you persist, the more the pain of losing your loved one will accumulate, until one day you can't bear this pain anymore. If Tina is still here..."

But the old lady gave him a push: "Don't spoil the fun, other people are here as guests."

"Yeah, I'm here as a guest, haha." Newt laughed loudly, "By the way, little guy, I might go back to Hogwarts after a while... Ask the headmaster to prepare desserts, but Tina always refuses I eat too much sweet."

The last word Newt said in a very small voice.

Chapter 87 Reaction from the Ministry of Magic

With Newt's message, Lockhart returned to Hogwarts and reported to the headmaster.

Dumbledore expressed regret for the conclusion that "Master Scamander is likely not to participate in political activities against Voldemort", but he claimed that he was willing to trust Lockhart's judgment.

"He's a good boy, and it's right not to let him get involved in this... Oh, I'm not saying you guys are bad, it's just that your personalities are really different." Dumbledore added.

As for the way to deal with the basilisk, Dumbledore didn't ask at all. It seemed that there was indeed a more suitable way in his mind, but he didn't say it.

Since he didn't talk about it, Lockhart didn't mention it either, and he didn't really like talking about how he learned to crow.

When the Christmas vacation was over and the little wizards returned to Hogwarts, they immediately got two big news.

Said it was two, but in fact it was only one.

The first thing is that the Quidditch game is temporarily canceled, and it will be resumed conditionally after everything is investigated.

The second thing is that their Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, winner of the Order of Merlin Third Class, and master against black magic, Gilderoy Lockhart, was actually attacked by a monster in the chamber of secrets during Christmas!

The students all rejoiced—fortunately, it was Lockhart who was attacked, so the monster was temporarily repelled, but if it chose other professors in the first place, it would be hard to say.

The first time was a cat, the second time was a first grader, the third time was a

A ghost, but this time the target of the attacker was actually a professor, and it was also a professor whose combat effectiveness was far above the average level.

This is not good news for the students who have just experienced a Christmas vacation. Everyone can muster up the courage to come back to class because they believe that Dumbledore can solve the problem during this period.

But now it seems that not only has the problem not been resolved, but it seems to be getting worse.

If even the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at the school dared to attack, who else would the room monster dare not attack?

Although Dumbledore still has a strong reputation in the wizarding world, murmurs have begun to appear in the newspapers, euphemistically suggesting that Dumbledore is "too old"

—A "highly respected" old social commentator claimed in "Wizard Politics" that people who know how to fight against black magic may not know how to manage schools, and those "lambs" who regard Dumbledore as the sun tend to regard Dumbledore as the sun. Imagine being omnipotent, but that's not true.

On the "Daily Prophet", which has always been regarded as the mouthpiece of the Ministry of Magic, an article by Rita Skeeter directly opened the prelude to the attack on Dumbledore.

Unlike other editorials that still "leave room for it", she not only bluntly said that "Dumbledore is not as capable as you think", but also mentioned sinisterly that Grindelwald was defeated by Dumbledore.

"As we all know, Grindelwald was heartbroken by the betrayal of his lover Dumbledore, and had almost no will to resist in a duel..."

In a word, "Dumbledore's name is not worthy of his name".

In addition, Rita also mocked Gilderoy Lockhart in the report.

It would be too ironic for a man who announced on Christmas that he had found clues to the Chamber of Secrets to be attacked by a monster in the Chamber of Secrets that night.

While none of us took Lockhart's words seriously, it now appears that The Chamber of Secrets does...in fact it needn't be so worried, because the travel writer's pen and mouth are all he's doing. "

Lockhart would absolutely not believe that Rita Skeeter's article had not been instructed by someone within the Ministry of Magic.

Openly questioning the significance of Dumbledore's defeat of Grindelwald is no small matter, on which the British wizarding community's voice in international wizarding affairs depends to a large extent.

Whether it is competing for the right to host the International Quidditch Tournament or the Triwizard Tournament, whether it is competing for foreign students in magic schools or formulating standards for wizards' transportation, Great Britain needs to strive for more voice.

So politics is universally connected. If Dumbledore hadn't defeated Grindelwald, the British Ministry of Magic would have no way to prevent Middle Eastern magicians from selling flying carpets into Europe.

—Once more comfortable flying carpets enter the European market, the broomstick manufacturing industry, a traditionally advantageous industry for British wizards, will fall into crisis.The business of Comet Company, Sweeping Company, and Black Forest Company is likely to plummet, and a lot of broom craftsmen will also lose their jobs. This is a huge blow to the Ministry of Magic.

Logically speaking, no matter what kind of political strife occurs, no one should question Dumbledore's achievements. To question him is to question the British Ministry of Magic, which in turn will damage the interests of all British wizards.Dumbledore is a flag of the British: not to be discredited.

That's why Lockhart guessed that this article was written under the order of the Ministry of Magic. Otherwise, no matter how free the wizarding world's speech is, Rita's article might have been wiped out during the review process.

Now the Ministry of Magic can completely stay out of the matter, and in the future, it only needs to let Rita send another apology statement the size of a tofu block. This kind of small trick was also used when Lockhart was a civil servant before. See it again.

Fudge has been trying to eliminate Dumbledore's influence in the Ministry of Magic, which is almost known to everyone. Even if he doesn't want to get rid of Dumbledore's control, the snake politicians below will force him to do so.

So, as expected, after the Daily Prophet published the editorial, several other papers dismissed it lightly.

"That woman Skeeter is talking strange things again, but she is like this, we have long been used to it, but as far as this matter itself is concerned, Dumbledore's handling is indeed ill-considered."

After all, these media are professionally engaged in this industry, and they are more sensitive to the attitude of the Ministry of Magic than Lockhart. Seeing that this kind of news has been published in the Daily Prophet, how could they not know that there has been a change in the political situation, so they went to He began to exaggerate and magnify this matter at length.

Lockhart is totally being blamed. Maybe some people dare not speak harshly to Dumbledore, but for him, a "travel writer", the senior editorial staff will not say anything.

It is the lightest thing to ridicule him that "there is nothing more than gold and jade, but there is nothing in it". As for the attacks on his professionalism and personal morality, there are more attacks.

In the words of the final conclusion in the Daily Prophet, "we cannot have any expectations of an idol who only lives on books when dealing with practical affairs", and it is almost about to say "he is not suitable for politics" T

Fudge, I have written down this grudge!Lockhart thought.

Of all these outlets, the only ones who stood up for Lockhart were Witch Weekly and The Quibbler.

"Witch Weekly" is understandable, because they have been publishing Lockhart's photos and exclusive interviews for a long time, and they have maintained close business contacts with Lockhart, and even signed regular exclusive reports, so naturally they refused Let these peers destroy their own cash cows.

They fiercely scolded the mainstream media and tried their best to defend Lockhart's

Image, and organized a group of witch fans, protested around the Daily Prophet newspaper, and threw rotten tomatoes and stinky pumpkins at their windows.

As for The Quibbler, Lockhart felt they were completely counterproductive

Editor-in-Chief Lovegood swears that Cornelius Fudge is using the Department of Mysteries to develop a terrible poison and secretly drug people who disagree with him, so he wants to destroy Dumbledore and Lockhart, because as long as With these anti-black magic people gone, he can do whatever he wants.

Even a ghost would not believe such a strange theory, and his objection had almost no effect except to make the matter more ridiculous.

Although "Witches Weekly" and "Quiet" are speaking for themselves, Lockhart can only thank his fan base, the fighting power of those witches is terrible.

Especially in "Those Witches", there is also a person with fire in his eyes who is determined not to give up until the end--Hermione Granger.

The first day of school is Wednesday, and two days later is Friday. The little wizards don't need to take a long class to usher in another weekend.

On Friday afternoon, Harry and the others were called out by Hermione right after class, saying that they had important discoveries to tell them.

She slapped a thick book in front of Harry and Ron, and skillfully turned to the page of the basilisk.

Time waits for no one, and we have to get this sorted out before final exams. "she says.

After hearing "Final Exam", Ron suddenly felt that if Ginny hadn't been involved in this matter, maybe it would be fine to go on like this.

Chapter 88 Strategizing

When Hermione held the Iron Triangle meeting again with the information she found, Ron, who had never been interested in "detectives", suddenly became the most enthusiastic of the three.

It's not his fault, after all, it's none of your business, just hang on to it.But now that he knew that the matter had something to do with his sister, it would be strange if he could still deal with it calmly.

In addition, because of the cancellation of the Quidditch game, Harry also suddenly had a lot of free time, so the three of them were going to make something big—how could Gryffindor not make trouble?

"Come and see..." Hermione called the two to the bushes, and after repeatedly confirming that there was no one else nearby, she pointed to the book she had found and explained.

"The basilisk...discovered and bred by the greek wizard 'Helpo the Vile', just need to put the rooster's eggs under the toad to hatch, only the Parseltongue can control it, afraid of the crowing of the rooster... ok , we now know why Hagrid's roosters were all killed... The food is mice, lizards and spiders, etc., especially poisonous spiders, which are his favorites. "

Ron's eyes lit up when he heard this: "I think it's a good choice to keep one at home to prevent spiders if it doesn't hurt people... Oh, I'm joking, I know it's illegal."

Hermione glared at the interrupting Ron in dissatisfaction: "If you want to live with your eyes closed every day, or if you want to suffer violent death, you can continue to interrupt me."

Ron held up his hands in a gesture of surrender.

Seeing him obediently shut up, Hermione continued: "Looking in the eyes of a basilisk can kill a person, and its sense of smell is extremely sensitive, it can smell wizard and Muggle blood

The difference in the smell of the liquid - I think this is probably the principle it is used for - to fight 'Hogwarts, because we Muggle-borns, the smell of wizards in the blood is not strong enough

"But... so far no one has died?" Harry questioned.

"Yes, but that's because no one or animal has ever looked directly at it.

"Hermione has obviously thought it through: "Mrs. Norris saw it from a puddle, Colin was still wearing the protective glasses of the Dueling Club, and still had a camera in his hand. Although Nick saw it, he was already Ghost, it is impossible to die again... Speaking of which, everyone is lucky this time. "

"Good luck...?"

Harry instinctively felt that something was wrong, but didn't think about it for a while, because Hermione had already started to propose a solution.

"Now that we have established that Ginny entered the Chamber of Secrets from Myrtle's bathroom, and that the snake itself can move through all the pipes at Hogwarts, we must ensure that before the Basilisk enters the Chamber of Secrets and Ginny Do it when you are separated from the basilisk, and keep Ginny and the basilisk under control at the same time."

The two useless men looked at each other: "How should we do it?" Hermione tremblingly took out something from her schoolbag.This kind of thing is very familiar to Harry, but it is inexplicable for Ron to see it.

"What the hell is this?" he asked.

"A stethoscope," Harry replied for Hermione, "Muggle doctors use it.

"This thing can also treat patients...I mean, what's the use of it." Ron looked even more confused. "Are we going to use it to check the body of the basilisk?"

"Yeah, you can put the stethoscope on its chest and let it take a deep breath," Hermione teased.

Ron couldn't get the joke, but he could nonetheless get the sarcasm in Hermione's words.

heard.

"Don't play charades, I admit I'm an idiot, but for Ginny's sake, please tell me quickly."

Only then did Hermione realize that her attitude just now was a bit wrong.

So she stopped talking nonsense: "Using this stethoscope against the wall, we can monitor the activities of the basilisk - it is so big, it must come out at night to find mice, birds, spiders and so on. We confirmed that it ate Go back and enter the secret room when there is no movement."

"What about Ginny?" Ron was most concerned about this.

"I'll observe Ginny quietly for a while, and find out the culprit who controls her. Then, Ron, you ask her out, saying that you want to help her with her homework, and I will take the opportunity..."

"But this requires at least two people." Harry seemed to understand something, "That is to say, I need to enter the Chamber of Secrets alone."

Hermione looked surprised: "No! Why do you think that, Harry? We'll go to the Chamber of Secrets together after we've captured the murderer."

"No, in that case, both the murderer and Ginny will yell, and the professor will arrive soon. If we don't have evidence, the professor won't believe us.

Harry continued to speak while thinking, and as he continued to speak, the ideas in his mind became more and more formed.