Chapter 13: That Kid is the Dark Lord!
Chapter 13: That Kid is the Dark Lord!
Headmaster Black's portrait began to rant, and soon, the other portraits couldn't stand it anymore and started to argue back. One particularly short-tempered Headmaster even jumped into Black's frame and started wrestling with him.
Dumbledore ignored the portraits, his expression reminiscent of the past. "Mr. Heap does indeed have a lot of ideas."
"In my view, that's a declaration of war by a Muggle-born wizard against the Purebloods. His ambitions are far greater than you imagine. He is the next Dark Lord."
Dumbledore's expression turned solemn. "That is a very serious accusation, Severus."
"You always believe people so easily, Dumbledore", Snape sneered. "Perhaps he won't start a war. I know him; he hates trouble."
"But as you said, he has tremendous potential. If I had to say who in this century could match you and that other person, it would be him. There will be countless people willing to be his followers, watching his every move and studying his every word..."
He added sarcastically, "History repeats itself. Perhaps this time, his followers will be those foolish lions."
"What would they call him? Perhaps, the White Dark Lord?"
"Severus, I didn't know you had such deep prejudices against him", Dumbledore said, genuinely surprised.
"Hmph! I told you, I know him better than you think. I taught him for seven years!"
Dumbledore weighed his thoughts carefully before speaking his mind. "I have indeed hesitated for a long time. I see another person's shadow in him. The same Muggle orphanage background, the same Slytherin, the same excellence, the same pursuit of power..."
"But they are different."
"Voldemort used magic to intimidate his classmates, while Felix gathered his friends to stand up to the bullies. He still keeps in touch with some of the people from the orphanage even now."
"Voldemort was obsessed with power and formed a group centered around himself during his time at school—the early form of the Death Eaters. Felix, on the other hand, couldn't care less about power. As you said, he hates trouble. You could say he doesn't waste his time on things he's not interested in, and power is one of them."
"Voldemort was exceptionally brilliant and polite, and he had a good relationship with every professor. Felix, however, only put effort into subjects he was interested in. From what I know, he never passed his History of Magic, Divination, Astronomy, or Flying lessons! Despite this, his Spellwork scores broke all historical records."
"Voldemort was obsessed with power and delved deeply into dark magic even during his school years. He showed great talent in this area, and by the time he graduated, his dark magic skills surpassed what some dark wizards achieved in their entire lives."
"As for Felix..." Dumbledore hesitated for a moment. "I must admit, he did study dark magic at the Shrieking Shack. But before I could find an appropriate way to dissuade him, he gave it up on his own."
Snape listened intently. The Headmaster had dug deep into the kid's background!
Many past events were unknown even to him.
Dumbledore summarized, "Valuing friendship, rejecting power, focusing intently, and thinking carefully—he has many virtues."
Snape opened his mouth as if to say something but then held back. He then gave a mocking smile, but this time it was directed at the Headmaster. "You still pay such close 'attention' to your students! Why don't you tell me more about his experiences in the three years since graduation? When he traveled the world, you didn't hide in some bushes to spy on him, did you?"
"Severus, don't be so cruel to an old man", Dumbledore said with a hurt expression. But the next moment, his words left Snape speechless. "However, I did visit some of his colleagues in the Muggle world. Their opinions of Mr. Heap were surprisingly high, and I confirmed there were no traces of magic involved."
Seeing Snape's mouth drop open, Dumbledore blinked, "Severus, surely you don’t think I’m that senile? I wouldn’t appoint him as a professor at Hogwarts without thoroughly vetting him first."
...
When Snape emerged from the Headmaster's Office, he admitted he was somewhat convinced. The boy didn’t seem as bad as he initially thought.
Even though he had once threatened Snape with his deepest, darkest secret.
However, when he walked into the Great Hall and saw Felix waving his wand, conjuring a giant snake on the ceiling, with a face that looked suspiciously like someone who sees themselves in the mirror every day, Snape nearly exploded with anger!
He was wrong!
Felix Hep was a complete jerk!
...
Felix had no idea about the conversation that took place in the Headmaster's Office, nor that someone had already labeled him as the "White Dark Lord." He found that hilarious—did he really have that much free time?
He was systematically completing his tasks, and during this time, the Hogwarts professors began to return one by one. Felix went up to each of them and greeted them.
It was a testament to the importance of networking.
Until a particularly striking figure appeared. It was a very handsome wizard, dressed in a bright green robe similar to Felix’s. His hair was light and smooth, and his teeth were pearly white.
Which Slytherin was this? He didn’t seem to remember him.
Felix was about to observe more, but the wizard quickly approached him, "Felix Hep! I’ve heard so much about you, and I’ve been looking forward to meeting you."
"Who are you?" Felix felt a sense of familiarity but couldn’t place it.
The wizard seemed to hear something unbelievable. He opened his mouth wide, looking as if he had been petrified for a couple of seconds, then quickly recovered and began to speak confidently, "Felix, you must be busy with your Muggle studies and not pay much attention to the Wizarding world, but no worries! I can introduce myself again. Believe me, you deserve this honor."
Felix: "…Please do."
"Me", the wizard blinked, "Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Anti-Dark Magic League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly’s Most Charming Smile Award—though I don’t go around bragging about that. I don’t drive away banshees with my smile!"
Gilderoy Lockhart?
Felix remembered. He had read Lockhart’s biography, which detailed some impressive adventures. Experienced and resourceful, but Lockhart seemed to have a habit of only revealing half the story in his books, never sharing the crucial details!
Felix’s interest was piqued, and he started thinking about how to get some useful information out of him.
"So, Mr. Lockhart, I’ve read your books, and they are quite remarkable. Your experiences are truly fascinating…" Felix said, flattering the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Within minutes, they had become fast friends.
Felix was inwardly impressed by Lockhart’s courage. The Dark Lord’s curse, and he didn’t seem to care at all?
He knew how challenging that position was. Despite Hogwarts’ constant shortage of professors, he wouldn’t dare consider taking on that job.
Truly, skill and confidence went hand in hand!
From the stories in his books, Lockhart was indeed a highly perceptive and talented wizard, always managing to avoid danger.
Felix realized he needed to pay more attention. What did this professor like?
Felix fell into deep thought.
(End of Chapter)
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