Chapter 192: Mountain God
The time at Scamander Farm Estate was beautiful and fleeting. This was the first time Lockhart had found someone in this world with whom he could so joyfully discuss his explored magical path.
Well, his dearest student Tom counted as half a person.
But even the most interesting times had to end. As September approached, they had to conclude their wonderful companionship.
Newt and his wife were going to Brazil to care for an endangered fantastic beast species reportedly due to give birth in September. Lockhart and young Scamander also had to prepare "teaching aids" for the magic school's opening.
Young Scamander seemed to have embarked on a research path different from his father's, developing in the direction of aquatic animals. For this, Lockhart gifted him a group of Crayfish.
The Crabbe family's Crayfish breed was famous in wizarding history, but after they stopped supplying them to the outside world for decades, such a breed was now hard to find in the wizarding world.
This was clearly a grand gift, and young Scamander was very excited, resolving to give some gifts in return.
Besides the promised Madagascarian Cats, he would pair Lockhart's Swooping Evil with a female Swooping Evil, and also planned to take him along to collect a unique creature that was also somewhere between a magical beast and a fantastic animal.
"That's actually not a specific species; it's the product of a specific ritual."
Then, Lockhart, with a complex mix of emotions, followed him to a certain part of the Asian wizarding world.
Yes, the Asian wizarding world.
A place very different from his memories, still preserving ancient sacrificial activities, shamanism, culture, and other unique yet familiar things, yet unlike his homeland as he knew it.
He…
Had come to a different world after all.
"Middle-earth, this place is different from all other wizarding worlds. You can't even find a magic school here!" Young Scamander led him to the immigration registration office, introducing, "Many wizards find it hard to imagine what it's like for wizards and Muggles to coexist, but it has actually been like this here since ancient times."
He chuckled, proudly telling Lockhart about this wonderfully rich region he had discovered. "Their sacrificial activities have similarities to what we call ancient wizarding rituals, but also great differences. The most crucial point, perhaps, is what you mentioned—magical life."
Young Scamander didn't notice that Lockhart had grown silent upon arriving, observing everything around him with a complex expression, carefully, with some trepidation, and yet with a hint of longing.
"The Order of Merlin, at its peak, once intended to exert some influence here. No one knows what happened then, because ultimately nothing did. During the Wizarding Council era, the Ministry of Magic era, this place seemed to remain distant from everything, living its own life."
"I have a good friend here, and he asked me to take care of a mountain god who lost a competition."
Lockhart finally reacted, asking curiously, "Mountain god?"
"A fantastic beast that controls the power of the earth and weather. Oh, perhaps that's not the right way to describe it," young Scamander tried his best to find words to describe this difference. "It's authority. Only a mountain god can possess such authority. It ensures good weather and bountiful harvests for nearby villages, but mountain gods need to compete. Each transfer of power is a terrible competition among the fantastic beasts in the mountains."
"The defeated ones will be killed. My friend felt pity and wanted to find a good place for the defeated fantastic beast, deciding to entrust it to me."
After a long wait for the procedures to be completed, they were finally allowed to travel to a more southern part of Middle-earth.
Another long and tiring journey.
Then Lockhart, with a peculiar expression, arrived at a place that, in his previous life, would have been considered another country: the eastern region beyond Middle-earth.
Upon arriving at a village on a certain island, young Scamander didn't even need to introduce it. Lockhart himself felt the unique magical aura here.
Peaceful!
Yes, it was such a strange yet familiar unique aura. He strained his neck to look up at the mountain range behind the village.
He seemed to see, where the mountain peak was shrouded in clouds, a sika deer looking down at them, the two outsiders.
"Don't show any malice!" young Scamander reminded him. "The mountain gods here can sense the malice of outsiders. If it's just Muggle thieves or bandits, they might not care, but if it's wizards or magical creatures with magical power, they will actively attack."
Lockhart nodded, saying nothing.
"Gilderoy, you absolutely wouldn't guess how different the mountain god ritual is from magical rituals," young Scamander said, sounding incredulous himself. "Muggles, yes, Muggles perform them. Of course, wizards participate, but the main body is Muggles!"
Lockhart pondered for a moment and came up with his own conjecture. "Magical life, right? The topic we discussed before."
"Yes, it's very interesting. Organizations like the Ministry of Magic can't control this place," young Scamander chuckled.
They soon witnessed the marvel of the mountain god ritual.
An elderly elder hosted them. Young Scamander's friend, dressed in luxurious attire and wearing a fierce mask, led the villagers in performing the ritual. They could all sense that, apart from his friend, everyone else was an ordinary Muggle.
As the ritual progressed, an extremely mysterious yet incredibly harmonious magical aura enveloped the surroundings. It was a feeling difficult to describe in words, unlike the tangible nature of ordinary spellcasting, and different from the "mysterious" mist in the Department of Mysteries' Hall of Genealogies; it was more formless.
The ritual was held at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain itself slowly began to stir, with birds chirping, insects buzzing, and wild beasts roaring.
"I heard three fantastic beasts are competing: the Long Worm, the Big Worm, and the Little Worm," young Scamander whispered, observing from a distance. "My friend said he already foresaw the Big Worm's victory. The Little Worm will go live somewhere else on its own, and only the Long Worm will be killed. He said if I was willing to take the Long Worm off this island, the Big Worm would decide not to kill it."
He spoke of many "worms," but they were actually completely different animals.
The Big Worm was a tiger, the Long Worm was a snake, and the Little Worm was a sparrow.
Lockhart listened intently, observing this wondrous ritual with great interest.
He discovered that the ritual before him seemed to be an extremely unique transformation, consecrating fantastic beasts into Dark magical creatures!
Stripping away their animality, embedding them within the脉络 of nature, gaining certain authorities of nature, and henceforth becoming intrinsically linked to this place.
"When we were discussing those topics at the farm, I always wanted to tell you what happens here, but I thought it would be a good opportunity to bring you here to see for yourself."
Young Scamander strained his neck, trying to glimpse the activity on the distant mountain, but clearly, at such a distance, it was impossible to see anything, which was quite a pity.
"Muggles and wizards, humans and fantastic beasts, living beings and nature—it's as if everything finds its answer here."
Lockhart deeply agreed, gazing blankly at the scene before him.
Such a ritual continued for an entire day, enduring the scorching sun, the quiet of the mountain and the bustle below in the evening, the chill of the night and the vibrant life of the next morning's sunrise, finally reaching its conclusion.
In the sunlight, people seemed to hear the gentle call of a deer, as if it were the farewell of the aging mountain god, and then the roar of a tiger echoing through the forest—the new mountain god proclaiming its reign.
The wizards of this place led the villagers, carrying offerings and celebratory grains, to hike up the mountain. By noon, a hundred-meter-long, cream-colored giant snake was carried down by everyone working together, coiled on the mountain path, a truly magnificent sight.
Young Scamander quickly opened his suitcase, placing it on the ground before him, his expression solemn.
"I hope you can take good care of it," the local wizard said, feeding some healing potion to the cream-colored giant snake, which was covered in wounds. He looked seriously at Lockhart. "Young Scamander said you are a renowned international magizoologist. I hope it can have a brand new life."
The giant snake was clearly dissatisfied with the wizard's arrangement, merely hissing at the mountain with cold, angry eyes, its voice full of unwillingness. Unfortunately, it was exhausted, barely able to open its mouth.
The wizard sighed upon seeing this. "It should have been executed by the mountain god, but the mountain god took pity and was willing to spare its life, but it is no longer suitable to be here. Remaining here, facing it day and night, it would eventually grow resentful and likely turn into a monstrous beast."
This entrustment was not without cost. If this giant snake were to lay any eggs, Lockhart would be obligated to send some back, a custom known here as 'forming a bond.'
Lockhart gazed deeply at the giant snake before him, as if he could sense a subtle, circulating aura influencing it. He offered a gentle, sincere smile. "Rest assured!"
This was a brief journey tinged with a hint of melancholy.
After parting ways with young Scamander, Lockhart spent time traveling through the lands of Middle-earth, looking around everywhere, hoping to see some familiar things. He eventually returned to his hotel feeling somewhat lost.
The Banshee sensed Lockhart's complex emotions, appearing and silently accompanying him, gently massaging his temples, hoping to soothe his worries.
"It's different after all, little Banshee. I have my own journey now, my own life, don't I?"
Lockhart stared blankly at the suitcase on the table before him.
"Mm," the Banshee nodded gently, standing behind him and lightly massaging his temples, hoping to help him smooth away the sorrow in his heart.
"I'm fine," Lockhart exhaled deeply, revealing a brilliant smile. "Since I've embarked on this journey, I'll move forward bravely. Just as Dumbledore said, death is a great adventure. I'm luckier than him; the adventure after death is so interesting."
Having lived a second life, his life felt like a bonus, and his mindset was indeed somewhat different.
"Let's go, it's time to leave here."
The suitcase gifted by young Scamander was clearly also a grand gift. Inside, a low, earthy mountain had been created using a spell similar to the Undetectable Extension Charm. Although it wasn't as large as Newt's usual case, which seemed to hold the whole world, such magical creations were virtually impossible to find elsewhere in the wizarding world.
The cream-colored long snake was coiled and sleeping on the mountaintop, its wounds looking somewhat grotesque, requiring a period of recuperation.
Of course, Lockhart himself also possessed a similarly magical creation—the fairy tale book.
He planned to transfer the long snake into it to live after having more communication with it.
The next stop was France, where young Scamander had arranged for a total of seven Madagascarian Cats, though they were actually all the same one.
Over the next period, Lockhart traveled to various corners of the world, seeking animals that aligned with the future lives of Muggles and wizards, and also looking for animals in the intermediate zone between magical creatures and fantastic beasts.
Thus, without realizing it, the summer holidays quietly passed.
Choo choo choo~~~
The Hogwarts Express departed once more.
.....
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