Nymphadora Tonks is a fascinating witch. She seems rebellious and nonchalant about her surroundings, but when you talk to her, you find that she's always keen on exploring the essence of the world and the truth behind things, eager to discover the world as it truly is.
This is the complete opposite of Lockhart. Lockhart appears gentle and always concerned with magic and everyday life, but he isn't truly bothered by the world's underlying nature. There's no right or wrong here, no higher or lower level; the world always has countless facets, and everyone observes it from their own perspective.
Lockhart always explores phenomena. This might be because his initial 'magical awakening' involved a forest witch, and it also ties into his path in Defense Against the Dark Arts. He explores all the phenomena that occur when magic flows, delving into the subtle relationships between all the factors involved in the unfolding of magic.
So, he found himself observing Tonks with great interest, seeing how she was affected by Azkaban and comparing it to his own experiences. He keenly sensed a difference. When comparing this difference to the prisoners in the surrounding cells and the Dementors occasionally passing by, the subtle distinctions became even more pronounced.
Then he spotted someone who made his eyes light up—Bellatrix.
Bellatrix Lestrange, born into the Black family, is Sirius Black's cousin and the aunt of Draco Malfoy and Nymphadora Tonks. When Tonks brought Lockhart to the cells where the Death Eaters were held, Lockhart felt it clearly: Bellatrix was the one most affected by Azkaban.
Why? Because... she was actively embracing the influence of Azkaban and the Dementors upon herself. This was a terrifying discovery. Everyone else in this prison was deeply resisting it, trying to fend off the dreadful influence that would drive them mad. It was an instinct, a natural defense of the mind.
Only Bellatrix had voluntarily dropped her mental defenses, allowing her mind to endure the terrifying erosion of this place. That's why she seemed the maddest of all the Death Eaters. So mad that she appeared utterly twisted. When Lockhart and Tonks looked at her, she just kept laughing hysterically, nervously.
"My mum always said that witches from the Black family have a unique elegance in their bones," Tonks observed, curiously examining Bellatrix. "She said Bellatrix was the one most like a pure-blood from an ancient family, but now..."
She sighed, "Azkaban is truly horrifying."
Lockhart mused, "How powerful is she?"
"Extremely powerful. Not every follower of the Dark Lord is a Death Eater, but every Death Eater possesses immense power," Tonks diligently began checking the status of each Death Eater, ensuring that Azkaban's means of confinement were still effective.
"Indeed," Lockhart nodded. Old Voldemort was a very particular individual. If Bellatrix's power wasn't up to standard, no matter how loyal she was, Old Voldemort wouldn't have been interested in her, let alone had a child with her. None of the loyal witches by the side of the three Dark Lords were simple. Professor McGonagall, Vinda Rosier, Bellatrix—each could be considered among the top witches of their time, just below the very best.
"All done. Looks like they'll all stay put here," Tonks said after a round, coolly slipping her wand into her trench coat pocket.
"Oh, really?" Lockhart chuckled, glancing at Sirius in the corner cell, then looking back at Bellatrix. "She's already figuring out how to escape."
Tonks immediately became alert. "That's impossible! No one can escape Azkaban. Too many powerful wizards have been held here, without exception!"
Despite saying that, she still pulled out her wand again and cast some spells to meticulously recheck everything.
"Apparition," Lockhart stood in front of the cell, staring intensely at Bellatrix, marveling. "I've just realized for the first time how similar the magical distortion of Apparition is to the excessively gloomy and suppressed state of the mind found in an Obscurus. And some individuals are actually twisting their minds to approach that state."
"Apparition?" Tonks instantly relaxed, subtly rolling her eyes. "You can't Apparate here."
"Just pretend you can."
Lockhart didn't bother to argue, his gaze sweeping over the few people around him before settling back on Bellatrix. "She'll do."
Taking Bellatrix was incredibly dangerous, as it would undoubtedly make Voldemort focus on him again. However, Bellatrix's unique state was simply too intriguing. Her mind was so twisted and her mental defenses so open that she was clearly very susceptible to the influence of dark magical creatures. She would be the easiest to experiment on.
"Are you sure?" Tonks's brow furrowed deeply.
Lockhart turned to look at her, observing her resistance, and finally said softly, "Yes."
The process for transferring Azkaban prisoners is incredibly complicated. It was three days later when Bellatrix was finally transferred to the Department of Mysteries' Hall of Bloodlines. And every time Lockhart wanted to interact with Bellatrix, personnel from the Auror Office had to be present to ensure that nothing beyond the Ministry of Magic's control occurred.
Of course, as Scrimgeour said, the Auror Office was short-staffed, so the only one available to get involved was Tonks.
During this time, Lockhart sought out Madam Mary again. After he let her go, this witch hadn't returned to the Haitian wizarding community but lived alone in a quiet corner of London, leading an exceedingly plain life. She seemed content with this simplicity, yet there was a subtle restlessness. When Lockhart came calling, she readily agreed to continue working for him.
Thankfully, Madam Mary's previous assistant credentials hadn't been revoked by the Ministry, so she smoothly returned to the Hall of Bloodlines.
Of course, neither Tonks nor Madam Mary realized that they were actually entering a storybook quietly hidden within a thick mist. Tom was also in the storybook, though in a different Hogwarts scene, just a wall away from Bellatrix.
His progress on The Unquenchable Flame of Life, which he would eventually devise, wasn't very fast. His life lacked too many experiences and reflections, and some things couldn't be compensated for by talent alone. He had to seek help from Professor Lockhart.
He proposed a view that contradicted Lockhart's current explorations of consciousness: the mind is not the fundamental essence of a person but merely one component, and the body and the body's thoughts are equally indispensable.
The basis for this judgment was that wizards who become ghosts after death do not simply let their minds guide their actions; they continue to operate with the thoughts carried by their physical bodies, behaving exactly as they did before death. Not only that, but magical portraits, a common sight for wizards, function similarly.
"Our physical bodies, truly existing in this world, and all the thoughts our minds can produce within the confines of our bodies, that is the true self," Tom stated very seriously. "The mind, the soul, might just be a false concept, or rather, it's merely some kind of idea."
"Therefore, I believe..." He stroked the magical notebook in his hand. "...The so-called flame of life actually resides in the body, not the soul."
This was a question of magical targeting. If you target the wrong object for a spell, it would undoubtedly lead to a terrible disaster.
Lockhart just smiled at him, making no judgment, and coaxed, "How do you think we should prove it?"
"Memory!" Tom tapped his temple with his wand. "Extracting memories doesn't truly make a person forget completely. It's actually imprinted in the soul, but our bodies can't perceive or access that part of the memory. Still, it's always there, always influencing our actions and emotions."
"But if the soul truly is just a concept, or a collection of concepts, then perhaps we can think of it this way: the concept of memory within the soul is actually 'the past.'"
Lockhart wasn't annoyed by this refutation of his own theory. After a moment of serious thought, he acknowledged this possible speculation. "Yes, when memories are put into a Pensieve, we can see other scenes from the time the memory is from. Although sometimes parts are missing, it clearly exhibits the characteristic of 'time.'"
Upon receiving the professor's affirmation, Tom immediately grew excited and continued to share his thoughts.
"Yes, the characteristic of time! This means our past isn't solely ours, just as you said – society, nature, the world, everything outside of oneself! The past exists in the memories of everyone involved in that part of the memory."
"So we can go to the past, make someone forget information only they know, then return to the real world and observe that person to see if they've truly forgotten."
"Professor, what do you think?"
What a truly intriguing idea. Lockhart knew that Voldemort's exploration of memory was quite profound. He had altered the memories of his uncle and a wealthy old woman's house-elf during his life, and those alterations showed no flaws even under the scrutiny of many top wizards at the Wizengamot trials. Even Dumbledore couldn't uncover them, which speaks volumes.
"I will help you find the answer," he said, willing to assist his student.
So... Bellatrix, to work!
Lockhart wasn't skilled in the magical realm of time, but Madam Mary fortunately possessed sufficient bloodline talent in that area.
Thus, in the period that followed, Lockhart constantly went back and forth between Bellatrix and Tom, proposing hypotheses, conducting experiments, discussing, and formulating new hypotheses. Every day was incredibly full.
Gradually, Lockhart also began to learn more about Bellatrix's past. Or rather, he began to delve deeper into some of the secret histories of the Black family, one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight pure-blood families, proclaimed to have the noblest bloodline.
The Black family's magical bloodline ability was a remarkably eerie 'ill omen.' This was a completely new type of magical bloodline for Lockhart, distinct from concepts like 'Phoenix affinity,' 'serpent affinity,' 'combat talent,' or 'fire affinity.'
"Mary, get ready." Lockhart waved his wand, controlling Bellatrix as she floated in mid-air. He gazed at her intently. "I think I've discovered something quite extraordinary!"
Yes, he had a peculiar feeling, as if he was on the verge of finding a fascinating answer.
It seems Lockhart is truly pushing the boundaries of magical understanding, using both Bellatrix and Tom in his experiments. The idea that memory might be linked to the "past" as a concept, rather than just being stored in the soul, is quite groundbreaking! And the revelation about the Black family's 'ill omen' ability is certainly intriguing.
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