All the gifts bestowed by fate had already been secretly marked with a price.
Malfoy thought of this sentence that he had read before.
On the stage, Lockhart was beaming with success. Everything had started because of him, but now, he was acting as if he was the savior of the world. It did not seem fair at all.
But in reality, it was very fair.
He had already paid a heavy price for this.
This was because perhaps Merlin was the only one who knew how long Lockhart had left to live.
Even in a world where magic existed, there were some laws that had to be followed. For example, Gump's Basic Transformation Law. These laws were vaguely similar to some of the theorems discovered by the physicists in the Muggle society.
That was conservation.
The original Jenny could escape because the diary was destroyed. It could be explained that the life force that the diary had taken away was returned to her.
What about Lockhart? Perhaps he wouldn't be so lucky, because he might have already overdrawn his future long ago.
In the magic world, Dumbledore, Voldemort, and Grindelwald stood at the top of the pyramid. There should be no dispute about this. Whether it was in terms of magic power or spellcasting skills, they were all "God" level figures.
As for the second tier, there should be some professors in Hogwarts who were proficient in combat. Even so, Snape could be considered as one of the best. In the original story, he was able to gain the upper hand in the battle with Professor Mag. After Flick joined the battle, he was also able to retreat unscathed. His ability was definitely not to be underestimated.
Then the question was, how much would Lockhart have to pay to defeat Snape in a proper duel? Even if Snape had underestimated his opponent.
Perhaps this question could only be answered by Merlin.
As the leader of a cult, even in his youth, it was normal for Voldemort to master some black magic that overdrew his life force to increase his strength.
Perhaps Lockhart should be thankful that his talent was above average. Otherwise, he would not be able to stand on the stage and boast about achievements that did not belong to him.
Not long ago.
"Professor, I suggest that you take note of Lockhart." A low and hoarse voice came out from Snape's mouth. A first-rate Magus would not belittle himself, nor would he be infinitely arrogant. Snape, who had a clear understanding of his own strength, did not care about winning or losing as much as the students did, even though Ron and Harry felt that his face was frighteningly pale after the defeat. Compared to winning or losing, he was more concerned about someone's abnormality and someone's safety.
Therefore, Snape suggested this to Dumbledore after the Duel Club ended.
The office was still shrouded in mist, and the silverware kept puffing out smoke. Dumbledore was seriously tearing open a candy wrapper in front of the table, as if he had not noticed Snape's suggestion.
"Severus, please help an old man whose hands and feet are no longer as nimble as before. For example, help him tear open the packaging of candy." Dumbledore did not even lift his eyelids as he casually threw a piece of candy in front of him to Snape.
It was a poor way to change the subject.
The candy fell to the ground with a thud. There was a slight smashing sound on the floor, as if announcing Snape's protest.
Obviously, he didn't accept it.
"Oh, alright, Severus." Dumbledore could feel the anger of the person in front of him rising, even though he still maintained his silence.
"You are too suspicious." Dumbledore slowly spat out this sentence, his old and deep voice seemed to have the power to calm one's mind.
"We don't have the extra energy to care about a professor's ability. From what I know, Lockhart was considered an influential figure in school. Isn't it normal for an outstanding student to grow into an outstanding teacher?" Dumbledore chuckled as he said to Snape.
"But …" Snape gripped his wand tightly.
"I know what you want to say. No matter how outstanding a teacher is, I don't think he can avoid accidents in class. After all, that was his first class, so it's inevitable that he would be nervous." Dumbledore sized Snape up and continued, "I think you can't guarantee that Neville Longbottom won't make a single mistake in class, right?"
"But …" Snape wanted to continue, but was once again interrupted by Dumbledore.
"Professor Snape, my suggestion is that you should pay more attention to your potions. After the Mandrake Grass matures, we still need you to make the potions." Dumbledore's tone became serious and even deeper, as if he was thinking of his petrified students.
"Very well, Mr. Principal. I think you will be satisfied."
Snape did not insist any longer. He flung his loose robe behind him and strode out of the door. But when his last foot was about to step out of the door, his cold tone still hid a tinge of anger that made one's heart palpitate.
"But I hope that the next time you ask me to make a potion, the word 'resurrection' will not be used as a prefix."
After he finished speaking, the office door quietly closed by itself. But under this silence, perhaps there was an undercurrent surging.
"Wastage is not a behavior worth advocating."
Dumbledore sighed softly, as he fumbled to pick up the candy that had fallen on the floor, and brushed the dust off it. Then, he began to look for a place where it was convenient to tear open the packaging.
"Rip." The packaging was torn open.
Unlike the situation just now when he was racking his brains, the current Dumbledore seemed to be at ease.
Perhaps only this old man would know if he was acting crazy just now, or if he had used magic just now.