Chapter 1292 The Magical Speech Across the Century (2)
Room on the second floor of Hogshead Tavern, Hogsmeade Village.
"Hell, when did you get into the habit of secretly listening to the radio in your room?"
The tavern owner grumbled and opened the door and placed a plate of dark brown mushy food on the table in the guest room.
Beside the table, Dumbledore, who had been missing for many days, was holding a magic radio and listening intently.
There is a proverb in the far Eastern world: "The most dangerous place is the safest place."
Ever since Elena moved the R&D base of the Destiny Group to the side of Hogsmeade Village, the safety factor here has skyrocketed.
In addition to Hogwarts Castle, the Succubus City, and the headquarters of The Quibbler, Hogsmeade Village can be said to be some of the safest places in the world today.
The most important thing is that this is the only place in the UK where you can escape the omnipresent eyes of the Destiny Group and Gringotts Wizarding Bank.
Elena had issued a high reward internally to "capture" him, but Dumbledore was not yet ready to integrate into the non-magical world.
After much deliberation, the Pig's Head pub in Hogsmeade became the only place he could hide - even though the owner here did not welcome him.
"Oh, I developed it during this period - well, it was about the same time that I suffered from angina pectoris."
Dumbledore smiled helplessly, put down the magic radio in his hand, and said softly.
"Why aren't you entertaining guests at the bar downstairs? I thought you would be curious——"
"Did you do that? That bastard named Lockhart."
"No. I don't want to get another punch in the nose."
Dumbledore said gently, pointing to the twisted bridge of his nose behind his glasses.
"Aberforth, you know me. I will not make the same mistake twice..."
"After you finish eating, leave quickly——"
The owner of the Pig's Head Tavern, or in other words, Aberforth Dumbledore frowned and interrupted the other party rudely.
"I've never really seen you clearly, Albus."
"In fact, I don't even know what you want to do now..."
He glanced at the magic radio on the table and let out a mocking snort.
"I heard that the goblins of Gringotts are looking for you on the black market. If you still stick to my place tonight playing with these crappy things -"
"I'll leave soon, brother."
Dumbledore said softly, looking at the magic radio intently.
Lockhart's voice floated out clearly from inside, echoing in the small guest room.
"...Some people hope that some people will be satisfied with some small privileges..."
"...On the road to freedom, we should not take the wrong path, and we should not do it just to satisfy the desire for freedom..."
“...We must always behave appropriately and with strict discipline when fighting, and do not let our protests and struggles with new hope degenerate into violent actions. As the most brilliant gem of human civilization, we must continue to sublimate to the point of using spiritual power to fight against material power. Go to the lofty realm..."
Those sounds floated out from the magic radio, touched the edge of the room as if they had hit something, and disappeared silently on the wall.
If Aberforth had taken two steps back and left the room, he might not have heard even half of the sentence.
"Don't cast spells in my tavern room—"
Aberforth frowned again and looked at his brother with an unhappy expression.
However, before Dumbledore could explain, the voice on the magic radio suddenly became louder.
“…When we act, we must move forward. We cannot go backwards!”
"You may think that I am being alarmist, thinking that maybe the magic government can make some concessions to satisfy us."
"No, never-"
"As long as free magic continues to be persecuted by the tyranny and barbarity of the Secrecy Law, we will never be satisfied!"
"As long as our tired bodies cannot legally occupy hotels and motels in Muggle cities, we will never be satisfied!"
"As long as the basic scope of wizards' activities is still limited to small streets supported by a few magic shops and moved to larger streets, we will never be satisfied!"
"No! We are not satisfied now, and we will not be satisfied in the future -"
"Unless justice and freedom are like the waves of the river and sea, surging and rolling in."
"Wizards and magic should not be a shame that is hated by others and must be carefully hidden, nor should they be a crown that we cherish. This is a gift from the world to this beautiful race of mankind. It should be generous and proud in the sun.
Bloom, we should not let magic become the shackles that restrict our freedom - it should be the wings that lead us to a broader world and a better life. The pain we endure is not our talent, but the shackles of man-made limitations.
"
"If someone uses this as a reason for persecution, then let the law punish them. If the law cannot punish them, then revise a more complete law..."
Lockhart's voice echoed in the small guest room, the wooden boards on the ceiling made a buzzing sound, and dust fell rustling down.
Aberforth Dumbledore turned back and looked at the radio thoughtfully, his eyes seemed to have a strange look.
"What the hell is this guy-"
"Oh, look, it's not me who is casting the spell. Aberforth."
Dumbledore said softly and gently, looking at the small radio on the table with his blue eyes.
Elena and Lockhart answered the riddle that had troubled him and Grindelwald:
Why did the new era they two hoped to establish fail?
"Magic is the power to create beauty. Its only mission is to make our lives better——"
"Let us go back to London, back to Manchester, back to Belfast, back to Nottingham, back to our remote villages and wizarding communities under the surveillance of the magical government, and we must remember one thing.
Things, people and people should never and will not be permanently divided because of your birth."
"Everything can and will be changed. The shackles of hypocrisy cannot restrain free thoughts. We must not fall into despair and be unable to extricate ourselves..."
Dumbledore listened to Lockhart's clear and passionate speech, with a helpless and relieved smile on his lips.
As wizards, they have forgotten to explore why magic was born.
…………
Hogwarts, Quidditch pitch.
Now, everyone is quiet.
Aurors and wizards from the International Confederation of Wizards are ready.
Lockhart was surrounded by water, and nearly a hundred wands locked tightly on him.
The amber barrier began to flicker faintly in the air, which was a signal that the magic was about to disappear.
At the same time, Lockhart's speech seemed to be finally coming to an end.
"Friends, today I say to you..."
Lockhart ignored the anxious Aurors around him.
He raised his head and looked at the faces above, surprised, mocked, silent, and most of all, confused...
As Elena said, his speech was just a kindling, and only time will blow it into a prairie fire.
However, in any case, with the "assistance" of the Ministry of Magic and the International Federation of Wizards, he succeeded.
Lockhart straightened his back, opened his arms, and showed his trademark hearty smile.
"Now and in the future, we may encounter various difficulties and setbacks, but I still have a dream."
"This dream is deeply rooted in the dream of magic."
"I have a dream that one day, a magical society can realize the true meaning of magic: We hold this truth to be self-evident - that all men are created equal."
"I have a dream that one day, in the Great Hall of Hogwarts, wizard children will be able to sit at the same table as Muggle children and talk about brotherhood."
"I have a dream. One day, even the International Confederation of Wizards, a place where freedom has disappeared, will be brewing a magical soil of freedom."
"I have a dream. One day, all my enemies, friends, students, and children can live in a society that evaluates them not by their blood or talents, but by the quality of their character. I hope that one day we will not
Then divide people into three, six or nine grades according to their origins, and all children can advance hand in hand."
"I have a dream--"
The light of amber flickered in the air.
It blossoms into thin, dreamy colors like soap bubbles in the sun.
Then, it shattered silently.
"Do not impulse--"
"Arrest him!"
"Collapse!"
"armor."
Accompanied by the chaotic shouts of Ms. Bones, Conforge, Delis, Kingsley and others.
Dozens of dazzling magic beams pierced the broken amber fragments and struck Lockhart's defenseless body.
…………
"It's over. Let the gentlemen from the Ministry of Magic handle the rest."
In the box above the Quidditch stand, Elena looked away from below.
Lockhart is going to suffer a lot in the coming days, and there is nothing he can do about it.
After all, the Wizarding Prison of Azkaban is not that easy to endure, but when the counterattack begins, all these hardships will become his resume.
Of course, the scene looked chaotic, but Lockhart's life was not actually in danger.
Kingsley and others can ensure that Lockhart is healthy and smuggled into Azkaban's cell with his wand.
This little guarantee is actually enough, and the timely coma saves Lockhart a lot of unnecessary risks.
As for other Aurors, officials of the International Confederation of Wizards, and gentlemen of the Wizengamot Court, they will have to face a series of questions from reporters pouring into the venue from all directions - Hogwarts has banned phantom movement.
They must answer all questions on the spot.
On the other hand, as Lockhart's speech spreads, the long-gestating plan of the Major Arcana can be launched.