Obliviate

The Memory Charm, ever since its invention by the Witch Nemoen Radford, has been a brilliant tool for maintaining secrecy. For a long time, wizards used it to conceal their presence and hide the existence of the magical world.

Over time, wizards used the Memory Charm more frequently, not only to conceal the magical world, but also to hide their personal secrets and steal others' exciting adventures...

Loren began learning Memory Magic during the summer holidays, and with Hermione's help, he mastered Legilimency and Occlumency, gaining a preliminary understanding of the relationship between the brain and the soul. Lockhart's instruction further helped him to distinguish between deep and surface memories, deepening his understanding of the soul.

Loren felt he had a basic grasp of the theoretical knowledge; now all that remained was practical application.

But Lockhart had no intention of letting him put it into practice. With the Career Club failing, his teaching of Loren became perfunctory. He didn't expect to gain any fame from it and planned to drag it out until he left Hogwarts a year later, letting the matter drop.

With this mindset, Lockhart's lectures turned into rehashing examples of the Memory Charm to boast about his unparalleled Memory Charm.

"In the 18th century, the foolish Witch Dorcas Twelve Trees revealed the existence of the American Magical Congress to a Muggle. Some radicals got involved, nearly causing a large-scale conflict. Afterwards, they used the Memory Charm extensively, but some still escaped. It's a pity I wasn't born then, otherwise—"

Lockhart paused and winked at Loren. "It's a real shame. Dorcas Twelve Trees' father is the treasure and Dragon Coin administrator for the American Magical Congress. He would certainly be willing to offer some insignificant sums to have someone handle this trouble for him and ensure that his career is not affected."

Dragon Coin are the common currency in the United States magical world, equivalent to Galleons here. The treasure and Dragon Coin administrator is the Minister of Finance.

Therefore, the Memory Charm can also help others with dirty work.

Loren nodded thoughtfully.

"Believe me, Loren, the Memory Charm is very effective; you can try to open your mind," Lockhart said meaningfully.

At this point, Lockhart glanced at the clock on the wall and smiled easily, "It's 9:15. Let's call it a day. The little wizard needs to get enough sleep."

"Professor, shouldn't we do some practice?" Loren feigned reluctance to leave, enthusiastically taking out his wand and holding it in his hand. He looked every bit the impatient young wizard, eager to try out the new spell.

Lockhart adopted a professorial demeanor, smiling as he advised him, his words full of concern for him. "The Memory Charm is a very dangerous spell, so don't rush to practice it. What you should do now is familiarize yourself with the theory. Once you have fully mastered it, I will prepare some lab mice for you to practice on, and then gradually transition to more intelligent creatures. This will be a long process."

Loren suddenly interrupted him, revealing shocking news. "Professor, did you know that the monster in the Chamber of Secrets might be Basilisk?"

"Basilisk!" Lockhart's attention was indeed diverted, and his eyes widened in surprise.

Loren seized the opportunity and waved his wand toward his eyes: "[Obliviate]"

An unseen Magic Power seeped into Lockhart's brain through his eyes, exerting a wondrous effect in the mysterious realm of memory. Just to be on the safe side, Loren also had the Magic Power of the Memory Charm circulate around the portrait in the office.

It was his first time using the Memory Charm, and he was a little clumsy. Lockhart took a while to shake his head and come to his senses, a lingering look of confusion on his face. "Where were we?"

The portraits and photos, large and small, in the office still maintained their bright smiles, as if nothing had happened.

Loren slightly raised the corners of his mouth. Just as he had expected, he had mastered the Memory Charm.

Loren politely put away his wand, his demeanor perfectly natural. "I just said that practicing the Memory Charm is too tedious and complicated. I also have other club activities to attend, so I'm thinking of giving up on learning the Memory Charm and won't be coming anymore."

"I'm so sorry, Professor Lockhart," Loren said sincerely.

Lockhart was still a little confused. He slowly recalled the scene just now. It seemed that he had just been told that practicing the Memory Charm was a long process.

A smile appeared on his face. Loren had offered to give up the Memory Charm, which suited him perfectly.

Lockhart suppressed his joy and said with feigned regret, "Oh, no need to apologize, although it's a bit of a pity. However, a young wizard should try more possibilities, and I respect your choice."

The two said their goodbyes with feigned reluctance and regret, but as soon as the office door closed, separated by a wooden door, they both revealed relieved smiles.

Lockhart returned to the mirror, held the wand in place with the second knuckle of his thumb and forefinger, struck a cool pose with the wand flick, and gave the person in the mirror a bright smile.

"That's perfect. This pose should be on the cover of ' Wandering with Werewolves 2 '," Lockhart said smugly.

"The Ghost Party... the Werewolf army of Muggle, Bates... and my rescue of Hogwarts from the monsters of the Chamber of Secrets... the next book is sure to be a bestseller."

As Lockhart outlined the contents of his next book, he grew increasingly excited until the clock struck 10. He glanced at the clock on the wall and muttered, "Happy times always fly by..."

In the Castle corridor.

Loren's footsteps rang out, unhurried and deliberate, carrying far into the quiet night, reaching the end of the corridor and into those inconspicuous shadows. Each sound resonated in the heart of the House-elf.

He had actually considered completely erasing Bates from Lockhart's memory, but doing so would leave many loopholes, so he eventually gave up on the idea.

Grandpa Bates and Lockhart met several months ago. They spent some time together, covering a wide range of topics. Abruptly erasing a large amount of memory would alert Lockhart. Forging and replacing memories with False Memory Charm would be too troublesome and involve too much work.

Grandpa Bates ' Muggle Werewolf identity cannot be exposed, so Loren still plans to find a suitable opportunity to erase Lockhart's memories of the past few years, saving time and effort.

As he stepped onto the stairs, Loren climbed up the steps. The Defense Against the Dark Arts office was on the Third Floor, and the entrance to the Gryffindor Tower was on the Seventh Floor. He had to go up four floors.

Based on the Magic Power glow in his vision, the House-elf had been trailing behind him, seemingly wanting to see him enter the lounge before returning to report to its master. The House-elf moved using teleportation, afraid to make a sound.

Loren didn't want to alert Dumbledore and ruin his plans, but now that he had the Memory Charm, he didn't need to be so cautious and timid.

Upon reaching the Seventh Floor, after turning the corner, one would see the portrait of the Fat Lady. Loren estimated the distance, seized the brief opportunity of entering the corner and escaping the House-elf' sight, and immediately cast Disillusionment Charm to conceal himself.

With a soft rustling sound, the House-elf appeared in the shadows where the light didn't reach. Its bulging, tennis ball-sized eyes stared intently at the portrait of the Fat Lady: "Where is she? Did that damned Mudblood wizard go in without giving a password? Impossible, this can't be..."

He couldn't help but bang his head against the wall, making a dull thud, and his voice was trembling with tears. "I didn't see him enter the Gryffindor Common Room. I'm a useless piece of trash. I didn't even complete my master's orders."

"[Petrificus Totalus] "

A Binding Charm appeared out of House-elf squarely between the eyebrows. A cold, dark blue color gradually covered the House-elf's entire body, rendering him unable to move and causing him to fall straight to the ground. He couldn't even wave his fingers to cast a spell to teleport away.

Transparent ripples spread through the air, and Loren emerged from them, crouching down to examine the stiff body. It was emaciated, devoid of flesh, loose skin clinging to the bones, creating ugly wrinkles. Bat ears, tennis ball eyes, and a gaze filled with despair.

Although the House-elf cannot move, they can hear the sounds around them and see the little wizard who suddenly appears in front of them.

He had already been discovered. The House-elf's mind went blank, with only one thought in mind: My head is going to be used to hatch snake eggs...

Loren asked gently, "Can you tell me your name?"

Even though it couldn't complete the tasks its master had given it, and its head would be used to incubate snake eggs, the House-elf would never betray its master. A thick, venomous resentment blazed in the House-elf's eyes as it tried to intimidate the lowly Mudblood.

However, the Mudblood's crystal-blue eyes seemed to possess Magic Power; the shadows within its pupils flowed and swirled into an eerie vortex. The House-elf felt something flowing out along the vortex, seeping into his eyes, into his mind, and into his soul.

"It's cruel, isn't it? You didn't even complete the mission, yet your head has to be used to incubate snake eggs. That's utterly inhumane, isn't it?" Loren's tone was unhurried and gentlemanly.

He knows what I'm thinking! A chill ran through the House-elf, plunging him into a deeper despair.

"So, can you tell me your name now?" Loren asked again, his tone still gentle.

Don't think, don't remember, don't think, don't remember... The House-elf tries to control his thoughts, but the more he forces himself not to think, the clearer the answers become in his mind.

Looking into those tennis ball-sized eyes, Loren smiled with delight, "Pyg, so your name is Pyg. It's nice to meet you."

Tears of despair welled up in his eyes. Pyg wanted to die immediately, but his body was too stiff to do so. He couldn't even close his eyes and could only let Legilimency enter his mind.

Loren's smile was warm and enthusiastic, as if he were genuinely happy to have made a new friend. "So, the first question is, why did you set fire to Windsor Castle?"

Why burn Windsor Castle? Pyg was a little confused. He couldn't explain why, but he felt that doing so would appease his master and leave him with a whole head.

He only wanted to appease his master by leaving him with a complete head; there was no other reason. Having read the thoughts in the House-elf's mind, Loren remained silent.

Loren hadn't witnessed it firsthand; he'd only read about it in the newspaper. The fire was so intense that thick smoke could be seen rising five miles away, it sent over a dozen people to the hospital, and prompted more than two hundred firefighters to rush into the blaze...

It was just to leave behind a complete head.

Loren was somewhat depressed and unintentionally slowed down the Legilimency to Pyg. As a result, Pyg felt the pressure in his heart ease, and a crack seemed to appear in his endless despair. He once again stared at the lowly Mudblood wizard before him with venomous eyes.

You're just a House-elf, your head could be chopped off and humiliated at any moment, and now you're under my control. What gives you the right to think wizards are lowly?

Loren was both angry and amused. He no longer held back and used his full power to activate Legilimency delve into the depths of the House-elf's mind and rummage through his memories.

Pyg was originally a House-elf at the Crabbe Manor. Not long after the start of the school year, an Albania House-elf arrived at the Crabbe Manor with a strange venomous snake and found his master...

He knew that the strange venomous snake was actually a wizard, capable of communicating with humans and manipulating other snakes... Pyg watched as several snakes slithered into the brain of the Albania House-elf...

The venomous snake became his new master, and he began delivering messages for his new master to the Werewolf, to the Crabbe Manor, and recently even to the Ministry of Magic. When not delivering messages, he monitored Loren Morgan, reporting his every move to his master...

Loren knew what happened next.

"Werewolf ... Ministry of Magic ..." The words Loren murmured made Pyg yearn for death. The loyalty of the House-elf tormented him constantly, for he had revealed his master's information.

Loren saw something in Pyg's mind, but his doubts only grew.

What are Voldemort and Crabbe planning?

Was this part of Dumbledore's plan?

Did Dumbledore know about the Crabbe family's collusion with Werewolf and the Ministry of Magic?

The more he thought about it, the more complicated it became, and the more tangled the clues became. Loren patted his head to stop his wild thoughts and sighed, "Never mind, I'll go to the Headmaster's office tomorrow and tell Dumbledore everything. He'll be the one to hold up the sky if it falls."

After figuring it out, Loren felt much better. He glanced at Pyg lying on the ground and chuckled softly, "I'm so sorry, it's our first meeting and I've made such a mess of things. But it's alright, take a nap, and when you wake up you won't remember anything."

In an instant, as if Pyg had just realized something, his pupils trembled violently.

"It's alright, it won't hurt," Loren held his wand up to the House-elf ball-sized eyeball and gently waved it.

"[Obliviate] "