Gilderoy Lockhart

Gilderoy Lockhart stood outside the wooden door, carrying a suitcase.

His face bore the signature charming smile he displayed for the media anytime, anywhere.

Before coming here, Lockhart had confirmed that the owner of the cabin was a wizard.

A powerful wizard!

Lockhart recalled the magical Light Beam he had seen. That was not Magic Power an ordinary wizard could possess.

So Lockhart adopted a friendly attitude.

He believed no wizard could refuse his smile, including the owner of this cabin.

Of course, if the owner was a witch, that would be even better. Night had fallen, and Lockhart would not mind something happening between him and a charming witch.

The howling cold wind interrupted Lockhart's fantasies. Though his wizard robes had warming charms, he still felt a trace of embarrassment.

The door did not open.

Lockhart had been shut out!

"Hello? I am..." Lockhart repeated what he had said earlier, knocking on the door as though reminding the other person. "Is anyone home?"

A long while passed again, yet there was not the slightest sound from inside.

Just as Lockhart's smile could no longer hold, the door opened with a creak.

Lockhart hurriedly forced out a smile, but it quickly turned to astonishment. "You are? A child?"

Lockhart stared in surprise at Moriarty, who had opened the door for him.

Moriarty was wrapped in a thick wool blanket and leaned on a wand.

The moment his gaze landed on the wand, Lockhart could no longer look away. It was undoubtedly the most distinctive, most noble wand he had ever seen!

Moriarty watched the complete change in Lockhart's expression and had to admit, it was incredibly comical.

Then he looked at Lockhart's gold-and-red wizard robes, which made Lockhart look like a rooster, vivid and lifelike.

Moriarty said warmly, "Everything is as you see it, Mr. Gilderoy Lockhart! Welcome to my home."

"Your home? You?"

Lockhart was stunned. So the magic from before had been cast by him?

But Lockhart did not ask directly. Instead, he probed indirectly. "You mean you live here alone?"

Of course not, but how could Moriarty admit it?

He walked a few steps outside and opened up a path for Lockhart to enter.

"Have you not noticed? Like you, I am British!"

"I have always lived in this little cabin. I call it the 'Snow House'!"

Naturally, Moriarty had made up that name to further confuse Lockhart.

"Come in and have a look, Mr. Lockhart. I dare say you will like it here!"

"Ah, ah! Yes, thank you."

Only then did Lockhart notice Moriarty's gray hair and that he spoke fluent English.

To hide his embarrassment, he smiled as he walked inside.

As he watched Lockhart enter, Moriarty's eyes gleamed with excitement.

He had been thinking about Gilderoy Lockhart, and the man himself had suddenly appeared before him.

Oh, Merlin's beard.

Praise Slytherin!

A smile appeared on Moriarty's face as well. He entered the cabin and shut the wooden door.

Hearing the door close, Lockhart felt somewhat uneasy. For some reason, he thought of unpleasant things.

To find out more about Moriarty, Lockhart put on a familiar manner.

"It is my first time in East Tibet. The weather is truly cold. Have you always lived here?"

"Yes. Aside from the cold weather, everything here is quite good. For example, one can avoid disasters."

Moriarty spoke pointedly, deliberately leading Lockhart astray.

Sure enough, at the mention of disasters, Lockhart thought of Voldemort, and his body shook violently.

Then he forced out a smile. "That is true, quite right. European wizards rarely set foot in China, let alone East Tibet."

"Then what brought Mr. Lockhart to East Tibet?"

"Speaking of that, I must mention the novels I have written."

Lockhart took out a stack of newspapers from his suitcase.

"Look at how The Daily Prophet has praised me! There are reports about me here. Oh, my child, you know The Daily Prophet, do you not?"

Moriarty waved his wand, and a copy of The Daily Prophet flew automatically before his eyes.

"Excellent Levitation Charm!" Lockhart exclaimed. Now he was somewhat curious about Moriarty's identity.

Moriarty pretended to look over The Daily Prophet. Though he knew Lockhart well, he still put on a confused expression.

"I am terribly sorry, but I cannot understand what it says."

"Very well," Lockhart said regretfully as he put away all the newspapers. He explained, "As I said before, I am a writer. Of course, I am also a wizard—we both are.

"I came to East Tibet for the yetis here! You see, every year, I travel all over the world and come into close contact with dangerous Magical Creatures. I call it a great adventure..."

Lockhart's signature smile returned as he adopted the manner he used with fans and spoke at length to Moriarty.

Moriarty appeared deeply interested and chimed in from time to time, but inwardly he understood. As expected, Lockhart had appeared because of the East Tibetan Yeti.

All those heroic exploits Lockhart wrote about were other people's stories.

Lockhart had merely used a Memory Charm on those people, turning their experiences into his own unique adventures.

From the book A Year with the East Tibetan Yeti, one could infer that Lockhart might have come to East Tibet before or had contact with wizards from East Tibet.

Since Lockhart had appeared here, it meant he was preparing to write that novel.

Once he had written it, Lockhart would certainly promote and sell it throughout the wizarding world.

This was undoubtedly an excellent opportunity to enter the British Wizarding World.

Moriarty formed a complete plan in his mind and began to guide him patiently. "Mr. Lockhart, after hearing your stories, I am astonished by your adventurous spirit and formidable strength.

"You just mentioned the East Tibetan Yeti? As it happens, I know this Magical Creature very well!

"I think I can offer you some help. I mean, can I go on the adventure with you?"

Moriarty appeared excited and enthusiastic, exactly like a little wizard eager for adventure.

Lockhart had clearly seen plenty of Little Wizards like this. He habitually regarded Moriarty as a genuine child and lowered the little guard he had held before.

"Of course, my child," Lockhart said with a broad smile. "If you can be of help, I will write you into my book! Oh, right, I still do not know your name?"

"Just call me Moriarty. Now, Mr. Lockhart, may I speak? After all, the East Tibetan Yeti is not easy to deal with. We need to make a detailed plan."

"Very well, cautious little fellow." Lockhart took out a set of coffee cups from his suitcase. "Whenever I gather material, I prepare some coffee to keep myself alert."

"A writer's habit, is it not? Ha ha." Lockhart made a little joke at his own expense, then said to Moriarty, "A new offering from the Diagon Alley coffee shop! Would you like some?"

Moriarty glanced at the suitcase. It had clearly been enchanted with the Undetectable Extension Charm. Who knew what had been added to the coffee meant for him? Besides, Moriarty did not care for Lockhart's taste.

After shaking his head and politely refusing, Moriarty waved his wand and created a light-and-shadow model of an East Tibetan Yeti from memory.

This made Lockhart say somewhat enviously, "Terrifying talent, child."

Then he looked at the yeti model, which stood a full two or three meters tall, and frowned. "It looks like a smaller version of a Troll."

"Yetis do share some traits with Trolls. Their thick white skin gives them extremely high magical resistance. They are incredibly fast and possess unimaginable brute strength. Most importantly, they can sometimes use ice and snow magic, and they live in groups."

Moriarty had lived anonymously in East Tibet for ten years and had mastered a great deal of knowledge about yetis.

Even if Lockhart had not come, Moriarty would sooner or later have sought revenge on the yetis.

After listening to Moriarty's introduction, Lockhart found his coffee less appealing. Resting his chin on his hand, he said, "Young Mr. Moriarty, you must understand that no one can embark on an adventure at any time. Er, what I mean is—are yetis easy to get along with?"

Lockhart knew his own capabilities very well. He did not dare fight a yeti.

Perhaps, after angering a yeti, he could try using a Memory Charm to make it forget him?

Lockhart laughed at himself, inwardly calculating how to end this journey with dignity.

His purpose in coming to East Tibet was simple: to find an East Tibetan Yeti. If he could find one, it would be best if something could happen between him and the yeti. That would undoubtedly add much color to his adventures. If he could not find one, he could simply treat it as a trip.

Yet when he saw Moriarty watching him with a strange look in his eyes, Lockhart blushed slightly.

He had boasted himself to the heavens earlier, yet now he was thinking of backing out.

Then Moriarty said softly, "Get along with them? Yetis never communicate with humans, but they have one weakness: music!"

This was undoubtedly another lie from Moriarty. He had to find a way to keep Lockhart steady.

Lockhart took the bait. Sensing a turn for the better, his eyes widened as he asked, "You mean music can affect or trouble yetis?"

"Oh, Mr. Lockhart, you are truly exceptionally intelligent!" Moriarty praised. "Beautiful music can put yetis to sleep. You must know that music is rare on the plateau, so only wizards living here know of this weakness."

Lockhart became excited. "Wonderful! Thank Merlin! I happened to bring a Violin with me on this trip!"

When Moriarty saw Lockhart take a brown Violin from his suitcase, it was as though his entire body had been set aflame.

He was equally excited. "I am astonished by your foresight, Mr. Lockhart! If possible, we should set out now! Little yetis appear around dusk, and they are undoubtedly the best targets to hunt!"

"Let us go." Lockhart drained his coffee in one gulp. "I have already thought of the title: Playing the Violin with the East Tibetan Yeti!"

The two walked outside, with Moriarty leading the way according to his memories.

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