After chatting for a while, Lockhart excused himself, claiming he needed some rest, and returned to his room.
Once inside, he quickly shut the door behind him. He hurried to the bed, opened his magical suitcase, and climbed inside, casting a Disillusionment Charm to conceal it.
This was no ordinary suitcase—it was a magical one he had specially prepared for his world-hopping journey. It had ample space and was highly valuable. Though its sale was forbidden by the Ministry of Magic, he had acquired it through the black market.
Despite costing him over a thousand Galleons, the practicality made the investment worthwhile. Inside, he had stored a collection of magical books, potions, and even a few dark artifacts.
Descending the stairs inside the suitcase, Lockhart entered his private room. Seeing the spacious area, he nodded in satisfaction before heading to the desk on the left. There, a small cage held a creature that resembled a white-furred platypus—a Niffler.
His eyes lit up in surprise.
The system had actually allowed a living creature to travel between worlds.
This was far beyond his expectations. He had assumed the system would only permit inanimate objects. Living beings? That had seemed uncertain.
That was why he had bought the Niffler—to test whether the system would allow such a thing to pass through during world travel.
Apparently, the system had a wide allowance.
Lockhart was thrilled. If living beings could travel, that opened up countless new possibilities.
A scenario flashed through his mind: facing an enemy, opening the suitcase, and unleashing a fire dragon, a Thunderbird, and various magical beasts… Just the thought of it made his blood race.
Even wizards were living beings…
The thought flickered in his mind before he buried it deep.
Being brought into the Marvel Universe had caught him completely off guard.
The Marvel Universe was far more dangerous than the world of Harry Potter. Though full of opportunity, it was also plagued by world-ending catastrophes.
Given his current power level, getting involved could easily mean death.
So—
He needed to become stronger—urgently.
And the simplest method right now was:
To use his Reputation Points for a lottery draw connected to Thor.
If he could obtain Thor's mighty thunder powers, he could protect himself in the Marvel Universe—and dominate back in the Wizarding World.
His eyes gleamed with excitement at the thought.
He softly called out to the system:
---
> [Name]: Gilderoy Lockhart
[Physique]: 14
[Magic Power]: 970/1024
[Known Spells]: Lockhart's Sparkle, Auto-Signing Hover Charm, Lumos, Alohomora, Transfiguration Charm, Expelliarmus, Protego
[Reputation Points]: 104,552
[Character Favorability]:
— Harry Potter Universe: Molly Weasley (70/100), Bell Duru (40/100)
— Marvel Universe: Jane Foster (30/100), Thor Odinson (10/100), Darcy
[Items Owned]: Wand, Magical Suitcase
---
His gaze fell on the pale gray name:
Thor Odinson (10/100)
Thor's current favorability was quite low—not surprising. After all, Lockhart had recently bound and silenced him for quite a while. Anyone would be furious.
Although they had talked and shared food to ease the tension, they were far from building a true friendship.
The fact that Thor didn't outright hate him was already a miracle.
Of course, if the same situation happened again, Lockhart would still choose to bind him.
Thor had behaved like a reckless, spoiled child—he even cursed his own father.
Earning Thor's favor wasn't something Lockhart expected to do quickly.
For now, he would suppress Thor's arrogance. When the time came and Thor needed his help, favorability would naturally rise.
In short, there was no rush.
As long as he kept the right mindset, there would always be more solutions than problems.
Lockhart reviewed his plan, made a few tweaks, and found no major flaws.
Then, he returned to reading in his study—The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection—while also practicing spells.
Although the system could boost his magical abilities quickly, true mastery required understanding the nature of the spells.
While repeatedly casting Expelliarmus, watching the dazzling red light burst forth, Lockhart began to sense something unusual.
He had noticed it earlier but hadn't given it much thought.
Now it was clear—
The power of Expelliarmus had tripled.
The same amount of magic produced far stronger results than it had in the Harry Potter world, and casting it felt significantly easier.
Even the stun duration had increased by three seconds.
What did this mean?
An extra three seconds meant he could guide the spell from different directions—a feat only high-level wizards in the Potterverse could achieve.
Yet here, in the Marvel Universe, he could already do it.
Could this world be a magical paradise?
Or…
Was the Harry Potter world suppressing magic?
Lockhart pondered several theories before setting them aside. No use thinking too much for now. He'd investigate once he returned.
For now, survival came first—especially with the Destroyer on the loose.
Fighting alongside Thor was the best way to gain his favor.
Risky? Yes. But Lockhart was willing to bet on it.
---
The Next Morning
Lockhart woke up, casually cast a spell to hide the suitcase, then opened the door and headed downstairs.
The living room was empty—and a mess.
He raised a brow.
Looked like the group had been busy after he left last night.
With a wave of his wand, the clutter in the room began floating into the air, neatly returning to its proper place.
Blankets folded themselves on the couch, scraps of paper flew into the trash, and half-empty cups floated to the bathroom sink, emptied themselves, then returned to the table.
For a moment, the room echoed with soft clinks and clatters—not loud, but just enough to rouse some of the sleeping people.
Professor Selvig, awakened by the noise, opened his door and looked down to see the mess tidying itself.
His jaw dropped in amazement.
Magic. Pure magic.
In his mind, wizards were supposed to conjure fireballs, summon lightning, or even demons.
But this—this was beyond anything he had imagined. And incredibly enviable.
Convenience. Absolute convenience.
With a single spell, no more housework—truly a dream come true for an old man like him.
Soon, the room was spotless. Lockhart waved his wand in several loops, reciting an incantation.
A silvery light spread from the wand's tip, sweeping through the room. Every stain vanished as if it had never been there.
Then—
Lockhart looked up at Selvig and waved.