For a whole decade, we hear that a Gilderoy Lockhart have traveled the world to combat the Dark Forces. How he defeated the Bandon Banshee, how he saved a village from the widely feared Wagga Wagga Werewolf, how he braved the forbidding, vampire-infested woods of Romania and participated in the attempt to save the Giant Fire Crab in the midst of the Fijian rainforests. This is only a few examples of his adventures.

Naturally, we all know that he merely took the credit of the achievements of more accomplished witches and wizards, but let us for a moment imagine that everything in his books indeed were his own doing, and that he truly was the world-class defender against the Dark Arts his reputation made him out to be...

How do you think he would've been like? How powerful would he have been if compared to other known characters of proven talents? Would he outclass the 'average' Auror? How would you WANT him to be like?

 

From what we get out of his books it sounds like he really only battled magical creatures for the most part. So I would say if he really hadn't been a fraud it probably would have been on the same level as your average auror.

 

Definitely better than your average Auror. Somewhere around McGonagall and Flitwick.

Traveling the world, braving dangerous areas, fighting scary magial creatures, uncovering mysteries... I imagine he'd be brave, skilled, intelligent... somebody you'd be proud to be from your country.

 

I imagine him as a natural successor to the other great British explorers such as Cook, Raleigh and Livingstone. A proper gentleman explorer/naturalist.
As for his skill, well, he might not be particularly powerful or knowledgeable, but he would be tenacious and ingenious in the application of his power. One would imagine that such a life might make him rather more ruthless than the average auror due to his time spent in locales where the law is powerless or non-existent. He would also have a repertoire of unusual spells not commonly known in Britain that he picked up on his travels which would make him a difficult opponent in comparison to the average auror, who is likey to stick to standard 'Hogwarts fare' spells such as Stupefy.

Weirdly, now I have written this, I have this ungodly hybrid between James Bond and David Attenborough in mind...

 

I imagine he'd be a fusion of James Bond and Indiana Jones.

Well, now that you've mentioned it you have tell us at least a bit more.

Please?

 

I don't think he needs to be powerful in the terms your thinking of. Just skilful and resourceful. Someone like Bear Grills compared to a master MMA fighter. The latter is the better fighter but you'd rather have the first to take you round the world in a range of environments and situations.

 

I'm reminded of the wizard slew a Chimaera and then died afterwards, falling from his winged horse. I like to picture him something like a Slim Pickens riding the bomb. Sort of suicidally gung-ho. A Gilderoy Lockhart in similar stripes tickles my fancy.

Alternatively or additionally with Lockhart of canon being an immoral character I could see him as someone like Hisoka from HunterxHunter anime(bear with me). Basically a joker who will kill without hesitation, but likes to seek out worthy opponents, failing that to toy with and groom those who might become worthy. A Dark monster hunter's got to have something rattling loose in the the old noggin.

In any case highly, if unconventionally, talented. Hard to gauge, like Weasley twins vs their classmates, but more creativity and unsuspected spell usage. Putting him above your average auror, and into the top ranks (outside prodigies).

 

How about a hero who pretends to be a fraud pretending to be a hero? His fans believe him to be a charming, if a little egocentric, wizard. His haters believe him to be a liar and manipulator who only wants to be famous. In truth he's a man he cares more than he should who hides his true self behind these masks.

 

It's definitely a cool idea, but I do also like those hidden depths in the mentor, that they know things and have done things that the main character (and therefore you as the reader) don't know about. It makes them mysterious and interesting, and lends them a kind of secretive credibility. Lockhart is almost literally an open book in that he's written about all his adventures and then published them. Yeah, he's got a lot to teach Harry, but I get the feeling he'd work more as part of a rotating cast of lessons. Like how each year there's a new DADA teacher, but if each one was actually competent. Quirrell would teach the basics, Lockhart would teach ingenuity, Lupin would teach adaptability, Moody would teach ruthlessness, Umbridge would teach theory, and so on. Meanwhile, somebody with secrets and reasons to keep them takes the spot as the mysterious mentor figure, guiding Harry's growth and setting up the lessons from a distance.

...Except that's basically canon, so it's not really all that interesting to write about.

 

CheddarTrek I don't think it sounds corny at all. In fact I think it's a neat idea and I'd read it.

 

CheddarTrek you bastard. Oh come on, please write the story. Pretty please?

After getting us (or at least me) so freaking excited, you leave the idea? I can guarantee that almost all active DLP-Members would read it.

 

Cheddar that idea sounds awesome.

Besides that, I quite agree with Alistair in his vision of a successful Lockhart, except for the part where he's not that knowledgeable or powerful.

A Lockhart who did all those things would have to be. The people he memory charmed were strong but also moral, humble people, things Lockhart didn't see as particularly useful traits. I think there's reference to the fact that those who succeeded were lucky to get out alive. He says something to the effect of him having his looks wouldn't be very likely if he'd actually done it all, or something to that effect, if I'm not misremembering.

Regardless, we also know that all the best wizards used to travel to seek out knowledge and danger like he would have. To learn magic and face situations that would improve them. It's a Victorian grand tour in theme, but one that yielded real magical reward as well as personal growth. And it fell out of fashion due to Grindlewald.

I think these things together, if he'd done everything he claimed to have done, would make him a pretty excellent wizard. Though maybe his books would be more gritty Grisham's than the canon Magical Me. How excellent? Well, he'd deserve the post of a Hogwarts professor. Which is an endorsement of strength, really.

 

I'm pretty sure that's only in HP and the Boy Who Lived.

 

No you didn't make it up.

"So that put paid to Albus's trip round the world with little Doge.The pair of 'em came home for my mother's funeral and then Doge went off on his own, and Albus settled down as head of the family.
Ha!"
Aberforth spat into the fire.

From DH Chapter: Missing Mirrior

 

Y'know, the thought's just come up to me that with Albus' homosexuality, one could read a lot into that Grand Tour thing.