Everyday Life of a Top Student at Hogwarts

Chapter 20 Alchemy Tools

The library's oak doors closed softly behind the four, shutting out the noise of the corridor. Karen took a deep breath; the scent of parchment and ink calmed him slightly. Wesley, however, had already rushed to the nearest empty table.

"Merlin's Beard, this topic is way too abstract!" Fabian pushed up his glasses and pulled a quill from his bag. "'If magic were a kind of life, what would it want?' This sounds like a philosophy question."

Ernesto gracefully pulled out a chair and sat down, his gray eyes gleaming with contemplation: "My father told me about a creature called an Obscurus, which is like magic coming to life. Perhaps we could take a look."

"Momo Ran probably doesn't count; that's an extreme case. Let's look over at the bookshelf first to see if there are any relevant theoretical books." Karen got up and walked towards the bookshelf.

Karen's gaze swept across the bookshelves, his grey-blue eyes lingering on the "Magic Theory" section. He noticed a heavy tome with a gilded spine, "The Will of Magic: Reflections of Ancient Alchemists." Just as he reached for it, a familiar voice came from behind him.

"Looking for this?"

Karen turned and saw Cedric Diggory holding a copy of "The Origins of Defense Against the Dark Arts" with a gentle smile on his face. Not far behind him, the Weasley twins were moving among the bookshelves, seemingly searching for some "interesting" reading material.

"Are you also preparing for Professor Eisenberg's assignment? Let me guess your topic isn't also 'If magic were a life form, what would it want?'" Cedric asked, keeping his voice low so as not to disturb Mrs. Pince.

Karen nodded: "You too? This topic... is quite unique."

"Special? Absolutely insane!" Fred, who had somehow gotten close, was holding a copy of "Fantastic Beasts Cooking Guide." "I'm planning to write 'Magic Wants to Eat Our Homework,' what score do you think I'd get?"

"Zero points, plus a week of confinement." George peeked out from behind another bookshelf, holding a much more serious book, "A Brief History of the Philosophy of Magic."

Karen couldn't help but smile, but his thoughts quickly returned to the question, "What does magic want?" Professor Victor's question clearly had another meaning. He recalled the unfamiliar runes that had appeared on the runestone, and the phrase, "Nicole certainly didn't misjudge you."

"Karen?" Fabian's voice brought him back to reality. "We've found some potentially useful information."

Back at her desk, Karen saw that her roommates had already piled up a small mountain of reference books. Ernesto was marking up a thick ancient book, while Wesley was frowning as he read "An Introduction to Magical Energy."

“I have an idea,” Karen said, opening “The Will of Magic.” “If magic really does have some kind of ‘will,’ as the professor suggests, then the ancient runes might be the key to understanding it.”

Fabian's eyes lit up behind his glasses: "Like the theory of 'material will' in alchemy?"

“That’s right.” Karen nodded, secretly surprised by Fabian’s insight. “Paraxelsus once wrote that all things have a spirit, and magical energy is no exception.”

The discussion deepened, and the four completely lost track of time. It wasn't until Mrs. Pince began urging the students to leave that they realized curfew was approaching.

"We'll continue tomorrow," Ernesto said, carefully closing his book. "Some of the books in my father's collection might be helpful; I'll write to him and have him send them."

On the way back to the dormitory, the castle corridors were unusually quiet. Moonlight shone through the stained glass, casting dappled blue shadows on the floor.

"Have you guys noticed," Wesley suddenly lowered his voice, "that Professor Eisenberg is a little... different?"

Fabian adjusted his glasses: "His teaching method is indeed very unique."

“It’s not just the teaching method,” Wesley shook his head. “Today in class, when he came close to me, I smelled a strange odor, like burnt cinnamon?”

Ernesto frowned. "Are you sure this isn't a prank by Fred and George?"

"No!" Wesley insisted. "And his gloves...did you notice? The left one, there's a strange pattern showing through the edge..."

Karen's heart tightened. Under his Eye of Truth, the patterns did indeed emanate an ominous magical aura. But before he could respond, a voice suddenly came from the shadows:

"Strolling at night is not a good habit."

The four men whirled around, nearly bumping into Filch, who had suddenly appeared. The light from the caretaker's oil lamp illuminated his sunken face, making him appear particularly sinister.

“We just came back from the library, and it’s not curfew yet, is it, sir?” Fabian quickly produced a note signed by Mrs. Pince.

Filch squinted at the note, then reluctantly snorted, "Get back to your dorms! If this happens again, I won't let you off the hook."

They hurried away before he could finish speaking. After turning the corner, Wesley let out a long sigh of relief: "It was almost..."

"Shh!" Ernesto suddenly stopped him and pointed ahead.

At the entrance to the Ravenclaw Tower, a familiar figure leaned against the wall—Professor Victor Eisenberg. In the moonlight, his long golden hair shimmered with silver, and his black eye patch added to his mystique.

"Mr. Hawthorne," his voice was soft, yet clear to everyone, "could you come here for a moment?"

Karen's roommates cast worried glances, but he nodded slightly to indicate that he was alright. Professor Victor turned and headed down a side path, Karen following him, and the two arrived at a secluded terrace.

"Before the meeting next Wednesday," the professor said bluntly, "I want you to think about this question: Why are you able to see things that others cannot?"

Karen's heart suddenly raced. Did he know about the Eye of Truth?

Victor didn't wait for his reply and continued, "Don't be troubled. Although your talent is rare, you won't be the only one over the long years. Nicolas Flamel is very interested in your 'talent.' He believes... it may be the key to understanding the nature of magic."

"Do you know Mr. Lemaître?" Karen asked cautiously.

The professor smiled slightly. "We belong to the same research group." He took a small silver object from his pocket, shaped like a polyhedral constellation model. "Take this with you on Wednesday. It will...guide you."

Karen took the device and immediately felt a warm flow of magic. Under his True Sight, the device's internal structure was astonishingly complex, like a miniature nested magic circle.

"Let's go back now," Professor Victor said, turning to look at the distant Black Lake. "Remember, magic is not a tool, but a companion. What it wants... is perhaps simply to be truly understood."

"Also, make good use of your talents, but don't rely on them completely; they're not everything."

When Karen returned to the common room, she found her three roommates waiting for her.

"Are you alright?" Fabian asked with concern.

Karen shook her head, displaying the silver implement in her hand: "The professor just... gave me this."

Ernesto gasped. "That's... a memory construct? My father's collection of ancient texts mentions it—an advanced alchemical artifact capable of storing and reproducing memories!"

Wesley's eyes widened. "So Professor Eisenberg is...?"

"He might be an alchemist," Karen said softly, "and far more complex than we think."

As night deepened and his roommates fell asleep, Karen quietly took out the alchemy experiment notebook he had brought back from the abandoned classroom. Under the moonlight, he compared it to the structure of the silver artifacts and discovered that the pattern drawn on the last page of the notebook bore a striking resemblance.

The faded writing on the parchment seemed to read: "The eye of truth...seeing through appearances...understanding the essence..."

Karen's heart raced. The "Eye of Truth" described here seemed similar to his own "Eye of Reality." The mysterious alchemy chamber, and the enigmatic professor of the Riddler—next Wednesday's meeting might unravel more mysteries. But for now, he needed to focus on his current task; after all, understanding the "will" of magic might be the key to understanding everything.