Everyday Life of a Top Student at Hogwarts

Chapter 36 A Warning from Victor

At the long table in Ravenclaw, Karen was stabbing a roasted potato with a silver fork, her grey-blue eyes fixed on a group of whispering upperclassmen not far away. They were huddled in a circle, their voices low, but the occasional words that escaped her lips—"Professor Victor," "dark magic creature," "practical test"—still reached Karen's ears.

"Did you hear that?" Karen put down her fork and turned to her roommates. Wesley was wolfing down a beef pie, Fabian pushed up his glasses and looked curiously at the group of students, while Ernesto simply snorted and said, "What? You mean they're talking about Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

"Yes," Karen said softly, "and this indicates that Professor Victor has returned."

"I have to go find him." Karen quickly stood up, gulping down the last mouthful of pumpkin juice. "I'll report on the results of the last experiment. You guys enjoy your meal; I'm leaving now."

After leaving the Great Hall, Karen did not go directly to the Defense Against the Dark Arts office, but instead went to the "Eagle's Nest" on the fifth floor, where he kept his alchemy experiment results and other things.

Pushing open the door, Karen walked straight to the workbench in the center of the room, took a silver key from his pocket, and gently inserted it into the lock of the drawer beneath the workbench. With a soft click, the drawer slid open automatically, revealing a dark blue velvet bag. He slowly took out the bag, which contained the results of his previous material transformation experiments.

"Hopefully this result will satisfy him..." Karen muttered to herself, stuffing the bag into the inside pocket of her robe before quickly leaving.

The fourth-floor corridor was eerily quiet. The door to the Defense Against the Dark Arts office was tightly shut, but a faint golden light shone through the crack. Karen took a deep breath and raised her hand to knock on the door.

"Come in," came Professor Victor's deep, calm voice from inside.

Pushing open the door, Karen saw Victor standing with his back to her in front of a long table filled with strange instruments. His long blond hair was tied in a low ponytail, and a faint light flickered around his left eye beneath a black eyepatch. His right hand was gently fiddling with a floating crystal ball.

"Karen Hawthorne." Victor didn't turn around, but there was a hint of amusement in his voice. "I guessed you'd be coming to me soon."

"Professor," Karen bowed slightly and took the velvet bag from her pocket, "I have completed the experiment you assigned."

Victor finally turned around, his right eye fixed on Karen. "Show me."

Karen untied the bag and took out a piece of iron that gleamed with a metallic sheen.

"How many experiments did you conduct before you succeeded?" Victor took the iron block, his fingertip lightly tracing its surface. "Purity... 92.3%, better than I expected."

Karen nodded and calmly replied, "Successfully on the first try."

"You did it on the first try?" Victor's gaze shifted from the iron block to Karen. "Show me again!"

The alchemy table in the corner of the office lit up automatically. Karen walked to the table and took out the materials she carried with her: a small bag of iron ore, ground moonstone powder, and a stone slab with an engraving of an alchemy circle.

"Let's begin." Victor leaned against the table, his right eye fixed on Karen's every move.

Karen took a deep breath and lightly tapped the surface of the table with the tip of his wand. After checking the magic circle, he carefully placed the iron ore in the center, followed by moonstone powder. As the wand began to guide the flow of magic, Karen unconsciously activated his Eye of Truth. The magic flowed steadily into the six-pointed star transmutation circle, and as before, the circle began to glow, and the moonstone powder began to liquefy—

Stop.

Victor's voice was like a thunderclap. Karen's wrist was gripped by an invisible force, and the light of the transmutation circle instantly went out.

"You're using the Eye of Truth." Victor's voice was as cold as ice.

"No need to explain." Victor released his grip. "There's no doubt you didn't remember what I said before."

Karen's throat tightened. He hadn't expected Victor to focus on this.

“The Eye of Truth is a rare gift,” Victor said, walking toward the bookshelf with his back to Karen, “but if you rely on it, you’ll overlook something more important.”

"I just want to make sure the experiment is successful..." Karen said with difficulty.

"Success?" Victor suddenly turned around. "What's the value of this kind of success? I don't want the result, I want the process. Magic control is a feeling, an experience, not something you can achieve by using visual tricks!"

He pulled a thick, ancient book from the bookshelf and placed it heavily on the table. "Basic Alchemy Principles, page 147, read it aloud."

Karen turned the page and found the passage: "A true alchemist relies on the perception of magic; when one can sense the pulse of magic, the path of alchemy will open for him."

"Now," Victor's tone softened, "let's try again, this time without the Eye of Truth."

Karen closed his eyes, trying to recall the feeling of that pure flow of magic. Suddenly, he remembered practicing the Silent Spell, which required no language, no sight, only the resonance of thought and magic. He tapped the table lightly with his wand again, and the six-pointed star array slowly lit up.

This time, the process was much more difficult. Without the aid of the Eye of Truth, the flow of magic became blurred. Fine beads of sweat appeared on Karen's forehead.

Karen suddenly realized something. He adjusted his breathing rhythm, just like when casting a silent spell. Then the restless magic gradually calmed down and began to flow according to his will.

When the light faded, a new block of iron appeared on the table. Although its purity was only 90.3%, lower than the previous one, Karen knew that the significance of this achievement far exceeded that of the previous one.

"Very good." Victor picked up the iron block and examined it carefully. "Indeed, even without the 'Eye of Truth,' your talent is beyond doubt."

Karen looked at her work. "The feeling just now... was very similar to the Silent Spell; there seems to be a connection between the two."

"Because the foundation upon which they are all built is the same." Victor walked to the window, sunlight filtering through the stained glass and casting dappled shadows on him. "The foundation of magic is the unity of will and magic power. Whether it's alchemy, spells, or transfiguration, it all ultimately comes back to this point."

He turned and took a manuscript from the bookshelf. The cover was inscribed with the words "The Door to Truth" in ancient runes in gold lettering.

"This is a sequel to my previous book." Victor's voice suddenly became solemn. "Karen Hawthorne, would you be willing to become my student and inherit my knowledge?"

Karen's breath hitched.

"Why me?" he couldn't help but ask.

Victor's right eye stared at him, as if it could see into his soul. "Because you're different from them. You have talent, and more importantly... you're not afraid of the truth."

Silence fell over the office. The magic clock on the wall ticked, and a certain alchemical instrument occasionally emitted a soft hum.

"I need to know more," Karen finally said, "about you...about all of this."

P.S.: Please, everyone, keep reading!