vncnus Chapter 108 The Collaboration of Partners
Chapter 108 The Collaboration of Partners
Chapter 108 The Collaboration of Partners
Pushing open the door to the common room, which had an eagle-shaped knocker, Karen was greeted by warm light and hushed conversation. She walked straight to their bedroom and opened the door.
"Karen!" Wesley was the first to jump up from his chair, his face filled with anxiety and inquiry. Fabian and Ernesto also immediately put down their books and planetariums, their eyes fixed on Karen.
"How is it? What did the headmaster want with you? Is the Selwyn family up to something again? Or—" Wesley bombarded him with questions.
He only stopped when Fabian gently tugged at his sleeve.
Karen closed the door, cast a silencing spell, and walked to the center of the room. Looking at the concerned faces of his three friends, he decided to tell them part of the truth.
However, some things that cannot be said need to be filtered out.
"It's not about the Selwyn family," Karen reassured them before taking a deep breath. "It's about Professor Victor."
The three men's hearts immediately jumped. Ernesto frowned, Fabian adjusted his glasses, and Wesley nervously held his breath.
"Professor Victor hasn't been feeling well lately," Karen chose a somewhat vague but serious explanation. "He's having some magical issues and needs to rest. So, he's temporarily left the school to see a more professional—well, a healer."
"Merlin!" Wesley gasped. "I knew he looked paler lately! He sometimes pauses during class..."
"Is it serious, Karen?" Fabian asked anxiously, his eyes behind his glasses filled with worry. "He's been—looking unwell before."
"The situation needs to be closely monitored." Cullen repeated Dumbledore's words, her tone somber. "The headmaster said he is receiving the best care, but recovery will take time."
"What about the subsequent Defense Against the Dark Arts classes?" Ernesto astutely grasped the key point.
Karen sighed. "The headmaster said that Professor Snape will temporarily take over the classes."
"What?!" Wesley exclaimed, his face contorted in agony. "That old bat? By Merlin's eyes! Is this going to be double the torture?!"
Fabian also wore a helpless expression: "Professor Snape, he's fairly fair to us Ravenclaws, but..." He recalled Snape's cold gaze and harsh words in Potions class, and then, thinking of Snape's demeanor in Defense Against the Dark Arts, he couldn't help but shudder.
Ernesto merely snorted, his eyes filled with displeasure, clearly harboring no goodwill towards Snape and having long forgotten that he had once praised him at the start of the school year.
"That was the principal's decision," Karen said with a helpless shrug. "But that's not the point." He changed the subject, trying to sound more positive. "The principal called me in to inform me about Professor Victor's situation and also to commend our 'Eagle's Nest' team's achievements."
"Affirm us?" Wesley's attention was immediately drawn, and he temporarily forgot about the bad news from Snape.
"Yes." Cullen nodded, a genuine smile on her face. "Headmaster Dumbledore said he was very pleased with our academic progress, especially in Charms, Transfiguration, and Alchemy."
"Wow!" Wesley pumped his fist excitedly. "The headmaster praised us! That's awesome!"
Fabian's face flushed slightly, his eyes sparkling behind his glasses: "The principal really paid attention to our operation? So he knew about our trip to the Forbidden Forest?"
Ernesto maintained his elegant posture, but a proud smile was clearly visible on his lips.
"It's alright, don't worry. Professor Dumbledore was just warning us to be careful." Cullen's voice became serious as she steered the conversation to the heart of the matter. "And he also gave us an important research assignment."
The dormitory fell silent instantly, all three pairs of eyes fixed on Karen, filled with curiosity and anticipation. The principal's mission! This was no ordinary task!
"The headmaster wants us to use what we've learned, especially our knowledge and experience in magical materials, plant properties, and—well, environmental awareness," Karen carefully chose her words, avoiding mentioning the Eye of Truth, "to try to find a special kind of natural magical resource."
"Special resources?" Fabian immediately asked, his academic enthusiasm ignited.
“Yes,” Karen explained, “what the headmaster needs are things with the properties of ‘soothing’ and ‘stabilizing’ magical flow.”
Not powerful offensive or defensive materials, but rather substances that can harmonize and calm abnormal or disordered magic. Especially important,” he emphasized, repeating Dumbledore’s requirement, “are substances or phenomena that can deeply ‘resonate’ with the natural magic of the environment. For example, certain plants that exhibit magical properties only under specific conditions, capable of absorbing and transforming environmental magic? Or even calming magical nodes left behind in ancient ruins?”
He spoke while observing his roommates' reactions.
Wesley scratched his head. "Soothing magic? Resonance? That sounds so mysterious. Is it something like Madam Pomfrey's calming potion?"
“More natural, more fundamental,” Karen tried to explain. “It’s like finding a natural ‘background sound’ that helps disrupted magic restore its original harmonious frequency.”
"I understand!" Fabian stood up excitedly, speaking rapidly, "It's like ecological balance! A healthy magical environment itself has a stabilizing and purifying effect! Similar to that moonlit performance we encountered before!" He immediately thought of the data he had recorded on the moonmoss, the predicted dance trajectory of the Bowtruckle, and the magical field records when the unicorn appeared.
Ernesto also showed a knowing and interested expression: "The search for natural magical stabilizers is indeed related to what we discovered before." He glanced meaningfully at Karen and Fabian. "Did the headmaster mention any specific uses? For example—"
"The headmaster didn't say it explicitly," Karen immediately interjected, cutting off Ernesto's potential further questions, "but he hinted that research in this area might potentially help alleviate Professor Victor's current magical instability. At the very least, it could provide some theoretical references and clues." He slightly modified Dumbledore's original meaning, making "helping Victor" the direct objective of the mission, which made it easier for his roommate to understand.
"For Cullen, for Professor Victor!" Wesley clenched his fists immediately, his face filled with a sense of mission. "We have to find her! Cullen, what do you say? We'll do whatever you say!"
"That's right!" Fabian nodded vigorously, his eyes resolute. "Professor Victor may be strict, but he has taught you so much and indirectly helped us! If our research can help him, that would be of great significance!"
Ernesto nodded slightly in agreement: "It's only right and wrong that we should do our best. This is not only for Professor Victor, but also because the principal personally assigned this task, and it represents their trust in us."
Seeing his roommates' unwavering support and instantly ignited enthusiasm, Karen felt a surge of warmth and strength. He pulled out a chair from his desk, sat down, and spread the parchment scroll that Dumbledore had given him on the table. It was a list of basic requirements for the properties of stabilizing magical materials, given to him by Dumbledore before he left.
"Alright!" Karen's gaze swept over her three friends, her eyes gleaming with determination. "Since the headmaster trusts us, and Professor Victor needs help, then let's go all out! Now, convene the 'Eagle's Nest' special research meeting! Objective: To find natural magical resources with 'soothing' and 'stabilizing' magical properties, and capable of 'resonating' with environmental magic! Everyone, brainstorm and bring up every clue, hypothesis, and even legend you can think of!"
The atmosphere in the dormitory instantly shifted from worry to enthusiastic and focused academic discussion.
"I'll go first!" Fabian was the first to raise his hand, as if he were back in the classroom. "It's the east bank of the stream under the full moon that we witnessed before! Moonmoss is the core converter, absorbing moonlight and transforming it into pure magic; the Bowtruckle's dance is the key guide! Together they create a small but extremely pure magical resonance field! Unicorns and harpies are the high-level beneficiaries attracted by it!"
He spoke very quickly, flipping through his sketchbook and some draft maps: "Next, we need to monitor that area more systematically!"
Record the intensity, purity, and stability parameters of the magical field in that area under different lunar phases and weather conditions! Especially the magical interaction patterns of Moonmoss during non-full moon periods! Also, try to analyze the magical guidance efficiency of the Bowtruckle's dance trajectory! This requires your "perception," he cleverly used the word, "to work in conjunction with my records!"
"And the unicorn!" Wesley added, trying to recall that sacred figure. "Its horn! Being near it felt so peaceful and comforting! The books say that unicorn horns can break curses and cure poison? Although Professor Victor wasn't poisoned, that pure feeling..."
Could it be a powerful force of 'appeasement'? Can we harness its power?
"Unicorn hair does indeed contain powerful positive magic and is often used to make high-grade wand cores or purification items," Ernesto confirmed Wesley's idea. "Only the unicorn itself, its horn seems to have some effect on dark magic, but unicorns are said to be very difficult to approach. In addition," he added thoughtfully, "are there other plants in the Forbidden Forest similar to Moonmoss, with significant 'magical harmonization' properties? For example, certain magical flowers that only bloom at dawn or dusk? Or mosses that depend on specific celestial phenomena? We may need to explore and observe further."
"Besides plants and magical creatures," Karen guided the discussion.
"What about the environment itself? The headmaster mentioned 'magical nodes.' Hogwarts Castle has a long history and abundant magic. Could there be some ancient, undiscovered places where the naturally dissipated magic has stabilizing or calming properties?" He recalled Lucian Sinclair's journal and the book "The Door Knob's Whisper." "Near the door knocker in the Ravenclaw common room? Professor Sinclair's journal once suggested that it contained a unique cognitive magic model, perhaps also related to some kind of stable intelligent magic field? Although previous puzzle research yielded no results, the magical properties of the environment itself are worth perceiving from a new perspective."
"Yes! An environmental magic field!" Fabian excitedly recorded. "We can use Karen's 'perception' ability to systematically scan some areas within the castle that are rumored to have ancient magic! Record whether the magic flow there is smoother or more 'peaceful' than in ordinary areas?"
Wesley suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He remembered the Black Lake. "There's the Black Lake. The Black Lake is so big, and the mermaids at the bottom of the lake and the giant squid forest are so special. Maybe the Black Lake also has secrets that are different from other places?" He tried to organize his thoughts.
"Not only that," Ernesto's thoughts were also stirred, "the 'natural' materials in the magical world also include some minerals. For example, certain crystals have the property of absorbing, storing, or converting magic. I remember some wizards in Knockturn Alley would sell 'Tranquilizing Crystals,' although most of them were scams, such things might actually exist!"
The discussion grew increasingly heated, with ideas flowing like a spring. Fabien was responsible for recording the plants and environment; Ernesto was in charge of astrological calculations, sorting through mineral clues, and consulting some ancient texts; Wesley was responsible for coming up with wild and imaginative ideas and for setting the tone for the discussion.
Karen, as the core, was responsible for using the Eye of Truth to perform the most crucial environmental magic perception and characteristic analysis, as well as summarizing, verifying, and reporting all ideas to Dumbledore.
The discussion lasted for nearly two hours, the parchment filled with densely packed items, division of labor, and to-do lists. Everyone's face showed fatigue, but even more so, excitement and a solemn sense of responsibility. For Professor Castor, for the Headmaster's trust, and for exploring the deeper mysteries of the magical world, the "Eagle's Nest" team officially launched an unprecedented research mission.
"Alright, that's enough for today." Karen rubbed her aching temples, looking at her spirited roommates. "Everyone, clarify your responsibilities, and we'll take it one step at a time. Remember, safety first, observation is key, and records must be detailed."
"Understood!" Wesley and Fabian replied in unison.
"Don't worry." Ernesto put away his astrological notebook.
Wesley yawned and went to wash up, while Fabian was still diligently writing under the lamp, compiling a list of plants. Ernesto, meanwhile, began calibrating his planetarium, calculating the next possible favorable observation window.
Karen walked to the window and opened it. The cool night breeze rushed in, ruffling the stray hairs on his forehead. He gazed towards the Forbidden Forest, which now seemed to him no longer merely the unknown and danger, but also held clues that might bring hope. However, when his gaze shifted towards the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor's office, and he thought of his mentor struggling painfully against that malevolent curse in the distance, a heavy worry crept back into his heart, making it hard for him to breathe.
"Professor Castor, hang in there, I will find a way," Karen clenched her fist.