Everyday Life of a Top Student at Hogwarts

Chapter 149 The Making of the Peeping Mirror

Chapter 149 The Making of the Peeping Mirror

The protective spell of the Eagle's Nest acted like an invisible cocoon, isolating it from the outside world's noise. Karen sat before her alchemy workbench, her expression focused. Scattered across the workbench were various exquisite tools: brass engraving knives, mithril tweezers, small cauldrons filled with crystal powder of varying purities, and several polished obsidian slices. In the center of the workbench, three small bronze spinning top embryos lay quietly, their surfaces etched with an extremely complex array of micro-runes, almost invisible to the naked eye.

This was an improved version of the spyglass that he began to conceive and work on replicating at the end of summer vacation, inspired by the ingenious detection devices in Nico's workshop. Ordinary spyglasses can only detect "obvious lies or malice," with limited accuracy and range. Karen's goal was to create a detection device that could more accurately and keenly capture "unclean intentions"—especially strong malice, premeditated lies, and the foul aura unique to black magic.

He picked up a thin obsidian slice, the core sensing material of the spyglass. Obsidian itself possesses the property of absorbing and refracting negative energy. Using a specially made engraving needle, Karen dipped it into a magical conductive liquid mixed with moonstripe stabilizing essence and unicorn horn powder, and carefully etched the final few runes into the center of the obsidian, representing "Warnian" and "Resonare."

Variations of .

In his vision, as the runes were completed, the previously dormant, deep-pool-like magic within the obsidian began to be guided by the runes, forming extremely subtle vortices. Countless magical threads, hundreds or even thousands of times finer than a human hair, extended from the edges of these vortices, closely connecting with the microscopic array of runes on its bronze outer shell. The entire structure resembled a precise and sensitive neural network.

Karen held her breath, and a wisp of extremely pure magic gathered at the tip of her wand, like the finest probe, gently touching the connection point of the core rune array.

Metaphor—

A faint, almost imperceptible resonance, seemingly emanating from the depths of the soul, echoed within the eagle's nest, only to be instantly absorbed by a powerful soundproofing spell. The three bronze tops simultaneously trembled slightly, a barely perceptible glimmer of light swirling across their surfaces before returning to stillness.

"It went smoothly, I made all three in one go." Karen breathed a long sigh of relief, fine beads of sweat appearing on her forehead.

He held the three completed spyglasses in his palm. They were only the size of a thumb knuckle, with an ancient design, like miniature bronze spinning tops, flat at the bottom and with a tiny point at the top. The runes etched on their surfaces shimmered faintly in the light, exuding an air of mystery. Karen tried to concentrate, simulating a pure, malicious thought directed at someone.

Metaphor...

One of the endoscopes immediately emitted an extremely slight but clear vibration, and began to slowly and steadily rotate clockwise in his palm, accompanied by a low hum that could only be heard at close range. As he dispelled his malicious thoughts, the rotation and hum of the endoscope ceased.

Karen tried other emotions: curiosity, calmness, and joy, but the mirror did not react. Only when "deliberate deception" or "intense hatred" was simulated would the mirror rotate and chime again. The stronger the malice, the faster it rotated and the clearer the chime became, but the sound was still weak. The main warning was still the rotational vibration, which allowed the holder to perceive the warning without being exposed.

"The accuracy and targeting are even better than expected," Karen nodded in satisfaction. Although the detection range is limited, covering only about ten meters around the wearer, and its effectiveness is reduced against targets highly skilled in Occlumency, it's excellent enough as a close-range warning device. Currently, it's mainly for defense against Quirrell, whose condition precludes the use of the Occlumency Charm. It can detect sudden bursts of barely concealed malice and lies, providing valuable warning time, especially when encountering malicious individuals at close range.

He carefully stored away the three cooled and shaped endoscopes. In the evening, when Wesley, Fabian, and Ernesto returned to the Eagle's Nest after Quidditch practice and library study, Cullen called them to the workbench.

"Here, these are for you." Karen handed the three bronze tops to her roommates.

Wesley took it curiously and examined it in his palm: "What is this? A newly made alchemical gadget? A spinning top? What's it for?" He tried to spin it with his fingers, and the top spun a few times in his palm before stopping.

Fabian also examined the cold bronze object in his hand, feeling the intricate patterns on it: "It looks—very precise. Is it a sighting mirror, Karen?"

“I call it a ‘Vigilant Spinning Top’ or a ‘Modified Spyglass,’” Karen explained, picking up his own to demonstrate. “It looks a little different from the one I made last semester. Its core function is to detect strong malice, deliberate lies, or the foul aura unique to black magic.” He concentrated, simulating a slight, joking “discontent” directed at Ernesto.

喻—

The sight glass in Karen's hand immediately began to spin and emit a faint hum.

"Wow!" Wesley exclaimed in surprise. "It moved! It made a sound! Karen, what were you thinking?"

"It just simulated a bit of 'dissatisfaction' towards Ernesto." Cullen dismissed the thought, and the viewing mirror stopped. "You guys try it. Concentrate on a target, like Professor Snape, and generate strong negative thoughts, but don't actually unleash malice."

Wesley immediately closed his eyes, trying hard to imagine Snape's gloomy face, silently chanting, "Old Bat! Point-deduction maniac!"

The spy mirror in his palm indeed began to spin and hum.

Fabian also tried to imagine Darendel Selwyn's arrogant face, and the viewing mirror reacted as well. "Isn't this a bit too sensitive, Karen!"

Karen then pointed to the knob on the side of the endoscope, "This can adjust the detection sensitivity, from 1 to V. It's usually more appropriate to set it to I or IV, so that it can warn of obvious threats without frequently giving false alarms due to environmental noise or other people's brief emotional fluctuations."

Ernesto did not try immediately. He stared at the viewing mirror in his palm, his brows furrowing slightly: "Detecting malice and lies - the aura of dark magic?"

"Cullen, why did you suddenly give us this? If it's the Forbidden Forest, your previous one was enough." He looked up, his gaze sharp and penetrating to the core of the matter. "What's the need for such vigilance at Hogwarts? We usually go out together; the only time we act alone is inside the castle. Is there any danger inside the castle?"

Wesley and Fabian also stopped their experiment and looked at Karen, awaiting his answer. The atmosphere inside the Eagle's Nest instantly became somewhat delicate.

Karen met Ernesto's probing gaze, already prepared. He couldn't reveal Voldemort's identity, but he could tell some facts, emphasizing caution.

"Professor Quirrell has some issues," Karen began slowly, her tone both frank and cautious. "His magic feels very chaotic to me."

He was very weak, but there was something else about him that made me very uncomfortable. The Selwyn family incident last semester proved that even Hogwarts wasn't absolutely safe. "Furthermore," he paused, selectively revealing a bit more information, "over the summer with Mr. Nico and Mr. Victor, they both subtly warned me that the new school year might be a little unsettling. They didn't say exactly what, but they emphasized the importance of caution and self-preservation."

He picked up his spyglass: "This device has a limited detection range, only about ten meters around you. It can't tell us exactly what the threat is or who it comes from, but it can provide an early warning. Especially at night, if you're moving around the castle—for example, going to the kitchen to get something to eat, or returning books to the library late—" He glanced specifically at Wesley and Fabian, "it can alert you that someone nearby might harbor strong malice towards you, or be lying and plotting something. It gives you a few seconds to react, to be vigilant, or to leave immediately."

"Better safe than sorry," Karen concluded, glancing at her three roommates. "Keep it with you, or keep it by your bedside. I hope I never need it, but having it with me will give me peace of mind. Consider it a small achievement of mine as an alchemy enthusiast, providing everyone with a bit of security."

This explanation is reasonable. It mentions Quirrell's unusual behavior, the lessons of the Selwyn incident, and the warnings from Nico and Castor, all of which are factual.

Wesley suddenly realized and nodded vigorously: "Got it! Just like a Muggle burglar alarm! It beeps when someone gets close with ill intentions! This is great! I'll rely on it to sneak into the kitchen at night from now on!" He immediately stuffed the spyglass into the inside pocket of his robe.

Fabian breathed a sigh of relief and carefully put the spyglass away. "A very useful invention, Karen. Thank you. When I come back to the tower late at night after reading, the corridor does sometimes feel a bit too quiet. This reminds me of something."

Ernesto stared at Karen for a few seconds, seemingly trying to discern any unspoken meaning in his words. Karen's gaze remained calm and honest. Finally, Ernesto also put away his spyglass, tucking it inside the buttonhole of his robe—a discreet yet convenient spot for sensing vibrations.

"A very practical alchemical item," Ernesto commented, his tone regaining its composure. He accepted Karen's explanation of "better safe than sorry," but the thoughtful look in his eyes hadn't completely disappeared. Karen knew that Ernesto hadn't completely dispelled his doubts, but he chose to trust and support him.

Seeing that his roommates had all put away the spyglasses, Karen felt a weight lifted from his heart. This little spinning top was another layer of warning he could provide. When real malice approached, it might emit that crucial, life-saving low hum.