Everyday Life of a Top Student at Hogwarts

Chapter 29 The Ring of Hermes

As the Wednesday evening sun bathed the Hogwarts corridors in gold, Karen Hawthorne stood before the Defense Against the Dark Arts office, her fingers unconsciously tracing the parchment hidden inside her robes. Her grey-blue eyes were fixed on the intricate patterns carved into the door, which, in her "Eye of Truth," seemed to emanate faint magical fluctuations.

Just as he was about to knock, the door opened by itself.

"Please come in, Mr. Hawthorne," Professor Victor's voice came from inside, deep and magnetic.

Karen took a deep breath and stepped into the office. The sight before him made him involuntarily hold his breath—the entire room resembled an alchemist's dream. The walls were covered with shimmering rune charts, and several bottles of potions of various colors sat on the shelves, some still boiling on their own; in the center of the room was a huge bronze device, inscribed with ancient runes, slowly rotating and humming.

Professor Victor stood behind a workbench piled high with ancient books, his long blond hair tied in a low ponytail, a black eye patch adding to his mystique. He wore his signature asymmetrical stand-up collar robe, the deep red turtleneck shirt standing out strikingly in the candlelight.

"Did you come with curiosity and courage?" Victor's lips curled into a meaningful smile.

Karen nodded cautiously. "As you wish, Professor."

"Let me guess," Victor said, walking around the worktable, his black boots making a soft sound on the floor. "Have you been losing your appetite these past few days, wondering what this eccentric professor is up to?" His tone was clearly tinged with a wicked amusement.

Karen didn't answer immediately, but instead observed the alchemical devices in the office. In his "Eye of Truth," the magical flow within those devices displayed an astonishing complexity, far exceeding most things he had observed before.

Victor suddenly burst into laughter: "Relax, kid. If I wanted to harm you, I could have done it on the very first day of school."

He walked to a cauldron emitting purple smoke and sprinkled a handful of silver powder into it. "Nico and I mean you no harm. On the contrary, we want to help you reach your true potential."

"Why me?" Karen finally spoke, her voice calmer than expected. "Because of my talent?"

Victor paused. "That's right, it's because of this talent." He put down the stirring rod, looked directly into Karen's eyes, and said, "You bought so many alchemy books during the summer, so you should know Nicolas Flamel's status in the wizarding world, right?"

"Nico Flamel, one of the greatest alchemists in history, had countless alchemical inventions, but his most celebrated masterpiece was the Philosopher's Stone, which could grant immortality. But what do these have to do with my talents?" Karen replied.

"Don't rush, do you know Nico's teacher?" Victor asked Karen.

"Nico Flamel's teacher? Isn't it rumored that his alchemy came from the Book of Abraham?" Karen asked in bewilderment.

"Of course, the Book of Abraham does exist, but it was actually a test given to him by Nicol's teacher."

"test?"

"Yes, Nico's teacher saw his talent and gave him the book 'The Book of Abraham the Jews,' and his teacher had the same talent as you, the 'Eye of Truth.'"

Karen's heart raced. Nicolas Flamel, one of the greatest alchemists in history, had a teacher who possessed the same talent as her.

"Our organization is called 'The Ring of Hermes'," Victor continued, tracing a symbol in the air with his finger. The symbol, shimmering with silver light, hovered in mid-air. "It was founded by Nico and brings together a group of like-minded researchers. We don't care about politics, we don't participate in conflicts, we only pursue the true meaning of magic and the study of knowledge."

"The members in the group are all nominated by Nico, and then evaluated by another official member of the organization to see if they are qualified to join the organization."

Karen listened while staring at the symbol, which in his vision was woven from countless tiny threads of magic, each flowing according to a specific pattern: "So... Nico has taken a liking to me, and you're here to assess whether I'm qualified to join?"

"A sharp reflex!" Victor snapped his fingers, and the symbol transformed into a swarm of silver butterflies that scattered in all directions. "However, you're wrong about one thing. This assessment was just a formality. From the moment I saw you use the 'Eye of Truth' to observe the Sorting Hat at the opening banquet, observe all sorts of people and things on campus, and finally, after you activated that runestone, I was convinced you were qualified."

Karen froze. He had never revealed his actions to anyone, much less expected to be discovered.

"Don't be so surprised," Victor chuckled as he walked to a glass case and took out a thick ancient book. "Your talent, though rare, is as clear as a lighthouse in the night to those of us who know it." He handed the book to Karen. "The Door to Truth, part of my alchemy notes, consider it a small gift."

Karen took the book, and the moment his fingertips touched the cover, he felt a strange warmth. In his vision, the dense runes on the pages were emitting a soft blue light.

"What can the Ring of Hermes offer you?" Victor suddenly became serious. "Knowledge, guidance, and like-minded companions. In exchange, we need your talent to help us solve some ancient magical puzzles."

Karen opened the book and glanced at it briefly. It was full of complex diagrams and equations, some of which were marked with dangerous warning symbols.

Hearing Victor's words, he looked up at Victor: "Like the curse on you?"

The office fell silent instantly. Victor's expression froze for two seconds, his right hand unconsciously touching his left arm, which was covered by his robe and gloves: "...It seems your talent is beyond doubt."

"It's just a guess," Karen replied cautiously. "I've observed some cursed books before, and they exhibited symptoms similar to yours, but yours are much more severe."

Victor paused for a moment, then suddenly unfastened his left glove, revealing black lines spreading across his arm. These lines writhed like living things, forming ancient runes. In Karen's "Eye of Truth," they emitted unsettling black threads, and were incredibly dense.

"How about that? Is it clearer now?" Victor said teasingly, looking at Karen who was observing intently.

"What kind of curse caused this? Why is it so serious? Is it the curse about Voldemort?" Karen asked impatiently.

"It seems you do know a lot, even Voldemort's curse. That curse does exist, but unfortunately, the curse on me is not caused by it. On the contrary, I came to Hogwarts not only for you, but also to study the curse of Defense Against the Dark Arts." Victor's voice was unusually calm.

Then he looked Karen straight in the eye. "Alright, now that you know so much, tell me, are you willing to join us?"

Countless thoughts flashed through Karen's mind. Join a secret organization? It all came too suddenly. But on the other hand, his thirst for magic and his pursuit of the truth made it impossible for him to simply refuse.

"I need time to think about it," he finally said. "This is a big decision."

Victor smiled unexpectedly: "A cautious answer, very good! Magic is not child's play; it should indeed be treated with care." He walked towards the door, gesturing for him to leave. "You have a week. Once you've made up your mind, come and tell me your decision anytime. Until then..."

He pointed to the book, "Study 'The Door to Truth' carefully; it will help you open the door to alchemy and help you understand more possibilities of the 'Eye of Truth'."

Karen carefully put the book away and walked towards the door.

Before leaving, Karen glanced back one last time. Victor had already put his gloves back on and was working in front of the alchemy device, as if the conversation had never happened. Only the heavy copy of "The Door to Truth" on her arm reminded her that it was all real.

The torches in the corridor cast long shadows of him, and Karen knew that after tonight, his path in magic would reach a crucial turning point. Whichever path he chose would forever alter his destiny.