Chapitre 79: Monocle
Filled with pride, Alex nodded, "Thank you for everything, Professor Bones. I couldn't have come this far without your guidance."
"Ha! Don't be modest," the professor chuckled. "Without your brilliant idea, we'd have never uncovered such a unique rune."
Alex took a thoughtful pause before proposing, "My vision is to create a pair of glasses using polished crystal lenses with Ur Bronze as the frames. What do you think?"
"Excellent choice," Professor Bones agreed. "Circular lenses would allow the runes to form a ring around the frame, emphasizing the crystalline effect."
"Let's make a monocle, then," Alex suggested, "with one lens for echo imaging and the other for normal sight."
"Clever idea," the professor said with a smile. "The materials aren't difficult to find. I'll gather them, and you can practice engraving the runes in the meantime. I'll call for you when everything is ready."
Touched by the professor's support, Alex expressed his gratitude. "Thank you so much, Professor. I can't begin to explain how much your help means to me."
The professor waved it off with a smile. "No need to thank me. We accomplished this together, and I value that immensely. I'll prepare two sets of materials so you can make one for me, as well."
In the following days, Alex spent every free moment practicing rune work. The echolocation charm was fairly simple, using two sets of runes, but combining them correctly took a lot of focus. At first, he found it difficult, but with steady practice, he started to get the hang of it. His hands grew more skilled at engraving, and as his muscles remembered the movements, he could guide the magic more accurately. This helped him make faster progress, and his success rate kept improving.
At Defense Against the Dark Arts class, Professor Bones approached Alex after class, saying, "The materials are ready. We can start tonight."
Holding back his excitement, Alex went straight to his hut to practice one last time, determined to be as ready as possible. Even Charles, who had come to train with him, was kindly asked to leave so Alex could focus fully. That evening, Alex arrived at Professor Bones' office. "Let's get started," he said with a confident smile.
The professor revealed the prepared materials: two elegant monocle frames made of dark copper, each holding a polished, flat crystal lens. Thin copper chains were attached to the frames, giving them a simple but elegant look. "Recently, I've been practicing drawing a very small rune to prepare for this. I hope it goes well," Alex said with a grin.
Professor Bones chuckled, "Don't overthink it. Remember, we're wizards! The materials can adapt to us, not the other way around."
With a flick of his wand, Professor Bones cast a magnification spell on one of the lenses, expanding it to the size of a small disk. Alex, having overlooked this option, laughed, realizing his mistake.
"This spell will last over half an hour," Professor Bones instructed. "You'll practice on a wooden disk of the same size first, then we'll magnify the lens again for your final inscription."
Following the professor's advice, Alex began practicing on a wooden piece, though his first attempt failed due to the difficulty of maintaining spacing on the curved surface. But on his second try, he succeeded within half an hour, his fingers remembering the rune pattern from countless repetitions.
"Very good, then let's officially begin," Professor Bones said with a pleased smile.
Alex nodded, adjusting his grip on the dark-handled engraving knife as Professor Bones cast a magnifying charm on his monocle. The spectacle frame Alex was working on expanded in size before his eyes, revealing every tiny detail. He took a deep breath, clearing his mind and sharpening his focus, keeping his hand steady as he started carving. Professor Bones stood nearby, quietly watching.
For Alex, the half-hour of careful engraving was both exhausting and exhilarating. Tons of practice and steadying his emotions meant he rarely felt rattled, but under the time pressure, the question, 'Will there be enough time?' flickered through his thoughts now and then. Even with these lingering concerns, he kept his hands steady, not allowing his focus to falter.
Finally, with a sigh of relief, Alex set down the spectacle frame and the knife, wiping the beads of sweat from his forehead. "Phew, it's done!" he said, feeling a rush of satisfaction. Though it was his first time working on a real alchemical item, he hadn't made a single mistake.
"Well done! Go on, try it out yourself!" Professor Bones encouraged, visibly pleased.
Alex nodded and carefully placed the monocle over his right eye, adjusting it until it fit comfortably. Then, lifting his wand, he whispered the Echo Charm. Instantly, a faint ripple spread from his eye, outlining every object in the room with soft, glowing edges.
He closed his left eye, and the view at the monocle became even sharper. His vision shifted into a world of dark blue and gray, where everything was made up of gentle lines and shifting waves. "How is it?" Professor Bones asked.
"It's incredible," Alex replied, smiling as he removed the monocle and handed it over to Professor Bones. "You've got to try it yourself."
Professor Bones eagerly tried it on, his expression changed to one of awe as he experienced the unique perspective for himself. "It's fascinating," he murmured. "These ripples flowing along the walls and objects—are these the sound waves you mentioned?"
Alex nodded, suppressing a grin. "Yes, even I didn't expect it to work this well!"
Professor Bones chuckled. "Well done, Alex! But we still have one more to engrave. Take a break, have some water, and let's continue."
Alex nodded, taking a few moments to regain his energy before starting on the second monocle. The engraving went smoother this time, with his earlier success easing any worries he'd had. Soon, he finished the second piece without a hitch.
With both monocles now complete, Alex and Professor Bones couldn't resist testing them together. Like two kids with a new toy, they excitedly dashed out of the office to try the enchanted glasses in different areas of Hogwarts.
As Alex cast the Echo Charm repeatedly, the two explored every nook and cranny within their monocles' reach. They marveled at the details that unfolded: from the crevices in the corridor stones to the distant flicker of a hidden owl in the rafters. They even spotted a couple secretly cuddling in a quiet corner and glimpsed Filch patrolling two floors away, entirely unaware of their observation.
The Echo Charm's range was vast, allowing them to see through sound waves up to 100 meters away. Professor Bones laughed, clearly enchanted by the experience. "The more I see, the more amazing this becomes. Alex, thank you for this—this is such a delightful surprise at my age."
Alex grinned. "Thank you, Professor. Without your guidance, I'd never succeed."
Chapitre 80: Experiment
Professor Bones shook his head, laughing. "Don't be too modest. This spell is groundbreaking, enough to make a name for you in the wizarding academic world. Get started on a paper—I'll help you submit it to the best journals."
"Of course. But, Professor, I'd like to list you as a co-developer. We made this happen together," Alex replied, genuinely.
Professor Bones nodded, smiling warmly. "Fine, but I insist on being the second author. This is your idea, after all."
They exchanged a pleased smile and returned to the office, celebrating the birth of a new spell over a shared cup of tea. During the celebration, Professor Bones shared his knowledge of the wizarding world's alchemy scene, explaining that Wizards had a prominent alchemy research center in Cairo, Egypt. He revealed that the British wizarding community contributed little to alchemy studies internationally, with Dumbledore being one of the few renowned British alchemists.
As Alex listened closely, he felt his understanding of the wizarding world growing. He was surprised to learn that Britain wasn't very focused on alchemy compared to other places. This sparked a new curiosity in him about alchemical practices abroad.
From that night onward, Hogwarts had two people wearing monocles: Professor Edgar Bones, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and Alex. Their new accessory quickly drew attention from the student body.
It didn't take long for Vivian, with her lively curiosity, to notice. "What's with the monocle, Alex? Are you starting some new trend?" she teased.
"Oh, it's just a little gift for Professor Bones," Alex replied, rolling his eyes as Vivian continued to pester him.
"Come on, let me try it!" she begged, tilting her head mischievously. Reluctantly, Alex handed over the monocle, knowing it wouldn't show her anything special unless the Echo Charm was active.
Vivian slipped on the monocle, struck a pose in front of a nearby mirror, and squinted at herself. "Seriously, there's nothing to it. Are you wearing this just to look cool?" she teased, quickly losing interest.
Alex took back the monocle with a quick nod. He didn't have time to linger here with Vivian; there was too much on his agenda. After saying goodbye, Vivian hurried back to her cabin in the Forbidden Forest. Today, Alex was determined to complete his research and testing on a new spell: the infrasonic spell. This was essentially the opposite of the Echo charm.
The Echo charm used high-frequency ultrasonic waves that bounced back when they hit objects, allowing Alex to detect obstacles and structures through sound reflection. Its primary use was for reconnaissance and exploration.
Infrasound, however, operated on ultra-low frequency waves. Because its vibration frequency was close to that of organic tissues, it had the potential to resonate within living organisms, directly impacting their nervous systems. At high intensities, infrasound could even be deadly.
After much trial and error, Alex had figured out how to adjust sound wave frequencies. If he could increase the frequency for the Echo charm, he reasoned, he could also lower it for the infrasonic spell. Over the past few days, he'd been tirelessly refining this new spell.
"Beginning the 33rd test of the 'Infrasonic Spell.' Spell structure: triangular formation. Testing on October 10th at 2:16 p.m.," Alex noted in his journal. Then, he carried a small cage with a labrat outside.
Since this was a spell with potentially lethal effects, he'd prepared several mice as test subjects. Drawing his wand, Alex carefully visualized the spell structure in his mind, channeling his magic to shape the spell at the wand's tip. With a quick tap on the cage, he activated the spell.
A barely audible wave pulsed out from the tip of his wand. Although there was no sound, Alex immediately felt a jarring impact. His head throbbed with a dull ache, and a sickening wave of nausea hit him, making him stumble.
He could barely stand as he leaned against the wooden railing, doubled over with nausea, vomiting uncontrollably. His eyes watered, his nose was running, and he felt completely miserable, hardly able to think straight. After five or six painful minutes, he finally managed to pull himself together. His head was still foggy, but he stumbled into the cabin, splashed his face with water, and looked at his reflection in the mirror.
"At least my eyes aren't too bloodshot, my vision is okay, and my hearing seems to be coming back," he muttered, still shaken. "Taste and touch are fine, too. Guess I survived... barely."
Despite everything, Alex couldn't help but admire how strong the spell was. "The good news is the spell structure works, and the interference is powerful," he muttered. "The bad news? This spell doesn't care who it affects. It almost feels like it's designed to backfire."
He suddenly remembered the mouse and dashed outside to check on it. Looking into the cage, he saw the little creature lying motionless, blood oozing from its eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.
"This spell is… deadly," he thought, a chill running down his spine. If he'd pushed the spell any further, he might've met the same fate. Even if it didn't kill him outright, it could cause irreversible damage.
"Looks like Bones was right about spell experiments being dangerous," Alex muttered grimly.
Now, he was left with a dilemma. The spell structure was there, but using it was hazardous, almost like wielding a self-destruct spell. It was effective, but the risk of harming himself was too high. He needed to find a way to shield himself from the infrasound's effects.
"Would Muffliato stop the infrasound? But then again, infrasound doesn't just travel through hearing; it vibrates directly within the body," he pondered. "Maybe a Quietus could work?"
Determined, Alex decided to try again. He lowered the spell's power output by seventy percent to minimize risk. Then, he cast every silencing spell he knew on himself, from Muffliato to Quietus to Imperturbable Charm, stacking them all in hopes of lessening the impact.
With his hearing dulled and his mind bracing for the worst, he cast the infrasonic spell again. The effect was less intense this time, thanks to the lowered power output, but he still felt an uncomfortable nausea rising and had to lean on the railing as he gagged. He recovered faster than before, but his conclusion was clear: these spells had little to no impact on infrasonic waves.
"I'll need a spell specifically designed to block infrasound. What a headache," he mumbled, dejected by the setback. Despite the spell's potential, it posed a significant risk.
"Maybe Professor Bones knows a workaround. I'll ask him tonight," Alex decided, feeling a mix of excitement and frustration.
Just then, Charles came over, covered in sweat from his training. Since Alex had been busy with experiments, he'd asked Charles to train a bit farther away on his own.
"What's that smell, Alex? And why does it look like something died around here?" Charles asked, wrinkling his nose.
"Just a small experiment that didn't go as planned," Alex said, waving his wand to clear the air. "I'll clean it up now."
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
200+ Classement
Power Stone 
27 Power
stone 
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