RNP Chapter 203 Focus After the Storm
Chapter 203 Focus After the Storm
Chapter 203 Focus After the Storm
With the threat gone, Hogwarts' daily rhythm became clear and vibrant, and everyone seemed to cherish this regained peace even more.
The Quidditch craze swept through the entire castle, making it the undisputed focus. Training frequency at the Ravenclaw Quidditch pitch increased significantly. Wesley, as a reserve Chaser who could play, trained with almost obsessive intensity. Every afternoon, he could be seen zipping across the pitch, refining tactics with the regular players, practicing various difficult evasion and passing maneuvers. Sweat soaked his red hair, but his smile was brighter than ever. He always returned to the Eagle's Nest covered in grass clippings and bursting with excitement.
"Hey! You guys didn't see that! Captain Butt's feint today! It was absolutely brilliant! He hid the Quaffle behind the broom handle and fooled two Slytherins' defenses! I bet Wood from Gryffindor is studying that trick too!" He grabbed his water bottle and gulped down a few mouthfuls, then picked up the modified "Quidditch Eye" device that Cullen had kept in the Eagle's Nest. "Cullen, can I borrow this thing again today? I want to record my passing and catching routes and see if I can make the angles even more tricky!"
Ernesto, using his family's resources, acquired a highly professional tactical sand table model, which was placed in a corner of the Eagle's Nest. On the sand table...
He controlled magical minifigures representing different players, simulating various offensive and defensive formations. He often studied these formations with Wesley until late at night.
His grey eyes gleamed with focused attention under the light.
"Wesley, look here," Ernesto pointed to the position representing the opponent's batter on the sand table. "If you catch the ball at this angle, there's a 70% chance their batter will block you from behind your right with a run. My advice is to make a half-second-delayed, downward-sloping feint to the left to induce them to release the ball earlier, then immediately rise and catch the ball from above. Although this is highly dangerous, the success rate is much higher. Your flight skills are sufficient to support this maneuver."
Fabian had been engrossed in the castle greenhouse these days. With Professor Sprout's permission, he had been allocated a small, precious experimental plot, specifically for cultivating rare, gentle magical plant seeds given to him by elders and friends during his adventures in the Forbidden Forest, as well as some varieties requiring special care. He went to the greenhouse every day without fail, meticulously watering, fertilizing, adjusting the light and humidity, and recording every subtle change in their growth. Back at the Eagle's Nest, he often carried the scent of earth and sunshine.
"Look, Karen," Fabian carefully held up a transparent crystal dome containing a seedling that had just sprouted two tender leaves and was emitting a faint silvery glow. "The Stardust Moss is beginning to adapt to the soil here. Professor Sprout said that if cultivated successfully, its spores will have a remarkable effect on stabilizing certain restless magical environments. Perhaps it will be helpful for Professor Castor's research?" His eyes were full of anticipation.
Karen's own schedule was also packed. His studies couldn't be neglected, especially after Professors McGonagall and Flitwick clearly placed higher expectations on him. The advanced theories and practices of Transfiguration became more difficult, while Charms began to study higher-level protective and breaking spell structures.
"Mr. Hawthorne," Professor Flitwick said, standing on a thick book, his gaze sharp as he watched Karen present his ideas for improving an ancient protective spell at the Charms Club event, "Your 'vortex boosting' effect theory is very interesting, but how do you ensure the stability of the magic node during instantaneous casting in actual combat? This requires extremely precise control, with a very low margin for error."
Karen stood in the makeshift demonstration area, intricate magical threads flowing from the tip of his wand, constructing a miniature rune model: "Professor, my idea comes from my alchemical research, designing something like a 'pressure relief valve' and a 'stabilizing anchor.' Like the structure in the protective badge I designed, when the main node is impacted, excess magic is temporarily stored or harmlessly dissipated through a pre-set, low-energy secondary circuit directed to the rune base itself. Simultaneously, the stabilizing anchor runes strengthen the base's structure, preventing collapse. The key lies in the precise setting of the magic thresholds for the two circuits and the switching speed." His explanation was clear and logical, sparking a lively discussion and a flurry of questions from the club's senior members.
Of course, the main focus of the Curse Club is currently entirely devoted to the final refinement and rollout of the "Quidditch Eye" system. Under Edgar Burns' excellent coordination, all four House teams have accepted the addition of lightweight "spectral anchoring" signal transmitters to their brooms. Led by Cullen, the technical team is working day and night to continuously optimize the signal capture sensitivity, anti-interference capabilities, and multi-angle playback interface smoothness of the central recording crystal ball. Their goal is the upcoming, highly anticipated House Cup final.
"Project Eye of Record, the final comprehensive test is scheduled for this Saturday's Hufflepuff vs. Ravenclaw practice match!" Edgar announced loudly at the end of the Charms Club event, reaping the enthusiastic response from the members. The core area of the Eagle's Nest, the portable microalchemy workshop gifted by Professor Castor, was where Karen had poured the most effort. He combined Professor Nico's advice on the energy decay of the Protective Badges with inspiration from Lucian's journal regarding "environmental energy absorption" and "rune topology," using the workshop's top-of-the-line equipment to conduct one precise experiment after another.
On the workbench, a palm-sized, shimmering mithril sheet was fixed to a complex rune etching frame. Wearing a specially made magic-conducting bracelet, Karen intently manipulated a focused stream of magic thinner than a hair, carefully etching a finer secondary energy guide line along the edge of a miniature "Algiz" variant rune. A suspended magic stabilizer beside her emitted a low, resonant hum, ensuring the etching process remained absolutely stable.
"The energy absorption rate has improved significantly, but the locally compressed magic will still cause slight stress deformation of the substrate when it passes through this 'gate'," Karen muttered as he recorded the observations. "And the new material we obtained earlier, the basilisk scales, I wonder how it compares to dragon scales?" He quickly marked it on the design drawing.
Wesley, Fabian, and Ernesto all knew what Cullen was busy with, and they tacitly avoided delving into the specific details. They only knew that it was related to alchemy and improvements to protective gear. They would simply offer him a cup of hot tea or share some interesting stories about the stadium or greenhouse when he walked out of the workshop wearily.
The peaceful days passed one by one. Cullen's letters to Nico and Castor, along with the lead box containing the fragment of Voldemort's soul, had already been delivered through Dumbledore. He checked daily for new owls, hoping for a reply from France, hoping that letter would contain good news about how to use the soul fragment to break the Curse of Helbo. Every time the sound of an owl flapping its wings echoed in the common room, his heart skipped a beat.
Waiting became the only barely perceptible ripple beneath the calm surface of this lake.
That afternoon, sunlight streamed through the tall windows, bathing the Ravenclaw common room in a warm blue light. Cullen had just returned from the library, carrying a reference book on ancient rune energy topology. Wesley and Ernesto were still playing Quidditch, while Fabian was in the greenhouse.
He walked to the window seat, and as soon as he put down his book, he saw a familiar owl with magnificent tail feathers—Phobos—glide precisely through the window and land on the coffee table in front of him. Phobos puffed out its chest proudly, its beak empty of letters, and simply nuzzled Karen's hand affectionately.
Karen stroked Phobos's smooth feathers, understanding dawning on him. It seemed Master Nico and Professor Castor had received the item and were intensifying their research. The lack of an immediate reply indicated that the research required time, which was a good thing. He believed that when the reply arrived, it would bring a breakthrough.
He looked out the window. Faint cheers drifted from the Quidditch pitch in the distance, and from the direction of the greenhouse, he could see Professor Sprout and several students busily at work. The castle's majestic towers gleamed in the sunlight; everything seemed so peaceful, orderly, and full of hope.
Karen opened a thick runic tome, immersing herself in the ancient and mysterious world of symbols. In the Eagle's Nest, the unfinished prototype of the protective emblem gleamed with mithril in the soft light, quietly awaiting the next experiment. Calmness was the perfect time to focus on moving forward and accumulating strength. The tranquility after the storm was so precious, and so full of potential.