Everyday Life of a Top Student at Hogwarts

Chapter 45 Castor's Portable Alchemy Workshop

After dinner, Karen said goodbye to her roommates in the Ravenclaw common room.

At this moment, Fabian was engrossed in studying a book about medieval magical medicine, Wesley was studying books related to Quidditch, and Ernesto was sitting by the window, observing the newly appeared stars through a telescope, occasionally jotting down notes on parchment.

"Going to Professor Eisenberg's again tonight?" Ernesto asked without turning his head, his gray eyes still pressed against the binoculars.

Karen was packing several silver metal ingots into her backpack when she heard this, and she nodded: "Yes, the iron ore conversion experiment last week is complete, and we should start the new one today."

"I'm really curious what he teaches you," Wesley looked up from his book, his reddish-brown hair even more disheveled from intense concentration. "You have to go to Professor Victor's on Thursday and Saturday, and then to Professor Flitwick's on Friday. Do you have enough energy?"

Fabian pushed up his glasses: "Karen's talent is beyond our reach. However, I feel that Professor Victor's temper is probably not very good. I wonder what he's like when he gives one-on-one lessons in private."

"As long as it's not like Snape deducting Gryffindor points all the time in Potions class." Ernesto finally looked up from his telescope, his gray eyes gleaming in the candlelight.

Karen fastened her backpack strap, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Strictness is always better than laissez-faire. I'm leaving now. Don't wait for me; it might be late."

Leaving the tower, Karen traversed the complex corridors and staircases to reach the door of the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher's office. He had just raised his hand to knock when the door opened automatically.

"Accurate timing, very good." Victor Eisenberg—or rather, Castor Grindelwald—stood behind a desk piled high with ancient books, his sharp eyes scrutinizing Karen. Today he wore a dark blue robe, his blond hair neatly combed back, making him look more formal than usual in class.

"Professor." Karen nodded in greeting, then closed the door behind her as she entered her office.

Castor skipped the pleasantries and pointed directly to an unremarkable brown leather suitcase in the corner of the office: "Take your things and come with me."

Karen took the metal ingots out of his bag; these were the results of his practice of converting ordinary iron ore into pure iron using alchemy after his last trip back. Castor took the metal ingots and tapped them lightly with his fingers, producing a crisp sound.

"The purity is good," Castor commented, "an improvement over the previous ones."

"The previous mission is complete. Today we will enter the real realm of alchemy," Castor said, putting away the iron blocks and walking towards the leather case. "Follow me."

As Karen approached the box, Castor suddenly grabbed his arm and shoved him violently toward it. Karen instinctively closed his eyes, but the expected impact didn't happen—instead, he felt a strange sense of weightlessness, as if he were falling into a bottomless abyss.

When his feet touched solid ground again, Karen cautiously opened his eyes, then gaped in shock.

He stood in the center of a vast, circular hall, its walls inlaid with countless shimmering crystals that illuminated the entire space. The hall was filled with strange devices Karen had never seen before: some resembled distillers but were far more complex, others were astronomical instruments radiating magical light, and still others were metal spheres suspended in mid-air, slowly rotating. The air was thick with a mixture of metallic, herbal, and other scents Karen couldn't identify.

"Welcome to my alchemy workshop," Castor's voice came from behind, tinged with obvious smugness. "How about it, startled?"

Karen turned and saw Castor leaning against a workbench, a mischievous grin on his face. Karen forced himself to calm down, even though his heart was still pounding in his chest.

"A seamless stretching charm?" Karen asked, trying to make her voice sound less surprised. "Like Mr. Newt Scamander's briefcase?"

Castor's eyebrows almost reached his hairline: "You know Newt's briefcase? It's not as big as his, but my workshop is far more complex than his animal-keeping box." He walked to a huge bronze device in the center of the hall. "Several different spatial expansion spells were cast here, along with an ancient stabilizing matrix like the Neven, to create such a separate space suitable for alchemy experiments."

Karen's gaze swept across every corner of the workshop, his Eye of Truth revealing details imperceptible to ordinary people—countless fine magical lines flowed throughout the space, forming a complex and dizzying net. These lines converged at specific nodes, forming small magical vortexes.

"Stop looking at them. You'll have plenty of time to observe them later." Castor clapped his hands, pulling Karen back from her reverie. "Before we begin practice, I need to assess your theoretical knowledge. Tell me, what are the three fundamental principles of alchemy?"

Karen answered without hesitation: "Equivalent exchange, element transformation, and the unity of matter."

"Explain."

"Equivalent exchange means that the magical energy input and output in the alchemy process must be balanced; elemental transformation is the ability to change the basic properties of matter; and the unity of matter means that in alchemical theory, all things originate from a primordial substance, which is an invisible and indivisible unity that can generate all things through transformation," Karen answered fluently. These were all things he had read in books about alchemy.

Castor nodded and continued, "What is the role of runes in alchemy?"

"As a conductor and stabilizer of magic," Karen said, "runes, as a naturally magical script, can guide magic to flow along a predetermined path through specific rune combinations, thereby completing alchemy."

Over the next half hour, Castor's questions became increasingly in-depth, ranging from basic theory to advanced applications, even touching on some obscure knowledge that Karen had never encountered in books. Relying on the knowledge he had gained from the books he had read, Karen surprisingly answered most of the questions.

“Impressive,” Castor finally said, his voice tinged with rare admiration. “You’ve mastered every alchemy book available on the market, including some rather obscure topics. While there are still some shortcomings, even at Beauxbatons—where they start teaching alchemy in the third year—few students in the entire school can reach your current level of theoretical understanding.”

"It seems that even without the 'Eye of Truth,' your achievements will not be small." Castor once again marveled at Karen's talent.

Hearing the teacher's praise, Karen felt a surge of pride, but she remained humble and did not become complacent.

Castor's gaze lingered on Karen's face for a few seconds, seemingly observing Karen's mental state, before finally nodding: "The theory is passed. Now let's begin the real alchemy."