HP: The Boy who saw Magic

Back in the Ravenclaw common room, only a handful of students remained scattered about. Kevin did not return to the dormitory immediately, but lingered by the window of the lounge, his gaze drawn toward the Defense Against the Dark Arts office. He wondered if Professor Victor was watching him from afar at this very moment.

It was late at night, and Kevin curled up in an armchair by the window, his gray-blue eyes fixed on the obsidian-covered book resting in his hands. The moonlight filtered through the stained glass, casting intricate shadows across the pages, while the four gems embedded in the cover sparkled with an eerie brilliance.

"To the traveler between light and darkness:

This is not a book, but a maze.

Every truth requires a sacrifice,

Every sacrifice gave rise to new doubts.

May your eyes see what I cannot see.

——KG" Kevin read the words on the title page softly, savoring each phrase.

His fingertips brushed the reddish-brown signature, which seemed almost as if it had been written in blood. The initials 'KG' lingered in his mind—clearly distinct from the 'VE' that would represent Professor Victor Eisenberg. Professor Victor's true identity remained shrouded in layers of mystery, much like the book itself, The Door of Truth.

Kevin's fingers traced the obsidian cover, lingering on the four gems arranged in a perfect diamond. The ruby glowed like solidified blood, the sapphire shone cold as polar ice, the emerald held the faint light of a forest's heart, and the yellow diamond pulsed with the richness of earth.

"This is not a book, but a maze." Kevin repeated the words on the title page in a low voice, frowning unconsciously. The phrase reminded him of the mystical tomes he had read in his previous life, those word games brimming with metaphor and riddles.

He turned to the table of contents and ran his finger over the entry for "Family Alchemy." Strangely, the chapter detailed various complex alchemical formulas and rituals, but never once revealed the identity of this mysterious "family." Kevin's "Eye of Truth" tingled with warmth, and he saw that fine threads of magic coiled around certain words, as if deliberately concealing secrets.

"Interesting…" Kevin muttered to himself. He retrieved a notebook from his schoolbag and began to jot down his observations:

First, the author's signature, KG, does not match Victor Eisenberg (VE), suggesting a pseudonym or another identity.

Second, the family alchemy chapter intentionally obscures the family name.

Third, magic residue clings to the edges of torn pages, indicating recent removal.

Kevin glanced out the window and watched silver ripples dance across the Black Lake. He recalled the first time he had met Professor Victor at the opening dinner—a man with a black eye mask, long golden hair tied in a low ponytail, and a ring on his right hand that flashed with colors just like the gems on this book's cover.

"The Ring of Hermes…" Kevin whispered the name of the mysterious organization. If Professor Victor was connected to Nicolas Flamel, how much did Dumbledore know? And Ernesto had said that Dumbledore himself had personally found Professor Victor. Was Dumbledore also part of this secret group?

He continued to leaf through the pages of The Door of Truth, pausing at the second volume on the study of Herbo. The illustrations in this chapter were disturbingly detailed, depicting a giant serpent coiled around an ancient stone pillar, its eyes set with tiny rubies. When Kevin focused his "Eye of Truth," the gems flickered ever so slightly, as if responding to his gaze.

"Herbo's curse system…" Kevin read the chapter title and suddenly remembered the dark curse marks snaking across Professor Victor's left hand. Could the curse be related to Herbo?

The words on the page blurred before his eyes. Kevin blinked, realizing he had been reading for hours, and the moon outside was beginning to set. Yet he found it difficult to stop, as if the knowledge in the book had cast a spell over him.

With a snap, Kevin closed the book. The obsidian cover gleamed coldly in the moonlight, and the four gems looked like watchful eyes, silently staring back at him.

"The bait of knowledge!" Kevin whispered to himself. The book was indeed designed to lure him in, as he had suspected. The records of ancient runes and alchemy within were too precious for any Ravenclaw to resist—like a spring of fresh water in the desert.

Kevin stood and carefully tucked The Door of Truth into the deepest part of his schoolbag. He walked to the window and gazed at the dark outline of the Forbidden Forest in the distance. The decision to join the Ring of Hermes solidified in his heart. If he could not avoid this whirlpool, he might as well dive in willingly and see what lay beneath the surface.

"Well, let me see what this 'Ring of Hermes' looks like!"

After all, as Victor had said, if they truly meant him harm, they had plenty of opportunities in the past few days and had done nothing. Even if they had plans for him, it would take time for anything to unfold.

In the Defense Against the Dark Arts office, flickering candlelight stretched Victor Eisenberg's shadow across the room. His slender fingers gently brushed a yellowed letter, and Nicolas Flamel's familiar handwriting on the parchment stood out sharply in the candlelight.

"Don't worry, Nico. He will come." Victor's deep voice echoed in the empty office. His long golden hair glowed softly in the candlelight. "The knowledge we offer is exactly what he dreams of." A thoughtful smile touched the corner of his mouth, and his left hand absently touched his eye mask.

Outside the window, a waning moon hung over the Forbidden Forest, casting a pale light. Victor slowly removed his gloves, revealing the black lines creeping across his arms—the marks of the runic curse, spreading at a visible rate. He stared at his gradually eroded arm, complex emotions flickering in his eyes.

"Time…" he murmured softly, "enough time to complete this project." His right hand absentmindedly turned the ruby ring, the gem gleaming with an eerie light in the candle's glow.

Victor stood and walked to the window, his black robe sweeping behind him. He looked toward Ravenclaw Tower, where a single window still glowed faintly. He imagined the boy with gray-blue eyes, engrossed in The Door of Truth he had given him.

"Don't let me down, Kevin." Victor's voice was so soft it was almost inaudible. His left hand pressed against his chest, where an old pocket watch was hidden. The hands on the dial jumped at an unnatural pace. "We don't have much time left…"

Moonlight spilled through the window and onto the open notebook on his desk, filled with research and speculation about the "Eye of Truth" and its implications for alchemy and curse magic.

Victor gently closed the notebook, the candlelight dancing in his deep eyes.

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