Everyday Life of a Top Student at Hogwarts

Chapter 334 The Secret Door Finally Opened

Inside the portable workshop, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Karen gave one last look around, confirming that all the protective arrays were functioning optimally. The energy-absorbing crystals shone with a rich luster, ready to withstand any potential energy surges. On the central workbench, the snakeskin log was placed at the center of a specially drawn auxiliary array used to stabilize and isolate targets. Beside it, the shielding box was open, and the modified "Hermes' Touch" crystal lay silently inside, its deep dark gray color resembling a miniature black hole, emanating an unsettlingly cold aura.

Karen stood before the workbench, his left hand hovering above the crystal, ready to infuse it with magic at any moment. His right hand gripped his wand tightly, the tip pointing at the logbook. He closed his eyes, took one last deep breath, and activated Occlumency, clearing his mind of all distractions, leaving only clear operational steps and composure.

The operation begins.

He pointed his wand forward with remarkable stability, and a wave of Parseltongue magic, imitating Harry but refined and interpreted by himself, shot precisely towards the snakeskin journal. The wave carried a unique hissing frequency, like an invisible key inserted into a lock.

The moment the magic touched the journal's surface, it shuddered violently! The snakeskin covering it seemed to come alive, emitting a blinding green light from between the scales! An incredibly complex, three-dimensional magic circle, composed of countless ancient runes and serpentine symbols, emerged from the journal's surface, emitting a huge, chilling hiss! Then, a familiar and cold scrutinizing intent, like a tangible searchlight beam, instantly locked onto and swept towards Karen and the magical fluctuations emanating from his wand!

The censorship mechanism has been activated!

It's now!

Almost simultaneously, Karen's left hand pressed down without hesitation onto the "Hermes' Touch" crystal! A surge of energy...

Magic surged in instantly, frantically stimulating the dangerous "heart" inside the crystal according to the preset rune path!

hum!

The crystal burst forth with a deep, dark gray light, and a powerful, cold soul wave, filled with the evil aura unique to the descendants of Slytherin, was precisely amplified and projected! Like a pitch-black shield, or a powerful signal transmitter, it instantly "covered" all of Karen's magical characteristics, precisely meeting the scrutinizing "searchlight"!

The hissing sound of the access lock abruptly stopped! The cold, scrutinizing sensation clearly paused, as if the recognition system had encountered an extremely sudden and intense signal change. Its complex light flickered erratically, and the scanning focus was forced to shift from Karen to the soul fluctuations projected by the crystal.

Karen's mind was on edge. The "Eye of Truth" stared intently at every subtle change in the access lock, her right hand maintaining a weak output of Parseltongue magic to keep it triggered, while her left hand focused on maintaining the crystal's projection, unwaveringly and continuously "holding" the fluctuations of the dark soul before the censorship mechanism.

He heeded Castor's warning, making no attempt to appease or forcibly control the chaotic and evil nature of the fragment, but simply remaining a faithful projection channel. The cold whispers and madness emanated faintly through the crystal, constantly assaulting his mental barriers, but he remained as steadfast as a reef.

Time seemed to stretch out at that moment. Every second felt like an eternity.

The light from the access lock continued to flicker, and the hissing sound became low and hesitant, as if it were repeatedly checking and verifying this sudden appearance.

The manifested, powerful, and "authentic" soul fluctuations.

Just when he felt that this attempt was about to fail, the flickering green light of the access lock suddenly became stable and gentle! The unsettling hissing sound instantly transformed into a smooth, almost pleasant, and approving hissing sound!

It worked!

Then, an even more miraculous scene unfolded: the snakeskin tightly binding the journal seemed to come alive; the cold scales began to writhe like a tide, emitting a soft rustling sound. They automatically and gracefully contracted and slid to the sides, finally loosening completely, as if shedding an outer layer to reveal an antique, age-scented dark brown leather cover. The cover bore no text, only a simple, raised snake-shaped mark, with two tiny, lifelike, dark green gemstones set in the snake's eyes.

The illusory magic circle and light surrounding the journal vanished as if the tide had receded. The ancient experimental journal, belonging to Salazar Slytherin himself, lay unguarded and quiet on the workbench.

Karen abruptly withdrew the magic from his hands, staggering back a step until he leaned against the wall behind him, barely managing to regain his balance. He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving, his face pale from the immense drain on his magic and mental strength, but his grey-blue eyes were filled with an overwhelming, uncontrollable joy and sense of accomplishment!

He succeeded! He succeeded! With his intelligence, preparation, and a touch of risk, he successfully fooled the access lock set up by Salazar Slytherin himself!

After the initial joy came a profound sense of exhaustion. But he dared not be negligent, and forced himself to check the workshop's protective measures again, confirming...

There was no abnormal energy residue, so he carefully stepped forward.

He didn't immediately touch the journal itself, but observed it carefully first. Under the "Eye of Truth," the journal no longer possessed that intense, xenophobic magical aura, becoming restrained and peaceful. But he still cautiously put on his dragon-skin gloves before carefully reaching out, his fingertips gently brushing against the ancient leather cover.

The touch was cool and delicate, with a peculiar resilience. The dark green gemstone beneath the serpentine mark seemed to have a life of its own, flickering faintly as it brushed against his fingertips.

A surge of emotion, a mixture of excitement, awe, and intense curiosity, welled up within him. What magical knowledge and secrets of Salazar Slytherin were recorded in this journal? Those studies on the primal powers of magical creatures, those dangerous and powerful experiments—

But he knew now was not the time to delve deeper. Opening the log had taken a toll on his mental energy; he needed to recover.

He couldn't be sure whether the knowledge contained within was also seductive or impactful, and his current state was simply unsuitable. Moreover, such an important discovery required immediate notification to his supervisor.

He carefully picked up the journal, finding it lighter than he had expected. He placed it carefully into a prepared wooden box lined with soft silk and runes. Then, his gaze turned to the "Touch of Hermes" crystal beside him, which had returned to its dormant state but still contained dangerous fragments sealed inside.

It was now a real "key." Karen carefully put it back into the shielding box and sealed it. This key had to be kept safe.

After doing all this, an overwhelming sense of exhaustion finally overwhelmed him. He practically shuffled out of the portable workshop.

The three guards outside immediately surrounded them. Seeing Karen's almost exhausted but smiling face, Wesley eagerly asked, "Is it done?"

Karen nodded heavily, her voice hoarse but tinged with amusement: "It's done. The log—it's open."

"Merlin!" Wesley exclaimed, almost jumping up.

Fabian and Ernesto also showed shocked and delighted smiles.

"Great! Karen!" Fabian excitedly pushed up his glasses.

Ernesto was more composed: "You should rest first! You look like you're about to faint. You can check the log later."

Karen was indeed almost too weak to speak. With his roommate's help, he sat down in a chair, took another bottle of energy-restoring potion from Fabian, and slowly drank it.

"I need to notify Mr. Nico and Mr. Castor immediately," he gasped.

"We know, take your time," Ernesto said, pressing him down. "It won't make a difference."

Karen leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and felt the warmth of the potion and the slow recovery of her strength.

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