Everyday Life of a Top Student at Hogwarts

Chapter 276 Pattern Analysis and Speculation

Chapter 276 Pattern Analysis and Speculation

Back at Eagle's Nest, Karen, without even changing her soaking wet clothes, immediately laid out the imprinted lakebed patterns on the workbench and began to carefully study and draw clearer diagrams. Wesley, Fabian, and Ernesto also gathered around, curiously looking at the ancient and complex lines.

"Are these the ones you mentioned on the rocks at the bottom of the lake?" Ernesto examined them closely with a magnifying glass. "They look older than any Slytherin markings you've found before."

"Does the energy flow really eventually converge here?" Fabian asked, pointing to a node in the center of the pattern.

“That’s right,” Karen said, pointing the tip of her wand at the parchment. “Very subtle, but persistent. I used Parsley on it, and it reacted, but didn’t activate. It might need a more specific command, or like some ancient magic, it might need to be activated at a specific time, such as during a special lunar phase or celestial event.”

Wesley scratched his head. "So what do we do now? Practice all the Parsley commands you know against it?"

"That's too dangerous and inefficient," Karen shook her head.

They continued their discussion for nearly an hour, comparing some of the known ancient magical mechanisms in Hogwarts Castle, and even going through some notes on ancient sealing techniques that Ernesto had brought from home, but they couldn't find any information that could perfectly match the patterns on the bottom of the lake or provide a direct explanation.

"It seems we need more professional advice," Karen mused. He took out a two-way mirror and contacted Nico and Castor.

After the mirror rippled, the figures of the two mentors appeared. "Karen, judging from your expression, you've made some progress in your exploration of the lake?" Nicole asked with a smile.

“Yes, Mr. Nico, Professor Castor.” Karen showed the blueprints to the two-way mirror. “I found the endpoint of the energy flow I discovered at Black Lake last time. It’s located on a rock wall at the bottom of the lake, covered with these patterns. It reacts to the Parseltongue, but it hasn’t been able to activate.” He briefly reported the discovery process and details.

Nico and Castor carefully examined the blueprints, their expressions becoming serious.

"A truly exquisite design, and these patterns are indeed in the style of the Four Greats era," Nico murmured to himself. "Look here, this node is not simply a convergence of energy; it is also undergoing an extremely subtle filtering and transformation, converting the chaotic life magic contained within the Black Lake into a more stable and pure form of fundamental energy. This requires extremely high magical skill and a profound understanding of the nature of energy."

Castor pointed to another part of the blueprint: "And this structure, clearly a high-level application variant of the spatial stabilization rune. It's not just protecting what's behind it, it's more like maintaining the entrance to an independent space, preventing it from collapsing due to water pressure or the passage of time. Salazar Slytherin, truly living up to his reputation."

"An independent space?" Karen caught the key phrase. "You mean, what lies behind that might not be a simple, constructed stone chamber, but rather a space that has been carved out?"

"Very likely," Nico nodded. "Combined with the characteristics of energy convergence and spatial stability, it is very likely a private workshop used by a Slytherin for research that required a quiet environment or special magical conditions, or even a hidden refuge. Of course, it could also be the starting point of a passage to the unknown, but that would require more evidence."

Castor added, "The conditions for activation must be extremely demanding. Given Slytherin's rumored character, Parseltongue might only be part of the key; it might also require specific bloodline concentration, magical strength, or even external conditions such as lunar phase or season. Your attempt only triggered the outermost sensing mechanism."

The two mentors offered some analytical angles and directions for consulting obscure materials, but both stated that they could not determine its specific function and activation method based solely on the drawings.

After ending the communication, Karen pondered for a moment, then returned to the alchemy workshop and took out the diary. He needed to try a different approach.

"I went to check again on that old ash tree by the Forbidden Forest you mentioned last time, and those strange rocks by the Black Lake. Honestly, Tom, aside from some unusual patterns, these places don't seem particularly special. I carefully examined every corner as you suggested, even using several detection spells, but nothing happened. Are you sure there's anything there? Or is this just some old joke played by a senior?"

A reply quickly appeared in the diary, the handwriting as elegant as ever, carrying a condescending patience: [Patience, Karen. It would be an insult to Salazar Slytherin's wisdom if his legacy could be so easily seen through. Superficial ordinariness often masks inner extraordinary qualities. Your statement, "Nothing special," precisely demonstrates how well they have been protected.]

Karen continued to play the role of a curious explorer: "Perhaps. But I can't even find the entrance, let alone get inside. Last time you mentioned needing the right method"—was it magic? Or some special condition? I read in a book that some ancient secret chambers require bloodlines or tokens to open.

Riddle responded, his words carrying a persuasive undertone: "Magic, bloodline, tokens—these are all possible keys. But for the true heirs of Slytherin, the most unique and direct key is always that innate talent—that language that allows seamless communication with the oldest and wisest magical beings." He once again steered the conversation towards Parsleyan.

Karen deliberately wrote: "Parsleyan? Leaving aside whether I possess that bloodline, even if I did, how could I possibly learn a legendary language? It sounds more difficult than finding the secret room itself."

Talent may be rare, but it's not without its traces. The handwriting in the diary seemed to carry a slight smile. Knowledge can guide the way. In ancient magic, there exist methods to perceive and understand this power of language, even—to simulate some of its effects. While this cannot compare to true talent, it might be enough to open a long-sealed door. If you are interested, I can guide you—this is far more meaningful than futilely digging for stones, and it touches upon the essence of magic. Of course, this requires corresponding effort and—focus.

This was yet another attempt to lead Karen into dangerous learning. Instead of immediately refusing, Karen shifted the focus, posing a vague...

Based on the problems he actually discovered:

"Thank you for your suggestion, Tom. I will consider it seriously. Speaking of which," he shifted his focus, "when I was examining the rocks in the Black Lake, I found their patterns to be very peculiar, seemingly containing some kind of regularity, somewhat similar to some ancient water elemental runes I recently learned in my Ancient Rune class. I couldn't help but wonder, given Lord Slytherin's expertise in this, could he have left similar arrangements somewhere deeper—well, perhaps at the bottom of the lake? A place that requires deeper knowledge of water magic rather than mere bloodline? After all, he is such a powerful and learned wizard."

The diary fell silent for a moment, seemingly assessing this sudden shift in the subject. After a while, new handwriting appeared, carrying a subtle, scrutinizing tone: "Your association is interesting, Karen. Salazar Slytherin's mastery of water was truly unparalleled. It's not impossible that the depths of the Black Lake hold countless secrets, and perhaps his work is among them."

However, he abruptly shifted the topic, steer the conversation back on track: "[But exploring the depths of the water is far more dangerous than observing from the shore. Without adequate preparation and sufficient strength, recklessly venturing deep is simply futile and suicidal. And strength comes from a deeper understanding of magical knowledge. For example, truly understanding the 'language' power that those patterns might contain, and not just their superficial water elemental appearance—]" He remained fixated on the Parsleyan point, seemingly not taking Karen's lake-bottom conjecture too seriously, or perhaps believing it was far beyond Karen's current capabilities.

Karen had made a judgment: Riddle might know there was something at the bottom of the lake, but he believed it wasn't something they could touch at this stage, or perhaps he himself hadn't successfully explored it back then. Therefore, he was more inclined to guide Karen to obtain the "key" first. Of course, it was also possible that Riddle himself didn't know what was at the bottom of the lake back then.

Seeing that she couldn't get anything more from Riddle at the moment, and not wanting to continue the topic lest she give herself away, Karen wrote: "You're right, Tom. I was too curious and almost got ahead of myself. Perhaps I should focus on the more fundamentals first. I'm very interested in what you said about the power of language; maybe next time we can start by discussing some basic theories? Today I need to digest this information and finish the transfiguration paper Professor McGonagall assigned."

[A wise choice, Karen. Knowledge requires gradual learning. You are always welcome to discuss this further.] Riddle's handwriting seemed satisfied, then disappeared.

Karen closed the diary and sealed it away again.

"How is it? Did he reveal anything about the bottom of the lake?" Wesley asked hurriedly.

"No." Karen shook her head, but her eyes gleamed. "But he didn't deny the possibility, and even hinted that there might indeed be something at the bottom of the lake. However, it's also possible that he either doesn't know much about the secrets at the bottom of the lake, or he thinks that I have no way of touching it now, so he's not worried at all that I might discover anything."

He turned his attention back to the imprinted patterns: "It seems that getting the answer about the lake bottom directly from him is impossible right now. He might not even know the specific existence of this guiding array. We still have to rely on ourselves."

He turned his attention back to the patterns on the rubbing: "Since we can't get direct information from it, we'll analyze it ourselves."

Over the next few days, Karen and her roommates devoted themselves to studying these ancient patterns. They consulted numerous books on ancient runes, the basics of magic circles, and historical magical architecture, but still didn't make many new discoveries.

"It seems we won't be able to open it anytime soon," Fabian said with some regret.

"But at least we know what it might be." Ernesto's eyes gleamed with academic curiosity. "An underwater magical laboratory or teleportation tunnel from a thousand years ago? That in itself is astonishing enough."

Karen nodded and carefully put away the organized pattern diagram: "Well, since we can't rush it, let's put it aside for now. Let's follow Professor Nico's suggestion and record its magic cycle first. Perhaps we can design a small monitoring magic device that can be placed nearby for a long time."

His gaze shifted towards the castle: "Moreover, the secrets of Hogwarts aren't just underwater."