The Awakening of Rowena's Eyeglass

Today was not the time that Helga and Jon had arranged in advance, so Jon waited for a while before Helga's consciousness replaced the one on the portrait.

"Why didn't you tell me in advance?" Helga spoke with a slight breathlessness; projecting her consciousness from the portrait world was not an easy task, especially with only a fragment of her soul left. Constantly coming and going could be exhausting.

"It's not a big deal, but Professor Dumbledore is not here today, so I took the opportunity to take your portrait with me," Jon replied, glancing at the storage bag he was holding. The bag had been enchanted with an Untraceable Extension Charm, so it had no trouble accommodating the portrait.

"But how are you planning to take this bag out?" The Ravenclaw portrait was quite large, and even with the extension charm, it didn't fold into something compact. The portrait would protrude from the bag.

"Don't worry about that. I've prepared a box as well. With two rounds of Extension Charms, I can safely transport the portrait. However, you probably won't be able to appear on this portrait for a while," Jon explained.

"That's fine. But have you prepared the things we talked about earlier?" Helga asked.

Jon nodded. He had been preparing for a long time to ensure the safe transfer of Helga's portrait. "I've had my parents buy some materials, ordered some myself, and kept the rest with my grandmother. So, all the materials are ready. Once we're back home, I can start setting up the magical array. I've practiced a few times, so there shouldn't be any major issues."

"That's good. Without the magical array maintaining the connection between the portrait and Hogwarts, taking the portrait with you would be pointless. But I'm not sure how long the magical array will last. I have my doubts," Helga said.

Jon was well aware of this concern, as the materials he had prepared were limited. However, he had found an alternative solution. "You don't need to worry about that. I've already figured it out."

Transferring Helga's portrait was a significant event, as Jon intended to learn offensive spells during the holidays rather than just practicing supportive spells. Helga had promised to help him with this. After all, to become a true wizard scholar, one needed more than just an understanding of magical energy. Spellcasting was also an integral part of magical research, and personal strength enhancement was merely a byproduct of research.

Jon truly didn't want to become a violent wizard but simply wished to acquire self-defense skills against potential threats, such as dark wizards who might appear around him at any time.

Helga's consciousness gradually retreated from the portrait, and the beautiful witch with a smile took her place again. In the next moment, Jon put the portrait into the bag.

Placing the bag on the desk in Ravenclaw's study, Jon took out the single lens eyeglass and put it in front of his left eye, focusing on observing the wall.

Having reviewed Rowena Ravenclaw's design sketches repeatedly before, along with Helga's translation and Jon's somewhat clumsy knowledge of ancient magical texts, he had essentially confirmed that this single lens eyeglass was a finished product created by Rowena Ravenclaw. Its purpose was to assist in analyzing the flow of magic.

During that era, eyeglasses were not common items; only nobles could afford them. Rowena's own creation was a plain lens—neither for nearsightedness nor magnification, just a simple, circular, transparent lens.

However, when Jon obtained it, this magical item had been inactive due to long periods of disuse. This had been quite vexing for Jon. It felt like inheriting a large fortune only to be told it required a password for access, a frustrating experience. Helga had spent several days studying it but had been unable to discern how to activate it. She had only provided Jon with some insights into Rowena Ravenclaw's habits and advised him to try communicating with the eyeglass.

What good was communication with a pair of eyeglasses?

Jon's idea was quite simple: since it was an eyeglass, it should be worn. So, whenever no one was around, he would take the eyeglass out and look through it for a while. On a few occasions, he had been caught, and people had assumed he had developed eyesight problems at a young age. Even Professor Flitwick had advised Jon to protect his eyesight.

This approach had actually yielded some progress. At least Jon could now sense faint magical fluctuations on the eyeglass. These fluctuations were especially pronounced in Rowena Ravenclaw's study. Capturing these fluctuations was difficult; Jon had to focus intently on a specific task to synchronize his magical aura with the eyeglass's magic.

Since it involved the area around his eyes, Jon didn't dare to use too much magic. After each magical transfer, the magical fluctuations on the eyeglass became slightly stronger, although they hadn't yet manifested any special functions—clearer vision, if considered a special function.

This effort was a painstaking process with uncertain outcomes, but Jon believed it was worth it. An item crafted by Rowena Ravenclaw herself, preserved for a thousand years, and even Helga had praised its design. Now, Jon only had to invest some time and effort to potentially gain the right to use and own this valuable item. It was a deal he couldn't pass up.

As Jon had spent so much time with the eyeglass, he estimated that today might be the moment to fully activate this magical item. After all, he had already reviewed everything visible in the study, including all ninety-three floor tiles, and he had no desire to reexamine the fine cracks on those tiles.

Perhaps prayer had finally worked, or maybe consistent effort had accumulated into progress. Just as Jon's eyes were beginning to feel tired, the eyeglass finally showed some reaction.

Blue and purple lines suddenly appeared in Jon's field of vision, intertwining with each other. Then, two lines of small, ancient text appeared before Jon's eyes.

The sentence was half in Latin, with a sprinkling of a Nynian word. With his limited knowledge of magical texts and medieval grammar, Jon struggled for a while before deciphering the meaning of the sentence.

It was an inscription:

"The exploration of magic is endless; this is the gateway to truth. - Rowena Ravenclaw"

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