Nick read the message and repaired the damage left on the mirror from the message before pulling out a quill. {No need to carve the words onto the mirror , ink will suffice.} he wrote before watching the ink vanish from the mirrors face with a smirk. The reason he needed the bonded enchantment from the vanishing cabinets was so the mirrors could send fluids through to the other side in small concentrations. It was basically the same as sending a letter but nearly instantaneous while totally ignoring the issues an owl may have doing so.-
"Did you just send a message through a mirror?" Tracy asked in shock. "I did and it's already reached the other mirror connected to it as well." Nick said smugly. "Do you even realize the significance of what you have done!? If every wizard had access to something like this then it would render owlmail obsolete!" She exclaimed excitedly. "I am aware of that but do you have any idea how expensive a single mirror would actually be just to make?" Nick asked calmly. "Isn't it just a normal silver mirror that has been enchanted?" Hermione asked confused.-
Nick shook his head "This mirror and those connected to it are all alchemically treated before given a very specific enchantment that allows them to function. I estimate that it costs nearly sixty galleons just to create this single mirror so if I sold them then it would be at around seventy galleons to make it worth mass producing. How many people do you think could easily afford such a price?" He explained seriously with a rhetorical question at the end. "What if you didn't alchemically treat the mirrors but just enchanted them?" Luna asked curiously.-
"Well then the cost to make one would be around fifteen galleons but the treatment is very important for the longevity of the mirrors because as you know they aren't the most durable of things and once cracked or broken are nearly impossible to fix without magic. Due to the nature of the enchantment however if one mirror breaks at least some of that damage will transfer to EVERY mirror it was connected to which will mean all those people would need to pay to either repair or repurchase a new mirror. I have long considered selling something like this but the price to do so makes it difficult." Nick explained with a sigh.-
He is well aware of how mirrors like this could revolutionize the magical communications industry but the price point for the mass production of them was simply too high. He of course was searching for a cheaper way to construct the things but so far this was it. "Why not just change the materials that make up the mirror to something stronger?" Harry asked confused since it seemed like a common sense solution. "How many of you signed up for the enchanting elective?" Nick asked and Hermione , Tracy and Daphne raised their hands.-
"Whoever is going to be teaching that class should also explain this but listen up. Materials each have their own conductivity to magic with some being great for it and others being terrible at it. The things with high magical conductivity tend to also be rather expensive so changing the material of the mirrors to a sturdier material with the necessary conductivity to hold the enchantment would equally raise the price considerably as well. Alchemically treated glass and silver IS the cheapest materials possible with the necessary conductivity." Nick explained patiently.-
"So no chance for these to get mass produced for cheap then?" Daphne asked while looking a little depressed at the lost opportunity. "Not necessarily , See while I haven't found a cheaper way to create these mirrors that does not mean that one does not exist. The problem is finding it." Nick said honestly. "If it helps these mirrors are actually the crudest possible use of this enchantment line. With some serious tweaking to the enchantment it is theoretically possible to record images , sounds and even send and receive items freely." Nick said and everyone looked dumbfounded by the sheer concept of such a thing.-
At this moment the mirror grew warm again and some ink in the form of a message appeared on the surface of the mirror. {What a marvelous enchantment! I will keep this mirror for my personal use but will pass the rest to my most loyal clan members until more arrive.} It read and Nick banished the ink from the mirror an put it away again. The rest of the after noon until lunch was spent with them just relaxing and swapping ideas. Lunas were usually the most difficult to pull off realistically but for a few of them she gave Nick hopeful looks when she mentioned them.