One afternoon, on his way back to the library, Alex spotted Vivian sitting alone in Clock Square, looking upset as she sat on a bench, deep in thought.
"Vivian, weren't you excited about the Quidditch tryouts today?" Alex asked, remembering how excited she'd been the day before, sharing her hopes of making the team. Alex knew Vivian was a great flyer; he was sure she'd be chosen, at least as a reserve player.
Vivian's face twisted in frustration. "Ugh, don't get me started! Those purebloods have taken over everything. They're not just strutting around the common room; now they're trying to control our Quidditch team. Any Slytherin who hasn't openly sided with them isn't even allowed to try out. They even shut out veteran players who don't support them," she said, her voice seething with anger.
Alex frowned. "What about Dean Slughorn and Vanessa? Aren't they doing anything to stop them from messing things up?"
Vivian sighed. "Our dean's too soft. As long as there's no outright brawling, he just turns a blind eye. Vanessa's busy with her last year; they hardly care about her authority anymore. When she's there, they keep it in check, but the second she's gone, it's chaos," she grumbled.
Since Alex had been staying away from the common room lately, he hadn't realized things had escalated to this level.
Vivian's frustration only grew as she continued. "You know what? Some of them are openly declaring their support for You-Know-Who now. Just for speaking out, senior Welen Higgs got kicked off the Quidditch team. He was our star Seeker last year when we beat Gryffindor!"
Alex remembered Welen Higgs, a polite upperclassman with impressive flying skills. "So... Quidditch tryouts are over?" he asked, sensing the answer.
"Not exactly," Vivian replied bitterly. "Now that guy, Raleigh Yaxley, is leading his newly reorganized team. He's a prefect and a big pureblood supremacist, so with him in charge, I doubt Slytherin has a real chance at a fair match this year." Her shoulders slumped as her voice faded.
The mention of Raleigh Yaxley struck a nerve. Alex remembered him well—one of the most vocal pureblood advocates. There had been a heated confrontation between him and Vanessa at the start of last year. Now it sounded like Yaxley was rallying others to his side, aiming to spread his influence.
Seeing Vivian so dejected, Alex tried to encourage her. "Don't worry, Vivian. If it doesn't happen this year, there's always next year. I believe in your talent, and you should, too."
Vivian's frustration didn't ease. "Easy for you to say. With the way things are going, I might never set foot on a Quidditch pitch for the rest of my time here."
Alex gave her a meaningful smile. "Maybe not... but I think their reign won't last forever. Trust me on that."
Vivian looked at him curiously, sensing there was more behind his words. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"Nothing," Alex replied lightly, though his tone hinted at hidden intentions. "Just know that I've got your back. And I hope you'll have mine." Vivian tilted her head in confusion as he turned and walked away, leaving her to ponder his words.
Alex, however, had no intention of being dragged into the pureblood drama. Right now, his focus was on strengthening himself. His studies were advancing quickly, especially his work on the echolocation spell. After numerous adjustments to the spell's structure, he and Professor Bones had managed to achieve the necessary frequency for ultrasonic waves. They were now in the process of testing various runes to receive and interpret the sound waves.
"The fourth set of runes shows promising results," Professor Bones remarked, holding a crystal ball they used to test spells. "The refracted sound waves are starting to form images, though the resolution is low and a bit unstable. Note that down, and we'll test the last two sets. If all goes well, we can refine the fourth set."
Alex quickly jotted down the results on parchment. They had been testing for days now. His job was to cast the ultrasonic spell repeatedly, while Professor Bones used different crystal balls to detect and receive the sound waves. Each test required ten trials for accuracy, and after four sets of runes, only the fourth had managed to form any image.
"Let's try the fifth set of runes," Professor Bones said, setting down one crystal ball and taking up another.
"Yes, Professor," Alex replied, preparing himself to cast the spell once more.
After ten thorough trials, Professor Bones set aside the crystal ball he was using, picked up a fresh one, and announced, "The fifth group of runes didn't quite work. Let's give the sixth group a try as our final test."
Alex nodded in agreement, then continued casting his spell with practiced concentration. A spark of surprise lit up Professor Bones' eyes as he stared into the new crystal ball. "Wait—could this be it?" he murmured, astonished by what he saw.
"What's wrong?" Alex asked, tilting his head in curiosity.
"See for yourself!" Professor Bones handed Alex the crystal ball and motioned for him to recast the spell.
Taking the crystal ball in hand, Alex focused his energy and cast an ultrasonic wave. As he looked through the crystal ball, ripples became visible, creating a detailed view of the entire office. By adjusting the angle, he could observe a holographic scene in stunning clarity, revealing even the desks and corners that were hidden from sight. Every angle was stable and clear.
"This is it? Did we really succeed?" Alex asked, his excitement barely contained as he took in the scene displayed through the crystal ball.
"It certainly seems so," Professor Bones replied with a similar thrill. "I never imagined an entire world composed of sound waves could look so remarkable!"
Alex, said with excitement, "With the sixth set of runes as our base, we can refine and perfect this spell!"
"Let's get to work, then! I believe we can complete it with this core structure." Professor Bones eagerly opened up his rune table, gesturing to Alex to join him in optimizing the rune set.
Together, they made minute adjustments to the runic structure and spacing, repeatedly testing and analyzing their progress. After several refinements, they finally settled on a stable, satisfactory rune structure. Taking a deep breath of relief, Professor Bones declared, "At last, we're done. The next step is engraving it onto alchemy materials. Alex, are you ready to craft your first item?"