The classroom fell into a sudden, deathly silence. Even the air seemed to freeze as everyone instinctively held their breath. Their eyes were locked onto Victor Wick, burning with an irrepressible sense of anticipation.
A faint smile played across Victor's lips. He slowly pulled a wand from his pocket, his voice gentle yet clear. "Of course I can. However, this will only be a basic, simplified demonstration. Safety first. I'll slow down every movement so you can see it clearly..."
He walked slowly to the mirror and lightly tapped the surface with the tip of his wand, his movements calm and unhurried.
A shimmer of light suddenly erupted from the wand's tip. A soft, silver-blue glow spread like flowing water, steadily covering the entire mirror. The reflection inside rippled like water, delicate and vibrant.
"I can use a mirror to appear at any position within its reflection's range. It's like..."
Before he could finish, the light and shadows before everyone's eyes shifted. It was so fast it was nearly impossible to track.
Victor, who had been standing steadily before the mirror, suddenly 'slipped' into the glass. His silhouette vanished in a flash amidst the ripples.
"...this!"
The first half of the sentence still echoed from the front of the mirror, but the latter half came from the back of the classroom. Victor stood in the back corner with a light smile, his posture tall and composed. His robes didn't even sway, as if he hadn't moved at all.
"Whoa!"
The long-suppressed gasps instantly erupted, and the classroom burst into excitement. Exclamations of wonder echoed one after another.
"That... that was way too fast... no wonder he could save Harry last night!" Ron's mouth hung open in shock, his eyes wide. He nearly bit his tongue.
Harry's pupils dilated in shock. He couldn't hide his amazement, completely won over by this magical mirror-blink. His fingers tightened slightly around his wand.
"Oh... you should probably thank the caretaker for polishing the trophies so well," Hermione joked with a smile.
"The caretaker? But the house-elves are the ones who look after those things," Ron frowned, sounding a bit confused.
"House-elves? What are those...?" Hermione's brow furrowed in confusion. She had already scoured all the magic books she currently owned and had never seen any mention of them.
As Ron was about to explain, Victor's form in the back of the room suddenly turned into a spray of fine light. In a blink, he returned to his original spot at the podium, his movements too fast to react to.
Another wave of gasps erupted. Ron and Hermione were so stunned by the sight that they temporarily forgot their conversation, their eyes locked onto Victor.
"See? This is the basic application of Mirror Teleportation."
Victor dispelled the glow on his wand, his expression turning serious. "But remember, the threshold for high-level mirror magic is extremely high. It requires immense magical power, precise spatial control, and meticulous spell derivation capabilities. You are far from being able to touch it yet. If you attempt this spell without sufficient ability... you could very likely be trapped in the Mirror World forever, never to return."
Hearing this, the wonder on the students' faces instantly faded, replaced by expressions of awe. Their eyes collectively fell on the mirror shimmering with a faint silver-blue light. No one dared to be flippant anymore.
"Alright, let's get back to the lesson. After all, I didn't create this teaching aid just for it to be a regular mirror." Victor's expression softened slightly as he jerked his chin. "Come on, everyone line up and come to the mirror one by one."
Shafiq immediately stepped down from the podium, quietly directing the first-years to form a long queue and stand in order before the mirror.
Victor raised his wand again and tapped the mirror. The surface, which had been settling, instantly rippled like a lake hit by a stone. The silver-blue glow spread out once more.
"Alright, one by one," Victor said with a gentle smile, encouraging the students before him.
Malfoy, who was first in line, stared at the fluctuating mirror. Victor's words about 'being trapped in the Mirror World forever' echoed in his ears. He hesitated, a flash of subtle fear in his eyes.
"Don't be nervous." Victor noticed his unease and spoke more gently. "Just treat it like a normal door and walk forward boldly."
"Let me go!" Seeing this, Harry pulled the hesitating Malfoy aside. With a determined look, he strode forward and stepped through the mirror without hesitation, his figure vanishing instantly.
The sensation was exactly the same as when he had passed through the brick wall at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters—weightless and wonderful, without the slightest resistance.
Malfoy's face flushed with a mix of shame and annoyance. He glared at where Harry had disappeared, snorted, gritted his teeth, and followed Harry's lead, stepping into the mirror.
Like passing through a cool gate of water, Malfoy felt a slight chill wash over him. In the next second, the scenery before him changed completely.
This was a white wasteland that stretched beyond the horizon. The world was vast and empty, with only white sand beneath his feet extending into the distance. Harry was standing nearby, curiously turning his head and looking around this strange land.
Malfoy turned his head and saw that the place he had entered from was still a mirror, but its surface had turned a deep indigo. It looked like a tranquil portal, emitting a faint glow.
On a whim, he tried to go behind the portal to see what the other side of the mirror looked like. But as soon as he took a step, his nose bumped into an invisible yet soft wall of air, and he was firmly pushed back.
"Let's explore the area ahead some other time." Victor's gentle voice suddenly rang in his ear.
Malfoy whipped his head around, but Victor was nowhere to be seen... *Was this Professor Wick's voice echoing in the Mirror World? But why did he sound so strange?*
By now, the rest of the students had crossed through the mirror one by one, entering this unfamiliar wasteland. Every face was filled with curiosity and wonder as they whispered among themselves.
Finally, Victor and his assistant Shafiq stepped through the mirror together. They appeared in the center of the wasteland, looking kindly at the students gathering around.
"Professor, did you capture real Inferi inside the mirror?" Harry's eyes lit up. He leaned in excitedly, his voice full of hope.
"Oh! Of course not." Victor rubbed his chin, a hint of a smile in his eyes. "However, that's a very good idea. Perhaps I really should try it sometime in the future."
"That would definitely be interesting!" Harry became even more excited, his eyes shining.
"Oh, Harry, those dark creatures are anything but interesting." Victor's expression immediately turned grave, his tone darkening. "Never let your guard down when facing any dark creature. Even if it's just a small Red Cap, you mustn't be the slightest bit lax."
"Yes, I understand, Professor." Harry quickly suppressed his excitement and nodded seriously, taking Victor's words to heart.
At this point, the other students had also stopped talking. While looking around the empty wasteland, they turned their burning gazes toward Victor, waiting expectantly for his next demonstration.
"Inferi, also known as reanimated corpses, are bodies brought back to life by Dark Wizards using Dark Magic," Victor began slowly, his voice low and heavy. "Those Dark Wizards forced the remains of these poor souls to become their horrific puppets, controlled at their whim to carry out evil deeds."
As he spoke, Victor gave a casual wave of his hand, and the surrounding wasteland underwent a world-shaking transformation!
The pristine, empty wasteland was instantly replaced by a dark, terrifying marsh. The muddy black earth gave off a foul stench, and stagnant, murky water pooled among the thickets of withered grass. In the distance, the branches of trees were twisted and bare, without a single leaf, radiating an unspeakable eeriness.
The students' position also quietly shifted to the edge of the marsh's forest. Beneath their feet were damp, rotting leaves that felt soft and slimy to the touch.
The sudden change in environment caused every student to shiver involuntarily. A chill instantly spread through them...
The environment was too realistic. Aside from the sudden drop in temperature and the piercing cold, they could clearly smell the decaying, metallic scent of mud emanating from the marsh, mixed with a faint stench of rot that made their stomachs turn.
"Once, while hunting a Dark Wizard, I encountered the puppets he controlled in a marsh just like this... that is to say, these Inferi." Victor's gaze swept over the crowd, his tone calm. "What you see now is a scene I've captured from my own memories. I've turned it into a projection to recreate what happened back then."
He paused and added, "Are you ready? If you feel any discomfort—dizziness, nausea, for instance—you can go to Mr. Shafiq immediately for help. He has Invigoration Draughts to help lift your spirits and ease the discomfort."
"We're ready!"
The students answered in unison. Although there was a hint of fear on their faces, it was outweighed by intense curiosity. They stared fixedly at the marsh before them; not one of them backed down.
Seeing that everyone was prepared, Victor nodded slightly. He then slowly turned his head, looking solemnly at the grim marsh ahead.
"Let's begin."
He slowly raised his wand, holding it steadily as he pointed it toward the marsh.
Like a paused video being resumed, the dead marsh suddenly came to life!
Bubbles of pitch-black gas rose from the murky marsh water. The 'glub-glub' sound was exceptionally clear in the silent forest. The already pungent stench suddenly grew heavier, hitting their nostrils and making them frown.
"Splat!"
After a dull, wet sound, a hand, pale almost to the point of being translucent, suddenly burst from the marsh's sludge. Its fingers were splayed wide, the nails packed with dark brown filth, and the protruding joints gave it an unspeakably eerie and terrifying appearance.
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