Yawn...

It seemed about a third of the castle was sleepy and lethargic after Professor Trishna's overnight cram session for finals. The weather was nice, still rather cool, but many seemed to remain indoors today due to lack of energy. So this study chamber was filled with students, some actually studying for upcoming exams and others dragging various adventures up from the Great Hall. A group of what must have been 3rd or 4th years were egging on a Monster Book of Monsters, antagonizing it then jumping out of the way.

Philo had his materials clustered around one of the low lamps that lit the line of tables. Although the young Ravenclaw did not really need to study despite the cauldron with potion residue, stack of books and some rolled up leftover star charts around him.

What Philo was really pondering about were his old omnioculars, rescued from Professor Trishna after class. The professor seemed bemused by what the device was up to so Philo got off with only a chide about paying attention in class. How did omnioculars work anyways, Philo thought again. It must be down to the lenses, mostly, that are enchanted to recognize quidditch moves. So, if he was able to use the lenses in something else, say a camera or something, could the lenses be tuned to recognize different things?

Getting to the lenses was the issue. The parts, though old, were delicate and would require fine tools to disassemble the device and extract the lenses.

"What do you think?" Philo asked Arlaug, the frog resting on a book next to a bag of Gobbstones.

"Crud," croaked Arlaug.

As if he ever expected proper conversation from the amphibian. Distracted, Philo glanced downwards and saw a discarded Fizzing Whisbees wrapper on the floor. He picked it up, smoothing it out. Wasn't this one of...

A scan around the room did not reveal who Philo was looking for. He kept the wrapper, anyways, though he didn't know yet why.

But again, back to the puzzle at hand. Let's say you could build a camera out of some omnioculars. What would it do? Instantly label all your photographs? It was missing something. Philo reached into his book bag, hoping to pull out a notebook but instead an old copy of The Quibbler from when they were releasing Spectrespecs again. Philo removed the pair and put them on. He giggled; all they ever did was make things look trippy with colored lights swirling about...

Then it hit him. If you're going to improve on the omniocular model, why not use every magical lens or ocular device you could find. Philo set to making a list, although he was unsure if he could ever find or afford these components he was looking for.

Trips to the Restricted Section were always a treat. After the Astronomy class from the previous night, Erik didn't feel like going to bed, even if he was tired, so he went to the library--got a Monsters Book of Monsters, took a nap, got up, then passed it off to some 3rd and 4th years for two pockets full of sickles and knuts, and then  starting hopping from chair to chair away from the students, laughing and yelping sporadically. He felt rather fulfilled for that moment, but due to an onsetting of fatigue from the previous night it didn't register, so he felt like there was more to do.

Then he saw a mildly approving Ravenclaw, and by that Erik approved more of the boy than his annoying female Ravenclaw counterparts Rowena seemed capable of spitting out. But maybe she did better with the 1st year boys.

The coins in Erik's pockets clinked and rattled as he hopped onto the chair next to Philo, "Fantastic eyewear, Falkin." He let his feet slide as his butt dropped to the chair with a hard thud and then looked at Arlaug, "Frog," he greeted, "Your french is as artistic as ever, I'm sure," then it spat off some explicative, as expected, but Erik was too tired to deviate from his short attention span and lack of comebacks that day.

Since the Gryffindor hadn't been capable of any significant trouble that day, despite what he may want, he fell back on his next innate instinct: talking incessantly, "Got your omnioculars back I see, brill idea," he gestured to the device, "You should muster some way to stick it all inside a telescope, yeah?"  he hopped as a smile became plastered across his face, "Then sell it!"

Philo heard sounds next to him, someone walking, so he looked up and saw a figure in crimson and gold swirls. "Fantastic eyewear, Falkin." Huh? Then Philo remembered he was still wearing the Spectrespecs. He took them off. Oh, Erik Collins.

Erik provoked Arlaug but the Gryffindor had nothing in response except to slump in another chair. Erik must have been really tired if an expletive spewing Swear Frog wasn't causing him to roll about on the floor laughing.

"Got your omnioculars back I see, brill idea," Erik said quickly. "You should muster some way to stick it all inside a telescope, yeah? Then sell it!"

"Sell it?" Philo mused. "Only if it's cost effective...probably patent holders to work around...and I'm thinking of something bigger then just a telescope." He paused, unsure of Erik's sudden interest. "If you want something to cheat with, go buy a Weasley Wizard Wheeze."

Erik turned his head to stare at the other boy through weary confusion before he lets his jaw drop and laugh.  "Cheat in Astronomy!?" he peeled through his burst of hysteria, "By building a telescope?" he nearly rolled off his chair, "I'm better off labeling the stars on my pj's[1]!"  he smacked his hand on the table before finally simmering down, "Too much work for a grade, but I like some extra change for dung bombs and punching telescopes though--never hurts to come up with a nice money-making trick," he crossed his legs, closed his eyes, and leaned back kin his chair.

"Besides you're the one who stuck them on the end of a telesc0--" his eyes popped open and he froze as his ears caught up to his brain. Then his brain communicated with his mouth. Then realization hit him, "Wait... " he sat straight up in his chair now, seemingly wide awake, "Bigger than a telescope? What the heck is 'bigger than a telescope'?"

1.	He does weird stuff like dress up like a martian or wears his animated pajamas with a big black hole on it.

Philo sat back as Erik laughed. He remembered the alien outfit incident. Having a cheating telescope was either too much effort or too subtle for Erik. "Too much work for a grade, but I like some extra change for dung bombs and punching telescopes though--never hurts to come up with a nice money-making trick."

"Do you have a spare punching telescope?" Philo asked. Not that it would add any distinct ocular feature but the thought intrigued him. He had telescopes on the mind and maybe the boxing glove could be recycled for something else...

Then Erik grew wide-eyed. "Wait...bigger than a telescope? What the heck is 'bigger than a telescope'?"

"Not bigger, really, well broader is the term I'm looking for." Philo drew up a sketch. "Well, why settle for building a telescope when it's nearly the same as some omnioculars. How about scaling it to something more complex, like a camera or similar? Take the identification enchantments, maybe some other seeing or scrying devices --can you think of any?" Philo interjected, before continuing. "--I mean, if it's built right, this could see more than stars or prime quidditch moves. It could see anything."

Then, as an afterthought. "And take a picture of it."

"It could see anything.... And take a picture of it."

"I'm not sure if I like the way this conversation is going." A voice spoke up from behind Philo, a gentle hand landing on his shoulder in a sisterly manner, before the short seventh year slid onto the seat right beside him. "Next thing you'll have a periscope into the girls' dormitory," Theta continued, straight-faced, and wagged her finger, "I know how your minds work boys." Her expression cracked into a smile.

"Collins isn't it?" She asked Erik, "Martian boy." When he appeared to confirm such, she extended her hand, "Theta Pepper."

Turning back to Philo she picked up the glasses and peered through them.
"Ooh haven't looked through any of these in years, forgotten what they do." She peered at Philo and then at Erik before popping the glasses back down before her fellow Ravenclaw.
"So, what could see everything and take a photo of it, boys?"

"I'm not sure if I like the way this conversation is going." Philo felt a warm hand on his shoulder. He looked up and smiled. Theta was very nice, along with her uncle and other family she had pointed out at the Dept. of Mysteries tent back when the career fair was in swing. Now why couldn't his actual sister be more like Theta? Felicia was petie much like Theta, but nobody wanted to mess with her since she wrestled down half ton creatures for a living. And she was a bit a prude. The last time she had written from the hippogrif preserve she worked at in Wales, Felicia had mentioned that she got to name the runt of a recently birthed brood "Philius" because it mostly stayed in the stable and was a late bloomer for flying.

Theta sat down. "Next thing you'll have a periscope into the girls' dormitory. I know how your minds work boys."

"Whut?" Philo exclaimed, shocked. "No! I wouldn't!" Heavens help the person who actually wanted to see Eirene's nightly ritual. Although Philo's mind strayed to the Fizzing Whizzbee wrapper in his pocket. If he could figure out where the Hufflepuff dorm was, and sneak in a periscope to see...strike that thought. Theta was right, it sounded needlessly creepy.

Philo emerged, slightly ashamed, from this fantasy to find Theta sporting his Spectrespecs and talking to Erik. "So, what could see everything and take a photo of it, boys?"

"You might understand this better, since you said many in your family work on repairing delicate instruments." Philo looked through his omnioculars. Ah, here was something. The next table over, an overturned bottle of Pumpkin Juice had fallen victim to the chasing of the Monster Book of Monsters. Feeble purple writing in the viewfinder indetified the spill as Puddlemore United.

"Have a look at that mess," Philo said, offering the omnioculars. "This is so old and defective that it's trying to label anything with a somewhat related quidditch term, like 'Puddlemore United' for a puddle. I was wondering if it was possible to remove the lenses and recycle them into some other device. It's the lenses that do the labeling, isn't it?[1]"

1.	This interpretation makes the most sense to me: Information Charm

"You might understand this better, since you said many in your family work on repairing delicate instruments." Philo told Theta, raising the omnioculars to his eyes and scanning the room.

"Have a look at that mess," Philo said, offering the omnioculars and pointing to where some pumpkin juice had been spilled. Theta grasped the omnioculars and raised them swiftly before anyone cleared up the mess (who was she kidding...)

"This is so old and defective that it's trying to label anything with a somewhat related quidditch term, like 'Puddlemore United' for a puddle. I was wondering if it was possible to remove the lenses and recycle them into some other device. It's the lenses that do the labelling, isn't it?"

"Puddlemere, yes," Theta agreed, moving them around to inspect other items with a quidditch theme.

"We'd have to compare results with a new set, see if they attempt to interpret the world around them in the same way as your old ones do." She lowered them and inspected them. "The lenses, yes that would be my best bet too. The rest of it houses the magic - it must be contained to be reused, to remember the moves and record. We could look up the patents, but it would be interesting to try with a new set and see if the magic has changed within yours."

She peered at them from the side, looking for cracks, then shoved her hand in her pocket and brought out an eyeglass which she put to one eye and frowned to hold it in place while the examination continued.

"Well, nothing obvious, but it only takes small breaks to cause seepage, though it would mean the ability was slower, or the length it would record replays would be reduced or impaired. The lenses would have a crack in to break them, but none of this explains why it should attempt to label every day things in a semi intelligent way." She handed back the omnioculars and put her eyeglass back into her pocket. 

-- Aggie's Outfit --

---

Aglaia Knight had decided upon herself to sit down with a bunch of her fellow Slytherins and take some time to study. The chamber was rather full, many students studying just like Aggie, and others being completely annoying. Aggie was growing bitter and disgusted with the students around her. She thrived on being around intelligent, fabulous people, and she was growing wary. Perhaps it was because Aglaia was an incredible elitist and found herself in the company of wealthy purebloods at every given moment. And most wealthy purebloods were completely conservative prudes and "fun" wasn't in their dictionary.

And it was probably also because Aggie was a jerk.

As Aglaia attempted to concentrate on her work, she heard a familiar voice behind her. Erik Collins was behind her. She could recognize his voice. She sighed and tried to ignore him, but she ended up listening to the conversation he was having with, or who she believed was, Philo Falkin. While Aggie had much disdain towards Erik, she was rather indifferent with Philo. She usually gave Ravenclaws a chance. Though, Eirene sometimes annoyed her, she was still considered a "friend." Though she face Aggie's wrath on a day to day basis. But then another voice piped into the conversation. An older girl, it sounded like. Aggie never heard that voice before. Her eye began to twitch. What was an older student doing... Talking to them.

The girl finally looked over her shoulder, looking over the older girl. She wasn't at all impressed. But she was now interested in the object they were talking about. The girl pushed herself out of her chair and stood up, turning to the group behind her. Which was when her eyes landed on the joke that was Erik's outfit. She could feel her eye twitching now. A quirk she had whenever she was annoyed. People didn't notice it much, thankfully, but it was still embarrassing. She looked like a freak. And Aglaia Knight was meant to be posh and intimidating.

"What are you guys looking at?" She asked, her voice monotone. She was attempting to hide her utter annoyance in everyone she was looking at. She only accomplished this by speaking in a low, steady tone that made her sound like a rather mean professor. Aggie's tiny hand shot up and pressed against her cheek, her finger tips steadying her bottom eyelid to keep it from twitching. She felt it rumbling against her skin. It creeped her out.

Her dark eyes gazed down at the trinket in Philo's possession. A thin eyebrow rose, "What is that? If you don't mind me asking...?"

Before Erik to figure out the endless opportunities Philo's ideas presented an older came up behind them and suggested something that made Erik's nose curl, "ew," girls. In their dormitory. Probably painting their nails and doing their hair while wearing frilly nightgowns.

"Never," came Erik's flatline reply after Philo's exclamations. Then Theta identified him as the 'Martian Boy,' and he couldn't help but smile and shake her hand proudly--"Yup, yup," then her and Philo dove into some intellectual conversations on how to go about the lenses, most of which Erik couldn't interpret for the life of him.

"Aren't there any instructions written on the inside?" Erik finally said leaning over to peer at the device, "You know, uh , wizard instructions..um," he really couldn't remembered what those funny markings were called, he knew there was a class about them though, he just would sooner call them funny markings, "--maybe it's on the inside or something?" Erik assumed that the devices were ridiculously big for some reason, other than practicality.

Then, as if a mirror cracked and shambled to a pile of pitiful class, one of the Knights entered the conversation. And not just any Knight, Little Miss Prissy Pants. Erik could hardly contain himself as he turned a dull and unamused face towards Aglaia. He wouldn't touch her with a 9 1/2 foot pole, "Project," he replied with a heavy drag, as if it were some fantastic chore, "The brilliant mystery of why a pair of omnioculars speaks the ancient language of Quidditch," he chirped into a more positive tone on that note. It wasn't truly a lie, but it he thought it was lacking in enough of the truth that maybe she'd just go away.

Philo took in Theta's observations. It made sense to him. "They're...just really old," Philo said, regarding the omnioculars. "Dad's had them since a purchase from a quidditch match decades ago when was first courting mum."

And the numerous games the omnioculars had observed since then. Philo usually had to spend several minutes getting them to sync to the house games. "I've used them for birdwatching, or just looking at things from afar in general, but they've never gone labeling things like this before last night's astronomy session. Must have triggered a break in the play-by-play switch..."

Erik was fending off the curious looks of a peer age Slytherin girl. Agalaia was kind of a snob. Those with high society family connections were still mostly sorted in Slytherin. Erik tried to shrug her off. "Project; the brilliant mystery of why a pair of omnioculars speaks the ancient language of Quidditch."

"A useful but short summary," Phillo said as he looked up at her. "Well, what we're trying to do...uh." He was taken aback, loosing his train of thought. Agalia was clutching her check and if-you-blinked-you-missed-it her eye was twitching. She had a skull-boring look some of the professors had. Philo coughed, hiding the nature of his observation.

"...um, have you ever seen a quidditch game through omnioculars, they spout all that information about the moves and players during the match? We're trying to see if that could be used for something beyond quidditch."

Dahlia entered the study chamber free of any burden other than two small cloth bags that were tied with a draw string at the top. She had done enough studying for one day. Afterall she was at the top of the class in all of her classes, was caught up in all of her homework and wasn't fretting about any of the upcoming exams unlike some other know it alls in their year. Exams had never bothered Dahlia, had never caused her to tremble or endlessly go over minute details petrified she may have missed something in the umpteenth hours of studying she did on a regular basis. If she didn't know what was on the exam come test day than she supposed she never would. No harm no foul.

For now Dahlia was trying to seek out her often trouble making twin brother. She hadn't heard any cafuffle from him all day and was actually finding herself a little concerned that he hadn't managed to get into any trouble yet. She wasn't entirely expecting him to be in study hall, or at least not be using the room to it's actual intention. She spotted him quickly enough in a small group of others. She recognized Aglaia and Philo well enough but was unfamiliar with the other female student that was sitting with them.

Without an invitation Dahlia joined the group and tossed one of the cloth bags to her twin, "Uncle Jason sent us treats from his new restaurant again." Their uncle, the only other male in the Collins family was a squib and living his life out as a wild bachelor muggle who had recently acquired his own restaurant.

She opened her own cloth satchel and removed a small piece of toffee before snaking it into her mouth. She watched the others playing with the omnioculars, "Something beyond quidditch? Like what?"

"They're just really old. Dad's had them since a purchase from a quidditch match decades ago when first courting mum." Philo explained, and Theta's gaze fell upon him as opposed to the omnioculars.
"I've used them for birdwatching, or just looking at things from afar in general, but they've never gone labelling things like this before last night's astronomy session. Must have triggered a break in the play-by-play switch…"

"Hmm." Theta replied thoughtfully. "Very curious."

"What are you guys looking at?" Another first year approached. "What is that? If you don't mind me asking…?"

"Project." Marian Boy Erik replied "The brilliant mystery why a pair of omnioculars speak the ancient language of Quidditch." Theta couldn't be sure, but it sounded like Erik didn't much like this girl.

"A useful but short summary, well what we're trying to do … uh…" Philo stopped short of explaining. "Um have you ever seen a Quidditch game through omnioculars, they spout all that information about the moves and players during the match? We're trying to see if that could be used for something beyond Quidditch."

Theta reached into her bag, surrounded by the younger students, finding her newest copy of the inventors circulars she subscribed to after discovering her uncle Francis had read them since he was a student at Hogwarts. They had lists of parts and who to write to for them. Trouble was, nothing was particularly cheap when it was sold by a wizard out his shed.

"Something beyond Quidditch? Like what?" Another girl asked, munching on something.

"Well, like Philo mentioned, bird watching is an obvious, although generally uninteresting consideration. Perhaps people in crowds, buildings and towns from a vista, stars…" She leafed over a page and looked up at Dahlia, "Don't be getting that stuff on the books, I'm not a prefect, but its them or Librarian Morgan who will have you in detention for it."

Looking back to Philo and Erik, she slid the list of parts over.
"You could order new lenses but for all the trouble, you could almost buy new omnioculars. Experimentation on a student budget is a little trickier than inventor adults." She shrugged. "Though speaking of librarian Morgan, there might be something in the library about the patents for those which will help work out what's going on." She suggested.

"But even then, we'd need some more to take apart. Junk shops chuck those sorts of things if they turn out to be broken."

Philo noticed Dahlia join in. Erik's twin, and she was in Hufflepuff with...Philo's mental train skipped tracks again. He was beginning to realize that there might be potential for mischief with a truly omni sensing ocular device. At least, Erik would try it, and Dahlia didn't always keep her twin on a leash. Sometime she joined in.

In fact, Theta was giving word to thoughts Philo had has well. "But even then, we'd need some more to take apart. Junk shops chuck those sorts of things if they turn out to be broken."

That was the heart of it. Even with all the research of how omnioculars and similar devices worked, funding for the actual build was the problem. Theta thought of sourcing parts from junk shops but the pessimistic half of Philo's brain was already going. "Junk would be cheap. There's Curious Curios in Diagon Alley, or Dervish and Banges in Hogsmead. But none of us are old enough to go to Hogsmead," he indicated his peers, "except Theta, but she needs a Hogsmead Weekend to visit. But it's hopeless."

"I mean," he laughed dryly, "It's not as if there's a spot in Hogwarts where everyone throws away their junk."

Erik's eyes popped up on his head, immediately, as his mouth shrunk into an 'o' and fell to a corner of his face. He, himself, had run across such a room over a month ago, out of urgency, and needing to hide a certain Restricted Section's book. "No, no, no," Erik began slowly,  pivoting as if he were sitting on the answers to the next DADA exam, as he finally faced Philo again.

The Gryffindor's gaze swung towards his sister before he focused on the Ravenclaw, "I'm sure there's one."

Erik sounded overly reassuring, his tone seeming to linger with fact more than optimism. Then, after a beat,  he suspiciously slipped out, "I've heard..." He took another glance around the table, at everyone, the silence, the 7th year, Dahlia, and Philo again. His fingers drummed once as he looked across the room at ferocious book and lowered his voice in a monotonous mumble, "and may have seen, once," Erik caught himself as he remembered that there was also some underground racing thing held in, what may have been, the same room.

His voice lowered another pitch as he added, "or twice."