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Interacting with a legendary witch was always a fascinating experience, but it also required Ian to tread carefully; after all, the mind of a woman who had lived for millennia could shift as unpredictably as a Vanishing Cabinet.
Like now.
Moments ago, the witch had indulged Ian's request to ride a colossal bone dragon, prompting him to shower her with a stream of effusive praise. Yet, in the blink of an eye, she had pivoted to scrutinizing his progress in alchemy with the sternness of a Hogwarts examiner.
Even though Ian had successfully restored the enchanted iron guardians at the entrance, enhanced their enchantments, and even managed to replicate certain properties of the fabled Deathly Hallows, the legendary Lady Morgan remained unimpressed with his alchemical advancement.
"At this sluggish pace, it will take you no less than three full years to fully grasp the knowledge I've imparted."
Morgan is perhaps the first witch to express dissatisfaction with Ian's rate of learning. It wasn't that she doubted his aptitude; on the contrary, she criticized his insistence on maintaining normal sleeping habits.
"If I'd had such an optimal environment for study, I would have allowed myself to sleep only once a month. Wizards have many ways to evade the nuisance of exhaustion." To Morgan, whose entrepreneurial spirit rivaled that of the most ambitious goblins, Ian's preference for studying only during the day was a woeful display of inefficiency.
However.
Ian, determined to reach a height of at least six feet, chose to avoid the argument through self-reflection. Sleep deprivation was hardly a price he was willing to pay if it meant risking stunted growth.
Staying up late now and then was acceptable.
But if he pushed himself every night, he'd probably have to resort to Growth Potions to compensate— and that felt far too artificial, no better than the wizarding equivalent of a poorly transfigured nose job.
"Professor, the final answer to your alchemy assignment should be a Time-Turner, correct?" Seizing the opportunity to redirect the conversation, Ian quickly shifted topics.
It was the logical conclusion he had reached after carefully analyzing Morgan's alchemical framework. However, the deeper he delved into her assignment, the more he realized that the process she had outlined was far more intricate than he had initially assumed.
Of course.
His understanding of Time-Turners was still relatively shallow. Even after conducting extensive research, he discovered that detailed references to them were scarce— nearly as rare as books discussing the Deathly Hallows.
Not every question can be answered through books. Some authors simply hadn't possessed the necessary knowledge, while others had been cautious enough to withhold it. Over the centuries, many texts had quietly vanished from history.
Some had been hidden deliberately.
Others had simply been lost to time.
Despite the vastness of Hogwarts' library, the current Restricted Section was little more than a fragmented collection of once-banned tomes. Naturally, it contained no precise documentation on the construction or inner workings of Time-Turners.
The books he had managed to find mostly described their usage—how one would appear to be flying backward through time, clouds and scenery blurring past while a deafening knocking sound filled the air, making it impossible to hear one's own voice.
A Time-Turner itself resembled a small, glowing golden hourglass suspended on a delicate chain, and each full turn sent the user one hour into the past.
"You should call it the Hourglass of Fate," Lady Morgan corrected, her tone firm. It was clear she wasn't simply debating terminology. This was about the sheer magnitude of power the object possessed.
"Can it defy fate and rewrite the past?" Ian's eyes lit up at once.
The name Hourglass of Fate naturally made him think deeper. After all, one of the fundamental rules governing Time-Turners was that they allowed one to witness history, not alter it.
No matter how powerful the wizard, not even Dumbledore himself, could change what had already come to pass. The Time-Turner's purpose was, at best, to uncover hidden truths.
And... for students to take extra classes.
Back in her third year, Hermione had been entrusted with one by Professor McGonagall, granting her the ability to attend multiple lessons at the same time.
Acquiring a Time Turner required a professor to submit extensive documentation to the Ministry of Magic, attesting that the student was responsible and would only use it for academic purposes.
Of course, the very fact that such a powerful artifact could be entrusted to a student showed just how strictly its use was regulated.
"It holds the power of both time and fate," Morgan remarked as she stepped into the castle with Ian. She reclined in her chair, nibbling at the treats Ian had conjured and answered in an almost casual tone. "But if you seek to reclaim lost love or restore a departed family member, you will only meet with disappointment."
"So... it's not much different from a Time Turner, then?"
Ian couldn't hide his disappointment.
But he wasn't discouraged.
After all, even replicating the creation of a Time Turner was an extraordinary feat— one that Hogwarts certainly did not teach, nor was it recorded anywhere else.
Even Nicolas Flamel, the famed master alchemist, had never succeeded in crafting one.
"A Time Turner does not hold the power of fate," Morgan corrected him once again. She knew well that much of the ancient knowledge had been lost to Ian's era.
And as for the reason...
Ian had little doubt that the Department of Mysteries played a significant role in that.
The Restricted Section had likely once contained records on their construction, but when the Department of Mysteries took control of all Time Turners, they systematically confiscated or destroyed any literature on the subject. According to Hogwarts' ghosts, the Department had removed many books from the library over the years.
It was likely that among them were those detailing the secrets of Time Turners. After all, it was only after that period that Hogwarts was granted permission to apply for Time Turners from the Ministry of Magic.
A trade-off, perhaps, a compromise between the school and the Department of Mysteries.
As a result, Ian, who had enrolled much later, never had the opportunity to even see a real Time Turner, let alone study one firsthand.
His only option was to piece together theories from the scant materials available. Creating one from scratch was an impossible task.
"So, what exactly can your hourglass do with the power of fate?" Ian asked as he moved behind Morgan, pressing his fingers into her shoulders. The dark witch, pleased by the gesture, allowed him to continue.
"Throughout history, very few wizards have been able to so much as touch the domain of fate," She said with a note of satisfaction in her voice. "This artifact is the culmination of my tireless research— a true masterpiece of alchemy."
The legendary witch took a moment to bask in her own brilliance before continuing, this time with a cryptic air.
"It cannot rewrite an outcome... but it allows those in the past to pluck the strings of fate."
Ian sighed inwardly.
Old witches and old wizards alike seemed to share a fondness for riddles, always speaking in veiled words and leaving others to puzzle out their meaning.
"Pluck the strings of fate?"
Ian mulled over the words carefully.
For once, the witch's cryptic remark wasn't too difficult to decipher.
"When you provide a satisfactory answer, you'll have the chance to witness its extraordinary magic for yourself," Morgan said, casting a sidelong glance at the young wizard behind her with a knowing smile.
"So, as long as the final outcome remains unchanged, the path leading to it can be altered?" Ian voiced his understanding aloud. If that were truly the case, then the so-called Hourglass of Fate was indeed an astonishing creation.
"What do you think?"
Morgan arched an eyebrow.
(To Be Continued…)