A Time-Turner. In an age where the ancient magic of time has been forgotten, it is the only means of manipulating time.
Its use is remarkably simple. You just have to spin the hourglass on the necklace with the small gear.
That simple act alone could send the wearer several hours into the past. That was the power of a Time-Turner.
Time magic.
Naturally, it was a subject of unique significance to me.
My life's ambition. The reason I was in this body. The reason I was living in this era.
The completion of the ancient magic of time was, after all, my life's work.
Therefore, seeing the Time-Turner, an uncontrollable desire welled up within me—
—It did not.
One might find that surprising, but the reason was simple.
I had already taken a Time-Turner apart long ago.
No matter how rare a Time-Turner was, if you went down to the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic, you'd find them scattered all over the place.
In that case, wasn't it only natural for me to take a light 'tour'?
And in the process, I also picked up a few 'souvenirs'.
For that reason, I had already dismantled one or two Time-Turners in my workshop a long, long time ago.
Though its operating principle was quite different and disconnected from the ultimate time magic I sought, it was true that the Time-Turner had brought great progress to my research.
It had helped me establish an excellent perspective for viewing concepts related to time.
Of course, the result of that was this time leap into the 20th century. Thinking about it now, it was truly ambiguous whether that had been a blessing or a curse.
I sometimes wondered what I would be doing if I hadn't come to the 20th century.
For one, even if I had remained in the 19th century, wouldn't the Elder Wand have ended up in my hands anyway…?
As I was lost in thought, reminded of the traces of time magic I hadn't seen in a long time, Professor McGonagall gave a brief explanation and handed the object to Hermione.
"Now then, Miss Granger. It goes without saying, but this is an extremely dangerous object. You are not to use it for any purpose other than the one designated. Understood?"
"Ah… yes!"
Hermione accepted it, her face a mixture of doubt and disbelief as to whether she should really be receiving such a thing.
Watching her, the absurdity of the situation struck me, and I asked, "Wait, what on earth is the problem that you'd give such a dangerous object to a mere student?"
One of Professor McGonagall's eyebrows twitched.
"Well, Potter, that is… Why don't you hear it from Miss Granger herself?"
At her words, I turned my head towards Hermione and shot her a silent question.
Hermione's face flushed as she mumbled, "…to."
"What was that?"
"…to take more classes!"
It took me a moment to process what she'd said. After replaying her words in my head, I was finally able to react.
"So, you're telling me you borrowed a Time-Turner because you want to take more classes?"
Ah, I see! The 20th century truly respects a student's right to education.
It wasn't that I didn't have a few things to pick apart, but having been accustomed to the 19th-century style of education—where they'd tell you to buy the potion recipes with your own money in the name of education—I had long since developed a tolerant attitude towards all teaching methods.
Right. Well. They put a Dark Wizard in as the professor for Defence Against the Dark Arts, so I suppose using a Time-Turner to take a few more classes was perfectly plausible.
I gave a benevolent nod as if I understood everything. For some reason, Hermione's face turned beet red as she whispered, "It's because of someone that I have to…!"
Was she talking about me?
Just as I was about to protest Hermione's unjust accusation, Professor McGonagall spoke first with a fond smile.
"Alright, alright. That's enough. Granger, I still have things to discuss with Potter, so you may go first. Have a good weekend."
"Eek… Yes, Professor. Thank you for your consideration!"
*Bow.*
The model student Hermione bowed reflexively at her professor's words, then shot me a pouting look before closing the door and leaving.
*Click.*
The sound of Hermione carefully closing the door echoed softly.
After confirming that Hermione had left, McGonagall showed a rare, relaxed smile.
I had realized something during my few special lessons with Professor McGonagall: the true personality of this strict, by-the-book Deputy Headmistress had a surprisingly goofy side.
As proof, after just a few lessons, she had come to see me as a disciple to whom she had imparted true enlightenment, and she was now showing me a much more comfortable side of herself.
When I once asked her about it, Professor McGonagall had replied, "I'm not just a simple teacher, I'm the Deputy Headmistress of this school, am I not? A certain amount of distance is necessary to be fair to all students."
Nevertheless, there was no denying that she possessed a truly warm heart.
Even now, she was gazing warmly at the spot where Hermione had just been, saying, "Granger is such a hardworking child, isn't she? Sometimes I worry she works too hard, but for students like her, a teacher can't help but want to do something more."
"It's rare to find a student as diligent as Hermione. So diligent it's worrisome, in fact."
"Yes, and at times like that, I hope you'll help her. I can see that she thinks of you as someone special, Potter."
"Her? Oh, you must be mistaken."
"Oh my, am I? Ohoho, one gets more meddlesome with age. Yes, yes, I suppose I was mistaken."
After that, as if it had been a while since we'd had such a conversation, Professor McGonagall and I chatted for quite some time.
What did I do over the break?
I trained my magic.
And where did I toss the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery?
Ahem. Please pretend you didn't hear that. So what did you do, Professor?
It was the same as always for me.
You should pick up a hobby.
After this short chat, which included such personal trifles, she returned to her usual stern teacher persona, save for a faint smile, and said,
"Alright then, Aisen… Shall we see the results of your training over the break?"
"You're talking about the Animagus magic, I presume?"
"Of course, Aisen. Is there anything left for me to teach you in any other branch of Transfiguration?"
I made a rare, troubled expression.
"Well, I managed to make the potion and drink it, but I can't seem to get an image of which animal I'm supposed to turn into."
There's a common theory that an Animagus form follows one's Patronus, but in my case, my Patronus was so unique that it didn't seem likely.
In short, I had no clues.
A contributing factor was that once an archmage of my level is reached, their mental landscape becomes so vast that it actually becomes more difficult to learn magic like this. One only had to consider why Albus never learned to become an Animagus.
Far from being disappointed by my lack of progress, McGonagall answered with an unexpectedly warm smile.
"That can happen. Hmm, this is a slightly different topic, but of all the many forms of Transfiguration, Animagus magic is my favorite. Do you know why?"
Her favorite? I thought for a moment, then answered based on my knowledge of countless Transfiguration spells.
"Is it because Animagus magic is the most captivating, allowing one to be human while being the furthest from it?"
Professor McGonagall's eyes widened in surprise.
"My, what a wonderful answer. Aisen, you truly never cease to surprise me. That's an insight that could only come from someone with a deep understanding of Transfiguration."
Well, I did have enough of an understanding to turn a Dark Wizard into a nuclear bomb.
The professor continued with a gentle smile.
"Of course, that is one of the amazing charms of Animagus magic, but the reason I love it is different. It's because Animagus magic is the most perfect magic for gaining insight into one's inner self."
"Gaining insight into one's inner self?"
"Oh, yes. That's right."
Looking somewhat excited, McGonagall poured tea from a kettle and spoke.
"Aisen, did you know? In prehistoric times… that is, in an era when magic was called sorcery rather than magic. The forms of sorcery from that very long time ago were mostly what we call totemism or animism."
I realized she was talking about very old forms of magic, different from the Ancient Magic I used.
The Ancient Magic I wield is called such simply because it has existed since ancient times. In truth, only a select few born with the talent can use this magic.
Naturally, the magic used in antiquity would have been of a different kind.
In other words, the true magic of the ancient era was the kind she was speaking of now.
"Animism means that all things in the natural world are imbued with an *anima*, or a soul. And among those *anima*, the great, moving souls were called *animals*. That is to say, in the eyes of our ancestors, animals were like the very embodiment of mystery—great souls come to life."
With a warm smile like a grandmother telling an old tale, Professor McGonagall continued.
"It may seem obvious, but I believe that this magic, the Animagus, is connected to animism. To look back into one's own soul, and for the way that soul moves to manifest as an animal—that is Animagus magic. Isn't it beautiful?"
The characteristics of one's soul being expressed as an animal. It was a rather plausible hypothesis.
At her words, I thought of the few Animagi I knew.
Natsai Onai, with the vitality of a gazelle. Peter Pettigrew, who was like a rat in both good ways and bad.
And Sirius Black… his dog form seemed to resemble his undying loyalty to James Potter.
As if sensing I was contemplating the relationship between people and their animal forms, Professor McGonagall nodded and said, "Aisen. I imagine that, until you tried to learn Animagus magic, you've never been stuck while learning a spell, have you?"
I nodded meekly.
Just as she said, there hadn't been a single spell I failed to master on my first try.
With the exception of Animagus magic.
"Never being stuck while learning magic means you've had few opportunities to look back on yourself. You've never had to gaze upon your own grown soul. This time, instead of looking forward, try looking inward. If you do, your animal will answer you."
No opportunity to look back on my soul.
It would have been the perfect advice if I were truly a 13-year-old boy. The one thing Professor McGonagall hadn't considered was that my soul was that of an archmage far, far older than thirteen.
I already had a firm grasp of my soul's form.
However, her advice wasn't wrong, either.
The soul follows the body, and my current body was that of a child, not an adult wizard. Nothing in this world is unchanging.
In that case, what did my soul look like now?
"Well, was that helpful advice?"
"Yes, Professor. I think it was very helpful advice indeed."
Regardless of magical skill, I offered my genuine respect for the wisdom that came from a life lived much longer than my own.
One thing was certain: I had found a clue to move forward.
A question suddenly occurred to me as I looked at Professor McGonagall, who was beaming with pride at having taught her student.
"By the way, Professor. In what way are you and a cat similar?"
*Her dignity?*
It was a question I threw out casually with that thought in mind, but Professor McGonagall answered with a mischievous smile.
"Hmm, let's see. If you think carefully about why I'm in Gryffindor and not Ravenclaw, you might figure it out, don't you think?"
"Ah, hahaha."
Cats tend to be quite playful.
Inadvertently picturing Professor McGonagall's school days, I couldn't hold back a laugh.
***