The Return to Hogwarts

"No, Professor—"

After taking some sobering medicine, Hermione, whose mind was sharp, immediately shook her head.

“This is against the law, Professor Blaine. Professor McGonagall gave me a stern warning when she gave it to me, that I must not use it.”

As she was talking, Hermione suddenly realized what she was saying. She widened her beautiful eyes and stared at the smiling Professor Blaine, looking utterly startled.

The silence continued, one second, two seconds, three seconds.

Clang!

Suddenly, Hermione jumped up from the stool, staggered back a few steps,

"Professor Blaine, you know...you are Professor McGonagall. Oh, no way, this is a matter that needs to be kept strictly confidential. I haven't even told Harry and Ron. Professor McGonagall couldn't possibly have told you!"

“Hehe, no need to be nervous, Miss Granger, I have no intention of sending you to Azkaban.”

Looking at Hermione, who seemed a little too nervous, Amosta made a teasing remark.

“But!” Hermione still looked surprised and uncertain. “How did you know that if Professor McGonagall hadn’t told you?”

"Didn't Harry and Ron tell you about the Weasleys' speculations regarding my methods to prevent Black from breaking into the castle again?"

Using the Time-Turner, this magical alchemical artifact, meant that she could have much more study time than others. To outsiders, this was tantamount to cheating to improve her grades. Hermione blushed when Professor Blaine exposed her, but after hearing the question, a hint of sadness involuntarily appeared on her cheeks.

"No, Professor—"

At Professor Blaine's insistence, Hermione sat back down in her chair, shaking her head sadly as she spoke.

"Because of what happened at Crook Hill, they haven't been talking to me much lately."

Amosta called Hermione to his office, not to chat with her. After understanding what had happened, he waved his hand, and the black curtain opposite his desk was suddenly pulled open, exposing hundreds of small, swaying figures behind the curtain to the air.

“You are very cautious, Hermione. You strictly adhere to the operating procedures for the Time-Turner.”

Amosta was amused and said,

"But to me, having your furtive figure all over the screen is still a rather strange thing."

Luckily, my mind works quickly, and I figured out what was going on. Otherwise, I would have rushed into Professor McGonagall's classroom to check if any of those 'Hermione Granger's' were Sirius Black who had drunk Polyjuice Potion!

Chapter 198 Research

Hermione blinked, glancing between the smiling Professor Blaine and the shadowy figures moving on the wall. Without thinking, she awkwardly opened her mouth.

"You saw it all, Professor?"

"That's obviously the case,"

Amosta placed his fingers interlaced on the table, his eyes gleaming as he gazed intently at Hermione, and spoke in a deep voice.

He was completely unaware that he looked almost exactly like Dumbledore, who rarely appeared in his office.

“I noticed something was off when you walked into the Transfiguration classroom. At first, I thought it was Black, so I was going to rush into Professor Barblin’s class, which was the closest to this office, to drag you out, and then go to Professor McGonagall and Professor Victor’s.

But thankfully I stopped myself in time. Otherwise, if this had blown up, I can't even imagine what would have happened to you, Hermione. You might have been trapped in the cracks of time forever!

Looking at the terrified little witch, Amosta sighed and said...

"Last semester, when you were trying to sign up for all the electives, I reminded you, Hermione, that a person's energy is limited. Even I or Headmaster Dumbledore couldn't be good at everything."

"With your intelligence, since Fred and George could anticipate that I would restart the surveillance, there's no reason you wouldn't have foreseen this. It's just that too many subjects have taken up your energy, making your mind less clear. Otherwise, you should have given me a heads-up."

Hermione broke out in a cold sweat the moment Professor Blaine revealed what he planned to do.

Without anyone reminding her, she knew what would happen if she couldn't escape a time loop. There were many precedents. Some wizards tried to use a time converter to change things, but they made a mistake and ran into the original body. As a result, they were killed by their own past selves who were upstream in the timeline and didn't know what was going on.

"I can't do it, Professor!"

Hermione, her face contorted in despair, cried out in a near-breakdown.

"Harry also tried to persuade me to drop some courses, but I couldn't just ignore the interesting knowledge. Besides, Ron's brother, Percy, used this before, so I think I..."

Clear tears dripped into the pale green tea in her hand, rippling in concentric circles. Hermione lowered her head and sobbed, saying...

"I just wanted to prove something, Professor."

Honestly, persuading a young witch who is going through puberty and is emotionally sensitive and prone to breakdowns is no easy task. Fortunately, Amostella was quite patient and kept gently comforting her, listing her good points over and over again. After half an hour, Hermione gradually calmed down and wiped away her tearful eyes.

"Thank you, Professor, I feel much better—"

“Like I said, Hermione, even Merlin might not be as good a cook as a lowly house-elf. We have to make some choices—”

Amosta, secretly relieved, delivered the final statement, but seeing Hermione's shifty eyes, he knew she probably didn't intend to skip any classes.

"I called you here, Hermione."

Amosta was somewhat exasperated by Hermione's stubbornness. He took a sip of tea and softened his tone.

"I'd like you to provide me with a copy of your class schedule,"

Seeing Hermione's somewhat confused look, Amosta explained,

"Although what happened today did not lead to serious consequences, it does not mean that similar misunderstandings will happen in the future. I need to find out whether the person appearing on the monitor is really you, or some criminal who sneaked into the castle and impersonated you."

This was a reasonable request, and Hermione had no reason to refuse.

"Also, I have another request, Hermione—"

Amosta tapped the timetable Hermione handed him with his wand, then copied it twice. He stared with interest at the thin gold chain faintly visible on Hermione's neck.

"This is entirely a personal request, Hermione. The Time-Turner is something the Ministry of Magic has always strictly controlled. I've never seen one in reality before, so I don't know if it's appropriate."

Hermione blinked, looking at Professor Blaine with a curious expression. Suddenly, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly. She realized that Professor Blaine's call to comfort and lecture her, and his serious request for her timetable, might all be a cover. His real purpose might be to see this Time-Turner!

"Oh, no problem, Professor—"

Although Professor McGonagall had explicitly forbidden her from revealing the Time-Turner to anyone else, now that Professor Blaine had figured out the situation himself, Hermione removed the glittering gold chain from her neck. In her haste, a few strands of her brown curls got caught in the chain hole, causing her nose to sting with pain.

"This thing--"

Amosta carefully held the delicate little hourglass, its surface shimmering with light. Using the few rays of sunlight that struggled to penetrate the clouds, he squinted, examining the slightly hazy interior of the hourglass.

The Power of Time – Before entering Hogwarts at the beginning of this year, Amostella knew nothing about this power in reality, but after his trip to Avalon Island and experiencing the chaotic timeline firsthand, he gained some insights.

In the magical world, the Ministry of Magic has enacted hundreds of laws regarding the possession of Time-Turners based on centuries of experience. At the same time, the most severe laws and punishments are imposed on the misuse of Time-Turners. According to Amosta's understanding, all Time-Turners are public property and are not allowed to be privately owned for long periods. Only in exceptional circumstances can you write an application letter to the relevant department of the Ministry of Magic.

The manufacturing process of the Time-Turner was not even mastered by the Ministry of Magic, but it is said that a certain pure-blood family that invented it still retains some related knowledge.

"How far back in time can it take you?"

Playing with the small hourglass back and forth, Amosta asked with great interest.

"At most twelve hours, Professor Blaine,"

Hermione watched Professor Blaine anxiously as he twirled the hourglass between his fingers, fearing he might accidentally transport her to another time.

"That's what Professor McGonagall told me when she gave it to me, but I haven't tried it. So far, the most I've ever managed to get it back to is two hours earlier."

Upon hearing this answer, Amosta's forehead creased with fine lines, his gaze deepened, and his twirling fingertips froze for a moment.

After nodding in agreement, Amosta asked in a casual tone.

"Hermione, are you still reading that book I gave you before?"

"Oh!"

Hermione's cheeks flushed red. She stared shyly at the crack in the brickwork and stammered an explanation.

"I'm sorry, Professor, that book contains a lot of knowledge that's only covered in NEWTs level Charms courses. I... well, I studied it during the summer, but after the semester started..."

"Don't be nervous, Hermione. I don't expect you to know the book by heart. I just hope it will be of some help to you at some point in the future."

Amosta smiled gently, then tossed the hourglass and the sobering potion to Hermione, indicating that she could leave.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing—"

As Hermione stepped out of the office, filled with gratitude, Amosta suddenly remembered something and called her back.

"Professor Lupin's Defense Against the Dark Arts class, um, where are you in the course?"

“We learned Boggart, Red Hat, Kaba, and Grindelwald, Professor!”

While fully conscious, Hermione instinctively replied loudly to the question, "Next, we should learn from Hinkpunk, Professor—"

Hermione asked, puzzled, "Is there a problem, Professor Blaine?"

“Oh, Hinkpunk, okay, I get it--”

What a wonderful coincidence, Amosta thought with a smile, waved his hand, and closed the door.

Chapter 199 is at it again, stirring things up.

The annual Quidditch match, which captivates the hearts of all Hogwarts students and staff, is finally about to begin. Whether it's Black, who brazenly crossed from Azkaban, or Amosta Blaine, who has returned to Hogwarts and taken over as head of the Office of Student Safety, they must all give way to this exciting moment.

Ever since Slytherin got away with something last school year, the entire Gryffindor team, including Harry, has been holding a grudge.

Especially Oliver Wood, who is about to graduate this year. If there really is a devil in this world, then Wood will not hesitate to sell his soul in exchange for this year's College Cup championship!

"Listen, Harry!"