Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world.

Chapter 97 The Hyperdimensional Maze and 3.5-Dimensional Creatures

Today is Saturday, but Hogwarts is completely unlike what it used to be.

In the past, the castle would become very lively every Saturday.

On this day, both the younger students who might normally be holed up in their dorm rooms or libraries, scratching their heads over homework and papers, and the older students who are busy with their studies, will step out of the castle.

Or they might gather a few friends and play with the giant squid in the Black Lake—something usually only first or second-year students would do.

Or, you could hold your lover's hand and head to Hogsmeade to browse the candy store and the Three Broomsticks. Occasionally, a circus would come to Hogsmeade to perform on weekends. Hogwarts students, who usually have silver shiko in their pockets but nowhere to spend it, would be the perfect targets.

However, such scenes gradually disappear every March, especially as Easter approaches, when classrooms and libraries once again become popular spots for students to visit.

If students were asked to choose the least popular holiday of the year, Easter would undoubtedly take first place.

It's all because of that damn exam!

Lower grade students, mainly fourth grade and below, are busy preparing for their promotion exams in June. Upper grade students, such as fifth graders, will begin taking the OWLs (Ordinary Wizarding Levels) and seventh graders will take the NEWTs (Ultimate Wizarding Levels).

So, starting in March, the only ones who were truly relaxed at Hogwarts were the sixth-year students—they had already passed the OWLs and were currently studying, so theoretically, even if they slacked off, it wouldn't affect their progress to seventh year.

On his way to the fourth floor of the castle, Vaughn encountered several fifth-grade students hurrying along. The immense academic pressure made them speak at breakneck speed, as if racing against time.

"...Merlin, I still have 26 reference books to finish reading, and there are only two months left. What should I do?"

"Me too, damn it, why can't wizards and Muggles escape exams?"

"Muggles are a bit better off, at least their exam results won't lock them out of their future, but NEWTs are different. If you want to find a decent job after graduation, your NEWTs exam score is the only indicator."

"But I really can't hold on much longer. Speaking of which, is it possible to repeat seventh grade?"

"It seems possible, but I advise you not to do that. If you pass just one of the 12 subjects, you can graduate smoothly... You can't possibly fail all 12, can you? As far as I know, no student in Hogwarts history has ever accomplished such a feat!"

Vaughn walked past them expressionlessly.

They had no idea that within two years, a student would accomplish such a feat, and unfortunately, that student was a member of Slytherin.

That's right, it's Marcus Flint.

A legendary figure who will have to repeat a year because he failed all his courses!

Before Vaughn's time travel, there was an old saying in his hometown: "Speak of the devil and he shall appear."

Just as Vaughn was thinking of Flint, he ran into him at the entrance on the fourth floor.

He seemed very enthusiastic, his monstrous face displaying a ridiculously wide grin: "Mr. Vaughn Weasley, have you had time to come back to training lately? The whole team is eagerly awaiting your return. We've even come up with a few more tactics to deal with Ravenclaw, guaranteed to make them suffer and give you a smooth ride!"

Well, Vaughn has to admit that there is no one in the world who is completely useless; at least Flint has some talent for flattery.

After casually dismissing the overly enthusiastic and somewhat obsequious Flint, Vaughn couldn't help but offer a suggestion before leaving: "Flint, I would appreciate your efforts even more if you could put a little more effort into your studies. For example, could you at least pass one subject?"

Flint was a little confused, his slightly parted lips revealing his buck teeth.

He didn't understand...

Vaughn had to be blunt: "What I mean is, if you don't want to one day bring shame to Slytherin by failing all your exams and then be thrown into the Forbidden Forest by the eight-eyed spider's lair, then you'd better start working on your studies now!"

After saying that, he waited patiently for a while. A full 12 seconds later, Mr. Flint finally reacted and his expression turned horrified.

Seeing that his long reaction time had finally kicked in, Vaughn politely took his leave: "Please consider my words carefully. I don't want to see you on the Quidditch team when I'm in third grade. Anyway, have a good time!"

Of course, after spending a few months together, the Slytherin students who were already familiar with Vaughn's style knew this.

This Weasley anomaly, the more polite he is, the more it indicates his impatience with someone or something.

Leaving aside how anxious Flint was, his face pale.

Vaughn made his way to the fourth floor, passed through the vertically downward passageway entrance guarded by Lou Williams, and arrived at a huge and empty room.

This is the original location where the magic stone mechanism was installed.

Of course, those mechanisms have now been removed, and Dumbledore has arranged for it to serve as a transit point for the new mechanism locations.

An ordinary wooden door stands in the center of the room, and there is nothing else there.

Having visited several times before, Vaughn was unsurprised. He walked straight to the wooden door, grasped the doorknob, and recited the incantation:

"Sizzling honey!"

As the correct command was given, the doorknob turned automatically, the door opened, and what appeared before Vaughn was not the other half of the room that was blocked by the door, but a long corridor.

The corridor was deep and dark, seemingly without end.

Although it was not dim, a light source from who-knows-where illuminated everything.

What creates the illusion is the wall, floor, and ceiling of the corridor, which are covered with intricate geometric patterns resembling a kaleidoscope.

Dumbledore, dressed in a light pink nightgown, was the only other person in the corridor. He had his hands crossed in front of his abdomen, clearly waiting for Vaughn.

Seeing Vaughn come in, he chuckled, "Oh, darling, how's Hagrid's dragon? You didn't dissect it, did you?"

"Don't worry, it will definitely outlive you."

"It's really gratifying. Minerva was telling me last night that she was full of praise for your disappearance spell. I rarely see her praise any student so highly, but since it's you, it makes perfect sense. Of course, she would never have guessed that you made a fire dragon disappear."

"Huh? Are you threatening me?"

"No, no, no, it's a compliment. I'm glad you're considerate of your friends. The truth is, even if you had let Minerva see the dragon yesterday, she wouldn't have punished you. Instead, she would have made a scene here. Your Vanishing Spell saved me a lot of trouble explaining."

Vaughn snorted: "I should have let Professor McGonagall find out, so she could see how many school rules her beloved headmaster broke to test the Savior."

Dumbledore coughed lightly, finally daring not to continue speaking, for any further conversation would inevitably involve some entanglements he was trying his best to avoid.

He spread his arms wide, looked around the corridor covered with kaleidoscope patterns, and said cheerfully, "Look, how's the new facility going?"

The patterns in the corridor are composed of countless regular and symmetrical designs. These visual illusions from Muggles give people the feeling that space is being fragmented and in motion just by looking at them.

Vaughn knew that this corridor, or rather this checkpoint, was indeed a place where movement was possible!

As Dumbledore clapped his hands, the entire corridor seemed to come alive in an instant. The floor, walls, and ceiling, along with the symmetrical geometric patterns, made the walls and floor look like a moving hypercube, constantly undulating, flipping, and changing.

In the blink of an eye, the corridor transformed from a straight line into an intersecting cross shape.

Moreover, this movement continues. The entire corridor, everything within sight, is like self-moving building blocks, sometimes stacking up to form walls and cutting off the path ahead.

Sometimes it retreats into a hexagonal or octagonal void, opening up a new path forward on a dead end.

Sometimes it flips inside out, instantly transforming into a completely new space...

Every second there is movement, and every second in the corridor gives you the illusion that it is completely different from the previous second, as if you have been transported to another space.

Dumbledore clapped his hands again, and the geometric pattern on the ceiling flipped and receded, revealing a void.

The ground beneath his and Vaughn's feet also rose simultaneously, a hexagonal platform with an ever-increasing base rising from the ground, piercing through the ceiling, growing higher and higher until the two could overlook the true face of the corridor—

A giant cube, resembling a Rubik's Cube, composed of hundreds or thousands of smaller cubes, rotates and turns in a vast, seemingly boundless space.

"It's spectacular, isn't it? Your brand-new design, the hyper-dimensional maze..."

Looking down at the enormous cube, Dumbledore exclaimed, "Fortunately, this is Hogwarts, a castle that has existed for thousands of years. In addition to the great wisdom of the four great wizards, outstanding wizards throughout the ages have also tried to renovate and transform it."

"Over the millennia, no one knows the true size of its space, nor how many rooms it has. Even as the principal, I am far from understanding it... What you see before you is only a very small part of it that I have accessed using my privileges."

Vaughn nodded: "Well done. The hyperdimensional maze is finally starting to look hyperdimensional."

When this came up, Dumbledore became curious: "By the way, why did you call the new facility the Hyperdimensional Maze? What does 'hyperdimensional' mean?"

Vaughn, who was gazing at the cube below, smiled and replied:

"That's what Muggle people say. The Muggle scientific community believes that the universe has many dimensions, but humans can only directly observe and measure three dimensions, which are length, width, and height. Dimensions beyond these dimensions are called hyperdimensional."

Dumbledore didn't quite understand: "Humans can only observe and measure length, width, and height? How are those defined?"

"To give an example, let me explain from a two-dimensional perspective. For instance, if I draw a square on a piece of paper, from a two-dimensional perspective, the square should be a closed space. However, as a three-dimensional being, humans can directly see the 'closed' interior of the square."

"The same concept applies here. If you were given a cube-shaped box, before it was opened, you could only measure its length, width, and height, but you could not observe or measure its interior. If a four-dimensional being existed, then it could directly see the interior of the cube, because space would be readily available to it."

"oh!"

Dumbledore made a short, sharp sound and said nothing more.

Vaughn smiled and said, "Don't you understand? It's okay. Wizards generally lack logical thinking skills, so it's normal that you don't understand or can't imagine it."

"...I feel like you're being sarcastic."

"No, don't talk nonsense. In my opinion, wizards are barely 3.5-dimensional beings. We can observe the inside of a cube without opening it using magic. Not to mention, there are many other spells that can do this."

Having said that, he continued to observe the cube, while Dumbledore pondered.

After a moment, Dumbledore asked, "So, Vaughn, in your opinion, legendary wizards aren't considered four-dimensional beings either?"

"Of course not. Let me use a two-dimensional perspective as an analogy again. Suppose I draw a little person on a piece of paper, and it comes to life. For it, the blank paper is its world. It can't see outside the paper. If I put a ball on the paper at this moment, what do you think it will see?"

Dumbledore thought for a moment, then suddenly realized: "It can only see the shadow of the ball on the paper..."

"Yes." Vaughn nodded. "It can only see the projection of the sphere, a dark, round blob. The same applies to the descent of a four-dimensional being into a three-dimensional one. If a four-dimensional being really exists, even if it appears in front of us, we can only see its projection."

"Like that little figure on the paper, our vision cannot extend beyond the world we live in. When we look at higher-dimensional beings, it's like the blind men and the elephant; we can only observe a part of them and not the whole picture... Actually, I have a rather crazy idea. Don't you think the description of higher-dimensional beings is very similar to that of the soul?"

Dumbledore is a legendary wizard, but he clearly exists in this world, not a "shadow" or a hand hanging in mid-air.

Therefore, he is definitely not a four-dimensional being.

Listening to Vaughn's last words, Dumbledore's deep blue eyes seemed to drift into a daze. Yes, it did look somewhat like him.

It is common knowledge that the soul disappears after a person dies.

That's certainly not complete annihilation—the existence of ghosts proves that at least after a wizard dies, their soul continues to exist—but the truth is, for thousands of years, no wizard has found out where a person's soul goes after death.

He had been curious about this before, but couldn't find the answer.

It was only after Vaughn's words that he suddenly realized that after death, the soul might go to a higher dimension. That is why three-dimensional Muggles and 3.5-dimensional wizards could no longer see them.

Seeing Dumbledore deep in thought, Vaughn smiled.

Vaughn felt that, apart from the system, what made him most different from other wizards was his way of thinking.

Other wizards basically grow up in a purely magical environment from a young age, even those from Muggle families. From the age of 11, the most important period of their growth is almost entirely occupied by magic.

This also led to all wizards, regardless of whether they were pure-blood or Muggle, starting to think outside the box of Muggle science after they reached adulthood.

Vaughn, however, was different. In his previous life, he had received a complete and scientific higher education, and his values ​​had long been fixed. Even after transmigrating and absorbing the wonders of magic, his way of thinking had never changed.

This has led to his unique perspective today—using Muggle theories and magic to reference and collide with each other!

The reason he brought up the topic of dimensions was intentional. As his study of magic deepened, he began to slowly try to combine the materialist theories of Muggle technology with magic to explain many seemingly obvious yet incomprehensible problems.

This is something that no single individual can accomplish alone; Vaughn needs help.

There are two kinds of helpers. One is a true assistant who can understand his ideas and help him carry out his research without holding him back.

Currently, Hermione seems to be the most suitable candidate for this role. Others are not unsuitable, but they would require further training.

For example, Fred and George!

Another type of helper is more like a teacher or pioneer, who can lead him into the most profound and cutting-edge areas of magic, while also helping him to navigate through pitfalls and make mistakes...

Without a doubt, he was aiming for Dumbledore.

Vaughn has never been one to suffer a loss. Last time, Dumbledore exploited his soft spot, appealing to his emotions and reasoning with him, and made him a troublemaker between Harry and Tom.

Although he ultimately agreed out of personal choice, the feeling of being manipulated made him very uncomfortable.

Vaughn considered himself not petty and usually settled scores on the same day. Although Dumbledore was shrewd and the two were far from being enemies, Vaughn would not refuse the chance to kick Dumbledore into a pit if given the opportunity.

What has been Deng Xiaoping's biggest concern all along?

Death and resurrection!

He wasn't concerned for himself, but for Ariana, for Harry... Vaughn remembered that in the original book, Dumbledore had possessed the Resurrection Stone for a long time, and he even admitted that he was "a fool," "wanted to drag the Sleeper back," and "seized the Hallows at the wrong time for the wrong reason."

Ariana was Dumbledore's lifelong nightmare; even on his deathbed, he still longed to resurrect her.

Harry represents his concern for the world, the poison he left behind out of fear that after his death no one would be able to restrain Voldemort, and the person he felt most guilty towards.

Dumbledore himself could face death with equanimity, even calling it "another great adventure," but he was clearly unwilling to impose his ideas on Ariana and Harry.

So in the last few years of his life, he was trying to study death and resurrection, attempting to resurrect Ariana and to ensure Harry's safety.

Unfortunately, his plan ultimately failed, forcing him to arrange for Draco and Snape to kill him, which ultimately led to Snape being killed by Voldemort.

Vaughn didn't want to see that kind of ending, and he didn't like the so-called predetermined fate, so he wanted to take Old Deng with him.

Of course, it's perfectly reasonable for Lao Deng to test the waters and explore the route before takeoff!

"As a man over a hundred years old, I sense that your smile is malicious, Vaughn."

"Imagine, I'm just glad you seem to have some interest in my crazy ideas, which means that the possibilities I've put forward aren't just wild speculations."

"Hmm..." Dumbledore twitched his beard and mumbled, "Don't jump to conclusions. Everything still needs further research and verification."

Seeing his hesitation, Vaughn did not press him further. He had plenty of time and patience to lure Old Deng into the trap.

He then said, "According to Muggle theory, four-dimensional beings have another distinct characteristic: they can manipulate time and space. To them, time and space are like length, width, and height to us—obvious and clear, and they can increase or decrease them at will!"

Dumbledore was taken aback. "...Isn't that probably the main reason you believe wizards are 3.5-dimensional beings?"

"That's right."

In the magical world, any adult wizard who has received a formal education can use the Unseen Stretch Charm and Apparition.

Space was practically at the mercy of wizards.

As for the time...

Dumbledore maneuvered the platform down, returning to the corridor. He led Vaughn through one hexagonal opening after another in the walls, arriving at a closed complex of buildings.

That should be part of the castle. It is unknown when it was built, but it has obvious military characteristics—the structure of inner and outer walls. The outer wall is relatively narrow, mainly to prevent the enemy from breaking through. Behind the outer wall is a large open space filled with a large number of stone houses and streets.

The inner city walls feature wide walkways and circular towers, with some living fossil warriors patrolling back and forth, weapons in hand.

Excluding the living fossil warriors, the castle that Dumbledore had taken over looked perfectly normal, until Dumbledore held up two fingers and shook them.

Swish!

In that instant, it was like the curtain changing in a stage play or a scene transition in a movie; Vaughn only felt a blur before his eyes.

The castle was still the same castle, but everything had changed. A huge fireball flew through the sky, and flames ignited on the walls, licking the rough surface as they soared into the sky.

Some of the city walls collapsed, and rubble and flames buried the original stone guardians beneath them, blocking the streets.

Before Vaughn could discern the details, Dumbledore shook his finger again, and with another whoosh, the scene before him shifted and changed once more.

The same city wall was there, but the fire had been extinguished and the ruins had been moved. Only the inner city wall walkway remained flat.

Vaughn pointed to the straight, wide, unobstructed walkway in the city wall and said, "Two months later, when Nobeta grows up, we can stand guard there and let it breathe fire at the walkway."

"...You're so cruel!"

Dumbledore said with a smile, "But I must say, this is the most amazing level I've ever encountered. You're a genius, Vaughn, for spreading the challenges and puzzles across different time periods and connecting all the elements with time travel. I'm sure Harry and his friends will have an unforgettable summer!"

"You're no less impressive, Albus," Vaughn retorted. "I only proposed the idea; you were the one who implemented it. How did you manage that?"

"I made some minor modifications to the Time-Turner to make it rotate between a few fixed frequencies so that Harry and the others could arrive in the correct past."

"Of course, our dear Minerva also contributed. In one part, she meticulously prepared an even more perfect game than last time, and those living fossil sculptures were the game pieces."

The two, one big and one small, looked at each other and smiled.

Then Dumbledore took a necklace from his pocket, the pendant of which was a golden hourglass. He handed it to Vaughn, but did not let go of the necklace in his hand.

"You can look at it, but you can't take it away. I don't think you're mentally prepared to face another version of yourself!"

Vaughn paused, his hand poised to catch the golden hourglass.

Then, under Dumbledore's watchful eye, he slowly withdrew it.

"You're right, I really wasn't prepared."

Vaughn knew himself quite well; he had always been a rather self-centered person. To be honest, even if he was mentally prepared, he didn't know how he would react if he suddenly met another version of himself.

So, it's better not to play with time converters at all!

(End of this chapter)