My Hogwarts has a serious problem.

Chapter 222, Section 219: Objective and Subjective History

Tuesday night at 10 p.m.

Harry and Ron met up in the Gryffindor common room that evening.

They all looked extremely tired. At noon today, Professor McGonagall punished them for driving flying cars into the school on the first day of school and injuring the Whomping Willow.

Ron was punished by being sent to Filch to clean all the trophies in his trophy room, and he was not allowed to use magic.

Harry, on the other hand, was punished by cleaning the public toilets in the castle corridors. They had been busy since 3 p.m. until now, and there was no one else in the common room. They were the last two to return.

Harry and Ron didn't go back to their dorm first, but instead rested on the sofa near the fireplace in the common room.

"I feel like my hand is going to break. That old bastard Filch must have done it on purpose. He was watching me the whole time, and he only gave me a minute to go to the toilet. Even if I took care of it right there, a minute wasn't enough," Ron complained to Harry, rubbing his sore and numb arm.

"Your arms are just tired," Harry said weakly. "I cleaned at least eight public restrooms today, and God knows how many times I threw up. I still feel like I smell bad."

"Oh, then don't get so close to me, the stench is getting on me."

"I'm going to shower anyway, so it's okay if it gets on me."

After joking around for a while, they quickly got down to "serious business."

"Why haven't I seen Hermione these past few days?"

"Yes, ever since that incident at the Quidditch pitch, she seems to have rarely appeared in the Gryffindor common room. Even when we see her, she just gives us a quick greeting and seems to be busy with something."

"Very mysterious."

"She's definitely hiding something from us."

They looked at each other and saw in each other's eyes that they were thinking the same thing.

"We can investigate her secretly."

"That's what I think too."

Harry and Ron exchanged a smile, raised their fists, and were about to bump them when the entire castle suddenly shook!

"Boom!"

A huge explosion, like thunder before a rainy night on a quiet summer day, startled countless young wizards who had just drifted off to sleep!

Tuesday at 4 PM.

In Dumbledore's office, Lynn sat across from the desk as usual, silently watching as Dumbledore took a golden, glowing timer out of a drawer.

"This isn't difficult to apply for, but once you get it approved, you'll have to sign this commitment letter along with it."

Dumbledore handed Lynn a piece of parchment, on which Lynn was required to promise not to use the Time-Turner for anything unrelated to his studies, and that if he violated this promise, he would bear all the consequences.

This pledge is not a magical contract, but simply a legally binding written agreement. This form of agreement means that even if the person who signed the pledge breaks it, they are not considered in breach of contract as long as it is not discovered.

Lynn did not hesitate and signed his name on it directly.

After he signed the pledge, Dumbledore did not immediately hand him the Time-Turner, but instead spoke in a deep voice.

"You know this thing can be used to go back in time, but why hasn't anyone thought of using it to change history?"

Lynn scratched his brow and pondered, "I think I read in a book that time-twisters can only be used to understand history, not to change the course of history that has already happened."

"You're only half right. The time converter can't change history that has already happened, but it can be used to change history that hasn't happened yet."

"What do you mean?"

"The Time-Turner has essentially become a learning tool at Hogwarts. Excellent young wizards who don't have enough time can apply to a professor for it. The professor will consider the qualities the young wizard possesses. If he is calm, intelligent, and respects the rules, then he meets the requirements for using the Time-Turner."

The primary purpose of a young wizard obtaining the Time-Turner is to use it to attend classes with conflicting schedules. For example, if the two elective classes today—Muggle Studies and Magical Creatures Protection—have conflicting schedules, then the young wizard with the Time-Turner can use it to return to the beginning of Magical Creatures Protection class after finishing Muggle Studies.

There are two points in time. The first is after the Muggle Studies class. The young wizard who has the Time-Turner attended the Muggle Studies class, which is now history. After he used the Time-Turner to go back in time, he can no longer change this established fact.

The second point in time is when the young wizard used the Time-Turner to travel back in time and then finished his class on Protecting Magical Creatures. This point in time actually overlaps with the time he used the Time-Turner. However, at this point, he changed a piece of history that had not yet happened; he was simultaneously attending two different classes.

Lynn frowned, somewhat confused by what Dumbledore was saying.

"Regarding the second point in time, he was taking two different classes by himself. This happened after the classes had already begun. How can something that has already happened be called history that hasn't happened yet?"

Dumbledore shook his head: "It has indeed happened, but while those two classes were in session, who would have known that someone was attending two different classes at the same time? The children in Muggle Studies only saw this little wizard come to Muggle Studies, and the children in Magical Creatures Protection only saw him come to Magical Creatures Protection. In the memory of everyone who saw this little wizard, he only attended one class."

Lynn offered a rebuttal.

"If the young wizards who took both classes meet after class and tell each other that the other young wizard took the class they are currently taking, wouldn't that make it known that he took two different classes at the same time?"

Dumbledore smiled and looked at Lynn with a meaningful gaze: "Pay attention to the timing you mentioned, Lynn."

Lynn was taken aback.

The time he mentioned was after two classes had ended. At that time, the young wizard had already returned to the time when he used the Time-Turner. Even if the two young wizards from the two classes communicated after class, they knew that this matter also belonged to the future after the Time-Turner was used.

The future represents what hasn't happened yet!

"So, the history determined by the time-twister doesn't represent objective history, but rather people's subjective history?" Lynn asked thoughtfully.

"The moment you use the time converter, objective history has already been altered."

There will be another chapter at 10 PM.

(End of this chapter)