Chapter 189: The Battle in the Hall of Time

Chapter 189: The Battle in the Hall of Time

The atmosphere at Hogwarts in 1977 was far from the relaxed environment it would become in later years.

Dumbledore, by his current performance, could hardly be considered a competent headmaster or educator.

He had controlled the school for decades and maintained a high level of prestige in the Wizarding World for nearly thirty years, yet he still had not fully controlled the students' thoughts.

In the Muggle world, any school principal who served for a long time would have students who were staunch supporters and confidants.

Hogwarts, a full-board, seven-year school, was where young wizards spent the most impressionable years of their lives, from ages 11 to 18, all within the castle walls.

But Dumbledore seemed to have no intention of correcting their thoughts. He allowed those who might have gone astray to continue on that path, making Hogwarts a microcosm of the outside Wizarding World.

Almost all students in Slytherin came from families that supported Voldemort. They banded together and secretly studied Dark Magic.

Gryffindor, on the other hand, particularly detested these students. The initial conflict between Snape and James, for example, was a result of their house affiliations.

Dumbledore seemed to turn a blind eye to this, focusing solely on the teaching of magic. It didn't seem to matter to him what the students would do after they learned magic—whether they would become a scourge to the Wizarding World or join the Aurors.

By the time Snape reached his thirties, he could understand Dumbledore's dilemma.

It wasn't that the old man didn't want to address these issues; it was that doing so would touch upon the sensitive nerves of many.

Hogwarts was never the private property of any one person. Even during its founding, it was the shared creation of the four founders.

After nearly a thousand years, the situation had become even more complex.

The only magic school in Britain, Hogwarts, was subject to the control of the Ministry of Magic and the Board of Governors.

Dumbledore, as headmaster, was, in a legal sense, merely an employee hired by the Board of Governors.

If the governors wished, they could vote to remove him from his position at any time.

However, they generally gave Dumbledore the respect and authority he needed and rarely interfered with school affairs.

But if Dumbledore wanted to openly spread his ideas, the Board of Governors would not allow it.

After all, those who held positions on the Board of Governors were all true wizarding families in the Wizarding World, many of whom had ambiguous relationships with Voldemort, such as the Malfoy family.

So, while Dumbledore appeared to do nothing, it was because he had no real power to do anything.

Unless he were to use his own strength to impose a dictatorial rule over Hogwarts, which he would never do.

At this point, the new semester at Hogwarts had been underway for over a week. Despite the ongoing events in the Wizarding World, the castle remained peaceful.

Snape entered the school through the secret passage in the Shrieking Shack. He had already taken the Polyjuice Potion with his own hair from this time, transforming into his younger self.

Delivering the Magic Notes Sherlock had given him to Lily and getting her to accept them was no easy task.

But now, Snape had thought of a method worth trying.

It was just past eight, and the castle's curfew had not yet begun, though there were few students still wandering the corridors.

Snape entered the castle and followed the familiar route to the dungeons, arriving at the door of the Slytherin Head of House's office.

He gently rolled his throat, the voice-changing potion making him uncomfortable, but he forced himself to suppress the urge to clear his throat and lightly knocked on the door.

"Come in."

After hearing the elderly voice from inside, Snape pushed the door open and entered.

The Slytherin Head of House's office at this time was vastly different from what it would be in the following years.

The room was warm and inviting, with a sweet scent in the air. The shelves along the walls were not filled with the frightening animal organs of later years but with flowers and books.

A portly old man with a walrus-like mustache was lounging in a recliner, and his desk was scattered with various honey treats.

This was none other than Horace Slughorn, the former Potions professor and Head of Slytherin, who had worked at Hogwarts for forty years before Snape.

"Professor", Snape called out, his voice still somewhat young but remaining stiff.

Slughorn sat up from his recliner, a kind and gentle smile spreading across his face as he saw Snape.

"Ah, Severus, what brings you to me at this hour? Is there another potion formula you feel could use some improvement?"

During his student days, Snape's performance in Slytherin was particularly outstanding, arguably the best in his House. Slughorn, who enjoyed associating with exceptionally gifted individuals, naturally took a special interest in him.

"No, it's not about a potion", Snape replied, his expression still aloof. "I need your help, to borrow your identity for a moment."

Slughorn's smile faded slightly, his eyebrows arching in curiosity as he asked, "Oh? That's quite an unexpected request. Can you tell me what you intend to do with my identity?"

Snape's acting was poor, but as long as he maintained his blank expression, most people wouldn't notice anything amiss. Since his falling out with Lily, he had mostly kept this demeanor in school.

"You know about my situation with Lily. She doesn't want any contact with me, but I have something to give her. If I approach her directly, she won't accept it. Among the people I know, she only trusts you."

Slughorn was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter. Although Lily was a Gryffindor, she had a good relationship with him, the Head of Slytherin. He judged people based on their talent and ability, not their bloodline.

"It's normal for young people to have their little conflicts", he chuckled, rubbing his belly. "But if Lily hasn't forgiven you after all this time, she must be truly angry. I know her character; once she makes a decision, she rarely changes it."

Snape's face remained unchanged, but his hands, hidden in his robe sleeves, clenched tightly.

"Even if she doesn't forgive me, I still remember our past."

Slughorn sighed, scratching his head and pulling out a strand of hair, which he handed to Snape.

"Go see her, but don't use my identity for anything else. I suppose that's a redundant warning, given your character; there's nothing else you would use it for."

Snape took the hair from Slughorn but didn't move, standing there and adding, "Please, Professor, keep this a secret. Don't tell anyone."

"Of course, if it's your request, I will."

Snape looked at the portly old man who had reclined back into his chair, a rare flicker of gratitude in his usually cold eyes.

"Good night, Professor."

"Good night to you as well. I hope your conversation with Lily goes well."

After a brief exchange, Snape left Slughorn's office. He placed the hair in a new Polyjuice Potion and drank it.

At the moment the explosion sounded, Sherlock immediately grabbed Eddie's arm and rolled to the side!

The massive blast shattered the black door of the Hall of Time, sending wooden splinters flying in all directions like a rain of flowers.

Although the door was destroyed, no one burst in. Instead, a shrill cry came from outside.

Sherlock and Eddie had been very close to the door. If Sherlock hadn't reacted so quickly, both of them would have been injured.

They stood up, exchanging glances, and both could see the same thought in each other's eyes.

Their suspicions from the office were likely confirmed!

Eddie spoke urgently, "I'll go outside to help. You take Amy and leave from here!"

Sherlock, however, attempted to Apparate right in front of him. His body twisted slightly but was immediately repelled by the space.

This area was clearly covered by Anti-Apparition magic!

"There's no way out", Sherlock said calmly. "The only way is through the door!"

"Are there other rooms in the Hall of Time that lead outside?"

"The Hall of Prophecy might work, but there's no guarantee!"

As Sherlock and Eddie spoke, he released all the wands from his magic pocket. Two hundred wands, identical in length and material, floated densely around him, like a swarm of bees circling a hive.

This was the first time Eddie had seen him use all the wands he could control, and the shock in his eyes was unmistakable.

"You can control so many wands at once!"

"More is possible, but that would mean using the Spell only a few times." He then aimed the Wand in his hand at himself and chanted, "Protego!"

Sherlock said with a serious expression.

"Call Amy awake and ensure her safety first before discussing whether to help or not."

Eddie suppressed his impulse to rush out and help his colleague, gritted his teeth, and nodded, pushing open the door to Amy's room.

Amy had already been woken by the explosion and stood by her bed in her pajamas, looking bewildered.

"What's happening?"

"There's been a small accident. Follow Dad." Eddie hurriedly grabbed Amy's hand.

Sherlock, meanwhile, kept his gaze fixed on the entrance to the Hall of Time. By the time Eddie had brought Amy out, more than a dozen black-robed figures with grim iron masks had rushed in!

Without a moment's hesitation, he controlled fifty Wands floating in mid-air, all moving in unison.

"Petrificus Totalus!"

Over fifty red beams of light erupted from the tips of the Wands!

The door was not large, and the number of Death Eaters rushing in was limited. Fifty beams were just enough; any more would only exhaust Sherlock's energy without additional effect.

The Wands were at varying distances from the Death Eaters, so the Spells hit them at different times.

All the Death Eaters were protected by an Armor Charm. The first dozen Spells shattered the Armor Charms of the five leading Death Eaters, and the subsequent Spells took full effect!

Those five Death Eaters were immediately petrified in place, their bodies falling backward.

However, they also shielded the others from Sherlock's Petrification Charm.

Sherlock's casting didn't stop. The countless Wands in mid-air seemed to have a mind of their own, moving in unison.

The black door fragments, shattered by the explosion, were controlled by Spells and rose into the air. Magic reshaped the material, transforming it in a grand display!

Wood fibers grew rapidly!

As if granted new life, the branches of first-year wood intertwined, attempting to block the gap blasted open by the Death Eaters!

But just as the wall of transfigured vines was about to form, a shrill female voice cast an Unforgivable Spell!

"Avada Kedavra!"

The green light, filled with death and desolation, shot through the gap in the vine wall just before it closed, heading straight for Sherlock!

The moment the Spell was cast, Sherlock's senses went on high alert.

His quick reflexes made him roll to the side, and the green Killing Curse narrowly missed him, grazing his hair!

"Bang!"

The Killing Curse ultimately struck the largest hourglass near Amy's room door!

The glass shattered, and the massive hourglass exploded into pieces!

The blue light particles from the upper part of the hourglass dissipated into the air like ice melting in water, vanishing without a trace.

However, the golden, sand-like particles from the lower part floated in the air like a nebula.

Eddie and Amy ran out of the room at this moment.

The golden light particles floated at Eddie's waist level, right in front of Amy's eyes.

She blinked, and the light particles, like iron filings drawn to a magnet, quickly and silently gathered into her eyes!

"Dad, there's sand in Amy's eyes", Amy said, one hand held by Eddie while the other rubbed her eyes.

Eddie, however, had no time to pay attention to her words. Although Sherlock had used transfiguration to block the entrance to the Hall of Time, the Death Eaters continued their relentless assault, and the explosions outside grew louder. The vine wall, woven from transfigured branches, wouldn't last much longer.

Sherlock, somewhat bedraggled, stood up from the ground, controlling the Wands to thicken the wall while speaking rapidly.

"Into the Hall of Prophecy! There are too many people outside, and the space here is too limited, even with my control over many Wands!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end