Chapter 367: William's Temporal Form
Chapter 367: William's Temporal Form
Sherlock had never forgotten the promise he made to Silke to help her with her eye condition.
Those eyes that could see the past of things could be incredibly useful, but the cost was a significant strain on Silke's mental health.
Moreover, this ability was beyond her control. Once the ribbon covering her eyes was removed, she would automatically see the history of whatever her gaze fell upon.
While this ability had saved Sherlock's life during the third task of the Triwizard Tournament, it was far from a blessing.
The root of Silke's eye problem lay with the large hourglass in the Time Chamber. Although Sherlock had spent some time in the Department of Mysteries and worked in the Time Chamber, his knowledge of time-related magic was minimal.
With some free time now, he sought Kingsley's help to introduce him to the current Silencer of the Time Chamber, to inquire about the hourglass.
This was one of the benefits of being well-known in the Wizarding World.
When Kingsley mentioned to the current Silencer of the Time Chamber that Sherlock needed assistance, Bloom readily agreed without hesitation.
Before asking Kingsley for help, Sherlock had already researched Bloom, the chubby Wizard from Ravenclaw with exceptional talent. Bloom was a half-blood, with a father who was a Muggle-born Wizard. During the height of the Death Eaters' power in the 1970s, his father was a primary target of their persecution.
When Bloom was three, the Death Eaters used the Cruciatus Curse on his father in front of him, leaving him crippled.
From then on, Bloom became withdrawn and cold, but he supported any organization or individual that fought against the Dark Lord and his forces.
Sherlock's heroic deeds now surpassed Dumbledore's influence in many ways. After all, those who had witnessed Dumbledore saving the Wizarding World from the first Dark Lord fifty years ago were few. Sherlock's current feats, as Dumbledore had said, were enough to make this generation remember forever.
"Hello, Bloom. Thank you for agreeing to meet me", Sherlock said.
Bloom's chubby face turned red, like a fan who had just met their idol up close.
"Oh, no need to be so formal, Mr. Forrest. You can call me Mel. If there's anything I can do to help, I would be honored!"
Old Tom approached, holding a menu and eyeing Bloom and the creaking chair he sat on with a sour expression.
"What would you like, sir?"
"Butterbeer, and double sugar."
In front of others, he seemed somewhat aloof, but his sweet tooth perfectly explained his weight.
Once Old Tom left, Bloom's enthusiasm towards Sherlock returned. He knew that Sherlock was currently hiding his identity and did not want to be discovered.
"I've heard that in two days, the Order of Merlin will be holding a banquet to bestow a medal on you. It must be a First-Class badge; otherwise, the so-called Order of Merlin badge wouldn't be much to speak of."
Although the tone was flattering, Bloom was not wrong.
Now, the Order of Merlin was bestowing a medal on Sherlock to prove its own value, rather than Sherlock needing the medal to prove himself.
"There's no need for such formality, Mel. Speaking of which, I graduated from Ravenclaw House, so I should call you a senior."
Sherlock did not immediately dive into the topic at hand but instead engaged in some small talk with Bloom.
Kingsley, acting as a mediator, helped liven up the atmosphere at the tea table.
After Scrimgeour was appointed Minister of Magic, there was a significant reshuffle of positions within the Auror Office.
Even though Kingsley did not directly take over Scrimgeour's vacated role as head of the Auror Office, his experience and seniority still earned him a position as one of the three deputy heads, and he became the head of the department responsible for internal Auror affairs.
This was also a gesture of goodwill from Scrimgeour towards Dumbledore.
After all, regardless of the methods they chose, their goal of fighting Voldemort and defeating the dark forces in the Wizarding World was the same.
It wasn't until Old Tom brought Bloom's double-sugar butterbeer that Sherlock formally entered the main topic.
"Mel, I brought you here today to ask about something. Is there a large hourglass in the Time Chamber of the Department of Mysteries? The hourglass has silver sand at the top and gold sand at the bottom?"
He described the hourglass in great detail, and Bloom, after a moment's thought, named it.
"Are you referring to William's Temporal Form?"
Sherlock blinked; this was the first time he had heard the name of the large hourglass.
"If the silver sand at the top of the hourglass turns into gold sand as it falls, then that's the one I'm talking about."
When the conversation turned to his area of expertise, Bloom became particularly serious.
"That hourglass was created by the 17th-century Silent One of the Time Chamber, William Matthew. At that time, the art of making Time-Turners had not yet been lost, and William was primarily responsible for improving the Time-Turner's craftsmanship and directly researching the device."
"William's Temporal Form was a failed experiment during his efforts to improve the Time-Turner."
"A failed experiment?" Sherlock repeated.
Bloom nodded.
"Yes, a failed experiment. According to the limited records left in the Time Chamber, his original intention was to create a temporal mimicry."
"The golden 'sand' is not actually sand but one of the key materials for a Time-Turner. The silver 'sand' is a unique magical substance he found from somewhere, which he described as a representation of the future, the complete opposite of the past."
"He wanted to use these two substances to try to materialize the concept of time, but the object he created ultimately failed to achieve his goal."
"Time is merely a concept and perception of living beings; even the most powerful wizard in history cannot materialize it."
Sherlock furrowed his brow.
"If it's a failed experiment, what is the purpose of placing this hourglass in the Time Chamber?"
(End of Chapter)
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