Chapter 392: Reversing Time
Chapter 392: Reversing Time
"This time, I'll protect her. I need to leave for a bit."
"Okay."
The little puppet's voice was childlike, like that of two young children, without a hint of worry or anger. Its calm and obedient tone made Vold feel a little more at ease.
The place was too dark and oppressive. Despite being spotlessly clean, the scent of blood seemed to permeate the air, involuntarily reminding him of the tragic fates of the children.
After leaving the ward, Vold didn't get far before he noticed a large hole in the floor ahead.
"Boom!"
Outside the window, a building collapsed, and the eerie Silent One floated and swayed in the air before suddenly disappearing.
Vold clenched his teeth, took out his broomstick, and flew through the window, swiftly passing through it.
He needed to find Dumbledore as soon as possible.
The collapsed cars... the fallen buildings... and the soldiers screaming as they were sucked into the Silent One...
"Help!"
A soldier, who had been hiding somewhere unseen, suddenly jumped out, frantically running and reaching out towards Vold, who was flying in the sky.
Vold ignored him and flew right over his head.
The black mist immediately engulfed the soldier.
A moment later, a boot flew out and smashed into the marble floor beside him.
The black mist, originally the size of a calf, had expanded several dozen times, and a rolling cloud of black smoke swept through the base, interspersed with fleeting flashes of red light.
Buildings were continuously destroyed, and the debris and rubble turned into part of the mist, shooting out like bullets at the screaming, fleeing people.
Suddenly, a clump of black fog was forcefully dispersed, revealing a vacuum-like space in the middle, catching Vold's attention.
He finally spotted Dumbledore.
The old man had ceased fighting the island's guards—the soldiers were busy dealing with the black mist, some shouting and shooting at it with their guns, while others had already dropped their weapons and turned to flee.
Dumbledore, holding his wand, frowned at the rampaging Silent One.
He was probably the wizard in the world with the most knowledge and combat experience regarding the Silent One. Even he found this dark creature challenging.
The Silent One was an extremely unique creature; even if the mist was shattered, as long as a small fragment remained, the Silent One could potentially regenerate.
Only when the Silent One's host died would it truly perish.
There was another method—separating the Silent One from its host and preserving it within a magical energy field.
But that was too difficult... Only Scamander had managed to do so under extremely fortuitous circumstances.
Dumbledore was observing and assessing the situation when he suddenly heard the sound of wind—Vold descended on his broomstick, landing beside him.
"Professor!"
"Vold, are you injured?" Dumbledore asked with concern.
"Hmm?"
Vold paused, wiped his hand, and realized that he, too, was splattered with blood.
It was Mabel's blood from when she had torn that man apart, and it had sprayed onto him.
"This isn't my blood; it's Mabel's... Oh, Mabel is a girl I met in the dungeon, the host of the Silent One..."
Vold quickly explained the previous events.
Rescuing people in the dungeon, rushing to the ward, the dark dealings on the island, Mabel's unusual state, and the little girl he saw after they separated...
He spent two minutes swiftly recounting his experiences before saying, "The person who saved that girl should be me—I can sense magic from her. But to rescue her, I think I might need your help."
The Time Converter could reverse time, but after doing so, Vold wouldn't teleport back to his previous location; he would still be on the island.
At that time, neither he nor Dumbledore had set foot on the island, which was not only filled with numerous soldiers but also had a strong magnetic field targeting wizards.
If it were just Vold alone, dealing with these challenges would be extremely difficult. But with Dumbledore, there wouldn't be any issues.
However, after listening to Vold's idea, Dumbledore shook his head.
"I'm sorry, Vold. I can't use the Time Converter with you."
Dumbledore explained gently, "To prevent abuse, the Ministry of Magic has placed numerous restriction spells on the Time Converters they lend out, including age restrictions."
"Adults cannot use the Time Converter in your possession—that includes me."
Vold felt a tinge of disappointment, but it wasn't entirely unexpected. He tightly gripped the time converter and asked, "What should I do, sir?"
"You need to return to Hogwarts, obtain a potion powerful enough to save that girl, and then come back to this place—so you'll need a Portkey."
Dumbledore took out a golden key from his pocket and whispered, "Mentos!"
The golden key trembled as if trying to escape the headmaster's hand, emitting a strange blue light before gradually calming down and returning to its original state.
Dumbledore handed the key to Vold, saying, "The Portkey will activate in ten minutes. After returning to Hogwarts, you'll have twenty minutes to prepare what you need, and then it will bring you back to this island."
"Saving the girl and using the emotional connection between them to bring the Silent One back to the host body is a good idea. Once the Silent One calms down, the Tranquilizer will also settle."
"But if you truly can't save her, don't be discouraged—there are always things we can't accomplish."
"Also, remember this—after reversing time, you can't change anything that has already happened. Whatever you do can only shape the reality you were already aware of before reversing time."
Vold held the key, nodding firmly.
Dumbledore waved his wand, removing the bloodstains and dust from Vold's body that he hadn't noticed, and then smiled, saying, "Good luck, Vold."
"I'll be back soon, sir."
Vold mounted his broomstick again and soared into the sky.
The entire island's defense system, after being doubly damaged by Dumbledore and the Silent One, had completely collapsed. It was also due to this reason that Vold could now fly freely as he pleased.
Flying in the sky, Vold saw that the beautiful white building had turned into ruins. A helicopter was stuck in the ground, broken into two pieces, its body engulfed by raging flames.
The island's fragile ecosystem had likely suffered a heavy blow, and it was uncertain if it could recover.
The location of the dungeon was relatively remote, temporarily safe from the potential impact...
Vold thought as he noticed the cliff extending out from the coast, with a reef below, hidden and quiet, without any surveillance cameras nearby.
He pressed down on the flying broomstick and flew straight to a relatively flat reef.
The grayish stones were washed by seawater, damp and smooth, with slippery moss growing on them. The area was filled with a salty sea breeze.
Vold carefully stood his ground, checked the time, and then put away his broomstick, taking out the time converter and turning it back a bit.
He didn't need to reverse too much time because, earlier, he and Dumbledore were still searching for the island, and the island's defenses were at their strongest then, with unpredictable magnetic fields that were unfriendly to someone like him.
The familiar kaleidoscope scene quickly passed, and Vold's vision blurred—the cliff remained the same, the stones still smooth, and the surrounding light underwent some changes.
Most importantly, there was suddenly an additional person in front of Vold!
It was a soldier hiding in this dangerous place, secretly smoking.
Under the influence of some white drug, he was in a light-headed state, lying on the stones and gazing at the sky with a foolish smile.
Even in this state, he still noticed the sudden appearance of another person beside him.
The soldier looked at Vold in astonishment and then seemed to think Vold was his hallucination, breaking into a foolish smile again:
"Hahaha... Why didn't you conjure a beauty? Never mind, this is fine too..."
The soldier wobbled to his feet, took a few steps, and suddenly slipped, falling off the stones.
The dark sea water swallowed him with a loud gulp.
Vold glanced at him and gripped the key.
Suddenly, he felt as if a hook had pulled him from behind his navel, and his entire body was lifted into the air, disoriented, feeling like he was constantly flying forward—
"Thud!" Vold landed on the ground, supporting himself with his hand before quickly standing up.
"Whoosh—"
Heavy rain poured down, soaking him to the bone.
Several Bowtruckles, sheltering from the rain under leaves, were startled by Vold's sudden appearance. They quickly scurried higher up the tree, then cautiously peered down, observing him.
Thunder rumbled in the distance, and lightning flashed around, illuminating the surroundings before quickly fading.
Vold wiped the water from his face, cast a spell to keep the rain at bay, and stood up to find himself near the maze, transported there by Dumbledore.
The place now resembled a magical amusement park, with occasional screams and laughter from students echoing through the hedgerows.
Vold suddenly realized that due to the vast difference in his magical prowess compared to ordinary students, it had been a long time since he last entered the maze.
However, today's maze was unusually quiet, while the Quidditch pitch buzzed with activity.
Vold suddenly became aware that the Gryffindor and Slytherin match was still ongoing—likely due to the weather, the two Seekers were having difficulty finding the Golden Snitch, hence the match had been going on since morning.
He had only twenty minutes.
Vold didn't waste time; he mounted his broomstick and flew directly through the window into the infirmary, startling Madam Pomfrey who was treating a student with a cold.
"Wade Grey? You should have entered through the door..."
Madam Pomfrey almost poured the potion onto the student's head, but her scolding halted as she noticed Vold's expression.
Madam Pomfrey pulled the curtain around the hospital bed and quickly approached Vold, then asked in a low voice, "What happened, child?"
"Madam Pomfrey, if a person's heart and kidneys were removed, and they suffered significant blood loss, but then their organs were returned within a short time—how can we save this person?"
Vold replied, "I need a potion to treat such injuries."
Hearing such an unusual request, Madam Pomfrey didn't get angry. Instead, she carefully examined Vold's eyes and then asked, "Where is the patient?"
"In the future," Vold said, "the situation I described hasn't occurred yet."
"You're not joking with me, child?" Madam Pomfrey frowned, "Are you serious?"
"I am," Vold said, taking out the golden key Dumbledore had given him. "I'm here on Dumbledore's orders."
Upon seeing the key, Madam Pomfrey's expression changed.
"Such terrible injuries can't be solved with a few potions; you need me!"
She decisively removed her apron and threw it aside, waved her wand, and the medicine rack in the corner, various silver instruments, and bottles flew up, clanging as they landed on the rack, eventually transforming into a small, portable case.
The student on the hospital bed had just taken the potion, and smoke was rising from their head.
Curious, she pulled back a corner of the bed curtain to observe the two people talking outside.
"By the way, Severus has a few bottles of a precious Blood Replenishing Potion made from Basilisk blood, which he's always been reluctant to use. This is the time to put it to use."
As Madam Pomfrey spoke, she waved her wand again, and a silver object flew out through the window.
"Done. I've sent him a message, and we'll leave once Severus delivers the potion."
Madam Pomfrey spoke with a light tone.
Vold was so startled by her swift actions that he could hardly speak.
"Did Dumbledore have any other instructions?" Madam Pomfrey asked again.
Vold shook his head, "No."
"When are you leaving?"
"Probably in thirteen minutes."
"What situation did you encounter?"
Vold hesitated, remembering that Dumbledore hadn't mentioned the need for secrecy about this matter. More importantly, with so many children being harmed, it was likely impossible to keep it hidden.
So, he quickly and concisely recounted his previous discoveries.
Although Vold didn't describe in detail all the horrors he had witnessed, the mere mention of "organ trade" was enough to evoke vivid imaginings in Madam Pomfrey's mind.
"Evil, despicable! How dare they treat children like this..."
Madam Pomfrey's anger was evident in her flushed face, flaring nostrils, and eyes that seemed to emit fire, startling even Snape who had arrived through the rain.
He had originally intended to decline, but now hesitated to voice his refusal. After a moment's consideration, he cautiously said,
"Poppy, I don't have many bottles of the potion you want either. I can give you one... or two. Honestly, using such precious potions on these troublemaking kids is unnecessary... it's a waste..."
Professor Snape's voice grew softer, and then he noticed Vold standing nearby, looking startled.
"What happened?" he asked.
(End of Chapter)
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