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Chapter 478: Unfulfilled Wishes
Chapter 478: Unfulfilled Wishes
It is well known that Nifflers have a particular fondness for anything that sparkles, making them especially suitable for treasure hunts. This is due to their exceptionally keen sense of smell. At that moment, Felix looked at Valen, a new idea forming in his mind.
“Rustle—”
Felix raised his hand toward the empty space in the office, and the ring on his finger emitted a bright light. Immediately, various items erupted like a volcanic eruption—parchments, notebooks, scrolls, potions, letters, and Christmas gifts from the past few years. The room was soon filled with a mountain of items.
Felix sat in a chair behind him, looking at the stunned Valen, and explained, “All the things belonging to the people I know are here. The scents on the letters and gifts are well-preserved… I’m counting on you, Valen, to find this person.”
Valen looked at the pile of items, which towered higher than the table it stood on, and shuddered. Under Felix’s expectant gaze, it tiptoed and flipped through a pair of blue woolen socks. The socks were embroidered with crude black lightning bolts and silver orbs—Dobby’s gift to Felix. Felix liked them, but the size was two sizes too small, making them impossible to wear.
Valen crouched at the edge of the desk, pulling the drawer halfway out. From Felix’s perspective, a stack of parchment filled with writing was visible. Valen turned to look at Felix angrily, pointing downward with all its might.
“Squeak! (This one!)”
Felix was taken aback. Had he been too hasty? He raised his arm awkwardly, and the stack of parchment flew into his hand. He knew exactly what it was but still examined it closely for a long time before looking up and confirming, “You’re sure? Valen, this isn’t a joke…?”
Valen confidently placed its hands on its hips and nodded vigorously.
Felix’s gaze fell back on the parchment. It was an essay detailing a plan to disassemble a Time-Turner—something he had seen just a couple of days ago, written by Hermione Granger.
Hermione… Granger. It really was her.
Felix let out a soft sigh. Now that he had a clear target, he wouldn’t have to search blindly for clues. However, he immediately furrowed his brow. He had repeatedly warned Hermione about the dangers of long-distance time travel. She was fully aware of the risks, yet she still went through with it.
Was it out of necessity, or was it a mistake?
Felix had just thought of this because the core component of Hermione’s Time-Turner came from an evil Dark Wizard from over two thousand years ago. Although Felix had confirmed with his magical vision in the underground chamber of the Egyptian pyramid that the statue and altar housing “Herpo the Foul’s” Horcrux had no remaining magical traces, he knew nothing about time.
So when Hermione told him she planned to replace the hourglass on the altar, he was supportive. As long as she approached it seriously, whether it succeeded or failed, it would be a significant gain with many benefits.
He had added one precaution—advising Granger not to use it even if the replacement was successful. Felix thought this was enough, but clearly, something unexpected had happened in the future, something beyond both his and Hermione’s expectations.
For example, he “died.”
To be more precise, Granger believed he was dead. Given the urgency of the situation, she couldn’t verify the truth, or perhaps she didn’t want to. In any case, she hastily used the Time-Turner, and an accident occurred…
Felix silently pondered, trying to piece together a reasonable timeline.
But there were still many unexplained issues.
Valen was already used to the Dark Lord occasionally freezing in place. It sniffed the scent on the postcard. Yes, it was the witch with messy hair who liked to hold it. Her scent was everywhere in the office, but Valen hadn’t noticed it before.
Valen’s eyes gleamed as it looked at the pile of items on the ground. This was a treasure trove! It glanced at Felix, understanding that as long as it didn’t disturb him, this state would continue for a while. Valen ran a few steps, leaped from the table like a diver, and landed on a pile of colorful socks. Its small hands quickly dug through the pile, and it soon disappeared into the heap.
The joy of treasure hunting!
Valen happily roamed through the vast array of items. The probability of finding treasures was astonishing. It quickly found several Galleons and laughed with delight, feeling incredibly happy… It stuffed the coins into its pocket and glanced to the side, only to find a Temperature-Stabilizing Pendant. Valen hesitated for a few seconds, then “resolutely” decided to leave it behind—its pocket already contained three pendants.
It wasn’t interested.
Valen sniffed lightly, catching a familiar scent again. It came from a rolled-up parchment. From the corner that had come loose, it saw the words “House-elf” and “investigation.” After some thought, Valen emerged from the pile and placed the parchment next to the postcard.
"Chirp! (And this one too!)"
It loudly reminded. Valen felt a warm satisfaction in his heart, knowing that he was helping the Dark Lord and earning a fair reward through his labor.
Felix snapped back to reality and watched as Valen rummaged through the clutter, occasionally poking his head out to place items on the desk. A quick glance revealed that they were all Hermione's things: essays, gifts, and handcrafted Runic Script items... At the same time, Felix noticed that Valen's belly had become round and plump, and if he wasn't mistaken, a half-visible necklace was poking out of Valen's pocket.
Felix pondered whether it was time to educate Valen about the relationship between work and compensation—his employees at the company would surely cry if they knew Valen's labor costs.
Once again, Valen emerged from the clutter. He shook the black fur on his body, one hand holding a card and the other gripping a Scrying Orb, which he was trying to stuff into his pocket. However, the pocket seemed full, and after several attempts, he couldn't manage it.
Felix glared at the greedy little creature, waving his hand. Valen, unable to resist, flew over. Meeting the Dark Lord's disapproving gaze, Valen realized he had been too excited. He shrank back and offered the Scrying Orb with a placating gesture.
Felix continued to stare at him.
Valen blinked, a look of realization crossing his face, and handed over the card in his other hand, proudly saying:
"Chirp! (It took me a while to find it!)"
Felix glared at Valen, his face dark. "Do you think I don't know what you're up to? Did you forget your moral education?" Just as he was about to say more, his peripheral vision caught the birthday card. His eyes widened, and a wave of turmoil washed over him.
The card was from "Ms. Jane", who had sent it along with a giant birthday cake two months ago.
Felix's hand trembled involuntarily. Over a decade ago, to be precise, at the opening feast of his fourth year, he had received her first letter. Among hundreds of letters that insulted him, only this one offered encouragement. The lady had continued to send him a few more letters until he graduated.
Felix recalled Nicolas Flamel's notes, his heart growing heavier. There was no known survivor of long-distance time travel... If Granger had been sent back ten years by the Time-Turner, how severe would the temporal backlash on her body be?
He couldn't jump to conclusions; he knew nothing about the time domain. Nearly Headless Nick had never experienced time travel; he had only gathered those materials.
"What is the most important thing right now?" Felix murmured to himself. "Yes, that's it."
He extended his hand, and the clutter on the ground flowed into his ring like water. Valen quickly climbed onto his shoulder, watching the spectacular scene with wide eyes. After two minutes, only three items remained on the ground.
His homemade Marauder's Map, the half-finished Scrying Orb Valen had been holding, and a small glass vial containing a lock of gray hair.
Felix unfolded the map. Ink lines spread outward from a central point, quickly revealing the entire layout of Hogwarts Castle. The ink continued to spread, extending to the Forbidden Forest, Black Lake, and the surrounding mountains, including the outposts of the other four schools, all clearly visible.
Hogwarts Castle occupied only a tenth of the map, with a dense cluster of dots and names packed together, resembling a flattened, wriggling ball of yarn that made one's scalp tingle.
Felix took out his wand and tapped the map, whispering, "Hermione Granger."
The map transformed, the wriggling lines melting away like spring snow, leaving only one golden name: Hermione Granger. She was in the Potions Classroom, taking the final exam.
"Just one name", Felix said, somewhat disappointed.
...
The door to the Potions Classroom opened, and students filed out.
Hermione, while packing her bag, said hurriedly, "The questions weren't too difficult, but I'm not sure if I explained the steps clearly. I should have waved my wand before stirring the potion..." Harry and Ron looked exasperated. As they turned the corner, Hermione was still reviewing the Potions Class questions. Harry couldn't help but say, "Hermione, you're the only one among us who actually took the exam. We don't even know which questions you're talking about."
"True", Ron said, unusually cheerful. "I was reading a comic book during the exam. You should have seen the look on Snape's face—oh, sorry, Professor." As he turned to speak, he bumped into Felix.
“It’s me who’s blocking you,” Felix said with a smile. “I think it’s about time. I need to find Professor Snape for something… Oh, Hermione Granger, I’ve been a bit worried. If you plan to fix that little timepiece, let me know in advance—”
“We’ve already fixed it,” Harry said.
“Excuse me, what?”
“It’s already fixed, last night,” Harry explained.
“Wait a minute,” Felix stared at Harry, then turned to Hermione. “I remember you saying you wouldn’t try to fix it until after the third task?”
“Oh, well…” Hermione fidgeted, running her fingers through her hair. “There was an unexpected situation… I was feeling particularly good, so I… uh, finished it early.” She stammered.
She really didn’t want the professor to know that her impulsive decision to fix the Time-Turner was driven by her anxiety about meeting her parents.
“Professor, do you want me to bring you the Time-Turner? It’s in my dorm,” Hermione quickly changed the subject. Harry and Ron’s hearts raced, even though they had decided to have Professor Hep check it, they still feared hearing words like “dangerous” or “confiscation” from the professor.
“Not yet, just focus on preparing for the third task. I still hope you’ll win the trophy,” Felix calmly deflected her offer.
Hermione watched as Felix disappeared around the corner, puzzled. “Did you guys notice something strange about the professor?”
“Strange? How so?” Ron asked, and Harry looked at her, equally baffled.
“It’s just—” Hermione opened her mouth, but found it hard to describe the odd feeling. “Never mind. We only have the History of Magic exam left tomorrow. Do you plan to read more leisure books in class?” Her tone was clearly disapproving.
“I specifically asked Professor Mcgonagall, and the parents will be here tomorrow morning. Hermione, you’re not planning to leave them outside and take the exam alone, are you?” Ron asked.
“Is that not allowed?” Hermione raised an eyebrow. “Actually, I—” She suddenly stopped and looked around.
“What’s wrong, Hermione? Is someone there?” Harry asked, sensing something amiss but seeing nothing.
Hermione pulled out her wand and tapped around, but found nothing.
“Maybe I was mistaken,” she hesitated.
“It can’t be ghosts, can it? Come on, if Mrs. Norris catches you casting spells in the corridor, you’re in trouble. It’s strange, that cat is getting more agile. Even Fred and George Weasley are hesitant to sneak out at night. They’re trying to find out why…”
Their voices faded as they walked away. Felix circled the Potions Classroom and returned to his office, now holding several strands of brown hair. He took out a half-finished Scrying Orb and used the hair to create a tracking device.
Felix stood by the fireplace, looking at Valen. “I’m going out. I might not be back tonight, don’t worry.”
“Chirp? (Can I come with you?)”
“Oh, no,” Felix whispered. “I don’t think so.” Green flames rose, and he vanished from the office.
...
Over the next few hours, Felix roamed through Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley, and the Wizarding districts of Britain, holding the tracking Scrying Orb but finding nothing.
“You’re very clever, Hermione Granger. You’re hiding well.”
By now, it was nearly dusk. Felix sat by the window in a café, the Big Ben, one of London’s landmarks, visible in his line of sight. After finishing his coffee, he paid and asked the slightly bald cashier, “Is there a newsstand nearby?”
“Oh, yes, just around the corner…”
Two minutes later—
Felix stood in front of a newsstand, handing a postcard with a quote to a young woman. He politely asked, “Hello, do you have similar postcards?”
The young woman examined the card for a moment. “I remember a salesperson recommending a set of famous quotes postcards a few months ago, but I already had two hundred sets of London sightseeing cards, so I didn’t stock them… Do you want a set?”
She pointed to the sightseeing cards on the stand.
“Give me a set,” Felix smiled. The woman’s words confirmed his final suspicion.
Felix handed her a banknote, then turned into an alley with a set of London tourist attraction postcards. The next second, his figure reappeared two streets away. When he emerged from another alley, his hands were empty. He looked up to see a Dentist Clinic across the alley.
It had been nearly three years since he bought a wisdom tooth here. Felix smiled, Mr. Granger must have been deeply impressed by a customer like him; such a client was probably quite rare.
Felix tapped his forehead with the second joint of his index finger. There was no magical glow in the clinic, which didn't surprise him. He glanced around, and his black and white vision immediately became vivid with color.
He had met Granger once before he was onboarded. He remembered she had walked to the clinic, suggesting that her home wasn't far away...
Felix searched patiently, muttering to himself, "I told her myself that there are no exceptions to the consequences of long-distance time travel. If she believed she was destined to die... where would she spend the last days of her life? I should have thought of this sooner."
Felix's gaze fixed on a faint light point in his vision, and he smiled. It didn't take much effort for him to reach the street of small terrace houses. This area was a favorite among the middle class and the nouveau riche—each house was about 150 to 200 square meters, two to three stories high, with its own small garden and garage.
Felix cast a Disguise Charm on himself and stopped in front of a house, staring at the "Granger" nameplate on the door for a moment. He then walked into a restaurant across the street, which had a "24-hour" sign, and ordered a few dishes, reevaluating his plan.
He didn't intend to meet Hermione, at least not until he could mitigate the side effects of long-distance time travel.
Time travelers were protected by the Time-Turner. If they only traveled back a couple of hours, this "protection" wasn't noticeable. However, if they traveled back years, decades, or even centuries, the consequences without the Time-Turner's energy would be dire.
The most obvious example was the witch who unfortunately returned to five centuries ago. When she returned to her own time, she instantly aged from the prime of her life to the brink of death. St. Mungo's tried everything, but her body was like a sieve, and all attempts to restore her vitality were futile.
Felix could only hope that the energy from the hourglass, taken from "Herpo the Foul", was sufficient.
As the sky grew darker, Felix sat in a corner of the restaurant, his index finger tapping rhythmically on the table. The other patrons ignored him as ripples of magic spread out, covering the restaurant and extending to the house across the street and the surrounding neighborhood.
He used Mind Chamber Magic to replicate the surroundings, overlapping them in his mind—similar to how he had created the Snow Corridor during the Quidditch World Cup. He glanced at the clock on the wall; it was already nine o'clock.
A car pulled up across the street, and a middle-aged couple got out. Felix closed his eyes, as if standing in front of the Grangers. They chatted and laughed as they opened the gate, parked the car in the garage, and the curtain on the second floor moved slightly.
Despite the dim light of the night, Felix clearly "saw" a fuzzy head.
After a few minutes, just as he was about to stop the magic, the second-floor window suddenly opened, and an owl flew out. Under the cover of night, no one noticed its departure. The owl circled the house twice before flying off into the darkness.
Hermione watched the owl for a few seconds before disappearing behind the curtain. Unbeknownst to her, the owl flew aimlessly for a while, circling in the air, then uncontrollably flew in one direction. The door to the restaurant suddenly opened, and the owl landed directly in front of Felix.
"It's for me", Felix murmured, staring at the envelope. He opened it, and the familiar handwriting of "Ms. Jane" was on the letter.
"...I might not write again, as I'm moving to another place. I read in the newspaper that you've become the coach and safety officer for the two Hogwarts Triwizard Champions... that's impressive... I watched the video of the second task... the Champions must handle immense pressure, so I suggest you give them a hug before the match..."
Felix put down the letter and said expressionlessly, "It's a shame, Hermione Granger, I can't grant your wish."
It might be necessary to explain that Hermione didn't stay in the past for ten years; there were several time jumps in between, so the time she experienced wasn't that long.
(End of Chapter)
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