touchnovel Chapter 310 Time Paradox
Chapter 310 Time Paradox
Chapter 310 The Time Paradox (5.6K) (2/2)
As soon as Dumbledore uttered the pointed phrase "old friend," Hermione, who was standing beside him still shaken, suddenly looked up. Her brown eyes, which still held a hint of fear, instantly filled with suspicion and inquiry. Almost instinctively, she pricked up her ears, clearly sensing the huge secret that might be hidden behind this unusual title.
Lynch and Dumbledore noticed Hermione's subtle yet perceptive reaction almost simultaneously.
Lynch's gaze fell gently on Hermione, his eyes filled with insight, before he turned to Dumbledore, handing him the reins of power.
Dumbledore's expression softened slightly, and his usual concerned, elder-like demeanor returned.
He lowered his head slightly, looking at Ron and Hermione, and asked in a gentle tone, "Now, Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley, perhaps one of you can tell me," his gaze shifting between Ron and Hermione, "why are you two at Hogsmeade at this time? As far as I know, Professor McGonagall would never make such a basic mistake as leading students back to Hogwarts without having taken a headcount. How did you—keep it from her?"
Upon hearing this question, Ron and Hermione exchanged a glance, their faces showing the guilt and panic of being caught doing something wrong.
Ron opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to come up with an excuse, but in the end he just blushed and remained silent.
Hermione, on the other hand, instinctively and protectively reached out and gently touched a small bulge on her chest through her dirty wizard robes, as if it were hiding something.
This subtle movement did not escape Dumbledore's sharp eyes.
His gaze fell on Hermione's neck, where an extremely thin metal chain, almost blending into her skin, was faintly visible from the collar of her robe.
Dumbledore's eyebrows twitched slightly. He seemed to understand something, a look of realization flashing in his azure eyes, and his expression turned serious.
He stared at Hermione and asked directly in a calm yet penetrating voice, "Miss Granger—did you arrive here through—a time-tamper?"
Hermione's body stiffened abruptly, and the color drained from her face instantly.
She looked up and met Dumbledore's eyes, which seemed to see through everything, and then glanced at Lynch beside her, who had a slight smile on his face but exuded an invisible pressure.
She knew that in front of Dumbledore, especially in a situation where her lies had been directly exposed, any lie would be futile and foolish.
She swallowed hard, and finally, filled with immense guilt and unease, she lowered her head and admitted in an almost inaudible voice, "Yes—yes, Professor."
Hearing Dumbledore's direct questioning and Hermione's admission of using the Time-Turner, Ron seemed to have finally found an outlet. He took a half-step forward, his face a mixture of anger, lingering fear, and the humiliation of being deceived. Before Hermione could organize her thoughts more carefully, he excitedly blurted out, "It's for Peter! Peter Pettigrew!" His voice was hoarse with emotion. "We—we learned everything from tomorrow—no, from today, from the Daily Prophet, and from Harry! We learned how he betrayed Harry's parents, how he framed Sirius, and how Scabbers..."
"That's him! He's been hiding in our house for twelve years! Sleeping in my bed!"
Ron's face flushed red with anger, and his fists clenched involuntarily.
"I'm absolutely—I'm absolutely furious! To think he just—just escaped right under the Ministry of Magic's nose? Nobody could catch him? I can't accept this! So—that's why I asked Hermione for help. We used the Time-Turner to come back, we thought—we thought maybe we could do something, at least not let him get away so easily!"
His words carried the impulsiveness and sense of justice unique to young people, but also revealed a deep naivety and recklessness.
Lin Qi, who had been silently observing, finally took half a step forward.
He gazed at Ron and Hermione, his gaze carrying both the authority of a teacher and a hint of barely perceptible concern.
"Commendable courage," he said in a steady, firm voice, first offering affirmation, then changing the subject, "but lacking in foresight. Did either of you consider the disparity in strength between yourself and Peter? Do you really think the two of you can capture him?"
Hearing Lynch's question, Hermione quickly looked up, her face showing the panic of having her thoughts exposed, but she still tried to maintain her logic as she explained, "No! Of course not! We never intended to catch him ourselves! That's too dangerous!" She spoke quickly, "I just—I just accompanied Ron back. Our original plan was to hide in the shadows, like in the Shrieking Shack or somewhere, trying not to interfere with the events, just to observe! We just wanted to find out the direction Peter escaped in or what method he used, even just one clue! That way—that way, when time returns to normal, you professors, and the Ministry of Magic, will have a clear direction to follow! We didn't want to change any key history, we just wanted to—provide a clue—"
Her voice trailed off under Lynch’s calm gaze, as if she herself realized how wishful and risky her idea was.
After listening, Lin Qi nodded slightly and then commented, "Not too stupid, but it was a case of good intentions gone wrong."
But this comment, which was hardly a compliment, did not make Hermes feel any relief.
Then, Lynch abruptly changed the subject, throwing out a point that left Hermione and Ron speechless. His tone remained calm, yet carried an undeniable certainty, as if stating a physical law: "Let me tell you an interesting fact about the Time-Turner." His gaze swept over Hermione's chest. "It cannot be used to change the past. Or, to be more precise, you think you've come back to change the past, but in fact, from the moment you decided to come back and took action, the past as you know it" has already been fixed and determined because of your action."
He looked at the two children, who were momentarily stunned, and continued in his calm voice, "When you return to the past with the belief that you want to stop Peter from escaping or find clues about Peter's escape route, then the outcome that Peter ultimately escaped without leaving any useful clues becomes inevitable. And you, the you who returns to the past, not only cannot change this outcome, but will become a key link in making this outcome possible."
He paused slightly, letting the weight of his words weigh heavily on Hermione and Ron's hearts.
"Just like now." His gaze swept across the surrounding ruins. "You came back, and then? To protect you, Peter escaped, and the trail went cold. Your actions, far from helping, may have actually ensured your escape along some causal chain we haven't fully grasped." This is the perfect fulfillment of the ending. That's the irony of time.
Hermione's mouth was slightly open, her face was deathly pale, and her brown eyes were filled with immense shock and bewilderment at having her understanding of the world turned upside down.
Ron was completely bewildered. He looked at Lynch and then at Hermione, seemingly unable to comprehend such convoluted words, but the phrase "Your actions ensured Peter's escape" was like a nail driven into his brain.
As Lin Qi's calm voice fell, he looked at the two dumbfounded young wizards in front of him, whose worldviews seemed to have been reshaped. He remained silent for a moment, and a very faint, elusive emotion seemed to flash across his deep eyes.
As if remembering something, his gaze seemed to pierce through the ruins before him, and he saw another boy with messy black hair and emerald green eyes.
He exhaled softly, his voice still calm, but with a hint of wistfulness: "Now, I understand why you and Harry have become inseparable friends."
His gaze swept over Ron's face, still showing signs of anger and bewilderment, and Hermione's pale face, filled with shock and contemplation.
"This kind of reckless impulsiveness—recklessly rushing into the most dangerous situations without considering the consequences and driven solely by passion—is exactly the same."
This statement sounds light and airy, making it difficult to discern whether it's praise or criticism; it's more like an objective conclusion based on observation.
But it undoubtedly captures precisely the most prominent traits of these three young Gryffindors, the traits that repeatedly put them in danger.
Hermione's cheeks flushed slightly with embarrassment at those words, but what unsettled her even more was Lynch's assertion about the Time-Turner.
That's too revolutionary, too terrifying.
Almost instinctively, with the last glimmer of hope and a desire for confirmation, she turned her gaze to the person she trusted most present.
And the wisest elder—Albus Dumbledore.
Dumbledore received Hermione's bewildered and seeking-affirmation beam of light. A complex emotion flashed in his azure eyes, a mixture of understanding and helplessness.
He met Hermione's gaze and nodded slowly and very slightly, his tone gentle yet firm: "I'm afraid what Professor Lynch said—is indeed one of the most fundamental and ruthless laws in the realm of time magic, Miss Granger. What we can do is not to change the past, but to understand it, and on that basis, strive to shape the future."
Even Dumbledore himself confirmed it!
The last glimmer of hope in Hermione's eyes faded.
She finally realized how insignificant and ridiculous her wisdom and the time converter, which she regarded as her most powerful tool, were in the face of the real, cold rules of time.
They wanted to help, but inadvertently they laid the final piece of the puzzle for the enemy's safe escape.
Ron stood there with his mouth agape, looking at Lynch and then at Dumbledore, completely dumbfounded.
Just then, the sounds of Aurors' noisy footsteps and Scrimgeour's shouts could be heard in the distance; they were rapidly approaching the epicenter of the explosion.
Lynch said no more. He quickly turned to Dumbledore and said succinctly, "We can't let the Ministry of Magic see them."
"Shall we take them to my stone house?"
Dumbledore understood instantly. His gaze swept over the two panicked children, and he made a decision immediately: "Then I'll leave it to you."
.
"Okay." Lin Qi nodded.
Dumbledore no longer hesitated. He flicked his wand, and half a charred brick flew into his hand.
The Elder Wand tapped lightly on the brick: "Mentos!"
"Take this," Dumbledore said, crouching down slightly and placing the now-warm brick into Ron's hand. His tone was gentle but firm. "This is a door key. It will take you to Mr. Lynch's stone house. Stay there, keep quiet, and you'll be perfectly safe."
Ron instinctively gripped the stone that had suddenly become somewhat warm, his face still showing a blank expression.
Hermione instantly realized that their use of the Time-Turner must not be revealed to the Ministry of Magic!
Professors Dumbledore and Lynch were protecting them and avoiding unnecessary trouble.
"But—" Ron wanted to say something more.
"No buts!" Hermione interrupted him immediately, grabbing his arm tightly, then looked at Lynch and Dumbledore, saying quickly and firmly, "We understand!"
Dumbledore stood up and took one last look at the two children.
Snapped!
With a crisp crack, Ron and Hermione's figures instantly twisted and blurred, as if pulled and spun by an invisible force, and disappeared completely from their original spot in the next second, leaving only a faint magical fluctuation in the air.
The brick, having fulfilled its purpose, fell to the scorched ground with a "click," returning to its ordinary state as a piece of wreckage.
Almost the instant they disappeared, Rufus Scrimgeour, leading a squad of fully armed Aurors, burst through the remaining dust and appeared before Dumbledore and Lynch.
Scrimgeour's sharp gaze swept quickly across the chaotic ruins and the two men standing in the center. He asked in a gruff voice, "Headmaster Dumbledore! Mr. Lynch! What happened here? That explosion—and where's Peter Pettigrew?"
Dumbledore, facing the stern-faced Scrimgeour, frankly told him that Peter Pedyru had escaped after creating this great chaos.
However, he chose to keep the intervention magic and the "old friend" that might be behind it a secret for the time being, attributing it only to Peter's cunning escape through the explosion and chaos.
After giving a brief explanation, Dumbledore and Lynch walked out of the still-smoking ruins, leaving the subsequent exploration and containment work to the Aurors.
They hadn't gone far when they saw Cornelius-Fudge running towards them from the main street, panting and sweating profusely, with several attendants by his side. His round face was filled with obvious panic and anxiety.
Lin Qi stopped in his tracks, his gaze sweeping over the panting Fudge, then over the windows of the villagers on both sides of the street who, though too afraid to come out, were clearly watching closely from behind their curtains, pointing and whispering.
He turned his head slightly and whispered to Dumbledore beside him, "After tonight's series of events, the Ministry of Magic probably has no chance to cover up the truth of what happened back then. The people at the entrance of Hogsmeade Village heard it with their own ears from inside their houses, and the editor-in-chief of the Daily Prophet also witnessed Peter's confession. Although the mastermind is on the run, there are quite a few officials with irrefutable witnesses. The dam of public opinion has collapsed."
Dumbledore nodded slowly, the night breeze ruffling his silvery-white beard and hair. In his deep blue eyes, besides weariness, there was also a profound sense of self-reproach.
"I understand," his voice was lower than usual, "I must make sure Sirius's innocence is proven."
This is what I owe him.
The word "owe" carried an indescribable weight. Clearly, he had taken some responsibility upon himself, feeling a pang of pain in his heart for the oversight and hasty conclusions made twelve years ago.
Lynch keenly sensed this guilt, and continued calmly, his words like precise surgical incisions: "Simply exonerating him is probably not enough to make up for it. As the chief wizard of Wizengamor, your voice is crucial at this moment. Twelve years of imprisonment without trial, in a place like Azkaban—" He paused slightly, allowing the meaning in his words to fully settle, "Black lost far more than just his freedom. The Ministry of Magic should give him sufficient, even excessive, compensation; that is only fair."
"But Sirius isn't that kind of materialistic person; I think the title of 'hero' is justified. What do you think?"
Dumbledore's body paused almost imperceptibly; Lynch's words struck a chord with his inner pain once more.
He was silent for a moment, his gaze fixed on the blurry outline of Hogwarts Castle in the darkness in the distance, where his school had once been, and where he had failed to protect one of his students.
Finally, his voice hoarse, he replied, "You're right. This isn't just a legal exoneration, but a moral redemption. I will personally push this through in Wisconsin to ensure he receives the compensation he deserves and—an apology."
"That's good." Lynch nodded slightly. "It wasn't for nothing that I personally orchestrated this grand spectacle. I still have some matters to attend to; the Stone Tower Merchant Guild's actions tonight need to be wrapped up. As for the possibility of our old friend reappearing—" He gave Dumbledore a meaningful look, "we'll discuss that in more detail later."
"I'll be waiting for you in the Headmaster's office," Dumbledore replied.
Without further pleasantries, the two parted ways on the dusty and tense streets of Hogsmeade.
Dumbledore approached Fudge, who was anxiously waiting to greet him, preparing to face another political storm.
Lin Qi's figure disappeared silently into a side alley, as if blending into the shadows, preparing to take a detour to meet up with the Chamber of Commerce staff for the evening.
A short while later, he returned to the Ministry of Magic's temporary command office, passing through the now chaotic and noisy hall, where officials were running around and shouting like headless flies, and no one paid attention to the silent man.
He returned to the room where the curtain had once hung.
The curtains had been drawn back, and only a few employees of the Stone Tower Chamber of Commerce remained in the room, methodically tidying up the delicate crystal balls and wiring equipment.
Several of the key figures from before had already left, and even Batty Crouch was nowhere to be found.
"Your Excellency." Upon seeing him, the employees immediately stopped what they were doing and bowed respectfully.
Lin Qi nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the equipment recording the truth of tonight's events. He succinctly instructed, "Save all the video footage from tonight, make three backups, and store them separately."
"Yes."
"Upon returning, the news department immediately took action, writing detailed reports as quickly as possible and publishing them on all the news sections of the Chamber of Commerce's bulletin boards."
He paused, his tone leaving no room for doubt: "Remember, our reporting must be distinct from the stance that the Daily Prophet might take. No need for embellishment, no need for speculation, just objectively and fairly state the facts. Let the images and Peter's words speak for themselves."
"Understood!" the employees replied in unison.
After explaining the most crucial matters, Lin Qi didn't linger and turned to leave.
He stopped an Auror in the corridor who looked anxious and had been sent back to retrieve a damage confirmation form, and asked him a few simple questions.
From the other person, he learned that Sirius Black and Harry had been rushed to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Injuries and Sicknesses due to the severity of their injuries.
Having obtained the information he wanted, Lin Qi ignored the chaos around him. He walked to a relatively quiet corner, slowly closed his eyes, and concentrated.
The frequent and intense use of magic seemed to have increased the burden on this temporary body, but he ignored the subtle warning.
Bang!
With a short, loud bang, he used Apparition for the last time in Hogsmeade, and his black figure vanished completely, leaving behind only the still-unresolved vortex of storm that he had personally stirred up.
boom!
A deeper, more muffled sound, as if some fragile structure had completely collapsed and exploded, rang out in the silent air of the stone house.
Just as Lin Qi's figure solidified in the center of the stone house, before his feet had even fully touched the ground, the temporary body that carried his will and power suddenly shattered from the inside, like glass that had reached its limit, exploding into countless glittering dust fragments!
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