A Time-Turner. A magical device that lets its user travel back into the past. It was a strictly regulated magical object, and every Time-Turner in the wizarding world was locked away in the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic.
Only Hogwarts students who met certain requirements could have one issued through the school.
That requirement was taking every elective course. Since those electives often overlapped, the Ministry would issue a Time-Turner so the student could attend every class.
The logic behind it sounded about as absurd as using nuclear weapons to get students to school because you were worried they might be late.
Still, as someone who stood to benefit from the policy, Leonard naturally had no objection. Otherwise, it would be very difficult for him to get a Time-Turner unless he stormed the Ministry and stole one by force.
And Leonard absolutely was not going to kick that hornet's nest.
It was much better to receive one openly from a professor.
In Professor McGonagall's office, Leonard stood obediently in front of her, while Hermione beside him wore a puzzled look.
"Mr. William, Miss Granger, let me confirm this one more time. Do you really intend to take every elective course this term?" Professor McGonagall looked at them both seriously as she asked.
"Of course, Professor. I think all of these subjects are worth studying. Besides, they won't take up much of my time anyway," Leonard said with shameless confidence.
With the support of the Ancient Sprout, Leonard's near-perfect memory made him a genius. Every course was easy for him.
The only one that might possibly cause trouble was Divination. Leonard still did not know whether he had any talent for it. But even that course would be fine if he just coasted through it. Professor Trelawney herself was only half-competent anyway. As long as he memorized the textbook, the exams would not be a problem.
"Yes, Professor, that's what I think too," Hermione said, sneaking a glance at Leonard as she spoke.
"Well then, since you insist..." McGonagall took out two gold pendants shaped like pocket watches and handed one to each of them.
"Keep these carefully. They will be the key to completing all your courses this term. I hope you will not abuse them and use them only for your studies..."
As she spoke, she warned them sternly, "Under no circumstances are you to use a Time-Turner to alter history. That would get you killed."
"Don't worry, Professor. We're both very well-behaved," Leonard said with a perfectly straight face.
Hermione blinked, still not fully understanding what a Time-Turner could actually be used for.
McGonagall looked at Leonard with open suspicion. Her instincts told her he would not listen to a word she had just said.
"In any case, the use of the Time-Turner must remain secret. You must not tell anyone. And remember, never use a Time-Turner in a way that makes you appear in front of yourself," Professor McGonagall said.
After a round of promises and polite conversation, Leonard left McGonagall's office with Hermione, Time-Turner in hand.
"Leonard, I didn't expect you to take all the electives too." Hermione felt an indescribable happiness inside.
After all, that meant she and Leonard could take classes together.
Usually, she spent too little time with Leonard and never had a chance to show him her strengths. Now she finally had that chance.
The girl silently encouraged herself, determined to make the boy she liked notice her.
"Mhm..." Leonard's reaction was flat.
Girl, stop staring at me. There's no future in it.
After exchanging a few brief pleasantries with Hermione and watching her skip away, the smile faded from Leonard's face. He turned and looked thoughtfully behind him.
He felt someone watching him from there.
There was no malice in it, but the presence was strong, brazen, and so undisguised that it left Leonard deeply uncomfortable.
This was Hogwarts. Who would be staring at him like that?
Leonard frowned and deliberately stopped hiding his footsteps as he walked toward the source of the gaze.
Since the other side had not hidden their presence, he returned the courtesy and made no effort to hide his own.
At the same time, the miniature man-eating flower in his hand was already poised to strike. If the other party was not a student or professor, Leonard had no intention of being polite.
He hurried to the corner and spun around sharply, only to find no one there.
Only a note drifted in the air.
Leonard reached up and caught it, frowning faintly as he looked down the empty corridor.
The corridor was fifty meters long. In the time it had taken him to get here, it would have been impossible for anyone to run from one end to the other.
And yet the other person had vanished, leaving behind only this note.
Leonard lowered his gaze to the message on it, and his expression immediately turned very strange.
"The long-awaited circus performance is about to begin. The clowns are taking the stage. Please look forward to this side-splitting farce."
Never mind the content for now. Looking at the handwriting, handwriting he knew better than anyone, Leonard fell silent.
It was his own.
He had only just promised Professor McGonagall that he would never misuse the Time-Turner, and now he had already discovered that his future self had not only misused it, but had also turned into some kind of riddling lunatic.
What the hell was this even supposed to mean?
Leonard thought for a moment, then pulled out the Marauder's Map from the mouth of the miniature man-eating flower, something he had not used in quite a long time.
...
The Time-Turner's effect was very straightforward. It sent a person directly into the past. Which meant that at the same point in time, there should be two copies of that person.
If the one who had been watching him so brazenly just now was really himself, then the Marauder's Map should show two instances of his name.
And yet the map showed only one Leonard William.
"So I'm not in the castle?" Leonard frowned. "Then what am I doing?"
He did not think he would be so bored that he would use a Time-Turner to go back and amuse himself by messing with himself.
There had to be a reason.
But what reason? Did he not already know the plot for this school year?
...
Meanwhile, in Hogsmeade.
A figure in black robes slowly entered the village, a raven perched on his shoulder cawing softly.
The outfit did not attract any special attention, at most a little wariness because he was a stranger.
Among wizards, outfits far stranger and more exaggerated than this were everywhere. Only Muggles would make a fuss over a wizard's clothes.
And the raven was even less noteworthy. Plenty of people kept unusual creatures as pets.
Compared to a raven, toads and venomous snakes were far stranger.
The robed figure walked straight toward the Hog's Head. In a place like this, where oddly dressed and strange-looking wizards were everywhere, a black robe made him even less conspicuous.