Ivan fell silent. Dumbledore's story had given him a sense of fear!
That is to say, his body and the Time-Turner had been there since a year and a half ago, when the protagonist was still alive.
"Playing with time is extremely dangerous! No wizard of sound mind should entertain such a notion!" Dumbledore continued, when Ivan seemed to understand.
However, Ivan did not give up on the idea of getting his hands on the Time-Turner, as Dumbledore had hoped, and was willing to give it a try, no matter how dangerous it was.
He also quickly found a loophole in Dumbledore's statement, and Ivan, regaining his confidence, retorted.
"But I don't think the Time-Turner is as bad as you say, do you? Otherwise the Ministry wouldn't have put it in the hands of a student!"
Ivan pointed to the Time-Turner on the table. Its presence meant that the Ministry of Magic approved of his use.
"You've always been smarter than I gave you credit for, Hales!" Dumbledore said with a mixture of emotion and resignation.
"Yes, it's somewhat controllable, if we use it cautiously and understand some of the rules, which is why we applied for a Time-Turner!"
"In order to obtain it, your dean, Professor McGonagall, wrote a letter to the Ministry, telling them that you were a model student and promising never to use it for anything other than your studies…"
"There are not many exceptions throughout the history of Hogwarts!" Dumbledore explained to Ivan.
Not many people would choose to take a third year elective subject, let alone an applicant who could reassure the Head of House that he or she was fine with both.
Ivan nodded, his gaze fixed on the glittering Time-Turner as he wondered how much longer Dumbledore would keep talking before giving it to him.
"Professor, the Divination lesson is about to start," Ivan tried to remind him.
"Don't worry, Hulse, Miss Granger is not here yet," Dumbledore said slowly.
Crack …
At that moment, the door to the Headmaster's office opened and the little brown-haired witch came in.
Hermione glanced curiously at Ivan, surprised to see him there, and then at Dumbledore.
"Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall said you wanted to see me?"
"Yes, I called you here because of the elective classes," Dumbledore said, nodding.
"I'm very sorry, Professor! Did I choose too many courses? I've always wanted to learn more, and if this is bothering you…"
As Hermione apologized, Dumbledore interrupted her.
"No, Miss Granger, that is not what I meant! No teacher would deny a student a thirst for knowledge!"
"We have a way to give you a little more time to learn all the lessons at once!" Dumbledore said with a smile.
Hermione was a little confused. Could she make more time?
She had already read the schedule of the next class. Today, there were three classes that were taught at the same time, and unless she could split herself, she would not be able to attend two of them.
Hermione was prepared to self-study in private, or else take it in turns.
Dumbledore did not try to hide anything from Hermione and explained how the Time-Turner worked.
"Back in time?" Hermione's eyes widened in surprise.
She hadn't expected it to have the ability to turn back time.
"Professor, is this the only Time-Turner?" Ivan interjected, sensing that Dumbledore was trying to get him to use the same Time-Turner as Hermione.
But there should be plenty of them in the Ministry…
"Yes, it is the only one approved by the Ministry of Magic, and they believe that too many Time-Turners increase the risk of losing control, but you may use it together." Dumbledore nodded and continued.
"In addition, I hope that you can supervise each other, and it is best not to rewind too long each time. It is best to wait until necessary…"
Dumbledore talked about the limitations and taboos of the Time-Turner, such as not having too much contact with other people after returning to the past, and especially not being seen by one's past self.
Hermione tried to keep all this in mind.
Ivan was disappointed. He would have preferred to have the Time-Turner to himself, so that he could have more time to study the changes to the Polyjuice Potion.
After explaining the various taboos, Dumbledore announced, "This Time-Turner will be in the care of Miss Granger!"
Hermione was caught off guard, as she had not expected Dumbledore to ask her to hold on to something so important. She could tell that Ivan was keen to get his hands on the Time-Turner.
"Why don't you leave it with Ivan, Professor Dumbledore?" Hermione suggested, glancing discreetly at Ivan and noting his sour expression.
"Miss Granger, the purpose of keeping it in your possession is to ensure that the Time-Turner's powers are not misused, and I don't think you would refuse a legitimate request from Mr. Harls, would you?" Dumbledore shook his head.
Hermione hesitated for a moment before placing the Time-Turner around her neck.
…
Together, they left the Headmaster's office and made their way to the Divination classroom.
Ivan remained silent. Dumbledore's attitude was so unexpected that Ivan wondered if he had guessed something.
But this shouldn't be happening!
Ivan frowned. He had sealed off information about the attack on Isia, partly out of fear that it would affect his access to the Time-Turner if too many people knew about it.
Because the Ministry of Magic will not tolerate attempts to go back in time and reverse time!
Also, few people paid attention to what happened in Knockturn Alley. Where did Dumbledore get his information? And how much did he know?
Sirius is now a fugitive from justice, and will never contact Dumbledore of his own accord.
Unless …
Ivan suddenly remembered the letters in the Headmaster's office. He had come into contact with a close friend of Dumbledore's, Bohan, the head of St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries…
Could it be him?
(PS: Angels are here to wish you a Happy New Year and all will be well with you!)