Chapter 249 - Turner

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Harry looked at the others, noticing Pansy had yet to reply. Seeing her thoughtful expression, he said, "So, it seems no one took Divination. I thought there would be at least one or two who wanted easy credit. After all, in Divination, all you have to do is blow smoke."

Crabbe and Goyle sighed heavily, looking a bit disappointed. "We wanted to," Crabbe admitted, nodding towards Malfoy, who was rubbing his eyebrows, "but boss said we can't."

Malfoy looked up, his expression one of mild irritation. "Divination is a waste of time," he said. "It's better to focus on something useful."

"That's true," Daphne interjected, trying to lighten the mood. "We have plenty of subjects to keep us busy without adding something like Divination."

Astoria, who had been listening quietly, nodded in agreement. "I read that Divination is mostly guesswork. I'd rather spend my time on something more concrete."

Harry chuckled. "You're right. There are more practical subjects we should focus on, especially with the challenges we might face this year."

Pansy then smirked at Harry, "Though, I thought you would take all electives, Harry. Seems like even you cannot be at the same place at the same time."

Harry looked at her puzzled, then realized that most of these electives clashed with each other, just as he knew from previous years. But when he talked to Hermione a few days ago, hadn't she mentioned that she would take most of these?

"I don't need to take all of them. I can sit for the OWLs in all subjects anyway. Why waste my time attending classes?" Harry replied with a confident shrug.

Daphne raised an eyebrow, impressed. "You're going to take OWLs for all of them? That's ambitious."

Harry nodded, a sly smile playing on his lips. "Why not? If I can get the knowledge without sitting through boring lectures, it's a win."

Astoria looked up at Harry with wide eyes, admiration clear on her face. "You can really do that?"

Harry chuckled. "Sure, I just need to study and be prepared. The classes are just one way to learn."

The conversation shifted as the group began discussing their schedules and how they planned to handle the new term's workload. As Harry, Daphne, and Tracey left the Great Hall, he noticed Hermione walking behind Draco and the others, with Neville by her side. 'Is she taking Muggle Studies instead of Arithmancy? No, that can't be right,' Harry thought, but shrugged it off. 

Outside the Great Hall, Susan and Hannah joined them, and together they walked towards their first Arithmancy class. For Harry, this would be his first official class in the subject.

"This years timetable is not that cramped, is it, Harry?" Susan asked, her voice filled with genuine surprise. Last year, she heard third years had such a cramped timetable that, they could barely make time to eat in some days, and in others, they had no classes at all.

"It's manageable," Harry replied. "I'm more concerned about Umbridge's classes and what she might try to pull this year."

Hannah nodded in agreement. "She's already made a terrible impression. We need to be prepared for anything."

Daphne added, "And we will be. Between our duelling club and our own study groups, we'll stay ahead."

Tracey laughed, "Neville in Muggle Studies, though. Who'd have thought?"

"It's his grandmother's doing," Harry said, glancing back at Neville. "She wants him to pursue plant biology in Muggle Universities after Hogwarts. You were in his place, if I remember correctly." Harry teased her. He spoke with Tracey's parents to allow her choose any elective she wanted.

Susan chimed in from the side, "That's great for Neville. He's got a knack for Herbology, after all."

Hannah nodded in agreement, "True. He's really good with plants. I'm sure he'll excel."

Arriving at Arithmancy class, Harry froze at the sight of Hermione already seated, with Professor Vector going over her papers at her desk. For a moment, Harry thought he was hallucinating or that someone was tampering with his memories. A myriad of thoughts raced through his mind, and he reminded himself to stay vigilant at Hogwarts, especially now that he knew he was housing a piece of Voldemort's soul.

Daphne noticed his sudden stillness and touched his forehead. "Are you okay? You just froze."

Harry nodded, snapping out of his stupor. "I'm fine," he replied, moving to sit next to Hermione. He discreetly opened the system map and found another name beside Neville across from castle, confirming his suspicions: Hermione Granger. For a second, Harry suspected Polyjuice Potion might be at play. To be certain, he used his Astral Soul form to examine Hermione's soul, and indeed, it was hers.

A small smile crept onto Harry's face. 'So, a Time-Turner,' he thought. He remembered Hermione's unusual stress and her lack of concern about clashing electives. Now, it all made sense. She was attending classes simultaneously using the Time-Turner. 

With the mystery solved, Harry turned to Hermione with a grin. "Busy schedule, huh?"

Hermione looked up from her notes, a bit startled but quickly composing herself. "Yes, it is. There's just so much to learn," she replied, her voice steady.

Harry nodded, keeping his thoughts about the Time-Turner to himself. "Well, if anyone can manage it, it's you."

Even though Harry had a Time-Turner too, he had never used it, aware of its dangers. Time was delicate, and meddling with it could create more problems than it was worth. The Time-Turner couldn't change the past; it only allowed someone to be in two places at once within a timeline that already included its use. To explain it simply, Hermione was already present in two places at once in the timeline, and the Time-Turner was already part of this written past. Trying to prevent her from using it, if it were even possible, would lead to catastrophic consequences. 

So why was Harry cautious about using it himself? The purpose and intent behind using a Time-Turner affected the risk, along with the strength of the person. But if using the Time-Turner was already part of the past, how could it increase the danger? The answer lay in the potential for paradoxes. Strong individuals, aware of the intricacies of time, never used Time-Turners to prevent deaths or to kill Voldemort by knowing where he would appear. Such actions could unravel the fabric of time itself, leading to unpredictable and disastrous consequences.

Harry had always been aware of these risks and had thus avoided using the Time-Turner, preferring to deal with events in real-time. This cautious approach had served him well, ensuring that he didn't tamper with the delicate balance of time.

He knew that even if he attempted to change significant events, time would resist, often with devastating results. It was for these reasons that the use of Time-Turners was heavily restricted and monitored by the Ministry of Magic. 

But that was not all. Harry had no idea why the Potter Vault had a Time-Turner, as they were not artifacts given lightly. They were often used for mundane things like attending multiple electives, as was the case with Hermione. A simpler solution would be to adjust the hours of classes, but the Ministry had strict regulations around time travel due to its dangers. Harry knew Hermione must have obtained it from Professor McGonagall, who likely signed extensive contracts with the Ministry. Time travel was closely monitored by the world's strongest wizards because it was incredibly easy to cause destruction if mishandled. This was the second reason Harry refrained from using his own Time-Turner. Unauthorized use would be swiftly noticed, putting him under unwanted scrutiny. It wasn't worth the risk.

He recalled a quote from Saul Croaker, a renowned expert on time travel: "Just as the human mind cannot comprehend time, so it cannot comprehend the damage that will ensue if we presume to tamper with its laws." The potential scenarios were terrifying—accidentally killing one's past or future self, or altering life paths so drastically that it could result in temporal anomalies like un-births. It was imperative for users to practice discretion and operate in secret to avoid encountering their past selves and causing irreparable harm.

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