Standing at the common room entrance, William reached out and gave Robert's cheek a pinch.
The skin had a natural elasticity, freckles and all… Merlin's beard, this was real flesh, not an artificial replica or enchanted meat. William could identify that much with his years of experience in carnivorism.
How was it possible that Robert, who should have been dead, was inexplicably alive?
William felt the situation was more complicated than it seemed and was tempted to give Robert a more thorough inspection.
"What are you doing, William?" Robert muttered, jerking away and glaring at William in confusion. "Have you gone nuts?"
William couldn't shake the feeling that he might be losing it a bit.
Ignoring the curious looks from the younger students around him, he turned and splashed cold water on his face in the restroom, staring at his reflection—handsome, yet somber.
What exactly had gone wrong?
After gathering his thoughts, he walked out, found a quiet corner, and began analyzing the situation.
First, he considered the possibility that he was experiencing some sort of grief-induced hallucination.
But William didn't think himself fragile enough for that.
Second, perhaps none of what he'd experienced yesterday had happened, and he'd developed a unique "Final Destination" ability, where he could foresee the deaths of others.
But that didn't fit either; he'd experienced an entire day, and there was no vision of exactly how Robert had died.
Third, he considered he'd traveled back in time. Just one day, to a day he had already lived.
Could time-travel repeat like this? As an experienced time-traveler or transmigrator, William had never heard of such a peculiar glitch.
The fourth possibility… William turned his attention to the ring on his index finger.
This ring, supposedly the legendary Ravenclaw's Bronze Ring, was the most likely culprit if something unusual had happened.
He pondered for a while, deciding the fourth scenario made the most sense: the ring had taken him back in time, returning him to April 20th.
Which led to the question—why had the ring sent him back in timw?
William recalled something Professor McGonagall had said the previous day: this involved three innocent lives.
Could the ring be trying to give him a chance to save Robert and the others?
Looking out the window, he noticed students already making their way to the Quidditch field. His time was running out.
William's mind kicked into overdrive, trying to formulate a plan.
The key figure here had to be Professor Tywin.
From what he knew, Tywin's next move would be to head for the common room door and retrieve the bronze knocker, taking advantage of everyone being at the Quidditch match.
It seemed likely that he encountered Robert there, killed him, then unwittingly wandered into the Room of Requirement, where he met his end courtesy of Fluffy.
As for why Snape and Tywin had clashed, William still didn't have an answer.
But if he wanted to prevent all of this, he only had to stop Tywin.
Of course, William reminded himself, he was just a first-year. Despite being considered a prodigy, he only knew standard spells from the curriculum—nowhere near enough to challenge an adult wizard.
He needed help.
His first thought was to find Dumbledore.
If he could just reach Dumbledore, he was sure the Headmaster could handle Tywin.
Decision made, William pulled out the Marauder's Map and saw that Dumbledore was still in his office.
It seemed he hadn't headed to the Quidditch match, possibly due to some delay.
Quickly, William stood up and headed for the exit.
"William, the match is about to start! Aren't you coming to the hall?" Cho called out, pausing in her preparations.
"Go on ahead—I'll catch up soon," he replied without looking back.
Once Tywin was dealt with, he'd still have time to watch the game, he thought, quickening his pace.
At the common room entrance, he found Robert still stationed there, oblivious to the impending danger.
Pausing, William said, "Robert, you really should go rest now."
Robert eyed him warily. "I'll go after the match starts."
William rolled his eyes. "Some people are just determined to be foolish," he muttered, then dashed off in the direction of Dumbledore's office.
The staircase was packed with students all crowding toward the Great Hall, and Peeves was causing a traffic jam with his usual mischief.
Dodging the chaos, William took an alternate route, finally reaching the third-floor corridor.
He came to a halt in front of an enormous, grotesque stone gargoyle. Only then did he realize… he didn't know the password to Dumbledore's office.
Just then, the sound of a whistle drifted down the hall; the teams were entering the pitch.
As he turned to search for Professor Flitwick, the gargoyle unexpectedly sprang to life and moved aside, revealing a split in the wall.
Dumbledore, dressed in a blue robe, stepped out, immediately noticing William with a pleasant smile. "William, why aren't you at the match?"
"Professor, I have something urgent to tell you," William said, breathless.
"Let's walk and talk." Dumbledore gestured for William to join him.
As they ascended, William quickly recounted everything he knew, carefully omitting the details about Fluffy, the ring, and his strange déjà vu experience. He simply explained that he suspected Tywin to be a Death Eater.
Dumbledore narrowed his eyes but continued along the corridor, his voice calm. "An interesting story, William."
"Professor, it's not just a story…"
"Then, do you have proof, William? Accusing a professor requires evidence; we cannot apprehend him based solely on the word of a first-year. Even if I trust you, the Ministry officials may not."
"Um…" William hesitated; he had no evidence—none of this had actually happened yet.
"Well, for now, let's set that aside. I was just heading to the Ravenclaw common room to consult with the Grey Lady. Come along." Dumbledore gave him a reassuring wink, seemingly unconcerned.
However, on the fourth floor, they encountered Professor Tywin standing by a window, looking as though he were waiting for someone.
William's pulse quickened.
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "Professor Tywin, what are you doing here and not at the match?"
Tywin turned, showing mild surprise upon seeing William, but he quickly regained his composure, a slight smile on his lips. "I was waiting for you, Headmaster."
"Indeed? Well, I was just on my way…"
"It's urgent," Tywin interrupted smoothly. "I need to speak with you—about Professor Snape."
"Oh?" Dumbledore paused. "I'll be…"
"It's very urgent," Tywin interjected, his tone grave. "I have some…information about James Potter's death and… certain secrets of the Dark Lord."
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