"Professor, are you talking about Harry Potter?" William asked after a moment's thought.
After all, there were only two Dark Lords of legend: Grindelwald and Voldemort. And though he didn't know much about Grindelwald, William knew about the night Voldemort tried to kill Harry but instead perished himself.
As an average transmigrator, William only had a vague idea of Hogwarts lore—but how could he not know this one? After all, everyone in the wizarding world knew and talked about it quite often.
Surviving the Killing Curse made Harry, a legendary figure among wizards;
And being the only wizard to ever fail at killing a baby made Voldemort a historic disgrace.
They were entwined by this infamous event, both becoming figures by helping each other.
William had always wondered how Harry had survived that curse, but he'd never expected it would involve something as mysterious as the Ancient Magic.
"Professor, who cast that magic?" William asked curiously.
"Harry's mother, Lily," Dumbledore replied.
William frowned in thought. For Lily to have wielded such extraordinary magic, she must have had access to the Ancient Magic.
"Lily," William mused aloud. "Wait, why does that name sound so familiar?"
He recalled the memory he had seen in the Pensieve and couldn't resist asking, "Professor, did Harry's mother know Professor Snape when they were children?"
Dumbledore was silent for a moment before he nodded. "I won't keep that from you—they did know each other as children, as you saw. But, William," Dumbledore's voice grew serious, "you must promise never to mention this to anyone—anyone."
"Not to Mr. Diggory, not to Miss Chang, and not to Harry himself, when he arrives next year. This is a grave matter."
William nodded quickly. "I understand, Professor. I won't tell anyone."
"Good," Dumbledore said, relaxing a bit. "And as for how Lily gained that power… that's something you'll come to understand later."
He took a sip of tea before continuing, "The ancient wizards who were entrusted with such power swore to protect the Ancient Magic and keep it hidden from the world. They believed it was far too powerful, far too dangerous, for uninitiated minds."
"And only those who were deemed worthy could attain access to the Ancient."
William raised his hand, his eyes bright with excitement. "Professor, does this ring mean that I'm one of the worthy?"
Dumbledore gave William a look, struggling to suppress a laugh. "Ah… no, William. Not quite."
"…"
Dumbledore took hold of William's hand, studying the ring with his piercing blue gaze.
The ring's crest featured an eagle, wings spread wide, with a book clutched to its chest. On the book was inscribed in runes: "Time is man's greatest foe." Inside the ring, another engraving read, "Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure."
"This eagle holding a book is the symbol of Ancient Magic," Dumbledore explained gently. "The ring itself was given to those studying the Ancient Magic, much as a wand is given to every witch and wizard today."
"The inscription reminds us that time is humanity's greatest enemy. Ancient magic is vast, so much so that mastering it requires time beyond ordinary limits. This ring allows its bearer to relive a single day, again and again, until they have enough time to study the Ancient magic in full."
"As for the words on the inner band, Rowena Ravenclaw had a habit of inscribing things. I suspect she added that herself."
William stared at the ring.
If, as Dumbledore explained, this ring was given to those chosen to study Ancient Magic, then how powerful must Ancient Magic itself be if its mere tool could manipulate time?
"So, Rowena Ravenclaw was one of those chosen to study Ancient Magic?" William asked.
"Indeed. The four founders all were. Why else would such brilliant minds have gathered together?"
Dumbledore clasped his hands, tapping his forefingers in a steady rhythm.
"Then… why did they choose to build Hogwarts?"
"William, there's a saying that's been around for millennia. In the early days of Egyptian mystery schools, Ancient Magic was passed down through generations."
"The four founders were educated there, and for reasons unknown, they left and came here to the castle owned by Slytherin's family. Modeling it after the Egyptian mystery schools, they created Hogwarts."
"However, leaving the Egyptian school meant they had to surrender their rings and thus their connection to Ancient Magic."
"But Rowena Ravenclaw was a fiercely independent witch, unwilling to be bound by those rules."
"When she left Egypt, she used powerful magic to sever the bond between herself, the ring, and the mystery school, making the ring hers alone."
William gaped in shock. "That's… rather audacious of her."
"When she disappeared, the ring became the door knocker for the Ravenclaw common room, passed down to her descendants."
"Her descendants?"
"Yes," Dumbledore nodded. "Only a true Ravenclaw can wield the Bronze Ring."
"Perhaps you've heard the story about a student who once read all the books in the Ravenclaw common room in a single day. It wasn't a myth; that student briefly gained control of the ring."
"Professor, I still have one more question," William ventured. "According to you, I'm not one of the chosen, nor am I the true owner of this ring. So… does that mean I can't control when the time loop ends?"
Dumbledore looked at him with a hint of approval. "You're correct. You're merely a user of the ring, hence you're unable to determine when the loop ends. But the ring can."
Dumbledore gently touched the eagle's crest. "The Ravenclaw door knocker asks questions to decide who may enter the common room, which means this ring holds Ravenclaw's own judgment within it."
"Like the Sorting Hat?"
"Precisely."
"Then… how can I end the loop?"
Dumbledore smiled kindly. "We don't know the ring's intentions, but we can make an educated guess…"
Following Dumbledore's prompting, William thought back over everything that had happened.
"When I first put on the ring and entered the loop, I was thinking about how to save Hagrid, Robert, and capture Professor Tywin."
Dumbledore nodded, approving. "Then once you're able to save them and fully understand the events surrounding this mystery, you'll be released from the loop."
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