William pondered silently; there were too many inconsistencies in Dumbledore's words, especially when it came to Professor Snape.
Since Dumbledore wasn't willing to go into detail, William wouldn't press further. But one thing was certain: Snape was indeed on Dumbledore's side. The pile of unsent letters was proof enough.
As Dumbledore turned his blue-stoned ring, he continued:
"Out of that hatred, Tywin transformed into Snape using Polyjuice Potion when he attacked the Ministry, purely to frame him.
"I suspect he was also at Diagon Alley the day Arthur fought with Malfoy. Tywin took Malfoy's wand to shift suspicion onto him and cover his own tracks."
"As for how Tywin got Snape's hair? He likely took it when he had that conflict with Snape on the day he came to Hogwarts for his interview."
"Then why did he break into Professor Snape's storeroom?" William asked.
"He stole a number of potions that night, including Polyjuice Potion. That particular potion can't be stored for long, and since the Ministry attack, the Auror Office has been cracking down on black-market sales."
"Tywin likely thought it was too risky to buy it elsewhere, with the Aurors on high alert, but he also knew Snape had been taken to Azkaban. So he took what he needed from Snape's storeroom."
"Professor, I have one more question," William said, looking at Dumbledore.
"The last one, then?" Dumbledore joked.
"Yes, the last one." William smiled back.
"I remember the door knocker disappeared once, but then it came back. Why was that?"
"Ravenclaw placed a special spell on the knocker to prevent it from being removed. If anyone other than her descendant tried to take it, it would stay as just a door knocker, without any special powers.
"Tywin's first attempt failed, so he returned it.
"After that, he planned a second theft, using the ritual from Three Books of Occult Philosophy to trick the knocker into thinking he was a descendant of Ravenclaw. But when he went into the Room of Requirement, Fluffy bit him nearly to death.
"And then you came along, took the knocker, and wore it on your finger—becoming Ravenclaw's true heir."
Dumbledore stirred the Pensieve, and the image of a young girl rose up, about eleven or twelve years old.
—Judy Crouch!
Judy's face showed fear as she stood, legs still in the Pensieve, looking at neither William nor Dumbledore as she spoke. Her voice echoed as if from the depths of the stone basin.
"Professor Tywin told me he was the one who found the knocker. He even asked me to sneak it back to the Ravenclaw dormitory. He said he liked me and wanted to go out with me… I couldn't say no, Professor Dumbledore!"
William's mind clicked.
So Judy Crouch had been the one to return the knocker. She had feelings for Tywin; everyone knew it. Clearly, he had manipulated her affections for his own purposes.
Now, everything made sense to William; nothing had been left out.
The ring on his right index finger suddenly grew hot. A great eagle burst forth from it, perching on his shoulder.
It stared intently at Dumbledore, glanced at Fawkes the phoenix, and then took hold of William's shoulder, lifting him up.
He spun through a vortex and awoke back in his bed.
Looking around the dormitory, everything was as it had always been, identical to yesterday.
Today was April 20th.
The ring on his finger was gone, and William knew that his time loop had ended. Tomorrow would be the 21st, and today, he intended to enjoy to the fullest.
After dressing, he noticed Marcos clinging to Bradley, both of them huddled close.
Quite the sight.
They'd slept in the same bed over seven hundred times now, and William had grown used to it.
He finished washing up quickly and left the dorm.
The common room was bustling with students, most engaged in lively conversation.
Cho and Marietta sat in the corner, attempting to transform that ragged hat.
They had tried for a while without success, and others had given it a shot too, but no one had managed it.
"Good morning, William," Cho greeted him with a wave.
William returned her greeting and approached them, but he didn't sit down.
He drew his wand and pointed it at the hat.
Everyone stopped what they were doing, curious to see their Ravenclaw prodigy in action.
William's reputation as a talent had spread throughout the school.
Just look at the number of points he had earned for their house!
However, none of the students had ever seen him cast a spell firsthand. This would be his first public demonstration.
William murmured softly, tapping the hat with his wand, and suddenly, the hat transformed into a jet-black eagle, with a little tuft of feathers atop its head.
The eagle let out a loud cry, circling the common room before descending on the Ravenclaw statue.
William whistled, and the eagle swooped down, landing gracefully on his shoulder.
William smiled, his spirits high—this was simply a moment to show off!
After two years of rigorous training, with Professor McGonagall's careful guidance, William's Transfiguration skills had transformed, it was no longer his weak point.
He'd spent countless loops transforming that hat, only for no one to remember each time. It had always felt rather hollow.
But today was different.
With a flourish, William spun his wand and tapped the eagle's head, turning it into a bronze hat with an angry honey badger emblazoned on the brim.
On the opposite side of the hat, in neat letters, were the words: May the friendship between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff last forever!
William handed the hat to Cho, and the entire common room broke into applause for his remarkable Transfiguration.
Cho's mouth dropped open, like she was watching a Decepticon invasion.
Marietta, looking on with admiration, seemed almost ready to declare undying devotion.
William beamed. The joy of the moment felt better than a dose of Felix Felicis.
As he turned to leave, Cho caught up with him, eyes wide with amazement. "William, how did you do that?"
"I could do that a year ago."
"Nonsense! I know what your skill level was a year ago!"
She pinched his arm, and his pained expression reassured her she wasn't dreaming.
"True. If it were a dream, I'd want to see my Transfiguration skills reach that level too," Cho muttered.
Her worst subject was Transfiguration. Despite Cedric's tutoring, her progress was poor, and even his patience could only go so far.
It was a mix of pain and joy for Cedric.
"Where are you off to?" she asked, looking ready to follow him.
"I'm going to see Professor Tywin. Wait here; I'll be back soon."
"What for?"
"I have a ticket to give him."
"A ticket?"
"A one-way ticket… to Azkaban!"
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