Hogwarts: Even Voldemort Can't Stop Me From Studying

Chapter 875 246: Time Particle

Under Vid's gaze, the headmaster picked up a tiny bird egg and gently placed it into the glass jar.

"Crack!"

The egg cracked open, and a very small blue-crowned warbler emerged. It was quickly covered in cobalt blue feathers, with a bright yellow belly.

The bird spread its wings and just as it let out a clear chirp, the jar seemed to be pressed to rewind:

Its feathers fell, its body was drenched, its claws and wings retracted, curling into a rosy ball...

It became an egg once more.

Two seconds later, the scene repeated again. Then Dumbledore waved his magic wand, taking the bird egg out of the jar.

He gently placed the bird egg back onto the table, and the phantom of the blue-crowned warbler seemed to flicker in the golden stream.

Dumbledore's deep eyes peered through his glasses, watching Vid, saying, "This is what Voldemort's cronies did to you and Harry... Rewinding you back to childhood with 'magic.' In reality, they just discovered how to operate this teapot."

"Their reversal doesn't seem like real-time rewinding?"

Vid reminisced, "At the time, my magic power didn't completely return to its childhood level... and I remember recalling some later scenes."

Dumbledore's lips curled into a smile of approval, nodding as he said, "I may have said this before, but I have to say it again—you have a rare ability to keenly discern the essence, Vid."

"When people initially discovered the effects of these particles, many assumed they could turn back time and rejuvenate. People were ecstatic, thinking they'd finally found the secret to immortality."

"However, the truth is it merely overlays a time illusion on a person, and the actual length of life hasn't changed. Excessive time reversal can disturb the body's normal timeline, causing terrible, irreversible organ damage."

Vid felt a chill.

Half-baked experts can kill... Voldemort intended to raise him into a "Barty Jr. No. 2." If that happened, Vid might meet a tragic end due to organ decay before reaching adulthood again.

"Of course, this is just one possibility."

Dumbledore added, "There were indeed people who utilized these particles to maintain their bodies at a youthful, healthy level indefinitely, never showing signs of aging until their death, seen as symbols of eternal youth."

Vid asked, "These particles... what exactly are they?"

Dumbledore said, "We believe they are fragments of time, therefore we call them Time Particles. The Unspeakables have limited understanding of these microscopic particles. After long comparative research, they discovered that, when magnified, these seemingly identical golden grains actually exhibit completely different movements."

The headmaster waved his magic wand, and an illusion appeared above the glass jar—a time particle magnified hundreds of times rotating slowly in the air.

It appeared like a ring-shaped necklace with occasional sparks on its surface and an incredibly intricate structure internally. Even staring intently, the patterns seemed entirely different every second.

"These Time Particles can create a 'time loop' effect, but when they transform into another form..."

Dumbledore waved his wand again, and the necklace turned into a 'ball of yarn,' countless golden lines tangled into a mass yet distinctly separated, ensuring it was never mistaken for a light ball.

"This kind... can make the flow of time extremely slow, as if time were stagnant. I suppose you're not unfamiliar with it," Dumbledore said.

Vid silently nodded.

"And finally, there's this—"

Dumbledore flicked his wand again, changing the illusion once more.

The ball of yarn lengthened and stretched, becoming a glowing snake chasing its own tail, a narrow gap between head and tail ensuring it couldn't bite its own tail, perpetuating the chase endlessly.

"These are the particles within the Time Turner."

Dumbledore said, "The Department of Mysteries has studied them the most thoroughly, having created countless Time Turners for research. Until it was found out that abusing the Time Turners could cause catastrophic consequences for the entire world, leading to rigorous regulation."

"But even so, if academic research or urgent missions require Time Turners, they can still be requested from the Ministry of Magic, including talented students like you and Hermione who may use them for academic purposes."

"So if a Time Turner is found outside, being utilized, it's somewhat understandable. But this..."

He scrutinized the teapot, his voice turning cold:

"It shouldn't be here."

"Though it can bring 'rejuvenation,' it sometimes causes horrifying consequences. Unexplained mutations are among the most observable, with some experimental subjects disappearing completely in an instant... it's impossible to know if they've been reversed to a pre-birth state."

"This is just the most shallow usage. If it were to spread on a large scale... you can't imagine the serious consequences it would cause."

"That's why the management of such things is strictly regulated. In principle, this Golden Teapot should not leave its governed place, let alone fall into the hands of Muggles who completely lack the reverence for magic."

"...Muggle?" Vid raised an eyebrow, "That tattooed woman?"

"And another man with scars on his face," Dumbledore said.

"How could Voldemort cooperate with Muggles?" Vid asked in surprise.

"Unfortunately, before being arrested, both committed suicide and couldn't provide us with more information. But I think Voldemort's reasoning isn't hard to understand."

Dumbledore stared at the golden stream in the glass jar, speaking solemnly, "He truly subscribes to only one rule—survival above all."

"When he couldn't get enough assistance in the Magic World, turning to Muggles became the inevitable choice. As long as it benefits him, even Goblins and Trolls, Voldemort would bow his head and collaborate with them."

Vid blinked, "So if the previous Masking Spell... was ineffective against Muggles, right?"

"It depends on the caster's choice," Dumbledore said, "If Voldemort's Spell targeted 'wizards and magical creatures who know his name,' then Muggles would be outside the scope of the Magic Spell."

"So he chose to cooperate with Muggles, and since he couldn't act freely, he entrusted the teapot to them for control..."

Saying this, Vid suddenly felt something was wrong.

He furrowed his brow, adjusting his statement, "No, not right... From the situation at the time, this teapot should have belonged to those Muggles. Due to their collaboration with Voldemort... perhaps to showcase their capability, they brought it out..."

Dumbledore agreed with Vid's assessment, speaking quietly, "The problem is... how did they acquire it?"

Vid looked at the headmaster, understanding the unspoken suspicion, feeling a tightness in his throat, and his mood heavy.

The existence of that teapot proves that those Muggles... clearly didn't just stumble upon some 'mysterious time zone,' collecting Time Particles, happening upon a method to use them.

Thus, the means by which they acquired the teapot seems rather easy to guess.

"There are only two possibilities."

Vid's voice deepened, fingers unconsciously rubbing the magic wand:

"Either... the force behind the Muggles already occupied a Ministry of Magic, with the Golden Teapot as their plundered prize."

"Or..."

He took a deep breath, speaking quietly, "A certain Department of Mysteries insider, not just one, betrayed their duties and beliefs, handing the most dangerous secret to those who shouldn't possess it."