The Lost Thirty-Six Years

There was never any shortage of geniuses in this world.

From what Anton knew of the world of Harry Potter.

Dumbledore and Grindelwald, that couple, had already been dazzlingly brilliant beyond description in their youth.

By Voldemort's generation, that big shot had already understood such cutting-edge, profound Dark Magic as Horcruxes while he was still in school.

In Harry Potter's father's generation, the group of four had easily mastered the exceedingly difficult Animagus transformation and created the miraculous Marauder's Map, while Snape invented the new spell, Sectumsempra.

And in Harry Potter's generation, Harry Potter, who excelled at the Disarming Charm, and the Twins, who excelled at magical items, had all reached levels ordinary wizards found difficult to attain.

Under the Old Wizard's guidance, Anton had embarked on a path of research combining potions and spells.

Anna, a little girl whose magical awakening had not even erupted yet, had already completely inherited Pedro the Goblin's full set of Time-Turner technology and built a massive machine that even the Ministry of Magic's Department of Mysteries could not create.

Yes, Anna had finally completed the enormous Time-Turner. (Its core components had previously been made with Pedro's assistance.)

Every day, she simply sat quietly before the floor-to-ceiling windows, basking in the sun, drinking tea, arranging flowers, and waiting for Anton to have time to go somewhere with her.

Anton could not go right away, because another Full Moon Night had arrived. He could only drink Polyjuice Potion and play the part of Lupin.

Lupin had his own way of managing the company. Though he did not possess Anton's exceptional talent for business,

he had a gentle heart that embraced everything.

At his company, everyone trusted this leader. The energy the entire company unleashed produced results countless times greater than what Anton could achieve through his own abilities alone.

Anton was very pleased to see this.

It showed that Lupin was truly finding his own way to survive.

The most obvious change was that the family had become wealthy. Lupin extravagantly bought the entire floor downstairs to serve as the family dining room and hired a cute, plump cook.

They had finally gotten rid of that ill-tempered young restaurant deliveryman.

Lupin filled everyone's wardrobes, and Anna was so happy about it that she began calling him Uncle Lupin along with Anton.

"Damn it, that Ilsa was way too enthusiastic!" Anton complained to Anna after returning home and taking a bath.

Anna smiled. "Maybe she has someone in her heart?"

Anton's expression turned strange. He shrugged. "It's Lupin's own business. I'm not getting involved."

Although Lupin still lived upstairs in the room Anton had arranged for him, he had specially set up a reinforced secret room in the apartment he bought downstairs for transforming on Full Moon Nights.

Otherwise, Anton would definitely have teased him about it.

Putting the Dragon Hide shoulder bag full of potions back on, then slipping his wand into the hidden clasp, Anton gripped it tightly. "I'm ready."

The night breeze stirred the hem of Anna's dark red velvet dress. Tilting her head, she looked earnestly at Anton with her deep emerald eyes, then grinned and softly said, "Thank you."

Anton waved his wand. A vine climbing along the interior wall from a pot in the hall suddenly grew at a furious rate, wrapping up the entire home in an instant as flowers burst into bloom.

This was an Elephant-eating Vine native to Africa. It possessed an extremely strong resistance to magic and naturally carried a Banishing Charm, causing all living creatures to stay away automatically.

Such plants could barely survive for long once they left Africa. Even Anna did not know how Anton had managed to keep it alive.

Leading Anton into her room, she opened the suitcase and entered the enormous mechanical factory.

Anna touched the machine, her expression unreadable.

"My mother loved me very much when I was little."

Anton nodded without interrupting. He had a feeling this would be a sad story.

"A huge snake attacked me. My mother died protecting me."

Anton sucked in a breath and stared blankly at her. "I'm sorry. I didn't know. Maybe I shouldn't have kept that snake at home. I..."

Anna gently shook her head. "As long as I can endure the fear and revulsion in my heart, you can save it. I think it's worth it."

She did not dwell any longer on the giant snake at home.

"Manor of Myriad Flowers in the outskirts of London, where I lived as a child. My mother loved the flowers in the back garden."

Anna's eyes turned distant, and a happy smile bloomed across her face. "Back then, I would carry a little watering can and water them with her."

She gently stroked the machine. "Later, Father took me everywhere to seek treatment for my illness. He said I had a strange disease."

Anton frowned. "A strange disease?"

Anna nodded softly. "Father never told me what disease it was, but he said it would reveal itself after my magic erupted."

"He was always so humorous and charming in front of others, but in private, he drank himself senseless all the time. He would often get completely drunk and call out Mother's name."

When Anna spoke of her sorrow, she closed her eyes.

"I didn't dare mention Mother in front of him, afraid it would make him even sadder. But I really, really missed my mother."

Hope flickered in her eyes. "I want to go see her."

Anton sighed and pressed his lips together. "We can't change anything through the Time-Turner."

The Time-Turners hidden in the Ministry of Magic's Department of Mysteries that had not been destroyed had always been the last sliver of hope for the desperate wizards of the Land of Chaos. Yet any wizard with even a little skill knew that Time-Turners brought only despair.

"I know." Anna's voice was soft, yet firm. "Even if I can only see her once."

"Then all right!" Anton smiled and gently took the poor little girl's hand. "Let's go."

Anna looked into Anton's eyes and nodded gently before pulling the machine's valve with all her strength.

Countless gears and mechanical structures began to turn rapidly. Magical light spread everywhere like blue smoke, easily sweeping both of them inside.

They did not notice that the magical smoke continued to spread.

It flowed out along the suitcase and filled the entire room, reaching Pedro's bed, the space beneath Nagini's bed, and the Old Wizard's bathtub.

At last, the smoke was stopped by the Elephant-eating Vine.

Bang!

With a faint sound, the smoke rapidly withdrew into the machine, and the entire home became so quiet that it seemed as if no one were there.

London, Britain, 1953.

This was the year Voldemort, after Hogwarts rejected his application to become a Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, was scouring everywhere for treasures to turn into Horcruxes.

This was the year Grindelwald had been imprisoned in a castle by the lover who had broken his oath, and it had already been eight years.

Anton stared in shock through the display window of a street shop. The desk calendar clearly showed the date.

"When you were little?"

Thirty-six years ago? So she wasn't a little girl, but an Old Witch?

Anna smiled. "You found out my secret."

Seeing Anton's mouth hanging open as though he could swallow an egg, she giggled. "I didn't experience such a long passage of time. After Mother died, Father took me to the family's secret frozen place and put me into deep sleep."

"Two years ago, my grandfather got angry and ordered me thawed. He said he couldn't watch his granddaughter go through life without having a life of her own."

Anna scrunched up her little face, imitating an old man's expression and tone. She looked solemn yet comical. "Whether it is good or bad, it is her fate!"

"Father spent thirty-six years trying to find a solution. Though he never gave up, he was no longer so determined to keep me frozen."

"Oh my god..." Anton stared at her in shock, smacked his lips, and had no idea what to say.

Anna, however, looked a little sad. "My tenth birthday is in a few days. My life has only lasted these ten years, but thirty-six whole years passed in the middle. Everything is different now."

Anton fell silent. When he used to surf the internet in his previous life, he had seen a saying—every precocious child has an unfortunate life. Yet it was precisely those experiences that made them so astonishingly talented.

P.S. Thanks to the Fellow reader who pointed out the issue with the timeline. The year has been revised, and apologies to those who have already read it.