The Stolen Year

Sean was shocked as he turned his hands over and over. His hands, which he had used for more than ten years, had become more slender, and his forearms had obviously grown longer!

He looked up at himself in the mirror in disbelief.

The image of himself in the mirror felt both familiar and strange to him.

Sean Wallerup had clearly grown taller in the mirror. His face was still the same, but the features were more defined. His once short, curly black hair had grown considerably longer, almost reaching the nape of his neck.

The silk pajamas that Mrs. Wallop and her sister Ayla had chosen for him were now completely ill-fitting.

The loose-fitting pajamas on the upper body had turned into a tight-fitting jacket, and the pajama pants on the lower body were tightly wrapped around the waist, with a section of the calves showing below.

Sean touched his ribs again; several of them had been broken due to the Selma Lake Monster's tail lash. Even though Sean had healed them with magic and Potions, broken ribs still require time for the body to repair itself.

However, the ribs that had been aching slightly yesterday were now completely numb, and Sean pressed on them hard without feeling any pain.

The ribs healed on their own?

"Damn it..." Sean muttered a curse, but he was immediately startled.

The voice has changed too?!

He tried making other sounds and was surprised to find that his voice, which was originally at the end of puberty, had become significantly more magnetic and mature.

This... Sean's eyes sharpened as he realized a possibility.

He quickly looked at his watch and saw that what should have been the day after Christmas, December 26th, had turned into December 25th.

Could it be...?

Sean quickly took out the Age-Measuring Ball and brought the Crystal Ball, which had once caused more than two hundred snowflakes to fall in front of Grindelwald, closer to himself.

One piece, two pieces, three pieces...

The number of snowflakes remained at fifteen.

Sean was born in 1979...

Is the year now 1994?!

Today is not the normal December 26, 1993, but December 15, 1994!

The day after Christmas turned into Christmas...

Time accelerated by a year?!

This astonishing fact made Sean's pupils dilate as if in an earthquake; he took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

The magic has changed too!

Sean practices spells intensely every day, and he knows his Magic Power Source better than anyone. However, the moment he closed his eyes, he immediately felt a significant increase in his magic power!

Moreover, this extra magic is not awkward at all; it can be used as easily as Sean's other magic!

"A year has really passed..." Sean opened his eyes and murmured to himself.

"Sean! Sean! Sean!" Just as he was slightly lost in thought, a familiar girl's voice rang out from outside. She was calling out to him loudly across the dormitory corridor.

Daisy was calling out to herself urgently.

Sean quickly grabbed his robe and ran out.

In the hall, Daisy stood alone, tears welling in her eyes, staring helplessly in the direction of the boys' dormitory.

"Daisy, what's wrong?" Sean had only put on his robe halfway when he was suddenly embraced by a warm body.

"Waaah, Sean, am I going to die—" Daisy threw herself into his arms and burst into tears.

"What's wrong? Tell me, don't panic."

Daisy raised her head slightly, her eyes brimming with tears. "My... my magic has suddenly increased so much... Is... is the Blood Curse back... Waaah, I don't want to, I don't want to... I want to go to school properly, I want to live a good life with my mom, dad, and Harry, I want to be with you and Hermione properly... Waaah..."

The girl cried bitterly, her face filled with panic and fear.

This girl, who hadn't cried when she was simultaneously afflicted by the Blood Curse and the Obscurus, now cried her eyes out while hugging Sean.

Sean wanted to joke with her and tell her it was just a change in time, but he could feel the Little White Flower in his arms trembling violently and feeling extremely panicked.

His heart tightened, and he gently hugged Daisy, saying softly, "No, you're fine. It's not Blood Curse. Do you remember the Time Incident that happened before? It's happened again this time, and the changes are even greater. If I'm not mistaken, everyone's time has been accelerated by one year."

Upon hearing "not the Blood Curse," Daisy looked up blankly, tears welling in her eyes, yet also filled with immense joy.

"Really? Is it true?" she sobbed.

"Really," Sean chuckled and patted her head. "Didn't you stop taking the Potions to cure the aftereffects of the Blood Curse after you graduated from your first year? Professor Dumbledore, Professor Snape, and your mother all said you were safe and that you had nothing to do with the Blood Curse anymore."

"Besides," Sean winked at her, "You were so focused on sensing the magic that you didn't notice any other changes in your body."

"Changes?" Daisy looked bewildered. She sniffed hard, hesitated, and then released Sean to look at herself.

"Ah!" the girl exclaimed.

Daisy, who rushed out in her nightgown, had grown taller, and her long red hair now reached her waist. Her already delicate and lovely face had become even more beautiful.

The originally loose nightgown has become a fitted style, revealing only a glimpse of the collarbone beneath the snow-white neck.

And further down... Sean raised an eyebrow.

This little girl is far more talented Hermione...

"Ah!" Daisy exclaimed, clutching her chest.

"I... I don't feel anything at all?!"

Sean shifted his gaze at the opportune moment, shrugged, and explained, "Look at me, I'm different too. I feel that the acceleration of time also brings about the body's adaptation. When I first woke up, I didn't notice anything wrong with myself, just like I naturally grew a year older."

"You probably habitually use spells to summon your clothes as soon as you wake up, which is why you noticed the increase in your magic power, right?"

Daisy blushed and muttered, "I'll never use spells to be lazy again..."

Knowing that her increased magic power wasn't due to a relapse of the Blood Curse, Daisy breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Then she became worried again. "Why is this accident so serious... The first time it was just a matter of time disappearing and time being extended... This time, it's like everyone's time has disappeared for a year."

It must be because Young Grindelwald saw that Future Memory; it must have involved important matters concerning the future, otherwise this accident wouldn't have been so serious.

However, Sean never expected that accelerating the process by a year was the effect Dumbledore was referring to.

He gave a bitter smile to himself. That's right. The process of repairing the World Will is almost equivalent to reshaping a new world, which is destruction for the current world.

In the face of global destruction, the acceleration of time by one year seems to be a manageable impact...

He sighed and said to Daisy, "I don't know the specific principles either, but no one can explain the true mysteries of magic... By the way, didn't you go to see Hermione?"

Daisy blinked, her eyes still streaked with tears, and her blinking conveyed a tenderness that made one want to soften.

"When I think about the Blood Curse recurring, I... I immediately thought of you..." Little White Flower said, poking her finger.

"Ah, that's true," Sean smiled, "But it seems we need to wake up all the students..."

"Everyone will be terrified..."

Moments later, a variety of gasps and exclamations erupted in the Ravenclaw Common Room.

No, it wasn't just Ravenclaw; the entire Hogwarts Castle, the whole of England, and the whole world were thrown into a panic.

People kept waking up from deep sleep or in a daze, looking at themselves in panic, at their suddenly grown-up children, at their suddenly aged parents, and even more terrifying realities... but the surrounding buildings and cars remained unchanged.

Only the number representing the year jumped from 1993 to 1994, and is about to enter 1995.

The world continues to operate according to its own laws, but all living beings have experienced a year's acceleration.

People walked out into the street in confusion and panic, not knowing what had happened.

Some bewildered children excitedly shouted to their friends, "I've grown up! I've grown up!"

A newly pregnant mother woke up to find a baby beneath her, leaving the couple panicked and at a loss.

Parents who had just given birth stared blankly at their babies. "We missed the year our child grew up..."

A patient who was lying in a hospital bed has stopped breathing forever, and his family members are roaring outside, "My father! That's my father! Why! You told me he could have held on for another six months! Now my child won't even be able to see his grandfather one last time!"

After the roar came a low, sorrowful sob.

Countless insects, whose lifespan was less than a year, died the instant the world returned to normal, and then new life was quickly hatched.

Joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness—none of them can be expressed, and none can be spoken.

At the same time, a large number of safety accidents have occurred all over the world, which seems to be something that should not be the normal state of the world.

Inside the chaotic and noisy castle, Sean is observing a potted plant in the yard.

The plant did not grow taller, and the wooden pot did not show signs of aging normally after a year.

However, he had just seen a bird suddenly fall from the sky, and by observing its tail feathers, he could tell that this old bird didn't have much time left to live.

Sean frowned.

Could it be understood that all conscious life forms experienced a one-year acceleration in time, while unconscious plants and inanimate objects did not undergo this acceleration?

Furthermore, Sean noticed something.

This situation shouldn't be called time acceleration; it's more like a conscious life form being directly deprived of a year!

Take himself as an example. He needs energy to grow taller, but the energy in his body before he falls asleep is obviously not enough to support a year's growth.

Could we then conclude that this year was taken away, but the world made an accurate judgment about everyone?

Sean was originally fourteen years old, now he's fifteen; the world has given him the changes he deserves.

Growing taller is normal. Passing puberty is normal. Increased magic power is also normal. And his healed ribs are within the normal range, because given Sean's physique, it's normal for his ribs to heal completely.

All his changes were reasonable, but he did not expend the energy required for these changes.

The world has deprived us of the concept of time, but it has left traces of time on conscious living beings.

"Phew..." Sean let out a heavy sigh.

If my guess is correct, then people around the world would be facing many problems now.

A minor cold is assumed to be easily cured, but what if it's a terminal illness? Won't many people lose their lives when the world returns to normal...?

In the Magical World, could there be an Obscurus that suddenly erupts?

While this is indeed a reasonable process, but...

Sean remained silent, his breathing becoming increasingly heavy.

I wonder how my parents are doing, and what about Ayla? Has she grown taller too?

"Sean! Professor Dumbledore wants everyone to assemble in the Great Hall." Someone called to him from the corridor.

Sean turned his head and saw Hermione. Hermione had grown taller and her demeanor had transformed from that of a cute girl engrossed in studying into a more charming and dazzling young woman.

"Why are you looking at me like that—" Hermione said nonchalantly, but then she awkwardly hugged her chest.

Sean smiled. "You're getting more and more radiant every year, Miss Granger."

Hermione's lips curved into a smile, then she wrinkled her nose in annoyance. "I missed a year of school... I wasted a year that I could have spent studying..."

Sean slapped his forehead. "Only you would still be thinking about this."

The two talked as they walked to the Great Hall.

By this time, all the students had gathered together. There was no longer any distinction between colleges. Everyone stood together in a chaotic mess, and many of them were even wearing pajamas or nightgowns.

Hermione went over and took Daisy's hand, while Sean walked to the side and looked towards the center of the Great Hall.

Dumbledore stood in the middle of everyone; he seemed to be the only one who hadn't changed much, even Snape's hair was longer and greasier.

"Calm down, my children." Dumbledore, his voice echoing throughout the Great Hall.

This was the first time Dumbledore's words had such no effect; the students were all thrown into panic.

Dumbledore didn't use Sonorus Charm; he simply spoke gently, repeatedly, to calm the students down.

After a long while, the Great Hall finally returned to a semblance of calm.

"Children," Dumbledore, opening his arms, "I know that everyone here has just experienced something incomprehensible. Yes, I can tell you very clearly that everyone has lost a year."

The Great Hall erupted in chaos.

After a long period of noise, Dumbledore's voice finally drowned out the others. "The world of magic has too many unknowns, but please forgive me, as your headmaster, I cannot answer any more questions for you."

"But I can tell you one thing: this Time Incident has at least one positive aspect."