The Prophet: Surprised? Didn't See That Coming?

Roger had no idea about the Minister of Magic's misunderstanding. After Fudge and the other man left, he went to Hogsmeade Village to meet Luna.

Roger had come with Hagrid, while Luna was accompanied by her father... What parent would let a ten-year-old child come alone?

After they met, Roger got straight to the point, roughly explaining what had happened and reminding Luna about the precautions she needed to take, as well as the need for secrecy.

Luna did not object to Roger's request in the slightest. Children could sometimes be more sensitive to the world around them than adults, especially children like Luna, whose intuition was exceptionally strong.

She may have been able to tell that every word Roger said came from goodwill.

"What is it? Why are you looking at me like that?" After saying everything he needed to say, Roger had been about to leave when he suddenly noticed the strange look in Luna's eyes.

"You're very strange."

Luna did not beat around the bush and directly pointed out what she found unusual. "There are so, so many Pestering Mites around you, but they don't dare come anywhere near you... I've never seen anything like it."

If she had to compare it to something Luna knew, it was like a rain-repelling charm her mother had once developed.

Torrential raindrops poured down from the sky, yet all of them automatically veered away when they came within three meters of her.

"Is that so?" Roger was somewhat surprised, but he did not investigate further.

His technology was on the verge of another breakthrough, and he had no spare energy to spread elsewhere.

So although he was curious about what these Pestering Mites—things ordinary people could not see—actually were, he did not discuss them further with Luna.

...By next year, when I'm in my second year, my path to immortality should be more or less complete. Luna will also be old enough to enroll at Hogwarts by then. We can talk about it then.

Unhurried about the matter, Roger bade Luna farewell beneath her curious gaze.

On the way back to Hogwarts, Hagrid, who had come with Roger, looked at him. "Roger, what about my experiment? Are we still doing it?"

The experiment had originally been agreed upon by both of them. Now that this had happened, Hagrid was a little unsure what to do next.

Roger thought for a moment before saying, "Continue, but adjust the direction of the experiment."

"The goal of miniaturizing Magical Creatures remains unchanged, but there's no need to consider linking them with wizards' minds anymore."

"In a world with magic, the mind shouldn't be a domain that can be casually touched. I'll think of a way to establish a connection with human thought through neural technology."

"Don't touch magical creatures with mental abilities anymore."

Roger's adjustments changed not only the direction of the research, but also its intended application.

Before, Roger had not known whether he could complete his path to immortality before reaching the end of his natural lifespan. But now that his talent had improved, that concern no longer existed.

So it was time to consider other applications.

"Anyway, get started first. Remember to update me every week."

Nothing happened on the way.

After the two returned to Hogwarts, they went their separate ways. Roger had missed an entire morning of classes, and when he returned, it was just time for lunch.

Strictly speaking, he was even a little late. Many students had already finished eating.

Before Roger had even settled down with his tray, Harry, who had spent the entire morning unable to find him, hurried over impatiently.

"Made up your mind?" Roger asked, spearing a fried sausage from his plate with his fork.

"Yeah." Harry did not think there was anything to hesitate over.

"To fulfill your wish, you'll need to become a very powerful wizard. Based on the magic you're suited for, I'll choose books and training methods that will help you improve more effectively."

Hogwarts' approach to educating students could practically be called free-range. Only those ambitious students who could force their way into clubs through self-study or sheer talent received the finest training... That was perfectly normal, really. Magic was a miracle of the mind. If you did not even have the desire to approach magic, then even if others wanted to help you, they probably could not lift you up.

It was better to let students develop freely, allow them to filter themselves out, and then concentrate resources on cultivating the elite.

And now, Roger would bypass those so-called trials and directly tailor a growth plan for Harry.

"But before that, there are three things I need to tell you."

"What things?" Harry grew a little nervous.

Although he had often been praised as The Boy Who Lived since entering the wizarding world, the sensitivity left behind by his childhood still made his back tense whenever someone looked at him with a serious expression.

What was more, Roger's decision concerned whether or not he could revive his parents.

At that moment, Roger seemed like the most imposing person in the world to Harry.

Roger raised one finger. "First, I have my own purpose in helping you."

"I'm helping you because I need someone talented to assist me in researching knowledge related to space and time. None of this is free."

Roger was an open and straightforward person. He felt there was nothing to hide about using someone else. Saying it openly and honestly better suited his disposition.

Harry nodded without saying anything.

No one helped another person for no reason. Harry had learned that lesson long ago in the first eleven years of his life. He did not think anything was wrong with it. In fact, hearing Roger say it made him feel relieved.

Because Roger had helped him so much, and now he finally had a chance to repay him.

In Roger's eyes, the neural modification surgery and meeting Hagrid through Harry's connections were of equal value. But in Harry's eyes, he had only led Roger somewhere, yet received such a huge benefit in return... It made him feel a little guilty.

There was also Ron's matter. Ron was Harry's best friend. After what happened with Hermione last time, he had become more cheerful and optimistic, and rarely complained about his classmates anymore. Harry remembered that as well.

"Second, researching space and time is extremely dangerous. Not only for you—if an accident occurs, it could affect many people. So, to be safe, I'll use a few methods that may slightly infringe on your privacy. I hope you can understand."

After giving it some thought, Roger planned to use something similar to the Ministry of Magic's Trace to monitor magical activity within a certain range around Harry, along with other countermeasures to prevent accidents.

"That's perfectly fine."

Harry yearned for his parents' love and wanted to revive his family, but he absolutely did not want anyone else's family to be hurt because of it.

Harry was not that selfish.

"One last thing." At some point, Roger had finished all of his lunch, leaving his plate empty, and stood up.

"The motivation behind everything you're doing now comes from the illusory love given to you by the Magic Mirror."

"That alone is probably not enough to carry you very far down the path of time-and-space magic."

"So..."

"I want you to meet your parents. Get to know them better. Let that illusory love become real, then decide whether you truly want to set out on this journey." Roger smiled.

"Come on."

Harry had no idea how Roger intended to let him meet his parents and get to know them better.

All he could do was follow Roger with a mixture of anticipation and unease.

Then...

"Professor Snape! Harry wants to know about his mother Lily Evans's time at school. Could you help us?" After knocking on the office of the Slytherin Head of House, Roger entered and asked.

As he spoke, Roger took out the portable Pensieve he had crafted.

Why would we ask that awful Snape about my mother? Harry's gaze at Roger was full of confusion as he followed behind him.

Perhaps sensing Harry's look, Roger turned back and explained, "Because she and Professor Snape were very close friends when they were at school."

After explaining, Roger turned to Snape again. "Isn't that right, Professor Snape?"