Time Flies

Loren and Hermione exchanged a glance, their eyes sparkling as their thoughts raced.

Based on the information overheard by the Three Broomsticks, the Ministry of Magic invited the professors to work together to capture Bellatrix Lestrange during the Christmas holidays.

The professor's presence here today means...

The two lowered their heads silently and tiptoed behind the professors' desks.

There were only two tables of customers in the right corner of the bar, a location that actually posed a risk of exposure, but in the noisy the Leaky Cauldron, the professors clearly didn't notice them.

Loren took two Butterbeer from a waitress, and the two of them, with their backs to the professors, held their glasses and listened intently.

In the end, Old Tom and Professor Flitwick compromised, with Old Tom substituting two pints of Mead for the syrup soda. After offering Christmas greetings to the professors, the shopkeeper politely departed.

Professor Flitwick took a sip of Mead, smacked his lips, and said in a high-pitched voice, "That Mrs. Lestrange, she's really patient, don't you think, Minerva, Severus? I thought she would make her move on Christmas Eve, since we all thought that would be the time when security would be at its lowest."

"That was a good opportunity for us to seize her..." Snape said sarcastically, "But who knows what those idiots at the Ministry of Magic were thinking, drawing all the Dementor that afternoon. Even if she had a troll head, seeing the Dementor like dark clouds over the streets, she wouldn't have been foolish enough to attack Gringotts at that time."

"Don't say that, Severus." Professor Flitwick, having probably gotten used to the taste of the Leaky Cauldron Mead, took a big gulp and let out a satisfied sigh. "Thanks to them, we had a fairly peaceful Christmas, didn't we?"

"That's right, and the good news is that today is the deadline." Professor McGonagall shook the Violet Water.

"If Mrs. Lestrange does not appear soon, the Ministry of Magic will open the Lestrange Vault in Wizengamot and Hogwarts ' presence. Whatever the Dark Lord thing is in the vault that she wants, she can forget about it from today onwards."

"This is indeed good news!" Professor Flitwick said with a smile.

The three raised their glasses in celebration. After Professor McGonagall put down her champagne glass, she brought up another matter. "Taking advantage of this incident, I plan to open a vault in Gringotts under the name of Hogwarts and put some of the school's belongings into it."

"Why do that?" Professor Flitwick asked, puzzled. "I mean, Minerva, there are plenty of rooms in Hogwarts Castle for you to store your things."

"Of course I agree with you, Filius, if it belongs to Hogwarts ..."

As Professor McGonagall explained, she took a gold chain from her pocket, with a small hourglass attached to it, filled with fine, soft gold sand.

Snape raised an eyebrow. "The Time-Turner? I thought you had already returned it to the Ministry of Magic."

"Oh, not yet. I applied for a full year of use for Miss Granger."

Loren, standing behind, looked at Hermione beside him. Hermione looked up blankly, her lips still covered in a thick layer of foamy wine.

"I plan to store it in Gringotts ' vault so that it can be retrieved directly from Gringotts when other students apply for Time-Turner in the future," Professor McGonagall said, adjusting the small hourglass on the chain.

"Is there any difference between this and before?" Professor Flitwick asked, puzzled, still not quite understanding.

"No longer needing to liaise with the Ministry of Magic means—"

Snape took a sip of Mead and said slowly, "In a few decades, after the Minister of Ministry of Magic has changed a few times, the Time-Turner will become a Hogwarts property."

Hermione's eyes widened immediately; Professor McGonagall seemed a little different from the one she had known before.

Snape raised his glass to Professor McGonagall: "To Minerva, you are a competent Deputy Headmaster."

"That sounds like an implication that Dumbledore is not a competent headmaster..." Professor Flitwick added quietly.

Professor McGonagall couldn't help but smile. After returning Snape's greeting, she suddenly asked, "By the way, Severus, the Ministry of Magic and Headmaster Dumbledore only assigned me and Filius to this mission. You didn't have to come. Why did you volunteer to come with us? Is there something important to do?"

Professor Flitwick also looked at him curiously. The two knew that Snape's past was not something to be investigated in detail. If he were to be associated with that madwoman Death Eater, it might cause unnecessary trouble.

Why did you come here...?

Snape paused for a moment, then said softly, "It just so happens that a batch of potions is for sale, and I want to exchange them for Potions experiment materials as soon as possible."

As he spoke, Snape took a small cloth bag from his pocket and spread it out on the table to show his two colleagues.

His actions seemed to be a way of changing the subject, Flitwick didn't notice, but Professor McGonagall gave Snape a deep look.

"Blood-Replenishing Potion, Elixir of Joy, Skele-Gro ... oh!" Flitwick raised his voice slightly, "And also Hellebore potion, Veritaserum, Polyjuice Potion ... honestly, Severus, aren't these things illegal drugs?"

Snape nodded noncommittally. "Goblins will sell themselves if there's enough profit."

Flitwick, who possessed fairy blood, didn't find anything wrong with what he said. He examined the various potions in the small bag with interest, and suddenly noticed a small white Bone Knife. He became interested. "Severus, what is this?"

This Bone Knife is only the length of two fingers. The Basilisk ribs has been ground to a smooth, white ivory finish. It has no fine workmanship and the carving is rough, giving it a simple and rustic beauty.

Most strangely, the blade of the Bone Knife was covered with scattered reddish powder, which shimmered faintly in the candlelight.

Snape's brows slowly furrowed.

Bone Knife and Sorcerer's Stone Powder?

It was all Dumbledore's fault for keeping him up late that night, and for watching over those two little things when he came back from the Shrieking Shack the next day. Exhausted and sleepy, he actually put this thing in his bag while packing.

Snape carefully picked up the Bone Knife, about to explain to Flitwick and McGonagall, when a deafening explosion suddenly rang out—

Boom!

A monstrous wave swept in, and under the powerful impact, the Bone Knife flew out of his hand.

Under the astonished gazes of the three professors and two young wizards, the hard snake bone shattered the bottom of the Golden Hourglass, and the crimson crystalline powder, propelled by inertia, fell into the hourglass through the cracks in the broken surface.

The crimson Sorcerer's Stone Powder disappeared into the golden Sand of Time. In Loren's vision, the crimson Magic Power was like flames falling into the golden river of light, silently dissolving.

The hourglass flew off the table due to the impact and tumbled in the air.

Sorry for the writer's block. The remaining 2,000 words will probably be posted around 1 PM. Thank you, dear readers!