Return to Reality

Loren suddenly understood why Slytherin clashed with the other Founders in his later years and why he was so hostile to Muggle-born and Half-blood wizards.

If a war between Muggle and wizards or the Wizarding World is inevitable, Muggle-born and Half-blood wizards will only strengthen the enemy.

In the book * Hogwarts: Hogwarts, A History *, the deaths of Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Helga Hufflepuff are clearly recorded. Only Slytherin, after the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets was completed, left Hogwarts Castle and disappeared without a trace...

Breeding Basilisk, researching Ancient Magic, building Chamber of Secrets... What preparations did Slytherin make for that war in the distant future, and how many contingency plans did they lay?

Loren let out a soft breath, and just as he was about to ask about the rest, the wine barrel not far away suddenly began to tremble slightly.

Loren and Daisy both looked toward the barrel. The oak barrel, made of planks, was swaying on the ground. Glistening golden dust gushed out of the barrel's mouth. Mixed with the golden dust, a bright crimson Magic Power began to flash rhythmically, rapidly diminishing at a speed visible to the naked eye, until the crimson gradually disappeared into the gold.

The Magic Power of the Sorcerer's Stone has been exhausted!

In 1971, at Hogwarts Castle, in the line of new students in front of the High Table in the Great Hall, eleven-year-old Snape lowered his eyes and watched as the dusty, cobweb-covered Sorting Hat was placed on the heads of one new student after another, leaving dirty marks on their hair.

Snape pursed his lips, glanced sideways at his freshly washed hair, and a moment of hesitation arose in his heart.

It's strange. He clearly remembers standing in the same spot twenty years ago. Although he can't recall what he was thinking back then, he certainly wasn't disgusted by the Sorting Hat being dirty.

What were you thinking at that time?

They were observing the professors in the High Table, drooling over the various delicacies on the long table, scrutinizing the young Slytherin wizards, and silently praying that the Sorting Hat would sort them into the glorious Slytherin House.

He couldn't remember...

Snape's gaze was deep and constantly shifting.

In the front row Potter and Black were already entangled, trying to provoke eleven-year-old Remus Lupin, who was somewhat silent. The two were trying to get him to speak, even if it was just a curse.

Snape remembered that in that same year, a Whomping Willow was transplanted outside Hogwarts Castle, which had been established for nearly a thousand years...

Suddenly, Snape's pupils contracted violently, and a force beyond the real world enveloped him, as if an invisible hand had reached into his head and was pulling his soul, which belonged to the future, outward.

"Is it time yet?"

Snape felt a little regretful, but also relieved.

"Lily Evans!" came the shout from the Sorting House professor ahead.

A girl with dark red hair pushed through the crowd, ran forward excitedly, and put the Sorting Hat on her head.

Snape's gaze pierced through the crowd, settling on Lily's smiling face. However, her eyes were obscured by the Sorting Hat, so Snape had to recall those dark green eyes in his mind. Fortunately, he had seen them many times over the past few days, and the image easily came to mind.

"Gryffindor!"

Eleven-year-old Lily Evans happily took off her Sorting Hat, glanced at the Gryffindor table, and quickly searched for her friend's face. She waved to him happily and saw his lips move, but she was too far away to hear what Sev was saying.

She squinted to make out his lip movements, and vaguely saw that he seemed to be saying:

"We'll meet again, I promise."

Lily tilted her head. "Sev is so strange. Of course we'll see each other again. We go to the same magic school and see each other every day."

One weekend in the winter of 1982, it was Hogwarts ' activity week again.

At the entrance of Puddifoot's Tea Shop on Hogsmeade Street, Professor McGonagall, who was already quite old, glanced at the young wizards who were having a date inside the café, and refused to go in at that moment.

Elphinstone first proposed to her here, but she refused.

Professor McGonagall withdrew her gaze, grabbed Elphinstone, and hurried away. "No, no, if the students see this, I won't be able to teach anymore."

Elphinstone couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Oh, believe me, Minerva, your level of Transfiguration is more than enough to teach these students... After all, every weekend I hear you complaining about the errors in ' Today's Transfiguration '."

Elphinstone paused. Since their marriage, he felt that his wife had become more mature, and her magical skills and academic level far surpassed his own.

It's strange, how come I didn't know Minerva was so amazing before...

"By the way, do you want to send the errors you found to the editor of ' Today's Transfiguration '?"

"Oh no, I'd rather stay home and do some needlework..." Professor McGonagall's voice suddenly softened, and she looked somewhat unwell, especially as she swayed a few times in a distressing manner.

Elphinstone helped her up with concern. "What's wrong, Minerva?"

Professor McGonagall snapped out of her reverie, smiled, shook her head, and said, "I want to eat your crème brûlée."

"Oh, of course, I'll go do it right away..."

In the courtyard behind the Leaky Cauldron, a space between the beginning and the end of everything, Daisy held a wine glass in both hands, looking up at the crimson Magic Power entangled in the golden Sand of Time slowly being released. The golden and reddish light shone on her face, making her appear faintly radiant and charming.

"It's time..." Daisy murmured softly.

She actually wanted to talk about Slytherin's later arrangements, how she came to this alternate dimension, and how she received Slytherin's instructions.

Most importantly, she wanted to tell this Descendant of Morgan that Slytherin wasn't simply favoring Pure-blood; he had listened to Gryffindor's ideas and the advice of his other close friends.

But time is time. Daisy Dodridge was never a major figure in history books; she was merely a narrator who had already told the most important stories in history.

As for this Prophecy descendant of Morgan, his mission and his future choices... are for him to explore and discover for himself.

Just as Merlin emerged during the Dark Ages, and the four founders who followed ended history and ushered in a new era, with Nicolas Flamel taking over the mission of history, each era has its own mission...

Sitting beside him, Loren watched as the golden sand gushed from the barrel, hovering in mid-air. Each grain grew to the size of a meteorite, trailing a dazzling golden tail as it flew and circled. In the process, a strange fluctuation arose and gradually enveloped him.

He still had many questions he wanted to ask: who Abraham was, what Slytherin had done, why the bar owner was there, and Nicolas Flamel ...

Loren withdrew his gaze, staring at the cloudy Mead in his glass. Suddenly feeling a bit irritated, he looked up at Mrs. Dursley and said softly, "The wine in our time wasn't cloudy anymore. How about I invite you to try some sometime?"

Meeting the child's gaze, Daisy smiled and nodded, silently thinking: Of course we'll meet again.

The Sand of Time spun faster and faster. Daisy picked up her wooden goblet and sniffed it. Suddenly remembering something, she looked at Loren and asked, "You and this little Witch have the scent of Mandrake on you. Are you practicing Animagus?"

Loren paused for a moment, then said, "Yes, yes..."

"Fairy Morgan doesn't need to practice Animagus, remember? She can transform into all sorts of animals on her own," Daisy said.

Loren's eyes widened as he asked, "What?"

Before Daisy could answer, an invisible wave enveloped him, and some unspeakable, hidden barrier severed his connection with the outside world. The sounds from the 16th-century the Leaky Cauldron's front hall grew fainter, the aroma of Mead faded, and the light from the hay hut grew dimmer.

All sights, sounds, and smells vanished, leaving only the Sand of Time trailing a dazzling golden light.

They were floating in a place without direction, without sky or ground. Hermione hovered beside them, while Professor Flitwick lay back behind her. Both of them awoke from their slumber and looked at Loren with some confusion. Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape could be faintly seen ahead.

The golden light suddenly became even more dazzling, and a strong sense of weightlessness came over them. Under the influence of some kind of traction, they flew forward at an astonishing speed...

After an unknown amount of time, Loren felt the flight stop, the light of the real world shone in again, and a chaotic cacophony of sounds flooded his ears.

The Golden Hourglass clattered to the ground, as if the frozen world had been restarted, instantly bringing it to life. This was followed by the sound of bricks shattering against the bar walls, and a middle-aged Witch wearing a pointed wizard's hat was thrown off her feet by the blast, landing next to a wizard in a wide cloak.

Everyone quickly realized that they had returned to the real world, exactly the instant after they left.

Professor McGonagall waved her wand, and in the blink of an eye, a thick stone wall rose around them. She calmly said in a deep voice, "Severus, take Morgan and Granger away!"

Loren and Hermione felt Professor Snape roughly tug at them. Their vision blurred, and then they were squeezed into a narrow rubber tube. After a strong feeling of suffocation, they found themselves in a snowy landscape.

Loren and Hermione, panting heavily, looked around and realized they were on a path between Hogsmeade and the gates of Hogwarts Castle. It must be because there was Anti-Apparition Jinx magic in the school that Snape had brought them here.

"Go back to school and find Dumbledore. Tell him what happened today!" Snape said coldly before disappearing again, leaving only the crackling sound of the air exploding.

Upon arriving outside the familiar campus, although the three professors were still in Diagon Alley, the two men felt at ease.

With the three professors' abilities, even if they encountered danger, they could leave as quickly as they had just done.

The bewildered little Witch looked at the spot where the professor had disappeared, then turned to look at her friends, and asked somewhat blankly, "What on earth happened?"

Slightly relieved, Hermione began to slowly sort through her memories. First, she and Loren secretly hid behind the professor to eavesdrop; then an explosion destroyed the walls; Professor Snape's Bone Knife shattered the Time-Turner; and the Golden Hourglass spun countless times in mid-air...

Travel through time to witness the wizards save the Leaky Cauldron, encounter Mrs. Dursley, and Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape pass the time...

"Oh, right!" Hermione exclaimed in surprise, her beautiful eyes widening. "Professor Snape and Harry's mother!"

Loren gave her a look and said quietly, "I advise you to pretend you don't know anything about this."

"..." Hermione obediently pursed her lips together, continuing to sort through her memories in her mind.

Later, after comforting Mrs. Dursley. Daisy Dodridge, he took a sip of Mead, then became disoriented, and soon returned to the real world.

"Mrs. Dursley! How could she!" Hermione complained angrily. "I trusted her so much, I even comforted her..."

Loren looked around to make sure he was in the right direction, then took Hermione's hand and started walking toward the school. The girl walked beside him, muttering complaints about what had happened that day. She was unusually long-winded, almost like she was lecturing him.

Loren led the girl slowly as they drew closer to the outer gates of Hogwarts. He didn't interrupt Hermione; the girl probably hadn't fully recovered yet... The explosion, the time travel, the drugging and unconsciousness—the events had happened too fast and too suddenly. She still needed some time to process what had just happened and return to a safe environment.

It was during the Christmas holidays, and the outer gate was closed. The boars on the pillars on both sides of the main gate were covered with a thick layer of snow.

He cast Levitation Charm on his clothes, lifting him and Hermione over the Castle, and the two followed the path toward the Castle.

His footsteps crunched on the soft snow, and Loren's thoughts drifted away with the sound. Recalling the events of the day, some new doubts arose in his mind.

Bone Knife covered in Sorcerer's Stone Powder and Time-Turner happen to appear at the Leaky Cauldron, while an explosion happens to occur outside the pub... With a series of coincidences, he travels through time to meet Mrs. Dursley —the creator and first owner of the Leaky Cauldron.

The woman seemed to have waited there specifically to tell him the true history.

It must have been an arrangement made by Slytherin after he left Hogwarts!

Hermione's grumbling suddenly stopped. Loren felt the girl's soft hand suddenly grasp his. Turning around, he saw that Hermione had calmed down, her face showing some worry. "Loren, what happened next?"

Loren squeezed her hand a little harder and smiled, "Let's rest for a while. When we see Headmaster Dumbledore, I'll tell you all about it."

"Um."