"How is this done?"
Voldemort leaned close to the glass clock, watching the scene inside repeat itself over and over as he asked.
"It's controlled by those sparkling currents of air."
The masked man pointed to the currents that made the hummingbird rise and fall. "We call them the Time Tide. They're also the energy source for the Time-Turner."
Voldemort nodded slowly. His gaze lingered on the currents for a moment before he tried to find where they came from.
That wasn't difficult. Following the sparkling currents back to their source, he spotted an obvious opening.
"Does the Time Tide come out of there?"
Voldemort pointed at the opening, whose true form was hard to make out, and asked.
"Yes. Let me show you what it looks like. Don't be surprised."
The masked man spoke with no small amount of pride. Then he crouched down and opened the cabinet beneath the glass case.
The cabinet was empty except for a plate-shaped conch shell about the size of a palm, standing upright inside.
"Is that its true form?" Voldemort asked in surprise.
The masked man nodded and waved his wand, casting an Illumination Charm. "We call it the Time Conch, but it only looks like a conch. It isn't actually one."
As the Illumination Charm lit up, they saw the light pass right through its body, giving it an almost phantom-like appearance.
"Where did you find it?"
Abou couldn't help asking. The masked man shot him an annoyed look, but still answered.
"We didn't find it," the masked man said. "According to the records, they've been here ever since the Ministry of Magic was established."
"Is the tide its breathing?" Voldemort asked.
"That's what we suspect, but we can't say for certain."
"What can it do?"
"Besides powering the Time-Turner, we