The treehouses around him suddenly began to twist.
Zhang Xiao felt himself flying, flying fast, flying backward.
Blurry clouds and shapes flashed before his eyes. Everything around him raced in reverse, a jumble of noises blending into strange sounds.
At last, his feet touched solid ground again, and the world came back into focus.
Zhang Xiao found himself standing in the courtyard behind the Great Hall. Golden sunlight spilled across the ground, and water murmured in the fountain. There were few people around, and no one seemed to notice his presence.
"Zhang, didn't you just head that way? Why are you back?"
A young wizard he barely knew asked curiously. He was practicing the Levitation Charm on the fallen leaves scattered throughout the courtyard.
His friends stood nearby, ready to help at any moment, because young wizards often caused all sorts of bizarre accidents while practicing spells.
Last time, for instance, someone had nearly burned down the entire garden while practicing the Disarming Charm. Luckily, another young wizard had made a mistake with the Freezing Charm and produced a great deal of water.
Zhang Xiao brushed the question aside with a casual excuse and hurried over to a statue. It depicted an unnamed witch holding a clay jug. If you stared at her for more than five seconds...
She would shyly turn her head away, then squirt water from the jug into your face.
Zhang Xiao looked for a second or two before averting his eyes.
Even before getting the Time-Turner, he had considered a question: if he sat in meditation, he could remain motionless for several hours.
If he used the Time-Turner during that period, how would he appear?
He checked the time. It was an hour earlier, so his other self should be heading to the Dining Hall