Entering the Time Loop Again

The last time they entered the Headmaster's Office was during a nighttime patrol of the Restricted Section on the fourth floor, when Dumbledore had used a sting operation against them.

Half a year passed in the blink of an eye. When William returned, he had a strange feeling that everything had changed and it was like a different world.

There was no way around it; what happened at the Quidditch match was just too horrifying!

Under the Basilisk's watchful gaze, at least several dozen young wizards died.

Even the death of one person is a major incident, but the deaths of dozens... Merlin, this is not a teaching accident, but a shocking indiscriminate school attack that has stunned the Wizarding World.

Free Britain, dead men every day?

Sometimes, William felt like he had traveled into the world of Conan, not the magical world.

Or maybe there really is a Holmes in this world.

If this matter is not resolved, Hogwarts, this ancient school with a history of over a thousand years, will likely be destroyed!

The person who did this is utterly depraved and inhuman. We mustn't let William catch him, or we'll beat him to a pulp.

What puzzled William the most was that Harry was also dead.

He didn't die in the arena, but was carried out of the castle by Snape, his body radiating an unhealthy golden hue...

Wait... gold? William remembered that in the story Nicolas described, the eldest brother swallowed the Philosopher's Stone and gained the ability to turn stones into gold...

Did Harry swallow the Philosopher's Stone?

Could it be that he went to the Restricted Section on the fourth floor?!

William looked up, his gaze returning to the long table.

On the table lay a longsword. This was the sword Dumbledore used to kill the Basilisk, which William had brought back to his office.

The hilt of the longsword is inlaid with a dazzling, egg-sized ruby, and the blade is engraved with a row of Ancient Runes.

He had studied Ancient Runes on his own and recognized the meaning of the characters.

--Godric Gryffindor!

William touched the inscription on the sword and could feel a strange power within it.

"I advise you to be careful, William."

Suddenly, a sound rang out.

William looked at the Sorting Hat on the shelf and asked, "What's wrong?"

The Sorting Hat grinned and said, "This is an artifact, Sword of Gryffindor. If you break it, can you afford to pay for it?"

"Aren't you also a cultural relic? You get touched by everyone every year."

"So, a thousand years ago I was so radiant, but now I'm covered in patches." The Sorting Hat was unhappy.

The hat's playful tone cheered William up a bit, and he calmly said, "I won't break it. Just this morning, Dumbledore was wielding this sword, slaying the Basilisk with sparks and lightning in his wake. It was incredibly cool."

"I see," the Sorting Hat laughed, "Then you absolutely mustn't touch it."

"Sword of Gryffindor was forged by Goblin and possesses extraordinary properties."

"What characteristics?" William asked curiously.

"The most remarkable feature of this sword is its ability to absorb anything that can strengthen it," the Sorting Hat explained.

"Since Dumbledore killed the Basilisk with his sword, the blade is already soaked in the Basilisk's venom, and it will absorb that venom as well."

If you get a small cut, you'll probably die very quickly.

William raised an eyebrow—a remarkable trait.

"If I cast Avada Kedavra on this sword, will it absorb the properties of the Killing Curse?"

"Hmm... I don't know either, no one has ever been this bored before." The Sorting Hat pursed its lips.

"Then I'll try it sometime."

As William spoke, he pulled another bottle of medicine from his pocket.

"This is an antidote made from the fruit of the Mouthy Flower."

During our first class this semester, Professor Sprout mentioned that even the venom of many rare snakes and Erumpent could be neutralized.

The Basilisk is no exception, so even if I get cut, I won't be poisoned to death."

"Looks like you're doing pretty well," the Sorting Hat said happily. "That's why I made a wise decision to sort you into Ravenclaw."

"You dare bring up the matter of the branch school again!"

The Sorting Hat quickly changed the subject, asking, "William, did you steal the Mouthy Flower?"

I remember that some time after the start of the semester, Sprout said that a lot of herbs had gone missing from the greenhouse.

"You can take any medicine, but you can't say anything carelessly." William rolled his eyes. "Professor Sprout even asked me to concoct Potions to repel the Knarl. How could I have done it?"

"The Mouthy Flower Fruit was just a fair trade between us."

William picked up the sword and asked again, "You just said this is Sword of Gryffindor?"

I remember reading in "Hogwarts: A History" that Sword of Gryffindor was lost during the Goblin Rebellion, right?

"That's just to fool those Goblin, otherwise they'd keep demanding Sword of Gryffindor!" the Sorting Hat scoffed. "Do you know what kind of people those Goblin are?"

William nodded.

In the Goblin's value system, the rightful owner of an item is always its creator, not the subsequent buyer.

The buyer should return the item to the manufacturer upon their death.

Ragnuk the First was a Goblin king during the time of Godric Gryffindor, and this sword was commissioned by Gryffindor to be forged by him.

The Goblin believed that the sword belonged to Ragnuk the First, not Hogwarts, which was one of the important triggers for the Goblin Rebellion later on.

The Goblin Rebellion can be considered an important chapter in the History of Magic.

This rebellion lasted intermittently for nearly two centuries, first occurring near Hogsmeade in 1612.

At that time, the Goblin led the stormtroopers and, taking advantage of the president of the Wizards' Council, the predecessor of the Ministry of Magic of Magic, launched a coup d'état while a banquet was being held at a beer hall in Hogsmeade.

This History of Magic as the Hog's Head Riot!

Within those two hundred years, Sword of Gryffindor was lost.

The Sorting Hat chuckled smugly, "How could it possibly be lost? This sword has always been kept in the Headmaster's office; the official story is that it's missing..."

William stroked the sword, wanting to ask the Sorting Hat if it knew where Ravenclaw's Diadem was.

Just then, the door to the Headmaster's Office opened.

Dumbledore walked in wearily, sat down in a chair, crossed his arms, and seemed to be thinking about something.

"Professor, how is it?" William asked anxiously.

He's been locked in his office all day and has no idea what's going on outside.

"It's terrible, forty-five students have died," Dumbledore said sadly.

The portraits of the principals in the office immediately erupted in panic, with many leaving their frames to confirm the news.

William paused for a moment, then asked, "Where's Harry?"

"Harry is dead too. Professor Snape found him in the Restricted Section on the fourth floor."

He must have swallowed the Philosopher's Stone during his battle with Voldemort.

"Voldemort didn't leave? He stayed at Hogwarts after Quirrell's death?" William asked in surprise.

"Yes," Dumbledore nodded gravely, "I anticipated this, but I didn't expect him to try and attract my attention by releasing the Basilisk!"

William then asked, "Why did Harry go to the Restricted Section? I remember he was watching the game."

"Not only Harry, but Weasley and Hermione went too." Dumbledore stared at William, "But neither of them... died."

William wanted to ask something else, Dumbledore waved his hand.

"William, I know the general outline of the whole thing, but I can't tell you... you know what I mean. Is the Ravenclaw's Ring still there?"

William took the ring off his neck.

What should I do? Should I just wear it like this?

William used the time loop arbitrarily the first time, unsure if using it again would trigger a second loop.

If it cannot be triggered, tomorrow will arrive on time, and everything from today will be irreversible.

Dumbledore:

"I can only guess... that Ravenclaw's heirs, when they have a strong desire, can enter a cycle by wearing the Bronze Ring until they have enough power to fulfill their wish."

William thought for a moment, "So I need to catch Voldemort?"

Dumbledore shook his head and said seriously, "William, Voldemort is in a very special state right now. You can't catch him, so this wish can never be fulfilled."

If you have this kind of thinking, after putting on the ring, you'll probably be trapped in a cycle forever... until you die.

William was horrified; he had never imagined that he could be trapped in a time loop forever.

"Then what do I need to do?"

Dumbledore grasped William's hand, his blue pupils meeting his eyes.

"William, investigate the whole incident thoroughly and save all the students, including Harry... You must do it! You are our only hope!"

William nodded slightly and unfastened the chain on the ring.

Dumbledore closed his eyes wearily, his voice echoing in the office.

"William, I must remind you, saving lives is important, but don't forget, there's a greater goal."

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