The Time-Turner Accident (Second update! (3/10))
Everything seemed so slow and indistinct.
Before many people even realized what had happened, the silver eagle had vanished.
Silence, like a cold river, spread outwards in waves from where the Patronus had landed. Then someone screamed.
The Great Hall erupted into chaos. Professor Dumbledore raised his wand, emitting several ear-piercing firework explosions before everyone quieted down.
"Deans of all colleges," he said in a deep voice, "Immediately escort your students to the common room!"
The four heads of the house stood up, with Snape leading the way and running towards his office.
He even left Weasley there to write his self-criticism.
Weasley was lucky; Snape had originally planned to lock the office door and leave him inside to starve all night.
"All Ravenclaw students, follow me!"
Professor Flitwick, like a miniature Frieza, floated down from mid-air.
"Don't get separated, especially the first-graders, stay close to each other!"
The Prefect organized the students, and they began to line up in an orderly fashion and head towards the Ravenclaw Tower.
"How dare Dementor come in?" Marietta asked, trembling, as she climbed the stairs.
"Perhaps they discovered Black?" Marcus said.
"There's no way Black could get in," Bradley retorted. "The Dementor have blocked all the entrances."
"Who knows, but he escaped Azkaban; perhaps he had a way of fooling the Dementor."
Everyone started discussing it noisily.
"That Patronus just now... it seems quite similar to yours, William," Marietta said hesitantly.
William and Hermione's intervention on the train made the Patronus Charm a more widely known spell.
They had all seen the image of William's Patronus.
A silver eagle.
"It might just be a coincidence," William explained vaguely.
"Yes, William is in the Great Hall, how could he possibly cast Patronus Charm?" Qiu said, trying to cover for him.
Although Qiu didn't know how William did it, she was certain that it was William's Patronus.
She had met Cedric many times and couldn't possibly mistake him. And even though he was deliberately speaking in a low voice, she could still recognize it.
Since he is unwilling to talk about it, there must be a reason.
As I walked down the hallway, several Dementor suddenly slid out from around the corner.
They were cloaked, tall, and their faces were completely hidden under their headscarves. Like the Death, they charged straight at the young wizard.
The air around them froze, chilling to the bone, and a commotion arose from the crowd.
"The criminal you're looking for isn't here," Professor Flitwick snapped.
The Dementor ignored them, completely captivated by the delicious food.
"Expecto Patronum!"
Professor Flitwick waved his wand, and a silver raven emerged from the tip.
The ravens rampaged through the corridor, pushing all the Dementor aside.
William didn't make a move; the eagle had already left a deep impression on everyone.
If he makes another move, it will be easy for everyone to spot... it's exactly the same.
Under Professor Flitwick's protection, they made their way back to the Ravenclaw common room.
Professor Flitwick told everyone to go to their dormitories to rest.
But less than twenty minutes later, he woke everyone up again and returned to the Great Hall.
When the eaglets arrived at the Great Hall, students from Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, and other houses were also there.
Apart from the lion cubs, all the other students looked completely bewildered.
"The professors and I will conduct a thorough search of the castle," Professor Dumbledore said to the students, standing in the High Table.
For everyone's safety, you may have to spend the night here.
I requested that the Prefect stand guard at the entrance of the Great Hall, and that the male and female student council presidents stay in the Great Hall to manage it.
Report anything that happens to me immediately.
Dumbledore added this sentence to Percy.
Percy puffed out his chest, the chairman's badge on his chest Winky. It seemed that with him watching over him, no one could attack the young wizard.
Professor Dumbledore waved his wand, and the long table flew to the side of the Great Hall, while sleeping bags were spread all over the floor.
"Everyone, get some sleep, and..." Dumbledore's sharp gaze swept across the crowd.
He said softly:
"Mr. Stark and Miss Granger, could you please come here for a moment?"
William felt countless eyes on him.
The young wizards around him made way for him as he stepped out of the crowd.
Hermione followed, looking somewhat worried, and held William's hand tightly.
William gently stroked Hermione's hand with his thumb to reassure her.
As the three left the Great Hall, a chorus of excited whispers immediately filled the Great Hall.
The Gryffindor students were busy telling the other students what had just happened.
Dumbledore led the two to the empty second floor and stared at William, saying, "You two should realize something by now, shouldn't you?"
William and Hermione nodded. They had used the Time-Turner so many times that they were completely used to it.
"What we need now is a warning from the future," Dumbledore said slowly, his light blue eyes sweeping from William to Hermione. "There is still some time."
"Listen carefully," Dumbledore a low voice, "Your mission is to stop the Dementor. Remember, this is very important!"
Also, you can't let others see it.
William, you understand what I mean. And don't try to use the Time-Turner repeatedly to do anything unnecessary.
Otherwise, the two of you might be trapped in the past, never able to return, which could lead to disastrous consequences.
William and Hermione nodded solemnly.
Dumbledore pushed the two of them into an empty classroom.
"I've locked you here. It's now..." He glanced at his watch, "... seven minutes to eight. Miss Granger, just three turns. Good luck."
Dumbledore gently closed the door.
Hermione fumbled inside the collar of her robe and pulled out a long, delicate gold chain from beneath.
Hermione also put the gold chain around William's neck.
"Are you ready?" William asked softly.
Hermione nodded slightly, hugged William tightly, and rested her head against his chest.
William skillfully turned the timer three times, and the dilapidated, empty classroom disappeared.
William felt himself flying, flying very fast, flying backward. Various blurry clouds and shapes flashed before his eyes, and something was pounding in his ears.
Standing at the edge of the corridor, Dumbledore gazed through the glass at the dark night sky outside.
With his right knuckles, he gently tapped on the windowsill, producing a strange rhythm.
Dumbledore counted down from ten in his mind...
Countdown ended.
But on the other side of the corridor,
William and Hermione were not present.
(Second update, please vote for me, everyone.)
There will be another update tonight.
I've tallied it up: I owe "Hell Cat" four chapters, "snz" three chapters, "Deep Sea Turtle" two chapters, and "Lanbaiwan BWB" one chapter, for a total of ten chapters.
Two more chapters will be released in April, and one more will follow.
Seven chapters are currently unavailable.