The Secret of Prehistoric Mysteries

Crossing the River Styx in a coffin... that does sound sophisticated, even a bit like the Heavenly Emperor in his coffin.

But William didn't know where the coffin was; he couldn't very well go around digging up graves.

This approach is not as reliable as the Tale of the Three Brothers.

William at least knew that the entrance was roughly located around seven hills.

"In fact, besides the Arch and the River Styx, there is another powerful force in this land," Dumbledore said.

William was somewhat agitated; he already knew what the principal was talking about.

"That's right, it's what I've been telling you about before... the Prehistoric Mysteries."

Dumbledore reached out, sensing the time-manipulating power emanating from William in the air, and remarked:

"It is incredibly powerful, unlike any form of magic ever taught in magic schools."

It involves time, space, death, higher levels of life... and even love.

William thought about it carefully and realized that it was indeed true.

For example, the clocks in the Time Room involve the power of time.

The hummingbird inside the clock, from hatching to growing up and then back to being an egg, repeats the cycle endlessly... This is clearly beyond the comprehension of a normal wizard.

Also, the Hour-Reversal Charm in the Time-Turner... William hasn't seen the spell for that spell in any magic book.

In other words, once one of those Time-Turner breaks, there's one less... they're non-renewable resources.

The creation and destruction of Horcrux are detailed in at least the book "Secrets of the Darkest Art".

"Can this power be learned?" William was more concerned about this.

"I'm sorry," Dumbledore said, a hint of helplessness in his eyes.

"You know, William, the Prehistoric Mysteries are reserved for those who are truly enlightened."

In ancient Egypt, this secret wisdom was passed down through generations in the Egypt Mystery School.

However, due to a series of unforeseen events, the tradition has been broken.

This is also why Grindelwald and I considered resurrecting the Pharaoh back then.

Therefore, although this power exists in this land, we are unable to learn it or even utilize it.

William understood Dumbledore's meaning.

It's like if human civilization suddenly experienced a break, and later generations of humans, while achieving technological advancement again, embarked on a completely different path.

Even if they discover remnants of nuclear weapons and radiation, they still wouldn't be able to build an atomic bomb.

Because there is no corresponding knowledge system to pass down.

"After the Ministry of Magic was built here, the Department of Mysteries naturally emerged to secretly study this mysterious power," Dumbledore said.

"Even the most outstanding wizards throughout history have been unable to utilize it directly."

But they still discovered many interesting things, dividing the place into the Brain Room, the Death Chamber, the Time Room, the Hall of Prophecy, the Planet Room... and the locked room."

"A locked room?" William, somewhat surprised.

"Yes," Dumbledore said softly.

"That room has been there for a long time, but without a key, no one can open it."

William felt a pang of regret... The power was right before his eyes, yet he couldn't use it.

Moreover, these forces are far more terrifying and harder to defend against than anything like Avada Kedavra.

Just like Lily, who gave Harry the Love Charm, and then tricked Voldemort for over a decade.

The two discussed for a while longer, having visited almost every room.

Just as I was about to leave, a commotion suddenly broke out at the door.

William peeked out, then quickly withdrew... It turned out to be Scrimgeour, the Head of the Auror Office.

He rushed over, but was stopped by his subordinate Kingsley.

William knew perfectly well why Scrimgeour had come here.

He wanted to persuade William to support him in becoming minister.

Although no one knew that Bones was a member of the Order of the Phoenix, Scrimgeour already felt threatened.

If he can find William's support, he will definitely be able to make a comeback.

However, a comeback is impossible.

Scrimgeour is just a tougher version of Fudge.

He has his own opinions and his own ideas, and he will not obey the orders of the Order of the Order of the Phoenix.

William went to great lengths, not to cultivate a disobedient and incompetent teammate for himself.

Therefore, Scrimgeour won't stay in the position of Head of the Auror Office for long.

Once Bones takes over, he will immediately promote and give Scrimgeour a raise... a promotion in name only, a de facto transfer, to keep him away from the Auror Office.

This power will be controlled by Kingsley.

Whether it was to avoid an awkward meeting or no matter how hard Scrimgeour tried, the result was the same... William would not see him.

"I should go too, the press conference is about to start." Dumbledore glanced at his watch.

William suddenly remembered something and hurriedly asked, "Professor, should we continue teaching Harry Occlumency?"

"I think it's no longer necessary." Dumbledore shook his head regretfully.

"Harry is simply too inept at this. And this lesson was devastating for Voldemort."

He won't fabricate false memories to lure Harry anymore; he's afraid we'll be set in a trap again.

This plan... Voldemort lost twelve servants, including even core members like Malfoy.

But they still didn't get the Prophecy Orb.

Once bitten by a snake, twice shy... This is the Dark Lord's current state of mind.

He will definitely use Occlumency to actively sever this connection.

Dumbledore paused, then continued:

"Furthermore, Voldemort will soon discover that Harry has invaded his mind unharmed."

But if he wanted to possess Harry and invade his mind, he would have to endure intense pain.

Although Voldemort obtained Harry's blood, he could still touch Harry's body.

But the spell of love that Lily gave prevented Voldemort from possessing a body filled with the power he hated and loathed.

William seemed lost in thought.

"Of course," Dumbledore remarked.

"This lesson has been big enough for Harry."

He must be incredibly frustrated right now, and I can't let him develop such self-loathing.

As a professor, I have a responsibility to guide young people to prevent them from... becoming fragmented and giving up on themselves.

"Are you going to tell Harry about the Prophecy?" William asked astutely.

"Yes, Harry should know this." Dumbledore nodded.

"I've always felt he was still young, and it's been dragged on for many years, but time is of the essence."

After this incident, he should have realized that only one of him and Voldemort... can survive.

William remained silent. There was nothing he could do about it; Harry was Horcrux, after all.

"And you, William?" Dumbledore glanced at the doorway. "Want to speak with Scrimgeour?"

"No, thank you." William took out a ring, which was Portkey he had made.

"Hermione and Anne are probably still in my room, waiting for me to get back."

"Goodbye then," said Dumbledore.

William said goodbye and disappeared into the Department of Mysteries.

Ancient Runes Office

William suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the room.

He quietly walked to the sofa and saw Hermione and Anne.

The two girls seemed to have waited too long and had fallen asleep leaning against each other.

Tea, Sasha, and Pineapple Head huddled at the feet of the two girls.

Hearing the noise, all three cat heads raised at the same time and looked at William.

William gestured for the three of them to be quiet, then picked up Hermione and Anne respectively and carried them toward his bed.

After turning off the light, he returned to the sofa, looked at the three cats, and thought:

"I'll have to sleep on the sofa with the cat tonight... What a terrible night."

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