"In short, if you intend to take every single elective course, you must be prepared to expend significantly more energy than your peers. As for the inevitable scheduling conflicts, Hogwarts will provide you with a solution."
Hermione asked curiously, "What kind of solution?"
She had already calculated the math in her head. Taking every elective meant she would physically need to be in two classrooms at once. Unless she figured out a way to clone herself, the schedule was entirely impossible to balance.
"A Time-Turner," Professor McGonagall said, not bothering to build suspense. "It is a highly restricted magical artifact strictly regulated by the Ministry of Magic. The Ministry only grants limited usage permits to exceptional students after Hogwarts submits a specialized, highly detailed application."
'A Time-Turner?'
Maurise's interest was instantly piqued. Any artifact associated with the manipulation of time was guaranteed to be extraordinarily complex and powerful.
Professor McGonagall retrieved two plain wooden boxes and placed them on her desk. "Because we required two Time-Turners this year, we submitted the applications well in advance. These artifacts are incredibly rare, and the waitlist is typically quite long."
She opened one of the boxes. Inside lay a small, hourglass-shaped device suspended on a fine golden chain.
Maurise examined it closely but failed to spot anything particularly extraordinary. He could not detect even the faintest ripple of magical energy radiating from the metal.
Professor McGonagall proceeded to thoroughly explain the operational mechanics and the strict regulations regarding the Time-Turner. Simply put, turning the hourglass allowed the user to travel back in time, with each complete revolution representing a single hour.
After listening to the explanation, Hermione looked absolutely thrilled. "This means I can attend two conflicting classes simultaneously! All I have to do is use the Turner after my first class, travel back in time to before the period started, and walk to my second class... This is absolutely brilliant! What do you think, Maurise?"
"Er, right. Brilliant."
Maurise's expression was incredibly complicated. His immediate reaction was sheer disbelief. They were utilizing a profoundly powerful, time-altering magical artifact... just to resolve a middle school scheduling conflict?
Talk about using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. It was absolute overkill.
"Before you are officially allowed to use them, you must undergo mandatory training," Professor McGonagall added. "The Ministry of Magic will send an official instructor in two days. I will notify you when it is time."
---
Two days later, in the late afternoon, Professor McGonagall led Maurise to a rarely used classroom on the east side of the fourth floor.
The windows in this classroom were heavily draped with thick curtains, and the room was entirely bare save for a few ordinary desks and chairs.
Before letting him inside, Professor McGonagall gave him a brief update. "Hermione completed her evaluation this morning. Now it is your turn. The instructor inside is an official from the Ministry's Department of Mysteries."
Maurise nodded and pushed the door open. Professor McGonagall did not follow him inside.
Waiting in the classroom was a highly amiable-looking middle-aged man. He had thinning brown hair, a round face, and thick black-rimmed glasses. He was sitting leisurely in an armchair near the podium, casually flipping through a book.
Seeing Maurise enter, he immediately snapped the book shut and stood up.
"Good afternoon. You must be Maurise Black. I am Vaughan Hardy, representing the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic."
He stepped forward and offered a highly enthusiastic handshake. "No need to be nervous. Today's evaluation is merely to ensure you can safely and responsibly operate a Time-Turner."
"Understood, Mr. Hardy," Maurise replied politely.
He couldn't shake the feeling that the man was being slightly too enthusiastic. Furthermore, the way Hardy was looking at him was incredibly strange.
Hardy pushed his glasses up his nose, his smile deepening with a hint of hidden meaning. "Excellent. Before we officially begin, I would like to ask you a quick question. Mr. Black, how much do you actually know about the Department of Mysteries?"
Maurise shook his head. "Absolutely nothing."
What exactly was the purpose of this tangent?
Hardy clapped his hands together, looking delighted. "Allow me to give you a brief introduction then, my boy."
"The Department of Mysteries is a highly specialized branch within the Ministry of Magic dedicated to conducting top-secret research. Ah, you must forgive me for keeping it vague. The nature of our work is strictly classified."
'Pure nonsense.' Maurise raised an eyebrow. That explanation was literally no different from saying absolutely nothing.
"Let us get straight to the point," Hardy leaned forward slightly. "What are your thoughts on our department? Would you perhaps be interested in joining us as an Unspeakable in the future?"
'Huh?'
That was incredibly abrupt.
Maurise paused, slightly bewildered. He spoke carefully. "Mr. Hardy, I am only a second-year student. I am still in school, and..."
"Oh, of course, of course!" Hardy nodded vigorously, his cheerful smile unwavering. "That is a minor logistical hurdle, but nothing we cannot solve. We could simply sign a preliminary letter of intent right now. Once you graduate from Hogwarts, you would immediately transition into a full-time position at the Department of Mysteries. Look, I even brought the paperwork with me."
As he spoke, he pulled out a thick roll of heavy parchment from Merlin-knows-where. It even had elegant, gold-leaf lettering.
'He actually came fully prepared for this?'
Why on earth was the Ministry of Magic aggressively headhunting a perfectly ordinary second-year student?
Maurise felt a surge of genuine confusion. "Mr. Hardy, what exactly does the Ministry see in me?"
"Allow me to correct you," Hardy shrugged easily. "It is not the Ministry as a whole. Specifically, it is the Department of Mysteries that believes you possess extraordinary potential. Though, to be perfectly frank, you are the absolute youngest individual to ever receive such an invitation."
Maurise stroked his chin. "Could you elaborate on how exactly you evaluated my potential?"
"I honestly have no idea," Hardy spread his hands helplessly. "It likely involved some form of highly complex, specialized magic. Perhaps a prophecy of some sort. Now then, let us sign this contract so you can secure a guaranteed career post-graduation!"
He enthusiastically shoved the parchment toward Maurise.
Highly amused, Maurise took the contract and scanned the contents.
It was a remarkably standard employment agreement. Aside from the noticeably low starting salary, there wasn't much to complain about. Considering it was a guaranteed position at the Ministry of Magic, a highly coveted workplace with fierce competition, most students would have signed it blindly.
However, Maurise had absolutely zero desire to live the miserable life of an underpaid corporate wage slave. He had vastly higher aspirations.
Furthermore, this entire recruitment pitch felt incredibly sketchy. He didn't even know what the department actually researched. What if he accidentally joined a wizarding pyramid scheme? That would be a complete disaster.
"I must respectfully decline," Maurise handed the heavy parchment back.
"Ah, well," Hardy didn't press the issue, taking the contract back easily. "You are more than welcome to change your mind at any time. Oh, Mr. Black, I have another proposal. Would you be interested in touring the Department of Mysteries sometime? Our doors are always open to you."
"A tour?"
"Exactly. Just to broaden your horizons," Hardy winked.
"I will certainly keep it in mind," Maurise replied politely.
'Maybe I'll drop by if I ever find myself dying of boredom.'
"Excellent," Hardy said briskly. "Enough idle chatter, let us get down to business. Professor McGonagall entrusted your specific Time-Turner to me. Let me just find it... ah, here it is."
He reached into his left pocket and pulled out the golden hourglass.