After spending a little longer with Hermione, Victor finally rose from the bench. "We should head back."
Hermione nodded, and the two of them returned to the castle together. The Yule Ball had only just ended and the corridors were almost deserted.
Most of the students had lingered outside in the gardens, reluctant to let the night end, while others remained in the Great Hall chatting with friends.
It was one of the rare occasions when Hogwarts' usually busy corridors were nearly empty.
Victor watched Hermione disappear toward Gryffindor Tower before turning in the opposite direction. "Time for the second half of the evening."
He walked through the silent corridors until he found a secluded passage with no portraits nearby and no chance of being interrupted. Taking a slow breath, he activated the Time-Turner.
"Here goes nothing."
A pair of golden clock faces appeared within his eyes, their hands glowing with a faint ethereal light.
The hands began spinning backward faster and faster until the surrounding world twisted with them. The castle blurred. The silence dissolved.
Everything around him seemed to unravel as time itself reversed — distant conversations returned in reverse, footsteps echoed backward through the corridors, candles seemed to regain their melted wax, and the magic hanging in the air folded back upon itself.
An instant later, the distortion vanished.
Victor found himself standing in the same corridor once more. Only now, the sounds of the Yule Ball had returned in full force.
Music from the Weird Sisters echoed through the castle, students laughed as they made their way toward the Great Hall, and the celebration had only just begun.
Victor checked the time with a satisfied smile. "Perfect." Straightening his robes, he headed toward the entrance of the Great Hall. "Well... time to meet Fleur."
Everything went off without a hitch.
By the time the second dance ended and Fleur returned to her friends, Victor had successfully completed his ridiculous plan without either version of himself being discovered.
As he quietly made his way back through the castle, he silently swore he was never doing something like this again.
Using a Time-Turner was one thing. Spending an entire evening making sure he never crossed paths with his past self was another entirely — every corridor had to be planned in advance, every route carefully chosen, and every glance over his shoulder carried the fear of accidentally spotting himself.
Merlin knew what kind of disaster that might cause, and Victor had no intention of finding out. On top of that, dancing through the opening ceremony twice in a single night had left him completely drained.
By the time he reached the Slytherin dormitory, he could barely keep his eyes open.
He loosened his tie, tossed his dress robes onto a nearby chair, staggered toward his bed, and collapsed face-first onto the mattress.
"So," Draco asked while changing into his nightclothes, "didn't you enjoy the ball?"
Victor didn't even bother lifting his head. He simply raised one hand weakly into the air. "I enjoyed it. It was just... exhausting."
Draco gave him a puzzled look. "Exhausting? You danced for, what, half an hour?"
"If only you knew..."
"What was that?"
Victor let his hand flop back onto the bed. "Nothing."
Within moments, Victor was fast asleep, his only coherent thought before sleep claimed him a simple one.
Never again. Two dates in one night were far more trouble than they were worth.
***
Like that, 1994 came to an end. The Christmas decorations gradually disappeared from the castle as the enchanted suits of armor shed their festive ribbons and the twelve Christmas trees were taken away from the Great Hall.
Students who had returned home for the holidays slowly made their way back to Hogwarts, and before long the familiar routine of lessons resumed.
The first week of January 1995 brought bitter winds that swept across the castle grounds, covering the lawns with a fresh layer of frost.
Victor was walking through the Hogwarts gardens when he spotted Luna, who had only just returned from spending Christmas with her father.
"So, Luna — how were your Christmas holidays?"
Luna looked up at the pale winter sky before answering in her usual dreamy voice.
"They were nice. Father spent most of the holiday writing about Crumple-Horned Snorkacks, even though everyone insists they don't exist."
Victor smiled. "Sounds about right."
She nodded absentmindedly. "I remembered the Yule Ball while I was away. I wanted to dance with you," Luna continued matter-of-factly.
"But Daddy wanted us to spend Christmas together, so I couldn't stay at Hogwarts."
Victor nearly choked.
For a fleeting moment, his mind imagined the impossible scenario.
Hermione... Fleur... and Luna?
He silently thanked every founder of Hogwarts that Luna had gone home for the holidays. Trying to keep a straight face, he cleared his throat. "Well... maybe it's for the best."
Luna tilted her head. "Why?"
Victor laughed awkwardly. "Oh, no reason."
Luna studied him for a few seconds before giving a small, knowing smile. "I think there is."
Victor wisely decided not to answer. Some mysteries, he concluded, were better left unsolved.
*****
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