Sean could hardly wait to get the Time-Turner. He set down his half-eaten strawberry jam sandwich and hurried after Snape to the office.
"Professor, is it the Time-Turner?" Sean asked, looking at him eagerly.
Snape's expression remained as cold as ever.
"Look at you. A mere Time-Turner has already tempted you this much. Perhaps I should reconsider whether such a dangerous object should be given to you."
Sean gave an awkward grin. At that moment he looked like a child excitedly waiting for a present—despite the fact that an adult mind lived inside him.
Sean understood his own talent and the advantage of the Magic vision. What he needed most was time—more time to study and grow.
Even if a Time-Turner borrowed time from the future, he didn't hesitate.
After all, he wasn't planning to drain ten or twenty years of his life—just a year or two, maybe even ten months.
That alone could bring astonishing progress.
"Sorry, Professor. I got too excited." Sean looked at the wooden box in Snape's hand. "Is the Time-Turner inside that?"
"Listen carefully," Snape said.
"I can give it to you right now. But every use must be approved by me. And you may only turn it twice per day."
His tone carried a clear warning.
Sean knew that if he refused, Snape would immediately send the Time-Turner back to the Ministry.
Two turns… that means going back two hours. Two extra hours a day isn't much, but it's better than nothing, Sean calculated silently.
"Professor, how many hours are left on it?" he asked.
"Two hundred and forty-one hours," Snape replied.
For a brief moment, disappointment flashed across Sean's face, but he quickly suppressed it.
Two turns per day… using all 241 hours would take four months. In reality, that's only ten extra days of time.
That's so little.
A brand-new Time-Turner normally held one thousand hours.
The one Snape obtained had 241 hours remaining, which was already considered lucky.
Snape seemed to read Sean's thoughts. He placed the wooden box on the desk and looked at him.
"For safety reasons, you are still a lower-year student. Turning it once at a time would be the safest option."
"The more turns you make, the further you go into the past—and the more dangerous it becomes."
"One mistake, and you could trap yourself in a time loop."
Sean nodded.
Although it was his first time using a Time-Turner, the original story had already given him some understanding of how it worked.
When returning to the past, you must not affect your past self.
The safest method was simply never appearing in front of yourself.
Right now it was 9:00 AM, December 24th, 1990.
If Sean turned the Time-Turner once and went back one hour, then:
At 8:00 AM, Sean A would still be in the dormitory.
Sean B would appear in Snape's office at 8:00.
During that extra hour, Sean B could hide somewhere and practice magic.
But he must not interfere with Sean A's actions.
Eventually, everything must proceed exactly as before—Sean A being told by Snape during breakfast to visit the office, and then turning the Time-Turner at nine.
If Sean A never turned the Time-Turner, Sean B would disappear entirely.
Everything Sean B did during that hour would vanish from the timeline.
The timeline would return to Sean A alone.
If the timing was slightly early or late, Sean B could be replaced by Sean C, creating a new timeline.
If Sean C then interfered with Sean A, the timeline might collapse again.
Or worse—
It could begin an endless chain: Sean D, Sean E, Sean F…
A time loop with no escape.
"Alright, Professor. I understand," Sean said.
"Every evening after dinner, I'll come here and use the Time-Turner under your supervision."
"Even with only 241 hours, if you use it wisely, it should be enough for you to master several spells."
Snape paused before adding dryly,
"Though I wouldn't expect you to finish learning the Flying Charm."
Sean couldn't tell if that was encouragement or sarcasm.
Aside from one Defense Against the Dark Arts class and three Potions classes per week, Sean's schedule was mostly free.
All of that time was spent practicing the Flying Charm and the spells he had secretly learned.
With the Wizard's Heart constantly restoring his magic, Sean spent nearly every waking moment—aside from eight hours of sleep—studying, practicing, resting briefly, and practicing again.
With talent far beyond ordinary students and far more effort than the "happy education" Hogwarts promoted, standing out was inevitable.
Snape probably worried Sean might overwork himself.
What he didn't know was that Sean had the Wizard's Heart—a portable magical battery.
"Professor, can we start tonight?" Sean asked.
Snape nodded without expression.
The Time-Turner would remain in Snape's office.
Each day, Sean would use it only under Snape's supervision.
Christmas Eve dinner was unusually lavish.
As usual, Snape left immediately after eating, skipping the after-dinner festivities.
Sean also ate quickly.
Cassius noticed.
"Got something to do later?"
"I need to visit Professor Snape's office," Sean replied.
"Something about the competition?" Cassius asked.
Sean didn't want anyone knowing about the Time-Turner.
The fewer people who knew, the safer it was.
So he nodded.
"Yeah. Competition stuff. I'll be back soon. There's still a party in the common room later, right? I'll join."
Cassius and Chris smiled in satisfaction.
Sean was practically the center of their second-year circle. A party without him felt incomplete.
Even if he usually stayed only briefly.
Snape handed the Time-Turner to Sean.
Just looking at the incredible alchemical device, Sean could feel the magical power contained within it.
Space-time magic… If only I could learn it.
Unfortunately, he couldn't.
Sean had already tried using the Magic vision to analyze enchanted artifacts.
Unlike normal spells, magical items only appeared as a mass of glowing energy, with no visible framework.
"Seven o'clock sharp," Snape said, checking the wall clock.
"Two turns. Do not encounter yourself."
"Find somewhere secluded and use this precious time wisely."
There was one minute left.
At exactly 7:00 PM, Sean quickly turned the Time-Turner twice.
The pointer spun two circles.
The world around him froze.
Then—
Everything began moving backwards.
Sean felt dizzy.
So this is the side effect of reversing time…
When the surroundings stopped rewinding, he looked up at the clock.
5:00 PM.
"At five, my other self should still be in the dormitory practicing the Flying Charm framework."
"Maybe I should go to the Room of Requirement…"
"No. Better practice near Hagrid's place."
On his way out of the castle, Sean unexpectedly encountered Dumbledore.
After a moment's thought, he relaxed.
It shouldn't affect the timeline.
His other self hadn't met Dumbledore during that time anyway.
"Professor," Sean greeted naturally.
"How was your first time travel?" Dumbledore asked casually.
Sean stopped immediately.
He stared at him in shock.
"Professor… how did you know?"
Dumbledore smiled gently.
"I happen to be one of the more capable wizards of this century."
"I can sense such things."
"Time magic is still magic."
"The you standing before me carries its trace."
"You can actually feel the time magic on me?" Sean asked, amazed.
"Yes," Dumbledore replied.
"It is mysterious—and powerful."
"Can other wizards sense it?" Sean asked worriedly.
"Probably not," Dumbledore said after a pause.
"After all, wizards at my level are not exactly common."
Sean gave an awkward but polite smile at Dumbledore's dry humor.
"Enjoy your journey," Dumbledore said, turning to leave.
"And be careful. If you run into trouble, come find me."
Sean exited the castle and headed toward the Black Lake.
Passing Hagrid's hut, he saw Hagrid pushing his flying motorcycle out from the back.
Whenever Hagrid used that vehicle, it usually meant a long trip.
Sean changed direction and walked over.
"Hagrid, what are you doing? Heading to London?"
Hagrid turned around.
"Sean, sometimes I wish I could use Legilimency on you."
"Every time you guess exactly what I'm about to do. Did you cast a spell on me or something?"
Sean chuckled.
"I'm just a little smarter than average."
"Well, you guessed right," Hagrid said.
"I'm going to London."
"What for?"
Leaving Hogwarts on Christmas Eve seemed unusual.
Then Sean remembered meeting Dumbledore earlier.
"Did Dumbledore give you a mission?"
"I've got to go to Privet Drive," Hagrid said directly.
Privet Drive… where Harry lives.
Did something happen to Harry?
"Dumbledore got word that a suspicious wizard appeared there," Hagrid explained.
"I'm going to check it out."
"Alright. Be careful."
Sean didn't want anything happening to Harry.
After all, Harry was the destined hero who would defeat Voldemort.
Sean believed his own talent far exceeded Harry's.
But Harry and Voldemort were bound by fate.
Sean still didn't know what role he would play in that final battle.
"The report from Privet Drive was probably from Mrs. Figg," Sean guessed.
Hagrid mounted the motorcycle and roared into the night sky.
Although he could Apparate once outside Hogwarts' protective boundaries, Hagrid avoided doing so.
The Ministry tracked Apparition.
To protect Harry's location, Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Hagrid never Apparated directly to Privet Drive.
Sean ended his first time travel beside the Black Lake.
Calculating the time carefully, he returned to the castle.
In Snape's office—
The Sean who had just finished dinner turned the Time-Turner at exactly 7:00 PM.
He vanished before Snape's eyes.
A few seconds later—
The Sean who had returned from the past opened the door and stepped inside.
To Snape, it seemed only one second had passed.
No matter how long someone spent in the past, those remaining in the present would only perceive a moment.
"It seems your first time travel was successful," Snape said calmly.
He wasn't surprised at all.
"Yes, Professor," Sean replied.
He removed the Time-Turner from his neck and handed it back.
As agreed, every use required Snape's supervision—and it had to be returned immediately afterward.
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