A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts - Chapter 478: Not as Planned - (1)

As it’s widely known, Nifflers have a penchant for all things shiny, making them particularly adept at finding treasures. This inclination stems from their extraordinary sense of smell. At this moment, Felix watched Valen, his Niffler, and a new idea sparked in his mind.

“Whoosh—”

Felix raised his hand towards the empty space in his office. The ring on his hand emitted a strong light, and in an eruption akin to a volcano, various items surged out: parchment, notes, scrolls, potions, letters, and gifts from Christmases past—overflowing, filling nearly half the room.

Seated on a chair behind, Felix observed Valen, who seemed stupefied. He explained, “Everything from everyone I know seems to be here. The scents on those letters or gifts are well preserved… Thanks for your help, Valen. Finding this person means a lot.”

Valen glanced at the towering pile of objects, taller than himself, and shivered. In Felix’s expectant gaze, Valen tiptoed, flipping over a pair of blue woolen socks embellished with a rough design of black lightning bolts and silver orbs—a gift from Dobby to Felix. He liked them, but they were two sizes too small.

Near the edge of the desk, Valen leaned down, almost tipping a drawer open halfway. From Felix’s angle, a stack of parchment covered in writing was visible. Valen turned back, glaring at Felix, pointing down vigorously.

“Squeak! (This one!)”

Felix was taken aback. Had he acted too hastily? He instinctively raised his arm, catching the stack of parchment. He knew what it was but scrutinized it nonetheless, lifting his head to confirm, “Are you sure, Valen? This isn’t a joke…”

Valen, standing tall, vigorously nodded.

Felix’s gaze returned to the parchment. It was a thesis detailing the dismantling process of a time turner—the one he had seen a couple of days ago, authored by Hermione Granger.

Hermione… Granger. It truly was her.

Felix exhaled softly. Now that the target was confirmed, he wouldn’t need to flit around like a headless fly searching for clues. However, he furrowed his brow. He had cautioned Hermione multiple times about the dangers of long-distance time travel. She was well aware, yet she went ahead…

Was it out of necessity, or a mistake?

At that moment, he recalled something—Hermione’s time turner core part came from a dark wizard over two thousand years old. Though Felix had confirmed through magical means in the underground space of the Egyptian pyramids that the statue and altar, bearing the soul of the vile Herpo, held no magical traces related to “time,” he was utterly clueless about “time” itself.

So, when Hermione mentioned replacing it with the hourglass from the altar, he had been supportive. Regardless of success or failure, if taken seriously, it would yield substantial gains. He added one precaution—urging Hermione not to use it even if the replacement succeeded. Felix thought that was enough, but evidently, unforeseen circumstances occurred beyond both his and Hermione’s expectations.

Such as his “death.”

More accurately, Hermione believed he had died, coupled with the urgency of the situation, she couldn’t verify the truth, or perhaps—didn’t want to. Anyway, she hastily used the time turner, and things went awry…

Felix pondered silently, trying to sketch out a somewhat plausible timeline.

Yet, many inexplicable questions lingered.

Valen, accustomed to the Dark Lord’s occasional stillness, sniffed the scent on a postcard. Indeed, it was that witch with unruly hair who loved hugging it. Her scent filled the office, something Valen hadn’t noticed before.

With eyes sparkling, Valen surveyed the heap on the floor. What a treasure trove! Glancing at Felix, it understood that as long as it didn’t disturb, this situation would last a while. With two quick steps, Valen leaped from the table to a pile of colorful socks, its tiny hands swiftly rummaging through, disappearing into the mess.

The joy of scavenging!

Happily navigating the array of items, Valen found a handful of Galleons in no time, its mouth unable to close from sheer delight. Pocketing the coins, it glanced aside, spotting a temperature-regulating locket. After a moment’s hesitation, Valen “resolutely” decided to pass—it already had three lockets in its pocket.

It wasn’t interested.

Sniffing gently, Valen caught a familiar scent, emanating from a rolled parchment. Thinking for a moment, it emerged from the pile, placing the parchment next to the postcard.

“Squeak! (There’s more!)”

It proudly exclaimed. Valen felt fulfilled, working for the Dark Lord and earning rightful rewards through labor.

Coming back to his senses, Felix watched Valen rummaging through, occasionally popping up to place items on the table. Papers, gifts, handcrafted magical items from Hermione… Simultaneously, he keenly noticed Valen’s round belly. If he wasn’t mistaken, there was a portion of a necklace peeking from its pocket.

Felix contemplated whether it was time to enlighten Valen about job descriptions and wages—revealing Valen’s pay rate within the company might cause a meltdown.

Once again, Valen emerged from the heap, trembling its black fur. One hand held a card, the other grasped what seemed like a glass ball—struggling to cram it into its pocket, which seemed too full, despite several attempts.

Felix glowered at the greedy creature, gesturing for Valen to come over. Uncontrollably, Valen flew towards him. Meeting the disapproving gaze of the Dark Lord, Valen realized it had gotten too excited. Shrinking its body, it eagerly handed the glass ball to Felix.

Felix continued to stare.

Valen blinked, displaying a sudden realization, handing over another card, bragging:

“Squeak! (Finally found this!)”

Felix looked at Valen, annoyed. You think I don’t know what schemes you’re hatching? Forgot the morality classes, did you? Just as he was about to say something, his peripheral vision caught a birthday card, and suddenly, his eyes widened, waves of shock and surprise churning within.

The card was from “Madam Jacqueline,” over two months ago, arriving with a massive birthday cake.

Felix’s hand trembled involuntarily. Fourteen years ago, specifically during his fourth-grade induction feast, he received her first letter. Amongst hundreds of insulting letters, this one encouraged him. She sent a few more letters afterward, stopping only when he graduated.

Recalling Nick LeBeau’s notes, Felix’s heart sank. There wasn’t a single surviving example of long-distance time travel… If Hermione was brought back ten years due to the time turner, how severe would the temporal backlash be on her?

Drawing conclusions hastily wasn’t wise; he knew nothing about temporal manipulation. Nick hadn’t experienced time travel either; he merely gathered data.

“What’s most important right now?” Felix murmured to himself. “Exactly this.”

Expressionless, he extended his hand, and the items on the floor flowed into his ring like water. Val

en quickly perched on his shoulder, observing the spectacular scene. In a couple of minutes, only three items remained.

His hand-drawn live map, the half-finished peephole Valen had held, and—a small glass vial containing a tuft of gray hair.

Felix spread out the map. Inked lines radiated from a central point, swiftly depicting the entirety of Hogwarts Castle. The ink trails hadn’t stopped, extending beyond to the Forbidden Forest, the Black Lake, the surrounding mountains, including the bases of the other four schools, all distinctly visible.

Hogwarts Castle occupied merely a tenth of the map. The dense dots and names on top of each other resembled a squashed, wriggling ball of yarn, giving one the shivers.

Felix tapped his wand on the map, whispering, “Hermione Granger.”

The map transformed instantly. The wriggling lines melted away like spring snow, vanishing. On the entire map, only one golden name remained—Hermione Granger, currently in the potion classroom conducting final exams.

“Just one name,” Felix said, somewhat disappointed.

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