The Time-Turner.
Hodge Blackthorn understood instantly. It was a device that allowed time travel, though with limitations—it could only rewind a few hours, and it couldn't alter established events.
But at certain moments, it was incredibly useful.
When Professor Flitwick was alone, Hodge sidled up to him.
"Ah," Professor Flitwick said, tilting his head back, "here's the second-year timetable. Take it. I was very pleased with your performance last year—keep up the good work—"
"Professor, has the Ministry rejected the school's application?"
Flitwick's expression tightened. "I'm not sure I follow."
Hodge reached into his robes and pulled out the Blackthorn family's antique pocket watch, twisting the knob a few times. Flitwick's eyes widened as he stared at the intricate black thorn design, resembling a tiny gyroscope.
"A Time-Turn—"
"Shh." Flitwick yanked him aside, his voice a sharp whisper. "Child, I'm not supposed to discuss this with anyone, especially a second-year like you. It's far too early for you to know… Honestly, where did you even hear about this?"
"The library," Hodge said, rattling off the title of an obscure book.
It was true. Anyone could go to the library and find information on Time-Turners in that book.
Just not in the right order.
Peel back the first layer of truth, and you'd find the thread leading back to Percy. A year ago, while escorting Hodge to buy school supplies, Percy had casually mentioned during a chat that he'd signed up for every elective in his third year.
The problem? The schedules for those classes overlapped.
Dig deeper, and you'd realize Hodge knew about Time-Turners even earlier. As a time-traveler himself, he understood certain properties of the device better than Percy ever could—he even knew how to use it to manipulate someone's perception.
In a way, this was the core of Hodge's personality, shaped by his greatest advantage in this world: foresight of the future. He approached life like a game of chess, making moves based on the board's state, sometimes doing things that seemed odd or even pointless.
Take, for example, his recent confession to Professor McGonagall.
In Hodge's world, the backdrop wasn't Harry and Ron soaring across Britain in a flying car. Instead, it was Hodge disrupting Voldemort's plans last term with the most decisive, thorough method possible, earning the Dark Lord's eternal enmity. Hodge wasn't sure who topped Voldemort's hate list—Harry or Dumbledore—but he suspected his own name, Hodge Blackthorn, was likely in the top three.
It didn't help that Voldemort had killed Hodge's maternal grandparents during the war.
Only by altering perceptions could some of Hodge's actions make sense.
As he'd told Harry and Ron, his stated goals were reasonable: to encounter Dementors firsthand and gauge the Ministry's—specifically Fudge's—attitude toward Hogwarts and Dumbledore. But those were just the goals he could voice aloud.
Dig deeper, and Hodge had other motives. He wanted to see what the Death Eaters looked like now, after over a decade in Azkaban had changed them beyond recognition. He also wanted to talk to Sirius Black, the man rumored to have betrayed Harry's parents. Hodge knew Sirius was innocent, but since they'd never met, blurting out the truth would make him seem deranged.
He needed an opportunity, a proper stage—one where Peter Pettigrew could play a starring role.
The first step was laying the groundwork to let things unfold naturally. Visiting Azkaban with Harry and Ron was a cost-effective choice. Greedily, Hodge even wondered if he could use a Boggart to spark a small disturbance in Azkaban, exposing the Dementors' unreliability early. When Voldemort returned and the Dementors inevitably rebelled, this incident could become a key piece of evidence to topple Fudge.
Of course, these ideas were just fantasies in Hodge's mind, part of his daily mental exercises.
The chances of them becoming reality were slim.
So, Hodge could only nudge Harry and Ron, dropping hints. Yes… they'd surely think of the Death Eaters. And then what? Harry had initially seen the Azkaban trip as a punishment, but now things were different. Didn't he want to learn about the people who fought his parents? At Hogwarts, who could he ask for information besides Hagrid?
With Hagrid's big mouth, a single careless word could reveal something crucial.
Meanwhile, Professor Flitwick was astonished, his frustration tinged with a hint of admiration. "Well, sometimes these things happen, don't they? Exceptional students surprise you in all sorts of ways… But you must keep this secret. Even many professors don't know about it."
"Of course, Professor," Hodge said politely.
Relieved that Hodge wouldn't spill the Time-Turner's secret, the diminutive wizard relaxed, his elegant demeanor returning. Flitwick even invited Hodge for afternoon tea. Since Hodge still had questions, he accepted the invitation smoothly.
Flitwick glanced at the timetable. "Your first class is about to start. Don't be late."
Hodge took his schedule. On Monday, he had only two classes, the first being Transfiguration. Professor McGonagall was unusually late today, and the classroom buzzed with student chatter—a rare occurrence.
McGonagall swept in, a trace of irritation on her face.
She stood at the podium, composed herself, and instructed the students to open their textbooks to page 122.
"This year, we'll systematically master the art of animal transfiguration."
The students exchanged excited glances.
"There are three main types of animal transfiguration," McGonagall continued. "You've already tried the first—last year, toward the end, you learned to turn a mouse into a snuffbox. That was part of your practical exam. The key is to distribute your magic evenly and suppress the creature's own will. During the exam, some of you produced snuffboxes with whiskers or ones that sprouted legs and scurried across the table. These are the issues we'll address this year."
She paused, gauging the students' reactions.
Terry raised his hand.
"Professor, what are the other two types of animal transfiguration?"
McGonagall's gaze swept the room. "Does anyone know the answer? Mr. Blackthorn—"
"One is turning an object into a creature, like reversing the earlier example: a snuffbox into a mouse. The other is cross-species transfiguration, like turning a mouse into a cat."
"Well done. Five points to Ravenclaw. Beyond that, there are more advanced techniques, such as human transfiguration or conjuring without a physical base, but you're far from that level. Today, we'll practice turning beetles into buttons."
She clapped her hands, directing students to come forward and collect their beetles.
"Want to know what happened before class?" Malfoy whispered, sidling up to Hodge as the students crowded around, exclaiming over their beetle choices.
"You know?" Hodge replied, picking a brightly colored venomous beetle from the box. He suddenly remembered the pound of Peruvian Vipertooth liver still hidden in his trunk.
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