[No one can change time, but wizards can use time to change themselves.
Remember, your acts to change history are part of history itself]
Sean took out the Time-Turner and the book introducing its rules.
On the book's front page, the yellowed paper spat out this proverb.
He looked at it thoughtfully and recalled all the rules again.
For example: Never be seen.
This was what Professor Dumbledore warned Hermione and the others about.
Another: You can only use up to five hours.
This one was highlighted in red and bold, with cases to explain it.
These cases caught Sean's attention—he always knew that the deeper the understanding of magic, the stronger the control over magical power.
Knowledge and wisdom are a wizard's most precious assets.
What intrigued him more was that these cases were provided by the Department of Mysteries.
That's where the deepest secrets of magic are buried: brains, death, prophecies, time, love...
As a Hogwarts student, Sean had barely touched any info on the Department of Mysteries; their work was strictly confidential.
People working there are called Unspeakables; no one knows where they work or what they do.
Plus, the Department has huge autonomy; it's the only Ministry department that doesn't answer to the Magical Law Enforcement.
They can even ignore the Minister, like when Rodolphus Lestrange tried to shut it down but failed.
[Despite many fantasies, even in the magical world, time travel is limited.
This topic is shrouded in high secrecy—the Department of Mysteries is investigating—but magic can only take you so far]
So far? Sean thought, is that where the five-hour limit comes from?
[The following comes from Saul Croaker, who spent his life studying time magic in the Department of Mysteries]
Sean read on:
[From our current research, the longest relived time is about five hours without serious harm to the traveler or time itself.
We've sealed individual Hour-Reversal Charms in small enchanted hourglasses, which can be worn around a witch or wizard's neck and rotated based on the hours they want to relive]
The yellowed writing introduced a spell Sean had never heard of: the Hour-Reversal Charm.
That's how the Time-Turner works.
As for who invented the charm, the Department didn't explain much.
The text went back to the five-hour rule:
[All attempts to go back more than a few hours have led to catastrophic harm to the witch or wizard involved.
Such experiments were abandoned after Eloise Mintumble got stuck in 1402 for five days in 1899.
We now know her body aged five centuries on return to the present, and with irreparable damage, she died shortly after rescue at St. Mungo's.
More importantly, her five days in the distant past caused huge disruptions to everyone she met, drastically changing their life paths, so that at least twenty-five descendants "unborn" and vanished in the present.
Finally, in the days after Madam Mintumble's recovery, there were worrying signs that time itself was disturbed by such severe law-breaking.
The Tuesday after her reappearance lasted two and a half days, while Thursday zipped by in four hours.
The Ministry went to great lengths to cover it up, and since then, time travel researchers face the strictest laws and penalties]
Killing the user, unpredictable horrors to other wizards, even altering time itself...
These are the historical cases the Department showed every Time-Turner user, highlighting time magic's terror.
Sean quietly memorized them and recited the Department's final warning again:
"Most in the magical community would be surprised that Time-Turners are usually only used for the most trivial time management issues, never for more important purposes.
Because, as Saul Croaker said, 'Just as the human mind cannot comprehend time, so it cannot comprehend the damage that will ensue if we presume to tamper with its laws.'"
Then, he quickly turned the hourglass three notches.
The bright Hope Hut faded, and Sean felt himself flying backward fast.
Blurry colors and shapes flashed by, ears buzzed with no sound—then his feet hit solid ground, everything clear again—
He stood in the Hope Hut, before an empty desk, thin morning mist drifting through the open door.
He was back at five in the morning.
Hogwarts was still asleep then.
It worked—
Sean examined the Time-Turner closely.
Of course, wizards can't comprehend time magic, but if that's true, where did the Hour-Reversal Charm come from?
With such questions and caution, Sean's time was fully used.
...
For four weeks straight, Sean was even more elusive.
During that, another Quidditch match: Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff.
Early morning, clear skies, sunny, perfect breeze.
"Perfect weather for Quidditch!"
At the Gryffindor table, Wood said enthusiastically, piling scrambled eggs on teammates' plates, even sending some to Harry at Ravenclaw.
"Harry, buck up, you need a good breakfast."
Harry had been struggling to balance Hope Hut training with Quidditch; he subconsciously looked for the black-haired wizard.
But that glance made his eyes widen.
Sean was at the table reading, but outside the Hall window, a flash—how was that Sean too?
He rubbed his eyes hard, dropped his plate, ran to the door; the figure was gone.
Afternoon.
Harry headed to Gryffindor Tower, grabbed his Nimbus 2000, joined the crowd crossing the grounds, but his mind was in the castle, chasing that figure.
In the changing room, swapping to scarlet robes, his only comfort was total confidence in winning.