Harry Potter: The Golden Viper

0193 Research

Hermione blinked, feeling a surge of panic and shame as she looked at the smiling Professor Watson, who was sitting across from her in his cozy office. She glanced nervously at the wall behind him, where the shadows of her past actions were still flickering on the monitor screen. She had been caught red-handed using the Time-Turner to attend multiple classes at once, and now she had to face the consequences. She opened her mouth in embarrassment and asked in a small voice, 

"Did you see everything, Professor?"

Bryan nodded, his eyes sparkling with amusement and curiosity. He spoke in a deep and calm voice that was completely unaware of his resemblance to Dumbledore, the wise and powerful headmaster who stayed in his office most of the time and rarely showed up. 

"Obviously, yes," 

He replied, crossing his fingers on the table and gazing at Hermione with a friendly expression. 

"I noticed something strange when you walked into the Transfiguration classroom. At first I thought it was Black, and I was ready to rush into the nearest classroom of Professor Babbling, the Ancient Runes teacher, and drag you out, and then go to Professor McGonagall and Professor Victor. 

But fortunately I stopped myself from doing so, otherwise, if this matter got out, I can't imagine what would happen to you, Hermione. You might be trapped in the gap of time forever!" 

He said this with a serious tone, making Hermione shiver. She knew the dangers of messing with time. There were many examples of wizards who tried to use the Time-Turner to change something, but they ended up bumping into their original selves by mistake, and the result was that they were killed by their unknowing selves upstream of the timeline or were stuck in that time loop for eternity. It was a horrible fate, worse than death.

He continued, "Last semester, when you tried to sign up for all the elective courses, I reminded you, Hermione, that human energy is limited. Even for me or Headmaster Dumbledore, we can't do everything. 

With your intelligence and talent, since Fred and George, the mischievous twins, could think of me restarting the surveillance system, there is no reason why you couldn't foresee this. It's just that too many subjects have occupied your energy, making your brain not clear enough. Otherwise, you should have told me in advance."

"I can't do it, Professor!" 

Hermione cried out, her face crumpling and tears welling up in her eyes. "Harry also advised me to give up some courses, but I can't ignore those interesting knowledge. And Ron's brother, Percy, also used this. I thought I-"

She choked on her words, and tears started to fall from her eyes. They dripped into the light green tea in her hand, rippling out one circle after another. Hermione lowered her head and sobbed, "I just wanted to prove, Professor-"

To be honest, persuading a teenage girl who was sensitive and prone to breakdowns was not an easy task, but fortunately Bryan was patient and kind enough. He comforted her softly, over and over again, listing her strengths and achievements. He told her how smart and talented she was, how much he admired her passion and dedication, how proud he was of her. He also shared some of his own experiences and struggles, making her feel less alone and more understood. And after half an hour, Hermione gradually calmed down, wiping her tearful eyes. 

"Thank you, Professor. I feel much better now-" she said gratefully, looking at him with admiration and respect.

"Just like I said, Hermione, even Merlin might not be able to cook better than a humble house-elf. We have to make choices-" 

Bryan breathed a sigh of relief and said decisively, hoping to convince her to drop some courses and ease her burden. But seeing the flickering eyes of Hermione opposite him, Bryan knew she probably had no intention of giving up a few courses. She was too stubborn and ambitious for her own good. 

"I called you over, Hermione." 

Bryan was a bit helpless about Hermione's stubbornness. He took a sip of tea and slowed down his tone. 

"I hope you can provide me with a copy of your schedule." 

He explained to Hermione's somewhat puzzled eyes, 

"What happened today didn't lead to serious consequences, but that doesn't mean that similar misunderstandings won't happen in the future. I have to figure out whether the you that appears on the monitor screen is really you, or some criminals who sneak into the castle and disguise themselves as you." 

This was a reasonable request, and Hermione had no reason to refuse. 

"Also, there is one more request, Hermione-" 

After tapping Hermione's schedule with his wand and copying it into two, Bryan looked at the thin golden chain on Hermione's neck with interest. It faintly revealed the hourglass-shaped pendant that was the Time-Turner. 

He said with a curious smile, "This is completely a personal request, Hermione. The Time-Turner. This thing has always been strictly controlled by the Ministry of Magic. In reality, I have never seen this thing. I don't know if it's appropriate-" 

He trailed off, looking at her with a hopeful and eager expression. Hermione blinked, feeling a surge of amusement as she looked at the curious expression of Professor Watson, who had been so kind and helpful to her. She suddenly realized that Professor Watson called her over for a lot of comfort and preaching, and made a big deal of taking her schedule. These may be all cover-ups. His real purpose might be to see this Time-Turner! 

"Oh, no problem, Professor-" 

Although Professor McGonagall had expressly forbidden her to reveal this Time-Turner to anyone else, since Professor Watson had already figured out the situation himself, Hermione took off the golden chain from her neck. But because she was a bit clumsy, the chain hole also caught a few of her brown curls, which hurt her nose. She winced and said, "This thing-" handing it over to him.

Bryan carefully pinched the delicate little hourglass that was overflowing with light on the surface, and squinted at the slightly blurred space inside the hourglass with the help of a few faint rays of sunlight that had difficulty passing through the clouds. He felt a wave of awe and fascination as he held the device that could manipulate time. 

'The power of time-' Before entering Hogwarts this year, in reality, Bryan knew nothing about this power, but after the trip to Avalon Island, he had some experience of the chaotic time sequence. 

In the wizarding world, Regarding the possession of the Time-Turner, according to the experience of thousands of years, the Ministry of Magic has enacted hundreds of laws, and at the same time, imposed the most severe laws and punishments for the abuse of the Time-Turner. 

According to Bryan's understanding, all the Time-Turners are public property, not allowed for private long-term possession. Only in individual special cases, you can write an application letter to the relevant department of the Ministry of Magic. 

As for the production technology of the Time-Turner, even the Ministry of Magic has not mastered it, but it is said that some pure-blood family that invented this thing, still retains some of the relevant knowledge in this area. 

"How far back in the past can it take you?" he asked with interest, playing with the little hourglass back and forth. 

"Up to twelve hours, Professor Watson," 

Hermione answered, always looking worriedly at the hourglass that was spinning around his fingertips, fearing that he would accidentally send himself back in time. She did not want to cause any more trouble or confusion. 

"This is what Professor McGonagall told me when she gave it to me, but I haven't tried it. So far, I've only used it to go back two hours before." 

She hoped that he would not ask her to demonstrate it, or to let him use it. She did not know how to refuse him politely.

Hearing this answer, Bryan's forehead grew a few fine lines, his eyes became deep, and his spinning fingers stiffened for a moment. 

He nodded indisputably, and then asked casually, "The book I gave you before, Hermione, have you been reading it lately?" 

He was referring to the book he had given her as a gift.

"Oh!" 

Hermione's cheeks flushed, and she looked embarrassedly at the brick seams, stuttering, "Sorry, Professor, that book involves a lot of knowledge that only N.E.W.T.s level Defense Against the Dark Arts courses will cover. I, um, studied it during the summer, but after school started-" 

She trailed off, feeling guilty and ashamed. She had not been able to keep up with the book, as she had been too busy with her other courses and her Time-Turner.

"Don't be nervous, Hermione, I'm not going to ask you to recite the book backwards. I just hope that at some point in the future it can help you." 

Bryan smiled kindly, and then threw the little hourglass and the stimulant potion to Hermione, and signaled her to leave. He did not want to pressure her or make her feel bad. 

"Oh, by the way, there's one more thing-" 

Bryan, who suddenly remembered something as Hermione stepped out of his office, stopped her. 

"In Professor Lupin's Defense Against the Dark Arts class, um, what have you learned?" he asked. 

"We learned about boggarts, red caps, kappas and grindylows, Professor!" 

Hermione, who was in a clear state of mind, answered this question loudly by instinct. 

"Next, we should learn about hinkypunks, Professor–"

Hermione asked in confusion, "Is there a problem, Professor Watson?"

"Oh, hinkypunks, well, I see–"

'What a wonderful coincidence', Bryan thought with a smile, waved his hand, and closed the door directly.

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