Chapter 396

Chapter 396: Chapter 396

Knock. Knock, knock.

Lynn stood outside the door with his hand still raised when it swung open.

A slightly plump witch with long, bright red hair stood in the doorway. She leaned casually against the frame, one hand resting on the wood while the other remained tucked into the pocket of her apron. Tilting her head, she studied Lynn with undisguised interest.

"Child," she began in a soft, gentle voice that seemed to possess a magic of its own, making anyone who heard it instinctively want to draw closer, "whose student are you?"

Lynn stared at the woman before him, finding her both unfamiliar and strangely familiar at the same time.

He had seen portraits of this witch countless times in the Hufflepuff common room. After a moment, he bowed slightly and answered with impeccable politeness.

"Professor Hufflepuff, I believe I’m one of your students."

The instant Lynn finished speaking, Helga Hufflepuff froze. Salazar Slytherin, who was standing beside him, looked even more astonished.

His mouth fell slightly open as his gaze shifted repeatedly between Lynn and Hufflepuff.

This fellow—a Hufflepuff student?

What complete nonsense!

"My student?" Hufflepuff tilted her head, confusion flickering through her eyes. "Then why don’t I recognize you?"

She considered the question briefly before apparently remembering something, and a welcoming smile returned to her face.

"Never mind. Come inside first, and then we can discuss it properly."

She stepped aside and pushed the door farther open.

As Lynn passed her, he caught a faint fragrance resembling freshly turned soil mixed with medicinal herbs.

Once he entered the room, he looked around with interest.

The chamber was far larger than it appeared from the outside, and its furnishings strongly resembled those of the Ravenclaw common room. Lynn had previously seen photographs of that common room in the album stored on Cedric’s Magic Phone, although Cho had been the true subject of nearly every picture.

The room was circular and possessed an airy, almost ethereal atmosphere. Tall arched windows lined the walls, framed by curtains of blue and bronze, while the dark wooden floor creaked warmly beneath each footstep.

Bookshelves had been built directly into the curved walls, extending from the floor to the ceiling, and every shelf was packed with books. Above them, the domed ceiling had been painted with countless stars that revolved slowly over Lynn’s head, creating the illusion of a real night sky.

Hufflepuff was not the only witch in the room.

Another woman sat beside a crystal ball, supporting her head with one hand while the fingers of her other hand brushed lightly across its smooth surface.

Lynn recognized her at once.

Rowena Ravenclaw had fair skin, large and luminous eyes, and long hair that fell freely past her shoulders and down to her waist, where it was bound with a golden cord.

The real Rowena Ravenclaw was at least a hundred times more beautiful than any statue Lynn had ever seen of her.

While he studied Ravenclaw, the two witches were observing him with equal interest.

After a brief silence, Hufflepuff was the first to speak.

"This..." She hesitated, turning her gaze toward Slytherin.

Slytherin merely stood to one side without offering an explanation.

"You may call me Lynn, Professor," Lynn supplied considerately.

He deliberately withheld his full name. Since he had come from a thousand years in the future, his identity and origins would mean nothing to the people of this era.

"Mr. Lynn," Hufflepuff repeated thoughtfully. "You claim to be my student, yet I have never seen you before. Can you explain why?"

Lynn looked at her and sighed.

"Although it may be difficult to believe, I truly am a Hufflepuff student."

Hufflepuff only became more confused. Her brow furrowed, and she was about to question him further when Ravenclaw suddenly spoke.

"Mr. Lynn," she said calmly, "you come from the future, do you not?"

Lynn’s eyes widened.

Only one thought filled his mind at that moment.

You’re cheating, aren’t you? You must have cheats enabled!

Even the other two Hogwarts founders were startled by Ravenclaw’s abrupt conclusion.

"Rowena, how could that be possible?" Slytherin asked, his voice involuntarily rising. "Time itself—"

"Although it is difficult to believe, there is no trace of Mr. Lynn’s existence anywhere in this era," Ravenclaw interrupted, her voice remaining perfectly composed. "At least, none that can be found through the crystal ball."

She paused and glanced down at the crystal sphere in front of her.

"If we exclude the possibility that my abilities are inadequate," she continued with a faint smile, as though she found the mere suggestion amusing, "then only this rather unbelievable explanation remains."

Ravenclaw returned her gaze to the dumbfounded Lynn.

"Judging from your reaction, it appears my deduction was correct."

Lynn remained silent.

He suspected that Ravenclaw had been unable to find any trace of him because of his ability, [Absolute Evasion]. Nevertheless, since she had accidentally arrived at the correct conclusion, he saw no reason to complicate matters by explaining it.

He gave a slight nod.

"Professor Ravenclaw is correct. I come from a thousand years in the future."

A thousand years was an almost incomprehensible length of time, especially to humans whose lives rarely exceeded a single century. It was long enough for the world to change beyond recognition.

In a thousand years, a newly built castle could become an ancient ruin, rivers could alter their courses countless times, and a family could continue through thirty generations.

It was enough time for a person to die, decay into ash and dust, and eventually become part of the earth beneath another person’s feet.

Consequently, Lynn—a visitor from an age a millennium beyond their own—immediately became a fascinating specimen in the eyes of the two most powerful witches of the era.

Ravenclaw at least maintained a measure of dignity and restraint. She remained seated, merely observing Lynn with eyes that glittered like stars.

Hufflepuff was far less reserved.

She immediately began examining him with her own hands, prodding one place and pressing another as though inspecting an unfamiliar species of magical plant. She pushed up his sleeve to study his forearm, released it, and then pulled his collar aside to inspect his neck before carefully putting it back into place.

Had Lynn not retreated in time, he suspected that she might genuinely have stripped him naked and placed him on an examination table for a thorough investigation.

"Helga," Ravenclaw said helplessly, "you’re frightening him."

"I am not."

Hufflepuff did not even look up as she continued examining Lynn’s fingers.

"I merely want to know whether humans from a thousand years in the future are physically different from us."

She squeezed one of his knuckles and considered the results.

"The bones appear the same, as do the joints. The skin, however..."

She paused and pinched the back of his hand once more.

"Your skin is much softer than ours. Do people in your era no longer need to work?"

Lynn thought about everything Dodo did each day—cleaning, cooking, washing clothes, tending the garden, and caring for the pets. He then considered his own daily routine, which consisted mainly of eating, sleeping, attending classes, fishing, and occasionally fighting someone.

"More or less," he admitted.

Only after Hufflepuff had satisfied her curiosity and returned to her seat did Lynn briefly explain how he had arrived in their era.

"Lord Voldemort?" Hufflepuff repeated. "Who is that?"

"A Dark wizard," Lynn replied. "He’s somewhat powerful, but there’s something wrong with his head."

Hufflepuff nodded without asking for further details.

Ravenclaw, meanwhile, picked up Lynn’s damaged Time-Turner and began examining it closely. She raised the device to eye level and carefully inspected its hairline fractures, shattered gears, and scorched components that had partially fused together.

Her fingertips traced the device’s casing, following the runes carved across its surface while judging their patterns and depth. Her brow gradually tightened, and her lips pressed into a narrow line.

"What an exquisite magical artifact," she murmured. "Who created it?"

Lynn shook his head, indicating that he had no idea.

Ravenclaw sighed regretfully. Her fingers lingered on the Time-Turner’s casing for another moment before she gently placed it on the table.

"The power of time is exceedingly unstable," she explained. "I have long studied methods of compressing temporal power and using it safely. I have even created several magical artifacts with similar functions, but none of them approach the ingenuity of this Time-Turner."

Her gaze settled on the damaged mechanism and its pile of broken components.

"To think that such remarkable witches and wizards will emerge in the future."

The corners of her mouth curved upward.

"How interesting."

Lynn found himself agreeing with her assessment.

He considered himself highly knowledgeable in alchemy, yet he had no idea how to repair the damaged Time-Turner. Its internal construction and underlying magical principles were far beyond anything he had previously encountered.

"Mr. Lynn," Ravenclaw said, drawing him from his thoughts, "may I borrow this device for further study?"

"Professor Ravenclaw, please don’t break it any further," Lynn hurriedly cautioned her. "I still need it to return home."

After a brief pause, he added, "If it truly cannot be repaired, then so be it. Just make sure none of its parts are lost."

A faint smile appeared on Ravenclaw’s lips.

She slipped the Time-Turner into her pocket with exceptionally gentle movements, treating it as though it were a priceless and fragile treasure.

"Return?" she asked, sounding puzzled. "Where do you intend to return to?"

"A thousand years into the future, of course," Lynn answered as though it were self-evident.

"Can you actually return that way?" Hufflepuff interjected.

Her voice now carried a gravity Lynn had never heard from her before.

"I have never used such a device, but I understand the fundamental nature of time. If you use it to travel back to your original era, your body’s true age may advance by those same thousand years."

She paused, her solemn gaze settling on Lynn’s face.

"If you succeed in returning, how many days do you think you will have left to live?"

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