Chapter 387 - 388: Getting Banished in the River of Time

"Let's see what's inside the coffin, shall we?"

The lid of the stone coffin slowly slid aside with a heavy grinding sound.

The raven's light shone into the coffin, revealing an unsettling corpse.

It was an unusually twisted mummy, its skin stretched tightly over its skeleton like parchment.

Most striking of all, it had four withered arms crossed over its chest and abdomen. A pair of broken wing bones protruded from its back, with a few decayed feathers still hanging loosely from them.

The moment the coffin lid fully opened, Voldemort's blood seemed to find its destination and violently burrowed into the mummy's chest.

A cold light flashed in Sagres's eyes, and he raised his wand without hesitation.

Pale flames shot out like a giant python, instantly engulfing the entire mummy.

A faint crackling came from within the flames as the eerie corpse and the blood inside it rapidly turned to ash.

However, amid the ashes, something suddenly caught the light.

It was an exquisite hourglass.

Sagres narrowed his eyes slightly, his thoughts racing.

This object should not have been here.

More precisely, it should have been sitting in a drawer in his office.

He lightly tapped his wand, and the hourglass floated up before him.

Out of caution, he did not touch it directly. Instead, he carefully examined this familiar object that had somehow survived the flames.

The hourglass's metal frame was covered in intricate ancient runes, while the pale golden sand within remained perfectly still, faintly shimmering.

After examining it for a moment longer, Sagres conjured a transparent magical barrier around it, sealing it completely.

He decided to return to Hogwarts and confirm his suspicions.

The crack of Apparition echoed through the crypt.

The next moment, Sagres appeared in his office.

He quickly walked to his desk and pulled open the enchanted drawer.

There, resting peacefully on the velvet lining, lay the familiar hourglass.

Sagres's brow furrowed even more deeply.

He looked at the newly discovered hourglass sealed within the magical barrier, then at the old one inside the drawer.

The two hourglasses were identical in appearance. Even the ancient runes engraved on their metal frames were exactly the same.

He lightly tapped his wand and cast a series of detection spells over the newly discovered hourglass.

No curses.

No hexes.

Not even the most basic protective magic.

Using a Levitation Charm, he carefully placed the new hourglass on the desk. Then he reached into the drawer and picked up his own.

The instant his fingertips touched the metal frame... Swoosh!

Space and time suddenly twisted.

"Wait—"

Sagres did not even have time to react before his entire body vanished from the office, as though sucked into a vortex.

Only the hourglass sealed within the magical barrier remained on the desk, quietly emitting a faint glow...

...

Little Hangleton.

The underground crypt returned to deathly silence.

A few seconds after Sagres disappeared, a small blob of dark-red blood silently seeped out from the shadows beneath the coffin lid.

It cautiously wriggled forward, trying to make its way towards the crypt's exit.

Just then, a short figure completely wrapped in a black cloak slowly stepped out from behind a stone pillar.

A wrinkled hand emerged from beneath the cloak, holding a glass jar covered in runes.

"I knew you'd try something too, but I've finally caught you," a somewhat shrill voice whispered.

The blob of blood seemed to sense danger and suddenly accelerated, attempting to flee.

But the runes covering the jar abruptly lit up, creating a powerful suction that drew the blood completely inside.

The dark-red liquid slammed frantically against the inside of the glass jar, but it could not break through the invisible barrier.

The figure in black gently shook the jar and let out a low laugh.

"Two cunning, suspicious fools."

He carefully tucked the jar into the inner lining of his cloak, turned around, and disappeared into the shadows of the crypt.

...

Swoosh!

The sensation of space-time distortion had not yet faded when Sagres felt something cold press against the back of his head.

The tip of a wand.

"Who are you? Why are you at Hogwarts, and why are you trespassing in my office?"

A wary voice came from behind him.

Sagres's heart sank.

He immediately realised that he had been tricked.

The person who had sent the letter had anticipated his every move. They knew he would never casually touch an hourglass of unknown origin, so the real trap had already been placed on his own private collection, which he had believed to be safe.

"To tamper with my belongings inside Hogwarts... Is it one of Voldemort's surviving followers? Or... that mysterious leader?"

Several possibilities flashed through his mind, but for now, he had to deal with the immediate threat.

Without showing any reaction, Sagres activated Legilimency and instantly caught the surface thoughts of the person standing behind him.

What entered his mind, however, stunned him.

The year was 1454.

The shadow of the Black Death had receded only a century ago, and the lands of Europe were still scarred by its aftermath.

Some Dark Wizards had exploited the disaster, using the excuse of magical research to conduct cruel experiments on villagers and even spread new plagues.

The Church, meanwhile, had taken advantage of the people's fear of witchcraft to ignite a new wave of witch hunts and amass wealth in the process.

Worse still, goblins and giants had begun joining forces against wizarding society, leaving the wizarding world in an increasingly precarious position.

"Answer me!"

The voice behind him sharpened, and the wand pressed harder against his head.

All right.

First, deal with the problem behind him.

Sagres did not turn around.

A silent Petrificus Totalus struck instantly.

A moment later came the dull thud of a rigid body collapsing onto the carpet behind him.

Sagres slowly turned.

A middle-aged man dressed in old-fashioned wizarding robes lay stiffly on the carpet, his eyes wide open, still frozen in the posture of holding his wand.

Sagres walked to the window, lifted a corner of the heavy curtain, and looked outside.

The outline of Hogwarts Castle was still recognisable, but many details were vastly different from the school he knew.

The Forbidden Forest in the distance also appeared far more ancient and dense.

He lowered his gaze to the hourglass in his hand.

Its glow had dimmed considerably, as though its energy had been exhausted.

So this carefully arranged trap had not been intended to kill him.

Perhaps the other party knew they were no match for him and had chosen instead to banish him into the past.

Pushing aside his distracting thoughts and steadying himself, Sagres quickly surveyed the unfamiliar office.

Its general layout resembled the room he knew, but all the furnishings carried an ancient, rustic air.

The walls were built from rough stone and decorated with several tapestries darkened by age, their faded patterns depicting magical creatures.

A large oak bookcase stood in one corner, packed with thick leather-bound volumes. Most of the gilded titles on their spines had long since faded.

There was also a fireplace, where real logs rather than magical flames burned steadily, filling the room with a faint smoky scent mixed with the distinctive smell of parchment.

A large walnut desk occupied the centre of the room. Quills, ink bottles, and several unrolled parchment scrolls were scattered across its surface.

Sagres caught sight of a Hogwarts wax seal on one of the documents, while another was covered in intricate astrological charts.

He walked over to the petrified professor, crouched halfway down, and calmly looked into the man's terrified eyes.

"I apologise for meeting you under these circumstances, Professor. But I believe we need to have a serious talk."

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