Chapter 134

"Then let's go this Thursday—three days from now." Harry flipped through the calendar. "It just happens to be the day Zhang Qiu first uses the Full Moon Spell."

"This time it should be on schedule." After adjusting the device, Dr. Doudou quietly moved to the door.

"Wibbly-wobbly!" A spell struck him directly.

"Relax, Harry." Dr. Doudou spoke calmly. "I'm just checking if Ah He is hiding in the closet."

Harry hid inside the TARDIS, watching his past self being brushed off by Dr. Doudou, a strange feeling rising in his chest. Why hadn't he thought to push the panel behind the closet back then? He would've discovered the TARDIS right away.

While the present-day Harry handed the invisibility cloak to Neville, future Harry slipped on his own invisibility cloak and quietly followed Dr. Doudou.

They slipped out of the castle and made their way to Hagrid's hut. Most children who secretly met to enter the Forbidden Forest chose this spot, because Hagrid's lantern and snores were unmistakable—especially easy to spot in the dark.

Sure enough, not long after, Neville and Hermione met there.

"You must promise not to meet your past self, not to alter anything in history, and not to tell anyone about tonight." Hermione spoke in a rapid-fire rush. "Then we can begin."

Neville agreed: "Of course. We'll stay in the Forbidden Forest for four hours—I need to savor the feeling of time reversal."

"We'll rewind four hours. That should be enough for you to experience it." Hermione said, slipping the necklace over Neville's neck.

"Should we go back four hours too?" Dr. Doudou asked softly.

"Sure." Harry agreed. They quickly stepped into the TARDIS and arrived four hours earlier.

Hermione and Neville, having just completed the reversal, were resting in place within the Forbidden Forest.

"I think I'm starting to feel it—if this is what reversal feels like." Neville stared intently at his hands. "Actually, it's very similar to the Time-Advance Spell..."

"Wait, look at the moon!" Hermione suddenly pointed upward.

"What's wrong?" Neville said indifferently. "Just a regular waning crescent."

"But I clearly remember it was a full moon when we left." Hermione fretted. "I'm certain we only went back four hours—there's no way we jumped over twenty days!"

Harry had been about to explain, but then he thought better of it. Hermione and Neville rarely had a chance to be alone together—they were always rushing off in different directions. It wasn't bad to let them have a quiet night, even if their topic was lunar anomalies.

"If we really only went back four hours, then the moon must have turned full within that time—that's the most likely explanation." Neville analyzed calmly. "Let's wait. Maybe we'll see the exact moment it changes."

"Then that's all we can do." Hermione sighed. "We can't ask anyone for the time right now."

The two sat on the ground, gazing at the moon for a long while. Hermione, searching for something to say, remarked, "Actually, the light of a waning crescent is quite beautiful too."

"Yes," Neville said, staring fixedly at the castle beneath the moonlight. "But who watches over this sky? How long will we still get to enjoy such moonlight?"

"Um... Neville." Hermione bit her lip, speaking slowly. "Have you ever thought about what you'll do after graduation?"

"Defeat Voldemort." Neville answered without hesitation. "Then maybe I'll apply to be a Herbology professor."

"I want to go to university. Donald told me there's a magical university in America." As Hermione spoke, she was reflecting again on this path in life after two months of study and living. But to Harry, it sounded as if she'd repeated the same sentence twice within mere hours.

"That's a very good option for you." Neville paused, then continued. "It would keep you far from the danger Voldemort brings."

"But don't you feel—"

"Shh!" Neville raised a finger to his lips. "Listen."

A faint, ethereal female voice whispered softly at the edge of their hearing.

"By the name of the witch Lani, I declare: Do not disturb the mother's muddy slumber. Sinners, sing of it through the ages: Callia's last queen, Full Moon Reinala, is the embodiment of the high black night."

Then the original stars vanished beneath black mist. From the direction of the Black Lake, a full moon began to rise slowly from the water's surface, its silver glow spilling across Hogwarts, illuminating every spire of every tower.

Once the full moon hung high, the stars gradually reappeared. The voices and mist faded, leaving only a clear, starlit night.

"Alright, now we can confirm the moon phase changed within these four hours—but why?" Neville's curiosity burned with every anomaly.

"But I was just about to say," Hermione hesitated, then sighed. "Never mind. I might really go to America."

"That's still far off. Right now, I need to figure out what the moon's change means—whether it's connected to the fugitive Ah He." Neville paced in place. "The caster might be hiding in the Forbidden Forest—or perhaps the spell itself makes everyone who sees the moon hear it simultaneously."

"What else could the moon's change trigger..." Neville murmured, stroking his chin.

"Whatever." Hermione said, disappointed.

"Maybe the answer will come soon—just see what's different tomorrow." Neville noticed her low mood. "What were you about to say before?"

"I said Donald promised to fund my university tuition, because magical universities require Galleons." Hermione tugged irritably at the grass. "I just don't know if I deserve it. He's actually a very kind man."

"Whatever." Neville stood up. "I can't demand you sacrifice yourself to defeat Voldemort. When he first rampaged, many chose to flee. Those willing to give everything to fight him are few."

"Now I'll try a new spell. The feeling of the Time-Advance Spell is very similar to time reversal—once accelerated to its extreme." Neville stared firmly at his hands. "I'll use my own power to return to the past."

"Stop acting like some lone hero!" Hermione shouted at him. "Always talking about your own strength, your own fate—do you really plan to face Voldemort alone? Don't you care about the people around you?"

"We're fundamentally different." Neville shook his head. "You don't have a life-or-death grudge against him. The only person I can truly trust with my back is Harry—even Ron isn't enough."

"Harry told me I could organize Muggle-borns—we could unite and fight Voldemort together." Hermione said.

"There may be many who oppose him, but only the two of us will fight to the end." Neville snorted.

"So I'm truly grateful you let me experience reversal today, and for treating me as a vital partner." Neville gazed steadily at the full moon on the horizon. "So I'll never try to convince you to join the fight against Voldemort—in fact, I hope you'll safely reach America."

Harry could hear the regret in his voice. Perhaps Neville's thinking had grown a little too narrow. Just as Harry was about to step forward and urge him, Dr. Doudou gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Young people need to grow," the doctor said.

Hermione let out a long sigh and stepped aside.

"Go ahead and study your new spell. I'll keep watch for anyone coming." She said, resigned.

"Time-Advance!" Neville muttered, then began moving at high speed. Harry felt the wind he generated nearly tore his invisibility cloak away.

After the Time-Advance Spell ended, Neville knelt on the ground, panting.

"I was so close—I just couldn't grasp that feeling." His voice was heavy with disappointment.

"You didn't expect to succeed on the first try, did you?" Hermione helped him up. "Try again tomorrow. Let me help you back to the dorm."

After watching Neville leave, Harry and the doctor returned to the TARDIS.

"Clever idea," the doctor commented. "Using high-speed movement to slow one's own time and explore the magic of time reversal—this boy has talent."

"That's impossible, isn't it?" Harry asked in surprise. "Can magic really achieve faster-than-light speed?"

"You're misunderstanding, Harry." The doctor said. "I mean, by perceiving differences in the flow of time, he's developing a vague sense of time itself—enabling him to craft time magic."

In Harry's confused gaze, the doctor continued: "Take your Patronus Charm, for example. Suppose someone struggles to find a suitable happy memory to cast it."

Harry nodded. He himself had been unclear about his memory selection at first.

"So he asks someone to cast a hypnotic spell on him, implanting a false memory: the Patronus driving away a Dementor." The doctor said. "Then, when he tries again, that memory will help immensely."

"That's actually a very good method." Harry nodded slowly, stunned.

"What Neville is doing now is similar. He uses high-speed movement to perceive time's flow, so when he attempts time travel, he can use this 'time-sense' to aid his spell."

"Alright, I guess magic just can't be fully explained." Harry felt Einstein's coffin lid was trembling. "So... did Neville succeed?"

"Of course. We can go to the day he succeeded." The doctor said. "Just trace Neville's timeline to find the first point of change... Oh, November 26th."

Harry saw from the cabinet: Neville stood alone in an empty classroom, left hand on his waist, right hand slowly raising his wand, speaking at lightning speed: "Hai Pa Sheng Shi!"

Instantly, his form vanished. But in the blink of an eye, he reappeared.

"He's back. Come on, let's see where he just went." The doctor smiled.