A Certain Magical Hogwarts

The last time they had entered the headmaster's office was during their late-night tour in the fourth-floor forbidden corridor, when Dumbledore had caught them red-handed, in what felt like an elaborate fishing expedition.

Now, more than half a year had passed. 

Returning here, William felt a strange sense of disorientation, as if everything had changed.

He couldn't help it, the scene at the Quidditch pitch had been utterly horrifying.

Under the basilisk's gaze, at least dozens of young wizards had perished.

Even a single death would have been a monumental tragedy. 

But dozens? Merlin, this wasn't just an educational accident, it was an indiscriminate school massacre that would send shockwaves throughout the wizarding world.

What was this? Free Britain, where people died every day?

Sometimes, William felt like he hadn't crossed over into the wizarding world but into Detective Conan's universe.

Or perhaps there really was a Sherlock Holmes in this world.

If this matter wasn't resolved, Hogwarts, the thousand-year-old school, would likely crumble to ruin.

Whoever had done such a thing must be utterly deranged and devoid of humanity. William vowed that if he caught the culprit, he would stop at nothing to make them pay.

What confused William the most, however, was that Harry had died too.

He hadn't died on the pitch; instead, Snape had carried him out of the castle, his entire body radiating an unhealthy golden glow…

Wait… golden? William recalled a story Nicholas Flamel had once described, where the eldest swallowed the Philosopher's Stone and gained the ability to turn anything into gold…

Could it be that Harry had swallowed the Philosopher's Stone?

Did he go to the forbidden corridor on the fourth floor?!

William raised his head, his gaze landing on the long table.

On the table lay a long sword, Dumbledore's sword which he used to slay the basilisk. William had brought it back to the office.

Embedded in the sword's hilt was a resplendent, egg-sized ruby. Along the blade were ancient runes etched in gold.

Having studied ancient runes himself, William recognized their meaning:

Godric Gryffindor!

William ran his fingers over the engravings on the sword, sensing the unique power it contained.

"I advise you to be careful, William," a voice suddenly said.

William turned toward the Sorting Hat on a nearby shelf. "Why?" he asked.

The Sorting Hat smirked. "That's a historical artifact, the Sword of Gryffindor. Can you afford to compensate If you damage it?"

"Aren't you also a historical artifact as well? And yet you get touched by everyone every year."

"Precisely! A thousand years ago, I was pristine and glorious. Now look at me, all patched and worn," the Sorting Hat grumbled.

Its grumbling tone lightened William's mood slightly. He replied calmly, "Don't worry, I won't damage it. Just this morning, Dumbledore wielded the sword, and heroically slew the basilisk. Sparks and Lightning flew everywhere as he wielded the sword, It was magnificent."

"Is that so?" The Sorting Hat grinned, "Then you'd better not touch it."

"Why not?" William asked.

"The Sword of Gryffindor, forged by goblins, possesses extraordinary properties," the Sorting Hat explained.

"What kind of properties?" William asked curiously.

"The sword's most powerful trait is its ability to absorb substances that strengthen it," the Sorting Hat explained.

"Since Dumbledore used it to kill the basilisk, the blade has been saturated with basilisk venom, which it has absorbed.

"If you were to accidentally cut yourself with it, you'd likely die very quickly."

William raised an eyebrow. That was an extraordinary trait.

"If someone cast Avada Kedavra on this sword, would it absorb the Killing Curse as well?"

"Hmm… I don't know. No one's ever been that bored," the Sorting Hat replied with a shrug.

"Maybe I'll try it sometime," William murmerd, pulling a vial of potion from his pocket.

"This is an antidote brewed with Venemous Tentacula fruit. Professor Sprout mentioned in our first lesson this term that it can neutralize many rare venoms, including basilisk venom. So even if I get nicked, I won't die."

"Not bad, you've been paying attention in class," the Sorting Hat said approvingly. "See? Sorting you into Ravenclaw was a wise choice."

"Don't even bring up the Sorting," William shot back.

The Sorting Hat quickly changed the subject. "By the way, William, did you steal the Venemous Tentacula? I remember Professor Sprout complaining at the start of the term about missing herbs from the greenhouse."

"You can't just accuse me without evidence," William rolled his eyes, "Professor Sprout even asked me to help her brew a potion to repel Doxies. Why would I steal from her? The fruit was simply part of a fair trade."

William picked up the sword again and asked, "You just said this is the Sword of Gryffindor. But according to Hogwarts: A History, didn't the sword get lost during the Goblin Rebellion?"

"That's just a story to fool the goblins," the Sorting Hat sneered, "Otherwise, they'd keep demanding Gryffindor's sword back. You know how goblins are."

William nodded.

In goblin culture, the rightful owner of an object was always its maker, not the buyer. The buyer was expected to return the item to its creator upon death.

Ragnuk the First, a goblin king from Godric Gryffindor's time, had forged the sword for Gryffindor. Goblins believed the sword belonged to Ragnuk and not Hogwarts, which became one of the main causes of the Goblin Rebellion.

The Goblin Rebellion was a significant chapter in wizarding history.

The rebellion lasted intermittently for nearly two centuries, beginning in 1612 near Hogsmeade. Goblins had staged a coup during a feast held at a local inn by the wizarding council, the precursor to the Ministry of Magic.

This event was known in magical history as the "Tavern Uprising."

And it was during this turbulent period that Gryffindor's sword was supposedly lost.

The Sorting Hat chuckled smugly. "Lost? Nonsense. The sword has always been kept in the headmaster's office. The story of its loss was just a cover."

William stroked the sword thoughtfully, tempted to ask the Sorting Hat if it knew where Ravenclaw's diadem was.

At that moment, the office door swung open.

Dumbledore walked in, looking weary. He sank into his chair, clasping his hands as if deep in thought.

"Professor, how is the situation?" William asked anxiously.

Having been confined to the office all day, he had no idea what was happening outside.

"It's terrible. Forty-five students have died," Dumbledore said, his voice heavy with sorrow.

The portraits of former headmasters erupted into chaos. Many left their frames to confirm the news.

William remained silent for a moment before asking, "What about Harry?"

"Harry is dead as well," Dumbledore said grimly. "Professor Snape found him in the fourth-floor forbidden corridor.

"It appears that during his confrontation with Voldemort, he swallowed the Philosopher's Stone."

"Voldemort didn't leave? He stayed at Hogwarts after Quirrell's death?" William asked, shocked.

"Yes," Dumbledore nodded solemnly. "I suspected as much but didn't anticipate he would use the basilisk to divert my attention."

"Why did Harry go to the forbidden corridor? I thought he was watching the match?" William pressed.

"Not just Harry, Ron and Hermione went too," Dumbledore said, fixing his gaze on William. "But the two of them… survived."

William wanted to ask more, but Dumbledore raised his hand to stop him.

"William, I have a general understanding of what happened, but I can't tell you… you understand. Do you still have Ravenclaw's ring?"

William removed the ring from around his neck.

"What should I do with it? Just put it on?"

During the first time loop, William had put it on casually. He wasn't sure if doing the same thing would trigger a second loop.

If it didn't, and tomorrow came as usual, today's events would be irreversible.

Dumbledore spoke seriously, "I can only speculate… Ravenclaw's heir must have a strong desire when putting on the bronze ring. That desire allows them to enter the loop until they gain the power to fulfill it."

William thought for a moment. "So I need to capture Voldemort?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "William, Voldemort is in a very unique state right now. You can't capture him. That wish is impossible to achieve.

"If you try, you'll likely be trapped in the loop forever… until you die."

William shuddered at the thought. He had never considered the possibility of being stuck in a time loop indefinitely.

"Then what should I do?" he asked.

Dumbledore clasped William's hand, his piercing blue eyes meeting his gaze.

"William, uncover the full truth of this incident. Save every student, including Harry… You must succeed. You are our only hope."

William nodded quietly and unhooked the chain from the ring.

Dumbledore closed his eyes, exhausted, his voice resonating through the office.

"William, saving lives is crucial. But don't forget, there is an even greater goal."

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