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Ian's return to Hogwarts with the ancient Time-Turner turned out to be the same one Dumbledore had found in his youth. It had once been used to open history itself through the great clock.
Such a strange coincidence made it hard not to overthink. Could all of this be part of some carefully designed destiny? Or was there a deeper secret behind it?
Ian felt an overwhelming sense of premonition stirring within him.
He firmly believed that there must be a reason.
Whether or not God rolls dice is something no one can prove, but in the world of wizards, there is one truth beyond doubt: there are no coincidences.
Every coincidence is merely the weaving of fate, and wizards are beings who can touch that very fabric. Therefore, in a wizard's worldview, any coincidence can be traced back to its roots.
Ian wasn't the only one who held this conviction. Albus Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel believed the same.
In fact, when they heard the young wizard say he knew someone who could answer the riddle of this coincidence, both Dumbledore and Flamel realized Ian's certainty must be tied to his past.
For that reason alone, Nicolas Flamel asked whether it was dangerous.
Dumbledore, however, was far more direct. Lowering his gaze to Ian before him, his eyes flickering slightly, he asked, "Did your ancient Time-Turner come from Merlin?"
Though the old headmaster hadn't witnessed the past events, he possessed an uncanny insight, as though he were holding the script in hand.
In truth, once Ian mentioned meeting Merlin in ancient times, it wasn't difficult to reach that conclusion. After all, a Time-Turner was a priceless artifact in any era.
Ian could have sought help from no more than a hundred people in that age.
Facing the old headmaster's question—
Ian did not conceal the truth.
"Yes, Headmaster. I won this Time-Turner from Merlin himself." Ian lowered his gaze to the golden artifact resting in his hand.
"You gambled against Merlin and won?" Nicolas Flamel was utterly astonished, clicking his tongue in disbelief. "I see. No wonder you said Merlin probably wouldn't want to bless you."
The great alchemy master's imagination was somewhat limited. Perhaps Merlin's renown in this age was simply too overwhelming, leaving Flamel unable to consider the possibility that Ian could have defeated Merlin in a magical contest.
Ian himself gave no explanation.
After all, there's no need to brag immediately.
It's better to leave it for later.
When the mood is right, you can show it off, and that works just as well.
That is the true art of "bragging management."
"I can't quite understand something right now. How can the same Time-Turner exist at one single point in time?" Ian turned to look at Albus Dumbledore.
"On top of that, it actually returns to a certain era and becomes part of your collection?" Ian's innate curiosity compelled him to untangle the increasingly tangled threads of information.
Dumbledore smiled faintly. His blue eyes gazed at Ian through his half-moon spectacles, deep and serene. "Ian, the power of time is far more complex than we imagine.
"It isn't just the simple division of past, present, and future. Sometimes, the traces of time fold back upon themselves and manifest in unpredictable ways."
"Do you remember what I just told you? As long as the influence hasn't arrived yet, nothing will be disturbed. That principle still applies here."
"Just as you, I, or anyone else can use a Time-Turner to be in two places at once, many Hogwarts students have used it to attend two classes at the same time."
"If we can do it, then why can't an object be able to do the same?" The headmaster's words carried wisdom and a philosophy: that under time, all things are equal.
Ian listened thoughtfully.
While Ian was still absorbing the headmaster's earnest lesson—
"All right, all right, you'll have plenty of time to discuss this later. For now, humor this old man and clear up my confusion," Nicolas Flamel interrupted decisively.
He could no longer restrain his curiosity.
"Ian, are you saying you believe Merlin knows the answer? That he has lived for nearly two thousand years and that you might still find traces of him in our era?"
Flamel wasn't unwilling to accept someone older than himself; he was simply curious as to how Merlin had survived for so long. The first things to eliminate were, of course, Horcruxes and the Philosopher's Stone.
After all, Merlin would never use the coward's method of Horcruxes. If a Philosopher's Stone capable of sustaining such longevity had ever been created, there certainly would be records of it in history.
As for matters concerning the Stone, Nicolas Flamel possessed nearly complete records of every Philosopher's Stone throughout history. This was partly due to the pile of discarded Stones Ian had once shown him, which sparked his desire to investigate further.
Whatever the reason, Flamel was certain after his research: Merlin had crafted only three Philosopher's Stones, each of which had been given to others or used to prevent catastrophic disasters.
"I don't need to search for him because perhaps he has always been right beside us." Ian voiced his suspicion firmly, turning to the two elder men before him. "Lirim, the Ravenclaw student who enrolled as a descendant of the Ollivander family... I have this unmistakable feeling that there is something unusual about him."
Ian's tone brimmed with certainty.
A faint, nearly imperceptible light flickered in Dumbledore's eyes, but he showed no great surprise. He merely nodded slightly, gesturing for Ian to continue.
"I have already met the Merlin of the past. I remember the aura of his magical power." Ian lowered his voice. "And I am very certain that Lirim's magic is of the same lineage as Merlin's."
Ian had reached this conclusion after repeated comparisons and reflections. And not just about Lirim, either. There was also Professor Arthur King, the alchemy teacher who had suddenly resigned and disappeared last year.
Tsk, tsk.
The more Ian thought about it, the angrier he became.
In the ancient timeline, Merlin had accused him of being an old monster in disguise, tricking others. But it was a case of the thief crying, "Stop thief!" Merlin himself liked to turn into a child to deceive people.
"So that's how it is. Hmm, the way you put it . . . yes, it may be worth investigating." Dumbledore still didn't give a direct answer, but he seemed intrigued by Ian's deduction.
At that moment, Nicolas Flamel, who had been standing quietly to the side, suddenly burst out laughing, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Interesting—too interesting!"
Rubbing his hands together and looking eager, Nicolas Flamel exclaimed, "Merlin! The king of wizards in legend! Who wouldn't want to meet him in person?"
"I remember that student, Lirim. He once asked me about wand-making. If Lirim really is Merlin, then he must possess alchemical skills far greater than my own!"
The more he spoke, the more excited he became.
It seemed that even the great alchemist could not resist applying an "idol filter" to Merlin. Of course, it was equally possible that Flamel sincerely longed to debate alchemical knowledge with Merlin.
After all, it's human nature...
When it comes to one's greatest strength, there's always the urge to measure oneself against the very best. Nicolas Flamel's calm, unruffled composure over the years existed only because he had never met his equal.
But Merlin was different.
Flamel truly wished to sit down and discuss matters with the ancient sage as equals.
The young wizard wasn't the only one who could sense this; even Dumbledore glanced at Flamel with a faintly helpless smile.
(To Be Continued…)