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"Mordo? Kaecilius? Or Old Wang next door?" Hermione listed the candidates, raising an eyebrow. "Aren't they all your prized students?"
The Ancient One shook her head slightly, her gaze distant. "Mordo is too rigid. He sees the world in absolutes, which makes him brittle. Wang's talent is… adequate, but his potential is limited." She paused, a shadow crossing her face. "As for Kaecilius… he has been corrupted too deeply by the Dark Dimension."
"Just like you aren't deep enough?" Hermione muttered under her breath, a risky jab at the Ancient One's own dark secret.
Before she could finish the sentence, the atmosphere in the courtyard shifted violently. The Ancient One's calm eyes instantly turned pitch black, vast and abyssal. A complex, glowing purple rune slowly etched itself onto her forehead, radiating a cold, eerie aura that made the hair on Hermione's arms stand up. The air smelled of burnt ozone and entropy.
"Okay, okay! I surrender!" Hermione threw her hands up, backing away. "You win! Just name Stephen Strange and be done with it. Don't try to scare me with the Dormammu cosplay. It's creepy."
The Ancient One blinked, and the purple rune vanished. Her eyes returned to their normal, serene state.
"Originally," the Ancient One said calmly, as if she hadn't just channeled a dimension-eating entity, "I wanted you to be the Sorcerer Supreme. But I knew you would refuse. So, I have no choice but to ask you to bring Strange into the fold ahead of schedule."
She took a sip of tea. "Also, I wasn't just using Dormammu to scare you. The second condition…"
Hermione suddenly had a very bad feeling.
"…is that you must completely destroy Dormammu."
Hermione's eyes widened. "Kill him? Master Ancient One, are you kidding me? You've only ever managed to expel him! You want me to kill a sentient dimension? Do I look like a cosmic exterminator to you?"
The Ancient One looked at her, her expression unyielding. "Both conditions are indispensable. If you don't agree, you can wait for the Time Stone until after I leave this universe."
Hermione scowled. "Tch. Fine. Keep your rock. Why make such harsh conditions…" She turned on her heel and began to walk away, muttering curses about stubborn old wizards.
After a few steps, she stopped. Her eyes darted around, her brilliant mind already spinning through the possibilities. A plan—audacious, dangerous, and incredibly profitable—began to form. Dormammu is massive. If I harvest him… that's infinite soul energy.
She spun around, a blindingly bright smile plastered on her face. "Master Ancient One! I accept your conditions!"
The Ancient One raised a skeptical eyebrow.
"However…" Hermione rubbed her hands together, grinning like a goblin. "I need to borrow the Eye of Agamotto for a while. Just a little bit."
The Ancient One studied her deeply, seeing the ambition and the calculation. "You may," she said slowly. "But you must use it within the grounds of Kamar-Taj. It does not leave the sanctuary."
"Deal!" Hermione chirped.
Kamar-Taj Library.
Hermione found a secluded corner among the ancient scrolls, hidden from prying eyes. With a wave of her hand, she pulled a portable alchemy table from her backpack.
She placed the Time-Turner—the golden pendant Dumbledore had given her—onto the table.
The Eye of Agamotto contains the Time Stone, she thought, her fingers tracing the intricate runes on the pendant. The Ancient One won't let me take it yet. But I can siphon its energy.
She didn't need the Stone permanently right now. She just needed to supercharge her own device.
She began to form the complex hand seals the Ancient One had demonstrated. As her gestures shifted, the Eye of Agamotto, resting on a stand nearby, slowly clicked open. A beam of concentrated emerald light shot out from the green infinity stone within, twisting like a serpent, winding around the golden Time-Turner.
The hourglass began to vibrate, emitting a high-pitched hum. The golden casing glowed hot, turning a distinct shade of green as it absorbed the raw temporal energy.
It's working! Hermione held her breath, maintaining the flow.
Thirty minutes later, the process was complete. The Eye closed. The Time-Turner lay on the table, humming with immense power.
[Wondrous Object: Time Converter (Supercharged)]
Note: Can physically transport the user back in time. Now capable of withstanding Magic Level 5 and below. Maximum duration: 30 minutes.
"Perfect," Hermione whispered. It was a massive upgrade. The duration was shorter, but the power threshold was high enough to accommodate her immense magical core.
She packed up her gear, ready to leave, when a movement in the shadows caught her eye.
Mads Mikkelsen… no, Kaecilius?
Why was the master sorcerer sneaking around the restricted section instead of meditating?
Hermione crouched low, moving silently. She saw Kaecilius hunched over a lectern, engrossed in a dark, ancient book. She recognized the cover immediately. The Book of Cagliostro. The forbidden text that detailed the rituals for summoning the Dark Dimension.
Good heavens, she thought, an amused smirk touching her lips. Is he secretly researching evil magic right under the Ancient One's nose?
She crept up behind him, paused for effect, and then slammed her hand down on his shoulder.
"SMACK!"
"Uncle Mads! What are you doing?!"
Kaecilius jumped a foot in the air, spinning around like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. His hands flared with defensive mandalas, panic written all over his face. When he saw it was just the annoying little girl who frequented the sanctuary, his shoulders sagged in relief.
"Hermione," he breathed, his heart pounding. "It's you."
He quickly tried to hide the book. "I… nothing. Just some light reading."
Hermione's eyes twinkled. Light reading? The man is literally reading the instruction manual for the apocalypse. She chuckled internally. Does he really think the Ancient One doesn't know? The old woman sees everything.
"Sure, Uncle Mads," she said loudly, winking. "Light reading. Don't let me interrupt your… hobby."
She turned and skipped away, leaving a terrified and confused dark sorcerer in her wake. The game was afoot.