Harry Potter and the Obscurus

Chapter 65 The Time When We Must Go Back

The thunder did not seem to originate from the sky; rather, it appeared to have started somewhere on the ground in the woods.

"Did you hear that, Hermione? Over there in the woods."

In response to Harry's question, Hermione nodded and replied:

"I heard it now, but what's the big deal about thunder? Isn't the weather like this around Hogwarts all year?"

"They're always like this..."

Harry repeated Hermione's words as he fell into deep thought.

Logically speaking, with over a hundred more Dementors guarding Hogwarts Castle this year, it's perfectly normal for the weather to be colder and gloomier than usual. But for this level of impact alone, Professor Scamander shouldn't have needed to make a special trip. Could there be something I've overlooked?

Rumble!

Another rumble of thunder could be faintly heard.

Hermione glanced at the direction of the sound source, which was now higher than before, and then looked at the version of herself in her memory who was staring intently at the Whomping Willow. She couldn't help but start to have doubts.

Why can the Pensieve help me recall details I can't even remember clearly? What kind of magic is this? I've never read about it in books. Wait... no, the most important question now is, why didn't I notice these sounds in the first place?

……

The world of memories has no power to provide answers; neither Harry nor Hermione can break through the boundaries of the scene to explore further. After several unsuccessful attempts to venture into the Forbidden Forest, the disappointed duo had no choice but to return to the edge of the forest and wait for the Dementors to appear.

"It's a pity that the Pensieve can't simulate the entire Forbidden Forest. But I think even if I knew this entire Dark Forest inside and out, the Memory World couldn't possibly recreate things I didn't know in the exact order they actually happened, could it?"

“I think so too, but in any case, we owe it to you to find these important clues. It’s a pity that the Pensieve is too mysterious and ancient. I wish I could get one too.”

"Um……"

Hermione agreed verbally, but her expression seemed somewhat conflicted. After hesitating for a while, she still asked Harry that somewhat inappropriate question.

“Harry”.

"Ok?"

"What did you mean when you said you thought I was prettier than...prettier than I remember?"

If Harry were a seasoned romantic, he would probably have deflected the question by asking Hermione, "What do you think I mean?" At the very least, he could have used a relaxed and coherent tone to evade the question. But as the savior of the world and one of the most outstanding students in Hogwarts' history, Harry would certainly not have chosen either approach.

"That's right, cough! It means telling the truth, um."

A slightly nervous reply escaped Harry's throat, each word barely audible. The cough he uttered to clear his throat only amplified the awkwardness of the entire statement.

Hermione, somewhat puzzled, shifted her gaze to herself not far away and muttered to herself:

"really?"

To be honest, my outfit from a little over an hour ago was exactly the same as it is now. Neither the thick winter robe I was wearing at Hogwarts nor the red and gold Gryffindor scarf around my neck had been changed.

"Could it be my hair? Maybe I messed up my hairstyle in my rush outside the castle? Or is it because it's so cold in the Forbidden Forest that my face turned red? But would such a slight change really make someone look better? Could it be that Harry really has feelings for me..."

Just as Hermione was about to get her heart racing with her wild thoughts, Harry suddenly spoke up again.

“Oh, I see! You see, Hermione, the memories in the Pensieve adjust according to the memory owner’s perception. After I just praised you for being beautiful, you became even more beautiful in the memory, which means you are more beautiful than you think, so you need to be more confident in the future! Hmm! That must be it.”

Harry's intention was to change the subject and Hermione's attention, but unexpectedly, he inadvertently revealed the true meaning of the Pensieve memory magic.

Just as Professor Rislughorn in the original work could alter the contents of memories, the subjective views of wizards and witches can also affect the details in the world of memories. Looking back and summarizing the past only has value when done with an attitude of self-reflection.

In other words, if a person stubbornly maintains the same viewpoint while using the Pensieve and refuses to look at the problem from other perspectives, then no matter how many times he uses it, he will not get the desired result.

……

The air in her memory grew cold; the appearance of the Dementors finally made Hermione notice the strangeness in the Forbidden Forest. She turned around, and just as she had recounted before, drew her wand and shouted:

"Expecto Patronum!" (The Patronus)

The silver mist symbolizing the guardian deity did not appear; instead, the chanting attracted the Dementors flying high in the sky. Several of the closer, terrifying figures reacted the fastest. The moment they noticed Hermione, these ravenous monsters, like the Grim Reaper invented by Muggles, frantically flung their black robes and swooped down.

Twenty feet, ten feet, five feet...

Just as the Dementors were about to attack Hermione, a loud, angry explosion suddenly came from the dark clouds overhead.

Click!

Blue lightning, carrying a terrifying force, illuminated the dark Forbidden Forest. Numerous Dementors, like strings of candied hawthorns, were connected from top to bottom by arcs of electricity.

Click! Click! Click!

Several more bolts of lightning struck in succession, the intense flashes blinding everyone. When everything finally calmed down, the terrifying Dementors had already slunk away.

Harry was stunned. Even as he and Hermione slowly rose into the air, watching the world of memories revert to ink-black, the same sentence kept repeating in his mind:

"This is definitely not the power of a weather spell!"

Swish!

As if performing a slow-motion backflip, Harry and Hermione's feet finally landed back on the floor of the headmaster's office.

The light around the stone basin was still dazzling, as if reminding the two that their recent experience was nothing but a mirage.

"You're going to the Forbidden Forest now, right?"

Hermione, who was already so familiar with Harry that they were almost telepathic, asked.

"Yes."

Harry replied:

“A lightning strike of thunderstorm level cannot be summoned by a wizard using a weather charm, and Hermione, you saw it yourself, a lightning strike with that kind of precision certainly couldn’t have happened naturally. I must go back to the Forbidden Forest to look for clues.”

Hermione nodded. She didn't intend to stop Harry, but before he left, she wanted to use the Pensieve to relive Harry's memories.

"Could you leave me your memories of the Screaming Shack with Professor Lupin? Perhaps I can help you find some useful information."

Harry didn't think he'd missed any crucial details; after all, with Morgen's help, he was no stranger to the history of twelve years ago. However, out of respect for Hermione's trust and affection, he still used his wand to pluck the memory of "Friends in the Shrieking Shack" from his temple.

"Here, keep this safe. Remember, don't let a word of it out until Sirius Black is cleared of his crimes and his reputation is restored."

As Harry spoke, he handed Hermione the bottle containing his silver-white memory. Then, with a "snap," the headmaster's office, previously piled high with books and sweets, transformed into the Forbidden Forest filled with ancient trees.

"Why haven't you said anything since the beginning?"

"I know when we have to go back."

Harry had assumed Moran was going to tease him about Hermione, but to his surprise, Moran's first reply was astonishing. He exclaimed:

"Oh? Really? Should we leave right away?"

Mo Ran replied relatively calmly:

"Don't get excited yet. There's one more thing we need to figure out before we leave... So, go back to your dorm and pack everything up. Then go to the Potions classroom or Professor Snape's office and wait for him to come back."

……

"Potter, what are you doing here at this hour instead of having dinner in the Great Hall?"

Having already swapped body control with Harry, Mo Ran carefully observed Snape's micro-expressions and deliberately drawled out his words:

"Professor, do you remember when I asked you to improve the potion formula?"

Snape replied with an impatient expression:

“I’ve already told Potter that Hogwarts professors don’t easily accept commissions from outside the school, not even from current students. Besides, didn’t you already build up your company and brand last summer? I don’t see anything where you need my help.”

Upon hearing this, Mo Ran's eyes instantly cleared up considerably. Before Snape could habitually begin to berate Harry, he directly pulled out the Malfoy family's heirloom time-twister from his pocket.

“Professor Snape, please listen carefully. If I’m not mistaken, when you were delivering the letter, you were talking to Fudge about some things that Headmaster Dumbledore didn’t tell you, right? I think this might include Sirius’s current hiding place, and the suggestion to take him back to Azkaban first, and release him after he has been completely cleared of suspicion.”

Professor Snape's lips twitched slightly, and this subtle flaw naturally did not escape the eyes of Mo Ran, who had been intently watching him.

“This school year, many strange and inexplicable things have happened around me. I used to think that I shouldn’t act rashly when I didn’t know the whole story, but in the time you were away from the principal’s office just now, I saw another viable path.”

"Don't try to be like Dumbledore with your riddles, Potter."

"It's not a riddle, Professor. This matter is indeed too complicated to be explained in a few words. I can only tell you this: only when you and I go back to the past can history be complete."

Snape, who should have firmly rejected Harry, fell silent. After a long while, he nodded at the green eyes that had once shone on Lily's face.

……

April 1, 1993, London time. Harry, who had already started his school trip, and Professor Snape, who was tutoring first-year students, appeared at Hogwarts Castle at the same time.

"Where's your Invisibility Cloak, Potter? We can't be seen at school."

Mo Ran ignored Professor Snape's reminder. He glanced at the date on the time converter, muttered a few words like "time difference" and "there's still time" in his mind, and then grabbed the other's black robe and Apparated directly to the American continent.

Snapped!

The incredibly long-distance teleportation made Snape feel the dizzying sensation of Apparition again after many years.

"Potter!"

He asked, panting heavily:

"How can you apparite in school? Who taught you this dark magic?"

Ignoring Professor Snape's question once again, Mo Ran took out a Firebolt and a Light Wheel 2000 from his Unseen Stretching Charm suitcase and said:

“Professor, we are now in Arizona, USA. For the next few days, you must obey my orders completely. If nothing unexpected happens, in a few days we will become the most notorious thieves in nearly half a century in the Magical Congress of the United States.”