Hogwarts: I Am an Exemplary Wizard

From morning till evening, the Hogwarts Express traveled at a speed that was entirely inconsistent with its name.

As they neared Hogwarts, Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick went to the Prefects’ compartment to give instructions, but Professor Sprout didn’t join them; she was busy pruning excess branches from a pot of crabapple cactus.

Kael sat there, staring out the window in a daze.

Before this, he had actually worried about how the Hogwarts opening feast would be held.

If the most important part of this event used to be the sorting of new students, then this year it would undoubtedly be Dumbledore’s speech.

It’s not to say that the sorting isn’t important this year, it’s just that people are less concerned about it, especially under the current circumstances where most seem eager to see Dumbledore.

He doesn’t need to do much, just appearing would put everyone at ease.

Perhaps this is also why Dumbledore prepared in advance for Kael to impersonate him.

If Dumbledore didn’t even show up at the opening feast, it would inevitably lead to unpleasant speculations, including some probing by the Death Eaters towards the school.

Of course, as long as he makes an appearance, these worries naturally won’t be a concern.

From a week before the school started, Kael had been pondering when exactly Dumbledore would return.

To be honest, his disappearance has indeed been a bit long, and the closer it gets to school opening, the more anxious Kael becomes.

Firstly, time travel is actually not safe and is full of various uncertainties. In normal situations, there shouldn’t be two Dumbledores in one timeline, and if they see each other, it could lead to them mistakenly killing their past or future "selves."

For instance, if the past Dumbledore kills the "Dumbledore" who went back using the Time Turner, he would truly die in that timeline and naturally wouldn’t be able to return.

If the Dumbledore who traveled back kills his past self, the situation would only worsen, and as for what exactly might happen... no one knows, because those who have gone through it left no information behind.

Though Kael believes Dumbledore wouldn’t make such a basic mistake, he isn’t entirely sure when it involves Arianna.

Even the clearest-minded person can lose their cool when faced with something they care most about, and even Dumbledore is no exception to this.

If he impulsively tries to save Arianna, it would inevitably cause him to intersect with his past self, and at that point, anything could happen.

Another important point is his return.

If following the typical wizard’s use of a Time Turner, Dumbledore would live for a hundred years in the past until this August and then return to Bathilda’s place at Godric’s Hollow to complete the time loop.

This would be the moment he departed using the Time Turner.

But this didn’t happen, and now a month has passed without any sign of him.

One reason is an issue with the Time Turner itself; according to Nicolas, since it was repaired, it might cause Dumbledore’s time frame to fall into a special deviation.

In other words, like a system glitch, his picture freezes while the outside world remains normal.

But Nicolas also mentioned that even if this occurs, it would only last a few days at most, not an entire month.

To avoid this risk, Nicolas provided a second option, which was to use the Time Turner again to return.

This is also why he decided to create another Philosopher’s Stone, to serve as the core of the Time Turner, as the magic power it provides would be enough to support him for two time travels.

Yet Dumbledore didn’t seem to choose this method; he simply vanished into thin air.

Before today, Kael also considered if Dumbledore might have been too old and died on some day within those hundred years, and if that was the case, he truly wouldn’t reappear.

But just now, he dismissed that thought.

Wizards generally have long lifespans, such as Hogwarts’ former headmaster Armando Dippet, who lived over three hundred years and remains quite spry, while Bathilda is over a hundred as well.

Even the witch selling snacks on the train has lived nearly two hundred years, let alone Dumbledore, who is rich in magic power; as long as he doesn’t do something reckless, living to two hundred wouldn’t be a problem at all.

But why hasn’t he returned? Kael couldn’t make sense of it.

Another whistle brought Kael back to his senses.

Noises rang out from outside the compartment... the Hogwarts Express had arrived at the station.

Kael instinctively stood up.

"There’s no need to hurry," Professor Sprout said, "It’s best not to let others know you’ve come to Hogwarts."

Her meaning was simple: for Kael to wait before going out, and he understood, nodding and sitting back down.

Soon after, Professor Sprout also left the compartment, guiding the other students off the train.

Kael sat inside, watching the throngs of people outside.

He also saw a massive figure, Hagrid, as usual, holding that lamp he’s used for who knows how many years, coming to escort the newcomers across the water to the castle.

Twenty minutes later, the last batch of students took carriages to the castle, the surroundings returned to quiet, and Kael also came outside, looking up at the castle hidden in the night.

"How does it feel to return under a different identity?" Professor McGonagall, in charge of seeing off the students, came back and walked to Kael’s side.

"I can’t say," Kael shrugged, "But if I had the choice, I really wouldn’t want to come back, and I doubt many graduates would want to return either."