"This is the secret area I designed for using Time-Turners. We only need to use these rooms in order. As long as we don't wander around, we will never encounter ourselves from another room."
Rowena led Rhys and Helga into the guest room closest to the staircase painting, then proudly showed off her clever design to her old friends.
"There are thirteen rooms on each floor, enough for us to use a Time-Turner thirteen times. And there are five floors like this."
Rhys and Helga both fell silent.
Rowena's abuse of Time-Turners was far more extreme than they had imagined.
"The amount of time a Time-Turner can reverse is limited, but with careful planning, we can make proper use of it."
Listening to Rowena, Rhys finally understood why she had aged so quickly.
Repeatedly travelling backwards through time like this meant she was consuming her lifespan several times faster than an ordinary person.
Rowena, however, clearly did not care much about this "minor" drawback. She immediately moved on to the main subject of the day: developing transformation magic.
Rhys did not join the two women's discussion.
He merely handed over the method he had obtained from Jack, along with the insights he had developed himself, then began brewing potions using Misfortune-Dispelling Fruit.
Rowena and Helga, seated nearby, did not disturb him.
Christmas was approaching, and the second stage of the tournament was not far away. It was only natural for Salazar to feel pressured.
He had to prepare the antidote potions before the competition began.
Glancing at Salazar, who was deep in thought, Helga lowered her voice and asked, "Once he finishes brewing the antidote, are we going to distribute it directly to the contestants?"
Rowena shook her head.
She strongly disliked simply giving people rewards they had done nothing to earn.
She would definitely prepare a test for the contestants.
Anyone who failed would have no business entering the alchemical world.
With Rowena's intervention, the second stage of the tournament was instead divided into two parts.
The contestants would first have to obtain the antidote potion in the preliminary section. Only then would they be allowed to enter the alchemical world for the main event.
After casually discussing the tournament format with her friend for a while, Helga also began studying the dragon transformation magic and insights Salazar had given her.
Time passed rapidly.
The three of them spent most of December secluded inside the manor.
Everything in the outside world was handled by puppets transformed to look like them.
After repeated journeys through time, the matters the three of them were researching gradually began to show results.
While Rhys and the others were earnestly conducting research inside the manor, the atmosphere throughout Hogwarts Castle had become extraordinarily lively.
Whether they were Hogwarts students or students from the other magical schools, everyone's attention had been drawn to the approaching Yule Ball.
In previous years, only a small number of students remained at school over Christmas.
Christmas was a time for families to reunite, and very few students chose to spend it at Hogwarts.
But this year was different.
Almost every student in fourth year and above intended to stay.
The young wizards were utterly fascinated by the upcoming ball, especially the girls.
Girls giggled in the corridors and gathered in little groups to whisper amongst themselves. Whenever a boy walked past, particularly one who was handsome, they would burst into shrill laughter.
The girls excitedly exchanged opinions and discussed what they would wear on Christmas night.
The boys were no exception. They scrutinised every witch who passed them like hunters, studying who might become their dance partner.
Everyone hoped their partner would be the prettiest girl in their House, or even in the entire school, but beauty also meant fierce competition.
Who wouldn't want Daphne, Astoria, Fleur Delacour, or Cho Chang as their dance partner?
Still, one had to know one's own limits.
Malfoy, who had been harshly rejected in public, was the perfect negative example.
Daphne's single word, "Get lost," had genuinely left him depressed for quite a while. In recent days, even his interest in causing trouble for Harry had diminished considerably.
Daphne herself was not having an easy time either.
After that Potions lesson, she never saw Rhys again.
The next time "Rhys Lint" appeared before everyone, other people could not tell the difference, but she and Astoria could see it clearly.
It was a puppet.
After recognising the puppet for what it was, the two girls remained nervous for quite some time, afraid that someone might ask Rhys to be their dance partner during this period and that the brainless puppet would foolishly agree.
Fortunately, they quickly discovered that Rhys must have given it instructions beforehand.
The puppet rejected every invitation to the ball.
Only then did the two of them relax.
As Christmas gradually approached, however, Daphne and Astoria still had not seen the real Rhys, and they slowly began to grow restless.
"Sister, do you know where he went?" Astoria asked.
She and Daphne followed the puppet Rhys into the Great Hall. Looking at the puppet walking ahead of them, Astoria felt a trace of irritation rise in her heart.
She had turned down quite a few invitations recently.
What if the real Rhys returned and chose her sister as his dance partner?
Then she would be in serious trouble!
Where was she supposed to find a partner at the last minute?
She had no interest whatsoever in ordinary people, while someone like Cedric, who could barely catch her eye, had already been claimed long ago.
Daphne was just as worried as Astoria.
However, seeing that her younger sister was in the same situation immediately made her feel less anxious.
"Little sister, why don't you find a girl in advance and settle things with her? That way you won't be caught unprepared at the last moment. I heard Miss Granger still hasn't chosen a partner."
"In that case, why don't you go ask Miss Granger yourself?" Astoria immediately saw through her sister's ulterior motives and shot back.
Daphne spread her hands and shrugged.
She genuinely was thinking of her younger sister.
As for Rhys's choice of dance partner, Daphne was extremely confident.
Her sister definitely would not be her match.
At that moment, Harry and Ron from Gryffindor, along with Ron's younger sister, walked past them. A fragment of their conversation drifted into the girls' ears.
"I feel like I haven't heard anything from Fred and George in ages. Are they all right?"
"No idea. It's not just those two. I haven't heard anything from Percy in a long time either. I wonder what they're busy with."
"See? The youngest Weasley girl is actually pretty decent..." Daphne poked Astoria's shoulder and pointed towards Ginny's retreating back.
Astoria completely ignored her and walked straight towards the Slytherin table.
...
Inside Rowena's manor.
"Done!"
Rhys flicked his wand, arranging more than a hundred small bottles across the table beside a mountain-like pile of Misfortune-Dispelling Fruit.
Rowena, who was standing in a corner of the room writing and drawing on a board, looked up at Rhys and said that she would contact Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic to have these items incorporated into the second stage of the tournament.
Rhys nodded and began packing away the cauldrons and other equipment he had used to brew the potions.
At that moment, Helga suddenly clapped her hands and shouted,
"I've figured out how to do the transformation magic!"
____
12 Chaps ahead at Patreon.com/HornyFBI