Chapter 295: The Past Cannot Be Changed
Phineas took the Time-Turner from his pocket, his face alight with satisfaction. His goal had been achieved—the Time-Turner was finally in his hands.
He had caused quite a commotion in the Department of Mysteries and couldn't stay there any longer. Looking around warily, he tried to Apparate—but of course, that wasn't possible. The temporal magic in this place disrupted Apparition. Every time he tried, he was pulled back to the same spot.
With no other choice, Phineas began retracing his steps. He returned to the hall, seeking the door that would lead him back to the corridor he came from. The process sounded simple, but in practice it was anything but. He had to check each of the twelve doors, opening them one by one, marking each interior, until he found the correct one. Four had been confirmed earlier—eight remained.
Eventually, after much effort, Phineas left the Ministry of Magic and returned to Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place.
Though the process had been tedious, everything had gone smoothly. No major surprises. Once home, he headed straight to his room to rest. He was exhausted—navigating the Department's doors had left him deeply on edge.
The next morning, Phineas awoke and eagerly picked up the Time-Turner. He began turning it, preparing to return to the past to save Lisa once more.
But nothing happened.
"What?!" he shouted, shocked and furious.
He could still sense the magic in the Time-Turner—this wasn't a broken artifact or a decoy. So why wasn't it working?
Then it struck him.
He was still in the past, the same past he had traveled to using a previous Time-Turner. Perhaps Time-Turners couldn't be used in nested layers. If he had already traveled back, using another to go further was impossible.
Phineas sighed, disappointed—but only slightly. In time, the clock would turn. Eventually, the moment would come when he had originally used the Time-Turner. When that happened, he would return to his own temporal point, and then he could use the device again.
Resolved, he made his way to his special potion room and began brewing a rare potion—a concoction of Water of Life and Death, originally created by Helga Hufflepuff during a bout of boredom. It was a hibernation draught that could pass time through magical sleep.
He only needed to sleep for half a month.
"Egg roll"
Phineas sighed and called the name of another house-elf. He knew very well that Puff was dealing with a series of matters in the revenge war for him at this time and had no time to deal with matters on this side.
So finding another house-elf is the best option.
A house-elf with strong similarities to Puff, but clearly male, appeared with a pop. "Master, Eggroll is at your service," he said with a deep bow.
Phineas nodded. "Puff must have told you where I usually go?"
Eggroll straightened, nodding eagerly. "Yes, Master. Puff shared your locations. Shall I take you somewhere? Eggroll is delighted to help."
Phineas took out his wand and conjured a note written in Parseltongue. "Take me to the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts."
Eggroll took his arm and, with a crack, Apparated them both to the senenth floor of Hogwarts.
Phineas paced in front of the tapestry, entering his private quarters within the Room of Requirement. There, he placed the Parseltongue note inside a book titled The Encyclopedia of Toxic Fungi, and deliberately left a few subtle signs that only he would recognize.
"Now take me to the Chamber of Secrets—Slytherin's," he said.
Eggroll nodded. "Right away, Master."
In another burst of magic, they descended beneath the castle.
Within Slytherin's office, Phineas placed the Time-Turner on the desk, then entered the adjoining room filled with books.
"Make a bed here," he instructed.
Eggroll complied in under two minutes.
"Well done. You may return to Grimmauld Place," Phineas said.
With a bow, the elf disappeared.
Phineas locked the door with a spell and drank the hibernation draught.
When he awoke, his senses were sharp. He heard movement in Slytherin's office—someone had found the note and come for the Time-Turner.
He opened the door quietly and stepped out, but to his surprise, the Time-Turner was gone.
"This isn't right…" he muttered.
He didn't have the Time-Turner when he returned to the past, and it wasn't here now—but he had acquired one from the Ministry.
And that's when the deeper problem dawned on him.
How had he gone back in the first place? If he needed a Time-Turner to go back, but he only acquired it after going back, then where had the original come from?
Was there another version of himself? Had someone else started this loop?
It was a paradox.
The more he thought about it, the more confused he became. Someone—or something—had tampered with time. Perhaps they didn't want him to have full control over the Time-Turner.
Who could have such power?
A sharp cry echoed through the chamber.
"Basque!" he exclaimed, remembering that the magical beast was still sleeping in the Secret Chamber. If it woke, it would be a challenge to calm it again.
He rushed out—only to stop abruptly.
Above the Chamber hovered Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix.
"Fawkes?"
It seemed Dumbledore was summoning him.
Phineas extended his arm, and Fawkes descended. With a burst of flame, the phoenix transported him to Dumbledore's office.
"Professor, you wanted to see me?"
Phineas dropped into a chair without waiting for permission. Dumbledore didn't react—he was used to this by now.
"Yes," Dumbledore said, calmly. "Tea or coffee?"
Phineas narrowed his eyes, puzzled. Given Dumbledore's disapproval of his vengeance on the Parkinson family, he hadn't expected such civility.
"Black tea," he replied.
"Of course. It's not the same without something sweet to go with it," Dumbledore smiled. "Would you like a Cockroach Cluster? The new batch from your own factory is quite excellent."
Phineas waved it off. He was curious about the new flavor, yes, but not that curious. Dumbledore remained the only confirmed fan of the candy. Even Phineas wasn't sure if he counted as a full fan—perhaps half.
After a few sips of tea, Phineas leaned forward. "So what did you want to talk about, Professor?"
Dumbledore raised his wand. A swirl of silver mist emerged and formed a scene in midair.
Phineas stared, stunned. It was Ravenclaw's Chamber of Secrets. Though the entrance was through the Room of Requirement, its use didn't interfere with the room's normal function. That's why he'd never noticed—because even while others used it, he could still enter his version.
But it wasn't the chamber that shocked him—it was the occupants.
All of them were him.
"This… This is a Time-Turner's doing?" he asked.
Dumbledore nodded gravely. "Yes. After the Parkinson incident, I investigated the Department of Mysteries. No Time-Turners were initially missing."
Phineas frowned. Then how had he gotten one?
"But just now," Dumbledore continued, "a former colleague contacted me. One Time-Turner had vanished without warning."
Phineas's eyes widened. So the first Time-Turner had been real.
"I knew something was wrong. I accessed Hogwarts' central controls and found this—the secret chamber filling with more and more versions of you."
Phineas was speechless. He had failed to save Lisa, used the Time-Turner again, failed again, waited again—over and over. But somehow, each cycle created another version.
"I… I'm trapped in a loop?"
"No," said Dumbledore. "In my view, something you did affected time itself—changed reality."
"What do you mean?"
"I believe you carry the blood of a magical creature capable of interacting with time. Otherwise, this reality-warping loop couldn't happen. But even so, you got the Time-Turner—before you got it."
He leaned in, serious now.
"Phineas, after all these attempts, you must see it by now. The past cannot be changed. No matter how many times you go back, Lisa still dies. Sirius is still in a coma."
He gestured at the ever-growing number of Phineases in the image.
Phineas clenched his jaw. "Professor… how can I be sure if I don't try?"
Dumbledore sighed, and handed him another Time-Turner.
"Then try again."
Phineas twisted the Time-Turner—and vanished.
Moments later, a knock came at the office door. Dumbledore waved his wand, and it opened.
Another Phineas entered.
"Did it work this time?" Dumbledore asked gently.
This Phineas, who had just woken up from his hibernation in the Ravenclaw chamber, shook his head.
"I failed… again."