Chapter 179
The trio of Hogwarts staff then spent the next few minutes making the petrified girl comfortable, as Harry and the real Dumbledore waited.
Finally, memory-Dumbledore said to Madam Pomfrey, "Would you excuse me for a moment Poppy? I need the lavatory," and headed out of the Hospital Wing.
"Come on Harry. Now we follow me," the Dumbledore beside him said, and they headed out in pursuit of the memory-Dumbledore.
They followed him straight into the bathroom a few minutes' walk away from the Hospital Wing, where Harry reluctantly followed both Dumbledores into a stall at the real one's insistence. There, Harry curiously watched as the memory-Dumbledore pulled out from his robes a very long, very fine gold chain and looped it around his neck. A tiny, sparkling hourglass hung from it.
"Grab onto the chain Harry," the real Dumbledore instructed urgently, closing his own hand around the intangible chain. A confused Harry followed suit.
The dark stall around them dissolved. Harry had the sensation that he was flying very fast, backward. A blur of colors and shapes rushed past him, his ears were pounding, he tried to yell but couldn't hear his own voice…
And then he felt solid ground beneath his feet, and everything came into focus again.
Heaving to catch his breath, he turned to the blue-robed ancient Headmaster next to him and indignantly asked, "What was that!?"
"I have just gone back in time Harry. Twenty minutes backward to a point in time three minutes before Miss Abbott was petrified. And the two of us have followed."
"What!?"
"I realize that time-related magic might not have been something you knew to exist in our world, much like most other wizards," Dumbledore said, "But I must ask you to suspend your disbelief for the remaining duration of this memory, for we must keep up with myself."
Harry looked, and sure enough, the memory-Dumbledore had immediately stuffed the spindly device back into his pocket and headed out of the stall in a brisk jog. The student headmaster duo hurriedly gave chase.
They followed him all the way to the staircase on the second floor that led up to the third-floor corridor where Hannah had been found petrified. The memory-Dumbledore pulled out the mirror, waved his wand over it before re-pocketing it. Then, he stood there and started waiting patiently.
"A temporary one side mirroring charm, similar to the one Nicholas told me you used to put on your pocket to hold Miss Hedwig," the real Dumbledore idly commented.
Just as Harry was starting to wonder whether anything was going to happen or not, the blonde haired form of the alive and well Hannah Abbott appeared walking from around the bend of the corridor.
Perking up, memory-Dumbledore called, "Miss Abbott! I was looking for you," walking over to a swiftly reddening Hannah.
"Oh! Er…Good evening sir," she nervously stuttered out.
"Good evening, good evening. Now let me see here," Dumbledore ruffled around in his pocket before he pulled out the compact mirror that had his initials on it. He handed it to Hannah, who curiously looked at it, "That is a Wickester mirror, Miss Abbott. To help with your eyes."
"My eyes?" she confusedly asked, clearly having no idea what Dumbledore was talking about.
"Indeed," Dumbledore sagely nodded, "Madam Pomfrey has just found out that the Hufflepuffs have been infected by the Wickester bug in your Herbology class, which can cause fainting spells if you stare at faraway objects for too long."
Hannah's eyes widened, before she immediately fixed them onto the floor right next to her before asking, "Is it curable, Professor? Will I be alright?"
"Not to worry Miss Abbott, the mirror itself is the cure. It is also enchanted to show you whatever is in front of you in it so you can move around fine without having to risk fainting. Just do not look at anything unless it is through the mirror for a few hours and you will be fit as a fiddle in no time at all.
"Thank you, Professor," Hannah said, visibly relieved as she opened the mirror and fixed her eyes on it, testing it out and using it to see what was in front of her.
"You are quite welcome, Miss Abbott. Now if you will excuse me, I must be off to give mirrors to your fellow house-mates. Good day"
And with that, the memory-Dumbledore headed around the corridor, only to immediately put a disillusionment charm upon himself and doubling back to follow Hannah. His invisible form was outlined by a blue glow to Harry and Dumbledore, which was how they were able to easily follow him as he followed Hannah up to the third floor.
Harry, realizing that this was the point where the Heir or the Beast must have appeared to petrify Hannah, carefully watched for whatever it was that petrified her to appear.
Nothing did.
One moment, Hannah was staring the mirror in her hand and walking all well and good, and the next, she froze up and keeled over.
Harry gasped in complete shock.
Nothing!
The outlined form of memory-Dumbledore quickly ran over to where the girl was lying and started waving his wand, trying to find whatever it was that petrified the Hufflepuff. It was clearly evident a minute later that he too did not find anything.
A few seconds after that, Professor McGonagall rounded the corner, walking at a leisurely pace before she noticed the petrified student and ran over to her.
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