Chapter 271: Learning the Creation of Portkeys
Time shifted from twelve noon back to seven in the morning.
"At this time, I should be in the Slytherin common room."
George headed toward the castle.
To accommodate the use of the Time-Turner, he would be at fixed locations at specific times to prevent running into himself.
At seven in the morning, he would usually be in the Slytherin common room, then at seven thirty he would go to the Great Hall for breakfast, and at eight o'clock, attend classes according to his schedule.
After reversing time, he would deliberately avoid these routes.
Just as he stepped into the castle hall, a hurried figure appeared in his sight—it was Hermione, who had also returned from noon to morning using the Time-Turner.
How did he know it was Hermione who used the Time-Turner?
Because Hermione looked obviously exhausted now, and he had already seen her in the Great Hall earlier this morning. At that time, he had just finished breakfast while Hermione had just walked into the Great Hall to begin hers.
So, at this moment, Hermione shouldn't normally have come downstairs yet.
"Hi, George, want to have lunch together?"
Hermione greeted him weakly upon seeing him.
Since both of them had Time-Turners, there was no need to hide it from each other. Hermione also figured that George, who came in from outside, had just used his Time-Turner.
During this period, because they both used Time-Turners, it was easier for them to run into each other than it was for others.
Sometimes it would be their first meeting of the day, other times it was like now—encountering each other after using the Time-Turner. There were even cases where one met the other who had already used it.
They had grown quite used to it.
"No, I'm not hungry yet."
George shook his head. If he went for breakfast now and ate too late, he might run into himself entering the Great Hall after seven thirty. Besides, not eating didn't really affect him.
"Alright then. George, why are you always so full of energy? I feel like I'm completely falling apart these days."
Seeing how George was always so energetic while she had heavy dark circles under her eyes, Hermione couldn't help but show a look of confusion.
They were both human—how could he endure so much more than her?
"Because I'm only in second year, I don't have to take as many classes as you. The extra time I have, apart from practicing magic, is mostly spent reading or resting, so naturally I'm not as tired."
George smiled:
"Actually, I think you don't have to take a dozen classes every day. You could try dropping some of the unnecessary ones."
Hermione not only had to attend more than ten different classes daily, but she also had to complete homework for all of them.
The key difference was that, unlike George, if he didn't get enough sleep, he could simply fly outside the castle in the morning, reset the time, and get five extra hours of rest.
Hermione couldn't do that.
To be honest, George really admired Hermione's perseverance. Most adults couldn't handle this level of academic intensity.
"Alright... I'm still hesitating. I'll wait a bit longer. I think I can still hold on.
I really hope the cafeteria has something good at noon, I'm starving.
Oh, I almost forgot, we'll be having breakfast soon. Breakfast is pumpkin porridge. I hate pumpkin porridge!"
Muttering, Hermione walked toward the Great Hall.
George shook his head and went up the stairs toward the Headmaster's office.
By this time, Dumbledore was already awake. Elderly people usually rose early, and wizard elders were no exception.
"Good morning, Headmaster. Knitting a sweater?"
George entered the Headmaster's office to find Dumbledore sitting on the sofa, knitting a sweater.
"Why not use magic? Wouldn't that be much more convenient?"
"Good morning, George. Magic is indeed convenient, but if we rely on it for everything, life would lose much of its joy."
Dumbledore stopped knitting and smiled kindly at George.
George nodded:
"That makes sense. Some things really can't be replaced by magic. What are you knitting?"
He actually agreed quite a bit with Dumbledore's point of view.
Magic, like technology, could make many things easier, but there were things that were more enjoyable if done personally.
Take, for example, certain handicrafts—even though machines could also produce them, something about it just felt different.
Or the process of two people having a child—if that were handled purely through magic, it would miss out on the most important joy.
"The weather is getting cold. I wanted to knit a pair of gloves for a friend of mine in prison."
Dumbledore set down his knitting needles:
"So, are you here to learn something today? Alchemy again?"
"Yes, I want to learn how to make Portkeys."
George nodded.
Dumbledore didn't ask why George wanted to learn how to make Portkeys. He agreed readily.
He believed that since George was the savior chosen by the gods, whatever magic he wanted to learn surely had its reason, and there was no need to interfere.
He no longer even concerned himself with Voldemort's matters.
To him, Voldemort had become a minor issue, not worth worrying about. George should be able to handle it easily by now.
His current life plan was to stay in his office knitting, teaching George any magic he wanted to learn, and occasionally going to Hogsmeade for a drink.
Once the students went on vacation, he would visit old friends in Nurmengard, waiting for the end of his lifespan and for death to come.
"Portkeys can be made from any object. Usually, we choose inconspicuous items to avoid attracting Muggle attention. There are three main types."
Under the guidance of Dumbledore, a master of alchemy, George began to gain a more detailed understanding of Portkeys.
There are three main types of Portkeys.
The first type: Fixed-destination Portkeys.
These are set to transport the user to a specific location. No matter how many Portkeys there are or where they are, as long as one touches it, they will be transported to the fixed location.
For example, in next year's Quidditch World Cup, the Ministry of Magic distributed this type of Portkey around the world so that wizards could arrive smoothly at the stadium.
Some underground Dark Wizard vendors also use this type, illegally transporting people for high profits in Galleons.
This first type is also the easiest to learn and produce.
The second type: Point-to-point Portkeys.
These are harder to learn and make than the first type and are the most commonly used by the Ministry of Magic. George used this type when he traveled to France.
It requires creating two Portkeys at once. These two Portkeys are then separated. No matter which one is used, the user will be instantly transported to the location of the other.
The third type: Non-fixed destination Portkeys.
This is the most advanced type. The user can freely set and modify the destination. Once activated, the Portkey will transport the user to the designated location.
For example, if today the destination is set to Paris, one can transport to France. If changed to London, the user will be transported to London. A single Portkey can be used to travel to multiple places as needed.
(End of Chapter)