Those time travelers that year

"Stun him!" Rufus Scrimgeour was the first to act. This brown-haired Auror looked like an old lion. He pointed his wand directly at the man in black and cast a Stunning Spell.

Kingsley Shackleton, the black wizard, followed closely behind, drawing his wand and immediately casting a spell on the man in black after Rufus's attack. However, unlike Rufus, Kingsley used a disarming spell. If the man in black had withstood Rufus's stun spell, Kingsley's disarming spell would have had no chance of stopping him.

Meanwhile, the other Aurors, who had also been hiding, revealed themselves and unleashed spells at the man in black robes.

6. How can you lose when a dragon charges in head-on?!

What defines an elite wizard? These Aurors, leading the Ministry of Magic, proved their elite status through their actions. From Rufus Scrimgeour, who struck first, to Kingsley Shackleberry, and later the Dexter and his Aurors, their actions were swift and decisive. Aside from omitting a powerful killing curse, they simultaneously cast three Stunning Curses and three Disarming Curses, sealing off the space around the suspect.

Upon learning that the suspect could use Fiendfyre, the Aurors tasked with the arrest were all veterans of the Dark Lord's reign over a decade ago. Each had fought to the death against Death Eaters and faced dark wizards wielding powerful dark magic like the Killing Curse or Fiendfyre. In this situation, every Auror used their fastest casting speed, striving to catch their enemy off guard.

In such situations, even if the enemy could withstand the attack of six elite Aurors, they would usually be overwhelmed for a while. With Apparitions blocked and all the fireplaces in Knockturn Alley sealed off, no matter how much the suspect struggled, they would eventually be worn down and fall to the ground by the Aurors. This was proven countless times in the battles fought by the Order of the Phoenix and the Ministry of Magic to purge the Death Eaters after the Dark Lord's downfall. Without a strong leader, the Death Eaters fell into chaos, even fighting amongst themselves, and were ultimately thrown into prison by the overwhelming numbers of the Aurors.

This time, the elite Aurors from the Ministry of Magic also believed that this was a sure-fire battle. With 6 against 1, 60 people, and dragons charging in, how could they possibly lose?

These Aurors probably don't know that a mysterious power from the East has descended upon them. If they did, they would probably all take Felix Felicis first, although it probably wouldn't have made any difference anyway.

Thus, under the interference of the will of the universe, the power of a certain well-known poisonous milk powder descended upon the Aurors of the Wizarding World, and so the wizards, full of confidence, were struck by the power of the curse (poisonous milk).

The scorching flames, or rather, the waves of fire, spread from the black-robed man's body. The intense heat spread, and the destructive flames met the six incoming spells, then swept away all the Aurors' spells with unstoppable force.

"No! Get out of the way!" Rufus Scrimgeour shouted, leaping to the side. The other Aurors also panicked and scrambled to avoid the advancing fire wave.

The intense heat easily flattened everything in its path. Even though the Aurors dodged in time and escaped the flames completely, they were still affected. Two Aurors who were a fraction too slow to dodge fell to the ground with cries of pain. The terrifying flame easily penetrated the Ironclad Charms they had hastily activated, then grazed them, but that single graze burned their bodies, rendering them completely incapable of fighting.

"Damn it, this isn't Fiendfyre!" Kingsley Shackleton, the black wizard, suddenly yelled, roaring in exasperation, "Fiendfyre isn't that powerful! This is other black magic, a spell far more dangerous than Fiendfyre..."

"Don't hold back, go all out. This is a Death Eater dark wizard unlike any we've faced before."

The instantaneous loss of personnel in the battle reduced this Auror squad to a third of its combat capability. Working in pairs meant that this dark wizard, suspected to be a Death Eater, had forced an entire group out of the fight with a single spell. And this was only a minor ripple from the spell; if they had been directly hit by it, they would likely have been reduced to unrecognizable charred remains, or simply turned to ashes—a fact evident from the blackened, reddish-black ground left by the fire.

If you get hit, you're dead!

"Hey! Aurors from the Ministry of Magic?" The man in black spoke in a deep voice, mocking the disheveled Aurors. "Where's Mad-Eye Alastor Moody? If it were him, I'd be more ruthless. You bunch of trash trying to ambush me?"

"You're all courting death!"

The black-robed man's mocking laughter shattered the Aurors' pride. After the Dark Lord's fall, the Aurors, who had rebuilt their reputation by destroying the Death Eaters, felt a deep sense of humiliation at this moment. This dark wizard before them didn't even give them a second glance.

The jeers ignited the pride of these Aurors, and enraged, they immediately wanted to continue the fight. Especially Rufus Scrimgeour, who was the first to strike. This Auror, who looked like a shrewd old lion and acted decisively, was also the commander of this operation and the head of the Auror Office at the Ministry of Magic. He was the first to leap angrily from the ground, roaring as he pointed his wand at the man in black.

"Rufus!" Delilah cried out, "No!"

But it was too late. The black-robed man stood motionless, but a thick shadow rose from the shadow beneath his feet, and mournful howls echoed from within the swirling darkness. In a daze, the Aurors seemed to see a pair of black wings spreading behind the black-robed man.

Shadow Fury

The shadows spread out, engulfing the entire street, including the Aurors. Instantly, all the Aurors felt as if they had been struck on the head with a heavy hammer, heard the death screams beside their ears, and then collapsed to the ground in darkness.

"Tsk tsk, I told you you're courting death." After crippling all the Aurors, the man in black strolled over to Rufus Scrimgeour, who was still not completely unconscious, and bent down to say, "Fudge's men are trash. Without Dumbledore, without the Order of the Phoenix, your Ministry of Magic is no different from a garbage dump, isn't it? At first, I thought Mad-Eye had returned, but it seems I was wrong... You won't let Dumbledore's men regain their power in the Ministry of Magic, will you?"

"But out of respect for Dumbledore, I won't kill you this time. I don't want to beat up kids and then have their parents come knocking on my door. Be thankful, you good-for-nothings, thank that Dumbledore is on your side, otherwise you would all be dead today..."

The man in black stomped on Rufus Scrimgeour's face, letting out a mocking laugh. He then adjusted his robes and headed out of Knockturn Alley towards Diagon Alley. Six Aurors remained lying on the ground, while the black market thugs who had been watching the fight from Knockturn Alley silently retreated to their corners. At least through this battle, they knew of the appearance of a powerful dark wizard and that things were likely to get turbulent soon.

After all, it was 1991, the year Harry Potter, the savior, was about to enroll in school. The appearance of a dark wizard so powerful that he could instantly kill the Ministry of Magic's most elite Auror team at this time was hardly a good omen.

In particular, there has always been a rumor in the wizarding world that the Dark Lord is not dead and is trying to make a comeback.

7. Platform 9¾

No secrets stay hidden forever. News of the battle at the entrance to Knockturn Alley quickly spread throughout British wizarding circles. Although the Ministry of Magic pressured the Daily Prophet to maintain its authority and prevent it from reporting anything about the battle, it was no secret to many observant or well-connected individuals. Anyone with a brain could easily guess why the Ministry's elite Aurors, including the Minister of the Aurors, had all entered St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Injuries.

Some nobles, who belonged to the upper echelons of the wizarding world, openly mocked the Ministry of Magic's defeat without any restraint. In recent social salons, the entire Ministry, including Minister Fudge, became the subject of ridicule. Meanwhile, many less-than-clean individuals secretly celebrated this 'great' victory.

Yes, victory. Whoever the dark wizard who humiliated the Ministry of Magic was, his defeat of the entire Ministry's Aurors was good news for many Death Eaters who had been forced into hiding and were constantly on the run. Especially this year, on the day Harry Potter officially enrolled in school, this incident was interpreted by many as a resurgence of the Death Eaters and a direct confrontation with Dumbledore.

After all, this time of year is far too sensitive.

Minister for Magic Fudge was furious. Nothing was more humiliating than becoming a laughingstock in high society. The suspect's mocking remarks before leaving were particularly infuriating, nearly driving Fudge to his wits' end. For a long time, since the Dark Lord's downfall, Fudge had been dedicated to weakening Dumbledore's influence over the Ministry. Having tasted the advantages and benefits of power and status, Fudge was unwilling to return to the time when Dumbledore's prestige in the Ministry surpassed his own as Minister. Unfortunately, his efforts had been largely ineffective. Although Fudge had sidelined all the Order of the Phoenix's personnel within the Ministry—for example, Dumbledore's staunch supporter Weasley was relegated to the sinecure of the Department for the Prohibition of the Misuse of Muggle Goods; Mad-Eye was forced into retirement shortly after the Dark Lord's fall—it still had little effect. Dumbledore's prestige remained such that a single word from him could supersede Fudge's.

This time, Fudge's reputation plummeted. After all, almost all the Aurors in the Ministry of Magic were now his men. In short, regardless of what others thought, Fudge viewed this incident as a blatant provocation. Therefore, he mobilized the Ministry's resources to find the dark wizard who dared to defy the law. But with little success; his subordinates seemed unwilling to risk their lives for Fudge's reputation. A dark wizard who had wiped out the Ministry's most powerful Aurors was enough to deter many cowards. If Dumbledore had spoken, things might have been different, but who was Fudge?

So, in this turbulent time, no matter how much Fudge himself jumped around, many people saw him as a monkey. As for the vast majority of eyes, they were on the old man who had been staying in Hogwarts, waiting for the strongest white wizard to react.

So far, Dumbledore has not commented on or responded to this, but is instead more concerned about this year's new student enrollment. Neither the Ministry of Magic nor that dark wizard from who-knows-where, in Dumbledore's heart, can compare to the boy with the lightning bolt scar on the enrollment list.

Meanwhile, Charles, the central figure in this affair, strolled leisurely through the streets of London with an air of ease. In the past, he wouldn't have had the spare money to travel to England, but now, even though he was no longer in the same world, it wasn't a bad idea for him to take this opportunity to visit the once-famous Fog City.

Although the glory of the British Empire had been completely lost during World War II, and the Iron Lady had just stepped down, the British government, in Charles's eyes, seemed to be in its twilight years. While the current British government continued her economic policies, and Britain appeared to be thriving, Charles knew that in 17 years, the financial crisis would deliver the final, devastating blow to Britain, followed by a series of unforeseen crises. The Scottish referendum, the Irish terrorist attacks, and finally, Brexit—the future was no longer the fading era of Britain.

But this still had absolutely nothing to do with Ciel, since he didn't plan to stay in the Harry Potter world forever. Besides, after causing such a huge uproar, even if he wanted to steal a Time-Turner from the Ministry of Magic, Ciel wasn't confident he could succeed. Therefore, Ciel had already decided to leave the Harry Potter world temporarily in a few days, and return after things calmed down to consider infiltrating the Ministry of Magic to steal the Time-Turner. Ideally, he would come back to this world during the third book, with Sirius Black as a target, Ciel would have plenty of opportunities to infiltrate the Ministry of Magic.

——————————Divider Line——————————

Platform 9¾ is a platform in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series that leads to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It consists of three pillars located on Platforms 9 and 10 at King's Cross Station in London.

The method to get in is also very simple: just rush straight in from the three pillars on Platforms 9 and 10. As for whether ordinary people will see you, there is absolutely no problem. When someone goes in, the Muggle-repelling charm set up here will automatically take effect, and no ordinary person will turn their gaze here.

Inside, a steam train from the last century was quietly waiting to depart from a crowded platform. Many young wizards heading to Hogwarts were boarding the train carriages one by one, accompanied by their parents.

And Ciel happened to be here right now, because he wanted to see the famous protagonist in person before leaving the Harry Potter world. Although he was a little disappointed that he couldn't go to Hogwarts, Ciel was still very interested in meeting the protagonist of this world.

Fortunately, soon after, Ciel spotted a dark-haired boy with round glasses in the crowd. He immediately recognized the boy as the famous Harry Potter. He was so certain because, from a distance, Ciel could sense another soul within the boy—a soul filled with darkness and evil.

A portion of the Dark Lord's soul, unbeknownst to everyone, was transformed into a living Horcrux by Harry Potter, a fact unknown even to the Dark Lord himself. And it was precisely because of this that, in the final battle, the Dark Lord stumbled and was utterly defeated by Harry Potter.

After glancing at Harry Potter and satisfying his urge to see the main character, Ciel straightened his clothes, turned around, and disappeared into the crowd.

8. A brief period in the main world

The morning sunlight streamed through the window and the drawn curtains, illuminating the bed and the face of the sleeping guest. The dark eyelashes fluttered, and the person grumbled in dissatisfaction, turning over to avoid the sunlight before returning to a peaceful sleep.

dong dong! !

Just then, there was a knock on the door. The person sleeping in bed made a whimpering sound, pulled the blanket over themselves, and covered their entire head.

Knock knock! "Young Master, it's time to get up, your breakfast is here." The knocking on the door continued, and at this moment, a young girl's voice rang out, "Young Master Ciel, Young Master Ciel, are you up yet?"

"Ah!" The person lying in bed then crawled out from under the blanket, sat up, rubbed their eyes, and yawned widely. "Coming... um, I'm up..." Black hair fell over their shoulders, their delicate face slightly blurred in the sunlight, and beneath their black eyelashes were a pair of dark golden eyes. A woman whose beauty was at least a 90 out of 100 answered the knocker casually as she dragged herself out of bed.

Charles rolled out of bed, dragging his white pajamas, and strolled to the door of the room. He reached out and turned the doorknob, opening the door.

A young girl dressed as a maid was standing at the doorway, pushing a cart.

"Good morning, Melia!" Charles greeted the maid. "Thank you for your help..."

"Young Master Ciel, you stayed up late again last night, didn't you?" Melia complained to Ciel as she pushed a cart full of leftover food into the room. "Honestly, how many nights in a row have you stayed up late this month? Haven't I told you so many times? Even if you are a great magician, you can't ruin your health like this!"

"Yes, yes, I understand!" Listening to the maid's complaints with a wry smile, Charles patted his dazed face, forcing himself to perk up. "I'll be more careful next time!"

"Sigh!" The maid sighed, placing the food from the cart onto the table with a helpless expression. Then she picked up the blankets from the bed and the clothes that had been tossed aside. "Let's hope so, Young Master Xia..."

"Yes Yes……"

After the maid left the room, Ciel gently closed the door and then opened the lid of the breakfast table. Some delicate cakes and a cup of hot milk tea made up Ciel's first meal of the day.

He plopped down on the table, rubbed his cheeks to clear his head, then snapped his fingers together with his right thumb and middle finger.

Freshly cleaned

A faint light flashed and disappeared in an instant, and Charles felt refreshed all over. All the fatigue he felt upon waking up that morning was instantly cleansed by the magical spell, and even the bitter taste in his mouth was gone.

This everyday magic, originating from the Harry Potter world, was originally only used to remove failed potions or erase writing from parchment. However, in Shire's case, it was equivalent to washing his face, rinsing his mouth, and brushing his teeth all in one.

Since returning to the real world from the Harry Potter universe, Ciel has been holed up in his villa, studying the various magical books he brought from Harry Potter. For a transmigrator, there's nothing more comfortable than this. Although this world isn't the 21st century he once lived in, thankfully it has already reached the Industrial Revolution. Generators have long since appeared in this world, marking the beginning of the electrical age.

Living in such a capital-driven era is an ambitious world for any time traveler. If he didn't have the ability to travel to the worlds of those movies and games, then Xia Er would definitely join the mainstream society of this world and become a successful businessman by virtue of his noble status.

However, after encountering a more fantastical world, Charles completely forgot about becoming a merchant. Compared to the incredibly mysterious magical world, being a merchant was nothing. If he really wanted to make a lot of money, he could just travel to any world and find gold, like the tinderbox in the fairy tale world he visited the first time. Getting gold coins there would be incredibly easy.

Since arriving in the Harry Potter world, Ciel has been staying at home for over three months. During these three months, he has been deciphering the magic books he brought back from Harry Potter. He can now cast at least the vast majority of standard spells, and as for dark magic, he easily learned the three Unforgivable Curses. The only thing he hasn't learned is the most destructive Fiendfyre, which he hasn't studied yet, mainly because he's afraid of burning down his house.

Charles Grete is his identity in this world. The eldest son of the Grete family, he should have been the first in line to inherit the throne, but because he was originally obsessed with opera and then with various kinds of witchcraft, he neglected his duties and was stripped of his heir status by the angry current head of the Grete family, and was banished to this country villa far away from the big city.

Frankly, Charles no longer cares about the title of heir. A mere earl's title, and the kind of feudal nobleman who lives off his fiefdom and lives off his inheritance. Charles doesn't want a title that will ultimately be crushed by history. In this world, the empire called Ruman has entered the capitalist era, like Britain on Earth, exploiting its slaves through overseas colonization, and this country has entered the period of primitive capital accumulation. At this time, the feudal noble class has to face the challenge of emerging capital, and history on Earth tells us that if the feudal noble class does not seek change, it will only be ruthlessly crushed.

The so-called Grete family was one of these stubborn factions. Unfortunately, after he was stripped of his heirship, his twin brother, who took his place, became the one to assume that role—just like the patriarch of this world, a member of the conservative faction. They advocated limiting royal power and implementing a system of fiefdoms…

After discarding all of that, Charles no longer cared about what would become of this world. As for the Grete family… who would care about their fate? Countless worlds awaited Charles to traverse and explore; he wouldn't concern himself with how this main world fared.

9. Opening a New World

When you possess a boundless world, would you care about a small garden? For Ciel, the answer is no. The illusory worlds of his past life have become real, and Ciel has a way to travel to these now-real worlds, so he wouldn't care what this other world is like.

At least compared to wearing a false mask, spending all day in so-called high society circles, fawning over others with insincere smiles, and even having to kneel and bow to an old man you don't know, it's much better to stay in a small villa in the countryside, living your own simple life. Besides, he can travel to all sorts of colorful worlds to explore and pursue his dreams. Most importantly, he has the power to control his own destiny.

Especially in the world of Harry Potter, he could easily take the lives of others, even those wizards and Aurors who wielded magical powers. Faced with Ciel, life and death were merely a matter of his whim; the feeling of controlling others' destinies and looking down upon them from a high place truly fascinated Ciel.

Why did so many warlords rise to power during times of great chaos in ancient China? Wasn't it because they were captivated by the taste of wielding power and authority? Everyone wants to be high above others, no one wants to bow and scrape before them, so everyone wants to reach the highest point, to stand atop the summit and survey all the mountains below.

After traversing the world of Harry Potter, Sharl finally understood why the warlocks in World of Warcraft, knowing full well that their power originated from the Burning Legion, which sought to destroy all worlds, and from demons, still relentlessly pursued these forbidden powers. Once you've mastered that power, once you've tasted its bitterness, how many people would be willing to abandon everything and retreat? Perhaps those with strong willpower, unwavering faith, and indomitable conviction might choose to retreat, but the vast majority of us are merely mortals.

Walking along the corridors of the villa, this estate and villa on the Grete family's fiefdom, though considered an insignificant little place by the family members—whose center had always been the capital of the Ruman Empire, making this place more like a place of exile—was perfectly fine to Charles. The estate, located on the family's fiefdom, still had dozens of servants tending to it.

Every servant who saw Charles would kneel down respectfully to offer him the utmost respect. Even the adoptive parents of this body had never been treated with such deference by these servants. However, to Charles, these respectful servants were merely objects to be tested on the Imperius Curse, one of the three unforgivable curses, and to receive suggestions and control from their souls. Now, even if Charles told these servants to commit suicide immediately, they would not have the slightest complaint, but would immediately carry out Charles's orders.

In other words, Ciel is now the true master of this villa. Even if the temporary parents came, their words wouldn't carry as much weight as Ciel's. This is why, in the Harry Potter world, the Imperius Curse, along with the Cruciatus Curse and the Killing Curse, are considered the three unforgivable curses. The Killing Curse leaves no physical scars, but the soul is forcibly killed. The Cruciatus Curse tortures the cursed body, causing unbearable pain. If the curse is continuously cast, the victim will be driven mad by the agony, or even die.

As for the Imperius Curse, in the Harry Potter universe, the cursed person experiences a mental blank followed by immense bliss, and then a voice instructs them to do certain things. However, if the curse is cast on the same person too many times, resistance develops, weakening its power. But in Ciel's hands, he does the opposite, subtly influencing the cursed person's mind little by little until he finally gains complete control. This is far more effective than the temporary control wizards use in the Harry Potter universe. It's unclear whether this difference in Ciel's role as a sorcerer is due to his profession, which makes the Imperius Curse work differently in his hands.

——————————Divider Line——————————

The afternoon sun shone on Ciel's face, making him feel incredibly sleepy. After returning to the main world from the Harry Potter universe and staying home for over a month, Ciel finally finished reciting the standard spells in his hand. In the Harry Potter world, most of these were everyday spells, which, while broadening Ciel's knowledge, had also stumped him for quite some time. Conversely, the dark magic, which was more difficult to learn in the Harry Potter world, was something he picked up very quickly.

In the days when he enjoyed using his poor servants as guinea pigs to test the spells he had learned, Ciel gradually grew bored.

"As expected, mundane and boring days are not for me!" Sighing at the uneventful days, Charles pulled the curtains in his bedroom shut, blocking out the sunlight. Then he turned around and walked to the center of the bedroom.

On the bedroom floor, a circular magic circle, three meters in diameter, was etched. Strange characters were inscribed along its edges, and at its center was an inverted pentagram. Earth, fire, wind, water, and spirit—each point of the pentagram represented an element. For Charles, this magic circle was the key to his journeys to different worlds.

Having already instructed the servants in the villa not to disturb him, Charles walked to the front of the magic circle and half-squatted down. Then he placed his right hand on the tip of the pentagram representing spirit within the magic circle.

A dark green light began to spread from Sharl's palm, then extended to every part of the magic circle. Sharl summoned the source of the warlocks' dark power, the power of fel energy, and infused it into the magic circle.

The dark green glow of fel energy illuminated the dim room, but unlike sunlight, this light did not bring warmth; instead, it made the atmosphere of the entire room chilling. This was a life-stealing, destructive power. The might of fel energy could be seen in the destruction of Draenor, or Outland; it was a power capable of destroying a world if left unchecked.

For Charles, this power is the very force he needs to tear through space and communicate with different worlds.

After the entire magic circle turned a dark green, Charles stood up, walked to the center of the magic circle, and took out a golden pocket watch from his pocket. Charles looked at the pocket watch in his hand with complicated emotions. This was the pocket watch that had caused his time travel, given him the power of a sorcerer, and could also open the portal to other worlds.