"You know Harry there is a reason you don't activate a rune unless you know and understand every single inch of it", said Hermione while running from a horde of inferi who were apparently immune to fire. "There was no way in from that infernal puzzle room Hermione. You said it yourself, Euler proved this 'seven bridges of Konigsberg' problem has no solution. So, I activated the only rune in the room that said open." Countered Harry all the while blasting the inferi with spells each with more power than an average wizard. The pair were running through a giant room which is apparently a replica of an old city of Prussia trying to cross all the seven bridges to reach a cathedral at the center of the room all the while avoiding triggering the traps that spread over every inch of the place key word being trying. "Only you Hermione would want to solve an impossible puzzle from 1500's while running for our lives", Harry replied carefully transfiguring a ditch which swallowed at least half the inferi before returning to its previous immaculate state. Hermione on the other hand moved her wand in a dizzying number of movements which had the inferi turn on one another and finished by locking them out of the bridges needed to cross to the center. "There that takes care of that", said Hermione blushing from the admiring gaze of her husband "but that's the thing Harry. This was a puzzle from 1500's. The variety of traps we have faced are from the ancient era Harry over different time periods. This puzzle seems to be from a period way later than the rest." "You think someone else found the place first, deemed the security insufficient, established an impossible puzzle room to further protect the tomb. Hermione this site is an intersection point for seven ley lines. Any more wards and this place would disappear into the mists like Avalon itself". "Exactly what should have happened Harry. As you said the wards if left alone would have completely obscured the tomb with no chance of anyone discovering it. But if some one broke in early 15th century and had no way of replacing the previous wards needed a new way to prevent intruders, an impossible puzzle maybe is just the way to go." Said Hermione getting excited with every word she spoke. "But Hermione, I activated the trap and only Inferi appeared. I just transfigured a ditch to drop them in. You stopped them with a ward line and made them attack themselves. Not a very good puzzle if you ask me." countered Harry. "Harry dear, not everyone rushes to activate a trap without solving the puzzle. Considering it is impossible they will virtually be stuck. Inferi that are unafraid of fire are the nightmare of any sane witch or wizard. The room is designed to allow only a single person at a time and the reason we could enter together is that we were bonded. Also, the room is made of amber which is considered least conductive to magic which means the power needed to transfigure the bridge to ditch should have killed any witch or wizard twice. And not to brag But I just re wrote the instructions given to an already created and bound inferi while drawing a ward line on said amber itself. So Yes, I believe the puzzle is almost impossible." Said Hermione while getting an earnest kiss from her husband. "You don't need to tell me my wife's amazing", replied Harry breaking the kiss. "So, shall we?"
"Entering the tomb itself was not very exciting to Harry at least compared to the traps they encountered before. No destructive traps, no killing monsters, nothing hindered their path except for a few dusty objects till they reached a fully sealed door which instead of stopping them disappeared into nothing on a simple touch from his wife. The couple simply looked at each other before stepping in together. "Their entire surroundings simply transformed into a place they both hated and loved the chamber of Headmaster of Hogwarts and seated in the chair was none other than Albus Dumbledore himself. Albus Dumbledore while no longer the paragon of light he was purported as he was still very well-respected man indeed. A boy genius born in a troubled family, well tempted by lure of power, lost family and his one true love, grew to be one of the most powerful wizards alive, fought dark arts all his life, tried to single handedly save the entirely world and died doing the same. While his achievements were great so were his failures. While trying to save others from the temptation of power he went on to hoard the entire power himself and hated himself for doing it. Having the power and hating using it made him entirely responsible for the stagnation that plagued the wizarding world in the last two decades. Instead of promoting knowledge and brilliance he removed the most powerful of magics both light and dark from the reach of the populace and became responsible for the bigotry and racism the ignorance promoted. Fearing another Grindelwald he created his most terrible mistake Tom Riddle. The couple knew that by the time of his death he was wise enough to recognize most of his faults and met death as the most self-aware man they had ever known. The room itself contained some of the most horrible memories of his life. It was here he came after the death of Sirius, it was here he knew the terrible secrets of Voldemort, it was here he learnt his fate of death. But for all Harry hated the man for planning his death, the secrets he kept he respected him too. It was similarly conflicting for Hermione. Especially since she idolized him since her entry into the wizarding world. She went from Ravenclaw to Gryffindor in the admiration which shaped her entire life till date. The fall from grace happened during the cold months spent in the tent all the while debating non-existing clues from a children's book whether to continue their quest for Horcruxes or collect the hallows. The confusion, the desperation, the life, the lies made her lose her faith in the leader of light. Neither of the couple had any doubts that the imperius defense claimed by the death eaters in the previous war was allowed only because Dumbledore knew about the problem of numbers. They also knew he made every effort for them to like Hogwarts so that there is no migration towards climates like Bulgaria. But in doing so he supported the same ideals of his enemy for the greater good. Both Harry and Hermione are well versed in art of the mind to know that man seated in front of them is only an aspect, a figment of their own mind the actions of the man made them very vary of even an aspect that looked like him.
"So once again my tomb is breached", said the aspect without a trace of any kind of emotion "A couple this time, surprising considering your youth. What is it you seek young ones? Is it glory of finding my tomb for you may take any of the artifacts proving the fact you were here. Is it Knowledge for you may receive my own tomes of unknown magics to further your own. Ask young ones for I always reward excellence and stepping in here is no mean feat, one that needs to be rewarded." "You are Merlin", said Harry gaping dumbly. Hermione recovering faster than her husband asked him "You left the clues for your tomb to be found like a quest?" "Well I am not Merlin himself young one, but an imprint left behind to guard the knowledge he left behind. I researched magic my dear irrespective of its use and in its course discovered great magics both good and terrible. And the world I resided in was not ready for the knowledge to be discovered. So, I left a quest and a challenge behind for the curious, the inquisitive and the eager to find it for the glory or the knowledge to be discovered once more. Each quester then left behind their own test to make this even more impregnable and the challengers became quite rare young ones" Replied the aspect with his eyes twinkling eerily like their deceased Headmaster. The twinkling stopped, and the eyes turned to stone when he heard their reply "Sands of time". "The magic of time is not something to be taken lightly young ones. You may be facing several problems young ones. But invoking the Sands of time the greatest of temporal magics is not done lightly and not something that is handed over easily to everyone. You will be tested, and it is neither for the simple nor the faint hearted. You are young and talented enough to find proper solutions to your problems young ones." "We did not come this far for some mere problem Master Merlin. Wizarding world is dying and After considering all the possible solutions we believe this is the best way forward. We seek the Sands of Time." "I neither know if your problem is as grave as you are professing, nor I get to care. Knowledge given to the worthy will take the world to great heights but the unworthy in possession of same knowledge will destroy the same. And I am the aspect of Myrddin Emrys left behind to safeguard the prodigious knowledge gathered by him and weed the unworthy from the worthy. Seeking the Sands of Time has left many a quester all quite talented dead or worse. So young ones, I ask again Are you sure you want the sands of time?".
"A single nod as one from the couple began the worst nightmare they have ever faced which is saying something considering some of their adventures. Harry saw his parents having lot of fights regarding kids before being horribly killed in a clash that resulted in the final victory of Voldemort, he saw Petunia being extremely loving to Dudley but tough enough to curb his more bullying tendencies and the Dudley family thriving. He saw Luna Lovegood commit suicide after years of being bullied. He saw the entirety of wizarding world suffering under the yoke of Voldemort. He keenly felt both the happiness and the suffering of hundreds of unknown eyes that looked at him as the cause. Hermione herself saw similar images to her husband. She saw her parents getting split up because of Kids, her mother suffering after remarrying an abuser, Ronald Weasley becoming a death eater after years of insecure bullying, Neville Longbottom cracking and killing an entire class after years under his domineering grandmother and no friends. She also saw Harry marrying a variety of women being very happy with a lot of kids already, she saw the entire Weasley family living after the war. Her throat grew hoarse from screaming what felt like eternity before it ended.
"The couple fell together as the room once again became a dust filled tomb just feeling each other to re-assure themselves of the presence of other and recuperating from the ordeal they just faced when the aspect spoke again. "What you just faced young ones is the entirety of your existence. As much as your decisions affect your own fate using the sands affect all the people you interacted with either knowingly or unknowingly. Your every interaction from a simple sorry to an unknown person to a heartfelt I love you to a loved one affects the world in a way or other. By using Sands of Time, you are erasing the entirety of your existence changing the realty itself. These are the consequences of using an object as powerful as the Sands of Time. So Young Ones do you want to proceed?". The couple took some time looking at each other thinking about the enormity of the task before them. They already discussed the consequences of their actions before and the ordeal just made it real. They embraced each other, turned to aspect together replied yes.