"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once."

Albert Einstein

II

At the far end of the Time Room, there was a door that led to the Chronos Vault, a secret and highly restricted area where the most advanced experiments on time travel were conducted. The door was made of metal and had a complex lock that required a special key and a password to open. Above the door, there was a sign that read: "Time waits for no one."

As the door creaked open, Hermione turned her head to see an aged wizard with thick white hair and a beard, clothed in long green robes, enter the room. It was Elton Elderberry, the senior Unspeakable responsible for the Time Room. Instantly, the witch was reminded of Filius Flitwick, the charismatic Charms Professor at Hogwarts.

With a mischievous glint in her eyes, Regina Rowle, the director, greeted him and jokingly inquired about his well-being. "Elton, my old friend, how are you holding up? You look like you've aged a decade since I last saw you."

Elderberry responded with a playful grin, assuring her that he was still going strong despite his age. "Regina, you flatter me. I'm as fit as a fiddle, thank you very much. And you look as radiant as ever. What brings you to my humble abode?"

Rowle then introduced Hermione and Flora to Elton, who greeted them warmly, making them feel instantly at ease. "It's a pleasure to meet you, ladies. I've heard great things about you from Regina. You must be Hermione Granger, the brightest witch of your generation. And you must be Flora Carrow, the descendant of the legendary Ceallach Carrow, the first sorceress to attempt time travel for longer than four hours. I'm honored to have you here."

Hermione smiled politely and thanked him for his kind words. She felt a surge of curiosity and admiration for the man who had devoted almost a hundred years of his life to studying time magic. The witch wondered what secrets and discoveries he had made in his long career.

Flora nodded and expressed her gratitude as well. A pang of pride and awe for her ancestor, who had been a pioneer in the field of temporal magic, filled her heart. Not all of her family had been tainted by the dark arts. Her aunt and uncle, Alecto and Amycus Carrow, had been loyal followers of Voldemort, and they had met their fate after the war. Either killed or imprisoned.

Elton then invited them to follow him to the Chronos Vault, where he would show them his latest project. He winked at Hermione and said, "Don't worry, Miss Granger, I won't tell anyone that you broke into this room once. But you have to promise me that you won't do it again. Unless, of course, you want to join the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. You'd make a fine work reversing the effects of rogue spells, you know."

Hermione blushed and nodded, feeling a mix of embarrassment and flattery. She remembered the night when she, Harry, and the others had sneaked into the Ministry of Magic and ended up in the Time Room, where they had encountered Death Eaters and a prophecy. She had never expected to return to this place, let alone work here.

Flora looked at her with surprise. She had no idea that the brightest witch of her age had been involved in such a dangerous and exciting adventure. The pureblood wondered what else she had done in in the war.

They reached the door to the Chronos Vault and Elton took out a silver key from his pocket. He inserted it into the lock and whispered a password. The door clicked and opened, revealing a dark and spacious room. The old wizard gestured for them to enter and said, "Welcome to the Chronos Vault. This is where the magic happens."

The senior Unspeakable wasted no time in explaining the situation to the trainees. The war had resulted in the complete destruction of the department's inventory of time-turners. However, the team was currently working on creating a new one. With excitement in his voice, he revealed a small artifact, capturing Hermione's attention.

"That device you have there… it looks like the Antikythera mechanism," Hermione observed.

Grinning, Elderberry replied, "Well spotted, Miss Granger. There's a fascinating story behind it. This exemplar is actually a model powered orrery, based on Archimedes' works. It was found in a shipwreck near the Greek island of Antikythera in 1901. The muggles believe it to be the world's oldest known analog computer, designed to calculate astronomical positions and eclipses, however it is the first yet failed attempt at creating a time-turner."

Hermione gasped, her eyes widening in awe. "That's incredible! Archimedes was not only a brilliant mathematician and engineer, but also a sorcerer. I've always admired him."

The senior Unspeakable nodded, his eyes twinkling. "Indeed, he was a genius. And he also had a connection to the time-turners. Archimedes was the first wizard to discover the principles of temporal magic, and he wrote a treatise on it, called On the Measurement of Time. Unfortunately, most of his works were lost in the great fire that destroyed the Library of Alexandria in 48 BC. But we have managed to recover some fragments of his papyri, and we are trying to decipher them."

He then took out another artifact from his pocket. It was a small hourglass, attached to a golden chain. It looked like a miniature version of the time-turners that Hermione had seen before. He held it up and said, "This is the prototype of the new time-turner that we are building. It's based on the design of the Antikythera mechanism, but with some modifications and improvements. It's more accurate and more stable. It will allow the user to travel up to a century into the past or the future, without any adverse effects."

Elderberry then passed the prototype to Hermione, who scrutinized it with curiosity and admiration. The device had several bronze disks and rings, engraved with symbols and numbers. They were connected by gears and axles, forming a complex mechanism that could be adjusted by turning the knobs and switches. The witch wondered how it worked, and what kind of magic was involved.

"Could you explain our roles in this project?" Flora asked, her voice filled with enthusiasm.

The old wizard smiled and began to explain. "Of course! Miss Carrow, you'll be in charge of the mechanics of the new time-turner. You'll have to study the Antikythera mechanism and understand how it operates. You'll also have to test and calibrate the prototype, and make sure that it's safe and reliable. You have a natural talent for mechanics, and I'm sure you'll do a great job."

He then turned to Hermione and said, "Miss Granger, you'll be deciphering the ancient papyri. You'll have to translate and interpret Archimedes' writings on temporal magic. You'll also have to compare and contrast them with the modern theories and practices of time travel. With a brilliant mind like yours, I'm sure you'll nail this task."

As the hours passed, the two witches found themselves engrossed in deep discussions about the papyri and the mechanics of the time-turner. Their complementary skills and shared enthusiasm allowed them to understand the intricate workings that made time manipulation possible.

"Look at this," Hermione exclaimed, pointing at a fragment of papyrus. "This is a rune that records the temporal coordinates of the destination. It's similar to the one we used in modern time-turners, but it has some subtle variations that make it more stable and precise."

"Really? How does it work?" Flora inquired, leaning over to examine the rune.

"Well, according to this, the inscription is composed of two parts: a circle that represents the cycle of time, and a line that indicates the direction and magnitude of the temporal shift. The circle is divided into twelve segments, each corresponding to a month of the year. The line is drawn from the center of the circle to one of the segments, indicating the month of the destination. The length of the line determines the number of years to travel back or forward. The longer the line, the farther the travel. The line can also be curved or straight, depending on the type of temporal shift. A curved line means a smooth and gradual shift, while a straight line means a sudden and abrupt shift."

"I see," Flora acknowledged, nodding. "But how does this rune interact with the mechanical part of the time-turner? I mean, the runic inscriptions are only one component of the device, right?"

"Right," Hermione concurred. "The runic inscriptions are the magical component, the one that sets the temporal coordinates and activates the temporal shift. The mechanical component, the one you've been studying, is the one that regulates the temporal shift and ensures its safety and accuracy. It's a complex system of gears, springs, and levers that control the speed, direction, and duration of the temporal shift. It also has a feedback mechanism that adjusts the temporal shift according to the external factors, such as the gravitational pull, the atmospheric pressure, and the magical interference."

"Interesting," Flora observed, looking at the time-turner in her hands. "So, the mechanical component is like the engine of the time-turner, while the magical component is like the steering wheel."

"Exactly," Hermione agreed. "And I think we can improve both of them by using a new combination of runes."

"Really? How?" Flora wondered, curious.

"Well, I've been thinking," Hermione revealed, "that maybe we can use some of the runes from the ancient papyri, but modify them slightly to suit our modern needs."

Flora was impressed and exclaimed, "Wow, that's amazing. But what about the mechanical component? How would you modify it?"

Hermione pointed at the time-turner and answered, "Well, I was thinking of changing the direction of the gears. Right now, they move clockwise, which means, which means that the user can only travel to the past. But what if we make the gears move anticlockwise? That way, we can create a reverse temporal shift, which would allow the user to choose between going back to the past or forward to the future."

"That's brilliant. This would also solve the problem of paradoxes, because the person would be able to return to their original timeline without creating any inconsistencies," Flora was amazed and wondered, "But wouldn't that be dangerous? I mean, reversing the direction of the temporal shift could have unpredictable consequences, right?"

Hermione shook her head and assured, "Not necessarily. If we use the right runes, we can ensure the safety and accuracy of the reverse temporal shift."

"I see. That makes sense," Flora agreed and said, "But how would you decide when to use the reversal temporal shift, and when not to?"

Hermione suggested, "That's a good question. I guess it would depend on the user's preference and experience. Maybe we could make the reversal optional, and let the user choose whether to use it or not."

Flora smiled and complimented, "That sounds reasonable. I like your idea. I think we should try it out."

Hermione grinned and agreed, "Me too. Let's do it."

The two witches eagerly set to work, modifying the runic inscriptions and the mechanics of the time-turner according to their new ideas. They were so absorbed in their work that they lost track of time, and only realized how late it was when the sun began to set.

"Oh, Merlin," Flora exclaimed, looking at the clock. "It's almost six o'clock. We should go home."

"You're right," Hermione agreed, putting away the papyri and the time-turner. "We've been working all day. We should take a break."

"Besides, I promised to go help my older sister choose her wedding gown," Flora added, rolling her eyes. "She's getting married next month, and she's been driving me and Hestia crazy with her wedding plans."

"Really?" Hermione asked, surprised. "I didn't know you had another sister. What's her name?"

"Thalia," Flora answered, sighing. "She's my fraternal twin sister, but we're nothing alike either. She's all artistic and creative, and I'm all logical and analytical. We have nothing in common, except for our birthday. Sometimes I wonder if we were adopted."

"That's funny," Hermione remarked, chuckling. "You sound like Fred and George Weasley. They're twins too, but they're both Gryffindors and pranksters. They're very close, though. They run a joke shop together."

"I know them," Flora said, smiling. "They're hilarious. I used to buy their products all the time. They helped me pull some great pranks on my sisters. They hated it, of course. Hestia, in particular, is very serious and studious. She works in the Department of International Magical Cooperation and is very good at her job, but also very boring, if you ask me."

"I see," Hermione pointed, nodding. "And who is Thalia marrying?"

"A muggleborn, Hufflepuff called Francis Clarke," Flora revealed, her tone changing. "He's a nice guy, but he was almost killed during the war by my uncle Amycus."

Hermione gasped, her eyes widening. "Your uncle Amycus? As in Amycus Carrow, the Death Eater?"

"I'm so sorry," Hermione sympathized. "That must have been awful for you and your sisters. How did you cope with that?"

"It was hard," Flora admitted, sighing. "We had to hide our true identities and allegiances. We pretended to be loyal to the Dark Lord and his followers, but we secretly helped the Order of the Phoenix and the DA. We smuggled food and medicine to the rebels, and passed information to the resistance. We risked our lives every day, but it was the right thing to do. We hated our uncle and aunt, and wanted to stop them."

"You're very brave," Hermione complimented. "Thank you," Flora appreciated, smiling. "That means a lot to me. You're very brave too. You fought alongside Harry Potter, and helped defeat the Dark Lord."

"I appreciate it," Hermione responded, blushing. "But I'm not that amazing. I just did what I had to do. I'm glad the war is over. It was a terrible time. So many people died, so many people suffered. I still have nightmares about it sometimes."

"Me too," Flora agreed, nodding. "But we have to move on, and make the world a better place. That's why I love working as an Unspeakable. I get to explore the mysteries of magic, and discover new things. I get to make a difference."

"I feel the same way," Hermione echoed. The two witches smiled at each other, feeling a bond of friendship and respect. They packed their bags, and left the Department of Mysteries.