The room was quiet, save for the faint hum of magic emanating from the Time-Turner in your trembling hands. The air shimmered faintly around you, like heatwaves in the distance, and before you could even consider stopping the experiment, the world bent and twisted around you. A nauseating pull yanked you backward, your surroundings dissolving into blurs of golden light and shadow.

When your feet finally touched solid ground again, the world was eerily still. You staggered, catching your breath, and took in your surroundings—a familiar castle with towering stone walls and floating candles illuminating the long corridors. But the faces were different. The air felt older, heavier.

Hogwarts—but not the Hogwarts you knew.

"Lost, are we?" a voice drawled, smooth as silk, but laced with something sharper beneath its surface.

You turned to see a boy leaning casually against a nearby column, his arms crossed, his silver-grey eyes gleaming like a wolf’s in the moonlight. His dark curls framed his face, giving him an almost ethereal, untouchable quality. He wore his Slytherin robes impeccably, the green and silver crest standing proud against the black fabric. You didn’t need to ask his name—you already knew. Regulus.

“I don’t recognize you,” he said, his voice tinged with suspicion. His gaze swept over you like a blade, cutting through the lie you hadn’t even told yet. “And I make it my business to know everyone.”

You swallowed hard, unsure of what to say. Your mind raced—what year was it? How far back had you gone? And more importantly, how could you explain yourself to someone like him without revealing too much?

“I... transferred recently,” you managed, though it sounded unconvincing even to your own ears.

Regulus raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable, but something in his posture softened ever so slightly. “Interesting,” he said, as though filing the information away for later. Then, after a pause, he tilted his head and added, “Come. It’s dangerous to wander alone here at night."