Harry Potter and the Ambitious Girl

"…Where is this place?"

Mirabel muttered irritably as she scanned her surroundings. It was clear that she was no longer in Durmstrang Castle, where she had been moments before. However, this wasn't Hogwarts either. Nearby was a forest, and in the distance, she could make out a simple countryside village.

It was undoubtedly the past, but when and where exactly, she couldn't tell.

"Hey, Lainagel… where in the world have you sent me?"

"Um… sorry… honestly, I don't know either."

Mirabel glared sharply at Edith, demanding answers, but Edith's response was unhelpfully uncertain.

How troublesome. Mirabel could stop time, but rewinding or advancing it was beyond her current ability. Though she intended to eventually master such feats, for now, it was impossible.

"This scenery… it feels familiar somehow…"

Mirabel couldn't shake the strange nostalgia of the landscape.

Not only Mirabel but Edith as well felt they had seen this place before. And recently—perhaps only hours ago.

"Either way, we can't carelessly interact with others until we return to our own time. A time paradox would be a nuisance," Mirabel remarked irritably, clicking her tongue.

The use of a Time-Turner always came with a stern warning: never interact with your past self, nor allow yourself to be seen. Violating this rule could trigger a paradox, causing irreparable contradictions in history. Many witches and wizards had killed their past or future selves this way.

"Still, you've done something quite unnecessary, Lainagel. No matter when this is, you've inadvertently given me time to prepare."

"…!"

"With ample time, I could take control of the wizarding world from the shadows and wait for my disappearance at the final battle. Then, when I return, the world Letis wished for could…"

Mirabel spoke of her ambitions with delight, but the image of Letis stopping her flashed through her mind.

…That's right. Letis never wanted this.

Thinking it had been Letis's desire was nothing more than a self-serving assumption.

Even if she conquered the magical world… who would be happy? What purpose would it serve?

As the memory surfaced, Mirabel's smile naturally faded.

Ah, yes… she no longer had any reason to pursue domination.

There was nothing left in her hands.

No one would rejoice. No one would laugh.

"…No… it doesn't matter anymore. Time means nothing to me… I have nothing left."

Edith's actions, far from meaningful, had backfired.

If Mirabel used Accio to destroy Earth here and now, everything would vanish. Edith's intervention had merely hastened the end by a few years.

However, Edith intervened once more.

"Don't say you have nothing left! I'm here… I'm here with you!"

"…"

"I can't replace your sister, but I can still…"

"…Wait, Lainagel… this scenery… could it be…?"

Edith's heartfelt words were lost on Mirabel, who suddenly looked around in stunned realization.

Edith, too, began examining the surroundings. It was a humble countryside, but why did it feel significant?

And then she remembered.

"…Could this place be…?"

Yes, she recognized it.

Of course.

She had seen it in that world of memories shown to her by Mary.

At first, she didn't realize it, as the memory had been cloaked in rain, but this place was unmistakable.

"Hey… Lainagel. What year, month, and day is it now?"

"I… I don't know."

"…Tch. Hand me the Time-Turner!"

Mirabel snatched the device from Edith and inspected it closely.

Of course, there were no indicators on it to show the current date or time. Yet, as someone adept in temporal magic, Mirabel seemed to sense something from the artifact.

Her expression grew increasingly shocked.

"Lainagel… where did you get this Time-Turner?"

"Huh?"

"This isn't something handed out to students… This is nothing like the one Granger used. This is a Time-Turner capable of rewinding entire years! The kind that would be securely locked away deep in the Department of Mysteries."

Edith had no answer.

After all, she had only picked it up after it fell from Harry's pocket. She had no idea how Harry had come to possess such a powerful and forbidden object.

Even Edith hadn't considered the possibility that Harry might have stolen it from the Department of Mysteries.

"Excuse me, young ladies. Is something the matter?"

As Mirabel furrowed her brow in thought, an old man passing by called out to them.

There was no familiarity in his face—a complete stranger.

At least interacting with him wouldn't be a problem… or so they hoped.

"It's nothing serious. Old man, do you know what year, month, and day it is right now?"

"What a strange question. It's February 14th, 1989, of course."

Hearing the old man's reply, Mirabel grimaced.

That year… She would never forget the accursed day.

This was far too coincidental to be mere chance.

No, that wasn't it. Upon thinking further, Mirabel arrived at a conclusion: this was no coincidence—it was a deliberate inevitability.

Someone had willed for this moment in time to be reached.

—Who?

The answer was obvious. There was only one person capable of such a feat.

Mirabel bit her lip, furious at her own lingering attachments.

Indeed, no one else could interfere with a Time-Turner in such a way without mastery over the same temporal magic.

As much as she didn't want to admit it, it was likely that when the temporal reversal began, she subconsciously intervened.

When Edith clumsily turned the Time-Turner and it passed through this particular era, Mirabel forcibly "stopped" it, landing them here.

"Damn it…!"

Furious, Mirabel tossed the Time-Turner aside and took off running.

She was in such a rush that a strand of her hair got caught in the discarded device, triggering its rotation. The Time-Turner began reversing once again, but Mirabel paid it no mind.

She sprinted through the familiar streets, heedless of the stares of passersby who caught sight of her.

As she ran, a thought gnawed at her mind: What am I doing?

Stop, whispered a voice of reason within her.

She knew what lay ahead, understood how it would end. She also knew what it would mean to change that outcome.

"…Letis!"

Eventually, she arrived at a house and kicked the door open.

Inside, a silver-haired girl cowered against the wall in fear, while her father stood protectively in front of her.

Looming over them was a filthy Dementor, poised to strike.

—Stop. There's still time to turn back. You mustn't do this.

A warning blared within her, loud and unrelenting.

Halt. Retreat.

After all, this was the past—a place that had already ended, unrelated to her present self.

—Using the Time-Turner to alter history would render everything she had achieved until now meaningless.

Yes, it wasn't too late.

Turn away. Pretend you didn't see. That was the right choice.

This world was one she intended to destroy anyway—what did one person's fate matter?

Convincing herself of this, Mirabel forced her body to stop and began to turn away.

But then, she heard it.

A desperate cry.

"Help me… Mirabel…"

It was a faint voice, not directed at her.

The girl had her eyes shut in terror, so she couldn't possibly have seen Mirabel.

Yet that plea pierced Mirabel's heart, shattering the malice within her.

A single wish had overpowered the darkness inside her.

"…Begone! You filthy specter!"

Turning back, Mirabel unleashed a Patronus at the Dementor, tearing it apart.

She struck, kicked, and obliterated it, pouring into the attack all the rage from that fateful day when she had been too late.

After slaying the Dementor of the past, Mirabel turned her gaze toward Letis.

She knelt in front of the trembling girl, gently touching her cheek.

…Warm.

This wasn't a remnant of her soul but the living Letis, the Letis of that day.

As the girl slowly opened her eyes, Mirabel smiled softly, hoping to reassure her.

"I'm sorry I'm late… Letis.

…I'm here to save you."

It was done.

Carrying the weight of an irreversible choice, Mirabel returned to her original place.

In her arms was her friend, Letis, peacefully asleep.

She had left behind a false Letis created using the Philosopher's Stone.

Within that replica was a minuscule fragment of Letis's soul—barely a trace—ripped from the Letis of this time.

In other words—this was the answer.

Mirabel had always thought Letis had been taken from her, and that belief had driven her forward.

But what a fool she was. What a one-woman farce she had performed.

The one who had taken Letis from her was none other than herself!

The root of all evil was, undeniably, Mirabel herself!

"Haha… hahaha… hahahahahaha!!

What is this…? What is this ending…?

This makes me nothing more than a clown, doesn't it…?"

Her laughter, tinged with self-mockery, turned to Edith, who stood before her.

She truly had done it now.

Everything Mirabel had built up until now no longer mattered.

The enemy she had poured her hatred into was, of all people, herself.

Now that she knew this, there was no room left in her heart for hatred.

"What… what do you mean?"

"Rynaghl. Do you know what happens when you use a Time-Turner to change the past?"

"Uh? Yeah, Hermione told me… Something like 'the timeline includes the changes made,' right?"

Edith's response was common knowledge when it came to using a Time-Turner.

If someone traveled back in time and altered a fact, a paradox would inevitably arise.

When this happens, history mysteriously begins to self-correct.

By some unknown force, the timeline realigns to ensure the result had "always" been that way.

For example, when Harry and Hermione saved Buckbeak, that was a case of the future being what it was always meant to be.

Thus, even if someone intervenes in the past, the timeline incorporates the interference.

But this reasoning felt like a mere rationalization.

If Mirabel hadn't saved Letis just now, Letis likely would have truly been killed by the Dementor.

If Harry and Hermione hadn't saved Buckbeak, Buckbeak would surely have been executed.

Time is a complex, unfathomable thing, resistant to explanation.

Even Mirabel had only scratched the surface of its mysteries, far from delving into its depths.

Still, the fact remained: by "taking" Letis, Mirabel had maintained the timeline.

It felt as though she was being manipulated, and that thought irked her.

"Well then, we're now lost in time.

We have no place to call home, no matter where we go."

She turned a bitter, resentful gaze toward the dumbstruck Edith.

In this world, their counterparts from this time period existed.

But their existence didn't equate to a place for the present Mirabel and Edith.

In fact, considering the dangers, they couldn't even meet their counterparts.

In short, Mirabel and Edith had become mere "observers" in this world, the only two of their kind.

"To think… to think you, of all people, would thwart my ambitions…"

Mirabel's words carried a tone of resentment, but her voice lacked the venom her words implied.

Her expression, too, had softened, reverting to that of an ordinary girl her age.

The wind tousled her hair, and with a serene smile, she brushed it aside.

"If anyone were to stop me, I thought it would be Dumbledore or Voldemort.

Barring that, I even considered the possibility of Harry Potter.

But… to think a single insignificant girl, bearing no destiny, would stand in my way… I was far too naive."

There was regret, of course.

In the end, she hadn't been able to dominate the wizarding world, nor create the ideal world she dreamed of.

She had vowed to destroy everything but failed to even dismantle the British wizarding community.

How pathetic, how laughable.

And yet, strangely, there was a peculiar sense of fulfillment.

A feeling of satisfaction, as if a thorn lodged deep in her heart had finally been removed.

That, too, was vexing in its own way.

"I must admit it… Listen carefully, Rynaghl, because I'll only say this once."

"Huh? Wha?"

Edith, who still didn't seem to grasp the situation, stared at Mirabel in confusion.

With a wry smile, Mirabel spoke.

This would likely be the first and last time she said such a thing.

The idea that she would ever admit defeat had been unthinkable.

And yet, here she was, defeated by Letis's younger sister—a twist of fate she couldn't help but find ironic.

With a smirk tinged with bitterness, Mirabel declared to Edith:

"—You win, Rynaghl."

Yes, this was her first defeat.

Her ambitions had been crushed, her resolve to destroy the world extinguished.

It had all been an absurd one-woman farce, leaving her with no will to destroy the world any longer.

After all… Letis was here.

Seeing Mirabel smiling more gently than Edith had ever seen, she cautiously asked:

"…You're not going to destroy the wizarding world anymore?"

"No."

"You're not going to kill anyone?"

"No."

"…So, what happens to us now?"

"No idea."

Brushing off Edith's perhaps greatest concern, Mirabel twisted her lips into a mischievous grin.

"I told you, we have no place to belong.

In this world, we don't exist—no records, no home.

We'll have to figure it out ourselves."

It wasn't meant as cruelty or a bluff.

She was simply stating the facts as they were.

…Though she couldn't deny adding a touch of intimidation for revenge.

After all, Edith had ruined a plan years in the making. A little payback seemed only fair.

However, contrary to Mirabel's expectations, Edith didn't cower.

She faced her straight on, unafraid.

"Hey, Mirabel."

"What is it?"

"...Can I stay with you from now on?"

Now, Mirabel and Edith were the only two visitors from the future in this world.

There was no one else with whom they could share their struggles—no one as equal to them as each other.

At Edith's almost-confessional question, Mirabel narrowed her eyes and laughed mockingly.

"Hah, after shaking off my hand twice, now you ask me this?"

"Ugh… well, that's…"

Edith faltered under Mirabel's teasing.

But then, as if resolving herself, she spoke firmly.

"Even so, I think two is better than one."

As she spoke, Edith extended her hand.

Looking at that hand, Mirabel recalled words once spoken by a dear friend—a single phrase from this girl's sister, the one who had offered her own hand.

The words of the girl who now lay asleep in Mirabel's arms.

—Ah, I see. So this is what Letis meant...

"...I see. You really are sisters."

As if to confirm something to herself, Mirabel murmured and then took Edith's hand.

If she wanted to stand beside her, so be it. This one had earned that right.

But since she had been the one to extend her hand, Mirabel decided Edith would have to commit to it.

From this point on, Mirabel would never allow her to let go.

"Very well. I have no other companions anyway.

Walking with you doesn't sound so bad."

"Mirabel…!"

"Now that that's settled, let's move before anyone sees us.

Meeting someone who knows us would be problematic."

"Follow me, Edith."

At first, Edith found Mirabel's words odd.

But as understanding dawned on her, a smile spread across her face, brimming with joy.

How simple it was… Despite not knowing what the future held or having a place to return to, this one small thing was enough to make her happy.

Edith ran to catch up with the friend ahead of her, falling in step beside her.

"Mirabel, just now! You called me by my name!"

"Shut up! Don't make a big deal out of something so trivial!"

Yelling at the noisy Edith beside her, Mirabel turned her gaze forward.

She hadn't thought much about what lay ahead.

Should they escape overseas or stay in this country?

Either way, she doubted she would be bored.

Closing her eyes, Mirabel let her mind replay the earlier scene.

The face Letis had shown her just before losing consciousness, when Mirabel saved her, was burned into her memory.

Perhaps, just perhaps, that was what she had truly desired more than the world itself.

If so… then she had no regrets. This ending wasn't so bad.

—At last, she had seen her smile.

The genuine smile that hadn't surfaced since that day…

With that thought, Mirabel, holding Edith and Letis close, walked off into the distance, to wherever their path would take them.

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