Chapter 10: Do It All by Myself
"That is the most terrible thing I can imagine possible," said Neville as the suddenly found themselves in the peaceful silence of the office. "I never want to see war again."
"That is a very mature thing to say, Neville. Many people throughout the universe discuss this. Many say that war needs to be ugly, like this. People need to see it to have a chance of evolving. It needs to be so ugly that once you see it, you will do anything to avoid it happening, again. Some say," he continued, "that if society makes war too civilized, sanitary, that the desire to wage it, or the fear of it, disappears. If it is reduced to someone in a room pushing a button and countless others perish unseen by them, then the will to stop and negotiate a settlement never arrives."
"I see," said Neville, starting to calm himself and to rationalize what he had just endured. "Does stuff like this occur other places?"
"Alas, far too many, and not just on Earth, I'm afraid," sighed Zaman. In this battle, about eight-thousand fathers, sons, brothers, uncles, etc. were killed. Thousands more were wounded or captured. You saw the results of being wounded for many of them at the hospital. And the camps where the prisoners went were horrible. Starvation, disease, brutal treatment. Many more died in them by the end of the war. But human history has many more battles, much worse than this one to its discredit."
"Battles and sieges like Leningrad, Stalingrad, Berlin, The Somme went on for a long time, two years or more in some cases, but the cost was immense. Hundreds of thousands of men died in each of those battles. The wounded numbers were staggering, sometimes over a million. And all of this is just on Earth."
"There are planets and systems where battles have killed multiple millions, and in a few cases, billions in just one day. Some of them have finally evolved beyond wars, others may yet, but some completely destroyed themselves, even exploding whole planets."
Neville's eyes were wide open. "That's horrible," he said.
"Yes, and tragic. Many of those cultures had a lot of potential if they could have just learned how to talk, instead of fight. But let's not dwell on this. There is a lot of beauty for us to see, as well. Finish up your report. I have a special trip for you to take next. Then it will be my rest period."
Neville sat and wrote his report while enjoying a nice black tea and a stack of peanut butter cookies with chocolate pieces mixed into them. Zaman busied himself organizing some of the paperwork in the drawers.
After reviewing the report and finding it a worthy effort for his first time reporting on something as traumatic as a major battle, Zaman gave Neville a bit of a surprise. "I think you are ready to try a trip on your own. It will be something very simple, no drama. But you need to give it a try. Eventually, you will be doing all of your trips alone."
"Do…do you really think I am ready for that?" said Neville, a bit nervous about the prospect, and still a little shaken by his Gettysburg trip.
"I don't know if anyone is ever completely ready for their first solo, but it has to be done sometime. I think you need to give it a shot. Like I said," pointed out Zaman, "it will be an easy one. If you experience any trouble, just come back. That is always an option on any trip."
"Okay," said Neville, nibbling on the last of his cookies. "I will do my best to make a good report."
"I know you will," replied Zaman. "I have every confidence in you."
"Where am I going to visit?"
"I found a fun one. It is the opening of the Great London Exhibition in 1862. Should be a lot of fun things to see and do. There should not be any challenging situation. It should be perfect for a first-time solo trip."
Neville smiled. "That does sound like a good time. I think I can handle that one. When do I go?
"Excellent" said Zaman, smiling as he handed a piece of paper to Neville. "After you leave I start my rest period. I will be resting when you return. Write your report and leave it on the table. There will be a list of a few more trips for you to take, if you wish, while I rest. We can discuss them when my rest period is finished."
"Should I go, now?" asked Neville, looking at the blank sheet.
"As soon as you are ready," came the reply. The year is 1862. The day is May 1. The place is South Kensington. Let's see you get ready, now."
Neville walked to the ledger. He turned its pages to May 1. Picking up the quill, he wrote South Kensington – 1862 on his sheet of paper.
"Good, good," said Zaman as he watched. "You are doing fine."
Neville folded the paper in half and walked to the clock. "I think I am all set," he said with a nervous voice.
"Go when you feel ready."
With a little shake in his hand, Neville slipped the paper in the slot. The clock came to life and he was gone an instant later. Zaman walked over to his bed, which had suddenly appeared, and laid down for his by now well-needed rest.
Neville found himself on a street with people hurrying about. Horse-drawn carriages were carrying folks in fancy dress. Everyone seemed headed in the same direction. He felt certain that it must be toward the exhibition.
When he arrived, it was truly a grand event. He took continuous notes as he walked through the exhibits. To a young wizard, much of it was strange, even in the modern day. Muggle Studies is an ongoing project of the magical world.
One of the first things he saw was a thing called a refrigerator that turned water into ice. He also saw part of an analytical engine made by Charles Babbage. It was able to do mathematical calculations. There were machines for processing cotton and making rubber.
He eventually found himself at a large, art exhibit. The pictures were beautiful in the soft light. As he walked, admiring them, he accidentally bumped into a girl of about his same age.
"Excuse me," he said, not thinking of anything except being polite.
"It's okay," she replied with a smile. "Do you like art?"
The girl was a pretty and slim with very black hair put up in a bun and dark eyes with a very straight nose that reminded him a bit a Pavarti Patil. She was wearing a pinkish dress and white gloves. Pretty girls such as her usually did not talk to him. He was a bit taken by her friendliness.
"Uh, yes, I guess so. I like plants and gardens the most."
"They have a nice garden by the fountain," she said, starting to walk that way. "Let's go look at it."
"Okay, sure," said Neville, enjoying the rare treat of attention from a pretty girl.
"Are you here with your parents?" she asked as they walked.
"No, I came to write a report on what I see here," he answered, getting a little sidetracked from his job.
"I am here with my parents. They are looking at science stuff. I like art better. That is why I was there."
They made it to the fountain and its surrounding garden. It was very different from the gardens at Hogwarts. Instead of magical plants, it was flowers and other benign, colorful plants. They enjoyed the scent of all the flowers, many of which had been brought out from greenhouses were they were forced to bloom early for the event.
"Don't you just love the smell of the roses and hyacinths?" she asked. "I love the way they smell."
"They are beautiful. I wish you could see the plants where I come from. I think you would like them, too. They are very interesting."
"Where do you come from, uh…what is your name? I don't think you said it."
"Oh, I am, uh, Neville. Neville Longbottom. I live north of here. But I am going to school in Scotland."
"I'm Kendra Smith. We live in Wembley. Nice to meet you, Neville."
"Nice to meet you, Kendra."
Just then, the sound of a distant clock chimed two o'clock in a rich, powerful tone. "Oh my," said Kendra, turning to go. "I have to go. I promised my parents I would meet them in front of the art museum at two o'clock."
She was gone in a flash of pink. Neville smiled, happy about meeting such a nice girl. Then he remembered his job. He got back to writing as he thought about her. He wondered if he had broken any rules, but he did not think so.
They had done nothing except talk. Surely he could not have caused anything to change from just talking. Zaman, if he had been there, would have strongly disagreed. He could have prevented her from an important event in her life, one that could affect the timeline. Neville did not look at it so deeply.
Neville finished the day writing in great detail about the many wonders of the exhibition. As it came close to the end of the day, he thought more about Kendra, and how he wished they could have had more time.
Once he was back at the office, he constructed what he felt was an excellent account of his first solo trip. He then looked at the list of other trips he should take while enjoying his tea and cake.