THIRTY-SEVEN

Professor Dumbledore insisted that Josephine rest and regain her strength before they discuss her experience in the timepiece and further action, which was deemed necessary by all parties, although Josie was itching to see what Temporalis and Dumbledore thought of her findings. She was escorted back to her dorm by Phil, for fear of her collapsing from exhaustion. However, successfully in her bed, Josephine still couldn't sleep. She stayed awake for another couple of hours, unable to keep her mind from what she saw. The pristine tiles and that dark door… They were exactly like the ones she saw in the Department of Mysteries before she got sent back in time. Mulling over it for a while, the Sigmund Freud in her deciphered it as her mental dreamscape. The Department of Mysteries was the last place she saw from the future, it would only make sense for it's hallways to be the vehicle for her return. It wasn't at all that far fetched - and it would explain why she felt such a need to enter the door. Through that door was her old life, she was sure of it.

First thing the next morning, before any of her dorm mates were awake yet, as it was a Saturday, Josephine made her way to Dumbledore's unannounced at her urgency to share this information.

"Sugar Mouse", Josephine supplied the password. Rising to the level of Dumbledore's office, she thought about what she was going to say. The next time she went into the machine would surely be the final trip. She was so close to that door. With a determined step, she approached the office door and knocked three times before entering. Inside the room, Dumbledore sat at his desk, quill poised over parchment. Before Josephine could say anything, Dumbledore spoke.

"Good morning, Josephine," He put down his quill and gestured toward the chair in front of him. "I trust you slept well." His voice was serious, stern. None of the whimsy of Penny Lane was with him now.

"Yes, thank you. It seems you've been expecting me," Josephine said, slightly embarrassed about her brash entry. She sat down.

"Well, yes, I expected you'd be keen to share what you saw in the time vortex last night." He said, as if it was obvious - and it was. Josie never knew where to look when talking to Professor Dumbledore, his eye contact was so intense.

"Yes, so, actually, I was in the same space as befo-" Josephine started, but was interrupted by the Headmaster's raised hand.

"As eager as I see you are, Miss Swire, I've decided on what I think is the wisest solution, and that is to stop this experimentation immediately." This is not what Josie had expected. Caught off guard, she started feeling a familiar throbbing energy at her fingertips. "At the first testing of our contraption I was already feeling uncertain about putting you under those kinds of risks. However, as you know, I reasoned it with the logic of the greater good. The invention of this magic would be revolutionary, and, more importantly, we'd be able to get you home." He said these last words with a certain sense of gentleness. "Yesterday night's events have proven even more dangerous than the first encounter, which is bad news, I'm afraid. While we will keep developing the machine and it's theory of magic, we won't be performing any more human experimentation."

"But, Professor-" Josephine attempted. They couldn't stop now! They were so close! "I would only need one more session, I promise-"

"I simply forbid it." His words were firm, but his expression was sympathetic. "I am responsible for the health of all my students and I can not keep knowingly and purposefully putting you in this danger, no matter how calculated it is." Josie bit her lip and nodded silently. "However, I will be sure to update you on any significant developments that Phillius and I make." There was a small silence between them as Josephine accepted this. It was a logical decision, but damn it if it wasn't frustrating.

"I understand," She said finally. Dumbledore gave a slight nod.

"That is all," He said, quieter. "Now, I must make my appointment with Professor Sprout, she was quite unsettled at how late I was last time." He gave a small smile, a reassurance, and a reminder that the normal day's activities were resuming without her. He walked to the door and opened it for her. "Have a good day, Miss Swire."

In the dining hall, Josephine spotted Lily and company eating breakfast at the Gryffindor table. They were all present, with James and Sirius in their quidditch uniforms. James's hair looked more disheveled than usual, which was saying something, and they were both covered with a generous layer of dirt. Apparently they had been up even earlier than she. She sat next to Sirius, who sat on the end of the group with a piece of buttered toast balanced in his teeth, as well as one in his hand.

"That hungry, huh?" She quipped as she reached for the cereal.

"Mmhrmm," Sirius managed enthusiastically.

"Wes wouldn't let us eat breakfast before practice this morning," James explained between his own mouthfuls of toast. "He said it would make us 'lighter'," He rolled his eyes. Lily scoffed.

"You don't agree, Lil?" Marlene asked, amused.

"No, of course not. That's not the way biological science works," She said, her frustrated hands waving the thought away. "This is a perfect example of why Muggle Studies should be compulsory!" Sirius gave Josephine an entertained look out of the corner of his eye that said 'this again', but all Josie could focus on was the considerable bruise along his right jaw.

"What've you done?" She groaned.

"I haven't done anything!" He insisted, swallowing his toast. "McTavish over here just happens to have a very wide swing radius…" With a menacing twitch of his head he indicated to an older, muscular boy a bit further down the table, presumably the second beater for the Gryffindor quidditch team. Josie muffled her laughter.

"He hit you in the face?"

"He shouldn't have been flying that close anyway," James offered, grinning.

"Oh, shut up," Sirius snapped. "I'll go see Madam Pomfrey after breakfast."