Chapter 2
Harry stepped out into the cold corridor, now fully aware of what had just happened. He had been permanently thrown out of Potions class, all because he had been thinking about Sirius. But thinking about Sirius was not something he could prevent doing, because Sirius was the only person he cared the world for, and now he was gone.
Seeing Sirius die just before the end of Harry's fifth year was the hardest thing for Harry. He had gone back to Privet Drive with a heavy heart, and although he was able to join the Weasleys at The Burrow after a few days into summer vacation, he still could not help thinking about his godfather. He hated himself for falling for Voldemort's trap, but there was nothing he could do now that Sirius had suffered the consequence of his actions. Harry was also lonely that Sirius, his only relative who genuinely cared for him, was not going to be with him any longer.
Now, in his sixth year, Harry's grades were slipping. Harry was perfectly aware that it was thoughts of Sirius that were causing his grades to plummet, but he didn't want to care. He felt he didn't have to be good anymore; he didn't have to strive for anything now that Sirius was gone. Ron and Hermione had always been there to console him, which helped a bit, but nothing so far had been able to lift the heavy load in his heart. If only he could just talk to Sirius again, to see him one more time and bid him goodbye properly…
Harry kicked the stone wall furiously, desperate to vent his frustration. His toe throbbed in pain, but Harry didn't care. He stomped out of the dungeons, across the Great Hall, and up the staircase. He was just on his way to the Gryffindor common room when he ran into Albus Dumbledore along one of the corridors.
"Ouch--Oh, sorry, Professor Dumbledore," said Harry gloomily. "I--I wasn't looking where I was going--"
"That's alright, Harry," replied Dumbledore calmly. He looked normal now, not at all like the sad, aged man he appeared to be in the previous year. He looked like a new man. Now, there was a twinkling but serious gleam in his eyes. "I would like to speak with you, Harry," he said soberly.
"I--" Harry began. Normally, he'd have declined, but there was just too much pent-up anger in him that he decided it might be good to talk to someone. "Well--okay."
They turned into a different corridor and stopped before a large, stone gargoyle, which guarded a large door behind it. This was the entrance to Dumbledore's office.
"Bobotuber pus," Dumbledore recited. The gargoyle sprang up and moved to the side, granting entry.
Harry and Dumbledore stepped over the threshold, then ascended the staircase to a large, brass door with a griffin knocker on it.
"Come inside, Harry," said Dumbledore, opening the door and waving his hand dramatically.
Harry stepped inside. Dumbledore's office looked the same as before, a large, spacious carpeted room with a classy writing desk in the middle. Portraits of former Hogwarts headmasters lined the cream-colored walls. Several silver, magical instruments sat on elegant end tables and cabinets. In one corner of the office was Fawkes, the phoenix who had saved Harry's life in his second year.
"Have a seat," Dumbledore said cordially, indicating a cozy purple chair beside his writing desk. Harry sat down as Dumbledore took his seat behind the desk. The headmasters in the portraits, who were normally awake, were dozing peacefully in their frames.
"Now, I know that you haven't been performing very well in your classes this year," said Dumbledore seriously.
Harry stared down at the floor. "I--I was just kicked out of Potions class today."
Dumbledore did not seem surprised by what he said, but said, "That can be dealt with…later.
"I know there's something bothering you, Harry," he continued gently. "And I'm almost certain that 'something' is the thought of your lost godfather, Sirius."
Harry sighed heavily. "Yes."
Dumbledore gazed at Harry from behind his half-moon spectacles, a faint glimmer in his blue eyes. "I'm guessing you're wishing you could talk to Sirius again," he went on. Harry just nodded in reply.
"I must tell you, Harry, that there is no way to bring dead people back to life, not even with magic."
"I know that," said Harry, rather irritably.
"Dead people may choose to turn into ghosts and live like ghosts forever, but others choose to move on," Dumbledore continued calmly. "Of course, Sir Nicholas may have told you that."
Harry was surprised to find that Dumbledore knew about his talk with Nearly Headless Nick, but Dumbledore just smiled. "We both know Sirius cannot come back to us," he said kindly. "But there is a way to talk to him once again."
"Yeah, I kn--there is??" Harry said incredulously.
Dumbledore nodded. "It is a complex and very difficult method of traveling back in time, and in this case, it will allow you to see and talk to Sirius."
Harry leaned forward. If what Dumbledore's saying is true--and doable--, he thought, he may finally be able to talk to Sirius again, and he may not have to carry on his life of anger and sorrow.
"Do you mean," Harry said, his nerves wracking, "that I can use a--a Pensieve to talk to Sirius?"
"No," said Dumbledore, shaking his head. "Remember that a Pensieve may only be used to travel into a person's memory. Although you will be able to see Sirius if you traveled to one of your memories, he, on the other hand, will not know you exist while you are in that memory.
"Neither can a Time Turner be used," he went on, practically reading Harry's thoughts. "A Time Turner must be acquired from and registered at the Ministry of Magic, and doing so will take time. Neither can we let the Ministry know about this. Besides, a Time Turner only repeats hours of the day within a specific time frame. Too much time has passed between now and the time period I'm planning for you to travel to."
Harry shifted in his seat as he listened, wondering what particular time period Dumbledore was talking about.
"What I have in mind," the old wizard continued, "is a diverse form of magic called Talimancy. It enables one to go back in time--back to any time period whatsoever--and alter events within that time period. One who travels back in time with Talimancy can interact with the people and surroundings in the time he has traveled in, and his actions will affect the world around him at one point or another."
"S--so," Harry breathed, "do you think I can go back in time--go back to when I thought Sirius was trapped in the Ministry of Magic, and…well, not go to rescue him? If I can do that, Sirius won't be dead when I come back to the present!" He paused, thinking. If only he had not gone to try to rescue Sirius that day…It was he, Harry, who had brought about Sirius' death, and he was determined to fix what he had done.
Dumbledore shook his head sadly. "Harry, Sirius has passed into a different plane of existence. No amount of traveling back in time and altering events can bring back one who has died and has moved on." The twinkle in his eyes was sad. He regretted saying the awful truth, but he knew Harry had to know. "It will also be dangerous to go back to that time, for your life, and the whole wizarding world's safety against Voldemort, were on the line back then."
Harry nodded, breathing heavily.
"Talimancy is a difficult form of magic to master, Harry," Dumbledore explained, "but I do believe that you can master it if you just set your mind to it. It will take at least two weeks to master, provided you practice everyday. I will be your teacher, and you must promise to devote two hours everyday to learning this branch of magic."
Harry nodded grimly. He didn't know how he could pull up his grades while trying to practice such a difficult form of magic, but he had to do it--for Sirius and for himself.
"We start tomorrow afternoon," Dumbledore concluded. "Any questions, Harry?"
"Er, yes, just one," replied Harry. "Er--what, exactly, is the time period I'm going back to when I've mastered Talimancy?"
Dumbledore smiled. "I will explain tomorrow. For now, you need a break. Go on to your common room and get some rest, and hopefully you'll be refreshed by tomorrow morning."
Harry nodded, got up, and crossed the room to the door. He exited through the door guarded by the gargoyle and set off for the Gryffindor common room.
Ron and Hermione were sitting beside the fireplace, talking seriously. Harry went over and flopped down on a chair beside them.
"Where were you, Harry?" asked Ron, concerned.
"At Dumbledore's office," replied Harry. He launched into the story of how he had a talk with Dumbledore at his office, and how he'd been scheduled to have Talimancy practice everyday after class for at least two weeks.
Hermione looked grim. "This is really dangerous if you ask me, Harry! Mastering Talimancy would be pretty easy--for you, I mean--, but traveling back in time? What if you screw something up and drastically change something in the present? Why, you could very well threaten your own existence doing this!"
Harry sighed. "Look, Hermione, Dumbledore suggested this whole thing. And if he suggested it, that means he believes I can do this without screwing up. Besides, I need to do this--for my own peace of mind."
"Alright, mate," said Ron, as the trio got up and headed to their dormitories, although he and Hermione still looked worried. They knew Harry'd have to work extra hard now that he had practice every afternoon, but they committed themselves to helping him cope in every way possible.
Harry never knew how he would have been able to get through the next few weeks without Ron's and Hermione's help, and he was glad he at least didn't have Potions to deal with anymore. After classes, he'd go straight to an old Transfiguration classroom on the second floor to meet Dumbledore, and they'd start a new round of hard practice. By the time Harry got to the common room, Ron and Hermione'd be ready to give Harry his homework, which they helped him answer every night.
Talimancy was, indeed, complex and very difficult, and required casting a spell in the air to produce a time warp, which was a blackish, liquid-like hole in the air through which one could pass to end up in another time period. After five days, Harry had managed to create a small time warp, which he passed through to land back in the Transfiguration classroom, only where he had been five minutes later.
Harry wondered why he never saw himself (his "past state," that is) whenever he went back in time. Dumbledore explained that unlike with the Time Turner, he who goes back in time carries all of himself with him, hence he will not see himself where he was in the past. Harry never fully understood the mystery of this, but didn't spend too much time thinking it over.
Dumbledore explained that after Harry mastered this, he'd be able to travel back to when Sirius and his friends (James and Lupin included) were still young and students at Hogwarts. This elated Harry, but Dumbledore warned him that he'd have to be as careful as possible while he was in that time period. He reminded him that his actions directly affected other events at one point or another. The purpose of traveling back to this particular time period, Dumbledore explained, was to give Harry a chance to experience what it would be like to be around his godfather when he was the same age he was. Dumbledore also speculated that while Harry was around his dad, he could settle his dispute with Severus Snape once and for all, making Harry's present school life much easier than it currently was.
The most important thing Harry had to learn about Talimancy was traveling back to the present. Dumbledore explained that in short-spanned time-travel (like when Harry traveled back in time to five minutes ago), Harry could let the five minutes pass and end up again in the present. However, Harry would be traveling back to nearly 25 years ago. Harry would then have to cast a charm on himself before traveling to the past. This charm would "program" him to go back to the present after an amount of time has been spent in the "past" state. He'd have to complete all his business in the past by the time he was due to travel back to the present.
"So let me get that straight," Harry said slowly. "Before I go through the time warp to travel back in time, I'd have to cast a charm on myself, right?"
"Right," said Dumbledore, nodding.
"After I cast the charm, I step through the time warp and go back in time to when Sirius was young…But after a certain amount of time goes by, the charm I cast on myself will make me go back to the present, right?"
"Exactly."
"So I'd have to have done everything I wanted to do in the past by the time the charm takes place and I go back to the present," Harry concluded, his face screwed up trying to remember the details.
"Very good, Harry," said Dumbledore, smiling. "I believe just a few more practice sessions are needed, and you'll be all ready."
After a few more days of practice, Harry had mastered creating a time warp and casting the charm he needed to go back to the present. The night before he had planned to travel back in time, he sat at the common room with Ron and Hermione by the fire.
"So, Harry," said Ron, snuggling into one of the large chairs in front of the fire. "Any idea what you want to do while you're in the past?"
"Well, aside from spending time with Sirius, my dad, and Lupin," Harry replied thoughtfully, "I'm going to try to stop making Snape and my dad hate each other."
Ron chuckled. "That's a good idea! I reckon Snape won't be so harsh towards you if you can make that happen!"
"But when are you coming back to the present?" Hermione asked.
"After two months," said Harry promptly. "I figure that'll be enough to sort that thing out with Snape and my dad, and…to bid Sirius a proper farewell."
"Sounds good," said Ron, blowing his hands and warming them before the fire. "You can even see your mom, right?"
"Yeah," said Harry brightly. "That's one of the things I'm looking forward to!"
"Just be careful, okay, Harry?" said Hermione, giving Harry a hug. "Don't get yourself into trouble!"
"I won't," Harry promised. He looked at each of them in turn. "If this works fine, I can live my life normally now. But I know it'll work; I know it."
He then got up and headed over to the dormitories. "I better get a good night's sleep to prepare for tomorrow," he told them. "I'll see you later!"
With that, he disappeared into the dormitory, jumped in bed, and dozed off. He dreamt he was in the Great Lake, swimming happily with his dad and Sirius.
The next day dawned bright and early. Harry got up, had breakfast, and headed to his classes with Ron and Hermione. In the afternoon, they accompanied him as he went to the common room to get his trunk, then walked out onto the grounds.
Harry looked around, then pointed to a long, clear stretch of grass to the right. "I can cast the time warp somewhere over there. I can't travel in and out of Hogwarts by Apparating and such, but once I get far enough from the grounds, I can do so."
He, Ron, and Hermione trudged along the grass, moving farther away from the school. When they had walked on for about a hundred meters, Harry stopped.
"This is good enough," he said, dropping his trunk on the ground and whipping out his wand. "Well, this is it."
"Good luck, Harry!" said Ron, patting Harry on the back.
"Yes, Harry, take care!" Hermione said, grinning broadly. "I know you'll do great!"
Harry grinned, then pointed the tip of his wand at his head and cast the charm, which would bring him back to the present after two months. Just like the charm Mad-Eye Moody cast on him in the previous year, a cold, liquid sensation ran through Harry, as though cold water were being poured on him. Next, with a flick of his wand, he recited the time warp spell. A large, spinning something that looked like a mini black hole appeared before them.
Harry stashed the wand in his robes, picked up his trunk, and, with a final wave at his friends, stepped through the time warp. The black-blue color closed around him, and he felt himself spinning and moving forward at breakneck speed, his trunk dangling behind him from his arm. Wind (although Harry didn't know where it was coming from) rushed loudly in his ears. The trip took only a few seconds.
Before he knew it, Harry was on solid ground, hidden behind some trees. Rather shaken by the trip, he dusted himself off, gripped his trunk tightly, and stepped out of the trees. He emerged on the Hogwarts grounds, and saw that it was just as lively as he saw it before, with the lush, green grass, the sparkling water in the Great Lake, the fresh flowers, and the gigantic castle with its glass windows. Students were out on the grounds, chatting and laughing merrily, probably passing time before their next subject started.
He had landed in the boundary between the grounds and the Forbidden Forest, Harry realized, and that explained how he ended up near all those trees.
Just as he was about to head over and step through the great oak doors leading into the Great Hall, Harry heard a voice, a young, cheery voice belonging to a boy.
"Hey!" the voice cried out. "Hey, do you wanna get that?"
Harry looked and saw a book lying on the grass before him. "Er--sure," he said, picking up the book. He turned to give it to the owner, then gaped at the person standing in front of him.
It was 16-year old Sirius, with the same long, black hair Harry knew, his cheerful black eyes staring back at him.