Chapter 21 – The Chasm of Life
"Lumos," Harry muttered. He directed the narrow beam of light down the tunnel, and peered down it. It was much darker then the original tunnel, and looked like it hadn't been used in centuries. Torches hung from brackets on the sides of the tunnel, though they were unlit and strewn with cobwebs and mud. Harry gingerly lit one, and the tunnel was thrown into a much stronger light. Harry could see that, further down the tunnel, there was a wooden sign, leering dangerously off the wall.
Harry considered for a moment going back to get Ron, but he decided not too. He walked down the tunnel, and up to the signpost. It had similar markings on it to the numbered runes at the entrance, but Harry had no idea what these ones meant. But before Harry could do anything, the sign fell from the wall and landed with a thud on the floor just in front of Harry. Harry picked it up, went back up the tunnel and put it on the desk, before going back down the tunnel.
Even though he was lighting the torches as he went, Harry seemed to find himself enveloped in thick, musty darkness, and he kept shooting nervous glances back down the lit tunnel behind him. The tunnel had stopped its snaking ways, and was now levelling out into a long straight corridor. Harry had no idea how far he was underground, or even roughly what would be directly above him, but he kept moving. As he edged down the tunnel, he saw an opening up ahead.
Upon reaching it, Harry looked around at a large chamber. It was several times bigger then the first room that he had been in, and Harry could tell it was at least a thousand years old. Eerie runes covered the walls and ceiling, shimmering in a twisted golden colour. In the centre of the room Harry could see a large table, which had a cobweb-strewn cauldron next to it. He went to the table, and looked at the cauldron, and found two words he had seen on another object before: "Godric Gryffindor".
Harry looked around in wonder as he realised what this place must be; Godric Gryffindor's experimental chamber, where he worked on his theory that time could be manipulated. He had pioneered the investigations that had eventually led to the discovery of the time turner, like that which Hermione had used in their third year. (Harry knew this because he had read further into the book about Godric Gryffindor's experiments).
Harry looked around him and saw a long thing gap in the wall, about a foot above his head height. As he peered up through it, he could see a small platform emerging from the wall further along. He whipped around and saw what he knew would be there, a sloping passage leading off out of the chamber. Harry ran up to it, and followed it quickly as it went around, tracing the edge of the chamber, before the path rose up slightly, and emerged out on the platform Harry had seen a few moments before. Harry gasped.
The Chasm of Life. It was larger than Harry could ever have imagined; a huge gaping, plummeting crevasse that fell to immeasurable depth below where Harry stood, and which vaguely resembled an enormous well. Harry could not conceive the amount of magic power that could have created such a monstrous chasm.
As Harry stood there, looking down into the bottomless pit beneath him, he felt something he would not have thought possible this far underground. It started off as a light breeze, which rippled through his untidy black hair, but soon it had grown into this monster, a small hurricane that whirled around him. Harry yelled as he was lifted off the ground and brought up into the air directly above the pit. His heart was hammering, he felt sweat on his forehead, as he swung his head from side to side – what if the wind stopped? He felt its power coursing around him, and somehow through him. Harry did not know how, but he knew that the magical energy from this sacred place was entering him, that its power was filling him.
But before Harry could say anything, a commanding, booming voice emerged from the depths of the maelstrom around him.
"What is your name, heir of Gryffindor?" It said loudly. Harry looked around him for the voice, where was it coming from? "It does not matter where I am," the voice answered his unasked question, "what is your name?" it repeated.
"Harry Potter," Harry said quietly, "and who are you?"
The voice let out a laugh, which echoed with power around the cavernous chamber. "My voice is that of Godric Gryffindor, but I am not he," it answered cryptically, and Harry puzzled over the voice as it spoke. "So now, heir of Gryffindor, you have entered the chasm of life. Here time does not flow, it fluctuates, between past, present and future. You may go to any one time that you wish to go to."
Before Harry thought about this, an overwhelming thought struck him. Time, he was speaking to time...
"Yes, Harry," the voice agreed approvingly, "I am indeed, time. I have watched you, and all others for centuries, but now is not the time for story telling. I already know which time you would like to visit. You wish to meet your parents, correct?"
Harry looked around him, as he nodded his head. "Very well," the voice said, and suddenly the maelstrom intensified. Harry clutched his wand tightly as around him the hurricane spun ever faster, until it took on a shimmering silvery grey colour like the contents of a penseive, and he could not see the platform behind him. All around him Harry could feel time itself, centuries of the past and future, whispers of memories that were not his, but some that were.
It was like being put under legilimens. Harry watched in the silvery substance himself in the graveyard surrounded by Voldemort, then by the whomping willow with a werewolf fighting a dog, then a bludger chasing him around the quidditch stadium, and then a huge three headed dog sleeping peaceful over a trap door...
And then Harry understood. As the noise rose in a crescendo around him, Harry realised that time was trying to find itself, travelling backwards from the present towards when his parents were alived.
But just before the roaring around him became deafening, it slowed down to a stop, and Harry peered hard into the mist, which was starting to clear. Along way off, he thought he could see two shapes, walking ever closer to where Harry was.
I'm going to meet my parents, Harry thought, and suddenly he found himself totally speechless. What would he say? They were almost there, Harry could almost make out their eyes from the silhouettes that were approaching, like shadows through time. However, before he could even think about what he would say to them, he heard a scream.
Harry spun around. He couldn't see anyone on the platform behind him, but as he looked around, he heard the girls scream again, and he turned to look through the small gap into the experimental chamber, and he felt his heart stop.
Ginny was stood there, screaming, backing towards the wall, as a monster bared down on her.
"Lumos," Harry muttered. He directed the narrow beam of light down the tunnel, and peered down it. It was much darker then the original tunnel, and looked like it hadn't been used in centuries. Torches hung from brackets on the sides of the tunnel, though they were unlit and strewn with cobwebs and mud. Harry gingerly lit one, and the tunnel was thrown into a much stronger light. Harry could see that, further down the tunnel, there was a wooden sign, leering dangerously off the wall.
Harry considered for a moment going back to get Ron, but he decided not too. He walked down the tunnel, and up to the signpost. It had similar markings on it to the numbered runes at the entrance, but Harry had no idea what these ones meant. But before Harry could do anything, the sign fell from the wall and landed with a thud on the floor just in front of Harry. Harry picked it up, went back up the tunnel and put it on the desk, before going back down the tunnel.
Even though he was lighting the torches as he went, Harry seemed to find himself enveloped in thick, musty darkness, and he kept shooting nervous glances back down the lit tunnel behind him. The tunnel had stopped its snaking ways, and was now levelling out into a long straight corridor. Harry had no idea how far he was underground, or even roughly what would be directly above him, but he kept moving. As he edged down the tunnel, he saw an opening up ahead.
Upon reaching it, Harry looked around at a large chamber. It was several times bigger then the first room that he had been in, and Harry could tell it was at least a thousand years old. Eerie runes covered the walls and ceiling, shimmering in a twisted golden colour. In the centre of the room Harry could see a large table, which had a cobweb-strewn cauldron next to it. He went to the table, and looked at the cauldron, and found two words he had seen on another object before: "Godric Gryffindor".
Harry looked around in wonder as he realised what this place must be; Godric Gryffindor's experimental chamber, where he worked on his theory that time could be manipulated. He had pioneered the investigations that had eventually led to the discovery of the time turner, like that which Hermione had used in their third year. (Harry knew this because he had read further into the book about Godric Gryffindor's experiments).
Harry looked around him and saw a long thing gap in the wall, about a foot above his head height. As he peered up through it, he could see a small platform emerging from the wall further along. He whipped around and saw what he knew would be there, a sloping passage leading off out of the chamber. Harry ran up to it, and followed it quickly as it went around, tracing the edge of the chamber, before the path rose up slightly, and emerged out on the platform Harry had seen a few moments before. Harry gasped.
The Chasm of Life. It was larger than Harry could ever have imagined; a huge gaping, plummeting crevasse that fell to immeasurable depth below where Harry stood, and which vaguely resembled an enormous well. Harry could not conceive the amount of magic power that could have created such a monstrous chasm.
As Harry stood there, looking down into the bottomless pit beneath him, he felt something he would not have thought possible this far underground. It started off as a light breeze, which rippled through his untidy black hair, but soon it had grown into this monster, a small hurricane that whirled around him. Harry yelled as he was lifted off the ground and brought up into the air directly above the pit. His heart was hammering, he felt sweat on his forehead, as he swung his head from side to side – what if the wind stopped? He felt its power coursing around him, and somehow through him. Harry did not know how, but he knew that the magical energy from this sacred place was entering him, that its power was filling him.
But before Harry could say anything, a commanding, booming voice emerged from the depths of the maelstrom around him.
"What is your name, heir of Gryffindor?" It said loudly. Harry looked around him for the voice, where was it coming from? "It does not matter where I am," the voice answered his unasked question, "what is your name?" it repeated.
"Harry Potter," Harry said quietly, "and who are you?"
The voice let out a laugh, which echoed with power around the cavernous chamber. "My voice is that of Godric Gryffindor, but I am not he," it answered cryptically, and Harry puzzled over the voice as it spoke. "So now, heir of Gryffindor, you have entered the chasm of life. Here time does not flow, it fluctuates, between past, present and future. You may go to any one time that you wish to go to."
Before Harry thought about this, an overwhelming thought struck him. Time, he was speaking to time...
"Yes, Harry," the voice agreed approvingly, "I am indeed, time. I have watched you, and all others for centuries, but now is not the time for story telling. I already know which time you would like to visit. You wish to meet your parents, correct?"
Harry looked around him, as he nodded his head. "Very well," the voice said, and suddenly the maelstrom intensified. Harry clutched his wand tightly as around him the hurricane spun ever faster, until it took on a shimmering silvery grey colour like the contents of a penseive, and he could not see the platform behind him. All around him Harry could feel time itself, centuries of the past and future, whispers of memories that were not his, but some that were.
It was like being put under legilimens. Harry watched in the silvery substance himself in the graveyard surrounded by Voldemort, then by the whomping willow with a werewolf fighting a dog, then a bludger chasing him around the quidditch stadium, and then a huge three headed dog sleeping peaceful over a trap door...
And then Harry understood. As the noise rose in a crescendo around him, Harry realised that time was trying to find itself, travelling backwards from the present towards when his parents were alived.
But just before the roaring around him became deafening, it slowed down to a stop, and Harry peered hard into the mist, which was starting to clear. Along way off, he thought he could see two shapes, walking ever closer to where Harry was.
I'm going to meet my parents, Harry thought, and suddenly he found himself totally speechless. What would he say? They were almost there, Harry could almost make out their eyes from the silhouettes that were approaching, like shadows through time. However, before he could even think about what he would say to them, he heard a scream.
Harry spun around. He couldn't see anyone on the platform behind him, but as he looked around, he heard the girls scream again, and he turned to look through the small gap into the experimental chamber, and he felt his heart stop.
Ginny was stood there, screaming, backing towards the wall, as a monster bared down on her.
