The Pauper's Time by Jardyn39
Chapter 4: Time
It took a moment for Harry and Hermione to react.
Hammond was about to resume his pacing. Clearly the words, "time turner" meant nothing to them.
"D. Dobby," stuttered Harry. "Will you please go and get Professor Dumbledore. Say we could use his advice."
Dobby vanished at once with a loud crack.
"I take it that the words do have some significance then?"
They nodded.
"Well, now we have a start, perhaps we can get some more of this message out."
He placed the puzzle down before them and explained.
"I started with this letter, ten characters along and ten down. That string says, No silly, start in the other direction."
Harry smiled despite how he was feeling.
"So, counting in the opposite direction gives us something rather different. I was afraid I'd gone wrong, but this starts, Guess what? That book is brilliant! I'm going to find one at last. Just think, I may even see the original time turner!"
"I don't understand," said Hermione, "that book was a botanical book. It was only about plants. Time turners are charmed metallic objects."
The door opened and Albus Dumbledore entered.
"Dobby mentioned time turners," said Dumbledore. "May I ask you to recap your discussions?"
Hammond obliged and soon they were all standing in silent thought again.
"You know?" began Dumbledore quietly, "Time Turners may not be botanical, but their original inspiration was."
They all looked up.
"There was a plant that would only rarely appear, come into bloom and once it had, would instantly disappear. Wizards speculated that the plant was actually travelling back in time, and that led to time turner development. The technology is no doubt completely different, though."
"But if she had a time turner," began Hermione, "or something similar, wouldn't she reappear?"
"Well, unfortunately, we have no idea how far she might have travelled back."
"Professor, what was the name of the plant?"
"I believe it was called, Tempus Sero, although I have never seen one. Actually, it may be listed in one of the books I suggested."
Harry immediately made to look through the books he had brought back from the library.
Suddenly the topmost book flew off the pile and hit him squarely on the chest, sending him flying.
"Not again," said Harry in exasperation as he lay sprawled on his back. Hermione hurried over to him but froze when she saw the open book now lying on his chest.
"Good grief," she breathed, picking the book up and taking it straight over to Hammond and Dumbledore.
Harry scrambled to his feet and followed.
Hermione was pointing to the very first entry on the open pages. In clear bold lettering, Harry read, "Tempus Sero."
Just above, squeezed into the top margin was some faded hand written writing.
It was in Carmen's distinct handwriting, and said, "Dear Harry and Hermione. I'm trapped. I've charmed this book to seek you, and I'm having it gifted it to Hogwarts in the hope it will find you one day. I'm not in any immediate danger but I do miss Mum and Dad terribly. I do hope this finds you well. I'm sending it back with the plant. Please don't place yourselves in danger to find me. All my love, Carmen."
Hermione sniffed and Harry put his arm around her shoulder.
"How do we get to her?" asked Harry seriously.
"Is this Carmen's book?" asked Dumbledore.
"No," said Hermione thickly. "This is a wizard potions book."
"So, she's somewhere where she obtained access to this particular book," said Dumbledore running his finger quickly down the text. "According to this print, the plant goes back in time but doesn't speculate how many years."
He quickly closed the book and reopened it at the inside cover.
"This book was printed in 1495, that's too long to go back safely using a modern Time Turner."
"Excuse my asking," interrupted Hammond, "but why would she send the book back again with the plant?"
Dumbledore looked quizzically at him for a moment before saying, "I've no idea."
"What if," continued Hammond, "she managed to send the plant forwards in time, not just backwards."
There was a sharp rap on the door and Madam Pince entered carrying an enormous tome.
"Ah, Madam Pince," said Dumbledore warmly. "We have a small puzzle to solve. I wonder, could you tell us when the library took possession of this particular book?"
She placed her great book down carefully and opened it at the place marker.
"Headmaster, I looked that book up after what happened to Potter. I wanted to see who had borrowed it last, since they were the most likely to have charmed it to fly at him."
"Most wise," agreed Dumbledore.
They peered down at the open pages. Harry couldn't quite believe the detail that the register contained. Every time the book had been borrowed, opened or even moved, an entry had been magically recorded.
"This book came into our possession four months ago," Madam Pince confirmed, "but was in storage until this week."
"Extraordinary," breathed Dumbledore.
"Who donated the book?" asked Hammond.
Madam Pince shifted uncomfortably.
"It appears to be a clerical error," she insisted. "I wanted to check the actual book. There is supposed to be a dedication."
"I didn't notice one," observed Dumbledore looking inside the front cover again. It was blank.
"Look in the back," Hammond suggested confidently.
Dumbledore frowned slightly but looked anyway.
Harry gasped when he read the ornate writing, written in gold and embossed into the inside face of the leather covered book.
"To my dear Carmen,
May this book guide her home.
Moments can be enough for a lifetime."
It was signed, Godric Gryffindor.
"It has to be a fake," pronounced Madam Pince. "Look at the dates. This book wasn't printed until five hundred years after Gryffindor died."
Harry noticed that Hammond was drawing on the chalkboard again. It was a timeline.
He wrote "GG" at one end and "Now" at the other. He arrowed in the book appearing in the library and Carmen's disappearance.
He had everyone's attention now.
"Okay, let's follow this book. When roughly was it printed, relative to Gryffindor's time?"
Hermione picked up a piece of chalk and marked the position, approximately half way along the timeline.
"Thanks. Now can we assume this Godric Gryffindor couldn't travel forward in time?"
"Yes, there is no evidence that they had time travel abilities at that time. Besides, it is only possible to travel to a time before your own. We cannot use a Time Turner to move forward from now, although we could come back here from the past."
Hammond paused a moment to assimilate this.
"Good, so the book went backwards from being printed, to him when he made the dedication. Now he may not have actually met Carmen, she may have just written to him and enclosed a note with the book."
"I disagree," said Hermione. "He wrote my dear. They had to have met."
Hammond looked doubtful but Harry said, "Yes, Hermione's right."
"But it said guide her home. Well, okay," he agreed and marked Carmen next to Gryffindor. "Now, the book comes back to here and now. How could that have happened?"
"According to the records I've been checking earlier," advised Madam Pince, "the book was in storage at Gringotts and was instructed to be gifted to us at a specific date. We don't know when it was put into storage, though."
"Could the book have been kept that long and preserved? It looks in very good condition."
"Yes, provided the vault was properly charmed and sealed."
"Good, let's assume that this Gryffindor put it in storage with instructions for it to be released. If Carmen and Gryffindor really did meet, we now know where to find her. Or should that be when?"
Harry frowned.
If Carmen was trapped a thousand years ago, what chance did they have to find her?
"Um, Madam Pince?" Hermione asked tentatively. "Would you say this is a preserved five hundred year old book?"
"Actually, no I wouldn't," she admitted. "It looks too new, although the binding and printing is of the period."
"I assumed that Carmen got the book new and then sent the book back in time. What if she was thrown back further and the book somehow followed?"
"What do you mean, Hermione?"
"Suppose Carmen got thrown back to Gryffindor's time. She sent us a message, so she could have sent someone else a message too. What if she sent instructions for this book to be sent back to her from five hundred years ago?"
Harry then realised something else.
"We mustn't assume Carmen is still a nine year old when she met Gryffindor. She could have been an old woman by then."
"That's true," agreed Hermione, "but remember she sent us this particular book for a reason. Maybe we can use this to help her."
"Yes, perhaps we could send something back like the book was originally," added Harry.
They paused, staring at the point on the chalkboard where Carmen was indicated. She seemed such a long way away.
Hammond wiped his face. He looked very tired now. Harry wondered how long he'd at this.
"Well, I suggest we break off for this evening," said Dumbledore.
Harry bristled and said angrily, "We can't just leave her!"
"Harry," said Hammond gently. "If she really is trapped a thousand years ago, a few hours won't make much difference, will they?"
*
Harry stared into the dying embers of the common room fire. Hermione was dozing silently next to him on the couch, her head resting against his chest.
He thought back over everything.
Tomorrow they would go through the book with a fine tooth comb. Carmen had intended them to have the book. She must have left them another clue.
Her note looked hurried, though. Maybe she didn't have time.
They would also have a fresh look at that last puzzle. Perhaps there was more there.
Then Harry's mind touched on the framed picture. Why had it been broken? Had Carmen broken the frame herself?
Gradually, he succumbed to sleep.
*
Harry was standing on lush grass in a large field. Next to him was the tree stump Carmen and Hermione had sat on while they decided where to visit first.
Ahead of him was a single, large tent. It was the White Elephant stall. None of the other tents were there.
He realised he was dreaming, and walked forward into the tent. He was about to enter when he looked upwards into the sky. There was a solitary white cloud floating lazily in the blue sky. It looked quite out of place. Perhaps he was just dreaming it; he didn't remember seeing any clouds like that on the Saturday they were there.
The tent was empty, but all the trays of books and bric-a-brac were there, just as he remembered.
He stepped closer.
Perhaps he remembered more than he realised. He began to look for the book. He had no idea what tray Carmen had found it in.
It wasn't in any of the trays.
He began to look around, and then suddenly he spotted the picture hanging amongst an assortment of old frames.
He walked over, praying that he didn't wake up just yet.
He gently took the frame down. To the touch, it was as he remembered it.
Harry examined the frame first. Nothing remarkable at all. He looked closely at the picture. It looked like a watercolour. There were a couple of initials he couldn't read, but there was no date. The scene was of a river with a reed bank. Nothing else.
Harry hesitated before turning the picture over.
He knew he had barely glanced at that side, only seeing it when the salesman had turned it over to check the price.
The backing was a cream coloured card and it had been taped to the frame at the back. The tape looked too clean. It was clearly a recent addition.
The back of the picture was blank.
Harry looked again, though. The card at the back didn't match the parchment the picture had been painted on.
He tried pulling off the tape, but it wouldn't budge. Obviously, he realised, if it did come off it would only reveal what he imagined or dreamed was under there.
Harry turned the picture around again and looked at the painting.
Nothing.
He was about to give up and go and look for the book again, when he saw it. The faded colours appeared to blur for a moment and then the scene changed.
*
Harry woke as bright sunlight streamed into the common room. He was still lying on the couch and Hermione was curled up next to him. Someone had covered them both with a chequer pattern blanket.
He desperately tried to recall his dream. Every detail might be important.
Harry wiped his eyes. He had fallen asleep still wearing his spectacles. As he refocused, his eyes fell upon something on the hearth rug next to them.
He had to be mistaken.
He quickly raised his head up to get a better look.
Hermione stirred and sleepily said, "Harry?"
"Sorry, Hermione," he replied, still staring at the rug.
Hermione lifted her head slightly and looked down.
"Where did that come from?" she asked, pushing herself up. She sat up a moment before reaching down and picking the object up.
"I had a dream about that," said Harry looking intently at the watercolour picture in Hermione's hands. "When I saw it just now, I was afraid I was still dreaming."
Hermione turned the small painting over.
"What does this mean?" Hermione asked aloud. "How did it get here?"
Harry remembered how the image changed in his dream.
"May I?" he asked, taking the watercolour and getting up and going over to the window. The picture didn't have the backing card that didn't match now. He held the picture up to the light so the sunlight hit the back of the painting. Instantly the image changed.
Hermione had followed and could see the change. She placed her hands gently on Harry's shoulders from behind and gasped as she moved closer.
Harry didn't recognise exactly where the view was from, but the outline of Hogwarts castle in the distance was unmistakable.
*
Hammond studied the watercolour intently before finally asking, "You just found it next to you in the morning?"
"Yes," replied Harry. Hermione was carefully reading the description of the Tempus Sero plant.
"Was there any other sign that someone had been there?"
"No."
"Yes there was, Harry," Hermione reminded him, still reading. "The blanket. Someone put a blanket over us."
"Was it a school blanket?"
"I didn't recognise it," said Hermione.
"But how did they get in?"
There was a light knock at the door and Dobby came in clutching a small leather bag which Harry recognised as the money pouch from his costume.
"Pardon me, Harry Potter, Sir," said the elf apologetically, "but Miss Carmen's snake was rather agitated when I found him. Perhaps Harry Potter can tell Dobby what is wrong?"
Harry gently took the bag and said, "Hydrus, are you alright?"
The tiny golden snake popped his head out of the top of the bag.
"Last night. I felt something. She was here."
"Carmen was here?"
"No, it wasn't my Carmen. I can't explain. It felt like her, but it wasn't her."
Harry looked up and translated their conversation for the others.
"Dobby?" asked Hammond, "Can you see the view of the castle in this watercolour? Hold it up to the light."
Dobby did so and said brightly, "Yes, Sir!"
"Can you think where this view might have been painted from?"
"I believe so, Sir!"
"Good. We're going on a trip. Would it be possible for you to get me some hiking boots and clothes?"
"Yes, Sir!" said the delighted elf before vanishing with a loud crack.
"What do you expect to see there?"
"I probably won't see anything," admitted Hammond. "But I'm hoping that you two, being wizards, will. This picture was returned to us for a reason. There's a fair chance that we might find something further using it."
*
The four of them walked out of the castle into the fresh morning air. Clouds now hurried to conceal the bright sunlight as they followed Dobby along a narrow footpath towards their destination.
Harry carried all the books he could manage while Hermione and Hammond carried the cloth sacks that Dobby had brought.
As they walked, Hermione described in some detail the plant descriptions she had read from Gryffindor's book.
"We are almost there, Sirs and Miss!"
They stopped for a moment to consider the view of the castle.
"Almost, Dobby," agreed Hammond as they set off again.
The path veered off and went through some thorn bushes that completely obscured their view, but the path returned them back and when they emerged into a small clearing, it was clear that Dobby had led them to exactly the point from which the watercolour had been painted.
"Nice one, Dobby," said Harry gratefully as he removed his rucksack with all the books.
They looked around for a few minutes as storm clouds gathered.
"Over here!" shouted Hammond.
The others ran over to where Hammond was standing.
"See?" said Hammond pointing to a patch of ground a few feet in front of him.
"Gosh," said Hermione.
On the ground was a torn triangle of cloth. It was identical to the blanket they'd been covered with in the common room. It had been torn from the same sheet.
"Clearly, this is a marker. Without getting too close, can either of you see anything else?"
"Yes," said Hermione at once. "Harry? Where's that book. I need to check something."
Harry carried the book over and Hermione opened it at the marked page.
There was an ominous rumble of thunder in the distance as they waited for her to finish reading.
"I'm sure it's a Tempus Sero," she declared finally.
"That thing?" asked Harry. "It's so small. It looks like a weed!"
"Okay," said Hammond. "Now we need to take stock. I can't see any plant there, but I suspected we might find one. We've been led here, after all."
They nodded.
"I'm going," said Harry at once.
"Me, too," agreed Hermione, "but we should tell Professor Dumbledore first."
"No," said Hammond forcefully. "Dumbledore can't have anything to do with this. Listen, if you do manage to go, you may just get trapped as well. You may not even find the girl."
"We have to try," said Harry forcefully.
"Harry, all I'm saying is, please remember you have responsibilities here and now. Dumbledore will neither forbid you from going, nor give you his approval. This is a decision entirely for you. Either way, there will be consequences none of us can foresee. Please, take a moment to consider."
Harry calmed a little and nodded.
He walked away towards the edge of the clearing to think. The wind was getting stronger now. Gusts pushed the long grass and bushes into an excited frenzy, as if anticipating what was about to happen.
Harry thought.
If he went and didn't come back, who would face Voldemort and his Death Eaters? The Prophecy only said he would be the only one with the power to vanquish the dark lord, not that he actually ever would.
He thought of the prophecies about Carmen. These future events, whatever they were, would not happen with her trapped in the past.
Finally he thought of her words in Carmen's final message to them.
Harry turned, he had decided. He just couldn't leave her there, frightened and alone.
"Harry, the flower is about to bloom!" shouted Hermione. He hurried over.
"I'm going," he said simply.
Hammond nodded and shouted to Dobby who at once clicked his fingers. In a flash Harry realised that Dobby had dressed him in his pauper's costume. Hermione was also changed.
"Pardon my liberty, Sir and Miss," said Dobby.
Harry grabbed the book and checked he had his wand.
Dobby handed him a rough cloth bag into which Harry placed the book. His invisibility cloak was there as well.
"Thanks, Dobby. Thanks for everything."
"Harry!" shouted Hermione.
He rushed over and grabbed her hand and they ran forward towards the tiny plant.
There was a flash of lightning and they vanished into thin air.