TIME FOR THOUGHT
By now Harry accepted a fight at meal times as a losing battle. He collected his meal and sat down cross-legged in "his" spot on the floor. He made quick work of the roasted chops, fried tomatoes, steamed cabbage and pumpkin juice. Once again to Harry's surprise, he was hungrier than he would have thought possible. He finished and gathered his dishes and tray to the desk where he noticed that other empty dishes now sat. Upon returning he focused his attention on Dumbledore's portrait.
As if he had been waiting, Dumbledore began, "Harry let me explain a few things about the time turner you are using. You may have noticed the frequency of meals I have forced you to eat. You may have also noticed that your hunger seemed inordinate to the amount of work you have done. This is a manifestation of time turner use. Your body is working "overtime" as a result of being in several timelines at the same moment. You may also find yourself disoriented as to exactly "when" it is currently. Please sit down at the desk and open the top right hand drawer."
Harry did as he was instructed. He was surprised to see that the drawer contained items that had not been present the last time he opened the drawer to retrieve parchment for note taking. Harry registered the fact but did not question it.
Dumbledore continued, "Please open the box that held the time turner. I would ask you to place everything except the watch in the box and reseal it.
Harry put on Dumbledore's glasses and did as instructed, placing the assortment of items safely in the box, leaving only Dumbledore's curious twelve-handed watch on the desk.
Harry looked at the watch. He was surprised to see that he recognized the meaning behind the runes around the perimeter of the golden case. He pulled the time turner from beneath his robes and held it up to the timepiece. The symbols matched. As the time turner and the watch came into proximity, one of the twelve hands on the dial glowed brightly. Harry noticed that the hands were arranged in levels and the one glowing was closest to the crystal front of the watch. He compared the runes and pictogylphs and found that he could determine the time as well as the day that the watch indicated. Looking more closely he saw a tiny numeral twelve in a small window at the top of the watch. Harry saw that the top two hands were aligned at the same time, the third hand indicated a time some six hours in the past, and that the remaining eight hands were scattered at odd intervals that Harry did not take the time to decipher. Understanding dawned on Harry. This watch showed the time for someone using this specific time turner. Harry looked up at Dumbledore's portrait. The portrait smiled back at him.
"Yes Harry," the smiling Dumbledore said, "the watch shows up to twelve different "time" versions of the person holding the time turner. Beyond twelve I'm afraid time can become a bit confusing. You are living in separate time lines at the moment. In a very basic form you are now the world's foremost living time traveler. Possibly now you recognize why you seem so hungry. You are expending energy at many times your normal rate. Without rest and adequate food, fatigue will wear you down if you use the time turner for extended periods of time. Right now you need some rest. You need some time to think, some time to consider the events of the past few hours. Actually one of the effects of the time turner is to allow you to layer your thoughts for each corresponding time line. I would like you to learn how to relax and order your thoughts. For this training I would ask you to spend a few minutes with Headmaster Dippett. Headmaster Dippett, Harry Potter; Harry Potter, Headmaster Dippett."
Harry bowed to the portrait of the Headmaster he knew to be Armando Dippett. The portrait looked much as Headmaster Dippett had appeared in Tom Riddle's diary memory. In the flash that accompanied that memory, another thought, a slight disconnect, registered in Harry's brain. He filed the disconnect away for later examination and turned his attention to the now speaking Dippett.
"I'm glad to be of your acquaintance Mr. Potter," said Armando Dippett's portrait. "Professor Dumbledore prevailed upon me to share a piece of personal magic that I perfected during my life. I found that by relaxation, focus and a simple enchantment, one can allow the physical body to experience complete respite while allowing the unencumbered mind to work out a problem. The incantation is "Germynd" but your state of mind is as vital to the process as wand manipulation is to other magics. Also, a certain vigor of will is necessary to conclude the spell. I have observed your efforts as you performed the condensed learning spell and am of a mind to believe that you will be able to consummate this enchantment quite handily. First you must empty your mind of all external distractions. This is accomplished most readily in either a seated or a reclined position. The physical body is brought to a state of complete relaxation. You must then bring to focus the topic upon which wish to ruminate. With your wand held completely motionless high in the air overhead, utter "Germynd", when finished,"Finitae" ends the enchantment. If preformed correctly one can direct the mind into paths that allow connections and associations to be made. In a myriad of ways this enchantment is akin to removing thoughts and ordering them in a penseive, but it does not necessitate memory removal and the associated complications. If you are prepared we will attempt the enchantment."
Now that Harry thought about it, he did feel dead on his feet. This might provide a little rest and allow him to consider some of the oddities he had encountered. He nodded at the portrait of Headmaster Dippett and sat down in the armchair immediately opposite the Headmaster's desk. "I think I am ready," Harry said, a note of sudden apprehension in his voice.
"Spectacular," said Dippett. "First clear your mind. Then relax completely."
Harry harked back to his Occlumency practices and cleared his mind. He then started at his feet and consciously went through each muscle group relaxing them as he worked from the bottom of his feet to the top of his head.
"Spiffing," said Dippett's voice. "Now concentrate on the subject you wish to organize. When you are ready, raise your wand and say "Germynd". You will know immediately whether the enchantment has been successful. If it fails, concentrate on "Finate" and we will begin afresh. At your leisure Mr. Potter."
When Harry felt he was completely relaxed with nothing except his desired subject in mind, he raised his wand and said, "Germynd". A strange pink glow seemed to suffuse the air around Harry. Harry felt at peace and totally relaxed. He started to peruse his thoughts and recollections of the encounters he had had with Tom Riddle and Voldemort. He looked for patterns, for inconsistencies and weaknesses. He saw many of the things surface which he had already been told about Voldemort. His mistrust of others. His pretense at friendship with his Death Eaters. His use and discard of those who served him.
Harry was most affected by the memory of the cemetery where Voldemort had summoned his Death Eaters. Two things stood out plainly to Harry. As he listened dispassionately to Voldemort address his returned Death Eaters, he could hear the lie in Voldemort's voice as he called them friends. "Come to think of it Voldemort called me his 'young friend'," thought Harry. Harry heard the true meaning behind the lie as clearly as if Voldemort had shouted it. "I call you friends, but I care nothing for you, fail me again and I will kill you mercilessly, without a second thought." Harry realized that he could tell when Voldemort was lying! The second revelation came when Voldemort looked at the empty places in the Death Eater's circle. When he had faced the spot where Snape and Karkaroff were supposed to stand he had said, and Harry heard honesty in Voldemort's words, that one was too cowardly to return and one he thought he had lost forever. If Voldemort had only been just a little more specific. If it was Snape who was too cowardly then Dumbledore's faith in him had been misplaced. If on the other hand, Voldemort truly thought he had lost Snape, then even Voldemort believed, at that time, that Snape was working for Dumbledore. Voldemort would have had no reason to lie about that, he hadn't expected Harry to survive the night so he had been free with his words. Argued either way, Harry still hated Snape. He felt he always would.
Harry felt he had gotten all the answers he could from this initial excursion into his mind. He refocused his thoughts and concentrated "Finite". The Headmaster's office with its attending familiarity came back to Harry's senses. Harry fully expected to look at the grandfather clock and find he had been contemplating for a few minutes. He was astounded therefore to see that over an hour had passed.
Dumbledore spoke as Harry stood up from the chair, "Harry you seem to have done well with all the challenges you have faced so far today. How was the excursion into the ultimate inner space? Did you learn anything new?"
"I have come to realize that I can tell when Voldemort is lying." said Harry matter-of-factly.
"That is a talent that may well prove useful," commented Dumbledore. "He prides himself on being able to sense falsehood in others. I believe that there have been few who have recognized his lies and lived to tell the tale. At any rate, I was about to attempt to call you from the recesses of your thoughts when you came back of your own volition. I believe that Dobby will be here with some food very shortly."
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