All the Time in the World

Chapter Five

Harry had dozed off when he heard a sound. He opened his eyes to see the tall form of Albus Dumbledore materialize inside the common room. He sat up.

"Sorry, Professor," he said in a whisper, "I think I fell asleep."

"Don't be sorry," said Dumbledore, beaming as he cast a non verbal spell. "There. Now we do not need to whisper."

Dumbledore sat in one of the armchairs near the fireplace. The embers had died down and the common room was cold. Dumbledore lifted his wand and flames were crackling in the fireplace. Harry felt the warmth seep into him as he pulled his chair closer to the fireplace.

It was Harry who saw her first. Merope Riddle stood just at the foot of the stairs leading to the girls' dormitory. She was not crying, but her face looked as if she would burst into tears at any moment.

"Professor," he murmured. "She's here."

Dumbledore rose from the armchair to face her.

"You wished to see me, I understand."

"You are Albus Dumbledore?" She asked, her voice a whisper.

Dumbledore inclined his head in a nod.

She came towards him, wringing her hands.

"You must help me! You must!"

"What is it that you require of me?"

"My... my son... my Tom.... You must help him! You must save him!"

"Madam," said Dumbledore. "You have my sympathies. I can understand how you might feel. But it is too late for your son. There is nothing in this world that can save him. And I for one, don't intend to try."

"Please.... You can't give up on him! Please!"

"You're mistaken," said Dumbledore tiredly, "I cannot save your son because he does not wish to be saved. He has walked too far down the dark path for him to ever come back to the light. If I were to try, it might cost more casualties which we can ill afford. I'm sorry."

"He... It was not always too late! Please... He was good once!"

Dumbledore shook his head. "From what I have seen of him, he never was good, Mrs. Riddle. But you are right that it was not always too late. There was a time when he might have been saved, remote as the chances were. But we cannot change the past."

"What if... What if it is possible?"

"What?" Harry burst out, unable to help himself. "What if what were possible?"

"Changing the past?" Whispered Merope. "What if it were possible for you to go back in time? Would you save my Tom then?"

"It is not possible," said Dumbledore with a finality that brooked no arguments.

"It is for me," said Merope.

"How?" Asked Harry.

"We... Our family... We have an artefact.... I took it when I left home... I hid it.... It has the power..."

Dumbledore's eyes were sharp as he looked at her.

"And what does this artefact look like?"

Merope made a gesture and an image appeared in the air. It had the shape of a sundial. The circle was formed of a snake with its tail inside its own mouth. The image of a lion head was seen in the background. Images of an eagle and a badger were the dials.  Dumbledore drew a deep breath.

"The Transtemporal! It does exist!" He breathed. "I thought it was only a legend!"

"What is it, sir?" Asked Harry.

"It is a time travelling device. Time turners were built in an attempt to replicate this. But none of them have as much power as this. Legends have it that this was made by the four founders of Hogwarts together. But no one has ever seen it. It was rumoured that Slytherin took it with him when he left the school for good. But no one ever believed that it actually existed."

"Then how did they make the time turners?"

"The first time turner was made by one of the earlier students of Hogwarts, Fabian Whitmore,  whose notes claimed that he was attempting to replicate the time travelling device invented by the founders. However, after the ministry understood the dangers of time travel, Whitmore's notes were destroyed so that no one should be able to make another time turner. The ministry till last year held almost the entire stock of time turners in the wizarding world."

"But they are all destroyed now," said Harry, feeling a slight feeling of guilt.

Dumbledore smiled. "Yes, and it was a good thing too. Meddling in time is not a good thing."

He looked at Merope. "I'm sorry," said he gently. "But I don't think meddling in time is the answer for your son."

"There's no other way!" She wrung her hands. "I made him into what he is! You have to help me undo the curse!"

"What curse?" Asked Harry.

Her eyes darted from Dumbledore to Harry and she closed her eyes. "I put a spell on him while he was in my womb. I... I thought I was saving him from pain and heartbreak. But I was wrong!"

"What did you do?" Asked Dumbledore.

"I... I put a spell on him so he would never feel love..." She whispered. "I did not want him to suffer as I had... I thought it would make him stronger... Help him survive... Keep him happy..."

"Instead he became a monster," said Harry flatly.