Fred and George and the Toilers of Trouble (Year 1) ✔

Chapter 11:4

"Ahem." The headmaster cleared his throat and folded his hands, while gazing at the thousands of candles that hovered at different heights above them. "On each of your desks is a dying candle. Any moment now, the light will flicker and go out."

Fred and George looked closely at the nubs of wax in front of them. A bud of flame shivered feebly at the center. Down the line of desks, everyone inspected their candles. Kenneth frantically took out a quill and parchment, because Percy was already sketching the scene in the hope of being awarded merits.

"Do not touch your candle under any circumstances. I ask this of you because the flame represents something wishful and innocent. Something that has yet to be corrupted," said Dumbledore distantly. "You may watch the candle, but pay more attention to what I have to say. Now, to address the reason you find yourselves together in this room. Be assured, we are in the final stages of recruiting a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Interviews are being led by the Minister, herself. It should not be long now. Also, I would ask that you distance yourselves from those who are practicing Dark Arts defense on their own. If you are one of these few who find it necessary to continue your studies behind closed doors, have patience."

Briers and Graham looked past the twins at a group of Gryffindor girls who were hiding conniving smiles. Then Fred and George noticed a few Hufflepuffs whispering nervously to one another. The boys hadn't given much thought before that moment to the constant cluster of dots that gathered in empty storerooms on the Marauder's Map, but they were beginning to understand that, without a teacher to instruct them, the sixth and seventh years were practicing Defense Against the Dark Arts in secret.

"For now, the headmaster of your school shall lead you through a lesson. I was a teacher here, once...many lunar cycles ago," said Dumbledore bashfully. He took a step back. With a nimble twirl of his wand, four of the nearest floating candles lowered to the golden podium. At once, the silver details in his robe glimmered in new light.

"Time. It is imperceptible, but not entirely. Like the waves from a stone that is dropped into a calm lake, it can be measured in the subtle changes of nature. But is time, itself, magical? If it moves with us, and is a part of us...can it be shaped by us? The answer, to our grim disappointment, is yes," said Dumbledore roundly. He adjusted his half-moon glasses and continued. "Allow me to explain. A great number of wizards have calculated the effects of time. What they have discovered over centuries of study is that time can be influenced...for the needs of the noble and for the cravings of the wicked. Once its purpose was understood as yet another component of the magical realm, how could we not be tempted to ignore the ills of traveling through time in order to undo a mistake, or to visit a long lost love?" He broke momentarily. The candles beside him seemed to darken. "To save a life? To end one?"

"Look, George," Fred whispered, pointing to his candle. It was growing, ever so slowly. Fingers of molten wax were climbing the sides and merging, rising higher by the second. Gasps were heard throughout the Great Hall as the rest of the school witnessed their candles doing the same. When Dumbledore's voice was heard again, they noticed that the candles beside him were dwindling.

"There are some wizards who have experimented with time and met their end in the pursuit of answers. This is for good reason," he warned, his soft eyes penetrating the more mischievous students from Slytherin. "The manipulation of time is the most dangerous of the Dark Arts. It is true what you have heard — Time-Turners do exist. They are regulated by the Ministry of Magic to be used only under the strictest of conditions, and only by those who can be trusted not to abuse such tremendous power. But it must be stated that the journey is dangerous, even for the best among us. The turning of time is a problematic venture. You can disappear in time, or irreversibly alter an event you once cherished. Some claim to have found creatures that can control time, while others have discovered how to shape their own destiny by eliminating death completely, including a dear, but defiant associate of mine." Dumbledore paused to collect himself, his face growing dim in the fleeting light of his failing candles. "Oh, the stories he could tell. Exploration and solitude. Joy and ruin. He stands as an example of why even the wisest of wizards avoid discussing the benefits of such magic. If any of you somehow gain access to a Time-Turner, I request that you take care. It will inspire you toward the greatest good and tempt you toward the deepest evil."

Dumbledore left the podium and drew near to the first row of desks, arms behind his back. "Do not be fooled into using darkness to make light. For such power must always have a cost. The Dark Arts, despite their nature, create a perfect magical balance. When you give to one, you must take from the other. Enter into the realm of the Dark Arts, even with the best intentions, and you will find that there are no guarantees...save one. If you choose the darkness, you choose to suffer."

A hush fell over the room, as all the joy and frivolousness they had ever come to expect from their headmaster was cleared away in the severity of those words. But it wasn't long before someone broke the silence to eagerly ask a question. Naturally, it was Percy Weasley.

He waved his hand wildly about until Professor Dumbledore nodded. "Sir, Percy Weasley speaking. Why not request permission from the Ministry to go back and warn Professor Allergen before the disturbance took place last year?"

Although the twins were certain their brother only wanted to use that opportunity to pronounce himself as 'Sir Percy Weasley', a surprising number of students in the hall were interested in hearing an answer to his question.

"What happened to your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was regrettable, but I'm afraid it is not worth braving the unknown consequences in order to rescue him...and his misplaced classroom. I do not desire to set a precedent for manipulating time, nor do I even trust myself with a Time-Turner," said Dumbledore gravely. "Are there other questions?"

A small hand went up from the Hufflepuff section. "Is it true what they say 'bout Father Time and all? That he found the sand on an island or summat?"

Dumbledore grinned for the first time since asking the twins about Dungbombs in the corridor. "That, sadly, is a myth. And a fantastic one, at that. Time Sand was created by the first wizards, before the Age of Merlin. Those days, there was no such thing as the Dark Arts. Their pursuits were rooted in experimentation, without concern for the conduct of others. Next question?"

Percy's hand was up again, but Professor Dumbledore chose a member from Ravenclaw House.

"How do we know if someone is using magic to manipulate time?"

"As I alluded to at the start, time cannot be seen...but it can be registered. Although your candles are a clever hoax developed with the aid of Victor Sparrow —" the headmaster waited, allowing Victor to stand and bow in their praise, "— time enchantments tend to yield a yellow glow. It may be a dense vapor or a faint mist, depending on the duration of time being influenced." Dumbledore clapped his hands and the candles across the room extinguished. "Which is why I've always said, never trust a wizard in a yellow cloak."