from Time to Time | Lucius Malfoy

A guide for time traveler

1981

I walked down the street - everything was back in place - and entered the small library without even greeting, ran to the first department that came to my mind and began to desperately search for a suitable book. After a few minutes I found what I was looking for: "From time to time - a guide for time travelers and those who want to become one". I grabbed the book and ran to the counter, told my membership number and then went back to school.

Whatever had just happened, wherever I ended up - it had to be necklace-related and I had to figure out if I somehow could control it. If it was possible to travel through time with that piece of jewelry... that would be better than winning the magician's lottery! I could go back in time and take notes of solutions to tests and homework, I could save my younger self from wearing a skirt to the summer party that blew up in the gust and exposed my stupid knickers, I could - oh Merlin! I could meet Mozart. And Caesar. And Napoleon. And Da Vinci... and... Merlin himself!

Deep in thought and with a goofy grin on my face I strolled down the corridors towards our common room. As soon as I got there, I snuck into my dorm, the rest of the day could be stolen from me. I had more important things to do than memorize any boring dance steps! Time traveling, how exciting! I had won the grand prize with this necklace and was hoping that the book would give me the knowledge I need on my little vacations.

The weeks and months went by very quickly. I got 2 months detention for my absence from class. In my opinion, however, the 2 months were more than worth it, because I spent my nights reading under the covers in the kitchen after boring detention work and acquired a great deal of knowledge from the book I had borrowed from the library.

There were obviously different methods to travel through time. However, a certain tool is almost always required. I was overjoyed to find a chapter on amulets, necklaces and lockets that could help traveling through time.

I made notes about exactly how everything worked and what I was allowed to do and especially not to do in the past. The fact that you couldn't travel into the future made me a little sad, but the past offered an indescribable number of moments to be discovered.

I borrowed various books from the school library, a journey into the past should be well prepared. Wherever I wanted to go I wrote down in a small notebook, making notes about customs at the time, the state of knowledge of the muggles, which great magicians and witches lived at the time, which currency they used, which rulers were in power, how they spoke, how they dressed... it was my own little guide for time travelers. It was a masterpiece, nothing could go wrong with it!

My teachers were delighted that I didn't do any more nonsense and was back in bed by 11 even on the night of the prom. While my friends snuck out of their dorms down to the village at night for secret drinks I stayed in bed preparing for something I'd never told anyone about, not even my best friend.