Chapter Eight; Ministry Experiments in Time Travel.
Fawn puffed out a breath of relief. Finally! Between NEWTS Year, Quidditch and pranks, it had taken a lot longer than previously expected to comb through the tome's pages for answers.
It was now late November, fresh flurries were beckoning students outside to escape from mid-year examinations and the fire in the common room was tempting but alas studying was required.
Pages of parchment were spread haphazardly across the scratched and weathered hardwood desk, dappled by sunspots which distracted the brunette from focusing on either of the two tasks in front of her. The pungent scent of ink hung heavily in the air mixing with the dust which did nothing good for the girl's allergies.
Oh how nice the holidays would be next month!
"The Ministry of Magic's Department of Restricted Travel has been carefully examining vessels of travel through time which could be harnessed without the use of a Time-Turner or other direct magical uses."
That much was obvious, the Ministry loved to hide things from the public.
"The Department of Mysteries had partnered with the Department of Restricted Travel to uncover the secrets of time and the universe."
Yes, again that much was known. What wasn't known is if this information would lead to any relevance to Fawn's case.
"One such Mystery that may be the answer to time, death and the universe is The Veil held in the Department of Mysteries' Death Chamber. It is said that dead souls try to communicate if a living person comes too close. The Veil has an unknown magical property in which it may try to beguile the living into falling into it, instantly sucking the life from the individual. The Veil is a one way ticket to death there is no way to return. Similar to the Killing Curse, there is no cure from death by The Veil nor is there a way to acquire a fallen body without losing ones life."
Well that was dark. Good thing Sirius hadn't faced such a dreadful fate.
Did that mean she was dead? Was Fawn Briggs no longer living? She had, after all, fallen through The Veil that night. This would be a valid explanation if it weren't for the fact that those such as Remus Lupin, Sybil Trewlany, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew were still very much alive in Fawn's time. If she were truly dead then only those of whom had also separated from the living realm would be around her. Besides, those who were dead seemed conscious of that fact. All the Hogwarts ghosts, save for Professor Binns, were aware that their mortality had expired and after Cedric Diggory had been murdered, he had told Harry to bring his body back. The dead were aware, not ignorant, but Fawn still was certain of her current mortality. This was completely puzzling.
"However,"
Oh good, there was a turn, another option, this was the ticket.
"there has been one occurrence that contradicts The Veil's soul purpose that has had Unspeakables questioning for upwards of a century now."
Okay, get to the point book, Fawn thought, I don't have all day!
"In November of 1745 Unspeakable and Alchemist; John Alfred Thomas Williamson of York (Born June 28, 1708) whom was a Ravenclaw student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from 1719 - 1726 fell through The Veil. He was spit out from The Veil only a second later looking haggard but otherwise perfectly intact."
So Fawn wasn't dead, lovely. What on earth had happened to this John dude though?
"Williamson claimed that he had been transported to the year 1718 in which a dark wizard by the name of Candonton the Great was wreaking havoc on the wizarding world working towards world domination desiring to become more powerful than Merlin himself.
"He was one the search for The Deathly Hallows based off of the Tale of the Three Brothers which consists of the Resurrection Stone, Cloak of Invisibility and Elder Wand to overthrow death itself.
"Williamson went on to say he had spent the past five years fighting to bring about Candonton the Great's demise and once he had succeeded was thrown back through Veil appearing where he had been standing only moments before.
"This phenomenon has stumped wizard kind for years, though it can be presumed that The Veil has other purposes beside being the border between life and death. Candonton the Great's war is not mentioned in modern texts as anything more than a deranged man's attempt for power that was quickly vanquished by an unnamed man which can now be tied to Williamson.
"Though Williamson claimed that before he returned to this time, Candonton the Great was a world ruler, evoking fear in the hearts of wizards and muggles alike and was the most powerful wizard known to man.
"Given this information, it is clear that Williamson changed the trajectory of History if his words are true. This leads researchers to believe that The Veil may take people whose time is not up yet, and set them a task to complete to create a better future.
"Presumably, if the task is completed, such as Willamson's was, the individual will be sent back to their time and continue life as usual though if not, one would be stuck in the time permanently.
"There is limited research on this topic and only one case of such an occurrence ever happening so not much is known about The Veil's further purpose or sentience."
Fawn stared dumbfounded as the chapter came to a close. She was sent for a mission, to change the trajectory of History.
Was this not the exact sort of thing that was warned against when discussing the use of Time-Travel? The whole point, to her knowledge, was to not upset the natural order, but now she was being tasked to do just that. And what exactly was that task? Logically it would be to bring about Voldemort's downfall and save Lily and James, but how?
No wonder Harry had been so angsty in their fifth year, knowing he had to defeat the second most powerful wizard of their time as a kid with no preparation or help whatsoever. Fawn would be angry too—hell, now she was angry.
"I did not sign up for this," she groaned.
All she wanted was to be able to go home but if her task was what she thought it was, she'd be stuck in the seventies for at least the next five years.
As thankful as she was that The Veil didn't deem her ready for death, she didn't fancy this fate much either.
*****
She picked at her supper that night zoning out while chatter echoed around the Great Hall. Students laughed, spoons clinked against ceramic bowls, candles flickered sending shadow shapes dancing, telling silent stories against the beige colored walls, and yet, Fawn was lost.
A napkin hit her face and dropped into her soup.
"Oops," a sheepish James Potter said when Fawn looked up.
She glared at the boy. "Really?"
"Sorry?"
The napkin was soaked and dripping with hot chicken broth, this is why Magic was such a great utility. A quick drying spell fixed the mess but irritation still hung between the teens.
"And you did that, why James?"
He shrugged. "I wanted to get your attention."
"You could've just said my name, you know."
"Eh, that's not as fun."
Fawn glared again while spooning herself some Chicken Noodle Soup letting the warm broth calm her nerves.
"Are you alright?"
She placed her spoon down, the metal and ceramic clashing together making a terrible noise that hurt her ears. "Yes, why?"
"You just seem off, haven't been talking and were staring off a minute ago."
She hummed and shrugged. "Just thinking about exams. I have a lot to do."
James nodded. "True, but it's dinner so let's not worry about that." He grinned cheekily, sparing a glance at the red-head a few seats down. "Reckon Lily will go out with me before Christmas?"
Fawn chuckled. "Maybe not Christmas but my bets are on seventh year."
That was one advantage of being from the future, any bets made regarding James and Lily, she would win without fail.
James just frowned, eyes still examining Evans who was laughing loudly with Marlene. "Fine, but if she doesn't go with me by seventh year I'm suing."
Fawn smirked with amusement. "You're gonna sue me?"
"Yes!"
"James, I think you fail to realize I have no money and am living with your parents. If you sue me, you'd basically be suing yourself, is that really the wisest idea?"
He simply huffed. "You're too smart."
"Yes, yes I am."
But maybe not smart enough to save your life.