"But, sir, I can't just sit aside when we go back in time and not try to help those that I can. No, I understand that I can't change history or I'll muck it up more than it is. I understand that, I really do. But what I'm talking about is not changing history. I want to get involved where it's not involved. All of history isn't recorded after all."
"Harry, you certainly want to exploit your powers of time. Heh, you remind me of myself when I was young."
"And didn't you feel good when you helped those people when you interacted with history the first time?"
"Yes, Harry, I did. It felt good to be able to make a difference. I just don't want you to hurt anyone in the process. I want you to exercise caution since you could be stepping on what ultimately happens anyway."
"But who's to say that I wasn't there originally to create the cause and effect that ultimately leads to what we know?"
Binns looked at his apprentice and let out another ghostly sigh. "You are determined to do this. I can tell. I was once alive as well and remember the desire burning in me. I will not tell you no. You need to test the waters in the timestream so to speak. Just remember that when you go, use an anchor in real time that can watch over you."
"You sound just like my mother," Harry said with a grin.
"I imagine I do."
"Sir, what I'm thinking of on my next trip is to go back far enough in time that it's not very well recorded. Make sure it's not recorded very well at least."
"You certainly seem to have the power to do that, Harry. I thought the power drain of interacting with history would have sapped you far sooner than it did."
"Sir, have you ever countered the power drain? Or at least made it so it was an equal one-for-one temporal loss in downtime and uptime?"
Professor Binns removed his ghostly glasses, rubbed them and thought about what he was just asked. "To answer your question, yes I attempted to arrest the loss of time. It can be done but it's not easy. It does use your power up on a faster scale. You need to equalize the timestream around you prior to going back. I did this under a suggestion from a particularly smart… witch, and I was able to spend several hours with her in her current time before snapping back to the present."
"Were there any problems?"
"You mean other than the one that it was so draining that it left me magically weak for about a month until my reserves climbed back to normal?"
"Yes."
Professor Binns smiled briefly and replied, "No, no problems."
"Was it worth it? Going back in time and spending some time with a witch?"
"Oh yes, it was certainly worth it. Not that you'd understand it at your age, Harry. Perhaps when you're older."
They spoke about other things for a little longer, about scheduling some class trips to the past and a couple of pretty non-graphic goblin rebellions that were certain to give the political junkies of the class something to think about. And while Harry worked his schedule around the trips and thought of others to plan in the future, part of his mind held onto the hope for his next jaunt back in time based on what Binns and Safire had both said. Maybe instead of blowing off some steam next time, he could use his excess power and direct it into a time field.
....
Read ahead by more than 60 chapters on my p@treon.
Link: pa*treon.com/GalaxyWonder (Remove the *)
Free members an get up to 2 free chapters.
Have a great day....