"I've thought about it." Garfield said at last. "But now isn't the right time."
"I'll return when I'm needed."
Dumbledore looked at him. "When will that be?"
Garfield searched his memory for a moment before answering.
"After Hogwarts opens in September of 1938." He said. "If I'm still in this world then, just send me a letter."
He paused. "If I'm not… I'll come back in the future."
The word future made Dumbledore frown.
He knew better than most how profoundly time magic could affect the present, the future, and the individual who dared to touch it.
"Garfield." He said gently, "Traveling through time is extremely dangerous."
Garfield nodded. "Thank you for the reminder, Old Bee. I learned that lesson the hard way."
"I lost seven years, thrown off course while passing through a space-time tunnel. I'll be more careful from now on. And… I'll try to make up for some of the mistakes I caused."
Dumbledore felt a pang of unease.
He didn't want Garfield using space-time energy recklessly. The wizarding world already bore enough scars from such experiments.
The Ministry of Magic possessed a similar device, the Time-Turner.
And precisely because of it, countless tragedies had occurred. Once those dangers became undeniable, strict limitations were imposed on its use.
Of course, not everyone obeyed.
To deal with that, the Ministry had established a secret law-enforcement division, one that operated across time and space.
Only a handful of people knew of its existence.
People like him.
A thought crossed Dumbledore's mind. If that division ever acted… would they dare target an existence like Garfield?
He frowned unconsciously.
Garfield noticed immediately.
"Old Bee." He asked, tail flicking, "What are you thinking about?"
"Oh, nothing urgent," Dumbledore replied, then added, "Our world has an artifact called a Time-Turner."
"Oh, that thing?" Garfield waved a paw. "Yeah, I know it."
"You reverse time at the cost of seriously messing up space-time. The backlash can be… catastrophic."
"You already know?" Dumbledore blinked.
Garfield straightened proudly, chest out. "Of course I do. Haven't you heard the legend?"
"What legend?" Dumbledore asked, confused.
"How the Multiverse Was Born," Garfield said solemnly. "And the legendary epic, X-Men: Days of Future Past."
"…?" Dumbledore stared at him.
"I… have never heard of such a thing."
Garfield folded his arms smugly.
"That's because it's a great deed that I, Garfield Pand~" He cleared his throat, "—Garfield Pendragon, will accomplish in the future to save the world."
"La la la."
Shameless.
Dumbledore rubbed his temple.
They had agreed to discuss serious matters, yet somehow, the conversation had derailed into things he could neither confirm nor refute.
Eventually, Garfield's laughter brought the discussion to a natural end.
Before leaving, Dumbledore reminded him to establish proper contact with the Ministry of Magic.
The future path he envisioned had already shifted due to today's conversation.
Garfield's proposal was not something that could be implemented casually. If adopted, it would require Dumbledore to dismantle and rebuild many of his long-laid plans.
That was not a decision to be made lightly.
So, for once, Dumbledore chose not to decide at all. Instead, he took the rest of the day off.
He stayed at Scamander Manor, sharing dinner with Newt's family, Garfield, Queenie, and Tina. After the meal, Queenie remained behind to speak privately with her sister.
A bored Garfield followed Newt to visit the magical creature habitats.
Dumbledore went with them.
For now, at least, the greatest wizard of the age allowed himself a moment of peace…
Even as the future quietly rearranged itself around him.
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
PhantomDream