The Potter Kids and the Time Turner

Who dies!?

Harry and Ginny stayed outside on the porch until Molly collected for supper. "Come on, they promised not to say anything." Harry blushed and looked down, "Not to worry, dear, every couple has their rows."

"We don't." Ginny sighed.

"First time for everything." Molly patted Ginny's cheek, "Come on, and wash up, dinners almost ready. Charlie's already here and the twins are just closing up the shop, we'll have to start without them." Molly brushed into the kitchen.

Harry and Ginny hesitated outside the porch, "When she said the whole family was over for supper last night…" Harry whispered to his wife, "Did the kids meet Fred?"

"Do you think they know?"

"Wouldn't the kids have said something?"

"Well, I don't know… I mean they're seven, five and two."

"Last Christmas…" Harry realised.

"Oh god! They don't think that George…"

"I can't imagine your mother being so indifferent, unless she didn't know. Everyone was here last night and the kids… They're young but I know James knows more than we think he does."

Ginny ran her fingers through her thick hair and turned her back to Harry. She turned around on her heel, "We have to tell them before we let James, Al or heavens forbid, Lily, tell them." Harry nodded in agreement; a sad smile broke across Ginny's face and stifled a noiseless sob "I'm going to get to see him again." She sniffed back tears.

"What are you to whispering about? Hurry up or we'll start without you!" Ron shouted from the kitchen.

…

Harry and Ginny sat directly across from their younger counterparts as Molly set a rather large roast in the centre of the table. "Before any of you start eating, we need to tell you something." Harry said to the whole table. He gave Ginny a reassuring look and nodded at Hermione, who had been informed earlier of the situation, she was gentler and better at giving bad news than Harry or Ginny could ever hope to be.

"Well, as I'm sure you all know, before we were able to win the war, there was a great deal of fighting." Hermione looked around the table, "And not everyone we knew made it through." She stopped talking and let the news settle.

"Who died?" the much younger Harry said with a tight voice.

"Harry, many people will die in the next couple years. But, um…"

"Hermione?" Charlie said, "Which one of us didn't make it?" His voice only slightly quivered.

"… Fred. Fr-Fred died in the last battle. I'm so sorry." She looked at Molly, "Molly I can't imagine, I'm so sorry." Hermione said again.

"No. No!" Molly said flustering around the roast, serving everyone a ridiculous amount of meat. "It won't happen. It won't happen, not this time." She cupped her hand over her eyes and sat back down. Arthur tentatively put a hand on her shoulder, which she shrugged off. She pulled herself together, as best she could. "Maybe that's why you were sent back, to save Fred. Then he doesn't have to die."

"Mum," Ginny got up and crouched in front of her mother. She put a hand on her knee, "Mum, listen to me. He's already dead. There's nothing we can do to change that. Time is set in stone. You get better, we all get better and we're happy again. And George, George has a son because of Fred. You can't trade your grandson for your son. It's not fair."

"Not fair! What about Fred!"

"Died laughing, we buried him with a smile on his face." Ginny was trying to be strong for her family, saying this wasn't easy for her, she was fighting tears back unsuccessfully.