I thought that I should include the word count for every chapter:
3279 words.
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"Harry! What just happened?" Ginny grabbed the door handle for support. "Where did they go? Harry! Harry, answer me! WHAT THE HELL WAS IN THAT THING?" Ginny shouted at her husband who hadn't gotten up from the floor or turned to look at her.
"Don't touch anything!" Harry said panicking as he was getting up, "Leave it like it is." He addressed the gathering crowd and apparated on the spot, careful as to not disturb any shards of glass or the marble sized crystal stones.
The air rushed out of Ginny's lungs as she started to grip the seriousness of the situation, her children, who weren't old enough to cross the street by themselves, were magically gone. Had they been banished into nothingness? Would she ever see them again? Were they still alive? Anything could have happened to them. Anything.
Molly was saying something, but her voice was nothing more than an annoying buzz in her ear. "Where's Harry?" She looked at the faces of her brothers and sister in laws. She doubled over again, clutching her abdomen in pain. "Where did he go? Where are they? Were – Where are they?" Ginny's stomach gave a heave and expelled all its contents.
"Ginny! Ginny come sit." Molly conjured a chair and banished the throw up. Ginny was edging on hysteria, "Ginevra Potter. Listen to me. I know you're scared but you have to stay calm. Your kids need their mom, and you aren't doing them any good in hysterics."
It took a bit more soothing from her mother, but Ginny was able to calm down. She heard two pops in the kitchen. She ran downstairs. Harry met her half way; he was pushing a rather frightened looking man towards Charlie's room.
"Don't you dare tell me that the case was sealed when my three year old daughter opened it," Harry growled at the man. "Now get them back, or the things I will do to you." Harry threatened, holding his wand at the man's throat.
"I don't know how – that – that thing is barley understandable when it works right. You kids destroyed it. I don't know how you could possibly expect me to –" Harry had lost the wand and opted for his fist. He wasn't normally a violent person but it felt good to feel his nose shatter under his knuckles.
…~*~*…*~*~…
James woke up groggy; he was laying on something uncomfortable. It was Al's arm. Al's arm? He sat upright. He remembered what had happened. He looked around worriedly for Lily. She was about four feet to his left and breathing peacefully.
Where were they? The room was decorated in red and gold with a big fire place and welcoming armchairs. The siblings had been sleeping, or rather, unconscious, on a thick red rug, adorned with a gold lion. James knew where they were from the stories he had heard from Teddy, his parents and all his Aunts and Uncles.
They were in the Gryffindor common room, but where was everyone else? He got up and wobbled a bit on unsteady legs. "Al. AL! Wake up!" James hissed in his ear. Al started to stir so James moved onto Lily.
Once all three children were awake and walking steadily, they went in search of Neville, he would help them get home. "I fout Neville wived at home in summer. Lily said as they walked out of the portrait. Lily was right, it was summer vacation, they'd be lucky if they could find a way home before September. James hung his head in defeat. He wanted to go home.
"Come on! There's got to be someone around," James said, with false hope, but the corridors were empty and the castle was dark. They wandered aimlessly through the halls, until they came to a long hallway full of heavy looking, oak doors.
Al tried to open one of the doors. It was locked. James and Al pulled and pushed on the door together hoping it would open or someone would find them.
Lily started to cry, she was in an unfamiliar place, her parents were missing, she had no idea what was happening, and her brothers were acting strange. She was scared.
"Lily," James said walking over to her. "Lily, don't cry everything's going to be OK." He patted her shoulder awkwardly.
"I want daddy." She sobbed.
"Lily, come on! Let's go back to the room, we'll figure this out in the morning." James tried to pick up his baby sister but she screamed and writhed out of the way.
"No! I want Mama! I want Daddy! I want Daddy! I want Daddy!" She screamed. A door further up the corridor opened very suddenly. And a tall, stern looking woman with a tight bun stepped out.
"What is this nonsense? I'm trying to teach a class. I suggest you go back to your common rooms immediately!" Professor McGonagall said looking for the source of the noise. Lily stopped her temper tantrum at her harsh words.
"Who are you? How did you get inside the castle?" Minerva sputtered when she saw the children were nowhere near old enough to be inside the castle.
James bit his lip. "I don't know. I just want to go home." He tried to keep his voice steady, but was unsuccessful.
McGonagall's eyebrows bunched together and she pursed her lips as she pondered the new arrivals. "Come in here then." She stepped out from the door and held it open for them. Lily held onto James's sleeve. Eyes stared at them as they walked into the large class room. This was summer, why were classes still going in? These children looked to be older than Teddy; maybe they stayed longer because their exams were harder?
Al looked out the window. It was snowing! In July! Everyone else in the room forgotten, Al ran to the window, "James look it's snowing! On Teddy's birthday!" He said. "James, look!"
"Whoa… it's snowing in summer…" James breathed.
"It's March, actually." A drifty voice said. "Poor things must have been attacked by a hoard of Histlerors, but they aren't bleeding out their ears; how odd."
"Aunty Luna!" James said, he looked around for her and saw a familiar face in the crowd of students. He spotted her on the end of a row of desks.
"I'm so glad you're here! I thought you were in Mexico looking for crumpled horn-sacs! You look very, very, pretty today! We were at Teddy's birthday party and then we were in Hogwarts!" James said all in a rush.
"Luna do you know this boy." McGonagall asked.
"No, but he seems to know me." She replied simply.
"Luna, you know me!" James said taken aback, "It's me, James!" Luna gave him a polite smile, "James Potter! You went to school with my mum and dad!"
The expression on McGonagall's face cannot be described in words, but Luna only tilted her head. "I go to school with a Harry Potter. Are you related to him?"
"That's daddy's name!" Lily piped from behind Al. There was a half a second of silence before an excited hum started, growing ever louder.
"Excuse me!" Professor McGonagall said sharply. "EXCUSE ME!" she shouted. Still no one listened. She shot off a quick, loud bang with her wand that startled everyone, excluding Luna.
"Are you saying you're Harry Potter's kids?" Someone stood up, looking at the three kids. She wore a red and gold tie instead of Luna's blue one and her hair was a flaming red.
"Mama!" Lily shouted, happy to see her mother. Al and Lily started forward to hug their mother but James made a grab for them. This wasn't right. Their mother and Luna shouldn't be in Hogwarts, it shouldn't be snowing. Lily twisted out of his way and went straight for Ginny.
Ginny's brown eyes widened, and she backed up a step almost tripping over the desk behind her. Lily reached her in a few seconds. The rest of the class was silent and staring intently at Ginny and her daughter.
"Up!" Lily demanded when she reached Ginny, holding out her arms. Ginny stood there, not moving. "Mama?" Lily said. "Mama, I want a hug. I missed you." Ginny shrunk back against the wall, this little girl terrified her, but something in her soft brown eyes melted her heart. Ginny shakily bent down to pick up the small, red-haired girl.
Lily wrapped her arms around Ginny's neck and rested her head over Ginny's collarbone. 'I don't know!' Ginny mouthed to the transfiguration professor. A silvery creature burst from her wand tip.
"I think it's best if we bring this conversation up to the headmaster's office. Ginny nodded numbly and followed McGonagall out of the class room. With Al and James trailing behind her.
The class room exploded with noise. What had just happened?
…~*~*…*~*~…
A knock at the door signalled that Harry had arrived.
"Ah, Harry! Come sit." Professor Dumbledore said happily, "It appears that Miss. Weasley and Professor McGonagall have some excellent news!" Harry dropped his bag beside the open chair. Ginny didn't look like she had excellent news, she looked green and clammy.
"What happened?" He said cautiously.
Professor McGonagall slowly started to explain what happened.
Harry opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He laughed nervously, "Is this – wait I don't understand, you believed these people?"
"While we were waiting for you, we were able to collect some memories from the children. I think you should see them." Dumbledore explained gently and waved an arm towards the open pensive.
He shuffled over slowly and looked over the edge. The liquid mist was trying to form images, but they shifted to fast for Harry to make them out. He hesitantly touched the flat of his hand to the cool silver.
…~*~*…*~*~…
Harry was standing in a hospital waiting room. He looked around and saw an older Ron and Hermione sitting quietly beside two, black haired, sleeping boys. They looked four and two.
"Thanks for watching them, guys. You can come see her in a bit. I'm going to take these guys in first." On older version of Harry whispered. Ron raised his eyebrows at the word 'her' but Hermione just nodded and woke the boys noiselessly.
"Hi boys." A tired looking Ginny croaked, "Come meet your new sister, Lily."
The older of the boys looked over the edge of the bed. "Daddy says her name is Whoops." He told her when Harry had lifted him carefully onto the bed. Ginny shot Harry a look.
"That was actually supposed to be our secret, James." mumbled Harry, lifting the other boy onto the bed too. "Thanks a lot."
"You're welcome dad!"
"Shhh, baby Lily's sleeping." Harry said ruffling his boy's head.
…
The scene changed. Harry and his children were older, Lily was maybe two and they were outside in boggy water, chasing snitch-sized frogs.
Lily was making squeals of delight as she squished her fingers in the mud and a frog hopped close to her face. James was seeing how far he could get stuck in the mud by jumping as high and hard as he could.
Al and Harry were a bit further off, trying to catch a small frog in the air. "Daddy? If I catches a froggie, can we keep it?" The boy, whose name Harry still didn't know, panted.
"We'd have to get mum's vote, but my vote is yes." Harry said back, lunging with seeker-like reflexes, but the frog shot out of his grasp. The frogs may have been the same size but they were a lot slipperier.
"Oh-tay."
…
The last memory was from last week, though Harry had no way of knowing it. Lily was sitting in her high chair and trying to feed herself porridge. The boys had finished and gone outside to play.
"Dad!" James came running in holding a garden snake, "Look what we found!"
"That's cool guys, what's his name?"
Al looked at his dad, "She's a girl and she says her name is Carize."
"Harry? Boys?" Ginny said from the sink, her face now held a chalkier complexion than normal. "I didn't know you could talk to snakes."
"Still." She added for Harry's benefit.
"Neither did I." Harry told her honestly.
"Can I see snaky?" Lily asked. James told the Carize to be nice to Lily and set her down beside the sticky porridge mess. Somehow, he felt that he'd gotten his dad, brother, and himself into trouble all at once.
"Hello." Lily told Carize, "My name is Lily. I live here where do you live?"
"Hello little one. I live out in the open. I don't have a shelter such as this one. I prefer it that way, it makes finding my food much easier when you live where they do."
"Oh."
"Would you mind letting me back out. This place has a strange smell."
"Oh. That's our cat."
"Cats frighten me." Lily nodded and demanded down from her highchair to release Carize. The last seconds of the memory showed Ginny giving Harry 'the look.'
…~*~*…*~*~…
Harry resurfaced in the present.
"They're here now?" Harry stammered.
Ginny nodded absently. "They're in the hospital wing. No one knows how they got here."
A knock sounded at the door again, "Come in!" Dumbledore called.
"Stay right here, you three. Don't move." Madam Pomfrey said sternly. She turned to face Dumbledore, "They're fine… physically."
"But?" Harry prompted.
"The younger two don't really know what's going on. The oldest understands that you don't know who they are yet. And the middle one might come around, eventually with prompting. But the girl, Lily is lost. To her, you are her parents and that's that." She expelled all in one breath.
"But, she's got to know that we're nowhere close to her parent's age."
Madam Pomfrey shook her head. "She's three and you are her parents. That's all that matters to her."
"so what do we do? They can't stay here forever." Ginny said.
"I'm working on sending them back to their own time, however that could take a few days, even weeks." Professor Dumbledore said.
"So what do we do until then?" Harry asked, "Where are they going to sleep? Who's going to watch them?"
"I think it's best for them to stay with you for the time being, they're confused and scared enough already." Madam Pomfrey said.
"And I'm afraid I agree with them Harry," Professor Dumbledore said, "We will have alter you memories after they leave, but not theirs, it's best their stay here doesn't leave them emotionally scarred for the rest of their lives."
Someone knocked on the door again "Can we come in yet?" James asked. Harry and Ginny shook their heads no.
"You have to face them eventually." Professor McGonagall said and twisted the knob to let them in.
Lily's tear-streaked face lit up when she saw Harry. "Daddy!" She walked over and held her arms up. After hesitating for a second, he scooped her up. "Where did you go?"
"I was… looking for you." He lied.
"Can we go back to Teddy's birthday party now?"
"Were going to stay here for a bit, OK?"
"Oh-tay. But I still want to play princess when we get home. You promised." She looked at him with Ginny's perfect brown eyes.
Harry faked a smile, "When we get home."
…~*~*…*~*~…
"Mr. Potter, I don't know what you would like me to do." The little man from the ministry, Vance, said. "The thing could have sent them anywhere." He adjusted his glasses on his now repaired nose.
"Well find it out and bring them back!" Harry shouted.
"I don't –"
"What the hell where you thinking? How dare you bring something so dangerous into my home?" Ginny yelled.
"We, the ministry didn't think children would be able to get into –"
"They're kids! They get in to EVERYTHING!"
"But the case was-"
"Stop making excuses, and find them." Hermione stepped in, "Or I, personally, will get you a nice big sentence in Azkaban."
"There's no law against protecting ministry property." He protested he was faced against some of the highest ranking people in the Ministry. Hell, they even had the Minister himself over for Sunday tea. Harry had gotten his home address in less than a minute, and he was an unspeakable, there were no records of where he lived, anywhere.
"I will make one." Vance nodded in submission.
Vance stepped in Charlie's room. And looked at the glass and crystal. The Weasley's and Potters hung back at the door. The kids had been sent to bed and the adults wanted to know what happened to the Potter kids. "Tell me exactly what happened."
…~*~*…*~*~…
"When they vanished, did they just go away and cease to be, or did they fade slowly?"
"They looked like they were becoming ghosts. And they felt like it too." Harry told him, trying to keep his emotions in check.
"They were touching you?" Vance perked up. This was the best news he'd heard since breakfast.
"Yes."
Vance smiled, "That's excellent!"
"Why? Does that mean something?"
"The device was based on several old theories of magic. If my department is right, being in physical contact with you could have very well affected when and where they ended up."
"What –When?" Ginny asked, not understanding.
"Yes we think the devise was able to transport through time. We were about to do our first human testing before we handed to Harry."
"That thing's never been tested on a person?" said Harry, "What is it went wrong."
"Let's not dwell on that." Vance cleared the shard shards off the floor. They were no longer of use to him.
"Ok, Mr. Potter, take a seat, this might take a while."
Harry sat down on Charlie's bed. "What do you need?"
Vance took a breath, this could get quite personal. "Why don't the rest of you go grab a cup of coffee?" He looked at everyone else, who had drifted into the room. Reluctantly everyone left, with the exception of Harry and Ginny.
"Your kids probably went to a time in your life that you remember well. I need to hear the parts of the past that hold a lot of emotion for you?"
Harry puffed out his cheeks, "Well… When Sirius, Dumbledore and Dobby died, the night I found out Sirius was innocent and Peter got away. Those were all pretty emotional days."
"That's OK, but those are all specific moments, are there any times, usually for an extended period of time where you were generally one extreme or the other?"
"The year Voldemort was in power." Harry answered immediately.
"Anything… happier?"
"Ya, my wedding night, when my kids were born, my brother-in-law's wedding… Right longer… Umm Hogwarts. My sixth year, before Dumbledore died. That was pretty good." Harry supplied miserably. His childhood was pretty pathetic, with all the people dying left right and center.
"And… well fifth year was alright… if you don't count Umbridge and people denying the Voldemort was back."
"Oh." Vance said to fill the awkward space.
"…Yeah."
"So!" Vance said, starting towards the door, "My best guess is your kids are in somewhere in your sixth year then."
"That's great. But how do we get them back?" Ginny said.
"That, I'm going to have to do a little research on.
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What do u think is going to happen?
How are they going to bring them back?
How will past Ginny and Harry act around the kids.
Tell me your thoughts and ideas.
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