Title: Future Tense
Author: Settiai
Disclaimer: "Harry Potter" and other related characters are all properties of J. K. Rowling, and related corporations. "Star Wars" and other related characters are all properties of Lucasfilm Ltd., and related corporations. No infringement is intended. This story, such as it is, was written as a sign of respect and love for the characters, the show, and their creator. I claim no ownership of the aforementioned show and characters.
Rating: PG
Explanation: This is my story for the Crossover Ficathon on LiveJournal, and it was written for jedishampoo.
Summary: When Ginny stole the time turner, she wanted to change the past at whatever cost. She never expected that there would be complications.
Feedback: Comments and helpful criticisms are always appreciated.
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As her mind slowly clawed its way back into the world of consciousness, Ginny Weasley couldn't help but let out a barely audible moan. She was vaguely aware of a cool hand resting on her forehead, but she couldn't quite force her eyes to open.
"Are you awake, young one?"
The voice was that of a man, she realized almost immediately. He had a slight accent, similar to the one she was used to hearing from most of her teachers and former classmates at Hogwarts but with a few minute differences that she couldn't place.
Ginny suddenly realized that there was more than a little worry in the strange man's voice, and -- though her head protested greatly -- she forced her eyes to open a crack. "Partially awake, at least," she whispered, grimacing at how dry her mouth felt.
As if he was reading her mind, the man moved his hand from her forehead and leaned down to pick up a small cup sitting on the floor nearby. He put his other hand under her head, gently leaning her upwards long enough to let her take a few sips of cool water from the cup. While he did, Ginny took the time to study the stranger's face.
He seemed to be a several years younger than her father, perhaps in his mid-forties. Closer to the age that Remus Lupin or Sirius Black would have been if… no, she couldn't think about that. No dwelling on the past until she figured out exactly what was going on.
There was something about the strange man's eyes, though… something familiar. Regret. Pain. Loss. Guilt.
Hope.
The same emotions that she saw every time that she looked into a mirror.
He pulled the cup away from her lips after a moment, and she let out a soft sigh. "Where am I?" Ginny asked with some uncertainty. "And who exactly are you?"
The man studied her face for a moment. "You're in my home, near the southwestern edge of the Dune Sea," he finally replied, his voice gentle. "And my name is Ben Kenobi."
"I'm Ginny Weasley," she said softly, her eyes dropping down to study her hands. "Thank you for the water. And… for helping me."
She suddenly paused as his first answer registered in her mind. "The Dune Sea?" she repeated confusedly, her gaze quickly shifting back up to meet his. "What exactly is the Dune Sea?"
Ben studied her face for a moment before giving her a concerned look. "Are you not from Tatooine then?"
Ginny stared at her for several seconds before shaking her head. "I've never even heard of a place called Tatooine," she admitted.
"It's a small planet," he said after a short pause. "I supposed that few have heard of it, especially since it's still mostly under the control of the Hutts."
"P-planet?" Ginny choked out, her eyes widening in comprehension. "Damn, whatever spell Bellatrix shot at me must have interfered with the time turner."
Ben raised an eyebrow as he studied her with sudden scrutiny. "Spell?" he asked. "Time turner?"
She immediately brought her hands up to cover her mouth, but it was obvious that the damage was already done. "This can't be happening," she whispered dully, a shocked look on her face as she moved her hands up a little further to unconsciously play with her hair. "There's no way I can be on another planet. That's not how it works."
Ben sat there staring at her for several seconds, but -- when it became apparent that she wasn't going to elaborate -- he finally stood up and walked over to a large trunk sitting nearby. He quickly opening it, pulling out several objects, one of which appeared to be some sort of moving photograph, similar to those Ginny was used to seeing in the wizarding world.
Ginny stared at the picture for a moment, focusing on the small sandy-haired child eternally laughing. Her attention quickly turned elsewhere, though, as Ben found what he was searching for. "Is this what you call a time turner?" he asked, holding up a familiar object.
Ginny nodded, her eyes never moving from the time turner held gently in his hands. "Yeah, that's it."
"What does it do?" Ben asked, studying her face closely.
Ginny bit her lip. "If everything works right, it should take me back in time… several years from when I first left."
A startled look appeared on Ben's face. "It allows you to change what has already happened?"
"Pretty much," Ginny said, nodding just a bit. "I'm hoping to use it to stop a monster from destroying my world."
Ben looking down at the seemingly harmless object he was holding. "There's so much I could do if I had the ability to travel backwards in time," he said, his voice thoughtful. "So many lives could be saved."
"No," Ginny said, her voice cracking with barely contained panic . "Trust me, you don't want to try that."
"And why not?" Ben asked, an unreadable expression on his face. "You want to use this object to save your world? I could save an entire galaxy."
Ginny shook her head frantically. "Trust me, the price you'd have to pay wouldn't be worth it," she said. "You don't… there's no guarantee that things will work out like I want them to. For all I know, I could bring down one monster just to have another take his place."
When Ben didn't say anything, Ginny glanced down at her hands for a moment. She slowly twisted the diamond ring on her finger, forcing it to catch a beam of light coming from the doorway.
"There are still some good things here, right?" she asked softly, slowly looking back up. "Like the boy in that picture over there. Remnants of everything you've lost?"
At that, Ben hurriedly leaned down to pick up the picture she was referring to and shoved it back into the trunk. "That is of no concern to you," he said pointedly.
"Is there still hope that someday things will change?" she asked, ignoring his last statement completely.
Ben stared at her a moment, obviously beginning to understand where she was going with her thoughts. "Yes," he replied after a moment. "There is still hope."
Ginny's mouth twisted into a pained smile. "Where I'm from… that chance doesn't exist. Not anymore."
"You can't be certain…"
"Yes, I can," Ginny broke in, her voice certain. Her eyes watered a bit, but she didn't look away from Ben's face. "There's no one left. He won the war, and he's already destroyed most of the world. I'm the only one left to stop this from happening, and even if I end up making things worse… I still have to try."
After what seemed like an eternity, Ben nodded. "I see," he said gently. "But are you willing to pay the price that you mentioned earlier?"
He slowly held out his hand, and Ginny carefully took the time turner from him. "It will be worth it," she whispered.
As Ginny stared down at the time turner in her hands, Ben softly cleared his throat. 'What are you going to do?" he asked.
She didn't reply for several seconds. "I'm going to make sure that Voldemort doesn't win this war," she finally replied, suddenly twisting the knob on the top of time turner as if she was afraid to hesitate. "No matter what it costs."
Ben kept staring, even after she had disappeared. As he stood there, a long-forgotten conversation sprang unbidden back to his conscious mind.
There are many secrets, my young padawan, and you would do well not to seek them out unless you truly desire to hear the truth. But I will humor you this once. Xendor claimed that an ancient power from an early world showed him the truth, a being known as the Lord Voldemort that claimed to have lost a war in a forgotten world… long before the beginning of history as we know it.