"Al! Jamie! Lils!" Ginny Potter called up the stairs. "Your dad has something he wants to show you!" A boy's thin face, framed with untidy black hair, peered over the banister as Harry Potter came into the hallway.
"It's good, Al!" he answered his son's unspoken question. "C'mon!" His son let his curiosity get the better of him, and slid down one banister. A girl and an older boy followed.
Soon, they were all sat in the kitchen. The smaller boy with thick, untidy, jet-black hair, a thin face, freckles and big green eyes framed with coal-black lashes so long they tangled together was Albus Severus. The other boy, with the same black hair, thin face and freckles but with clear, hazel eyes was James Sirius. The youngest, a very pretty girl who shared her brother's thin face and freckles, but had long, red hair and Ginny's dark brown eyes was Lily Luna.
"C'mon, Dad, spill the beans!" whined James. "What d'you want to show us?" He nearly yelled the last bit.
"James!" Ginny warned. "Inside voice!" Harry chuckled.
"A Time-Turner, no less," he said, taking a tiny hourglass hanging on a golden chain out of his briefcase. "For Ministry use only!" He put the Time-Turner back in the briefcase and slid it across the counter. He got up and went out.
"What d'you want for lunch?" Ginny asked. "Teddy's coming to Potter- and Weasley-sit here today, OK?"
"Why? Where's everyone going? " responded Lily. "And I want pasta!"
"Out," said Ginny firmly, juggling pots and pans. When she wasn't looking, James slid his hand into Harry's briefcase and slipped the Time-Turner into his pocket.
"I'm boooooored," sighed James, dragging Fred into a corner. earlier that afternoon, Weasley after Weasley had dropped their kids off, all claiming to be going somewhere important. What none of the kids knew was that they were going to try and secure Teddy a job interview for Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor.
"Me too," groaned Fred. Roxanne, Dominique and Louis were huddled over the latest edition of The Quibbler, Victoire and Teddy both had their noses in books, Lily and Hugo were considering what House they'd be in when they finally got to Hogwarts and Albus and Rose were drawing absent-mindedly on their Potions textbook.
"Hey, look what I nicked off Dad this morning," said James, pulling the precious hourglass out of his pocket. Hugo ran over.
"What you got there, James?" he asked, big blue eyes wide.
"A Time-Turner," said James casually. "I nicked it off Dad. But don't tell on me, Hugo; Mum'll kill me!"
"I won't," Hugo promised, siting down. "But only if you let me borrow you Nimbus 5000."
"Don't be such a git, Hugo," protested Fred, giving his cousin a shove. Hugo, caught unawares, crashed into James, who promptly dropped the Time-Turner. Several of the girls screamed as the room was plunged into darkness. They all swirled around in the pitch black, shrieking, then suddenly crashed onto a floor, blinking in sudden brightness.
"And who might you be?" growled a voice.