Author's notes: I started writing this fic before HBP was released, so it will be AU. It is a time-travelling fic, but please don't leave because of that! This is my first ever novel-length fanfic (that I've written by myself), and I really hope you'll like it. I'm kind of fond of it myself. This is a Work in Progress and as for the time being I have absolutely no idea of where it's going.

Reviews are always well recieved.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything Harry Potter-ish.

"Do you know the exact time it will happen, Albus?"

Remus sounded worried and his voice was anxious.

"I'm sorry, I don't. We will have to wait and see I'm afraid. But it can't be long."

Dumbledore sat down behind his desk and looked at Remus over the rim of his half-moon spectacles. Remus twisted nervously in his chair.

"Do you believe we should tell her parents?"

Dumbledore frowned and pursed his lips. "No," he said at last, "I think it would probably be best to tell them after she's left."

Remus nodded. His hand was closed around something, a piece of white fabric.

"Remus, I must ask you; have you ever said anything to her about what will happen? Or even insinuated something?"

Remus looked into the eyes of the older man. "No, never," he answered him truthfully. "I've always tried to treat her as I would anybody else."

"And what about Sirius?"

Remus felt a stab in the heart by the sound of Sirius' name. Even though it had been over a year since he died, it still pained him to think about.

"Sirius never said anything."

oOo

The library was almost empty, except for a few third and fourth years, and Ginny. Madam Pince was sitting on her usual spot behind her desk, staring out over the room like a predator searching for its prey. She was not to mess with; everybody at Hogwarts knew that very clearly. Most of the students had on at least one occasion been thrown out of the library for talking a tad too loud.

Ginny was skimming through a large, green book. She didn't actually care what was in it; she just sat in there to get away from the common room. It was time for dinner soon, so Ginny decided to begin her walk to the Great Hall. She was extremely hungry, having missed lunch because she lost track of time. She packed away her things quickly but quietly, put the book back on its shelf, and left the library.

She turned a corner and was just about to descend the stairs when she heard a voice behind her call out.

"Miss! Miss!"

She turned around to see where the voice was coming from. It was one of the paintings.

That's odd, how come I've never seen that painting before?

It was a particularly small painting with a picture of a man in it. The man was very old and wrinkled, but looked very familiar in some strange way.

Ginny frowned and looked at the man in the picture, tilting her head slightly to one side.

"Did you want something?" she asked, very politely.

The old man's face screwed up into a grimace and he smiled at Ginny with a mysterious glint in his eyes. He began to giggle, and Ginny felt odd standing there. She made to walk away, but then the man stopped her.

"Wait! Don't go. I have something very important to tell you. Come closer," he told her.

Slowly Ginny walked closer to the picture, still pretty suspicious. She stopped when she was only a few inches away from it, and looked at the man expectantly; waiting for him to say what was on his mind.

But he didn't say a word; he just kept on smiling and giggling softly under his breath.

Then, "A bit closer. Come on, I won't bite you. After all, I can't!"

He started laughing loudly, but Ginny did as he said and moved even closer. And before she knew it she felt a pull, as though someone was pulling on her clothes. She felt her feet lift from the ground, and everything around her went black. All she could hear was the man's laughing, which even that seemed to fade.

Soon she hit ground again, and as her surroundings came to view she was standing right in front of the very same wall, except the small painting was gone.

She looked around her bewildered, but everything looked normal and the way it should. She shook her head to get rid of the thoughts of the painting. Maybe she had just imagined it?

She started to walk down the stairs and towards the Great Hall. She reached to open the doors, but stopped when a funny feeling hit her. The Entrance Hall was completely empty of people. Usually the Hall would be filled with noises of students going to eat, but now it was dead quiet.

She pushed open the doors, and was hit by – silence.

I can't have missed dinner… can I?

She checked her wrist watch, and according to it dinner should have started only thirty minutes ago. But, then, why was the Great Hall empty?

Ginny tried to find a reasonable explanation to it all, and decided that she must have dozed off in the library and that her watch had broken.

Yeah, that must be it. I'll just go back to the common room and go to bed.

"Evans," someone behind her called when she had closed the doors again. "I thought you were to patrol the fifth flo-"

The speaker stopped suddenly when Ginny turned around to meet her.

"Professor McGonagall?" asked Ginny.

For it was Professor McGonagall who spoke. But, she looked different. Her hair was different, blacker. She looked – younger?

"You are not Evans," said McGonagall in her usual strict voice. "Who are you?"

What?

Ginny stared at Professor McGonagall with her eyes wide and a look of terror in them. She opened her mouth to speak, but not a word escaped her lips.

McGonagall was getting frustrated.

"Come on," she said angrily. "We'll go talk to the Headmaster. Maybe he'll know what to do."

And she turned quickly on her heel and started walking very fast in the other direction. Bewildered by the whole thing and not knowing what to do, Ginny simply followed her professor.

Without actually being aware of her surroundings, Ginny suddenly found herself in the office of Professor Dumbledore. She knew the room well, she had spent numerous amounts of time in it the last couple of years, most of the time receiving different forms of terrible news, such as the death of people she loved.

She shuddered at the memories the room brought back to her, but was interrupted by a small cough. Her head snapped up and she met Professor Dumbledore's gentle gaze. He tilted his head slightly and smiled warmly at her. Ginny noticed that he was wearing a pair of very bright and purple sleeping robes.

"And what do we have here?" he asked McGonagall. "Who is this girl, Minerva?"

"I was hoping you could tell me that, Albus. I found her wandering around in the Entrance Hall."

"Ah, and how did you get there, Miss?" Dumbledore had turned to Ginny now, and he was looking at her expectantly.

"I-I – er, I don't know, Professor. I was on my way to dinner, you see, and – and when I got to the Great Hall, everything was dark." Ginny started twisting her hands nervously. "I was only half an hour late!" she almost yelled in desperation.

"I see." Dumbledore frowned. "What is your name?"

"What?" Tears started welling up in Ginny's eyes. What was Dumbledore talking about? She was Ginny! And she had always been Ginny! "What are you talking about, Professor? It's me, Ginny Weasley… Why don't you recognise me?"

"Weasley, you say? I only know one Weasley, and he left Hogwarts years ago. His name was Arthur."

"That's my dad!"

At those words it looked as though Dumbledore finally figured things out. His eyes grew and his mouth formed into the shape of an O.

"Oh my," he finally said after a long waiting. "And you are how old, Ginny?"

"Si-sixteen," Ginny stumbled.

"Ah. Well. Er." Dumbledore paused. "Then I think I have somewhat shocking news for you. It seems as though you might have travelled back in time."

Ginny's eyes became, if possible, even wider and she actually fell to the floor. McGonagall gasped, but Ginny didn't bother standing up again. Instead she stayed seated at the floor and stared up at Dumbledore.

"What, what…" She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. After a few moments she opened them again and finished her sentence. "What year is this, sir?"

"1977," answered Dumbledore, smiling gently.

Ginny choked on her breath. "1977? Oh no."

"Ginny, I want you to tell me exactly what happened and how you got here. Can you do that?"

"But I… I'm not really sure. I was in the library and then I left to go down to dinner. But there was this painting – I'd never seen it before – and the man in it said he had something important to tell me. And then I felt a pull and everything went black. But when it got light again the painting was gone."

"I see. And what did the painting look like?"

Ginny frowned as she tried to remember. "It was very small, and the man in it was very old."

"Did he tell you anything else?"

"No, he just laughed at me," Ginny said and wrinkled her nose. "He wasn't very nice."

"He's like that, I'm afraid," said Dumbledore and chuckled.

"What?"

"Take a seat in that chair and I'll explain it all to you."

Ginny got up from the floor and sat down in the chair Dumbledore had pointed to. As she did so Dumbledore himself took a seat on the other side of his big desk. McGonagall still stood quiet behind Ginny.

"The painting you described has a certain ability," Dumbledore began. "When it feels that something isn't the way it should be it changes it. In other words, he sends people to another point of time, in your case the past. Why and to what time he does it, depends on who the person is. But I promise you, he has his reasons."

"So in my case that means…?"

"I have no idea whatsoever, I'm sorry. He never tells. All we know is that you got sent here for a reason."

Ginny couldn't feel any worse than she did right now.

"And when will I get back to my own time?"

"I don't know that either."

She was wrong, she could feel worse.

"So, what you are saying is that I'm stuck here until that bloody painting sends me back?" she yelled angrily.

"Yes. But until then you shouldn't stop with your studies. I will make the arrangements so you can keep up with the schoolwork the time you will spend here with us. Now, what year are you in?"

"Sixth, but-"

"Good. And house?"

"Gryffindor, but I really-"

"Perfect," said Dumbledore joyfully. "Since tomorrow is a Sunday I would like it if you came back here then, and we could talk about the classes you're taking. But now I would strongly suggest you go to bed, it's very late. Professor McGonagall will show you to where your dormitory will be, and I will see you tomorrow at ten, if that is an all right time with you?"

"Sure," answered Ginny weakly. "I-I'll see you tomorrow, sir."

She stood up and was led out of the room by Professor McGonagall. She was too deep in her thoughts to even notice that they were already at the Fat Lady. Professor McGonagall said the password and they entered the Gryffindor common room. It looked exactly as it did in Ginny's time and she felt right at home. She was led to the sixth year dormitory and when she looked in through the door she noticed that there was a bed for her already.

Just before McGonagall meant to leave, Ginny turned around.

"Professor? That name you called me before, Evans, were you talking about Lily Evans?" she asked.

McGonagall looked at her strangely. "Yes, do you know her?"

"Sort of."

I know her son…

After that, McGonagall said her good night, and left Ginny alone.

If Harry's mother goes here, that means his dad does too. And Sirius and Professor Lupin. And Scabbers…

Ginny was absolutely exhausted and it didn't take her long to fall asleep, but before she did she observed three more beds in the dormitory. Which meant she would have three very curious girls in the morning.