Author's Notes: This is the English translation of my French fan fic entitled "O, Russet Witch!"

Chapter One

"Avada Kedavra!" cried Bellatrix Lestrange as she brandished her wand. Her marble-white face contorted with malicious joy as she witnessed the green light emitted by her weapon hit her cousin square in the chest.

Time seemed to slow down, but Ginny was unable to digest what was happening; her mind kept telling her that it all was but an illusion, that a man of Sirius's caliber could not be killed, that Death wasn't supposed to take her family, the ones she loved…

She began to run at the precise moment when the curse hit Sirius, and it was already too late to save him. For the length of a second, she wondered whether she would have been capable of helping him if there were still time, and she realized that she would have sacrificed her life for his. For Harry. She would have done anything for Harry, the tortured and misunderstood boy hero who had never known anything but suffering, a rootless orphan whose sole family was Sirius himself…

Ginny rushed to Sirius's side to lessen the pain of his last moments. Harry was elsewhere. At least, she told herself, Fate has spared him from this lugubrious scene. He deserved better than to see the lifeless body of his beloved godfather fall into dust. But Ginny and Lupin reached Sirius, and when they kneeled down beside him, the latter was still trembling somewhat, still alive, lying on the floor but still alive, fighting Death itself…

"Sirius! But how is it possible that…?" Ginny began, eyes wide.

"This curse only works if we truly want to kill the victim,"

"So, she didn't want to kill you…?" Lupin seemed incredulous.

"Maybe she isn't as strong as we believe… all that I know is that I am still alive… for now…"

Lupin tried several spells in a desperate attempt to save his best friend, but nothing seemed to work. His eyes filled with tears and he lost his voice.

"No, don't say things like that!" Ginny implored, her porcelain cheeks streaked with tears.

"The spell has been cast, and even if I am not dead right now, I will be in a few minutes… Please, Moony, Ginny, listen to me before I leave…"

Suddenly, Sirius turned to Ginny and his eyes softened to reveal what he felt for her, things she would have never suspected of him: it was like they were two old friends, or perhaps something more.

She was taken aback, unawares, and her heart began to beat furiously against her ribcage. She felt slightly ill at ease upon seeing the tenderness in the grey eyes of a man who could have been her father, but on the other hand, she also blamed herself for feeling disgusted by a dying man.

Sirius murmured a name she did not catch, but before she could inquire about it, he turned towards his best friend.

"Moony…" Sirius heaved, coughing up blood, "You know what she has to do… explain everything to her… she has to do it, to save the world… we are counting on you, Ginny…"

"Sorry? Me? What do I have to do?" she asked, seized by panic. It was impossible that she could succeed where men like Sirius Black and Remus Lupin have failed! She was scared already.

"The fate of the world rests on your shoulders, young girl," said Sirius on a raspy voice, his eyes bloodshot.

"I don't understand. I don't understand! What are you guys talking about?"

Ginny sought the gaze of the two men, but they were turned towards each other. Ginny swallowed hard and her heart began to beat even more furiously. She was barely able to breath. She felt the gravity of the task weighing down on her shoulders, but she did not yet know what this task consisted, which made her worry even more. She was not a hero like Harry! She could play the supporting role, but never the starring one. She was already scared of failure, of disappointed the man who was currently heaving his last breaths at her feet.

"You have to go back in time and find Prongs. James. Harry's dad."

"To do what?"

"To give birth to his son. The savior of the Wizarding World. Harry Potter."

And without another word, Sirius's eyes turned glassy and with his last breath, he set his soul free from its carnal cage. Sirius Black was no more. In his place was but a corpse the facial expression of which would always reflect the trepidation he felt as he lay dying.

"NO! Sirius!"

Ginny's blood-curdling scream reverberated in the Ministry, inciting Bellatrix Lestrange to burst out in crazed laughter.

"We're leaving. Right now! Give me your hand!" Remus cried, his eyes tearful. The tears that had already streamed down his face left a clean trace on his blood and dirt-streaked face. He was the very image of misery. He had just lost his best friend.

Without leaving her time to react, Remus took her skinny and fragile hand and transported her, as well as Sirius's corpse, to the Burrow. After arriving, it took Ginny several seconds to digest what had just happened.

"We left our friends to die! Take me back to the Ministry! Take me back this instant!" she screamed, febrile, furious.

"So you can die too?"

"But Harry! And my brother! TAKE ME BACK!" She raised her wand in Remus's general direction, her face contorting with rage.

"Your father and the rest of the Order will take care of Harry. But it doesn't matter even if he dies right now if he doesn't have a mother to bring him into this world to begin with."

"What?"

"You. You are Harry's mother. You are Lily Potter."

Ginny remained speechless, looking at him as though he were crazy.

"That's impossible! You have lost your mind."

"No. Just the opposite, actually. This is one of the best kept secrets of all time."

"So how come Dumbledore doesn't know about it then?"

"Dumbledore does know, and it won't be long 'til he gets here."

"Oh, really?"

Lupin pointed to his watch. Ginny understood at once that it was some sort of device to contact the Headmaster in grave circumstances. She didn't inquire further.

"We have our ways."

"I don't understand! How could I be Harry's mother? I am younger than him!"

"Yes. But see, the real Lily Evans died little after her fourteenth birthday."

"No, that's impossible! Who would have given birth to Harry then?"

"It was you, Ginny. You revealed your true identity to Dumbledore before your death to ensure that your son, the savior of the world, would be born."

"But in the original timeline, why would I have gone back in time? I would have had no reason to do so…"

"Yes, you would have. Because of this conversation. Time isn't entirely linear, Ginny. It is a magic that even most wizards fail to understand, but one thing is certain: it is not only linear. The past, the present, the future exist simultaneously, even if we only experience one at a time."

"That makes no sense!"

"It is difficult to wrap one's hand around, yes."

"And even if it were true, why should I go back in time right now?"

"Because that is what you told Dumbledore, that you went back in time at the age of 15 after Sirius's death."

"So Sirius came to the Ministry… knowing he was going to die?"

"Yes," Lupin said softly, averting his gaze.

Ginny suddenly felt bad without knowing why. She was unable to believe all that Lupin was telling her, but at the same time, she knew he was telling the truth… or at least, what he believed to be true.

"But why didn't he just not come? This is insane, we could have prevented his death…"

"You are being stupid, Ginny, because you are young," said Lupin, losing his patience, raising his voice.

Ginny swallowed down her own anger, knowing an argument would not get them anywhere.

"But adults know that we are not supposed to change the past, as it would result in dire consequences."

"So he's dead because of me…"

"He died for the Wizarding World, so if you want to honor his sacrifice, as well as the risk your friends and your family run to save it, do your part! Because without you, we wouldn't even have the opportunity to sacrifice ourselves, because there would be no Wizarding World as we know it today. Voldemort would already have triumphed, squashing the little hope that is keeping us alive right now. Harry. So please, Ginny, listen to me and do as I say."

"But this is crazy! Me being Harry's mom? Where even is Dumbledore?"

As if on cue, the Headmaster appeared in front of their eyes, looking rather fatigued, his eyes revealing a sort of madness within him. It was quite clear he was in a hurry.

"I am here, Miss Weasley. I hope my presence will assure you of the veracity of Professor Lupin's claims. Remus, I brought the Time Turner. I have to go to the Ministry now to put an end to the battle between Harry and Voldemort, as you have said I would in the past, Miss."

And as though they were in the most normal of circumstances, he winked at Ginny before dematerializing as fast as he had appeared.

The cogs in Ginny's mind were running a thousand miles per hour, but she still could wrap her mind around what had been revealed to her. Or rather, she did not want to understand. The role they were asking her to fulfill was too heavy for her young, weak shoulders. She was still waiting for someone to tell her that this was all a joke. She wanted to help her family and friends in the present, not abandon them and seek refuge in the past.

With the Time Turner in his hands, Remus turned his attention back to her and said gravelly,

"So, Lily Evans, are you ready to save the world?"