The group was arrived in 1994 and was greeted by Chris. "The Ministry is really getting on me to make sure you all get back to your time. They don't like Time Travelers very much" he informed them.
"We just want to be one hundred percent sure that everything thing will be the same with us" Harry said.
"Personally, I understand" Chris told the group, "however, The Ministry is afraid of too much being changed. They are affected by the changes and therefore cannot be sure that all the changes you made were for the better. This of course makes them very nervous. They would rather the Time Turner be back into their own hands instead of just getting information for me."
"If they are so worried how is it that the Time Turner ended up in a river in the first place?" Hermione asked.
"That is still under investigation, a big part of the problem. They need to Time Turner back to hopefully be able to use it to determine who last had it before yourselves. It also appears to them that it was very easily placed into your hands" Chris replies.
The group nodded in agreement. It was a little odd that the Time Turner was placed in that river. A spot in the river where it was easily spotted by them. It was spotted by a group of witches and wizards who were determined to use it, at that moment in time. It was also slightly odd, Harry thought, about how everything so far had worked out fairly perfectly.
"The bottom line is they have given me a week to retrieve and return it to them and despite being affected by the changes, they do have certain ways of tracking this kind of thing" Chris told them. A week would be okay if everything had turned out to be right, but if something was off, it would be too short.
"I guess we have to move quickly then and hope that everything is okay" Harry replied. They couldn't afford to waste any time. It was off to Hogwarts. They all worried that their normal way to get into Hogwarts would be closed but when they arrived it appeared that it would not fail them this time. They quickly went to find their younger selves.
They all decided to spilt up and find their own selves and hopefully at some point they would meet up. Harry wondered where his younger self would be. He looked at a clock, it was after classes. He might be with younger Hermione and Ron somewhere studying. Maybe he was in the dormitory. He could almost be anywhere on the school grounds.
Then the thought crossed his mind and he headed straight for the Quidditch Field. His heart was beating a little fast. He replayed every fond memory he had of playing Quidditch and recalled how he had made his house team. Would it have been similar in this reality? Or was he not even on his house team at the moment?
Harry let out a slight smile when he saw the Gryffindor team out of the field practing, his self apart of the group. Harry watched himself. He realized that this Harry was actually somewhat better then himself. He wondered if James had given him some pointers. He hoped so.
Soon these would be his memories. The boy-who-lived would be gone and he would truly be just Harry Potter. Harry was proud of himself for all of the positive things he had accomplished. He hoped that his new self would feel the same way. He also hoped that those accomplishments would never have to include saving the world or surving without loved ones again.
Practice ended and Harry looked up to see George standing next time him. He appeared to have been lost in his own thought as well. As they followed themselves back into the building Harry couldn't help but notice George's big smile as he his younger self joke around with Fred. Harry smiled to, hoping that in this time they Weasley's would not have to deal with the loss of Fred or any member anywhere near as early.
Harry found himself meeting up with Hermione, and Ron shortly after. They we're all in a common area, it appeared that Hermione was attempting to get Ron to do some homework. The Hermione and Ron from his reality gave Harry an "everything looks good" thumbs up. Harry nodded in agreement. There was still one thing he had to find out before he could agree to enter this new reality fully.
Leaving his younger self behind he went off in search of Ginny. He found with a group of friends in a hallway headed towards the girl's bathroom. He and Ginny from his reality listen together though a crack in the only partially closed door.
"Is everyone going to the Quidditch match tomorrow?" asked one of the girls.
"Of course! It's Gryffindor verse Slytherin! Who would want to miss it?" Ginny replied.
"Oh come on Ginny! We all know that's not why you want to go." replied the first girl.
"Oh really? Why then?" questioned Ginny.
"Ginny, come on, don't play dumb! Everyone knows you have your eye on a certain seeker!" a third girl chimed in.
"Well, everyone but Harry" remarked the first girl.
Ginny sighed. "If he only did. Or am I horrible for liking my brother's best friend?" she asked the group.
"No, of course not, you can't help who you like!" remarked a fourth girl "but if you want it to become something, you may have to take matters into you own hands!"
The group left the bathroom and the conversation was over. Nothing else was said about Harry for the rest of the time they followed the girls. The met up with the others and gave the "let's exchange stories look". They arrived back at camp and settled it. Harry was glad to see no one was on edge, which gave him a feeling that there would be no need to change anything.
George went first. He noted about Quidditch, and Fred. Apparently after Harry had left him not much else happened, George seemed content with what he had seen though. Harry went next, then Ginny, both then telling the story about the girls in the bathroom together.
Ron and Hermione laughed at the conversation. "What's so funny?" asked Harry.
"How completely blind the two of you are. Well, we're" answered Hermione.
Ron and Hermione then told their story. They had found themselves together. They noted about a lot of similarities to their relationship in this reality to the one their younger selves appeared to have. Harry agreed from what he had seen.
"Then after you left to find Ginny" Ron told Harry, "Our younger selves had an conversation. It started off about Potions. Anyways, after a while you said something about Ginny and asked if I thought you have a chance with her".
"And what did you say?" asked Harry.
"I said 'Yeah I can see that happening'" Ron replied.
"According to my youngerself, a lot of people could" added Hermione.
"So we both like each other?" Ginny asked trying to clarify?
"A the plot thickens" added Chris, whom Harry hadn't been paying much attention to.
"I know Ginny liked Harry since like forever but, how is it that they are coming together sooner?" asked George. Harry was sort of wondering the same thing, though he wasn't complaining.
"Because now he known Ginny for a lot longer. In our reality or whatever it is you want to call it, they didn't meet until Harry was 11" replied Hermione. That seemed to make sense.
"Is everyone content with how everything is?" asked Chris. The group nodded. They discussed taking one more peak the following day and ended up deciding to veto that idea. They were all content that somehow them being together was fate. Fate sometimes could be all that was needed.
In the early morning Harry lay awake thinking about what was to happen that day. They would go back to their time. He would be in a whole new reality, and never remember this one. He hoped that the positive memories in his new reality would be enough to make up for the positive ones he would lose. He was glad that he would have a family, the same friends, and Ginny.
Ginny turned and lay her head on his chest and wrapped he arm around him. "Are you nervous?" He asked her.
"A little, but I'm sure not as much as you. Your heading for a whole new life" she replied.
"We all are. Entire years at Hogwarts will be changed. There was no diary, no DA, no Battle" Harry stated.
"Then it changed for the better. I'll be glad to have those memories erased" she informed him.
"Me too, but there are some I wish I could keep. Not anything to do with Voldemort of course, but times I spent with your family, Hermione, and Dumbledore. Moments that after we go back, will never have occurred" He told her.
"Then we'll just have to create better ones" Ginny said "but first let's make one last one here". She kissed him. They both got out of bed and quietly got dressed. Then they snuck out to their little spot. They talked for quite some time about everything and anything. They watched the sun come up and then returned to the group for breakfast.
By 10 the group stood together. All packed up and ready to go. Chris would use take the Time Turner and use a special dust he had to returned them to their time, this dust would also make them lose their memory. He made sure they were truly ready and Hermione handed over the Time Turner.
"I still don't understand how everything worked out this easily though" Harry verbalized the thought he had been having since they started this adventure.
"Because it was meant to happen" Chris told them, "if you succeed in what you are trying to do, it was always meant to happen, you haven't just changed the past, you turned it into the way your lives were meant to be. We realized this a long time ago which is why The Ministry allowed for you to keep doing this for so long".
"I still don't understand. If this is how our lives are meant to be, why weren't they that way in the first place?" asked Hermione.
"Everything you do whether you remember it or not is a part of who you are. Your younger selves were able to become closer sooner because you already have the connection of this life" Chris answered, "You will in a way remember this life though not consciously".
"How is it that is you know all about this?" questioned George.
"Because being in charge of the Time Turners I've seen plenty" Chris replied "as I'm sure you know there are things that sometimes even magic can't explain. If everything could easily be explain, there would be no needs for such things as bravery or trust".
It was time. Harry took Ginny's hand. Ron took Hermione's. Chris took at some of the "dust" placed some in his hand. "Well good luck everyone! Hope you all find what you're looking for. See you in another life!" Chris said. Then he took the dust that was in his hand a through in on the group.