7.

The light was growing again.

The silence was receding, the ebb and flow of life returning. There was beeping, and voices droning softly across the room. She couldn't quite make out what was happening or where she was. It was too bright and everything was blurry. She snapped her fingers to call her wand from its holster only to have no wand appear. Her lips parted to speak before realizing they were already open, a tube swallowed down her throat. Gasping, she reached for her neck and began pulling at it frantically, willing herself to calm. There was the sound of increased beeping and suddenly footsteps grew louder.

"She's waking up. Increase the dosage." A woman's voice floated in from above.

The black was closing in again, enveloping her. She tried to scream, to claw her way back to the light, but it was no use. She was swept up, a grain of sand washed into the sea of oblivion.

And everything was dark.

XXXXX

It was with a fury of swirling cloak and frantic magic that James Potter threw open the doors to the Hogwarts Infirmary. His eyes sought out bright emeralds in the low light. Their gazes locked and Lily rose. James strode to her, enveloping his love in a deep in his arms.

"Are you alright?" He asked quietly.

Lily made an affirmative noise that sounded slightly like a sob. "Yes. But Harry isn't. Poppy says she's not sure when he'll wake up, he's so weak. She's having to place him in stasis, like a potion, to keep him from dying while she treats him." Lily shuddered and stepped back from her husband. "What happened? Where were you?"

James ran his hand hand through his hair. "Merlin. The short version is that Padfoot and I went to Edinburgh to check on a Death Eater who's under court orders not to leave a particular area. Of course, he had, so we went looking for him. It was getting late and we were about to check back in with the main office when we found. . . well, we found a girl. She was badly injured so we took her over to St. Bláán's high security ward. It's the one the Ministry is testing out those new wards on, remember? No Patronous can pass through?"

Lily nodded, "Albus talked about them a few meetings ago?"

"Yeah," James said. "But we've been there trying to sort it all out. I am so, so sorry Lils. I had no idea you were trying to contact me."

James watched as his wife's demeanor softened. She dropped her crossed arms and took his hand, leading James to their son's bedside. The Auror could hardly believe his eyes.

"What in Merlin's name happened to him?" He turned, shocked, to his wife.

"It would seem to be something rather serious." Snape's drawl cut through the darkened infirmary.

"Bloody Hell man!" James exclaimed. "Could you, for once in your bleeding life, behave like a decent bloke? Have you been here the whole time?"

Severus slowly walked toward the couple. Though James would never admit it, the way the man had seemed to emerge from pure shadow was more than unsettling. Snape came to stand on the other side of Harry's bed.

"Yes," he said. "I've been tending to your wife and your son whilst you were off, not bothering to check in. Rather thoughtless of you, though I suppose it is typical."

James opened his mouth to snarl something nasty in reply when Lily cut in.

"That's quite enough." She said sharply. "Both of you. Two students from this school have nearly died tonight. I am at my wits' end and I'll not have you bickering like children. So help me, if you can't control yourselves for one moment I swear on my Magic I will make you both sorrier than you've ever been."

Both men went silent. Severus was inscrutable as always, though James had the good grace to look abashed. Lily looked darkly from one to the other. When it seemed the danger of their fighting had passed, she sighed and rubbed her eyes.

"Arthur and Molly are with Poppy in her office, talking with a healer from St. Mungo's about Ron. Albus left a bit ago, though I'm sure he'll be back before breakfast." She turned to James. "We're going to have to have something to say to Sylvia but I'm just not sure what. We don't have any answers as to what's happened at all."

"Well what has happened?" James asked. "How were the boys hurt?"

After a look from Lily, Snape supplied the answer. "I was with the Headmaster when the intruder alarm sounded," he began, "It was after midnight. He and I found both Potter and Weasley at the top of the Astronomy tower, covered in blood and perviously injured." Severus stopped, looking back to Lily to continue.

"Severus and I were alone in the ward," she said. "It was about an hour after after they'd been found. Poppy had stabilized Ron as best she could, but he was dying. Albus had gone to fire call Molly and Arthur so we were alone. And then Harry. . . Harry woke up." She paused for a moment. "But, James, it wasn't our son. I mean, he is our son, but it was like he'd become a different person. He was so cold, just demanded to know what had happened to Ron. And he performed nonverbal, wandless magic like it was nothing." Lily trailed off, wiping a few errant tears from her eyes.

James looked to Severus. "What kind of magic was it? I know Harry's good with defense, but I didn't think he'd made much progress with nonverbal spells, let alone wandless."

"He summoned Lily's wand nonverbally and then blasted us to the far wall and administered a sticking charm. He then magically locked Madam Pomfrey in her office and silenced us all." Snape continued on, relaying Harry's actions with all the feeling of man reading a grocery list. "While it is shocking that any son of your line could possess the innate talent and skill to perform this level of magic, it is his knowledge and subsequent use of an obscure, Dark, restoration ritual that is most concerning. Your son used powerful, Dark, magic to heal the Weasley boy and thereby drain himself of life." And here Severus held himself back from sneering at his old rival. "He would have died, had not the Headmaster known the appropriate counter and possessed the ability to enact it."

The ward fell into an uneasy silence. James was simply stunned. He'd always been proud of his son's accomplishments at defense and dueling, just as he had been with Harry's loyalty and bravery. But this was just too much. How could Harry have suddenly gained that level of ability or power? James gazed at this hardened version of his son while he mulled it all over.

"The girl we found said she was Harry's wife." James' proclamation elicited no expression from Snape and only raised eyebrows from Lily. The elder Potter looked back up at Lily. "She said she was Harry's wife, that she was twenty years old and that Harry was twenty one." James ran his hands once again through his hair. "She said she was Ginevra Weasley."

Lily looked stunned. "And you just left her there?"

"No," James replied. "Sirius is bringing her over now. When he spoke with the Headmaster he asked we move her to Hogwarts and not inform the Ministry. It'll be tricky to cover it up; she was in a bad way and we weren't exactly discreet when we brought her in. But I suppose if anyone can tidy things up, it's Padfoot." He paused, eyes focused on nothing in particular before sharpening on his son. "Where's the list of Harry's injuries?"

Lily pulled a clip board from the foot of Harry's bed and handed it off to her husband. She turned to the Defense master.

"Would you speak with Syl? She needs to be told something before the rumors start at breakfast. Nothing too shocking, but she should know at least that Harry is ill." Lily's gaze rested on her son. "I just don't want to leave him yet."

"Of course." Severus replied. Without another word he swept from the room, making his way toward the Hufflepuff common room.

Once Snape had gone, James read for a few more moments. The further he read, the deeper his frown grew.

"This is bad." He ran his hands through his messy hair again. "What does Dumbledore say?"

"Not much." Lily sighed. "He's about his usual business. But I don't think he can know much more than we do. I'm assuming he's checking with whatever sources he has on Voldemort."

James shuddered. "It doesn't really matter how often we say it, that name still makes me feel peaked." He wrapped his arms around Lily. "It will be alright Lils. Somehow, it'll be alright."

The pair stood, arms entwined, watching the morning sun make its way over the mountains behind the castle.

XXXXX

Sylvia was soaring.

Flying swiftly above Hogwarts, she spun into a barrel roll before dipping down over the Forbidden Forrest. Her toes swept along the treetops and she reared back pulling up sharply. High above the Quidditch pitch Sylvia paused a moment before angling her broom toward the Earth. She closed her eyes and let go, raising her arms to the shining sun.

She was the wind. She was alive. She was flying.

And suddenly she was in her own four-poster bed, being shaken awake by Megan Jones.

"Huh? Whatdayawant?" Sylvia tried to bat away her best friend and roll back over.

"Professor Snape is down in the common room. He says he needs to talk to you. I guess it's important." Megan replied.

"Professor Snape? Er. . . okay, okay." Sylvia rolled out of bed, flinging the covers off herself. "How come you're up so early?"

"I forgot to finish that Ancient Runes translation." Megan was frowning. "I hate those Goblin influenced runes. Bloody pointless, if you ask me. It's not like we can really harness their magic anyway. . ."

"Hmm," Sylvia nodded. She threw on a dressing gown and headed for the door. "I'll see you later, then?"

She headed out the rounded door without waiting for an answer.

Sylvia almost laughed as she rounded the corner into the common room. Professor Snape looked like a giant bat amongst hobbits. He was terribly out of place, large and looming, as though he couldn't bring himself to sit amidst so much warm yellow. There was a Hufflepuff first year eyeing him with fear from the other side of the room. Snape's back was to Sylvia, and she hadn't given much thought why the Defense master was in her common room at all until he turned round. Snape's expression was grim, and he assessed her through bloodshot eyes.

"Who died?" Sylvia deadpanned.

"No one," Snape answered. His tone was the usual inscrutable one he used with Sylvia; a hint of warmth smothered beneath layers of indifference. Sylvia, of course, knew better.

"So," she replied, "who's going to die, then?"

"Your brother has somehow gotten himself rather injured, along with Mr. Weasley," Snape said. "Neither is in danger of dying, but they're both in the hospital wing. Your mother asked I speak with you before breakfast; she's with him now."

"What's happened to Harry?" Sylvia asked.

"We're not sure. The Headmaster, however, will have it sorted out. You're not to visit until after class today. Is that understood?"

"Perfectly." Sylvia's answer was bitter. Harry had done some stupid thing or another and, as usual, she was being kept out of the family loop. "Bloody Griffyndor's," she muttered.

Snape cracked a small smile. "Indeed. They will be the ruin of us all." He sighed, "I shall see you at breakfast." With a nod, Snape swept from the common room, clearly eager to be out of such unfamiliar territory as quickly as possible.

It wasn't until later when Sylvia was toweling her hair, starring at her own reflection in the steamy mirror, that she realized it was highly irregular that Professor Snape had come to find her rather than Professor Sprout. Something, Sylvia was sure, was seriously amiss. Of course, her brother was once again in some sort of trouble and once again their mum was rushing to his aid. It rankled. Being a 'Puff rather than a Griffyndor was a surprise for which Sylvia had been happy. She knew she wasn't really suited for the Lions but she suspected her parents hadn't quite gotten over the shock. It seemed they were always so united in their Griffyndor pride and, truly, Sylvia was sick of it. Leaning over the sink to see clearly into the reflection of her own startling green eyes, Sylvia vowed to herself that she wouldn't be kept in the dark anymore.

XXXXX

Breakfast had come and gone before there was any more excitement to be had in Hogwarts' infirmary.

It seemed that everyone was deeply engaged in doing nothing in particular. Lily was dozing lightly, having conjured a squishier reclining chair for herself. James was too nervous to even attempt sleep. Every time he sat it was as though his skin was crawling. Restless, he assumed pacing in Sirius' place. Severus had headed back to attend to his own classes while Albus had agreed to fill in for Lily's. He had assured both the Weasley's and the Potter's he could offer no further assistance for either of the boys until one of them woke up. Arthur had elected to speak with the other Weasley children before breakfast. He was still out, presumably owling or fire calling his large brood of redheads. For her part, Molly had stationed herself in a rather uncomfortable looking chair next to Ron's bed. Her tense eyes followed James as he paced back and forth while her hands worked tirelessly at some random piece of knitting.

The doors to the infirmary banged open, causing all present parties not in a magically-induced coma to start violently.

"Merlin, Sirius!" James yelled, though he dropped his voice to a theatrical whisper when both Lily and Molly shushed him. "Couldn't resist an entrance?"

Sirius looked shamefaced from James to the two bed-bound boys. "Didn't mean to be so loud. Sorry for that. But look," he turned and levitated a medical stretcher in behind him, "I've brought our mystery girl."

"You could have at least Disillusioned her," Molly said from Ron's bedside. "What if one of the students saw?"

"Healer's orders. No Disillusionment for the next forty-eight hours," Sirius said as he levitated the girl off her stretcher and onto a bed near Harry's. "But I did put up a Notice-Me-Not charm. Give me some credit Molly."

The Weasley matriarch looked far from abashed but said nothing more. Her knitting needles began clicking at speeds Sirius was sure weren't humanly possible. Lily went to the bedside of the girl to inspect their newest mystery charge while James spoke quietly with Sirius.

"You got the paperwork all taken care of, then?" James asked.

"Yes." Sirius replied as he retied his long, black hair into a tail behind his head. "It wasn't easy, mind you. I've never had to falsify so many documents or modify so many memories, even on Order business. Albus might need to nip up there and make sure I've not missed anything."

James nodded, "I'm sure you sorted it, but I'll mention it to him. Get anything else out of her after I left?"

"Not a word," Sirius replied as the pair made their way over to the girl in question. "The healer gave her a dreamless sleep potion about an hour ago. She should be out for a few more hours."

"My God." Lily's voice carried across the room. Both the Aurors and Molly looked up at her exclamation. Lily was white as a sheet. "This. . . this is Ginny Weasley." Lily's green eyes found Molly's as the later flew from her seat to the unconscious girl's bedside.

"This girl can't be Ginny," Molly exclaimed. "Look at this scar, it's long since healed. Ginny didn't have it when she left for school last week. And she's older. This isn't a sixteen-year-old." Molly looked wildly from Lily to James to Sirius. "It's just not possible. How would she have gotten to Edinburgh? She can't apparate yet. No, no, this isn't possible. . . " Molly was staring at the girl on the bed, running her hands through the girl's black hair as though inspecting her face more closely could yield some clue to the girl's true identity.

"Molly. . ." Sirius began. He stopped when the woman's red-rimmed eyes met his own. He cast a glance at James. "When James and I were questioning her at St. Bláán's she claimed to be Ginny. She said she was older, twenty, and that Harry was twenty-one. She. . ." He trailed off as Molly's expression became threatening. Her hand seemed to be unconsciously reaching for her wand.

"It's true," James cut in before Mrs. Weasley could cast something nasty at Sirius. "She said those things. The healers ran an blood identity spell on her before we left." He turned to his best mate. "Did you get the results before you left?"

"It was inconclusive," Sirius said. "It's all in her paperwork, here," he said as he hastily handed the file to Molly and took a step back.

Molly riffled through the file, eyes scanning the paperwork and she tore through one page after another. Finally she looked back up at the other adults. Her eyes found Lily and she seemed to be pleading as she asked, "But surly Ginny is in class here today? Arthur said he would speak to her after he fire called the other boys."

Lily put her arm around her old friend. "I'm not sure what's going on, but we'll figure it out. Let's start by eliminating our unknowns. Sirius," and here she glared at the Black heir, "would be more than happy to find Arthur and see to it that Ginny is where she's supposed to be."

"Oh yes, yes I would." Sirius said hastily. "In fact, I'm off right now." He turned and nearly fled the room, leaving James to stand awkwardly as Lily comforted a now crying Molly.

It seemed like ages before Sirius returned with Arthur. While they waited, lunch had been sent up by the house elves. Molly had calmed down enough to take a bit of tea and James had been scolded by Lily no less than four times for his incessant pacing. None of their young charges had awoken, though Madam Pomfrey had come from her office to check on them twice. They were all stable, she said.

"Sirius tells me Ginny is here?" Arthur's weary voice sounded as he and the auror entered the infirmary.

"She wasn't in class?" Molly demanded, rising to greet her husband.

"No, she wasn't," Arthur said as he moved toward the bed of the unconscious girl. "I spoke with Luna, but she said she hadn't seen her at breakfast either. Minerva went to check and Ginny isn't in bed either." He looked down at the girl with the black hair. "How can this be our daughter? She looks like Ginny, but clearly she isn't."

"I am afraid there is rather a lot we don't understand."

"Dumbledore!" Arthur exclaimed as the headmaster joined them. "What in Merlin's name is going on?"

"I believe Miss Weasley should be able to answer that question for us once she awakens." Albus replied as he made his way to the group of confused adults. "Poppy, would it be alright to Rennervate Miss Weasley?"

Madam Pomfrey, who had joined the group when Arthur and Sirius returned, nodded at the headmaster. "She needs rest, but there's no reason why she can't be awake for a bit. The dreamless sleep potion should have just about worn off by now."

"Headmaster, earlier she seemed unbalanced," James said. Molly and Arthur flashed him looks he couldn't quite identify. "I'm sorry," he said to them, "but I thought Albus should know before we wake her up."

"Quite right James," the Headmaster said. "It is best to exercise caution. I believe, however, we are in need of answers to our questions sooner, rather than later." Dumbledore smiled reassuringly and turned to the girl on bed. With a simple Rennervate her eyelids began to flutter. Brown eyes opened to find the group of adults circled around her bed and the girl who called herself Ginny Weasley gasped.

"MUM!" She screamed and launched herself at the shocked Mrs. Weasley. The girl's arms were wound tightly around Molly before she could react. "I am sososososososo happy to see you!" The girl cried, tears steaming down her face.

"Ginny," Arthur said softly, as though approaching a wounded animal. "Ginny, are you alright?"

His question was met with another leaping bear hug and repeated cries. Arthur's wide eyes looked to Albus for guidance. The headmaster smiled benignly back, his blue eyes twinkling.

"Gin, love, I think your father needs to breathe," Harry's weak voice cut through Ginny's sobbing. Like a switch had gone off Ginny dropped her crushing grip on her father and barged through the cluster of adults to get to Harry. She threw herself into his arms for only a moment before pulling back and taking his face into her hands. Lily felt as though it was all a bit melodramatic.

"You look peaked." Ginny's voice was accusing.

Harry smiled sheepishly. "Ron was in bad shape."

"Our Ron?" Her voice was sharper now, more present.

"Yeah. They found us together." Harry gestured to the bed next to his own and Ginny laid eye's on her brother.

"Merlin," she whispered. "Were you in time?"

"He'll be okay," Harry answered, a grin breaking across his face. "We did it Gin. . . well, we mostly did it." He smiled tenderly at Ginny. "Let's figure out exactly where we went wrong, then?" He gestured toward the crowd of adults, each wearing a different emotion prominently on their face. Harry took them all in, moving from the faces of two people he'd once so deeply longed to know, to the faces of the couple he'd come to love as surrogate parents. It was the safer option to deal directly with Dumbledore so Harry fixed his gaze on the elderly wizard.

"I'm assuming you have some idea what's happened?" Harry asked, a note of amusement in his voice.

"I have many hypotheses, each more enjoyably outrageous than the next," Albus answered. "I would need some confirmation to settle on just one, however."

"Well, I'm up for a tale or two." Harry thew back his covers and attempted to stand. Ginny moved seamlessly beneath his arm to help brace him. Without looking what she was doing, Ginny reached her free hand toward an area next to her hip. Her hand met the healing gown, groping empty space. She looked down, startled.

"Bugger. They took my things."

"We'll get them back soon," Harry said soothingly. Turning to the adults his eyes once again met with Dumbledore's.

"I think we'll start with the date, then?" He asked.

"It's September fourth, 1997," James was impatient. He'd done this song and dance once already with the faux-Ginny and had no desire for a repeat with this faux-Harry.

"Right." Harry said, "We'd been aiming for 1981. Specifically, for January of 1981. Clearly that didn't take."

"So you're time travelers?" Molly cut in. Her voice was incredulous.

Harry looked startled, as though being interrupted wasn't something that often happened to him. He didn't look at Mrs. Weasley or acknowledge her question.

"There were four of us," he said to pointedly to Dumbledore, and Dumbledore alone. "Myself and Ginny, obviously, but Luna Lovegood and Hermione Granger were with us as well. So our first order of business is to see if both of them made the transfer too."

"I've already sent each head of house to do a count of all their students," Albus said. "I felt it would be prudent to ensure we aren't missing any additional members of our school. Professor Snape should return with the results shortly."

The Defense master's name seemed to throw Harry off, if only for a moment. He stopped, eyes far away, but in a blink had shrugged whatever emotion it was off and returned sharply to the here and now. Harry saw that Albus had noticed the slip. Before he could say anything else Arthur spoke up.

"I spoke with Luna Lovegood this morning when I was looking for Ginny. She didn't seem to be a time traveler."

Harry was frowning again. He exchanged a silent look with Ginny before turning back to the headmaster.

"Okay, so we know Luna didn't make it then. Ron might have come in her place for some reason, but I really won't be sure until we find Hermione."

"Wait, you mean the Granger girl?" Lily asked, obviously confused. "Why would you ever bring her back in time?"

Harry and Ginny both looked surprised at Lily's statement. "Why would we?" Harry asked, "Maybe because she's one of the two strongest, bravest, best women I know?"

"But you and Miss Granger loathe each other," Lily pressed. "What happens in between now and four years from now that changes that?"

Harry suddenly looked weary. He sighed and ran his hand through his shaggy black hair. The gesture reeked so heavily of James that all doubts about the boy flew from Lily head. This was their son.

"It would take too long to explain right now. So let's just say that things get bad with Voldemort and we were trying to reach back into the past, to change it."

"Such magic has never been achieved in recorded history," Albus said breezily. He might have been having an academic chat with a fellow professor.

"No, but there is president for it with Time-Turners. We just took the theory behind them and expanded it a bit," Harry replied.

"You would relive the past thirty years?" Dumbledore inquired.

"It's not such a terrible price to pay for destroying Voldemort." Harry shrugged. "We were all okay with it. And it's not like there was much of a future where we were coming from anyway."

"I see." It was all Dumbledore said, but his expression was sorrowful.

Harry waved the moment away. "We don't need your pity," he said. "We can go into details later, but it's most important to figure out if Hermione made it here or not."

"She is not within Hogwarts." Snape's voice cut in. Both James and Sirius swore rather loudly. Only Albus, Harry and Ginny seemed unsurprised at his presence.

"Ah, Severus. Is it only Miss Granger missing?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes. The Lovegood girl, along with all the other students, are accounted for," Snape replied.

"Then let's find Hermione, shall we?" Harry asked Ginny, who nodded. She gently lowered Harry back to the bed and withdrew from him. They shared a lingering look before Ginny's shoulders became set and she turned from Harry to the assembled crowd.

"I'll need a wand," she said to Sirius. Ginny was grinning like mad all of a sudden and Sirius was visibly hesitant to hand her a potential weapon.

"Sirius." Harry said in that commanding tone of which he seemed so fond. "Her wand. Now."

"Oh, right. Here." Sirius felt himself reach for it as though compelled. He withdrew a leather pouch from the interior of his robes and tossed it to Ginny. In one swift motion she caught the bag, withdrew her wand and brought it from head to toe in a sweeping motion. There was a flash of light and she was gone.

"GINNY!" Molly yelled, reaching for the spot where her daughter had been a moment ago.

"She'll be fine," Harry said distractedly. He was staring at the unmoving form of Ron Weasley again.

Both Weasley's wheeled around to Dumbledore for answers. To their shock, the headmaster was smiling.

"Quite exceptional, indeed," he said to Harry. "Who devised it?"

"Ginny actually," Harry responded with a smile. It slipped from his face in a blink, and suddenly James wasn't sure it'd really been there at all. "She's spent a long, long time wanting to disappear."