Harry Potter and the Repercussions of Future Past

by buddingauthor1133

Harry and Ginny Potter, happily married, are expecting. However, somehow, overnight the soon-to-be parents are transported 9 years back in time. Now they find themselves trapped in their 15/14 year old bodies with their memories intact? Can the Potters tempt fate and destiny? Not to mention, with Ginny still being pregnant, can they handle what appears to be a teen pregnancy?

6. When You Wish Upon A Star

For LilMissMoonRay
The credit for the concept, the plot line and the time-travel explanation goes to LilMissMoonRay.

Chapter 6 : When You Wish Upon A Star

10th August 1995

It was in the evening later that Albus Dumbledore stepped into number 12 and found its occupants draped across the furniture of the living room. Fred and George were bowing eccentrically as everyone else seemed to be in stitches. Well, almost everyone - Molly tried to look disapproving but failed as her lips twitched slightly.

"Well, it would appear that you've all had a pleasant evening," Dumbledore said as he stood in the doorway. A benign smile graced his tired face as they all turned to see him.

"Evening, Albus," Sirius greeted with a wry smile. The old Headmaster did not look well at all; his face seemed to be sunken slightly and his eyes were missing their usual twinkle. He seemed to have aged another 50 years and even more weight seemed to be set on his shoulders. "What can we do for you?" Sirius knew this must be some kind of social visit as if there was an attack of some sort then a Patronus message would have been sent.

"I have some news for Mr and Mrs Potter," he smiled at the ex-convict before turning his serious gaze to the young couple who were looking down at him curiously. "I do believe that I have found out why you travelled back to this summer."

His words were like a spark that jump started the young couple's hearts. Harry leapt to his feet and stood stock still as he stared at the old man in disbelief. Ginny remained seated, but reached out to clasp Harry's hand firmly in her own. He could feel the slight tremors that shook her frame and tightened his grip. Nobody spoke nor seemed to move as they focused their eyes between the headmaster and the Potters.

After a few moments, Dumbledore looked at everyone else, "Could all please give us a few moments. I think this is something they should hear on their own."

After a few murmured encouragements and worried glances, the three found themselves alone in the living room. Dumbledore stared sadly at the two young adults in front of him. It seemed as though they were almost too scared to breath as their faces were frozen with stress. How he wished he did not have to be the bearer of this news! He knew that the two had secretly hoped that they would be able to find a way back to their own time but with what he had recently uncovered, Dumbledore knew that it was an impossible hope.

"Harry, my boy, why don't you sit? It might be best that you do."

Dumbledore started quietly as he himself sat down in a now vacant armchair. Harry's expression remained unchanging as he stiffly moved his muscles and sat back down. Ginny immediately leaned into his side and his arm came around her as his other hand rested gently on her stomach. This sight caused another painful pang to sear across his weathered heart before he took a deep breath and moved his gaze to his hands in his lap. Seeing such an uncharacteristic gesture from the headmaster did nothing to elevate their fear and nerves.

"I have spent the last few days researching for any possible reason as to how you were thrown back in time with all of your memories and child intact." He began in a quiet and would-be-soothing voice. The effect was slightly ruined by the sadness that belayed his intentions. "As you know, as far as we are aware in this time, and from what you have said of the future, it is only possible to rewind time for a few hours. A full day, at the most."

"The development into time travel hasn't progressed much further in the future," Harry commented. His tone was carefully neutral as he struggled to keep his emotions internal. "That doesn't explain how this happened and you know it. Can you please get to the point?"

"Of course, I apologise for my procrastination," Albus nodded his head in a slight recognition as the young man saw through his delaying tactics. "I shall get to the point then.

"When you appeared from the maze at the end of the third task," he paused as Harry flinched slightly. "I wished to find out what had happened that night with as little distress as possible for you -"

"But you still asked me to recount my version of events." Harry pointed out. Ginny glared slightly at the thought.

"I know, my boy. I am getting to that. Even though I did not wish for you to speak about your ordeal so soon, I knew you would have to regardless, as you would not be able to overcome it if you hid it deep down inside of you. In order to try and put that off for a bit longer, I used Legilimency to look into your mind." His eyes shone with the regret and guilt that dripped from his words. Ginny sat up and turned her blazing glare on Dumbledore as Harry stiffened even more at the thought of someone accessing his thoughts without his permission.

"How dare you-" she began to hiss at the old man, but he held up his hand to quieten her.

"I know that my actions were deplorable, but it was necessary at the time."

"Of course, most of your actions are 'necessary at the time'." She snarled under her breath before falling silent as she continued to glare at him. Harry agreed with what she was saying, but he refrained from commenting as he wished to get an explanation as quickly as possible. Dumbledore nodded to the two before carrying on.

"Your mind was filled with grief and confusion, Harry, and so I could not get a clear picture of what had happened during your encounter with Voldemort. That is why I later asked you speak up. What I did find instead, disturbed me greatly." For a moment, he dropped his head again and seemed unable to say more. Tears filled his piercing blue eyes as he thought back to what he had seen as guilt crashed even more heavily into him. Out of all the mistakes he had made in the past, this was the one that he most regretted. Not only had he condemned the boy, but he had started off a chain reaction of events that had effectively almost ruined his favourite pupil's life.

The young couple watched as Dumbledore collected himself. For Harry, fear was rising like a monster inside him as he dreaded to hear what his mentor had found inside his head.

"When I left you with your aunt all of those years ago, I knew she would not be the perfect mother towards you," his voice cracked a little as he spoke.

His mind felt frazzled at the moment as it tried to deny the knowledge of the headmaster's latest words, and it was because of that that he didn't hear when Ginny unleashed her rage.

"YOU KNEW!" She screamed at the elderly wizard who cowered slightly in front of her as she stood up and towered over him in her anger. "YOU KNEW HOW THEY TREATED HIM ALL OF HIS TIME AND YOU NEVER DID ANYTHING! YOU KNEW HOW THEY HURT HIM, LOCKED HIM AWAY, BELITTLED HIM AND TERRORISED HIM, YET YOU THREW HIM TO THE WOLVES EACH AND EVERY BLOODY YEAR! YOU NEVER TRIED TO HELP HIM, OR GET HIM OUT OF THERE! YOU JUST LEFT HIM TO ROT, AS LONG AS IT WAS FOR THE GREATER GOOD!"

Dumbledore flinched spectacularly at the last statement.

Now, normally one would think that it would be almost impossible to have the audacity to shout at the famous Albus Dumbledore, but most people don't factor in an enraged Weasley woman who was filled to the brim with fluctuating hormones and a short temper to boot. Add in the fact that she had just learned that someone she looked up to allowed the man she loved to be hurt for years.

The door banged open and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, along with their sons, Hermione and Sirius barged in.

"Is everything alright - ?" Mr. Weasley asked with concern, his wife frantically searching for any signs of trouble.

While Dumbledore was explaining what he found out, the others had gone into the kitchen. They had all heard Ginny screaming at the headmaster, even if the words were undecipherable. It had cause the majority of them to jump in surprise- they didn't believe that Ginny had the audacity to scream like a banshee at the old man, and the fact that she had made them all realise that something truly awful had happened.

Ignoring the rest of the occupant's questioning and stares, Harry got up and enveloped Ginny in a hug.

"Gin, calm down love," he whispered in her ear as he felt her body vibrate. "He hasn't finished explaining yet. He obviously did something or it wouldn't have been brought up. Please calm down so we can hear what he has to say."

He pleaded with her, trying to get her to think rationally. Eventually he felt her body relax under his arms and he gently removed them before sitting her back down. He sat beside her and resumed his previous position with her as he turned towards only one person in the room.

"I assure you that my first and main priority was to keep you safe. Word had travelled fast that Voldemort had attacked the Potters at Godric's Hollow and in a strange turn of events Voldemort himself was defeated after he attacked you. It was clear that a mob was soon going to descend upon the place. It was chaos and the Ministry was in shambles. As you might know, I sent Hagrid to retrieve you at the earliest lest any Death Eater arrive to avenge their fallen Master. Even without their Master, they were dangerous. The Longbottoms were the worst to bear the brunt among the casualties of the aftermath. Very few people could be trusted. And then came the news of Sirius and Peter, which then further heightened the paranoia."

Harry understood that the untrue framing of his godfather, who was close friend of his parents and supposedly their secret keeper, was another shock to the wizarding world. He had understood it the moment he had processed it after Dumbledore had told him about the prophecy after Sirius died.

"I know," Harry said in a small voice.

"Any wizarding family would have gladly taken you in and raised you as their own, but I decided to put my confidence in the protection your mother gave you. A protection so strong that no Dark Force would harm you. I explained it in a letter to your aunt. After some time, when our world was being rebuilt and brought back on track, there were talks to bring you back into the world where you belonged. But at the point, you had already become a legend, a baby that survived the killing curse, the Boy-Who-Lived. It was therefore, in your interest, that you be kept away from the constant spotlight, until it was the right time. I had discussed this with your aunt a few months later." This was news to Harry. "She took you grudgingly, and in doing so, she sealed the charm I placed upon you. However there were certain conditions - no witch or wizard or any of our kind was to be allowed to contact or even be near the house. That is why, Mrs. Figg was stationed near you to keep me reported. She kept an eye on the goings of Privet Drive. She told me how their own son was being pampered while you were neglected."

But what had he actually known? Harry didn't think he knew the full extent of his 'family's' abuse- or at least he hoped he didn't. He couldn't stand the thought that Dumbledore knew all about the cupboard and the pushovers and the threats and the constant fear he had felt as a child.

"What I never even considered was the possibility that I would be condemning you to live in a house filled with -."

Harry cut across him, not wanting the real truth to come out to all the occupants of the room, not when it had been now years he had finally put it behind him and moved on.

"But you didn't know the full extent of what happened in those first ten years of my life?" asked Harry.

After a moment, the old man began his tale again.

"Yes, I knew of their treatment of you when I prodded your mind. So after you had left to go back there, I endeavoured to find a way to solve the issue. You see, due to the blood protections given to you when your mother sacrificed her life for yours, you would have to spend about a month in the same house as a direct blood relative in order to maintain that protection. So, I sought to find a blood relative of yours that you could stay with each summer instead."

"And?"

Dumbledore locked his gaze on the younger man's. "I looked through some of my more ancient tomes and found a spell that I believed would work. The incantation was 'sanguine proximi stirpem reperio rectus ' which roughly translates to mean 'find the next, direct blood descendant'. I cast the spell in my office and waited for it to work. According to the book, a ghostly image should have appeared showing a living descendant. No such thing happened, and so I put it down to a failed attempt." He sighed heavily and slumped down a little in his seat. Harry and Ginny watched him silently, their eyes hungry for the end of the story as their minds processed what had so far been said. They didn't fully understand it, but they had a rough idea that gave no clues as to what happened next.

"Unfortunately, due to the Ministry's current view on Voldemort's rebirth and their stance towards us, Harry, I had to put it out of my mind. Until a few days ago, that is. When I heard your tale, I went back to my office and thought back over the spell. I thought I had done something wrong, something that caused it to be inactive, and I spent a long time pacing my office as I tried to wrap my mind around it. Upon my pacing, I found that one of my many trinkets had been damaged."

Harry raised an eyebrow as he easily pictured the cluttered headmaster's office at Hogwarts. "Which trinket was it and how much was it damaged?" He questioned, his Auror training kicking in.
He had to actively remind himself that Dumbledore was not a suspect he was grilling for information and he tried to reign it in. Dumbledore allowed himself the tiniest of smiles as he recognised Harry's demeanour.

"It was the trinket that lay on the low table near Fawkes' perch. The trinket on top was a blue spiral tower that had been passed down in my family for generations. I did not quite know what its purpose was and so I only kept it there for decoration. It had always had a constant stream of fine powder flowing through it, and it was only when I found it broken did I realise that the fine powder represented time." He paused again to allow his words to sink in. It was Ginny that answered his silent prompt, with her eyebrows furrowed and a frown upon her face.

"It was a time turner?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, my dear. A very powerful and old time turner. I soon realised that it must have been broken by the force of the spell I had used, thus releasing the powder inside."

The young couple looked as though they had seen the ghost as they stared at Dumbledore. Their minds seemed to have screeched to a halt as they guessed what had happened next. They both had come to the same conclusion, but they did not want to understand what they knew. They felt that if they did, then they would have to admit that there was no going back, that they would have to stay in this time and go through the war again, that their baby would have to be born in an unhappy and dark place - a place that they thought they had left behind them forever. Tears started to leak from Ginny's eyes as she listened to the man sat across from her.

"I think that the broken time turner altered the spell that I used. I believe that it created a temporal aspect, halting the effects of the spell until the next direct blood descendant of Harry's came around - the baby that Ginevra is currently carrying.

"The broken time turner caused the activated spell to bring your child back to the time it had been cast- the present day, now – and because the baby is your heir, it brought you both back with it."

"It... The spell... It brought - our baby... Back with... Us?"

Harry was aware of murmurs breaking out around the three of them.

Ginny felt numb. Something inside her told her that there was something more to this theory, something that neither of the men with her knew about. Her mind wandered back to the night she had told Harry, when she saw his face light up with excitement as he thanked her profusely for giving him a child. She thought back to how he had proudly announced the news to her family, how she had looked at each of the shining faces filled with happiness and couldn't help but feel that something was missing...

"It's all my fault," she whispered aloud. Everyone snapped their gazes towards her, a sudden concern etched on their faces.

"Mrs Potter, this situation is not your fault whatsoever. You weren't even aware of the cause until just now. What could you have possibly caused?" Dumbledore asked in a kind and persuasive tone. He shared a look with Harry who looked just as confused and lost as he did. Ginny shook her head in denial towards his words before she continued in a voice that was hoarse and slowly becoming more hysterical with each new word.

"It is, it is all my fault! The spell wouldn't have brought us back as soon as it did, because my baby would have been too small...It wouldn't have been fully formed yet! But when we told our family we were going... Going... Going to have a child... I-I... I wished that everyone was there with us!" She wailed. She kept on tripping over her words and stuttered as her breathing became rapped and shallow. Harry wrapped his arms around her body and rocked her gently from side to side as he panicked. He began to try desperately to calm her down, but that didn't seem possible and she continued to babble and blame herself.

"I wished S-Sirius was here... to... to... to see how h-happy you were! And... and... and I wanted Fred to see and m-meet his new n-n-nephew or niece! It made it happen! It made the spell bring us back! It's all my fault!"

As soon as she ended that sentence, she broke down into gut wrenching, body shaking sobs. In the back of her mind, she knew she was becoming increasingly hysterical, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She seemed to be drowning in grief, guilt and sorrow as she thought about the situation she thought she had put them in. Her baby would have to live in a fear ridden world and Harry would have to fight Voldemort all over again. The war had felt a long way away when she was a teenager, but after living through it, she could finally understand all of her mother's fears and the fears of the rest of the adults. She had seen her family be destroyed by the war, had seen countless of her friends and people she knew die as they fought to secure and preserve their world. She had seen all that once and now it would appear that she would have to go through it all again - something that she wasn't sure she could do.

Would she be able to see her family and friends hurt again? Would she be able to watch as the people around her started to die? Would she be able to watch as Harry battled the biggest monster the world had ever known all over again?

She didn't think her heart would handle it, and as she lost herself in the sea of emotions, she realised that her baby would be brought into a world of cruelty and hatred, into a world where all could be lost. And most horrifyingly of all, her precious baby could end up growing up in a world without his parents.

It was a very real possibility; her Harry was going to be in the thick of this war, even more so than he had been last time, and Ginny knew that she would stand beside him always. The realisation that she and Harry could die, leaving her child behind, crushed her and twisted her heart until she didn't think she would ever surface from the pain.

Professor Dumbledore and Harry and the rest of the occupants were unable to fully comprehend what Ginny was babbling about, nor they could they ease her anguish and stop her sobs. "She blames herself." He pointed out the obvious. It was pretty much the only thing he could decipher from her babble; he had been too busy trying to calm her down to pay attention. "Did anything else she said make any sense to you?"

Albus sat down and contemplated his hands for a moment before he looked up. His heart twinged as when he saw the defeatist air that clung to the young man. His emerald eyes were dull and his face somehow seemed aged, despite the fact that not a single line marred his features. This was the reason why Dumbledore had hesitated to tell them anything yet- he did not want to burden them more than they already were. However, he knew that if he did not inform them of what he knew, the constant questions and what ifs would have plagued them, would have weaved through their minds until they burst. No matter how much the venerable old wizard wanted to protect the boy he loved as his own family, he was also painfully aware that he was no longer the innocent young boy- if he ever actually was such a thing- who had gone through more trials and tribulations than most. No, Harry Potter was an experienced man trapped in a younger body and to withhold the truth from him would have practically been impossible.

"I am not quite sure, Harry." He eventually omitted. "It would appear that Ginevra - excuse my phrasing - made a wish upon a star. A wish to have her family once again whole and to have the people you yourself cared for as family around you both to share this happy occasion. She blames herself for bringing you both back in time because of this wish."

Harry was quiet for a moment as he let this sink in. He sat down gently next to his wife, trying not to jostle her, before he opened his mouth and spoke.

"But that's not possible, is it sir?" he asked, a frown marring his face. "So, Ginny made a wish. It doesn't mean it caused us to be sent back in time. Your spell did this."

Even though Dumbledore knew Harry didn't say his last words to hurt him, he couldn't help the slight flinch he made at the sentence. He ignored his body's guilty response as he answered Harry's question.

"Yes, my spell was the main cause for your time travel. However, Ginevra does have a point. The spell should not have activated until your child had been born, and so something must have happened in order to trigger the early response."

Harry's head was beginning to hurt as his brain was overloaded with information he wasn't quite ready to process. "I understand that, sir. But what does Ginny's wish have to do with it?"

"Ginny's wish acted as the trigger, Harry," Dumbledore simply said.

Harry opened his mouth to contradict him, but the old man held up his hand as he carried on. "Let me explain. Ginevra made her wish after she had told you she was expecting. To her, it was something she wanted desperately at the time and so it was not the words that acted as a trigger, but the intent behind them. After all, it is normally the intent behind a wizard's words that causes the most extraordinary magic to happen."

Harry sat there with a blank look on his face as Dumbledore stood up. The words he had just heard tumbled around like a blizzard in his mind.

"I know it is a lot to take in."

"I am so sorry Harry. Because of me,….-" Ginny started speaking through her sobs.

"No!"

"If I hadn't wished this-"

"No! Stop it, Ginny!" Harry decided to stop her train of thought immediately, "This isn't your fault."

Ginny looked blankly at her husband, her tears dried on her cheeks.

"Then the fault is mine too. Just listen," he said before Ginny could interrupt, "How many times have I wished for something? There are millions who make a wish or several even; that doesn't mean it comes true every time. This situation we are in, is unique and maybe it was a coincidence or maybe it was fate or destiny or whatever you call it, that brought us back. This is just one of the things one hopes – 'if I could go back and do things differently'."

"But, now we have to go through the war again. This time, our baby is going to be with us," Ginny opened up her concerns.

"I know. But we have something to our advantage – our experiences and foreknowledge of the future."

Silence reigned in the living room.

"This blame game only distracts us. Anyways, if I can't blame myself, then you can't too blame yourself, especially for something on which we have no control over," said Harry, hoping he could make her see reason, which was something that usually happened the other way around.

Ginny must have sensed what he was thinking, as she always did, because her mouth twitched upwards and she gave a chuckle, "The first time you set me straight, huh. Apparently nine years after I did it first."

Harry knew she was talking about the time when he was being a prat about the whole Voldemort possessing him ordeal after Nagini had attacked her father.

Harry couldn't help but boast, glad he could divert his wife's mind away, "Well, I had to repay the debt sometime. After all, I learnt from the best. I have quite the experience in dealing with brooding people."

"Are you saying that I am broody?" Ginny asked in mock outrage.

"Well, you are hormonal."

Ginny let out a giggle and her chocolate brown eyes shone brighter.

"And there's nothing important nor I want more in the world than to be with you. Remember what you said to me after the war," Harry raised his eyebrow at her.

"From now onwards, we will face whatever that comes together," Ginny said, smiling slightly.

"I promised you, didn't I?" Harry took her hands in his, "Both of us did. I meant it in our vows at our wedding; it's Harry and Ginny together. Always and forever." He paused and then added, "Besides, you knew what marrying me would mean - trouble at every turn."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

The couple embraced and then broke apart, Harry wiping the tears off of Ginny's face. They were unaware of the looks they were getting by the others. The parent Weasleys stood together, with smiles on their faces. The brothers glancing at one another. Hermione had misty eyes and Sirius on the other hand, looked lost in some old memory, in which he remembered seeing a certain raven-haired man with a redhead on his side.

Harry then got up and faced Dumbledore, "Thank you Professor for telling us."

"We shall speak soon Harry about the future that lays ahead. For now, why don't you take Mrs. Potter upstairs and rest awhile?," suggested Dumbledore.

"Come on, Ginny," said Harry offering her his hand. However, it seemed that Harry did a very good job at cheering her up, because -

"Pick me," Ginny pouted and made an innocent face. Harry heard her mother in the background 'Really Ginny!'

Amused, Harry sighed and ran a hand through his messy hair. He couldn't believe her sometimes; although he wasn't one to back off. He turned around, gently wrapped his arms around Ginny's back and legs and lifted her in his arms.

"Bloody hell, I really was scrawny when I was younger," he said aloud as his legs protested slightly at the weight of the person in his arms.

"You need to start exercising then, I need a strong husband if he wants to keep up with me," teased Ginny.

Fred and George jeered and cat-called.

He ignored others and slowly trudged upstairs, taking extra care not to disturb the red-haired angel that sat in his arms. He soon got to the room they were now sharing - he grinned a little at this idea and carefully laid her down on a pillow. He then slid in next to her, propping his back against the headboard, and pulled her onto his chest. Ginny looked up and kissed him as his hand skimmed and wove through her long hair as they both drifted off to sleep.