Chapter 2

"At least Mum didn't sound that mad," said Rose quietly.

Everyone was sitting in the kitchen and eating, for Mrs. Weasley had fussed over them being 'skinny.' Teen Ginny and Hermione still weren't showing their faces to anyone, because they were probably to humiliated to be seen.

"So what's Harry like in the future?" Ron asked through a mouthfull of chicken. He got a look from Harry but went on. "And what am I like?"

"Um... Well," Lily began, "Dad is probably the best father in the world, no offense to everyone else," she said easily, and Harry couldn't hide the small smile that had formed on his lips.

"Like when I pull a prank on Al or Lily and Mum gets really angry," said James, "Dad will calm her down so she won't kill us."

"And whenever he's angry he doesn't yell," Ted put in. "Except he never gets mad at me because I'm the best child."

"Sure you are," said Lily sarcastically.

"Uncle Ron is basically the same," said Albus. "So you two have nothing to worry about in your future."

"Oh yes and what about me?" Sirius asked. "Am I 'Grandpa Sirius' or something ingenious like that?"

"Um, sorry to kill your vibes, but you're dead," James said blankly. "Why do you think I'm named after you?"

Teddy did a facepalm, shaking his head. This wasn't going well at all, he thought.

Sirius frowned. "I dunno, maybe I was just awesome or something... WAIT - I'M DEAD?!"

"Did you have to tell him?!" Lily asked, glaring daggers at her brother. "Don't worry Sirius, James will be dead with you when we get home."

"If we get home," Hugo said in a small voice.

Everyone just looked at him.

"If we don't get home," Lily said quietly, "then Hugo and I won't get to go to Hogwarts."

"And I won't be able to take my N.E.W.T.s," said Rose.

"I'll never see Victoire again," Ted said sadly.

"Or Fred, or Roxanne, or Molly, or Louis, or Lucy, or Dominique, or Aunt Hermione, or Mum, or Dad, or -"

"Shut up, James!" Lily warned him. "You're only making this worse!"

"I'm sorry," said James, acting hurt. "But everyone was saying things they'd miss, so I just -"

"Decided to make everyone cry?" Al asked.

"We'll get you home," Remus assured them. "I promise."

"Yeah, well," said Hugo. "Promising doesn't usually do any good with us. James promised he wouldn't touch anything, and oh my, big surprise, he did."

James rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry dear brother, but I couldn't help myself. I was too curious."

"James," Lily began, "if your head wasn't attached to your shoulders, you'd lose it."

"I probably would. Your point is?"

"Truly worthy of the name James Potter," Sirius mumbled. "But back on topic, how are you going to get them to believe you?"

Rose shrugged, and Albus's eyes suddenly lit up and he exclaimed, "I have an idea! Someone like Sirius or Remus or... someone should send the next Patronus and explain to them that we really are in the past, so Dad can figure out what to do."

"How?" Teddy asked wearily. "Weren't all the Time Turners destroyed? I seem to remember something like that happening."

"Time Turners can't be destroyed unless you use the Dark Arts," Hermione informed them as she walked in.

"Here we go again," Harry muttered.

Hermione ignored him. "They're made of indestructible gold, not to mention crafted from Goblins and gifted with the very dangerous element of time traveling. Only a really powerful curse from the Dark Arts can fully destroy them. They can be crushed, but they re-construct themselves."

"But didn't Harry say they were all crushed during the war?" Teddy mused. "He said he was there."

"Nice info," James said, "but what I want to know is what in the name of Merlin that hourglass thing was!"

"That you knocked over," Hugo put in.

"And broke," Lily added.

"After you were told not to touch anything," Rose said angrily.

"Shut up, it was an accident! I'd like to see you try not to touch anything when everything looked so... breakable!"

Lily looked a Rose. "See what I have to live with? Anyway, you guys can do your thing and figure this out while I read."

She took out her book, flipped to a dogeared page, and read.

"Er, okay," said Albus. "What are you reading, anyway?"

"Twilight."

Teddy choked on his own spit while James stared at her in disgust.

"Lily," Teddy began, "you are ELEVEN YEARS OLD. You do not need to be reading - does Ginny know you're -"

"Maybe, maybe not," Lily replied. "Muggle books are so interesting. Now shut up, I'm at a good part."

"Give me that!" Teddy demanded. "Rose, take it from her!"

"I've seen the movies!" Lily whined as Rose snatched it from her. "Give it back Rosie!"

"Sorry," Rose said, "but if you read to much of this it'll contaminate your brain, and I wouldn't want a mentally impaired cousin, now would I?"

"Oh thanks - that's so nice - man Rose, why are you so TALL?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

"What's the big deal?" Sirius asked.

"Lily, I am disgusted." James wrinkled his nose. "You've succeded in ruining my life. Forever. How could you? And you called yourself my sister..." He shook his head. "Thoroughly disgusted."

"It's a good book!" Lily argued. "And - like I just said - I've seen the movies!"

"When did you have time to watch the movies?" James asked, confused.

"You mean besides the time you spend in a day watching Doctor Who?"

"Shut up, that series is wonderful."

Teddy asked, "Why are we having this conversation? Rose, give me the book. Anyway, how about we reply to the Patronus?"

"Good idea!" Hugo agreed.

**REPLYING**

Lily yawned and put her head down on the table, saying, "I wish I had my other books with me. I could really read some Percy Jackson right now..."

"I love enchiladas," James said randomly.

"You know, it's funny to watch you guys," Fred piped up.

"Yeah, you're just like your parents!" George added, grinning.

"Oh why thank you, even if it's only about the seventy millionth time I've heard that," said Al.

"Who else has kinds here?" asked Tonks, interested.

"Lucy and Moly are Percy's girls," Lily answered, "Roxanne and Fred are George's, Victoire, Louis, and Dominique are Bill's, and... yeah. there's, like, twelve of us."

"Almost the perfect amount for Quidditch games," said James, sighing. "We always have to invite Lorcan and Scorpius over to fill it. Too bad Lysander doesn't play."

"You play Quidditch?" Harry asked hopefully, smiling.

"Yeah. I'm a Chaser on the team, and I'm gonna be captain this year." He looked super proud of himself.

"Who taught you that?" Ron asked, bewildered. "I mean, none of us play Chaser."

"We kind of have this retired international Quidditch star just living around our house," Al said. A lot of people just stared at him and he admitted, "Fine, whatever, it's my mum. So much for the whole guessing thing."

"What?" asked Sirius. "Ginny's an international Quidditch star?"

"Used to be," said Teddy. "Stopped when I was about five to get married. I actually kind of remember going to a few of her games - once, they were playing in Scotland and Hermione insisted we do it the Muggle way and drive there, so I was stuck in a freezing car for hours. Not my best memory, but you get the point."

Lily yawned again, making Rose and Albus yawn.

"It's contagious!" James exclaimed, suddenly moving away from the group.

"How about we get you all to bed?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Yes, please," said Lily. "Let's sleep. I had a long day going to the past."

MEANWHILE...

"Ginny, get some sleep," Harry urged.

They had been up all night looking for the children, and now they were beginning to think they actually had gone back in time like they kept on telling them... It was about three in the morning.

"I won't!" Ginny insisted, crossing her arms. "My kids are out there somewhere, and you're telling me to sleep? I'm not tired, anyway!"

The dark circles under her eyes and yawn made her contradict herself.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Gin," Ron said, worn out, "but Harry and I have been talking..."

"We think they might be back in time like they said," Harry finished, avoiding his wife's eyes.

"This is a disaster!" Victoire exclaimed, collapsing on the sofa and burying her face in her hands.

"How are we going to..." Hermione's whispered words died in her mouth.

Everyone knew what she meant to say, but no one dared answer.

"Just please get some sleep," Harry told Ginny quietly, kissing her on the cheek. Then he went upstairs to his study. No one followed.

He looked around. Mostly everything was just the way he had left it, except for the frame of the hourglass on it side, laying on the floor, its contents of gold sand spilling out and mixing with the shattered glass.

Harry sighed. This is where the children had disappeared...

Was it possible he could miss people this much, them only being gone for a day?

And he wondered what he himself was thinking. His sixteen year-old self had just learned he was married to his best friend's sister with three kids. And what about Remus and Tonks? What was Teddy thinking of his parents? James and Al were probably having a good laugh with Sirius... Rose might be chatting with Hermione... Mrs. Weasley doting on her (a bit early) grandchildren...

But Harry wanted his kids back. He wanted to tuck his daughter in at night... she would ask for him to read him a story, even though she was still eleven. He even missed James waking Ginny and him up in the morning for the fun of it.

Am I going crazy? he asked himself. Or am I actually missing being mad at James?

He chuckled softly at himself. Of course he missed it.

And that's when he made up his mind.

He would find his kids if he had to go to the ends of the world and back a thousand times.

Oksy, I kinda just realized I made Sirius alive in the Half-Blood Prince... oops.