The chapter has been edited by my beta Naru Phoenix! Many thanks!

Chapter 1 - A dispute and its consequences

1st of September 1995, Dumbledore’s Office

“It seems you wish to follow Miss Granger’s example, Miss Weasley?” asked Professor McGonagall.

“I just would like to take as many subjects as possible in my 4th year to ascertain my interests, Professor McGonagall.”

“I’m not happy about this. I don’t like the idea of playing with time. What do you think, Albus?” McGonagall addressed the Headmaster.

“I think that Miss Weasley should get the same chance Miss Granger had two years ago. She is fourteen years old and therefore capable of deciding if she wants to use the time turner. Are you sure to use the time turner, Miss Weasley?”

“Yes, I would really like to get that chance,” Ginny affirmed.

8th of October 1995, Corridor in the dungeons

“Ron, leave me alone!”

“I’m your older brother. It’s my duty to keep an eye on you, Ginny!” Ron’s head was already completely red from yelling.

“Oh stop it! I’m old enough to look out for myself. You just want to control me!” Ginny screamed angrily.

“Ron, let her be!” Hermione tried to drag Ron away from Ginny.

“No, I want an explanation, now!”

“I don’t know what you mean. I have Potions now, so if you don’t mind, I would like to go into the classroom.” Ginny was on her way through the door when her brother seized her arm.

“I want to know what’s going on between you and this idiot Michael Corner. I hear that you’re going to accompany him to Hogsmeade this weekend!”

“Let go of me or I’ll hex you!” Ginny threatened her older brother, who didn’t seem impressed.

“Explain, then you can go.”

“Uffff…. I don’t know what there is to explain. Michael asked me to go with him to Hogsmeade and I said yes!” Ginny panted angrily.

“Is he your boyfriend?”

“Not yet, but perhaps after this weekend.” Ginny broke free of Ron’s grip but was immediately seized again.

“I won’t allow this. You can’t go with him!”

Ginny laughed and Hermione hit him on the shoulder while screaming, “Ron, that’s enough!”

Suddenly, during Ginny’s struggle to free herself, Ron gripped the necklace around her neck.

“Ron! Watch out! That’s a time turner!” Hermione screamed panicking. But it was too late. Ron had mistakenly turned the small time cog of the time-turner.

Ginny’s vision was immediately blurring, everything around her began spinning. The last thing she heard was Hermione’s shriek, “Ron, what have you done?!”

Then everything went black.

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Meanwhile, in front of the Potions classroom in the year 1995

“Ron, what have you done?”

Hermione and Ron watched shocked as Ginny disappeared from their sight.

“Ginny! Ginny! Where did she go? What, Whhaatt happened?”

“Oh, Ron, you’ve turned the time turner. You’ve send Ginny into the past and we don’t know how far you sent her back. We have to go to the Headmaster, now.” Hermione's face was quite pale.

Harry stepped around the corner. “Hermione, what's wrong?”

“Ron sent Ginny to the past with the time turner.” With that she stormed towards Dumbledore’s office.

“Lemon Drops!”

They entered the office and strode towards the desk where Dumbledore sat, observing them smiling.

McGonagall sat in front of him in an armchair, looking rather confused.

“What are you doing here?” she asked sternly.

“It’s Ginny…she…she vanished…I…” Ron stammered. He was interrupted by Hermione.

“Ginny was sent to the past. Ron inadvertently turned her time turner. And we don’t know how far she was sent back,” She explained.

“That is really bad news!” McGonagall exclaimed concerned.

“That will be no problem if Miss Weasley turns her time turner immediately after arriving in the past. Then she can come back.”

“I think there is another problem…” Hermione began uncertainly.

“Yes, Miss Granger?” Dumbledore asked interested.

“I heard a small creak when Ron turned the cog. I….I think it’s broken….” She started worriedly.

“We can just hope that this isn’t the case. Otherwise Miss Weasley won’t be able to use the time turner again.” The Headmaster seemed very concerned.

“What does this mean, Professor Dumbledore?” Ron was totally distraught by now.

“This means that your sister won’t be able to use her time turner. She has to find another time turner or try fixing the destroyed one if she wants to come back. Both tasks are rather difficult. I don’t think that there has ever been a record of someone successfully fixing a broken time turner. Finding another time turner won’t be easy either. I think that the time turner Miss Weasley has been using was the only one known.”

“That’s terrible, Albus!” Minerva McGonagall was pacing through the office.

“But there has to be something we can do!” Ron screamed desperately.

“At the moment, we can only hope that your sister can use her own time turner to come back. The next hours will show. If that isn’t the case we can only hope that she finds a way to come back with another time turner.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

8th of October 1974 - In the corridor in front of the Potions classroom

Ginny heard a murmur of voices. She tried to concentrate on them.

“How did she get here, Miss McKinnon?” That sounded like Dumbledore, but younger.

McKinnon? Ginny couldn’t remember someone with that name.

“She appeared here out of nothing. I…I…don’t know.”

“Albus, what’s the thing around her neck?” That was a familiar male voice.

“A time turner…but that’s impossible. Miss McKinnon, please follow Professor Slughorn. He will accompany to your Common room. Horace, please come to my office with the other Heads of Houses after that.” She heard the steps of two people walking away.

Slowly Ginny opened her eyes and gasped in shock. There was the face of Albus Dumbledore in front of her, a younger version of Dumbledore.

“Ahh, good. You’re awake.” The Headmaster gave her a friendly smile.

“Headmaster Dumbledore…” Ginny sat up and wrinkled her forehead in confusion. “You look younger…”

“Ahhh, you know my name. The time you’re from I will be Headmaster, too?”

“Yes… The time I’m from? Oh my god…the time turner…What time is it?”

“It’s 2 p.m. but I don’t think that is what you wanted to know.” There was an amused sparkle in his eyes. “Today is the 8th October in the year 1974.”

“Yes, 8th October, I remember… what? 1974? Oh my god!” Ginny felt terribly sick. That could not be true!

“What’s your name? When were, or better to say, when will you be born?” Dumbledore watched her with interest.

“My… my name is Ginny Weasley. I was born on 11th August 1981. The last thing I remember is standing in front of the Potions classroom in the year 1995!”

“Weasley? Do you know Arthur Weasley?”
”Yes, of course he’s my dad. Why?”

“Ah, that explains the red hair. He finished school a few years ago.”

“My mother too.”

“Your Mother?”

“Yes, Molly Prewett.”

“Prewett. Yes.” Dumbledore seemed a bit amused. Ginny didn’t feel it was the slightest bit funny!

“I have to get back to my time, now.” Ginny got up and held the time turner in her hand.

“I’m terribly sorry, but I think that’s impossible. It seems your time turner is broken.”

Dumbledore looked concerned in Ginny’s direction.

“Oh no. Ron broke it. Can you repair it? Or do you have another one?”

“I have to say no to both of your questions. I don’t know anybody who can repair such a thing. I have to admit that it is the first time turner I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Ginny supported herself on the cool wall. She felt dizzy. This could not be happening!

The Headmaster put a hand consolingly on her shoulder. She looked up into his eyes.

“Please accompany me to my office. We have to think of a solution to your problem. It seems you will have to stay here until I find somebody capable of fixing your time turner.”

Ginny was near tears by now. She was completely distraught. Dumbledore seemed to see the tears in her eyes because he said, “I know lots of people Miss Weasley. I’m sure we’ll find somebody who can help you.”

They arrived in front of the spiral staircase leading to the Headmasters office.

“Liquorice!” The password made the staircase move immediately. Dumbledore stepped onto it, followed by Ginny.

When they moved into the room there were already four people waiting for them. The four Heads of Houses. Ginny recognized the younger Professor McGonagall as Head of Gryffindor, the slimmer version of Professor Slughorn as Head of Slytherin, Professor Flitwick as Head of Ravenclaw and the very young Professor Sprout as Head of Hufflepuff. The four of them watched Ginny and Dumbledore expectantly.

“What happened, Albus? Who is the young girl?” McGonagall observed Ginny curiously.

“That is Miss Weasley. She is a visitor from the future. But now her time turner is broken, so she must stay here until we find someone who can fix it.”

“Time turner?”

“Future? Which year?”

“What will we do with her?”

Ginny sat silently in one of the armchairs watching the adults discussing her. She didn’t listen to Dumbledore’s explanations. She knew all the answers already. She felt lost.

“Miss Weasley? What do you think?”

Ginny was startled and looked into the questioning faces of the teachers.

“Sorry, I was lost in my thoughts. I’m still confused.”

“Understandable. I wanted to know if you would agree to continue your 4th year in this time. I’m sure we have a free place for you in one of the dormitories.” He smiled amicably.

“Yes, that is ok. Who knows how long I’ll have to stay here.” She started sobbing. McGonagall patted her on the shoulder.

“I see that you wear a Gryffindor cape.”

“Yes, I was in Gryffindor in my year.”

“So she will be in Gryffindor, won’t she?” McGonagall asked the Headmaster.

“I have to disappoint you. We have to let the Sorting Hat decide again. This is a new time. Some things might have changed that will influence the Sorting differently,” Dumbledore explained.

“I don’t think that it’s necessary. Everybody from my family has been in Gryffindor,” Ginny argued.

“I’m sorry, but there will be a new Sorting for you. If you are correct, you will be sorted into Gryffindor again.”

“When will the Sorting take place?” Professor Slughorn asked, watching Ginny curiously the entire time.

“This evening, before dinner. Everybody will be present so that we can introduce Miss Weasley.”

“There is still the problem of her origin. The students will be suspicious,” Professor Sprout interjected.

“Yes. I thought about this problem. We’ll have to change your name, Miss Weasley. Your parents can’t learn about your existence. We will tell everybody that you’re an orphan from the USA. We’ll tell them I knew your family and wanted you to attend school at Hogwarts. We have to think of a name. What’s your full name?”

“Ginevra Molly Weasley”

“I think we will introduce you as Ginevra, but what about your last name…

“…Ahhh yes, I knew a wonderful, talented witch whose name was Samantha Dearborn. She died some time ago and I don’t know of any relatives. Ginevra Dearborn. That sounds lovely, don’t you think?”

Ginny nodded even if she would miss being a Weasley. At least nobody would call her Weaslette anymore.

“Miss Weasley, or shall I call you Miss Dearborn so you get used to the name, I have to remind you that you can’t talk to anybody about how you came here, your real name or the future. This is important! Terrible things could occur if you break these rules.”

“I understand, and I won’t tell anybody.”

“Only the persons present in this office will know about you. The other teachers and the students shall stay ignorant.” Dumbledore observed his colleagues over his half-moon spectacles. They nodded their heads in acceptance.

“It’s now 3p.m. Still three hours until dinner. I think you need some rest, Miss Dearborn, don’t you? Professor McGonagall will accompany you to a deserted classroom where she will transfigure a bed for you.” Ginny stood up but then she remembered something.

“There is a problem, Headmaster. I don’t have any clothes, books or other things with me.”

“Ah, yes, I didn’t think of that. Then we’ll have to postpone your rest and you’ll go to Hogsmeade to buy whatever you need. Minerva, would you accompany young Miss Dearborn?”

“Of course Albus. Let’s go Miss Wea – Dearborn.”

“But I don’t have any money!”

“We have a fund for underprivileged students or ‘orphans’ like you, who can’t afford to buy their things. So don’t you worry. See you at dinner!”

Ginny spent the rest of the afternoon in Hogsmeade with McGonagall, buying everything she needed. Naturally most things were second hand but she was used to it. Only the clothes were new but she took less expensive clothes of course. It was very odd, hours ago she was arguing with Ron and now she was shopping with McGonagall in the year 1974!

She was very curious as to how the students would react. Would they like her? If she had to stay here she wanted to do it with friends. Hopefully she would find many friends in Gryffindor. There was no doubt that the Sorting Hat would send her to Gryffindor again.

She wondered what Ron, Hermione and Harry were doing right now. Did they miss her? Who would miss her? Her parents and her brothers certainly, but Harry or Hermione? Ginny cleared her mind from such thoughts, and instead she concentrated on the shops in Hogsmeade again.