A Wrinkle In Time

Chapter Seven – The Wrinkle

The following day, Lily was to meet with someone from the Spell Writing division of the Ministry. Unbeknownst to Harry, his mum was so good with charms that she had the ability to create new spells. In a time of war, it was a valuable asset to have someone writing new spells on your side. So after breakfast, they planned to go together to Diagon Alley, and Ginny and Harry would mind the baby during Lily’s meeting.

After flooing to the Leaky Cauldron, Harry and Ginny left Lily to meet with the Ministry representatives, and went into Diagon Alley. It was early enough that most of the shops were still in the process of opening. So they decided to stroll around some of the more secluded areas where they had never been. Their explorations were interrupted when the baby needed to be fed, changed and refused to stay quiet until he was properly played with. Finally, they were able to explore two new shops, check out an old model of the Nimbus line that had been put into a museum in their time, and found an owl in the Owl Emporium that looked just like Hedwig.

“Maybe it’s her great grandmother or something,” said Harry absently.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Harry,” retorted Ginny. “What are the chances that this owl is in any way related to yours?”

“I don’t know. But snowy owls are very rare in the part of the world. Besides, this one’s eyes are exactly the same as Hedwig. It’s just too uncanny.”

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you had a crush on your owl.” She giggled at the abhorred look on his face.

“What time is it?” Harry asked Ginny, wanting to change the subject. They had been taking turns pushing little Harry in a pram while they walked. She was pushing the carrier now and had to stop to look at her watch.

“Eleven-thirty. We’ve only got a half hour until we have to go back.” Ginny adjusted the baby’s blankets a bit, as he had jerked them off for the seventh time in the last hour.

“Well, let me buy you an ice cream before we do, Miss Weasley. After all, it’s you that I have a crush on.” Harry bowed regally and extended his hand to her. She took it with a small curtsey and they headed off to Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlor.

Little Harry giggled at their antics and was rewarded with some attention from the better looking of his two minders. They sat at an outside table in the slightly more crowded alleyway and ordered a bowl of orange sherbet a piece. “We don’t want to spoil our appetites,” Ginny had warned.

Harry reflected on the past few days and decided that the time he had spent with his parents was wonderful. But even better, was the fact that he was able to share it with Ginny. It was in this time that he realized his feelings for her and they had become more than friends. They carried each other’s burdens and kept each other’s secrets. If Harry had any doubt about their relationship, he only needed to catch her gaze once. It held within it all the love she had to give and it was directed at him. It was this thought that made him realize that it was possible to defeat Voldemort once and for all. With Ginny’s love, Harry could do anything.

Polishing off the last of the sherbet, of which Ginny had given a copious amount to the baby, they got up and began walking back to the Leaky Cauldron. The alleyway curved around to the right here, as they passed the Eeylops Owl Emporium. In the distance, they heard the sounds of glass breaking and loud, gruff voices. A bolt of red light shot up the alley and impacted on the sign outside Quality Quidditch Supplies across the street.

Thinking quickly, Harry whipped out his wand and shoved Ginny and the baby into the nearest store. Ginny was about to complain, taking out her wand as well, but Harry moved off quickly to see what was happening, leaving her with the baby.

Five hooded figures were busy tying up three witches and a wizard outside the cauldron shop on Harry’s right. There was another three men, cloaked in black with their faces hooded, walking towards him. They didn’t seem to notice Harry, as a shopkeeper and his son were flinging hexes their way. “We’re not afraid of you, servants of the Dark Lord!” he bellowed between curses.

The three Death Eaters closed in on the pair quickly, and were about to strike when Harry decided that he needed to act. He dove behind a barrel outside the shop and rolled to a crouch. From his position, he could see the three were almost on top of the shop. One had been hit by a stinging hex and was dragging his left leg behind him. Harry aimed his wand for the leader and shouted, “STUPEFY!”

The man fell and his counterpart turned to take aim at Harry, who ducked back behind the barrel. Spells crashed into his hiding place and splinters were sent flying into Harry’s eyes, as he tried to keep track of the advancing enemy. The shopkeeper seemed to recover from his near capture and shot another string of hexes at the two remaining Death Eaters.

The one closest to Harry was hit with a jelly-legs jinx and Harry took this opportunity to shout, “Petrificus Totalis!” but the spell went wide and ricocheted off the shop’s glass windows. He fired a tripping jinx, but that too missed. Finally, as the pair was about to overrun his hiding place, he hit one with a well aimed conjunctivitis curse, and when the other tripped over his companion, he was felled with another stunner from Harry’s wand.

A bit winded, Harry quickly checked his surroundings and noticed that the five other Death Eaters were done binding their prisoners, and were running up the alley, three on his left, two on the right. Realizing that he was lucky to have fought off the first three, he didn’t want to press his luck. “Get back inside and floo out of here!” he yelled at the shopkeeper and his son. He nodded and disappeared back into his shop.

Harry bolted back to where he had left Ginny, dodging poorly aimed spells along the way. There were about two hundred yards between him and his pursuers. Reaching the shop, he grabbed Ginny and slammed the door behind him, locking it with a quick, “Colloportus.”

“Are you okay, Harry?” She looked worried and a little bit miffed at missing out on the action.

“I’m fine, but there are five, awfully mad Death Eaters out there, and they want blood.” He moved towards the back of the shop in the hopes that there would be something to use as a shield against unfriendly spells. They were in a newer shop that sold various Wizarding knickknacks. Pulling Ginny with him, who was now carrying the baby in her arms, they went to the back of the shop. Apparently, the shop’s owners had already flooed away, as there was no one in the shop.

“Harry! Let’s floo back to Godric’s Hollow,” she said pointing to the fireplace. He went to grab the floo jar, but noticed that it was empty. Whoever left, must have thrown the lot in, to prevent the Death Eaters from following them.

“Can’t, Gin. No powder,” he said, throwing the jar clattering to the ground. They resumed their march to the back of the shop as someone began banging on the door. Ducking behind the counter, Harry pulled Ginny in close to him to shield her as much as possible. Little Harry was watching him with wide eyes from Ginny’s arms, but hadn’t yet muttered a word in protest. A loud crash was heard as one of the attackers used the reductor curse on the magically locked door.

“You two check the fireplace. You two go to the back of the store. I’ll stay here and make sure they don’t double back,” a gruff voice was heard barking orders in the shadows of the dimly lit shop.

“Ginny,” Harry whispered. “I’ve got an idea.” She nodded in understanding as he told her his plan. She grabbed some towels from under the counter and set the baby down on them in the corner behind her. “On three. One...two...three.”

Ginny leapt up and shot off three quick stunning spells over the counter. They heard one scream and the quick shuffling of feet, as four adults hit the ground, ducking the spells. Harry used the distraction to run over to the other counter, where there was a gap between them. He used this low vantage point to shoot his own stunners at the prone forms of the Death Eaters. He hit at least two of them, but couldn’t be sure about the rest.

A spell slammed into the counter in front of him and he automatically rolled back to the one Ginny was still shooting spells from. He lifted his head to aim for another target, but had to recoil as a flash of blue light went over his head and hit the shelves behind him. Bits of glass and wood flew everywhere, as spell upon spell flew in their direction. In the chaos, Ginny had moved away from little Harry, who was now wailing from being pummeled with flying debris.

Another Death Eater fell from Ginny’s vicious Bat-Bogey Hex, and was writhing around on the floor. But her luck ran out and she was hit with a purple bolt of light that Harry didn’t recognize. “Ginny!” he yelled and sent off two impediment jinxes blindly at the attacker. She was unconscious and very pale, much like Hermione when she was attacked in the Department of Mysteries.

The two remaining Death Eaters were finally able to blast the counter apart, leaving Harry exposed to flying spells. He backpedaled to the other counter and watched dumbly as they approached the baby. One of the attackers raised his wand to jinx the toddler, but Harry was quicker and deflected the curse away with his own. They traded a few more spells before it became clear that Harry was the superior dueler. Finally, the second Death Eater was able to get a spell through and disarm Harry. His wand flew out of his hand and he was knocked to the ground. With a wicked gleam in his eye, one of the men shouted a Reductor curse at the wall behind them and it landed just above the screaming baby, sending a shelf full of heavy glass shards raining down towards him.

Harry yelled, “Accio Harry!” with an outstretched arm, hoping against hope that it would work. To his great surprise, the baby shot from the corner and landed in his arms, the deadly glass landing harmlessly in the corner. So astonished that his wandless magic had actually worked, the two Death Eaters didn’t hear the approaching footsteps of three Aurors.

With three simultaneous shouts of “Stupefy!” the Death Eaters were finally vanquished. Harry slowly stood up and looked at his rescuers, his little self wailing away all the while. One of the men approached him and Harry realized with a start, it was his dad. James scooped his son out of Harry’s arms and the baby immediately calmed down, sensing that he was safe in his father’s care.

Harry went over to Ginny and cradled her in his arms. His dad came over and muttered something incoherent under his breath. Ginny’s eyelids opened and she looked around slowly, finally resting her gaze on Harry’s face. “H-Harry? Did we make it?” she asked groggily.

“We’re just fine, Gin,” he said, smoothing her hair back from her face and placing a small kiss on her forehead.

Harry looked up at his father who was still standing like a hawk over them, baby nestled securely in his arms. “Where’s Mu-, I mean Lily?” he asked, coloring slightly at the near slip.

James looked at him strangely, and then said, “She’s all right. We untied her just outside the Leaky Cauldron. Apparently, they were trying to kidnap her and the people she was meeting.” Just then, they heard Lily’s frantic voice from the front of the shop.

“James! Is Harry all right? I’m coming in there.” James made to stop her, but before he could make it two steps, she was at his side, taking her baby from him. She searched the child everywhere for cuts and bruises, and when she was satisfied, hugged him tightly to her chest. “Oh, my little boy. You’re all right.”

Eventually, Harry grabbed his wand and they moved out of the shop while the Aurors secured and moved their prisoners. Harry had to carry Ginny out, much to his delight and her annoyance. But he could tell she was still not feeling well, because she only protested a few times.

Resting on the walk outside, they were treated by a mediwizard who healed some of Harry’s cuts and gave Ginny a potion for her curse. She was able to walk, but still a bit weak.

Professor Dumbledore arrived then, moving gracefully through the wreckage and milling witnesses, who were giving depositions on the attack. He strode up to their group and immediately spoke to James and Lily. “I came as soon as I could, James. You are all well, I trust?”

James nodded and said, “If it wasn’t for these two distracting the Death Eaters, Lily would have been taken for sure. As it is, all of them have been captured and no one is permanently hurt.”

Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled as they rested on Harry and Ginny. “Indeed. It is most fortunate that they were here, is it not?” Harry squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze and hugged Ginny closer to him. “Imagine what would have happened had they not been here at all.”

Ginny gasped and said, “If we hadn’t been here, Lily would have taken the baby to the meeting and they would have both been captured!”

“Indeed, Miss Williams. It seems that your involvement in this incident was quite fortuitous. Had you not taken young Harry here, he and his mother could very well be dead.”

The gravity of what had happened was settling in upon Harry as he chewed on the implications of their encounter. He had saved himself and his mother from death. Did that mean he was supposed to travel back in time? That he was supposed to save his younger self from death? Visions of his third year came flooding back as he remembered casting his first Patronus, saving Hermione, Sirius and himself from certain doom at the hands of a hundred Dementors. These dizzying thoughts continued to spin in his mind all the way back to the Potter’s house.

*

Harry and Ginny sat in the back garden of the house, looking out into the field that was behind the Potter’s property. The swing they were in was wide enough for three people, and was located in one of the shadiest parts of their land. Ginny was resting her head on his shoulder, and was tracing lazy circles in his hair with her finger. It was a lot to think about, and Harry was content to just let his mind wander over the events of the past few hours.

The sun had begun to dip towards the horizon, and a light breeze took the edge off the heat as it blew through the trees. Ginny tried to get Harry to talk when they got back, but he only barely acknowledged her. Much to Harry’s relief, she didn’t seem to be put out by his behavior and was perfectly content to just be with him in silence. Harry was grateful for her company.

Finally, one of his thoughts broke through the silence, “Do you ever wonder why we came here?” Ginny shifted her body so that she was lying on her back, with her head in his lap. She looked up at his face, but did not say anything. “I mean, I know why we wanted to come here, but what was the reason?”

After a moment’s consideration, she pulled his face down gently to meet her eyes. “Harry, I don’t know why, but I do know that it was for a reason. Whatever that reason is, we can handle it together.” He brought his hands to her face and moved a piece of hair away from her eyes.

“I just get frustrated not knowing why things happen. I wish I could understand why I was supposed to come back in time and save my own life. Doesn’t that seem strange to you?”

“No, Harry, it’s not strange.” He began to twirl his hands in her hair as it was tossed to and fro by the breeze. “All things happen for a reason. One day, we’ll know what that reason is, but for now, let’s just enjoy being here with your family and with each other.”

Harry chuckled a little bit and said, “When did you start channeling Dumbledore?”

“It’s something he said to me in my first year; when I was scared to face my family after the Chamber. I just couldn’t bring myself to do it because of all the people I could have killed. I asked him why evil things happen to good people, and that’s what he told me, ‘One day you’ll understand, but for now, just enjoy being with your family’.”

Harry was struck yet again at what a wonderful girl he had in his life. They had only been together a few days, but now he couldn’t imagine his life without her. Her insight into his soul was amazing, her compassion was boundless and her strength was beyond comprehension. Ginny Weasley was a very special girl, and Harry vowed right then to make sure that she would always be a part of him.

“Promise me, Gin,” he said with tears blurring his vision. “Promise me that you’ll never leave me.”

Rising up a little to look him straight in the eye, she said, “I’ll never leave you Harry.”

“And I will never leave you. I could never...” Unable to resist her lovely face, he leaned in and captured her in a fierce kiss; a kiss that sealed the promise and brought their souls together.