Everything Has Changed
All I know since yesterday,
Is everything has changed
- Everything Has Changed, Taylor Swift (Feat. Ed Sheeran)
August 1, 1971 - POV Ginny
When she finally came to again, Ginny was lying in a hospital bed with a healer at her side, checking her vitals. Looking around, she saw another bed in the room, holding the now awake Luna Lovegood, and a grey, plastic chair where a young and frantic Hermione Granger was being talked down by Euphemia Potter.
Ginny sat up and turned to the whimsical blonde on her right. “Luna, do you know what’s going on?” She asked her friend softly. She didn’t know how long the girl had been awake but she didn’t want to scare her with the new information if she wasn’t ready.
“Why, I assume that the collapse in the time room did something to us, seeing as though we all look eleven and the date on the Prophet is very, very off. Would not be surprised if a blibbering humdinger had something to do with it.” Luna replied dreamily. Of course, Luna knew, Ginny thought, It’s just like her to be entirely correct and then discredit herself entirely.
During their fourth year at Hogwarts, the two had become oddly close. With Ginny being the only girl in their year that’s decent enough to talk to Luna and being in the D.A. together, the girls had formed a great friendship.
There was a knock at the door and the healer that had checked her got up to answer it. After about a minute of Ginny craning her neck to see who it was, a slightly younger looking Albus Dumbledore waltzed into the room and sat down in the Chair on the other side of Euphemia. The healer promptly excused herself, mumbling something about charts and Dumbledore addressed the girls, “I have been informed as to your unique situation and I must say, I’m impressed. I don’t know how or why you three ladies have been sent back to our time, but I would like to welcome you to 1971 as well as ask you some questions about your travels.”
Ginny gulped, remembering what had happened before she went down the first time. Euphemia was still rubbing Hermione’s back as the girl closed her eyes and tried to calm her breath. Luna’s eyes were wandering around the room, looking from person to person as if trying to know their soul.
Finally, Ginny spoke up and addressed the professor directly, “We were at the Ministry to find our friend Harry’s godfather, he had been taken or so we thought. Harry had seen into the mind of,” She paused before saying the name, “of Voldemort and we all had raced to get there when none of the members of The Order of the Phoenix responded. We went into the Hall of Prophecies to find him but got caught in a trap by death eaters. We split up, Harry, Ron, and Neville went one way while the three of us went another. We ended up in the time room and got blasted back, losing our wands and causing the bell jar to shatter. The bookshelves came down on top of us and we all blacked out. The next thing I know I’m waking up to aurors standing over me and now we're here.”
Ginny took a deep breath once she had finished. Looking up, she saw that Hermione had calmed and was gazing at her with kind eyes, the ones you would give a family member who was struggling. Luna was looking at her too, but instead of sympathy what she saw was determination. After all that had happened in the past 24 hours, the girls had come out braver and prouder than before.
“Well,” Dumbledore said, “I think I understand most of your story. That is a very brave feat for six first years.”
“We weren’t first years.” Hermione answered him, “I was a fifth year and Ginny and Luna were fourth years. Something happened during our accident that de-aged us, so to speak.”
“That’s certainly curious.” Replied Dumbledore, “I will have to look into your situation more. Certainly exposure to all kinds of experimental time magic is not a good thing. In the meantime, I’m afraid you ladies are stuck here. We will need to find you a proper home for the time being.”
The girls barely had a chance to think before Euphemia spoke up. “Fleamont and I can take them in!”
“We can?” asked Fleamont quietly before keeping the rest of his opinions to himself. After his wife elbowed him in the side. “Yes! Yes, we can.”
“Are you quite sure? If I recall, your son is about the same age as the girls. Four eleven year olds is a lot of work and we don’t know how long this may take. You may very well end up raising four teenagers at the same time.”
“Yes, I’m quite sure.” Euphemia stated, this time without comment from Fleamont, “We’ve always wanted more children and I’ll be so happy to have girls! Besides, we have the room and I’m the one who found them so it only seems right.”
“Very well then, I’m sure you’ll need some time to prepare at home for the girls and talk to poor James. You both can head on out. I’ll wait here for the healers to finish up and bring them to you when we’re done.” Dumbledore said. And with that the Potters left the room and a new healer came into the room.
Ginny began to wonder about this new life she was given. She had been used to a big family of course, but having sisters was something new. Only one brother. She smiled at the thought, James , James Potter… Oh Shit! She turned to look at Hermione who looked back at her with the same realisation. They were being adopted by Harry’s grandparents.
Hermione bolted over to sit next to Ginny on the bed and they began to whisper to each other in hushed tones. “This is impossible.” Hermione stated, “James didn’t have any siblings. That’s why Harry grew up with the Dursleys. We can’t be his aunts. That’s not how time turners work.”
“Maybe we were his aunts but we died before James and Lily.” Ginny responded, sounding completely unsure.
“I highly doubt that. Even then, surely Sirius would’ve told Harry that his dad had sisters. He would’ve at least recognised us seeing as though we’re bound to meet him in the next year, so would Lupin. He was our teacher for Godric’s sake!” Hermione began to spiral again. Ginny had never known her to get so worked up so easily but then again, Hermione had always had Harry and Ron to balance her out.
“What's wrong?” Luna asked politely. She had spun her legs over the side of her bed while the Healer was giving her a final glance over. Now, she sat upright facing her new sisters with a concerned look on her face.
“Our new brother is Harry's father!” Ginny blurted out, unable to control herself. Luna looked just as confused as they were.
“Professor, is it possible that we changed the past?” Hermione asked, turning to Dumbledore.
He thought for a bit as the girls waited with baited breath. “It may be possible. There were many experimental time turners on the shelves that collapsed on you girls.It very well may be that they made changing history possible. The implications –” Dumbledore was cut off by a knock on the door as a healer let herself back in.
“Sorry for interrupting, but the girls are cleared to leave whenever you’re ready to leave.” She said before walking back out of their room.
“Well, we’ll have to discuss this at a later time. I have to get you three home to your new parents.” Dumbledore declared.
Ginny didn’t want to leave yet. She was scared and confused but more importantly, she didn’t know how she would look at her new brother and not see the face of the boy she’s had a crush on for years, the boy she may never see again. Harry was constantly told how much he looked like James, and she feared that she would break down at the sight of him, but there was no room for stalling as Luna grabbed her hand and pulled her off the bed. She follow Hermione who walked with Dumbledore to the floo at the front of St. Mungo’s, thanking him profusely. Ginny never let go of Luna’s hand once, clinging to her like a toddler in a large crowd. They stepped into the fireplace and Dumbledore called for Potter Manor before dropping a handful of floo powder to the floor.
The room they stepped into on the other side was breathtaking. She felt like she was stepping back into Hogwarts and magic seemed to waltz around the room making everything it touched sparkle. The room reminded Ginny of the burrow, not because of grandeur, Godric knows that Potter Manor had the Burrow beat for miles, but because of comfort. The place felt like home, well someone’s home anyway. The greeting room was lined with framed photos of weddings, birthdays, and vacations, all with the Potter’s smiling figures moving in their own little worlds. The walls were painted in a golden yellow that seemed to immediately brighten the mood of any situation. There were doors on either side of the room, leading to other places in the manor and a grand staircase directly in front of her. Filled with awe, Ginny spun in a slow circle to fully take it all in. If this is just the entrance hall, I can’t wait to see the rest of the house! She noticed a second floo on the other side of the back wall separated by a set of double doors she figured led outside.
A door opened somewhere in the room and Ginny turned to see Euphemia Potter standing in front of them with a wide smile on her face. If it weren’t for the kindness in her eyes, Ginny would’ve sworn she was a Malfoy with her grey eyes and blonde hair, then again she very well could’ve been. She remembered Harry had said that his father was a pureblood. She glided over to her new daughters, hugging them one at a time, before thanking Dumbledore for his help.
“You are very welcome, Euphemia. I hope you all get settled in nicely.” And with that, the professor stepped into the other floo that was marked ‘out’ by an ornate sign and disappeared into the flames.
Euphemia turned to the girls and spoke, “First thing’s first, I would like to hear all of your names again to make sure I don’t mess them up and then we need to have a chat before you meet my son.”
Ginny answered this time, “That’s Hermione Granger, She’s Luna Lovegood, and I’m Ginevra Weasley, Ginny for short.”
Euphemia nodded and gave a soft smile. “Hermione like the Daughter of Helen, Luna like the moon, and Ginevra like the fair Guinevere. Three gorgeous names for my gorgeous girls. If you don’t mind me asking, Hermione, are your parents muggle? I don’t recognize that name.”
Hermione looked up at their new mother and shyly responded, “Yes, m’am. Both of them are.”
“Well, that’s just as splendid! We told my son that we were adopting fraternal triplets that had been found at the Ministry with no prior memories other than their names and knowing each other. We’d figured it best to keep this story as to not draw suspicion. There’s no doubt that it will be in the Prophet tomorrow and we need to get our story straight.” She then padded over to the steps and sat down on the third one from the bottom before continuing, “Also, There is no pressure to do so, but I would be delighted if you would call me mum and I’m sure Fleamont would feel the same about ‘dad.’ Otherwise, there is no need for ‘m’am’ or ‘sir.’ We are simply
Euphemia and Fleamont, Mia and Monty if you prefer.” The girls nodded in acknowledgement before delving into awkward silence, none of them sure what to say next.
“Oh! I almost forgot! Come, come! Sit, sit!” She beckoned them to sit on the steps with her. The girls each made their way over to her, Luna first, Hermione second, and Ginny last, and sat down. Luna being the closest, Hermione sitting the farthest away and Ginny in the middle, grabbing hold of both of their hands, they were all each other had now and she was not losing them, even for a second. “Even though I mentioned you were fraternal triplets, you do all look starkly different, each uniquely beautiful, but for consistency’s sake, may I?” She held up her wand and the three girls looked at each other before nodding in unison.
With a wave of her wand, Euphemia transfigured the girls' appearances to match. Ginny felt a strange sensation flow through her body, causing her to shiver as the kind Mrs. Potter, or was it Lady Potter? summoned three hand mirrors from somewhere in the house. Taking one from her new mother, she looked at herself and then her friends. They had all kept their hair colours but gained Luna’s soft waves instead of Hermione’s frizzy curls or Ginny’s pin straight locks. She now had Hermione’s slightly upturned nose and slight dimples in her cheeks. The other two had gone a shade paler and rosier than normal and hundreds of freckles now dotted their skin. The thing that shocked Ginny the most though was her eyes, instead of her emerald green, Luna’s baby blue, or Hermione’s chocolatey brown, her eyes were now a glimmering hazel colour with a little bit of all three and tiny golden flecks. “I couldn’t think of whose eyes to use, so I mixed them all.” Euphemia stated, knowingly.
She then stood up and walked over to the door on the left. “Are you ladies ready to meet your brother?” She asked. All three girls stood up and walked over to her, following her into the next room.