Disclaimer: I don't own the cannon or any of the original characters, just the plot! Hope you guys enjoy! Also, pretty please review and let me know how to improve it!

It is the night of the family reunion, and after weeks of spring cleaning, the Weasley house was finally in decent condition for the event. Tired but satisfied, the family gathers around the fireplace, most of them with a Butterbeer in hand.

"Hey George, fancy a cup of tea?" Ginny asks.

George turns around to face her. "You're going to have to speak up, Gin. I only have one ear now, you know."

She rolls her eyes. "Would you like a cup of tea?"

He nods. "Thank you."

"You know, I'm just glad to be back home now. Mind you, I love Hogwarts and everything, but I don't mind escaping homework for a bit," James yawns, leaning against the wall.

Lily Potter purses her lips, hiding her jealousy. At the tender age of eleven, she has just a couple months left before she, like her brothers James and Albus, can finally ride the Hogwarts Express to the legendary school. Finally, she will be able to actually use her wand, conjure her own spells, and explore the many mysteries of Hogwarts.

"As if you actually do any homework," his brother murmurs.

The whole room erupts with laughter. It's no secret that James, like his grandfather of the same name, is just a troublemaker. He does make excellent marks, no doubt, but he is more likely to complain about homework than actually do any.

James's face reddens. "For your information, Albus, I actually have been studying lately. We were discussing the concept of time travel before the school year ended, and I found it cool enough to keep studying it this summer. Some books claim that it doesn't matter what you do, the future has been written and cannot be changed. However, theoretically, if you do go back, you can rewrite everything."

"So if I go back in time, I can stop you from jinxing me in the corridors?" Albus asks.

James rolls his eyes. "That's pathetic, but yes, you can. You can also do something dangerous though, like change someone's life, destroy relationships, even erase your own existence…"

"James, that'll be enough," his father, Harry, warns.

Ron frowns. "Why? I think this is interesting. What would you do if you went back in time?"

"Depends how far back. I would probably just live my life, but try and stay away from my ancestors. The last thing I want is to freak them out and change our lives forever," James explains.

"What would you do, Daddy?" Lily finally pipes up.

Silence falls over the entire room, each eye directed at Harry. All of the adults know exactly what Harry would do if, given the opportunity, he went back in time.

But Lily doesn't know about the truth. She knows that Harry's parents had died a long time ago, but nothing about their murders, about Lord Voldemort, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione's feats. She's far too young to be exposed to a past so dark, one that will have to be revealed soon enough.

Soon enough, but not yet.

Harry forces a smile, trying to lighten the situation. "Well, honey, I would do the same as your brother. It's quite a responsible option. I'm surprised you came up with it, James."

James rolls his eyes. "You all underestimate me so much."

Molly Weasley glances at the clock. "My goodness, is it that late already? All of you kids, head to bed now!"

"But Grandmother –," James starts, but the look in her eye says it all. Grumbling, he joins the others and makes his way up to his room, which he shares with Albus and their cousin, Hugo Weasley. Lily and her cousin, Rose Weasley, make a turn, heading into the room that they share.

Once in their room, Lily quickly shuts the door and jumps onto her bed excitedly.

"Do you think it's true? Can time-travel really be possible?" she inquires.

Rose simply smiles. "I don't know, Lily. Perhaps it is. You know I'm not that far ahead yet. If James was being serious, then I'm sure that it involves some very advanced magic, the kind that is probably not possible for most of us. There's a reason he said it's only a theory."

"Yes, but the Muggles believe that the Big Bang is a theory, too, but it's probably true, isn't it?" Lily says.

Rose's tinkering laugh echoes throughout the room. "Okay, well if you're going to add Muggles and their beliefs into the equation, then yes, I believe you're probably right. But as I have already mentioned, it's probably going to be far too advanced for just anybody to conjure. It wouldn't be theoretical if everyone could do it."

Lily strokes her newly bought wand, considering the option. At thirteen and a half inches, made of elk and the core of a hair from the tail of a unicorn, her wand is certainly considered to be quite powerful, just like her own father's.

But could it possibly be enough?

"Don't be silly. These are just ideas. For all we know, this "theory" may just be a story someone came up with in a dream and decided to make some money out of by claiming to be a fact," Rose reads her mind.

Lily shrugs. "Wouldn't it be fascinating, though? I would love to go back in time for a little bit."

"And may I have the honor of knowing what you plan on doing?" Rose chuckles.

Lily rolls her eyes. "I wouldn't interfere the slightest bit, but I would love to watch how Mummy and Daddy met and fell in love. Plus, didn't Daddy take part in the Triwizard Tournament? I would love to see how he did!"

Rose's eyes widen, her expression switching from jokey to solemn. "Lily… you don't want to go to that time."

"I know, I know. Dark times. Many people died. But still… I wish I could see the good parts," Lily sighs, knowing full well that there's no way anyone would understand her view.

Rose doesn't pursue the topic further. "We should go to bed. It's getting pretty late."

Lily nods, lying on her bed. "Goodnight, Rose."

"Goodnight," Rose calls, putting out the light.

No matter how much she tosses and turns, no matter how much time passes by, Lily simply cannot fall asleep. There's something about the theory James mentioned that allures her so much. Something about it almost makes her feel as if that's a part of her future.

Don't be silly, she chides herself. Rose has already mentioned it several times. It's just an idea, and most likely a fictitious one at that.

But wouldn't it still be incredible for it to be true?

Sitting up, she takes her wand in her hands and resumes stroking it. The second she reaches Hogwarts, she simply has to find any books on the subject and devote herself to them. Maybe, just maybe, she may even be able to research it for a career.

Her thoughts travel to the stories she has heard about the 1900s. The second half of the century had been plagued with much darkness, though she never learned the details. Her parents feel like she is too young, and her siblings and cousins are forbidden from uttering a single word about it.

What about the first half, though? That has to be interesting. Something must have definitely occurred then which would have led to the disasters in the second half. What if someone could actually go back in time and fix the problem?

Lily is so engrossed in her reverie that she doesn't notice the change in temperature of her wand, nor the light yellow sparks it has started to burst. Rose, on the other hand, wakes from the flickering.

Her mouth falls open in horror. "Lily! What are you doing?! You know you can't perform magic outside of Hogwarts!"

Finally snapping out of her dreams, Lily focuses on her wand. "What's going on…?"

"Stop it right now!" Rose demands.

"I'm not even trying to do anything!" Lily screams, scared out of her mind. She has never even attempted to perform a simple spell, let alone something that can ignite sparks. The sparks only continue to grow, becoming both brighter and more powerful.

The door flies open, and Harry and Ginny barge in. Their expressions instantly match that of Rose's and Lily's.

"Daddy, help me!" Lily screams, tears streaming down her face.

"Honey, let go of the wand," Harry soothes, but she's far too afraid to do anything more than just shudder. "Let go."

Attempting to compose herself, Lily prepares to drop her wand and hide behind her father. Before she can move, however, the wand gives out one last burst of light, blinding her.

After what feels like hours, the light finally dies out, revealing her surroundings. Harry, Ginny, and Rose are nowhere to be found. In fact, the entire room has disappeared. Lily finds herself sitting on the sidewalk of a dark, deserted street in the middle of some downtown area.

Could this be London?

She scans the unfamiliar surroundings, hunting for any clues of her whereabouts. Nothing helps. None of the street names click in her head.

It doesn't make sense.

"Ah, but it does indeed," a voice says gently.

Lily spins around fearfully, wishing she had at least tried to memorize a couple of spells. Even though she has no idea how to conjure them, perhaps she could get lucky and save herself.

An old man stands behind her, his long auburn hair and beard starting to show streaks of white. His blue eyes gaze down at her, studying her behind those half-moon spectacles. Unlike muggles, this man is dressed in blue robes.

Lily has heard of this man so many times, except he looked infinitely older in the pictures she had seen. He has been revered by all of the adults in the family, to the point where her brother was named after him.

"Professor Albus Dumbledore," she whispers his name in awe. "You're alive."

He smiles down at her. "Of course I am, Lily Potter. You are now in the year 1937."