A/N I don't own Harry Potter
Harry Potter calmly walked into the Great Hall. Or as calm as anyone who had recently defeated the most feared wizard of all time, and lost almost all the people who cared for him as a consequence. Every time he looked at the House Tables he saw Fred's body and Remus' and Tonks' right next to it. Their deaths weighed Harry down like a boulder. But, he thought ruefully, a few good things did come out of the battle. Ron and Hermione had finally started dating and after he had explained the whole episode in the forest to Ginny, she slapped him for "being a stupid brave, noble, prat" and then kissed him like there was no tomorrow. They were officially back together. Ron did grumble a bit but everyone else in the Weasley family were kind of subdued after Fred's death and welcomed the idea that life could go on.
He sat down at the Gryffindor table and sighed, it was only seven am almost no one was up yet, that he was thankful for, he didn't want to hear the whispers about the Man-Who-Conquered this early, but then a flash of red bounced into the Great Hall and into Harry's lap. Harry groaned, "Ginny, how can you be so awake at," he checked his watch, "seven in the morning?!"
Ginny laughed, a sound that one wouldn't expect to hear about a week after a war had ended. Then she looked at the doors to the Great Hall expectantly. Just then, Ron and Hermione came stumbling into the Great Hall. They bumbled over to the Gryffindor table and sat down next to him. After amusedly watching Ron stuff his face with pancakes, waffles, bacon and sausage washing it all down with pumpkin juice they all got up and left for the Room of Requirement which had miraculously survived the Fiendfyre that swept through it the night of the battle. Harry paced in front of the blank wall thinking, "We need a place to talk privately, We need a place to talk privately, We need a place to talk privately" Harry, walked in with his arm around Ginny and Ron and Hermione ambled in holding hands shortly afterwards. They all just sat down on the poufs that were provided and lost themselves in thought. Twelve light chimes signaling lunch brought them all out of their thoughts abruptly and landed them back in the harsh world of reality.
McGonagall stared incredulously at Dumbledore's portrait. "You want me to do what?"
"I want to let Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny take a trip to a place where they will be unknown, to take a break from all this grief and misery. However, seeing as reporters and well-wishers have been crowding around them at every moment, it is quite difficult and any vacation plans would surely be discovered. That is why I want you to go to the second drawer of the desk on the right side and look under my nearly complete collection of Chocolate Frog cards. Under the cards is a very powerful time turner. Give it to Mr. Potter and his friends at lunch and bring them up here afterwards. I will explain to them where, or should I say when they will be going and they will be able to leave within a week." said Dumbledore calmly, with the twinkle in his eye present even in his portrait and gleaming with a sense of suppressed excitement.
McGonagall huffed; she knew she couldn't refuse Dumbledore's orders, even if he was dead. She marched down to the Great Hall and walked up to the tight knit group of four that separated themselves from everyone else. When she tapped Potter on the shoulder, all four of them looked up at her expectantly. She just sighed and tersely said "After lunch, my office" and walked back out of the Great Hall.
Ron looked like he was about to protest when Harry nudged him and loudly whispered "We aren't going to get detention, we're not even students right now!" At this everyone snickered and the tips of Ron's ears went red. He tried to earn back his dignity by trying to stuff some chicken into his mouth but it didn't seem to want to come the fork. Ron nearly stabbed himself three times before he realized that Harry was pointing his wand at the fork and everyone else was rolling on the ground in hysterics. "Shut up" he growled then said "We'd better get going. Don't want to make McGonagall wait; we might risk her wrath like Harry did." Harry winced. He had forgotten that when he decided to "play dead" and come back "to life" during the Final Battle, McGonagall was completely upset. He had gotten an earful, no, about two earfuls after the battle and it didn't help that Ron and Hermione were witnessing it and convulsing in laughter. He sighed and got up. At that signal, Hermione got up and composed herself but Ginny was barely hiding a snicker. They walked up to the stone gargoyle which, though being magnificently restored, still had one huge crack down its nose. The password, "Nosebleed Nougat" was spoken (though it was quite fitting, everyone often wondered why McGonagall would choose the password to be a prankster's item) and they all jumped onto the stair as it started rotating upwards. They slowly turned the doorknob and entered McGonagall's office.
The door of the office slowly opened and the disgruntled and worried group of four walked in. They noticed that Minerva McGonagall seemed more tired, her façade of sternness was gone. She sighed and mumbled "The man in the portrait is too stubborn for his own good." Then, raising her voice, she addressed the four teenagers. "Dumbledore's portrait has told me to let you all take a vacation. And although you will be followed everywhere you go, they will not be able to follow when you go." Ignoring three puzzled faces and one of understanding slight horror at breaking a law she plowed on. "Dumbledore wants to send you all to the past where you will be either teachers or students. You will be going to the year 1977. Yes, Harry, that's you're parents seventh year."
Harry closed his mouth after receiving the answer to his unasked question but many more were hurled at the professor.
"There's a law! We can't time travel!"
"Won't people be suspicious?"
"What if we unintentionally change the future?"
"Wait! We're going to be teachers?!"
Ron's off-handed comment that was the least of their worries made everyone stare at him causing his ears to go a delicate shade of pink.
Harry sighed and addressed Dumbledore's portrait. "There's no way to get out of this, is there?"
"No Harry. I seem to remember a party of four in the year 1977; three very odd, secretive and popular teachers and the other of the party was a transfer student for seventh year"
"So, we keep our names, right? I mean, the Marauders would figure it out in a second, they do have the Map."
"Yes, Harry, you will keep you're names, however you're appearance will have to be changed a bit, you look too much like James for the students to think of it as a coincidence. Ms. Granger is safe, she is muggle-born so no one will recognize her name or appearance. Mr. and Ms. Weasley, the last Weasley graduated eight years ago so no one will recognize you're name but you might want to alter you're appearance just a little so people won't be able to make the connection."
Harry, Ron, and Ginny nodded in acceptance but Hermione looked scandalized. "But, Professor! We'd be breaking the law! We could get sent to Azkaban! We could accidentally change the future and Voldemort could win!"
"Hermione, have experience with a time turner. When you went back in time, you changed what was happening at you're present but not what did happen at the time. So, when you went back in time, you didn't change anything, just provided me with three great Defense teachers and one very smart transfer student!"
"So, the future will be safe? Okay. When will we leave Professor?"
"Well, Ms. Granger, seeing as today is Friday, August 22nd, you will be leaving on Monday the 25th. That way, you will arrive a week before the term starts. Professor McGonagall will explain to you all the details of travel and what you are to do once you arrive. She has written letters for the staff so they know when you are from and the story you will follow when you are at Hogwarts. The teachers know the story as well so they can cover for you. Be packed and in this room by noon on the 25th." And with that Professor McGonagall said "Don't be late" and swept from the room, leaving four bewildered, confused, and excited teenagers.