Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story.

Chapter 1: Our Time Begins

The letter lay on the coffee table in front of him, unopened. He had felt the bump inside of it as he had removed it from the leg of the Ministry owl, and left it as such. He would not be opening it for fear of the temptation that would follow.

He had had this long talk with Ginny. They were well aware of the consequences of what would happen were he to open the letter.

The Ministry of Magic had only agreed to do this for Harry because he had defeated the Dark Lord, as a gift of sorts. Apparently, they were impatiently waiting for Harry to receive this gift, so they just wrote him a letter and stuffed the Time-Turner inside.

After seeing his parents, Sirius, and Remus reappear that night he killed Voldemort, his burning anguish to be with them only seared into his heart deeper. So he had gone to the Ministry and asked a small favor of Minister Kingsley.

"I need this, Minister." Harry said gruffly through his tears, "I need my parents."

"Harry for the last time, I hate it when you call me 'Minister.' I still am, and will always be your friend." Kingsley saw the waterfalls breaking skin on young Potter's face, and he could not feel sorrier for him. Every parental figure to him was lost, besides the Weasleys. Even if Harry and Ginny had just been married, there was never going to be anything to fill that hole, except maybe what Harry was suggesting.

Kingsley spoke once more to Harry: "You understand the consequences entirely if the rest of the Ministry and I gift you with this Time-Turner, Harry?"

Harry did nothing more than nod.

"You understand that if you were to take this Time-Turner, that you will have to live out as many years as you decide to rewind? That once your parents are dead, you will have to go into hiding for the following twenty years so that you do not run into yourself?"

Harry nodded once more.

"Do you plan on taking Ginny with you on this trip?"

"I could not live without her, Kingsley." Harry finally spoke.

"You are only twenty years old, Harry. You realize that if you and your wife do this, that you would be fifty years old when you returned to this time?"

"I need to know them."

"As you wish, Potter. I will have a Time-Turner specifically made for you so that it takes you back years, not hours or days. I will send an owl to your office when it is completed, though it may take some time."

"Thank you, Mini.. I mean, Kingsley." Harry stammered through a smile that radiated across his tear-stained face.

"Potter, " Kingsley said, "Return in good condition. I don't want to wake up the day you leave to fire my best Auror, if you should return. Even at fifty you can still do the job. Mad-Eye proved that. Good luck, Potter."

He and Ginny had discussed this for the past two months, making sure that this is what they wanted. They'd informed their family, their friends… But a few protested.

Hermoine had told Harry not to waste his life in this way. He had so much for his future here, in the present.

His retort was that his children could know their grandparents.

The Hollyhead Harpies were very unhappy with Ginny's retirement, considering she was one of the best players they had.

As Harry was sitting on the sofa, he realized it was 3 a.m., and that someone at the Ministry must have been tired of seeing the Time-Turner lie there.

He sat and stared at this simple piece of parchment with his name scripted neatly on the face. His bright green eyes were looking past the parchment, the letter, the table, and the ground. He was speaking to himself in his mind, trying to calm himself, to keep himself from running up the stairs and waking Ginny.

After a quarter of an hour, Harry grew restless, and began to pack everything in the first floor he and Ginny would need. He gathered old pictures of him, Ron, Hermoine, Ginny, and their families. He took the photo album Hagrid had given him in his first year at Hogwarts. He brought his new Firebolt, other precious belongings, and simple things Ginny would need. He began to pile them into the small beaded bag that Hermoine had lent them for their trip into the past.

He looked up at the clock, realizing it was six thirty, and he decided that he could not wait any longer. He half-sprinted up the stairs, and stopped in their bedroom doorway.

Every time he looked at her, he was robbed of his breath. Her flame-red hair was blanketing her shoulders and back, and her face was calm as she was lost in sleep.

After a minute or two, he remembered what he had thundered up the stairs for, and he slowly approached his sleeping wife.

"Ginny? Ginny dear!" he whispered into her mane of red hair.

She grabbed her blanket defiantly and threw it over her head.

"Bloody hell, Harry, what time is it?" she mumbled through the blanket she had sloppily draped over her face.

He smiled. Her fire and spunk would never fade.

"Half past six, darling." He replied with a smirk.

"Go back to bed, then, or suffer the wrath of your early-morning troll-wife." She spoke more clearly, now, and Harry knew she was waking up.

"Now is not the time for sleep, Gin. I got a letter a few hours back."

She shot straight up, her hair a wild mess around her head and her eyes a little blood shot from her sleeping.

"Is it.. the letter, Harry?" she sat there, with her back as straight as a board, and he nodded simply.

"Why didn't you wake me when you got it?" she marched angrily from their bed, and straight to her dresser. She began pulling out all of clothes, when she realized Harry was still kneeling by where she sat.

"I didn't want to wake you." He said, staring at her. He was smiling radiantly.

She rolled her eyes at his love-sick puppy face and threw her clothes onto their bed.

"Tally-ho, then, Harry! Get your clothes packed!" she ordered.

She was throwing more and more of her blouses over her shoulders when he sneaked behind her, dodging her garments, and kissed her on the cheek.

"Good morning." He said happily.

"Good morning." She said, planting a kiss on his nose. "Now go get your clothes ready!"

After that, Harry wasted no time. After an hour, everything was packed.

"I need to shower. Write Ron and Hermoine and Mum and Dad, please, while I do so?"

Harry obliged.

Dear Ron & Hermoine,

Ginny and I are leaving. We'll be back before you have time to think to reply though, considering it's a Time-Turner and no time will have passed for you. So, I guess, expect to see Ginny and myself a little grayed next time you see us.

We will miss you both dearly, considering, to us, we will have thirty years apart. Please tell Arthur and Molly.

Love,

Harry

He went to the window and took his owl out of his cage. He hooted happily as Harry tied the short letter to his ankle.

"Take this to Ron and Hermoine." He said while stroking the owl's tawny feathers. It brought his beak to his finger, and nibbled it affectionately before spreading its wingspan and flapping gracefully out of the window.

When he turned around, Ginny stood there, beaded bag in hand and showered.

"Are you ready, Harry?" she said breathlessly.

"Did you have to ask?"