If I Can Turn Back Time

An Unexpected Idea

  ....when Luna suddenly exclaimed, "I wish I had a humming beetle. It would have helped me travel back in time".

   Neville woke from his trance like state with a start. He noticed that Ginny too, who had been staring at the window unblinkingly,  started, blinked and looked at Luna who was now humming a song. They had known Luna long enough to know about her fascination with weird magical creatures and her sudden urge to exclaim thing that doesn't make sense. But this, he didn't think he could ignore. Apparently neither did Ginny because she asked, "What did you just say?"

"Oh! Just that I wish that I had a humming beetle so that it could take back in time. Beetles don't usually hum but the ones that does is known to have immense magical power. So much, that it will actually take you back and forth in time".

Ginny and Neville continued to stare at her and then as one their eyes widened.

"That's-that's... " Neville stuttered. All three had the same thing on their minds but they dared not to hope and speak aloud. Finally Neville spoke.
"Is that even possible?"

"I don't know about years into the past" said Ginny,  " but i do know that we can go back in hours using a time turner. During their third year,  Hermione and Harry went back in time by three hours in order to save Sirius and Buckbeak. Dumbledore is the one who sent them."  Her voice cracked when she mentioned the names of the people but she held strong.

    At last,  Luna asked the one question they had running in their minds, "Do you think we can do it?"
The other two looked at her, though their eyes were unfocused.

       Each was thinking of the possibility of traveling back and what they would change if they could. Luna broke the silence once again. "But where do you think we'll get a humming beetle from?"

Ginny smiled at Luna before saying, "If not a humming beetle, maybe we will find another way to do it".
Neville turned to look at Ginny. "You want to do this?" he asked. "You don't?" she asked back with a raised eyebrow.

"I would love to go back in time and change things Gin, but we don't even know if this will work. I don't want us to bring up our hopes just for it to be shattered"

Ginny nodded. "I understand Nev,  but there is nothing else left for us to do here. I mean,  we are living in the muggle world,  completely dependent on magic for food and rent. We don't have anyone but ourselves and you can't think of moving on because we three know that we will never be able to do that. Everything that we could have lived for has been taken away from us. We are not even in our own world. This thing about time travel.... I think it will give us some purpose in life. If we can't live here,  then we will go back and relive everything while making sure the entire war does not take place. "
     
       Neville looked at her for a moment. There was a familiar spark of determination in her eyes that he had not seen since the day of the battle. He knew that Ginny  was not going to give up on the idea whether he relented or not. He did not find anything wrong about it either. It was definitely worth a shot. He turned to look at Luna. She had a thoughtful expression on her face and a moment later she caught his eyes and nodded slowly. He knew Luna was thinking the same thing too.

"I get what you say. But we only have the idea of time travel. We don't know anything about how to do it. Except perhaps the beetle which is difficult to capture". He added the last part quickly when he saw Luna open her mouth to answer.

    Ginny smiled at his antics. Luna was their best friend. Though she spoke of things that hardly existed,  they had long stopped taking the mickey out of her and even defended her when others did it.

        "That's what we've got to do. We require information and there's only one place I can think of that might provide us that" said Ginny.

"Hogwarts Library" said Luna.  Ginny nodded.

"Are you sure? " Neville asked. They knew what exactly he meant. Ginny and Luna had not stepped foot in the Hogwarts grounds since the day they had retrieved the bodies of their loved ones.  It was their own way of grieving. By not returning to the place that caused them all the pain.

"Yes" said Ginny and Luna at once.

"We don't even know what condition the library is in. Nobody takes care of that place anymore" said Neville.

"If not the library, then the Headmaster's Office. I know for a fact that that place is warded from damage. Maybe we can speak to the portraits there" said Ginny.
"Dumbledore "said Neville and Luna together.
"Exactly "said Ginny nodding.

"When? " asked Luna
"Maybe tomorrow " said Neville. He had visited the place today and was not in the mood to do it again.
"That will do" said the girls understandingly. They got up again to start on lunch.

      It was much later when they settled back down again on the couch and floor. This time though, Ginny had a book in her hand. They decided that it was time to read Hermione's journal.  In silent agreement,  Ginny began to read.

       They read through Harry's knowledge of the prophecy, Voldemort's horcruxes and their location,  the hunt, Ron's abandoning and rejoining, getting captured at Malfoy Manor and also about how Harry took the killing curse aimed at Ron by Voldemort who had been summoned by Bellatrix before Dobby had apparated them out.

      Neville, Luna and Ginny were astonished to learn that Harry had survived the curse then but not in the final battle. It took them some time to recollect themselves before continuing. They read about the trio's stay at Shell Cottage and the plot to break into Gringotts. Hermione's last entry was about how they were planning to return to Hogwarts in search of the diadem. By the time they had finished reading it was late into the night. The three day quietly for a while. Each lost in their own thoughts.

      Ginny didn't know what to think or feel. The things that her brother, best friend and the boy she loved and still love had gone through were not something she wished upon anyone. Six months had passed and yet she was grieving. The contents of the journal hurt her more over the fact that she wasn't there for them. Not for the first time she wished that they were told of it sooner.

"Dumbledore! " said Ginny suddenly, pulling the other two out from their dwellings.

"Sorry?" asked Luna. "Dumbledore's the one to blame" said Ginny.

"Ginny,  what the hell are you talking about?" asked Neville.

"Dumbledore shouldn't have shared this information with those three alone" said Ginny, her eyes flashing.

"You mean, he should've involved us too?" asked Luna.

"Not really but he should've included the Order members in the mission. What would have made him think that three teenagers alone could have been able to track down dark artifacts with so little information? Not that I doubt their capability but do you think it was wise of him to confide in just them. The Order had older and experienced members. He should have shared it with more people or atleast told them earlier than waiting till the last moment" Ginny was almost yelling by now.

"Gin, calm down. I'm sure Dumbledore had his reasons. Anyway,  we can ask him tomorrow" Neville told her.

"I'm sorry but I just need to blame someone, you know. We've lost so much and too think that it could've been prevented!"

The other two remained silent. They knew Ginny had to vent out her frustrations.

"Okay,  let's talk about this time travel thingy now" said Luna after a while. "We've already decided to look in the library, but what incase we don't find anything there? I mean,  it's a school library. Do you really think it will have books on how to time travel? Any student could come across it and not stop themselves from trying."

"I know Lu,  but there isn't another place to search. Oh! maybe there is but not that we know of. So till we get a lead,  we need to look into the only source we have" said Ginny.

     The other two nodded. " I think we better get to bed. It's already late and we've got a lot to do tomorrow" said Neville standing and helping the girls up. They hugged each other and retired to their rooms for the night.