October 31, 1981
Dear Ginny,
I don't know if this letter will ever reach you. You told me that you were from 1997, and since you were a sixth year at that time, I'm assuming that you will be born this year, or maybe you already have. Knowing that you might be out there somewhere in this world, even though you're just a baby, brings a smile to my face. Now that I think about it, it's rather silly, because the image I have of you is one in which you're still a year younger than me. It's hard to imagine myself as old enough to be your father.
You were right - I did marry Lily. After the three of you left, we turned to each other for comfort and I guess everything just came back to us. I love her very much, and I'm so happy with her. There was one thing you were wrong about, though. You told me that someday I would grow to love her more than you...and that hasn't happened yet. I would die for Lily, but I still hold your life before mine and anyone else's.
Today, our son Harry is 15 months old. Lily and I are, as you would imagine, proud parents. He looks just like me, except he has her lovely eyes. I hope that he'll grow up someday and be everything you told me he would be. I would never admit this to anyone, but sometimes when I look at Harry, I wish he could have had your beautiful brown eyes, or even your flaming red hair - anything to remind me of you. I shouldn't say that, I know; it's not like I would ever forget about you anyway.
Sirius and Remus are both doing great. They were both at our wedding, and Sirius jumped into nearly every shot. He's still the joker he was in Hogwarts, and I doubt he'll ever change. I think they still pine for Hermione though, especially Remus. He actually just left a few hours ago - told me to let you know that he'll still love Hermione, no matter what happens, even if he denies it. Even after all those years...
Lily still loves Draco too. I know she does, just like she knows that I still hold you in my heart. None of us ever really let you three go - I suppose if you'd stayed, things would have been different. Of course, that couldn't have happened without screwing up everything, so maybe it's for the best that only us four knew you were from the future. And trust me, we will take that secret to the grave.
The happiness we knew as teenagers has been taken away, Ginny. Voldemort rises in power, and Dumbledore has alerted me that he's after Lily and I. We've entrusted our lives to - you'll never guess - Peter Pettigrew. Yep, little Wormtail. I still don't think it's a good idea, but Sirius, who was originally chosen for the job, convinced us to switch to Peter. He told us he knows that Voldemort is after him, and using Peter would be our best bet. I don't trust him though - Peter, that is. He's been acting strange ever since Harry was born...I know that he's easily manipulated and tempted by the prospect of rewards; if Voldemort finds this out, then our lives will be handed over to him within a second.
The night grows darker, and so do my spirits. Writing this letter to you is hard. As my quill moves across the page, memories from the short time I spent with you come flooding back. I remember the first day I met you: you caught my eye because you looked so much like Lily, yet so different. You had a light around you that attracted me, and I still feel that light 10 years later. We were so young, Ginny, and we fell in love easily. But no, our love wasn't a foolish teenage fling. It was something real. Only true love would be able to carry over a decade, and mine for you has.
Ginny, you forgot to take your crystal the night you left. I realized this as I saw the last of you fade away, and by then it was too late. You have no idea how it broke my heart knowing that this tiny little stone could have saved your life, and everything we had done was gone to waste. I know I should have done the unselfish thing, and given it to St. Mungo's - after all, it could have saved someone else's life. But I never did, because it was the only reminder of you I had left, and I couldn't bear to part with it.
Let me tell you this...this crystal held your life, and you gave it to me in exchange for my heart. You never got yours back, and I'll never get mine back. You'll hold my heart forever, Ginny, and I will hold your crystal for an equally long time.
I think I hear someone at the door - screaming - yelling - I think our time has come. Yes, I hear the cold voice of Voldemort outside, the laughs of his Death Eaters...I must go now. I'm attaching the necklace with the crystal to this letter in hopes that you will discover it before your 23rd birthday. This is the first and last time I'll ever write to you. There is no way out; Lily and I cannot survive against the Dark Lord. I can only hope that you were right, and that Harry will live.
Ginny, I'll love you forever and even in death, I'll never forget you.
Yours eterna...
The note that came along with the letter told Draco and Hermione that James didn't had the time to complete the last two words. When the letter was discovered, the wizards who examined it decided that he must have been unable to finish writing it, and instead, folded it quickly and put the necklace inside.
Ginny never got the chance to read the letter.
[A/N: Oh my gosh, it's done! 23 chapters...*waits for someone to notice the parallel* I really hope everyone enjoyed this fanfic. Thank you to all my reviewers for inspiring me to write more, and to the mods for accepting each chapter. Don't forget to check my other fanfics every once in a while; I may decide to write another time travel one :) I might even decide to write a sequel to this fic if I get enough reviews asking me to ;)]