A/N: I wrote this story a while back and after conferring with my good friends, like Billy Stubbs, I decided to make some changes to the story and post it here for you guys to read.
My story focuses on Ron, a much-maligned character when it comes to character bashing in HP so I thought I'll give him a break. As you can tell from the summary, this story's plot device is time travel. I understand that time travel can be tricky but do not worry. Once you've read the entire thing, it will all make sense.
I wanted to post the entire story up but someone suggested to me that posting one-shots often lead to fewer readers. So I decided to split it into three. The first part is called the Pledge. The second the Turn and the final one is the Prestige.
I do hope you enjoy the story. When you come to the end, you might be a little confused but do not worry, I will have an author's note explaining everything. Take care and do review if you can. I appreciate reviews very much. Love you all!
Ron's Last Case: The Pledge
"So, Ron, I was wondering…" Harry spoke as Ron turned to glare at him.
"Save it, Harry!" Ron snapped as he stomped into the Auror office. Flinging his wand against the table before giving it a good, swift kick, Harry sighed as his best friend spouted a bunch of curse words. It was becoming a usual routine for him, having to pacify his best friend who, once again was at war with his fiancée.
"She's got a bloody cheek, my sister!" Ron growled as he collapsed into his seat. Harry knew this was the moment to strike. Ron's bouts of anger were as unpredictable as the weather and any moment of calmness was the moment to strike.
"Ron, I'm not siding with anyone here," Harry said calmly as he trod carefully around his words. "Let me talk to Ginny. You know how she gets with the wedding. She's already feeling the pressure from your parents. I'm sure, once she calms down, you guys can apologi – "
"Apologise?!" Ron cried incredulously as he shook his head. "Harry, have you actually met my sister? When has Ginny ever admitted she was wrong? Look, growing up with the twins and the rest of my brothers, I can take a little mickey every now and then but insulting me right to my face?! Calling me a prat over and over again?! Do you actually want to marry my sister, Harry? Honestly? Because if not, believe me, I will have no problems objecting to the entire marriage!"
"Look, you just to calm down a little." Harry sighed, trying a different tactic. "I understand younger sisters can be tough but you guys love each other."
"With all due respect, mate," Ron said as he rubbed his forehead. "You don't have siblings. You can't possibly know what it's like."
"Well, there's Hermione…"
"Hermione isn't your sister nor does she act like one," Ron replied. "Hermione might seem like a sister but trust me, she doesn't behave with you like brothers and sisters do. First of all, seeing that she's older than you, Hermione acts as an older sister, not a younger one and trust me, there's a world of difference there. Brothers and sisters pick on each other all the time. They compete for affection. Living with a younger sister, not to mention the family favourite, not only meant I had to look out for her but also have to deal with pranks, jokes and all sorts of crap." Ron heaved a sigh at the thought. Though he hardly brought it up, Ron sometimes hated the way he lived. From Bill's old textbooks to Charlie's wand to hand-me-down robes while the rest of the Weasleys got brand new things, Ron often had to suck it up and live with it. It wasn't that he wasn't grateful for his parents, Merlin only knows how much he loved them but sometimes, Ron did wish for things to be better.
Harry cleared his throat. He had only one card left to play and thankfully, he knew it was one Ron couldn't argue with. "Ron, just try to work things out with your sister. Best man duties, you know."
Ron groaned at the thought. As best man, Ron had sworn to Harry that he would do anything to help ease his friend for the wedding. Knowing full well Harry would do the same for he and Hermione, Ron begrudgingly nodded his head while giving his friend a smile.
"Fine," Ron said as he gave Harry a hug. "But seriously, mate, if ever you want to back off from the wedding, just give me a wink or something and I'll be packing our bags for Fiji!"
"Why do you always suggest Fiji?" Harry laughed as he welcomed the lightened mood. Before Ron could respond, Harry heard Ron's name being called from the Head Auror's office.
"Weasley, in my office, now!" yelled the voice of Gawain Robards, Head Auror. Ron cursed loudly in the air, to which another response was heard. "I heard that, Weasley!"
"What did you do now?" Harry asked as Ron gave a shrug.
"Hell if I know," Ron replied as he grabbed his wand. "Maybe he wants to give me a promotion."
"Good luck!" Harry cried out as Ron waved at him before entering the office. Robards's office was designed to fit his nature. Being an efficient and neat person, Ron walked past the huge shelves of carefully colour-coded files. At the centre of the room, there stood a desk, several chairs, a couch and a coffee table. Behind the desk was a grand roaring fireplace where above its mantle fixed a large, stone statue of a lion's head.
There were only two reasons for being called into the office, Ron noted as Robards motioned to the couch. You either did something wrong and was about to get chewed off or you were being assigned a new case. Gawain hardly ever gave praise and even then, it was never in his office. Add that with his paperwork still being needed to be filed, the odds of Ron getting a yelling were high. Yet Ron suspected that not to be the case especially considering that he and Gawain weren't the only ones in the room.
…
The first thought that ran through his head as Ron stared at the man standing in front of him was that he had to be related to the Malfoys. From the white-blond hair to the grey eyes, the man stood tall, though not nearly as tall as him, and had an expression on his face that Ron could only categorize as smug. The man looked to be a few years his senior as he smiled at Ron with his thin lips and strong jawline though Ron noted the man's slim and lanky frame. Ron shook his hand and noted that despite his somewhat strong demeanour, his hands were surprisingly soft.
"Ronald, please say hello to Lukas Petrov. He's an Unspeakable working for the Department of Mysteries."
"Please, the honour is all mine," Petrov replied in a calm tone as Ron welcomed him. "Forgive me, sir, but just to clarify. I don't work for the Department of Mysteries, per say but rather a subsidiary organisation related to them."
"Technically, that means you do work for them," Robards replied somewhat harshly as Ron tried his best not to roll his eyes. Gawain often had a problem with anyone contradicting him, a trait that often led to rows between him and his fellow Aurors. Petrov seemed to ignore the backhanded remark, his eyes firmly fixated on Ron.
"I do apologise taking you away from what must be another busy day for you, Mr. Weasley, but I'm afraid I do require your assistance quite urgently."
"Assistance?" Ron questioned as Robards scowled at Petrov.
"Whatever duties you require of my Aurors, I need to be in the know, Petrov. Mr. Weasley is my responsibility!"
"Technically, since you work for the Minister, it is the Minister's responsibility," Petrov replied as Ron's initial impression of the wizard started to change. "I do apologise if I'm crossing any lines but as I've informed you, sir, before Mr. Weasley entered the premises, that the request for him comes from the Minister and is on a need-to-know basis. Our organisation isn't like yours, Mr. Robards. We operate at the highest level of security with clearances from the Minister and only the Minister."
"Save me the red tape bullshit," Robards growled as he took out a bottle of Firewhiskey from his desk. "At least tell me why you want Weasley here, of all people. I have other Aurors, some far more experienced than Weasley."
Ron shot his superior a glare. Though he despised Robard's opinion of him, Ron couldn't help but agree with his commanding officer. There were indeed, far more experienced Aurors with much better records and temperament than himself. Still, Ron thought fiercely as he imagined the different ways he would do with the Firewhiskey bottle and Gawain's body, he had earned his fair share of credit.
Petrov seemed to think similarly as he gave Robards a disgusted look before turning back to Ron. "Nonsense, Mr. Weasley's achievements deserves much praise and his reputation precedes him. After all, weren't you the one, Mr. Weasley, who solved the Schmidt's case?"
"Please, call me Ron," Ron replied as his admiration for Petrov began to grow. The Schmidt case was one of the first few cases he and Harry had encountered and it had attracted quite the attention. Walter Schmidt, dubbed the Polyjuice Killer by the media, was alleged to be the serial killer responsible for the deaths of three Muggle families throughout Britain. Schmidt had been a family annihilator, often infiltrating the homes by killing the husband and assuming his position using Polyjuice, before murdering the entire family. The Polyjuice Killer had taunted the Aurors for months until finally, Walter Schmidt was caught in a warehouse pleading that he was innocent. As he was inches from being sentenced to Azkaban, it was Ron, who upon further investigation into the case, realised that the murderer was in fact, Marion Schmidt, Walter's wife, a psychopath who had become disillusioned with the idea she could never have a family and instead preyed on those she felt mocked her pain.
"An innocent man might have been wrongfully convicted if it weren't for Ronald here." Petrov continued as he read the file. "The Fireball Dragon's theft, the mysterious disappearance of the Kilmonger twins, all attributed to Ron and that's not even considering his efforts in bringing down the darkest wizard that ever lived."
"With all due respect, I had Harry on those cases as well. You have to give my partner his due credit as well." Ron replied happily. In the past, a younger Ron would have been satisfied being in the limelight but years of growing up as well as the Horcrux Hunt had changed him. He wasn't the same boy he was once though his insecurities still remained as Ron thought bitterly back to his fight with Ginny.
"But, of course. The Boy Who Lived as well as Hermione Granger. You three are the Golden Trio. Pity that Miss Granger didn't choose to be an Auror. The three of you would form quite the formidable team."
"My girlfriend wanted to continue her education and besides, she prefers working in other fields." Ron replied with a smirk to Robards, carefully putting emphasis on the word 'girlfriend'. It was no secret that Robards had a thing for Hermione, often appearing at his desk whenever Hermione would visit him or Harry in the office. He grinned at the thought of Hermione flinching in disgust as she mentioned she rather make out with Grawp than spend a second in Robards's presence.
"Congratulations, Mr. Weasley. However, I must insist we leave now as I must brief you on your upcoming mission." Petrov said as he stood up.
"Hold on!" Robards shouted as he stood up as well, with such force that his chair clattered behind him. "I told you, Mr. Petrov, that Ronald is my agent and I do not take kindly to being kept out of the loop."
"That I believe you should stop drinking, Mr. Robards, because I believe it has affected your ability to perceive what is happening," Petrov replied curtly as he frowned at Robards. "As I already told you, this operation is clandestine and not for your ears so are you, Mr. Robards, going to waste our time any longer or shall I file a complaint to the Minister that his Head Auror is being uncooperative and impeding our investigation which by your own laws, is an obstruction of justice?"
Ron could see Robards being taken aback by the aggressive tone of Petrov. Before he could reply, however, Petrov gave a nod as he walked to the door. "Good choice, sir. I see to it that your prompt decision making is mentioned in my report to the Minister. Coming, Ronald?" Petrov said, not waiting for a reply as he left the office. Ron turned to give Gawain a grin.
"Guess I'll be going now. Thank you for your vote of confidence, sir. I won't let you down."
"I want all your pending reports by next week, Weasley!" Gawain roared as he scowled at him. "And don't even think about asking Harry or anyone else to help you."
"Wouldn't dream of it, sir," Ron said as he opened the door but not before taking one last look. "Harry's got a wedding to go to and my girlfriend helps me in other things besides paperwork!"
Ron chuckled as he closed the door to the sound of glass breaking and curses yelled in his name.
….
"Why are we talking about it here?" Ron asked as he stared at the crowd of Muggles in the café. Petrov had led him to a nearby café outside the Ministry headquarters where many Muggles gathered to have breakfast, chattering incessantly and loudly while being unaware of the presence of two wizards.
"It's a favourite place of mine. You sure I can't get you breakfast? It's on me." Petrov said as he called for the waiter.
"Just coffee," Ron replied while trying to ignore his growling stomach. He wanted to make a good impression for Petrov and wolfing down three helpings of pancakes did not seem like a professional impression.
"Two coffees and a bowl of chips," Petrov replied to the waiter before placing his file on the table. Ron felt his curiosity growing as he stared at the file.
"Ignore it," Petrov replied as he gave Ron a smile. "I must admit I am impressed by the way you spoke to your superior. Though it is crude, I do not deny that the man certainly deserved it."
"I've always had a problem with authority figures. Not that it gets in the way of my work!" Ron replied hastily as he gave Petrov a sheepish look.
"Very well then, to business," Petrov replied as Ron noticed the wizard pointing his wand inconspicuously around the table before muttering a Silencing Charm. "Mr. Weasley, my organisation that works with your Ministry doesn't have an official name. The magical world has secrets and what you know, even with your clearances, is only the tip of the iceberg. We operate on things that would, in the words of our youth, blow your mind. It is that very reason that we are sworn to secrecy, never to reveal what we know in any form unless of course, there is an extenuating reason and believe me, I do not speak in hyperboles when I tell you that the fate of the world is in our hands."
"Okay…" Ron replied, unsure of what to make of it. "So tell me, what do you do?"
"Thank you," Petrov replied to the waiter who had brought their chips and coffee. Taking a sip from his cup, Ron could see Petrov wrestling with a thought in his head as evident from the contorted lines on his forehead. "Tell me, Ron, what do you know about time travel?"
"Time travel?" Ron repeated, confused as to what Petrov was asking of him. Time travel was not uncommon in magic but the use of it had been carefully regulated by the Ministry. In fact, time travel was no longer possible in Britain, as Ron recalled the destruction of all the time turners during that skirmish in the Department of Mysteries.
"I know what everyone knows, I guess. You can only time travel using Time-Turners. I've never used one but I know how it operates."
"Of course, that incident in your third year," Petrov said, without missing a beat.
"Yes, how did you…"
"The late Albus Dumbledore sent a request for the use of a time turner in 1993," Petrov said before realising that Ron was staring suspiciously at him. "Dumbledore had let slipped a mention that the use was to benefit a student's education and seeing that Sirius Black had escaped under mysterious circumstances, I merely made an educated guess. Though judging by your reaction, I daresay I've hit the mark. If it isn't too uncomfortable for you, would you mind giving me more information about the incident?"
Ron stared at Petrov for a long moment before deciding he could trust him. Besides, with Sirius's death and the truth being known, he didn't have anything to lose. Ron recalled the tale of the time turner from Hermione's use for extra classes to using it to save Buckbeak. He looked at Petrov, who was listening intently to every word he said.
"Fascinating. Simply fascinating." Petrov replied admirably while he smiled at Ron. "I feared that you might be a novice in this matter but I understand now, more than ever, why you are indeed the man for the job."
"And what is this job?" Ron asked, his curiosity piqued to such an extent that it bordered upon annoyance.
"Before I go into detail as to the job, I will need you to understand what is it I do. Let me demonstrate." Petrov spoke as he took out a pen before drawing a line on a napkin. "You see, Ron, my job is to protect the timeline."
"The timeline?" Ron repeated, only for Petrov to raise his hand.
"Let me explain. For many years, man has been obsessed with the idea of time travel. It exists not only in our world but in the Muggle world as well, particularly with science fiction authors who constantly write about time travel and its implications. To us, time was just a form of measurement never to be manipulated with until that fantasy became reality in late 19th century with the creation of the Time Portal, a gateway allowing one to travel through time. It was created by a powerful wizard named Francis Croaker, dubbed by us as the Father Time."
"Appropriate name," Ron remarked as Petrov took another sip from his coffee.
"Indeed. You see, Croaker was always obsessed with the idea of time travel. He spent many years on it, developing charms and spells and finally created the gateway. You recall your foray into our department years ago, Mr. Weasley? I assumed you've seen the Veil? It's similar to that."
Ron shuddered at the thought, recalling how Sirius had fallen through the Veil after being killed by Bellatrix Lestrange.
"The Portal is gateway that, on the outside, looks to be filled with fog though if one was to touch the fog, one would realise it merely has a misty appearance but is nonetheless, a form of viscous liquid. It is this liquid that we put into the time turners, every single one of them. Now before I talk further about the Portal, I need to ask you a question. Do you know what the two main thoughts of time travel are?"
Ron thought long and hard before recalling for a moment, Hermione telling him something about time-travel during the Horcrux Hunt when Ron complained about wishing to have a time-turner so he could turn back time to kill Voldemort. "The two schools of thought are about a singular timeline as well as alternate timelines."
"Very good!" Petrov cried happily as he clapped his hands. "Yes, those are the two schools. Now, let me show you."
Petrov took out a pen and drew a straight line on a napkin. He gave the napkin to Ron. "See, this line here. This represents the first school of thought. That there is only one singular timeline. Do you know what that means?"
Ron shook his head, clueless as to what to expect.
"We humans are a simple folk," Petrov explained gently as he motioned at the line. "We see time, like we see other things, with a beginning and an end. I start at point A and end at point B. Similar to the clock, we wake up in the morning and we end at night."
"Okay," Ron said dismissively, annoyed that Petrov seemed to be explaining things slowly to him as if he were a small child.
"But there lies the mistake, Ron." Petrov continued as he flipped the napkin over. "The singular timeline isn't always a straight line. It can on certain occasions be a closed loop, its shape closer to that of a circle." Petrov said as he drew a circle on the napkin. "Tell me, if I showed you this circle without showing it to you, could you tell me where I started and when I ended?"
"I would look for where the ink is the darkest followed by the lightest," Ron replied quickly.
"Exactly. Like I said, we are simple, aren't we?" Petrov spoke as he gave Ron a smirk. "But the truth is, there is no beginning or end. The singular timeline is a closed loop, a circle. What has happened, has happened and what will happen, will happen."
"You lost me," Ron said as he frowned at the circle.
"Try answering this time- travel question. It is an exercise we use for people who want to know more about the singular timeline." Petrov said as he stared at Ron with his deep, grey eyes. "You are in a room with two doors and nothing else. You are holding an egg in your hand while you are facing the second door with the first door behind you. You heard a loud bang on the first door and you drop the egg. You have a time- turner. Complete the loop."
"Complete the loop? What do you mean, loop?"
"Come on, try it."
"Look, I've had a tiring morning. Maybe we could skip the riddles…"
"No." Petrov insisted as he stared at Ron. "Where did the loud bang on the door come from?"
"From behind the first door," Ron answered.
"But what caused it?" Petrov asked as Ron sensed the impatience behind his voice. Ron turned to his thoughts. The question was about time travel and he had a time turner in his hand….
"I caused it," Ron said while looking questioningly at Petrov. "I caused it because after the egg was dropped, I went through the second door and where I turned back time to before I heard the sound. I walked around the room, back to the first door and hit it, causing the sound that caused me to drop the egg in the first place.
"You're much smarter than you give yourself credit for." Petrov laughed as he clapped his hands. "Yes, you completed the loop and the singular timeline exists.
"But wait, why don't I just go through the second door and stop myself from dropping the egg? Or what if I choose not to time travel?"
"Aha! I see we have come to the issue at hand. You see, there is absolutely no way for you to stop yourself from dropping the egg in the first place. If you had done so, that means the egg never dropped and if the egg never dropped, it would also mean that there would be absolutely no reason for you to time travel in the first place!"
"I'm confused again."
"You should be. That's why it's called a paradox. You can't change something in the past because if you did, there would be no motivation or intention for you to time-travel back in the first place. Paradoxes are what time travellers have to work against when dealing with a singular timeline."
"But what happens if I do?" Ron asked.
"Nothing," Petrov said firmly. "The time-turner wouldn't work. And as for your second question, the sound was not made by you but by some other external event. You see, Ron, before this gets too confusing, in a singular timeline, you DO NOT have paradoxes. What has happened has already happened.
When Francis Croaker created the Time Portal, he wanted to go back in time to save his mother from her tragic death a year prior. But do you know what happen? Nothing at all. He passed through the Portal and nothing happened. Poor Francis even thought that the Portal was not working. It was only when he decided to go back in time to witness her death while doing nothing to interfere with the timeline, did the Portal send him back."
"Okay…" Ron said as he scratched his head. The pieces were starting to fit in his head.
"Time travellers do not question why something happens or try to understand where it starts. Like the circle, there is no beginning and no end. Just a closed loop. The question I posed to you about the egg is one in which you need to understand that your purpose isn't to question why the egg dropped or whether you can stop it but to just travel back in time, make the same sound and wait for your past self to go through the second door before he travels back, thereby completing the loop.
"Like how Harry was always meant to stop the Dementors by casting the Patronus Charm because he had already done so," Ron replied with a sigh as he began to wrap his head around time travel. "So that's your job, to protect the Portal. But why does it need protecting if time can sustain itself as it should."
"That's just it, Ron. For the longest time, there was no need for me to look over the Portal. All I had to do was see that it was in working order and to leave it untouched. Time travellers could not possibly fiddle with time as the law of Paradoxes prohibits any changes to the timeline in any form. But, I might have been too naïve."
Petrov stared back at Ron, his eyes filled with a familiar expression that Ron knew all too well. Fear. Petrov looked around the room as if anticipating some strange presence to be eavesdropping on them. His cup of coffee stood empty on the table as compared to the bowl of chips which both he and Ron had left untouched.
"I've always believed in the singular timeline theory, Ron. But I fear, not just for me but for the sake of all of us, that I might be, though unimaginable to me, completely and utterly wrong."
…..
Ron stared at Petrov as if trying to decide if the wizard was simply paranoid as he looked about the room. He waited patiently for the wizard to start speaking again.
"Let us forget the singular timeline theory and look at the other napkin," Petrov said as he took out another napkin. Again, Petrov drew a straight line. However, once he was done, Petrov took the pen to the centre of the line and drew another line branching out from it.
"The second school of thought about time travel is the one about alternate timelines." Petrov scoffed as he pointed to the napkin. "Apologies for my disdain but alternate timelines have often been sort of a poor joke to me. If one were to follow an alternate timeline theory, it would mean that the time traveller can alter time by going back to the past to change an event but again, there would be a problem."
"Paradox," Ron replied, without hesitating. "If the time traveller were to travel back in time to change something, he wouldn't have the motivation or intention to do so because the thing that caused him to change back time would never have existed."
"Precisely!" Petrov cried as he shook his head. "To put in a nutshell, in a singular timeline, one is allowed to travel back in time so long as one does not alter the past. If one goes back and does alter something, it means that it was already supposed to happen. But in an alternate timeline, one CAN change things that weren't meant to be changed. So let us assume to be time travellers. We go back in time and say, we murder Gellert Grindelwald before his rise to power. Now for an ordinary Time-Turner, there is no going back to the future. You have to live in the past until the present catches up but let's say our time device can sent us back to whence we came. Our world would be different, wouldn't it? So the previous timeline that we were in no longer exists."
Petrov scratched out part of the original line from everything after the middle where the one line starts to branch out. "The new line takes over. And this one…" Petrov points to the scratched out part. "…this previous timeline no longer exists anywhere except within – "
"Our memories," Ron spoke, catching on.
"Yes and to which finally leads me to our mission. You see, though you may have already guessed that I am Bulgarian by birth, I migrated to England with my father when I was younger. My mother passed away after giving birth to me, something my father could never get over."
"I'm sorry," Ron replied sincerely. He knew all too well the pain of losing a loved one.
"Thank you," Petrov said with a smile. "Now, because of some complicated citizenship issues, I wasn't allowed to attend Hogwarts but I did go into Drumstrang. There, I met a boy called Boris whom I befriended. Like myself, Boris was fascinated with the idea of time travel, particularly in the manipulation of time. Boris was a firm believer in alternate timelines, the possibility that one could change future outcomes as one does. During the second war, however, we parted ways. I joined in helping your cause while Boris fell into a group of Voldemort sympathisers."
Ron listened to every word while watching Petrov. The mention of Drumstrang had caused him to flinch a little, the old prejudices still residing somewhat deep inside him but he decided to give Petrov the benefit of the doubt. After all, Petrov seemed like a genuine person to Ron.
"Three days ago, Boris came to see me. He's wanted by the Bulgarian Ministry for war crimes but still, he needed to see me. He finally had proof, you see, that I was wrong and that he had managed to create a device capable of transporting himself back and forth through time while altering the timeline. Naturally, I didn't believe him, of course, how could I? Boris assured me that he hadn't been able to test it yet and he wanted me to join him on his very first journey. Even with our differences, Boris still believed us to be intellectual partners, even friends. All Boris needed was liquid from the Time Portal."
"Which you didn't give him, I assume," Ron said as Petrov went bright red.
"You did?! Why?!"
"I was so sure it wouldn't work!" Petrov cried in a pleading voice. "You have to believe me, Ron, that nothing other than intellectual curiosity would have caused me to do it. I didn't think it was possible and yet, once he placed the liquid into the device, Boris disappeared from my sight."
"Disappeared from your sight? Where did he go?"
"To the past. The device worked, Ron. Boris is going to alter the past." Petrov replied.
"Wait…hold up… that doesn't make sense!" Ron half-yelled in frustration. Luckily, the Silencing Charm had prevented him from being heard. "If Boris has altered the past and the device works, then this has to be the altered timeline. It can't be the original timeline because like you said, it wouldn't exist. What did Boris want to do?"
"Like I said, Boris was a Voldemort sympathiser," Petrov whispered at him. "I think he wants to find a way to save the Dark Lord."
Ron felt a chill down his spine. If that was indeed Boris's intention, then they were well and truly screwed. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him.
"But obviously he didn't succeed, right? Because last I checked, Harry put You-know-who into the ground."
"Ronald, as much as I share your optimism, I'm afraid that alternate timelines are a grey area for me. Maybe time is just taking a while to catch up and transfer us all into the new timeline where you and I could be dead."
"Bloody hell! That's it, then!" Ron cried in anger as he slammed his fist on the table. "Boris could time travel anywhere! He could go back to the Battle of Hogwarts and kill Harry. He could go back to when Harry first arrived at Hogwarts. Hell, he could even go back and kill Dumbledore and anyone inside the Order! How in Merlin's name are we supposed to know when in time he travelled to?!"
"Fortunately for us, there is something that may help," Petrov said as he eyed Ron warily. "However, there is something I need to tell you first."
"So tell me," Ron demanded.
"When I informed the Minister of what had happened, he ordered for me to go and find Boris. Like I told you, Boris wanted me to come and gave me a second device which would allow myself and anyone I take with me to the past. However, the recommendation for your services came from an authority I consider to be much higher than the Minister for Magic."
"Who's higher than Kingsley?" Ron asked as Petrov pulled out a piece of parchment. Taking the parchment, Ron began to read out loud.
"By now, you must have realised the severity of what you have done. But there is a way to fix everything. First and foremost, you must find the Auror known as Ronald Bilius Weasley and tell him everything that has transpired. You must convince him to join you on your journey. Go back to the 10th of August, 1981 at noon. Meet me in my home office where our house was upon your arrival. Convince me of who you are and ask me to leave. From there, you will wait until your quest begins and you will know what is to be expected of you. All the pieces will fit, I promise. Take care, my son."
"Yes," Petrov said as he saw Ron's eyes beginning to widen. "My father had this delivered to me through a Ministry official one day after Boris left."
"Why a Ministry official? Why not use an owl?"
"Because Ron." Petrov sighed as he stared at the letter. "My father died five years ago."
…
"A dead man requested for me to follow you back in time? Why?"
Ron was beginning to get frustrated. The complexities of time travel were starting to bog him down.
"I do not know. I only know that my father asked me to find you. Obviously, you have a role to play in all of this. I hope that before the end, we will finally get the answers we seek."
"What's so significant about this date anyways? 10th of August, 1981 doesn't seem to strike any bells. I mean, the year itself, yes, but other than that…"
"I was hoping you could shed light about that. It seems we are both at a loss." Petrov sighed as he placed an object on the table. It was a gold bracelet with a diamond at its centre. Ron could see a liquid moving inside the diamond, no doubt the liquid from the Time Portal.
"That's the device we will be using. All I have to do is put it on and I can time-travel us back to that date." Ron held the device in his hands before handing it over to Petrov.
"I think…I need to eat." Ron said as Petrov removed the Silencing Charm before calling for the waiter. Ron ordered a batch of pancakes and started to wolf down his food. Petrov chuckled at the sight as Ron glared at him.
"Sorry," Petrov said as he stifled a laugh. "You remind me of my father. He, too, had a voracious appetite."
"Good for him, then."
"My father was a good man, Ron, just like you." Petrov sighed. "He was a Healer, you see and he worked both a private practice as well as St Mungo's. He would often teach me things about healing like how to deal with magical wounds or the process of delivering babies. He developed quite a reputation during the war as a private healer. He even managed to heal the wounds of several members of the Order of the Phoenix. That was quick." Petrov said as he watched Ron swallow the last of his pancakes before finishing his coffee.
"I always fill up when I'm nervous," Ron said as he gave the parchment back to Petrov. "I wonder, Petrov, seeing as if the timeline seems okay right now, maybe we should just let this one be."
"I would have said the same thing, Ron, if I didn't receive the letter from my father," Petrov said as he stood up. "But you and I have no choice in the matter. Since my father sent the letter and requested you, it means that…"
"…I've already decided to go." Ron sighed as he and Petrov walked out of the café. "I need to write a letter to Hermione. Tell her that I'm on a case. I won't give any details of course"
"What for?" Petrov said as he led Ron to an empty alley behind the café.
"Because we don't know how long this thing may take."
"Need I remind you that we have a time travelling device? It will be like you never left." Petrov said as Ron's ears flushed pink.
"Sorry, force of habit."
"It's quite alright. Take out your wand." Petrov said as he removed his.
"Why?"
"Since the device only deals with time and not space, if we go back to where we are now, this alley might not even be here. We could be falling into a hole if we went back to the date here. We should apparate to the village where I stayed during that time." Petrov replied as Ron removed his wand. All of a sudden, Petrov grabbed Ron's hand as a serious expression crossed his face.
"Ron, before we do this, you need to understand something. Whatever we may encounter in the past, there is only one thing you must remember. No matter what happens, we need to ensure that the timeline remains intact and that means…"
"No altering the past," Ron whispered as he became crestfallen. When it became clear that he would be able to time travel, a part of Ron had entertained the idea of travelling to the Burrow to give Fred a letter, imploring him to stay away from the Battle of Hogwarts.
"I know what you're thinking," Petrov said as he placed his hand on Ron's shoulder. "But we can't. We must let the past play out as it was always meant to be. We need to restrict ourselves to our mission and only our mission."
"Fine," Ron replied in a resigned tone as he raised his wand. "So where was your father's office? It's not in Fiji, by any chance?"
"Fiji?" Petrov said as he gave Ron a bemused look. "No, I stayed in a well-known village, one of the most famous places in all of England."
"Where?"
"Godric's Hollow."
…..
