Summary: What if Ron was given the chance to go back to before he kissed Lavender in sixth year? What if he went to Slughorn's party with Hermione? Dr. Tom is going to give him that chance. (Being Erica crossover)

Chapter 1

Ron woke up, unsure of where he was for a second. He had been dreaming about how he had wasted their last year before going to war with Lavender Brown. Well, the dream had actually been Lavender holding him hostage in Myrtle's bathroom and Hermione came to tell him everything that was wrong with him. She would be at The Burrow tomorrow and then they would go get Harry from the Dursleys' one last time. The Chudley Cannons clock on his wall told him it was half past three in the morning. She'd be there in four hours. He rolled over on his side, but that didn't work, so he tried his back, then the other side, then his stomach, but he just couldn't get comfortable. And now he had to pee. He rolled out of bed, put on his robe, and blindly made his way to the loo, hoping that if he didn't keep his eyes open, he could go right back to sleep when he got back to bed. He opened the door, untying his pajama pants with the other hand. He was starting on the snap buttons when he heard someone clearing their throat.

Ron's heart stopped and he froze. He had left his wand on his nightstand. He was totally helpless if whoever had done that was a Death Eater. He opened his eyes and found himself facing a bookshelf. When the bloody hell did that get there?

"Hello, Ron," said a man behind him.

Ron whirled around, ready to jump on the guy, but then he saw that he was in an office. He must still be dreaming. This was one of these dreams where you can't find a toilet because in reality you have to pee, that's all.

"You're not dreaming," the man said. He had dark hair, with streaks of grey, dark eyes, and was wearing a Muggle suit. He must be a Legilimens. Ron really wished he had learned Occlumency.

"I'm not a wizard, Ron, but I'm not a Muggle either. I am a therapist and my particular brand of therapy is just what you need, I think." The man leaned forward and clasped his hands together, elbows on the desk.

"Who are you? What's your name?" Ron asked. Maybe if he just played along, this dream would change into something amazing, like Hermione in the bath.

"I am Dr. Tom. Please, have a seat. I'm not going to hurt you, please do not worry." He gestured to chair in front of Ron, who sat down warily. "So, tell me your regrets, leading up to the biggest one."

Ron just stared at him. "Why would I tell you something like that? I don't know you!"

"Oh, but I know you, Ronald Bilius Weasley. When you were a kid, your brothers turned your teddy into a giant spider and ever since you've suffered from arachnophobia."

Ron was incredulous. "Anyone could find that out. It's not a big secret, especially after that time in third year I ran screaming from the dormitory showers because there was a family of spiders in the corner." He shuddered at the memory.

"Alright, let's cut straight to the good stuff, then. When your father almost died in fifth year, you thought about telling Harry to leave because a part of you wondered if he really had made it happen, even if it was by accident." Dr. Tom looked at him kindly. He was starting to remind him of Dumbledore.

"How-" Ron's mouth gaped open.

"I told you, Ron. I am not a wizard, but I am not a Muggle either. I am a special kind of therapist. I can send you back in time, to a moment of regret, and give you the chance to change things. Would something like that interest you? If not, you can leave now and never even remember you were here beyond some vague notion that you once had a very strange dream. What will it be?" He sat back in his chair and waited patiently while Ron thought.

"I thought all the Time Turners were destroyed over a year ago? How is it possible?"

Dr. Tom smiled. "The how of it is not what matters, Ron. The only thing that matters right now is your decision. If you want we can just talk about your regrets and then you can decide if you want to go back in time and change one of them, of my choosing. Does that sound fair?"

"Yeah I guess." Ron may as well go along with it. He wasn't going back to bed now, so he took a deep breath and described his first regret.

"I should never have called Hermione a nightmare in first year. She nearly got killed by a mountain troll! Then again, if that hadn't happened who knows if Harry and I would have ever snapped out of it and realized how great Hermione is? I can't imagine what my life would be like without her. I'd likely be dead, to tell you the truth. We would've been killed by Devil's Snare and that would be the end of it." Ron looked at Dr. Tom, expecting to be told that he was doing this thing wrong, but he just smiled.

"Go on. I promise you, I'm listening. Just keep talking and I'll tell you when we've reached the one I want to send you back to."

"Okay...I regret taking the flying Ford Anglia for a ride at the beginning of second year because it broke my wand. Though," Ron said thoughtfully, "that worked out in the end because I got a new wand to replace Charlie's old one." He shrugged. "Still, I'd much rather forget the taste of slugs. Although Professor Lockhart's spell backfiring on him was almost as good as Malfoy-the-amazing-bouncing-ferret in my mental list of hilarious and fitting punishments." He laughed and Dr. Tom smiled. "So, maybe taking the Ford Anglia for a flight isn't a regret after all." Ron was starting to like this therapy thing. He felt lighter already. Maybe he just needed to talk about these things and then he'd be fine. He dove into the next one, giving more detail and insight this time.

"There was the way I treated Hermione in third year. I was such a wanker. I really don't think there's any silver lining there. I simply shouldn't have yelled at her about the Firebolt and taken Scabber's disappearance out on her. That all worked out in the end, though, I suppose. Harry got the Firebolt back and Scabbers turned out to be a traitorous Death Eater, which made our fight seem unimportant in comparison. Besides, she told me that summer, before Harry got to The Burrow, that she forgave me for it and that she understood why I would react so harshly about thinking my pet was dead. I think she understands me more than I understand myself sometimes, because she went on for bloody forever about how being overshadowed by my brothers made me feel and how even though Scabbers was something I got from Percy, he was my pet and no one else's and other things that I didn't even know I was feeling. Then we got into a row because I called her mental because well, she hit a nerve and I didn't want to talk about it. Anyway, it's still not quite a regret because it brought us closer, strangely enough." If Hermione could hear him now, she wouldn't believe it. Ron Weasley was talking about his feelings. A horrible thought occurred to him.

"You're not going to tell anyone else what I'm telling you?" Dr. Tom shook his head. "No, as your therapist, I am bound to keep your secrets." Ron sighed in relief, then carried on.

"Where was I? Oh yeah, then there was the Yule Ball. I don't even know if I would change it if I had the chance. I think at that age I would have ruined any chance of her liking me if she had known how I dance." He looked at Dr. Tom to see if he had laughed at his small joke. Not even a little bit.

"Though, I guess not being such a bloody prat about Vicky would have been a good enough start. Still, I wouldn't quite call it a regret, more like a mistake. That night made me realize how much I really care about Hermione and I wouldn't wish away those feelings for anything, even if they do make me panic sometimes. I can just be talking to her and out of nowhere the thought of kissing her will enter my mind. After that happens, I don't hear a word she says because it's all I can think about and I start to panic that maybe she can read my mind, especially after that long speech about my "inferiority complex" and all her other insights about me. Which, honestly, just makes me care about her more. Who else would even bother to think about the way I'm feeling? Harry's a good friend and all, but he's got enough on his plate already to be worrying about how down I can get on myself."

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Amazingly enough, I didn't mess up in a big way in fifth year. Hermione and I were a united front against Harry's outbursts. We still had rows, but we still talked to each other after them. It was a huge step, but then last year I had to ruin it. I have to say that that is my biggest regret, snogging Lavender." Ron faltered, not sure what to say next.

"Tell me about that day, about kissing Lavender for the first time."

"Well, we had just won the Quidditch game and everyone was excited. We were in the common room, I had no idea where Harry and Hermione were, so I was talking to Dean and Seamus about all the saves I made. I was really upset with Hermione because she had just told me that she didn't think I could play that well without luck potion. It didn't help that a few days, or maybe weeks, before I found out she had kissed Victor Krum. I thought if she was kissing guys like him, she'd never go for a guy like me." Ron paused, scratching the back of his neck and thinking about how horrible he had felt at that time.

"Anyway, so I was thinking about that in the back of my mind when Lavender came up and smiled at me. Dean and Seamus left us alone and before I knew it she was lunging at me and we were kissing. Hermione saw it and it really hurt her, but I didn't realize it. I mean, I knew she was upset when she sent that flock of birds at me, but she had kissed Victor Krum. Why would my kissing Lavender bother her? I'm nobody." Ron rubbed his face. "We didn't really talk for months, not until I almost died. Then it took me awhile to get rid of Lavender because I'm a bloody coward, but at least Hermione was talking to me again."

"If you could go back, what would you do differently?" Dr. Tom asked.

"I would dodge Lavender's kiss, spend the evening celebrating with Harry and Hermione, apologize to her for yelling at her about the potion and giving her the silent treatment before, and take her to Slughorn's party."

"Alright," Dr. Tom said and before Ron knew what hit him he was spinning. He shut his eyes to keep from getting dizzy. When he opened them, Lavender's lips were millimeters away from his own. Before he could move, she was kissing him.