Disclaimer: Not mine. All of this is JKR's. I wonder if we would ever have HP the television series.

CHAPTER TWO

It all still looked the same as it was twenty odd years ago.

Ron felt another wave of nostalgia hitting him as he recalled fond memories of himself, Harry, Seamus, Dean and Neville trying different flavoured beans and playing pillow Qudditch in their bedrooms. He remembered the conversations he and Harry had about Snape, Black, the Goblet of Fire, Quidditch and girls. As Ron laid down on the satin-coloured sheets of a four poster bed, he could not help but shed a sad smile. As dark as his school years were, those were the best times of his life. Living each adventure and chasing down evil. He had spent close to ten years being ordinary in the shadow of his brothers and Ginny but when he became Harry Potter's best friend, his life was anything but ordinary. Now a war hero and a famed member of the Golden Trio, Ron's name together with Harry and Hermione would become legendary. As Ron's eyes flickered to the window outside, he spied the cemetery in the distance and could not stop the familiar pang of pain in the middle of his chest.

Fred…

"Sickle for your thoughts, Ron?" said Harry who had made himself comfortable in the adjoining bed while staring at the Sorting Hat. Not wanting Harry to see him sad, Ron switched his countenance to one of bemusement.

"Sickle?! I thought I was worth more than that!"

"Hermione, maybe. Ginny, definitely! But you Ron? Come on, mate!"

"Eat slugs, Harry!"

"Lend me your wand then!"

"Ha-ha! God remember my face? I was puking slugs all over!"

"You were at your most handsome then!"

"Sod off! When was that again?"

" 1992."

"Bloody hell! Was it really THAT long ago?"

Both Harry and Ron stared at each other for a long time, both not wanting to say a word and yet both knew what the other was thinking. Ron knew Harry was having just as hard a time as him in dealing with all the changes in life while remembering how life had been easier back then. As an Auror, he had adventures when he and Harry first joined after the war but soon the adventures stopped coming. Never would Ron had thought back then that the thing that he would most despise about growing up was the sheer boredom that comes with an ordinary life. His mood had changed significantly this year with Hermione and him having more rows than usual. Hermione told him it was all part of a mid-life crisis but Ron knew there was more to it. He and Hermione had been seeing a marriage counsellor who asked them to make their relationship more interesting and while Ron had no issues with shagging Hermione, he could not help but feel that a part of him was still missing. He had confided in Harry and was comforted to know his best friend felt the same way. Harry yelled a grunt of frustration and threw the hat in the air while sitting up.

" We should make a move, Ron. Draco and Nev are probably waiting for us. Plus, we have to leave by six if not both our wives will kill us if I brought you late to your party!"

"Yeah, party."

"Okay mate, really what's going on?"

"I hate being an adult, Harry!"

"I didn't know you grew up, Ron."

"I'm being serious, Harry! I hate having to wake up every morning and go to a job that frankly kills me because of paperwork only to come back home and repeat the same, mundane routine all over again. There's no meaning to any of it. After capturing Rookwood who was like the last bad guy on our list, we don't have a real case anymore. It's just small criminal activities that we crack down on and we handle complaints rather than go on adventures. I'm tired of this ordinary life, Harry. I know that we had it rough when we were younger but damn it at least it was exciting! We had purpose. We woke up each day not knowing if we were going to see the next and we lived our lives to the fullest. I admit that I was a bit of a prat growing up but that was the good part wasn't it? Growing up. And now look at us. Just a couple of dads reminiscing about the good ol' days."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Remember Dumbledore's Army?"

"The Order of the Phoenix."

"The Chamber of Secrets."

"Quidditch Cup when we won!"

"Weasley is our king!"

"Hah! Kissing Lavender!"

"Kissing Cho Chang."

"Kissing Hermione when we were in the middle of a war!"

"Shagging Ginny when.."

"OEI! When did you…DID YOU?"

"Of course not! Just trying to get back at you from leaving us in the middle of a Horcrux Hunt!"

"Thank your bloody stars I did! If I didn't, I wouldn't be looking for you when you decided to take a dip with a Horcrux around your neck. You would have drowned!"

"Fair enough? What about when we crashed into the Whomping Willow?"

"Or when you had to steal the egg in the Triwizard Cup!"

"Yeah I miss Diggory… and Krum!"

"Oh yeah? How is Dean doing these days?"

"Alright, truce!"

"No way! I want one of those POTTER STINKS badge right now! I want to wear it when we go to the Ministry!"

"Fat chance! They've been donated to the Hogwarts Museum!" cried Harry

Ron was stunned.

"You're serious? Why would you want that to be remembered?"

"Cos of the other message? Support Cedric Diggory!"

"Oh."

Both Harry and Ron laid on the beds in silence. After a while, Ron walked towards where Harry had thrown the Sorting Hat. Whispering a spell under his breath, Ron pointed the wand towards the Hat's stitches which unravelled and fell to the floor. Harry gave him a quizzical look.

"What are you doing, mate?"

"Just waiting for it to talk."

The two men stared at the hat for a long time. Ron had placed the headpiece on the floor where he and Harry sat facing each other with their backs against the beds. They both stared intently at the dusty old hat which to all intents and purposes, seemed like just an ordinary hat. Ron and Harry stared at each other before bursting into laughter as they imagined what the scene looked like.

"We should go, Ron. They're waiting for us."

"Wait, Harry. Just a minute. I want to know something."

"What?"

"Okay, it's just a game, mind you but indulge me. If you could turn back time, when would you like to return to?"

"The exact date, you mean?"

"No, I mean like the event. Which event would you like to return to?"

"Oh, I suppose when we were hunting Horcruxes?"

"Nice! I would want to go back to when I was invited to Slughorn's party."

"You would want to make up for the whole Won-Won thing?" cried Harry, doing his best imitation of Lavender.

"No! Okay, yes! But more importantly, we would have been able to know more about Horcruxes! Just imagine if we went back and did research."

"RONALD WEASLEY? LIBRARY? RESEARCH? Where is my best friend?! Hermione, stop using the Polyjuice Potion!"

"Damn you! Besides, in my situation, we would also be able to save Dumbledore."

"No, we couldn't. Don't you remember? Dumbledore tried on the ring. He was already dying."

"So we go further back! And we can save him!"

"You mean our fifth year? We could save Sirius as well!"

"Yeah! Let's go another year back? We can save Cedric Diggory. In fact, we would probably not let you guys win the Triwizard Cup! "

"Well, I needed to be there. Voldemort used my blood otherwise I would not have survived the Killing Curse again."

"True. We could also take it a year back and save Voldemort from coming to power by getting Pettigrew to reveal himself."

"Why not even further back? We could save my parents. But then again, it would also mean that the wizarding world would still suffer under Lord Voldemort. With his Horcruxes, I doubt even Dumbledore could have really stopped him."

"Yeah, to be honest mate, I say I like your first answer. Changing too much of the past can be disastrous. I mean imagine if Voldemort didn't get your blood or if you had closed your mind while my Dad was attacked in the fifth year? I guess the only time I would want to go back to would have been when you and I and Hermione were hunting Horcruxes. Not that its possible of course and not that we should. "

"When did you become so responsible, Ron?

"When I became a dad. When I married Hermione. When you and I became Aurors. When we destroyed Voldemort. Take your pick, Harry."

Harry stared at Ron who averted his gaze. Harry could sense something was lurking underneath Ron's tough exterior. Something besides nostalgia was bothering him and Harry wondered if he should pry. Harry knew Ron would never open up that deep with a direct approach. Not wanting to deal with a depressed Ron, he placed his hand on Ron's shoulder while giving him a sympathetic look. Ron smiled gratefully as he raised the Hat to Harry's other hand who grabbed it tightly trying to pull it away in an effort to showcase his strength. Ron, amused at the turn of events, forgot his depressive state as a devilishly happy look washed upon his face.

"Thought you've been working out, Potter?"

"Only on your sister, Weasley."

"Damn it! That was low. But good!"

"Thanks! If I was younger, I would so kick your arse."

"In your dreams Harry! Wish we could go back though. Back to when we were hunting Horcruxes!"

"I wish the same as well!"

"Very well! Your wish is granted." cried the Hat as both Ron and Harry yelled out in shock. Ron felt a tug on his chest as his body started to stretch and dissolve. The same thing was happening to Harry. Both boys began to struggle and yell out before a binding white light filled the entire room. When the light died out, the room looked perfectly normal with the exception of two famous Aurors.