Do I really need to say this again? J K Rowling IS Harry Potter. If you recognise anything that seems remotely familiar from any movie, TV show, book or whatever else, it's probably because it is from them. If you want my 'full' warning, you can check out either 'Dormant Power' or 'Beginning of the End'.

So, I've written a prequel, on with the sequel! Remember, I only wrote this because several reviewers requested me to (gosh, am I nice or what, lol!). Again, only some names are mine (as is the storyline I guess), everything else is not!

Righto then, this is, I think, the first bit I have ever written with Harry mainly talking to Ron. I have done quite a few with Remus and Harry, but none with the two best friends. This one also has a little bit of Remus in it…but it's mainly just Ron and Harry talking about the state of play.

Sigh, I hate this chapter, btw. Took me forever to make it fit in…

Also, there is a bit in this chappie where you might go 'hang on a tick, how can that work if she is muggleborn?' so, allow me to explain: she is muggleborn, I am under the impression that this can skip generations.

Wow, over 10 000 hits for Dormant…wicked!

Chapter 7 – Someone To Rely On

Harry was currently in Ron's office, who had seen him while Harry had been walking through the castle since Remus and Tobius were talking to each other.

"Well, what about you? How have you been the last thirty years?" Harry asked after he had finished telling Ron the full story of how they had ended up here.

Ron chuckled. "You'll never change, will you, Harry. Always shrugging things off like you expected them to happen to you."

"That's not tr…"

"I'm just teasing you, mate, don't worry," he cut in with a smile. Ron's face then darkened a bit as he remembered everything over the past thirty years.

"It wasn't easy, Harry. You're my best friend, and you just vanished. No one knew where you and Remus went. You should have seen Bernadine before she passed away. You remember what she looked like, don't you?"

"How could I forget? I don't think even Remus knew what he did to marry someone as beautiful as her," Harry truthfully replied. Despite the age difference, he couldn't deny that he had stolen several glances towards Remus' wife during the times he'd known her. Not that Remus minded though. After all, he kind of expected that considering Bernadine was an eighth Veela.

"Yeah well, she just wasted away. I think Tobius was the only thing that kept her going for as long as she did. It was like she wanted there to be a reminder of what Remus meant to her, probably why she gave him Remus as his middle name."

"Well, that was my fault for agreeing with him for us both to take that stupid potion."

Ron gave him a smile again. "You always liked to take the blame for everything. You have no idea how much we all missed the two of you."

"Did you think we had switched sides when the war started?"

"Not a chance. Hermione told us that there was no way you two would do that, and we both know many times she's been wrong."

"Yeah, not often," Harry replied with a grin.

Ron nodded, grinning back at him. "Exactly."

"So who took over our classes?"

"Hermione took over yours, while Draco decided to do her Potions ones. As for the Transfiguration classes, Minerva did for two years, then Tonks came in."

"Was that a wise move?"

"Yes actually. I thought that at the time too, but Minerva always said that Tonks was quite good at it during her time at Hogwarts."

"Probably because she's a metamorphmagus. What happened to Minerva, and Filius? Did they retire?"

Ron snorted. "Oh yeah, they did. During the attack on the Diagon Alley, they were there picking up their supplies for the upcoming year. They never made it back."

"Oh," was all Harry could say. He had wondered why Hermione was Headmistress, but didn't think that the role was thrust upon her like Ron had suggested it had been.

Ron then sighed and closed his eyes. "After that attack, no one knew what to do. There was no hero figure to look up to like Albus or you, and things fell apart real quick," he then let out a small chuckle. "It was rather amusing. Wish you could have heard the stories people were telling their kids about you."

Harry raised an eyebrow while Ron continued. "They were all exaggerated so much, it was bordering on ridiculous. Nearly all the kids thought you had beaten Voldemort and all his Death Eaters on your own. That you went to their hideout and challenged all of them at the same time and came away without a single scratch."

Harry couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "Sounds good. Do I get to meet this Harry guy or what?"

Both of them started laughing, and it took a little while before Harry asked Ron about himself. "What about you though? I know things weren't looking that great between you and Pavarti."

"Yeah, we broke up about a month after you left. Then I did something rather stupid."

"Which was?" Harry asked after Ron didn't elaborate.

"I asked Hermione out."

Harry waited for Ron to continue. "But she said we shouldn't, and that it might ruin the friendship we'd built up. Turned out to be a good move since me and Lavender then started going out."

"Where is Lavender? I've seen Parvati here."

"Yeah, she's the Divination Professor. As for Lavender…"

Ron's voice trailed off and he closed his eyes before releasing a sigh. When he opened them, Harry could see the anguish in them, and knew that something bad must have happened.

"We got engaged about fifteen years ago."

"That's good then, isn't it?"

Ron stared at the floor, a rather distant look on his face. "They killed her a week before our wedding. I found out from Parvati" he softly said.

"I…I'm sorry" was all Harry could say.

"I just…I didn't want to believe it when I found out. How can you pick up the pieces after something like that?"

"It's times like that when you find out who your friends are, Ron," Harry told him. He was one person who had a fair idea of what Ron must have felt like. After all, he had lost his Godfather before he had a chance to get to know him properly.

"I know," Ron admitted. "Mum, Dad, Charlie, Fred, George, Ginny and Hermione were all really supportive of me. It's just that…I just wished there was someone who I could talk to about it, you know?"

"Yeah, I do. Remus helped me greatly after Sirius went."

"I gathered he did. You hardly mentioned him at all during our sixth year. Having said that, I think I now have a pretty good idea of some of the things that you've had to deal with."

"It won't matter, Ron. Once the war is over, me and Remus will be going back and making sure none of this happens."

Ron looked over at his best friend and smiled broadly. "You have no idea how much we've all missed that attitude of yours."

"What attitude? I'm just saying…"

"That nothing is ever impossible. Think about everything you've done, Harry. Then think about all the rubbish you've had to deal with on top of that. You never let it get to you. We didn't have anyone like that after you and Remus left. How is he handling finding out he has a son?"

"I'd be lying if I said he was completely at ease with it. He blames himself for not being there for him, but I'm pretty sure Bernadine's passing hurts more."

"He looks ok every time I've seen him though."

"True, but it's the little things you don't see, Ron. He stays up late at nights, sitting on the lounge just staring into space," Harry replied. He left out what had happened the first night that they had found out about it.

-flashback-

"Are you alright?" Harry asked after Tobius had left their quarters.

"About as good as I can be, Harry."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Not unless you can miraculously bring my wife back," he replied, a grim smile on his face.

"I know this won't help in any way, but I'm always here if you want to talk about it."

Remus nodded, but didn't say anything else. Harry wasn't even sure if Remus heard him say that he, Harry, was going to bed. Harry got up at around three in the morning for a bathroom break, and found Remus fast asleep on the lounge. He conjured a blanket, and as he lay it over him, Harry could make out tears staining Remus' cheeks.

He was making his way back to his bedroom when he heard Remus stir and murmur Bernadine's name before rolling off the lounge and onto the floor. It would have been a harder landing had Harry not reacted quickly enough and cast a cushioning charm. As it was, it was still enough to wake the older wizard, who looked around wildly and found Harry looking at him in concern.

"What happened?" Remus asked.

"You fell off the lounge."

"Oh…er, you haven't been standing there all night have you?"

Harry chuckled, "no, nature called."

Remus nodded and picked himself up off the floor and headed for his bedroom. Before he reached his door, Harry grasped his shoulder.

"If there's one thing you've taught me, Remus, it's not to bottle things up inside you. Contrary to what you believe, we are similar, and I'll be there if you ever want to talk."

Remus nodded, before closing his eyes in sadness. There was nothing he could do to stop the tears stinging his eyes, and he was grateful when Harry embraced him, allowing Remus to use him while he grieved.

It wasn't to be the last time either.

-end flashback-

"Yeah, I think I was pretty much the same. We've been lucky though. I mean, apart from her, we haven't lost anyone else since Bill and Percy."

Harry nodded. He knew that Fred and George were engaged to Angelina and Katie, while Ginny and Neville had been together for the last two years. Fleur had managed to recover from losing Bill and was now married to Charlie. All of them, along with Molly and Arthur, now resided at Hogwarts, the Burrow having been abandoned some ten years ago.

Ron sighed and looked over to Harry. "You said earlier about Remus and you going back. Do you think it's wise to do that? I mean, you could change time, not that I'd mind, but isn't that risky?"

"I don't know, Ron. Even Hermione's not sure what the consequences might be. This is different from the timeturner in that we haven't lived through what you did, that's why Hermione reckons we might be able to go back. Besides, we might not even make it through this war to go back."

"You will. You're Harry Potter."

Harry couldn't help but chuckle. "Maybe so, but each victory brings you that much closer to your next defeat. I've been lucky to survive quite a few of those, you know that."

"Let's hope that your luck continues in this one then," Ron replied, giving Harry a smile which he returned.