To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
-William Shakespeare, Macbeth
Chapter Twenty-Two
Cessation
Harry took the empty booth across from his future-self. The seat Ginny had occupied no less than two minutes ago was now taken up by this deteriorating version of himself. He hated the contrast. Cronus rattled the ice in the unfilled glass and then slammed it down upon the table. Several patrons turned in their seats, stared at the commotion, and then ignored them.
"What is this?" Cronus asked, tugging on Harry's cloak. "Imitation is the best form of flattery, or so they say."
Harry looked from his cloak to the one Cronus was wearing. Cronus's attire was a little worse for wear, similar to the picture that resided in Harry's pocket, with fringed edges and faded cloth, but it was certainly the same kind. Harry shuddered at the similarities.
Cronus coughed violently before continuing. "And you!" he croaked. "You've been gone for six days and I'm hurt, yes, yes, I am hurt that you're not excited to see me."
"Six days?" Harry repeated. "No, no, I already returned two months from now. You already sent me back a second time."
"A second time, did I?" Cronus wheezed. "Why, yes, that would make much more sense." He reached into his pocket and extracted a book. He placed it on the table. Harry read the upside down title: History of Modern Magic. "You see, I've been doing my homework. There are two strange witness accounts in this book on two particular nights."
"I bet I can guess," Harry said. "Two James Potters running around on Halloween...?"
Cronus cackled. "Precisely!" he croaked. "And a sighting of James Potter on the last day of your third year. Both have been attributed to Wormtail and Polyjuice potion, but we, yes, we know better."
Harry stared down at the book. Many questions ran through his head. "Cronus, why haven't people figured this out yet?"
"You mean Harry Potter time traveling?" Cronus asked gleefully. "Haven't you been paying attention? What you're doing is unheard of. No one is going to assume you're time traveling when people think it can't be done. The easiest, logical explanation is Polyjuice."
Harry nodded thoughtfully. "I suppose that makes sense, but wouldn't someone like Dumbledore be able to figure it out?"
Cronus grunted and grinned. "Who's to say he didn't?" he growled. "I've learned this about Dumbledore, something you should have learned a long time ago. He knows, doesn't he? And he just lets things happen."
"He knows a lot, but he can't know everything," Harry suggested.
"There will be a book written by Draco Malfoy," Cronus said, "that talks about this same thing."
"You believe Malfoy?" Harry questioned.
"Listen, will you?" Cronus snapped. "Think about it, Potter. In your second year, you could hear the basilisk because you spoke Parseltongue. Who else in the castle beside a Voldemort-possessed Ginny Weasley could understand snakes?"
Harry frowned, thinking back to the lessons he had with Dumbledore. In one particular memory, the Gaunts were speaking Parseltongue. Dumbledore understood. "You mean…?"
"If you were hearing the basilisk, Dumbledore could hear it," Cronus said. "I'm sure the old man knew about Ginny, and he just let it happen."
"He wouldn't," Harry replied.
"No?" Cronus questioned. "So sure, are you? You yourself thought Dumbledore manipulated the events of your First Year because you 'had the right' to face Voldemort? And your third year, he gave you the job of freeing Buckbeak and Sirius. Not to mention that he knew he was going to die and thrust the fate of the Wizarding world on your shoulders. And you tell me that doesn't sound like the type of man who would allow an eleven-year-old to suffer for the greater good."
Harry gulped. He didn't like the way this conversation was going. Cronus always had a way of making him see things he wasn't and an even better way of manipulating his perceptions. That was exactly what he was doing now, and he was somewhat succeeding. He began to run all of Dumbledore's actions through his head. He finally concluded that the Headmaster couldn't have possibly known so many things, especially when it came to the Chamber of Secrets and Ginny. It was just… sadistic…
"Ah, no bother!" Cronus cried. "I'm sure you're wondering so much more, am I right?"
"Actually, yes," Harry admitted.
"For instance, why do I remember your actions when no one else does?" Cronus said, forebodingly. "That answer is the simplest."
He raised his hand slowly, allowing the sleeve to fall from his hand, revealing five words scarred into his skin. He gripped the edge of his hood, lowering and allowing the raven-colored hair to be freed. He stared at Harry with haunting emerald eyes. He parted the front portion of his hair to reveal the lighting-bolt shaped scar.
"I'm you."
Harry stared at the man for several seconds, blinking a few times in response. Then Harry frowned, looking strangely at him. "Um," Harry started. "I know."
It was Cronus's turn to just stare. "You know?" he questioned.
"Yeah, you told me the last time we met, two months from now," Harry replied lamely.
"Did I?" Cronus asked, frowning. "You mean I don't even have the pleasure of seeing your reaction? Damn myself! Damn ourselves, more like it, don't you think?" He sat back in the booth and scowled, grumbling to himself.
"If it's any consolation, I had no clue," Harry said softly, almost amusedly.
"Bah!" Cronus croaked.
"But I do have another question," Harry said. "If I'm your past, why can't you remember that?"
"Ah yes," Cronus mused. "Excellent question, excellent question indeed." He picked up the glass again and swirled some of the melted ice around in the cup before continuing. "Another question that goes hand in hand with this one." He rubbed his hands together, as if the disappointment of the previous revelation was already gone. "When time changed and you entered the new universe, do you remember the new past?"
Harry thought about it for a couple seconds. "No, you're right, but I attributed that to the fact that I took the memories out in the past. But come to think of it, I did start to remember things the more I lived in that world."
"And there's the key, isn't it?" Cronus asked, sipping the water that was inside the glass rather loudly . "It takes a little bit for your body and mind to adjust. It's not easy. You're not just sifting through one lifetime of memories.
"But for me, it took a little bit longer each time to know about the changes. The longest time yet has been two weeks. Mighty long time to be uninformed." Cronus pressed his hand upon the history book. "That's why I do research. I suspect any day now I will start remembering our interactions from your point of view."
"When we met two months from now," Harry started, "you still didn't know how the timeline had changed in a personal way."
Cronus made a noise in the back of his throat. "I said it'd be any day now, didn't I?!" he shouted, once again drawing the attention of several other customers.
"Right, right," Harry said, holding up his hands in defense.
Cronus pushed the book towards Harry. "You might need this more than me right now, wouldn't you say?" he said. "I've already checked the marriage records."
"Yeah, we're married to Hermione," Harry replied.
"I saw," Cronus said. "Sent shivers up my spine, it did. Then there's Ginny and Neville, strange combination, I'd say. Although not as strange as some others I've seen in my travels, but strange enough." Cronus paused. "Why don't you start by telling me where you've been and what you know. That will put us both on even playing fields, yes?"
Harry spent the next fifteen minutes updating Cronus, starting with the night at Godric's Hollow. There was Ginny as a Horcrux and the end she had to meet. Harry explained the alternate universe where Dudley was a wizard and in charge of the Ministry followed by the plan to get back to Cronus. He retold the tale of the third year dementors and then what he learned about the timeline he was stuck in now.
"This should be easy to fix," Cronus started. "Once I make more potion, we'll send you back to Godric's Hollow and-"
"Wait," Harry interrupted. He hadn't had much time to think, but he was certain he had reached perhaps the hardest decision he had ever had to make. "Ginny's alive," he went on. "She's happy. What would happen if I… I don't know, didn't change anything…?"
"You can't possibly want to stay in this world," Cronus croaked.
Harry shook his head. "No, but Ginny's happiness means more to me than anything I could ever want. If not being with her is what is going to keep her alive, then I'm-" Harry faltered. He could feel his insides burning with emotion. "Then I'm willing to sacrifice-"
"Don't kid me!" Cronus hissed. "I saw you two sitting here. Are you telling me that you're going to sit idly by in this universe and not pursue Ginny?"
"If I have to, yes," Harry admitted. "Neville's my friend, I can't-"
"You can't?" Cronus seethed. "You can't?" Cronus was trembling beyond control. "After everything I've done for you, this is how you're repaying me? I'm giving you the opportunity of a lifetime and you're going to take it again!"
Harry recoiled. "Don't you see, Cronus?" Harry pleaded. "I've screwed up twice. The first time Ginny became a Horcrux and had to die. The second time she was Kissed by a dementor, which was a miracle that it was a good thing. Every time I go back, more people die. I'm never getting back to my own timeline."
"Never?" Cronus croaked. "There is no never. I hold the key to perfection. I can create a paradise."
"What paradise?" Harry countered. "You've failed. I've failed. The only way I can salvage this is if I put a stop to it right now. So what if I'm married to Hermione. It's not the end of the world."
"No, no, no!" Cronus growled. "It's you and Ginny!" Cronus picked up the glass and slammed it down upon the table with such force that it shattered. The sharp pieces cut deep into Cronus's hand and blood started seeping out from the wound. He ignored it. "You're making a mistake, Potter!"
There were tears in Harry's eyes. "The only mistake I made was listening to you the first time."
Cronus stood up violently, his hand a deep crimson now. He grabbed Harry's collar with his unbloodied hand and brought his face close to him. "I warned you, didn't I?" He shoved Harry backwards and with a sweep of his cloak, he was out the door.
Harry took a long walk after his confrontation with Cronus, traveling all around, visiting Godric's Hollow, Hogwarts, and many other places that he loved. There were many thoughts crowding his mind and he needed to sort through them. A big decision such as the one he had devoted himself could not be made without proper attention.
Was he making the right decision?
If he thought with his heart, he knew it was the wrong decision. Ginny was his wife, he was her husband. As her husband, he was expected to do everything in his power to love her and keep her safe. There was no way for him to do that apart from her, married to someone else. He loved her, needed to be with her, and felt lost without her.
But because he loved, the logical parts of his brain were telling him that he was making the right decision. He had tried to change time, but had failed miserably, twice to be exact. If you counted Cronus's failed time travels, that boosted the tally up an undetermined large amount. Why would he assume the next attempt would be successful if others hadn't been? And if it didn't work, which was most likely, Harry refused to be placed back inside the destiny of becoming what his future-self had become.
Did he have a choice? Cronus had not changed yet. He was still wandering about. If Harry really had chosen to stop time traveling, shouldn't that have ended the Cronus-version of himself? Yet he was still around. Did that mean Harry would inevitably choose to keep going back in time?
It was the hardest decision he ever had to make. Ginny is happy, Ginny is happy kept pulsating in his head. There was no reason to jeopardize her life again. She was happy. Harry refused to be the one to take that away from her.
It was close to 10:00 at night when Harry returned to his home. By this time, a soft drizzle had started as if small, wet fingers were prodding his skin. Harry looked into the sky. The clouds were grey, threatening to begin storming harder at any moment.
Harry approached his front door. There were no lights on inside the house. The building was silent. He came to the door, pulled his wand out, and opened it. He breathed in nervously and pushed the door, opening his senses to the desolate hallways he had left earlier this morning.
Hermione was home. Her coat was hanging on the coat rack. Harry slipped of his cloak and hung it beside hers, hearing the rain starting to come down harder as he did.
"Hermione?" Harry called out softly, his voice echoing off the corridors.
Harry placed one foot on the stairwell and one hand on the railing. Steadily he ascended the steps, one by one, one foot in front of the other, until he reached the top. The master bedroom was at the end of the hallway. Maybe a good fifteen normal steps from where he was standing. He started the trek down the corridor.
"Hermione, are you awake?"
When he arrived at the door, there was a soft murmuring from inside the room. Harry knocked lightly, but when there was no answer, he pushed it open. He held his breath.
Expecting the worst, he found nothing unusual. Hermione was lying in the bed, covered up and comfortable. The soft murmuring was the wireless. She must have fallen asleep listening to it. He exhaled.
The rain was falling a lot harder now, causing loud tapping on the window. Any moment now, Harry expected thunder and lightning. He braced himself and tiptoed over to the wireless, hopeful that he wouldn't disturb Hermione.
He reached for the knob on the wireless to turn it off, but paused to listen. He heard the familiar voice of Lee Jordan and was glad for some normality. He turned up the volume several decibels to listen.
"…don't have any leads yet," Lee said. "Anyone with information regarding the homicide is urged to contact the Ministry. Once again, our condolences go out to the Longbottom family for their loss. Don't worry, Neville, we'll get the monster that took you from us…"
Harry turned quickly from the wireless with insides numb. He looked towards the form in the bed and reached out cautiously to touch it. Was it possible?
"Hermione, wake up," Harry said, his mouth dry. He nudged the form. He gripped the blanket and pulled the covers down.
Harry gasped. "No!"
Lying in the dark was Hermione, looking straight up at the ceiling without blinking, without moving, without breathing.
Hermione had been murdered.