Harry Potter Fan Fiction

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling.

Note: There may be a loose connection to the fanfiction; Three's the Charm but the story is different. There will be Ernie McMillian bashing as I don't like Ernie, and Ron and Hermione won't end up together as I'm not a Romione fan but they will still be friends. I will also incorporate chapters from an old fan fiction which didn't work out which I want to delete.

Chapter 1

It had been two weeks since Ron Weasley had been transported back in time to when he was eleven. One minute, Ron had been watching Harry defeat Lord Voldemort. The next minute, he was hit by a spell, knocked unconscious, and then woken up in the Burrow as an eleven year old but with all his memories intact. Upon remembering that his time travel meant Fred was still alive, he had gone to the twins' room, clung to Fred and broken down. His family had been shocked by the state he was in and Mr and Mrs Weasley assumed he had a nightmare. Ron allowed them to believe this while he gave details of the battle in which Fred had been killed. After being reassured that it was only a nightmare, Mrs Weasley had slipped a sleeping potion into Ron's drink and Ron had fallen asleep.

Ron had hoped Harry and Hermione had gone back in time with him but after not hearing from either of his friends in a fortnight, he was forced to face the possibility that he had come back in time alone. There was no way his friends wouldn't contact him if they had come back in time with him. While he was aware that Dobby had stopped Harry's letters during his second year, it was now only their first year. Ron panicked internally. If Harry had been the time traveller he would have formed a plan, if Hermione had been the time traveller, she would have consulted every single book at her disposal and if all three of them had returned to their first year they could have helped each other. What could he do on his own though?

Ron scowled at the snoozing grey rat. He couldn't believe that he had a mass murderer a few feet away from him in his home. To be on the safe side he decided to avoid Scabbers/Pettigrew as much as possible. He could just pretend he was bored with the pet that he had inherited from Percy and Wormtail wouldn't worry as long as he was fed and watered. He would just carry on snoozing. Ron thought hard. He needed to confide in someone about the time travel at some point but he didn't want his family to know. If not Harry and Hermione then who? He wasn't as close to Dumbledore as Harry was and Dumbledore was not someone he could keep in touch with on a regular basis. Then Ron remembered. Two people other than he himself knew Peter Pettigrew was an unregistered animagus; Sirius Black and Remus Lupin.

Hopefully Lupin would teach Defence during third year just as he did in the old timeline but he somehow felt awkward penning a letter to his former professor. Sirius however was locked up in Azkaban for something he never did. At the moment Ron and Peter Pettigrew were the only ones who knew of his innocence. While Sirius's knowledge that he was innocent might have kept him sane, he could only imagine how it felt to have the entire wizarding world think you are a crazy mass murderer when you are not. If he had been in Sirius's shoes and his only living friend and former headmaster thought him guilty he knew he would probably doubt his own innocence. Ron knew Sirius wouldn't tell anyone about the time travel if Ron asked him not to and even if Sirius wasn't allowed to reply the letters he wouldn't feel so alone if Ron corresponded with him.

The question was how to go about it. First he didn't want Wormtail to find out he believed Sirius innocent and was writing to him in case he decided to make a run for it. Second he didn't want the ministry tracking any owls he sent to Sirius just in case. Ron thought hard. He was now eleven meaning that he was not allowed to do spells outside school but what about potions? Could he practise brewing them?

"Mum?" Ron ran downstairs. "I know underage wizards can't do spells outside school but can I learn to brew potions?"

Mrs Weasley was delighted at this new interest. "Of course Ron but why?"

Ron shrugged. "Just wanted something new to do".

Ron took the Knight Bus to Diagon Alley where he purchased all he would need for the first year except a wand. He would put up with Charlie's for the time being as he couldn't afford a new one. He read his potions and herbology textbooks cover to cover and practised the first year potions in the kitchen whenever he was allowed to. Once he had learnt how to make a simple sleeping potion, he fed it to Scabbers the rat.

Good thought Ron. I can now make sure he doesn't listen in on important conversations.

On September 1st, Ron split from the other Weasleys in order to find Harry. Harry was standing in the middle of Kings Cross Station with a snowy owl in a cage and a trunk. Ron introduced himself and then took Harry over to meet his family and Mrs Weasley explained how to get onto the platform. Once Harry and Ron got safely through, they went to find a compartment. Harry was surprised and grateful that Ron didn't gawp at his scar like everyone else but instead treated him normally.

Ron explained about his brothers and described Quidditch in depth but did not show him his rat or grumble about his inferiority to his brothers.

The compartment door opened and a round faced boy came in.

"Sorry but has anyone seen a toad at all?"

Harry said no but Ron raised his wand. "Accio Neville's toad".

Trevor came zooming into Ron's hand. Harry and Neville stared at Ron and his ears went red.

"Come and join us Neville" Ron offered and Neville agreed. Neville told Harry and Ron about his love of Herbology while Harry and Ron admitted that they didn't really know much about the subjects except what the textbooks said. Ron complained about the underage magic restrictions but admitted he had practised brewing potions over the summer.

The three boys joined Hermione in a boat and Hermione started gushing about Harry. Ron ignored this. Somehow since he had come back in time, his previous interest in Hermione seemed to have vanished.

The sorting began.

Hannah Abbot, Susan Bones and Justin Finch Fletchley were sorted into Hufflepuff just like they were previously but Ron was surprised when Neville joined them there. Terry Boot and Lisa Turpin were sent to Ravenclaw just like before. He was also surprised when both Parvati and Padma Patil joined Lavender, Dean and Seamus in Gryffindor. Hermione and Harry also went to Gryffindor though Ron saw with concern that just like before the hat took a while with Harry. Ron's jaw dropped when Ernie McMillian joined Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bullstrode in Slytherin. He was aware that Ernie had quickly assumed Harry was the heir of Slytherin back in Second Year just because Harry hated the Dursleys but surely he hadn't been that bad. He jumped when his name was called and walked up to the hat.

"Ah a time traveller eh?"

"Please don't tell anyone" Ron said nervously.

"Don't worry. I keep everything I see confidential. Hmm I sorted you into Gryffindor before. I wonder why. Yes you are brave but according to your memories you have always been overshadowed by your brothers and best friends. You were jealous of Harry when you were fourteen. You walked out on the horcrux hunt when you were seventeen yet you were loyal enough to return and returned in time to save Harry Potter's life."

"I do regret abandoning Harry twice".

"I know you do and I can see you want to save as many lives as possible and yet you also lack confidence. It would not be a good idea to put you in the same house as Harry and your brothers this time in case history repeats itself."

"What?"

"You will need to be around the most loyal and supportive students to build up your confidence, especially with the burden of your time travel secret. I do have a word of advice. Befriend Cedric Diggory and don't discriminate against him because he won one Quidditch game. Now enough talk. You had better be in Hufflepuff.