Disclaimer: Here's a bonus little fanfic for all of you, just for sticking with my story: "Once upon a time, there was a woman named JK Rowling. She held property rights to all the Harry Potter material in the world. Also, once upon a time, there was a fanfic author named PA Mills. He didn't own anything of the sort. The end."

Chapter 9
-OR-
"Again Today"

Harry came to in the infirmary. He jerked up quickly, then sank back in to his bed even more quickly as his entire body exploded in pain. His eyes frantically searched for some sign of his friends. As he opened his mouth to speak, Madam Pomfrey hurried over towards him and made "shhhhh"noises.

"No, no, Mr. Potter. You've had a nasty shock. Don't try to speak."

"Wh..." he managed to get out before she cut him off.

"Mr. Potter, please. Try to remain quiet." Madam Pomfrey bustled off to attend to the student in the bed next to Harry. He tried to turn his head to see who, exactly, that was, but his neck hurt too much. His efforts were again interrupted, but this time by Professor McGonagall, who did not look at all happy about the current situation.

"Mr. Potter," she began, in a very business-like tone, "you are lucky to be alive." Harry managed to groan in acknowledgement. She continued, "Professor Dumbledore will want to speak to you personally when you are able to leave the infirmary. Until then, do exactly as Madam Pomfrey tells you to do when she tells you to do it. Am I understood?" Harry managed to groan again.

Suddenly, McGonagall's face softened. "I don't know how you survived that blast, Mr. Potter, but I'm amazed you did. You have a remarkable ability to survive..."

"Professor," he managed to croak, "Hermione...Ron....are they okay?" He was not encouraged when McGonagall's face resumed its normal business- like look.

"Your friends..." she started, "Miss Granger is doing well. She was far enough away from the explosion that she will be fine."

"Ron...?" Harry whispered.

"Mr. Weasley shows perhaps an even greater capability for the miraculous than you do. He shielded you from the main impact of the blast, yet he is better off than you are. You are lucky to have such a friend. However, Professor Dumbledore wanted to speak with him. He is in the Headmaster's office now." She turned and marched out of the room. Harry, too stunned even to speak, sank back onto the pillows, and enjoyed the first dreamless slumber he'd had in months.

Ron snuggled down into the blankets and pillows heaped around him on the sofa in Dumbledore's office. The headmaster, perched pontifically in his chair behind his desk, looked at Ron over the top of his half-moon glasses.

"Are you comfortable, Ron?" said Dumbledore.

Although his return trip through the Gate had been very easy, Ron felt the need to fake little bit of an injury. "Yes, sir. Still a little bit stiff. But how are Harry and Hermione?"

"They will both be fine, once Madam Pomfrey is done with them. You need not worry about them," Dumbledore said. Ron waited for him to say more, and when he did not, Ron asked,

"Sir, why did you have me brought to your office?"

"I thought that there might be something you would rather like to talk about," he replied. Ron searched his face for some trace of whether or not Dumbledore knew. But how could he know?

"Oh, Professor Dumbledore, I'm sorry that we disturbed that Gat—er, that thing," said Ron.

"You need not apologize, Ron. Indeed, I apologize to you, and will apologize to the entire school for my folly of keeping it here. I should have known better than to store a potentially dangerous magical artifact where you and your friends would find it. No, I thought there might be something...else," he said.

Ron hadn't had much time to consider what he was going to do once he got "home," as far as telling other people went. He wasn't sure if anyone would believe him, for one, and he suspected that he might be in trouble, so he thought it best to keep quiet. On the other hand, if he could alert Dumbledore about Snape, or Malfoy...he could even save Fudge from assassination! He could change it all...but who would believe a sixteen-year- old wizard who claimed to have seen the future?

Dumbledore interrupted Ron's thoughts. "I do not wish to tire you, after your ordeal. If you wish, you can go and rest in the infirmary--or your room, for that matter. You are well enough." Realizing that Dumbledore knew he was not, in fact, injured, Ron sat up. Dumbledore continued, "However, if you did have anything to say..." Ron remained silent. "Very well, then," said Dumbledore, "you may go." Ron got up to leave. As he reached the door, he heard Dumbledore call,

"Mr. Weasley, could you please explain why you are in your pajamas?" Ron stood still, then slowly turned to face Dumbledore.

"Professor?"

"I was rather wondering why you changed out of the robes I had seen you wearing to breakfast earlier today when you decided to snoop through the castle." Dumbledore had, if anything, an amused look on his face. Ron looked down at his dirty, ripped pajamas. He hadn't really considered changing his clothes before he came back.

"Professor...I..." started Ron. Will he think I'm crazy? "I don't think...er...do you know if there was anything odd about the explosion today?"

"Mr. Weasley, you, Harry, and Hermione were the only ones present. I know little."

Ron's mind raced to find an appropriate excuse.

"But I suspect much, Ron. And I suspect that you know that there was something odd about the explosion." Dumbledore reached and pushed a large book across his desk towards Ron, who recognized it as the one Harry had looked in before sending him through the Gate.

"Professor...I think I went to the future," blurted Ron, taking his seat again. Maybe he'll understand, he thought.

"Did you?" There was no look of disbelief on his face. Ron thought, if anything, Dumbledore looked slightly more amused.

"I told you, I think I did. Is that possible?"

"It is, Ron. If you say you went to the future, I believe you," Dumbledore said.

Now that he was speaking with someone who believed his story and took it seriously—especially someone as wise as Dumbledore—Ron's mind was filled with a thousand questions. Finally, he asked, "is what I saw...really going to happen?"

Dumbledore paused before answering, and Ron felt a pit growing in his stomach. All he could think about was that in the future, his two best friends were unhappy, and he didn't want that.

"Ron, what I am about to say is very important," said Dumbledore. Ron looked up at his headmaster. "Because I was not with you, I cannot fully explain what you saw. But if you did go into the future—or even saw visions—it is by no means certain that what you saw must come to pass."

"Why not?"

"Whatever you saw happened because of events between now and then. Surely, while you were in the future, you learned of some of these things?" Ron nodded a little. "Then," continued Dumbledore, "you could change those things, if you like. Events of the future are not absolute—if they were, Divination would be a far more exact art. No, Ron, your choices, and the choices of your friends, and the choices of every person today make up what the future will be, and now that you've seen one future, you will make your decisions for the next one accordingly."

"You make it sound like there are many possibilities for what may come."

"There are, Ron. Some wizards even believe that all possibilities do happen, someplace."

Ron mulled over his headmaster's words. "So I could change the future?" he said finally.

"Ron, your being here already changes that future. What you saw will not necessarily come to pass."

"But it might?"

"It might. But it is not likely." Dumbledore sighed. "I am sorry, Ron, that I cannot give you more answers."

Dumbledore's demeanor suddenly changed. His amused serenity was gone; now he looked tired or defeated. It reminded Ron of how Harry had looked in the future. "Ron, I cannot answer all of your questions. You have had an experience unlike any most people ever have. I can tell you only this: I believe events happen for a reason. They may not make us happy, but there is reason behind them."

Ron stared glumly at the floor. "So what I saw...I should let happen?"

"No, those things that you saw happened for a reason. But realize that your seeing those things--those people--also had a reason. Perhaps you are to change what you saw. That is your challenge. That is what you must decide." Dumbledore rose and helped Ron to his feet.

"Thanks, I guess, Professor." Ron headed for the door, Dumbledore's words ringing in his ears. He felt his hand on his shoulder and turned.

"Ron, when I found you in the Room of Requirement, you were clutching this," said Dumbledore. He held out Hermione's wedding ring, which had turned back to gold. "I thought that it might be important to you." He put it in Ron's hand. "Have a good afternoon, Mr. Weasley."
Ron stepped into the Gryffindor common room quietly. No one looked up or noticed him. Word of the explosion might not have spread yet, thought Ron. He looked around the room and smiled as he saw a large stack of books on a desk. He walked over to it and saw Hermione scribbling furiously on some parchment. She looked up with a start.

"Ron! You're all right!" she said. She jumped up and gave him a hug. When Ron didn't say anything, she looked at him again. "Ron, is there something wrong?"

"No, I'm just..." Ron laughed a bit. "...Tired." He looked at Hermione for a long moment, then said suddenly, "I have something for you."

"Wh..what? Why? It's not my birthday or anything..."

"Yeah, I know. It's hard to explain. Just...just take my gift as it is, will you? I know it could have some meanings to it, but...just take it, OK?" Hermione gave Ron another confused look. He held out the ring.

"Ron," she said, taking it from him, "it's very nice...where did you get it?"

A look of deep thought crossed Ron's face, then a smile crept across it. "A very good, old friend gave it to me. I think it's for you, though."

"Well, then," she said, slipping the ring around her finger, "thanks, Ron. It fits perfectly! How did you know?"

He shrugged. "Don't worry about it." The two of them looked down at the ring, Ron with a contented smile, Hermione with a look of amused puzzlement. "Well," said Ron, "shall we go visit Harry?"

"Let's," said Hermione. The two walked off to the infirmary to see their friend.

Author's Final Note: Thanks for reading, folks. That's the end of the story--but for those interested, I can tell you that this will probably not be the last you see of the Aeternus...