The group went to bed relatively early, about 10pm. The Granger's had insisted the younger Hermione slept with them, giving Hermione her room and the boys sleep downstairs. Hermione had told her mother about the staircase to the girl's dorm and she had agreed it was a good idea. It was obvious that Liz was protecting her daughter from the evil of boys. Harry knew nothing would happen, well not yet. Ron and Hermione were destined to get together, it was obvious, but the pair were still only best friends. It wouldn't be long but it wasn't there yet.
The next morning when they got up Adam was wearing his jeans and a baggy white tee-shirt, such a contrast from the suit on the first day. Liz wore a long, thin blue slip on dress, her hair pinned to the back of her head while Hermione was kitted out in white tights, a little denim skirt and white cotton top. She did look very cute. The trio decided that a change of appearance was needed. They had worn their robes for 2 days and nights so at breakfast (Cornflakes and milk) Hermione went round and changed what they were wearing. Harry was wearing a pair of jeans and a football top (his vague memory suggested that it was Bolton Wanderers although he couldn't remember for certain). Ron was wearing a pair of combats and baggy jumper while Hermione did the best job on herself and managed to transfigure her robes into a short blue dress, not unlike her mothers apart from the length.
The Grangers were impressed at the show of transfiguration, even Ron and Harry were vaguely impressed, but between the three of them they could probably mange nigh on anything with magic these days. These three teens had defeated the dark lord, aged 17 they had their own orders of Merlins and chocolate frog cards. All it had taken was a simple stunning spell, of course Voldemort had brought it on himself. He made the mistake of trying the killing curse on Harry for the second time, and the results where more or less the same. Yet again he found himself ripped from his body, but the reactions of the trio in stunning the fleeing spirit at exactly the first time had destroyed him once and for all. The theory was the actual spell didn't kill him but the friendship and love behind it did.
Now the group where sat in the kitchen getting ready for the days activities. Harry had already managed to make a port key out of an empty tub of Vitalite so all that was waiting now was at 10.10 for everyone to grab it, leaving a good 30 minutes to get fed and watered for the expedition. In typical style Ron ate shed loads, but managed to keep conjuring more to replace it insisting that he wouldn't eat his way through his friend's food. Harry made do with a single piece of toast. He had never liked wizarding forms of travel and wasn't feeling his best. Mentally portkeys will always be connected with bad events in his head, the world cup, the triwizard tournament, the department of mysteries, but he wouldn't let these irrational fears hold him back.
At precisely 10.29 everyone held onto the empty margarine packet.
"I recommend you hold Hermione, I don't think I've ever used one of these and not fallen over at the end" Harry said.
Adam wrapped his arm around his daughter and within a couple of seconds Harry felt a pull behind his navel, but pretty quickly the feeling stopped and the group found themselves outside the Burrow. True to his word Harry had fallen over, along with Ron but the others appeared to have had more luck.
"Home sweet home" Harry said to Ron.
"This promises to be fun" Ron replied, leading the way up the garden path. The Grangers were some way behind the trio, staring in awe at the building in front of them. Since Harry had moved in he didn't appreciate how odd the Burrow looked anymore. It did look like it was liable to fall down at any minutes with it's story upon story of extensions all leaning slightly in one direction. All laws of physics dictated that the building should not be standing, yet the laws of magic were somewhat different.
Ron approached the door, and hesitated before knowing, "Here goes nothing" he muttered under hid breath as his used the doorbell installed by Mr Wealsey some time ago.
Mrs Weasley opened the door to an oddly quiet house, it was quite obvious to anyone who knew the family that this meant the rest of the family were out. The Burrow was never quiet, the twins alone could produce the same amount of noise of a small city and that was on a good day.
"Can I help you?" Mrs Weasley asked, looking not too far different from the way she did in the trio's time. Her hair was piled on the top of her head and her colourful robes were long and shabby.
"Er, I think maybe we should come in. It's a long story but basically we need your help."
"And why would that be?" Mrs Wealsey asked, her voluptuous figure being framed perfectly by the doorframe.
"Can you remember the past meets charm? You learn about it at Hogworts in seventh year?"
"Yes, I can, but I don't see what that has to do with anything." The tone in her voice was getting clippy, as if some irritating salesman was spending hours trying to sell her an expensive vacuum cleaner.
"Well, er, we did it at school and now we need our past selves to do the charm to send us back to the future. I'm, er, well."
"What he's trying to say, Mrs Weasley, is that he's Ron. We had an accident."
Mrs Weasley started laughing, "Nice try, who put you up for this one? Sounds like the type of trick the twins would try in a few years time."
"Ok, your middle name is Gertrude although you don't like it so you never tell anyone it. When I was 2 I got stuck in Newcastle after first using floo powder and you've been iffy about using it ever since, you have a second cousin called Thornton whose an accountant. Behind the photo frame in the front room you have a little safe which has all pictures in it so that if anything ever happened to the house they will be safe. You always cheat at cooking baked alaska but everything else you do more or less the muggle way, although you do use multiplicity charms on a lot of stuff. Do you want me to continue?" Ron said.
From the distinct change from anger to humour to shock on Molly Weasley's face it was obvious she was at least half won over. "Er, I think you had better come in". She finally said, opening the door fully and stepping back to allow the 6 strangers in. The group walked into the kitchen and sat around the scrubbed wooden table that dominated the room.
"So, do I get a full explanation of what happened?" Asked Mrs Weasley, magically putting a pot of boiling water on the hob.
"Well us three were in charms and Hermione volunteered t do the past meets one. We figured it would be safe because we hadn't met before the train journey on our first day. However, it appears we were mistaken so now we have to collect our younger selves, teach those 2 some magic then get the to say the incantation to send us home." Ron's manner of speaking had dramatically changed in the space of a couple of minutes. He was now much more confident, he had obviously engrained Hermione's plan onto his subconscious
"How could you have been so silly, and I honestly thought that Hogworts would have more sense than send muggle borns to do it, I presume that's why you need to teach your friends some magic." Molly was ranting, yet there was no anger in her voice. Harry had seen this so many times before, she was being a protective mother.
"They were both brought up as muggles. But we have Hermione, that's half the battle won." Ron said.
"Well, you are welcome to stay here. Arthur and the kids are up in Lancashire until tomorrow morning."
The Grangers seemed more than happy with this arrangement, eager to see more magic and to Ron and Harry it was just like being back at home.
"So whose who?" Asked Mrs Weasley after some time, in which the group started to talk, no one had actually given anyone else a proper introduction yet.
"Ah, sorry. Well this is Hermione" Ron pushed her to the front, "And over there are herself, are her parents, Liz and Adam Granger. I'm Ron, obviously, and this is your surrogate son Harry" Harry felt himself blushing, why did Ron have to drop that bit into the conversation?
"Oh, I take it you come over here a lot then." Molly said, already starting to rustle pans for tea, Mrs Granger helping to set the table.
"You could say that, I live here. Me and Ron share a room. You've been my legal guardian for about a year now". Harry said, buttering some bread lazily with his wand.
"Oh, I take it something happened to your family, I'm sorry".
"Well, the family I grew up with weren't all that nice, so it doesn't matter. It's much better here."
"But still, they were family"
"Oh, they really are not nice people. In fact in the end you demanded that I stayed here. We still have to go and get me from the Dursley's, they hate all things magic. It promises to be fun,"
"So, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and Harry Dursley will be best friends in a few years time?"
Ron spluttered, "Harry Dursley? Are you kidding?" Ron said laughing, Harry giving him an evil.
"What, you don't get on? Why you here then? Was it your fault?" Mrs Weasley was starting to direct the anger towards Harry.
"Mum, it's nothing like that. Just calling Harry a Dursley, he's nothing like them. He's Harry Potter."
Mrs Weasley looked at the boy, one of the first people who didn't automatically try and work out where his scar was. "Of course, you look just like James. I should have realised."
"It's no problem" Harry said "So you believe us" Immediately trying to change the topic of conversation.
"Of course I do, now what's next" Molly said.
"Now for the fun" Ron aid, complete with dodgy grin.