1. Thanks a lot to SnowBear17 for helping me beta this story. Also thanks to Jayelyyn and Inkzy who helped me with the initial version of this, years ago.

2. Any error here is mine and not from my reviewer. If you spot anything or have a doubt about the grammar used or plot just PM me, I'm always swift to answer.


Rose sat next to her brother in the living room in the farthest possible place from where the headmaster was seated. Albus Dumbledore was quite a presence, and so far he hadn't taken his sparkling blue eyes away from them. He was wearing a long shimmering cloak that was midnight blue, but its color kept changing subtly from time to time.

It didn't take long for Rose to notice Professor Dumbledore's right hand. The girl shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. She knew why it was scarred, and she knew that the old wizard would die soon. The headmaster noticed where her attention was but didn't try to hide his hand.

All the other Weasleys were in the living room as well, keen for answers. Even Uncle George and Uncle Fred seemed to have forgotten all about the joke shop for the time being.

"Good morning, Molly. Nice to see you on this lovely day," Albus Dumbledore started.

"Morning, Albus. Hope we didn't take you out of something important."

"Don't worry. When there are so many important matters around, everything becomes suddenly less important. Besides, if I heard correctly, this seems like a situation that requires my attention," the old wizard said, peering at the silvery Time-Turner through his half-moon spectacles.

Rose had heard and read dozens of descriptions of the old wizard, she had even seen his portrait once. Seeing him in person was a different thing altogether though. Rose could already feel his deep blue eyes analysing them, just as Uncle Harry used to say.

"Messrs. Weasley, I assume everything is running smoothly at your interesting business."

"Unrealistically well, Professor. You can come by and take a look whenever you like," said one of the twins mischievously. Rose still wasn't able to distinguish them at all.

"We can give you good discounts," the other twin added, smirking.

Rose's grandmother snorted at her sons' lightness, but the headmaster didn't seem to notice. In fact, he smiled at the twins widely. "A marvelous idea. I may pass by one of these days."

Yeah, sure. Albus Dumbledore should pass by and buy some dungbombs, why not?

"Professor, has my father told you everything?" Bill Weasley asked abruptly, feeling that they had stalled the main topic long enough.

"I believe he has. I must say I'm intrigued, and eager to know all the details," Dumbledore answered before turning back to Rose. "Miss Weasley, I presume?"

Rose took a deep breath, "Yes, I'm Rose, and this is my brother Hugo."

"And you arrived today, from the future?"

Both of them nodded.

"What year exactly, if I may ask?"

"2022," answered Hugo.

"Do you have any evidence to support your statement? Other than this device, of course." He gestured at the Time-Turner, his eyes still examining them carefully.

Rose hesitated only briefly before answering, the time she had feared would come had finally arrived. "Err, no. We know things though. About you, about the future."

"I don't believe future knowledge is something to be thrown around lightly, Miss Weasley. Perhaps you may be willing to confirm this under Veritaserum?" the old man proposed, taking a vial of transparent liquid out of his robes.

The girl took a deep breath. Here it comes. You can do this, Rose, she thought, trying to reassure herself before nodding.

"Is that really...?" asked Hugo, his eyes widening.

"Veritaserum, yes," the man answered.

Hugo turned to his sister, biting his lip worriedly. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. We want them to believe us, don't we?"

"Yes, but does it hurt?" Hugo's eyes were filled with concern, and his lip quivered slightly.

"It doesn't hurt, Hugo. It shouldn't. I'll just stop me from lying."

Even when she had read all about it, Rose had never actually drunk the potion before. It couldn't be that bad though. There were many books about Veritaserum and none of them had ever mentioned pain as a side effect.

"Miss Weasley is correct. There is no pain involved with this potion. Three drops will suffice," assured the headmaster.

Hugo agreed with a nod, looking less anxious. "Do you want me to do it instead?"

"No, it's all right. I'll take it." Rose was touched that Hugo was willing to take the burden for her, but this was something Rose needed to do.

The vial floated from the hands of Albus Dumbledore to where Rose was seated, falling softly in the cradle of her hands. Her grandparents and uncles followed it with anxious looks all the way there. Doubt crept to Rose as she stared at the little innocent-looking vial, her previous confidence shrinking. She was afraid of saying the wrong thing under the potion, yet she knew it was the only way to move forward. So, after a quick nod to her brother, the girl let the three required drops fall into her mouth. The effect of the serum was almost immediate. It was odd as Rose felt calm at once, as if nothing could go wrong no matter what words came out of her mouth.

"What's your name?" asked Professor Dumbledore pointedly.

"Rose Weasley," the girl said without hesitation.

Even if minor, there was still surprise in the Weasleys' reaction. Especially from her Uncle Bill, who apparently had still entertained the possibility of Rose and Hugo being impostors.

"What's your date of birth?"

"October 10, 2006."

"Who are your parents?"

"Ronald Bilius Weasley and Hermione Jean Granger."

"Shocking," one of the twins interrupted, still smirking.

Rose's grandmother gave them a warning look.

"I don't get it," Uncle Bill chipped in, his brows furrowed. "Time-Turners only go back for a few hours. And they were all destroyed."

"This one's better. Mum made it," Hugo replied proudly.

"What do you think, my brother?" said Uncle George — or Uncle Fred.

"It does sound like our Hermione. You know, being a know-it-all and stuff."

The words exchanged by the Weasleys were soon cut off by Professor Dumbledore. "It does seem like something Miss Granger is capable of doing. She is, after all, a remarkably talented young witch." He paused only briefly before giving his judgment. "I believe they're telling the truth. Which only leads us to bigger problems."

"But what about the war? This must mean Ron and Hermione survive. Don't they?"

Quickly, Rose found herself wanting to answer, as if her very life depended on it. "The war ends on May 2nd, 1998. Both of our parents survived it."

"Funny, I could ask you just about anything now," Hugo whispered to Rose, trying to lighten the mood.

"Don't you dare," his sister replied with a warning glare.

The potion was extremely powerful, and there were plenty of chances to say something embarrassing, even without Hugo's intervention. That was her luck, wasn't it?

"What about Voldemort? Is he dead? In your time?" Uncle Bill said quickly. He didn't seem to be doubting them anymore, which was a relief.

"Uncle Harry killed him during the Battle of Hogwarts," answered Rose and a queer silence covered the entire room. All the Weasleys from the past were stunned speechless.

"Harry!? He survives... oh Merlin, Arthur!"

"I know, sweetheart, it will all end," Rose's grandfather said, embracing his wife.

"He…? He kills him?" asked one of the twins.

"In a way. He makes Voldemort's spell backfire," Rose clarified, propelled by the serum.

"Of course he does!" added the other twin, punching his fist victoriously into the air. "That's our Harrykins. Never doubted him."

Most of the reactions in the living room were of joy, but they also wondered how in Merlin's name had the scrawny boy they knew could accomplish such a feat. Rose couldn't relate to her family in that way, however. In her time, if there was someone capable of defeating an unbeatable evil wizard, it was her godfather. Everyone knew that.

"There was a battle at Hogwarts then?" asked Uncle Bill then, remembering that part.

"Yes. The Battle of Hogwarts ended the war. It was the final battle against Tom Riddle," said Rose, not even making an effort to control what she was saying anymore. A couple of times before she had tried to respond partially, but it was useless, the serum was much stronger than her.

A concerned Molly Weasley tried to ask more, but Professor Dumbledore put a halt to her intentions before she could say much. "I believe this is getting out of our hands. I urge you to refrain from asking more questions."

"But—"

"Molly, future knowledge is very dangerous and we need to act with caution," the old man urged and, after a pause, the woman looked away and nodded.

"It's the best thing to do, sweetheart. Albus is right." Putting a comforting hand on Molly's shoulder, Arthur smiled gently, albeit tiredly, at her.

"Now, Miss Weasley, could you please tell us how you ended up here?"

Rose almost gulped before answering that question. "We took our mother's Time-Turner and used it to arrive at this specific point in time."

The old wizard's eyes narrowed, searching their expressions carefully. "Are we talking about an accident?"

"No. We did this deliberately."

Her head was reminding her of the gravity of her words. Every thought told her how this was the most difficult part of the conversation, how things could go wrong and how much of a mistake this could be. Nevertheless, Rose couldn't avoid feeling a daft calm through the whole ordeal, as if she had only said which flavor of ice cream she preferred.

Naturally, the rest of the room didn't take that as lightly. Everyone knew this was a serious matter, even the twins did not crack a smile. Time was not a toy, Rose remembered. Her ears still rang from all the times her mother had said so, starting from the day she brought the Time-Turner home. The day she began working on that pet project of hers.

Professor Dumbledore's face was stern, reflecting the gravity of the situation. "And why would you do that?"

"We wanted to get our parents together sooner, before their seventh year."

One of the headmaster's eyebrows arched slightly. "I assume there was a powerful reason behind that. Time is not something to play with, after all."

"We did it to save our father."

"What happened to Ron?" Rose's grandmother asked quickly, eyes widening in panic.

Hugo's mute voice echoed in the silent room, as a heavy load finally fell before them. "He... died."

As expected, the worst reaction was from Rose's grandmother, who almost collapsed. Fortunately, Rose's grandfather was able to get a hold of her before she fell to the floor. Her uncles were gobsmacked somewhere nearby, mouths opening and closing in disbelief.

Rose hated herself right then, for the serum was still compelling her to give an answer, even when Hugo had already said all that mattered. She fought the need to say it but there was no point to it, she knew. She was too weak to fight it.

"He died, a week ago," she said, confirming her brother's words. "We wanted to change it."

The room turned into a muggle photograph. For a while no one moved. No one dared to say a single word.

"Can't you give her the antidote already?" Bill Weasley's voice sounded foreign, once it broke the silence.

"I will. The serum is unnecessary at this point."

Professor Dumbledore sent another vial towards Rose, who took it shakily. After taking the antidote, things only got worse for Rose. The calm abandoned her as immediately as it had arrived, and suddenly, she found herself in a room full of people who had just learned of her father's death. It was as if an outside force was pressing on her heart, causing a knot to form in her throat.

"This situation is, admittedly, very regrettable," the headmaster said once Rose was free of the serum. There seemed to be real sorrow weighing down on his voice. "But Miss Weasley, considering who your mother is, I must say I'm surprised you decided to do this. Death is a natural thing."

"Are you saying they shouldn't be here? But Ron—" Bill Weasley tried, his voice strangled.

"Mr. Weasley, I know this might sound harsh, and I am sorry for it. I appreciate your brother greatly," the headmaster started, "Nevertheless, time is a puzzling matter. It shouldn't be taken lightly, and I'm afraid, it shouldn't be used to stop people from dying."

His words had a certain darkness to them. They echoed somber and final, an undeniable truth that Rose had foolishly tried to forget.

"We're sorry, we didn't think it through. We wanted him back. We still do," said Hugo, rushing to have them understand.

Rose wasn't finding enough energy to help him with his argument, knowing what they had done was wrong.

"That's very comprehensible, yet I'm sorry to say that it doesn't make it right, my boy. Thinking our wants are above all else can take us to dangerous paths. Your intentions might have been honourable, but time is a serious matter. Your future appeared to be bright and you might have compromised it."

"But we need to do something," pleaded Rose's grandmother, eyes shining.

"We do. If we keep the current timeline as close as possible to theirs, we may prevent a lot of damage."

"Prevent damage!? My son is going to die! Surely you're not thinking of letting that happen!"

"Molly, please listen to me. This is far beyond any of us. We need to ensure the stability of the current timeline and, further on, we need to worry about the war that is taking place. This situation might have changed the outcome of everything..."

The tension in the room was unnerving. Until then, Rose hadn't thought of all the things that could change. Now the idea of different people dying because of their mistake, or the fact that they could now lose the war, was something she found troubling to deal with. The sole image of what her mother would say to her was the worst feeling she had ever experienced in her entire life.

You should've known better, Rose could almost hear the reproachful words in her ears.

The girl thought of her cousins as well, now more than ever. Al, Roxie, and Molly, and so many more. She remembered Dom especially, who had always given her sage counsel in the same way Rose had tried to give it to Hugo and Lily. But Dom couldn't help her now. Rose thought of her friends then, and she thought of Scorpius too. Rose always knew travelling back could mean that none of them would be born, but she had just been avoiding the truth. She always knew this, though. It had just been the heat of the moment that had led to this trip, she knew that they shouldn't be here.

At the other side of the room, Uncle Bill was struggling with himself. He opened his mouth a couple of times, yet he couldn't decide what to say. Rose's grandmother wasn't doubting herself, though. "I am not going to let my son die!" she thundered.

The woman stood up decisively and placed herself between the headmaster and her grandchildren, as if she were a shield. The woman stared at Professor Dumbledore with a resolve that Rose knew was unbreakable. Right then, Rose turned suddenly afraid of what might happen. When she first took the Time-Turner, it never crossed her mind that a scene like this could take place.

"There are many things at stake, you have always known that. Not everything can end up as we would've liked."

"Not Ron! Not my son! He's not a part of this! Merlin, he's not even of age!" yelled Rose's grandmother, frowning at the headmaster.

The old wizard turned to look at Rose's grandfather. It wasn't clear if he was looking for support or if he was just trying to find out the other man's opinion. Arthur Weasley walked slowly to stand by his wife though, his back to Rose and Hugo as well.

"I'm sorry Albus, but I'm with Molly on this. We all are," said the man, turning to his sons.

As if inspired by their father's words, all three of Rose's uncles nodded and stood next to their parents, with sheer determination. Rose was nervous, she couldn't remember a moment charged with more tension in her entire life.

"Rose," said her grandfather calmly. "If I had known of your plans in the future, the future-me that is, I wouldn't have let you go on with it. But now you're here, and we can't ignore this," he said, turning to the headmaster.

"I see," was all that Professor Dumbledore said.

He stood up, probably weighing his options. Rose knew Dumbledore had a good chance of fighting all of them at once if what she had read about him was true. Was he considering that though? She never heard anything about Dumbledore fighting with his allies. Besides, a struggle wouldn't guarantee keeping the time unchanged, many things could happen in a confrontation like that.

"Albus, I think you should go now," Rose's grandfather said.

"I'm not the enemy here, Arthur. Your son was not underage at the time this happened. I guess he got to live a peaceful and happy life, something people in this war will not have the privilege to experience. I want to be sure you know what this means. People who didn't die on the original timeline could die now. The war could be lost."

Every word from the headmaster made Rose feel heavier, as if each one was another rock she had to carry. She knew all of those things, and she had still brought her and Hugo back.

"I know you're right. I know they did terribly wrong," Rose's grandfather answered. "But I can't stand at your side, Albus. Not on this. You should go. We'll talk later, once we have thought this through, all of us."

Albus Dumbledore nodded eventually. "So be it. Can I at least take this artifact with me?"

His attentive blue eyes had fixed on the small table where the Time-Turner was resting.

"Not now. We don't want you trying anything behind our backs. Sorry."

The headmaster didn't look surprised. "I know the way out."

Before walking away, the old man turned to Rose. His expression didn't change, yet somehow she knew he was disappointed.

As soon as Professor Dumbledore left, Rose's grandfather went outside too. Rose and Hugo were quickly embraced by their grandmother, who squeezed them tightly, as if their lives depended on it. "Everything will be alright, don't worry," she said. Her hands were shaking and Rose saw that her eyes were watering. That broke her more than everybody else's reaction. She had done that to her grandmother through her reckless actions, and this knowledge suddenly came crashing into her.

Rose had never exactly been the emotional type, not for the crying part at least. However, at that moment it all came down on her at once. She started sobbing, no longer trying to remain strong for her brother.

When her grandmother let them go, Rose spared a glimpse at her uncles, who were still in the living room. The twins had gone pale, their eyes lost in the distance. She had never seen Uncle George so silent in her entire life, and that was counting the time he accidentally shrunk his own tongue. Uncle Bill was resting against a wall, gripping his wand and clearly sweating. A few moments earlier, all of them had been ready to fight Albus Dumbledore, and they were going to do it because of them. Two kids they barely knew.

"I'm sorry, Grandma, we really didn't think this through. If I had just—" Rose rushed to say with tears in her eyes.

"It wasn't Rose's fault, I wanted to come too," Hugo said, just as upset.

Uncle Bill stared at them, twirling his wand. Rose didn't know what he was thinking or if he was blaming them for all of it. He should be, Rose thought.

Soon Rose's grandfather was back in the room, "It's done. No one from the Order will be able to enter through the wards, not without our consent. Only Weasleys."

They were leaving the Order? Rose's eyebrows shot upwards, and she bit her lip anxiously. She was already affecting time much more than she had ever planned to.

"What about Fleur? She's out with Tonks," Uncle Bill asked worriedly.

"Go get her. We need to tell her," his father answered grimly.

Uncle Bill threw one last look at Rose and Hugo before leaving the house.

Arthur Weasley walked up to his grandkids. "You need to understand something. All of you do," he said the last part to the twins as well. "What Rose and Hugo have done was a big mistake. They have compromised a lot and I can't lie about it. It hurts me to say it, but Albus is right."

"I'm sorry Grandpa, it was just a foolish impulse. We were just—" Rose started, but she was interrupted by a gesture from her grandfather.

"It was wrong and maybe there's nothing we can do to fix this damage," he said, putting a heavy hand on his balding head. "Still, I can imagine what you must have been feeling, to do something like this. We're here for you. I don't know what we'll do about Ron yet, but you're safe with us. This will always be your house. We are your family."

Rose nodded, containing her tears. After that nutter of a night and the dreadful conversation with the headmaster, that was all they needed. A family.

"Arthur, we have to do something about Ron."

"He's not in immediate danger, is he?" he asked Rose and Hugo. When they shook their heads, he continued. "In that case, we'll see what the best course of action is later. For now, I think we can use some rest."

"We can stay," said one of the twins.

"You don't have to, there's not much to do here for the time being. The Order is not the enemy, they're just not sharing all of our goals at the moment. You only need to watch out for Death Eaters, as you have been doing so far. No word of this to anyone though, and especially no owls to Hogwarts."

Both of them nodded.

"I guess you kids must be tired. Hugo dear, you can stay in your father's room for now," said Rose's grandmother. "Rose, you know where your Aunt Ginny's room is, don't you? I don't think she would mind."

Rose took her brother upstairs to get some rest. After all, between the Knight Bus and the walk from town, they didn't sleep at all the previous night. She didn't go into her aunt's room though. They both headed to the last story without having to think twice.

The moment they entered the familiar room, they were overwhelmed. It had a lot more things than they remembered, but they were good things. Orange and Quidditch all around, the room had the comforting look to it that was so recognizable to them. Rose walked to the bed and fell there, looking at the ceiling.

"Is everything going to be okay?" Hugo's voice came to Rose as he rested on a camp bed next to her.

"I don't know, Hugo. Grandpa said the truth. We shouldn't be here."

"But we are. So is the plan still on? Are we going to bring Dad and Mum together sooner? It shouldn't be that hard, you heard them, they already fancy each other," Hugo insisted.

Rose shrugged. "I— I really don't know. We'll see what Grandpa says once the dust has settled. Even if we were trying to bring them together, how are we going to reach them when they're at Hogwarts? We would have to wait a few months, for Christmas."

All in all, Rose had no idea how to proceed. It was not like she could wait for them at the train station with some mistletoe ready. They would think she was just a barmy stranger instead of their barmy daughter.

Hugo went on after a brief pause. "What if Dumbledore keeps them there? What if he doesn't let them come back?"

She was startled as that thought hadn't crossed her mind, yet it felt unlikely. At least, she hoped so. "I don't think he would do that. People would become suspicious and Grandpa wouldn't let him. Besides, we can always write to them, or— I don't know, something. There must be a way of contacting them."

Soon, Rose fell asleep, beaten by the tiredness. She didn't dream at all, yet somehow her worries were running through her thoughts the whole time. It was as if she was in a dark place with no way out, no shining light at the end of the tunnel. She had tried to do things better and now she didn't know if she could stop them from becoming worse.

o0o0o

It felt like a long time had passed before she finally woke up from her kip, numb and replenished. Judging by the waning sun in the window, it was well past noon. The first thing Rose noticed was that she was covered by a blanket and that her trainers were neatly arranged by the foot of the bed. Hugo was still asleep, Rose imagined he hadn't noticed their grandmother coming into the room either.

Rose stood up and glanced at some of her father's belongings. Her smile appeared at the moving Quidditch posters and old banners from the Chudley Cannons, her father's lifelong team. It was Rose's team as well, by some blasted sense of family loyalty. It was a frustrating affair, cheering for the Cannons. They were rubbish most seasons, and even worse the rest of the time.

Her eyes continued studying the place, soaking up the comforting familiarity of it all. There were no signs of a chess set or a broom, Rose noticed. Her father must have taken those to Hogwarts with him. After everything that had happened, it seemed unreal to think he was alive, wandering somewhere around the Hogwarts halls as any other normal student. He could even be laughing at that very moment.

Rose smiled, she really wished she could see him again, even if it was just for a moment. She needed to convince herself once and for all that his heart was beating at the exact same time as hers. In spite of feeling incredibly guilty, she thought that if he was alive then everything would have been worth it.

"No matter what you do, I'll always be proud of you, Rosie," her father had told her the last time they were alone.

Fighting back tears, Rose wondered if he would be proud of this, of what they were risking to see him. In a way, Rose had endangered Hugo and her mother's lives as well, along with the lives of the rest of the world. She couldn't imagine her father agreeing to that.

The memory of her last encounter with her father was too painful though, so she tried to keep it away from her thoughts. Rose went on through the room, to keep herself from remembering more of it. Without realizing it, she had picked up a moving picture of her parents and Uncle Harry. The three of them were laughing in it as her mother pulled them together for the shot. They looked happy… so happy. Rose was just wondering what it would be like to see them at this age when the door opened.

"Oh, hello dear. Didn't realize you were awake," said her grandmother.

"Hi grandma, I just got up," Rose answered, putting the photograph back.

The woman was looking at her with a bittersweet smile, one Rose wasn't used to. "You'll see him soon enough. We'll find a way."

Rose nodded, taking comfort in her grandmother's words.

"How did you sleep?"

"Heavier than a rock. I was knackered."

The woman turned her eyes to the bed where Hugo was still sleeping. "Is your brother going to—"

"Not now."

"Just like Ron," the woman answered, her eyes puffy and red.

As if reading her thoughts, her grandmother made a gesture for Rose to hug her. Rose embraced her tightly, pretending that she was not soaking her blouse with tears. Not at all.

"Grandma, I—" Rose started, but she didn't know how to end the phrase. Did she want to tell her that she was sorry? Or that she would fix this? Or just that she missed her parents more than anything in the world? It was probably all of them at once.

"I know," the woman answered regardless, patting her back. "It's lovely having you here. Even in the circumstances."

Once they broke apart, Rose smiled at her, feeling loads better.

"You can take a shower if you want to. I had some of Ginny's clothes enlarged, they're not the best but I think they'll fit. I have an eye for this."

"They're perfect. Thank you."

o0o0o

Rose took a considerably long, hot shower, trying to simmer down for a moment. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine she was in the Quidditch showers, relaxing after a long game. It was too difficult, but the hot water did manage to calm her down to some extent.

It wasn't long before she was ready to face her family again.

"I still don't get it," said her Uncle Bill once dinner was over. "If what you say is true, your parents get together in a year or so. How can them being together a year sooner stop Ron from... you know?"

Everyone was looking at Rose and Hugo, even Aunt Fleur who had just been brought up on the whole thing. The Weasleys had avoided the topic for as long as they could, yet Rose knew it had only been a matter of time before someone asked. The girl turned to her grandfather, as if asking for permission.

The man nodded soberly. "Knowledge from the future is dangerous, but we need to know what happened to Ron at least. Otherwise, we can't help."

So, after taking a deep breath, Rose started explaining all about their father's disease. Rose could still hear the healer's words echoing in her ears, how could she forget them? He had a heart problem, one that magic couldn't fix because it had been caused by magic. The girl and her brother told them of that bloody deluminator and how the St. Mungo's healers said it had been the cause of her father's condition.

"It was Dumbledore?" their grandmother finally asked in disbelief. "He gave this— this thing to my son?!"

"Molly, let them finish," her husband urged, yet he was taken aback as well.

Rose nodded. "Uncle Harry was furious, I have never seen him like that. He talked to his portrait, you know — Dumbledore's," some somber nods came at the realization of what that meant. "I don't think Professor Dumbledore was aware the deluminator could have that effect. They said his portrait showed regret, but that he was of little help."

"And being with Hermione will stop him from using this?" Uncle Bill asked, flustered. "Why don't we just stop this thing from getting into his hands? This has nothing to do with Hermione."

"Of course we won't!" Rose's grandmother yelled. "Dumbledore can keep that stupid artifact! This whole mission he set on them is nonsense as well!"

"The mission was needed, that's what Uncle Harry said," Rose said hurriedly. "Without it, he wouldn't have been able to defeat Voldemort."

Rose tried to phrase it in the best possible way, but she left out an important part. Horcruxes, the very thing that kept Voldemort's soul alive, were public knowledge in the future. But Rose had talked with Hugo about hiding that for now before coming downstairs for it was far too dangerous to mention them casually.

Their grandmother's argument didn't stop there. "Someone from the Order could have done it."

"It had to be them," Hugo replied, lowering his voice, "that's what they said."

Rose and Hugo explained about their father leaving their mother and Uncle Harry during the mission, and how the deluminator had brought him back. They hadn't known that part until their mother explained it to them over the summer, she had said Rose and Hugo needed to understand the reason why he had used it. Their mother and Uncle Harry had kept wards on their camp during the Horcrux hunt so their father kept using the deluminator to find them. And he used it a lot.

"He left them?" Uncle Bill was dumbfounded, as well as everybody else.

"He didn't mean to! It was that thing! The Hor— their mission! It messed with his head," Hugo insisted, correcting himself just in the nick of time.

"There was a thing then? Something getting in little Ronnie's pants," one of the twins guessed. Both of them started mumbling about joke products that could alter a person like that, trying to solve the puzzle.

"It must 'ave been somezing powerful, to make 'im leave," Aunt Fleur told uncle Bill softly.

"We don't know what altered him, they didn't tell us. They just said it was something from their mission," Rose lied.

All around theories were exchanged and a few possible culprits were mentioned. Tricky potions and dodgy spells, someone even said the very deluminator could've affected Rose's father in an unknown way. They didn't get close, however. Rose knew the Horcrux was something evil and way beyond any of that.

Rose felt bad about lying, but it was for their own good. She was no stranger to lying for a good cause after all. Like that time she hadn't said James was behind the explosion in the astronomy tower, to avoid Aunt Ginny from killing him. It was debatable how much of a good cause that had been though.

"I don't want to hear another thing about that mission ever again!" Rose's grandmother shouted in the end.

"Molly dear, it seems to be required for the war to end. If we can explain to Albus that this deluminator is dangerous then maybe we can change everything back to the way it was before."

"I don't care about the way it was before! I don't want them risking their lives like that! I want that mission gone!"

Everything was a blur. The only thing Rose was certain of was that if her parents had been together then there would be no way her father would have had to use that deluminator. She was convinced he wouldn't leave her mother like that.

Rose remembered seeing her crying last night. It had been the first time the three of them had been alone since the funeral. Their house had felt foreign, and every room Rose had walked into seemed painfully empty. The very walls around her had felt farther yet closer to her at the same time. Even so, the harsher part had been hearing her mother's cries from the other side of the bedroom door, saying to no one that she shouldn't have let him leave. It had pushed Rose over the edge and, before she knew it, the girl had stormed into her mother's office looking for an answer.

Yes, her father wouldn't need the stupid deluminator if only he had her mother at the time. Rose was sure of it. Even if getting them together didn't seem like the right answer anymore.

Taking the deluminator entirely away had never been the plan. It would affect the future too much, she had thought. Getting their parents together had felt like a smaller change compared to making an artifact mentioned in Albus Dumbledore's will disappear. However, as soon as they went back, it became clear there was no way of proceeding without altering other things. Rose realized that in the new state of things, it was easier to stop their father from getting the deluminator altogether.

Then what?

Rose didn't know. She didn't even have a plan to return. Their presence in the past was going to affect the future more than the deluminator, and her grandmother was already opposing a mission that needed to happen. Everything was a mess.

"We'll have to leave this for later," Rose's grandfather finally said. "I'll need to talk to Albus. Hopefully, we can come to an agreement."

"Are you going to floo him?"

"Tomorrow. Or maybe he'll send something first. This has been hard for all of us but we're a family and we'll get through it."

With that, they all nodded and decided to call it a day. Aunt Fleur left to go to her flat, as they all decided the Order was not a danger for her. The Weasleys were still sorting some things out when Rose and Hugo went upstairs, to get a night of much needed sleep.

On the first floor, Rose said goodnight to her brother as she went into Aunt Ginny's bedroom. The girl wondered what was yet to come. The headmaster had to agree to keep the deluminator away from her father, but what if he didn't? Would the Weasleys be forever out of the Order?

As her blue eyes went through her Aunt's room, Rose realized that it was great but not as comforting as her father's had been. She thought of that picture of her parents with Uncle Harry and this time the girl's thoughts went to her mother. The smiling girl in that picture was also the same woman Rose had left behind, grieving and alone.

Was she even there? Or had that future disappeared already?

Rose's mother had always said that time was not a toy. She would surely be fuming with a lifetime ban on Quidditch ready for what they had done. They were already in the past though, so they couldn't take it back. If the headmaster didn't want to help, Rose would have to find a way to save her family without messing with the past further. She had to find a way.