The following week, everyone else was so busy - especially their Dad and Percy, with the Ministry and the destruction at the Quidditch Cup - that no one seemed to particularly notice that Ron was getting and sending regular mail.
Malfoy was using an alias, Ron was using one as well, and they'd tried out putting dates in their letters. So far, they had found out:
the last time they were in their present, it was the same day for both of them,
they had gone to bed like normal and woken up to find themselves in August 1994, in their younger bodies, stuck with their younger selves,
while Ron switched back-and-forth with his younger self, Malfoy had taken majority-control, and Ron honestly couldn't say he felt too sympathetic,
neither of them had told anybody else, but Malfoy admitted his mother had figured it out right away (about just Malfoy, obviously), but had agreed to help him,
and, most importantly, they needed to figure out how to get back to their own time.
Malfoy also argued that this must be a Parallel Universe - a world exactly like their own, but in another universe - and Ron accepted it, mainly because it meant he could change things for the better, without worrying about paradoxes or accidentally erasing himself, or something. (He hadn't mentioned this to Malfoy, though. Surely they could keep some things to themselves?)
As it was, Ron was wondering if he should just say, "Fuck it" and start destroying horcruxes already. As soon as he got to Hogwarts, he could get Basilisk fangs - he was fairly sure he could figure out the password for the Chamber of Secrets - and he knew what all of the horcruxes were...
...Then he thought of the locket, and how that had gone, and thought better of it. Maybe he should take advantage of this chance to get a head start on the horcrux hunt, but he knew he couldn't trust himself to do it alone.
What's a horcrux? Younger-Ron sent out, curiously.
Damn it all. Fucking hell. He thought he had been getting better at the 'private thoughts' thing... Fuck, he must have slipped up, somehow. Oh well, Younger-Ron had already started to overhear... Umm...it's, something created through Powerful, Dark Magic - and destroying them is the key to destroying Voldemort.That should be a good enough explanation.
Oh, ok. So you're going to destroy them, then?
Umm...it's more complicated than that... Fuck, how was Ron supposed to explain this? Horcruxes...sort of... have safeguards, to prevent people from destroying them... some of them even mess with your mind... they're dangerous things... hopefully I'll be able to tackle them, but I'd need to be careful, and have help... yeah, they're very dangerous.
Younger-Ron seemed to accept this, because he switched to asking if Ron could do his homework when they started term...
There was one thing Ron was certain of, though. As soon as he saw what were supposed to be... his... dress robes, he stopped, and just point-blank said, "Harry, these are awful. Can you please buy me a better set than this?"
Harry looked delighted, like he'd thought Ron would never ask but had hoped he would anyways. Unfortunately, Younger-Ron was not so pleased. Even more unfortunately, their Mum was in the room when he said this.
"Ron! That is no way to treat your friend and our guest-"
"It's fine, Mrs. Weasley, really," Harry said, hurriedly, "I'd be happy to-"
"Nonsense!" Mum took those...horrible...dress robes, and gave them to Ron again. "These are perfectly functional-"
Forcing Younger-Ron down, and ignoring Younger-Ron in his head complaining, about the idea of Harry buying him robes, "No, they're not. They're outdated. And objectively terrible. And Harry just said he's happy to get a set for me. Why can't you just let him? As our guest, shouldn't he be able to do what he wants? And, as my friend: is Harry not allowed to get a gift for his friend?"
"Really, Mrs. Weasley," Harry cut in, "you've all done so much for me, I'd like to give something in return, honest- and Ron's my friend, I want to help him out-"
TRUST me, he sent, to Younger-Ron. You will have to use dress robes, and do you really want to use the ones Mum got? In front of everyone? And like I said, Harry's your friend, just let him do something for you, there's nothing embarrassing about that. What would be embarrassing, though, is showing up in...those... Ron cast a glance at the awful, offending, secondhand robes.
...Younger-Ron admitted he would rather "go starkers" than show up in those.
In the end - especially when Ron pointed out that it was rude to refuse Harry's generosity - Mum gave up, but it was clear she was not happy about it.
Ron, however, could not bring himself to care, when, soon after, he found himself with a nice set of ink-blue robes. He could tell Younger-Ron didn't, either (especially since Younger-Ron was the one picking them out). Also, it was nice to see how happy it made Harry to help his best friend out.
I told you you wouldn't regret it, he sent.
...You win this time, came back. Ron had to force himself not to laugh.
Chapter 4...Some new events...
I am working on Chapter 5 currently, but I can't say when it will come out for certain. Again, from now on, it will take longer to update, and may not update regularly.
(In case anyone is wondering why Narcissa is able to have "figured it out right away," the reason is: in canon, she was able to lie to Voldemort without raising even his suspicion, when Voldemort is supposed to be very good at Occlumency/Legilimency.
So, I think that suggests that Narcissa herself is very powerful in Occlumency/Legilimency. Thus, naturally, it would make sense that someone skilled in such mental arts would be able to quickly recognize another mind/soul in her son.)
If you have any other questions, let me know, and I'll do my best to answer them back.
Please review if you can, and let me know what you think.