Chapter 3:

The Journey into time:

Harry managed to convince everyone else of a sudden emergency at the ministry and quickly used floo powder to travel to Grimmlaud Place. As he popped back into the familiar refurbished fireplace, he felt again the teeming excitement at hearing from Ron. A flurry of questions were racing through his mind, when Hermione popped behind Harry, parchment in hand.

She shoved the parchment into Harry's hand and watched him read it:

Dear Hermione,

I found out through my sources that you are currently working at the Magical Creature Regulation division and thought it best to write to you, because you are the one i care the most about.

I know i have worried everyone but a lot has happened that i cannot wait to tell you about it. Could you meet me at Diagon Alley? and could you ask Harry if he can spare the time as well.

Don't tell anyone else - yet.

Regards,
Ron

Harry frowned. The handwriting was unmistakably Ron's and the parchment was definitely magical - magical parchments did not allow forging of handwriting. If the writer tried to alter his or her handwriting with evil or wrong intent in mind, the parchment would automatically convert the handwriting back into the writer's original one. The contents informed very less. 'Spare the time' - Harry thought indignantly - "Does he know how much all of us had worried?". Hermione silently nodded and Harry could guess what she was thinking - Was he married or engaged? Had Ron found someone special? Where had he been?. Harry had tried many ways to locate Ron but none of it had yielded concrete results. Arthur, Percy, Charlie had all tried using their contacts too, but to no avail. "My sources!?" - Harry exclaimed aloud. Was Ron well connected? Or was he in touch with someone?

"He cares the most about you" - Harry told Hermione which brought a faint glow in her eyes. Hermione had always loved Ron, a fact they had both admitted during the War and after his disappearance, she had refused to consider anyone else. Her parents had asked her to consider a relationship with Harry - at which she had laughed. Finally she was persuaded to date and she had dated Dean Thomas and Dudley Dursley but only casually. "I hope he is all right" - she muttered as Kreacher came into the room asking whether he needed to make coffee. 'Don't tell anyone else yet', why was Ron shrouding it in mystery?

Harry could still vividly recall the day when it had all happened. He glanced towards the stone basin near the couch where swirled so many memories of his - not that he had too many memories but he had some he did not want to be reminded of day in day out. He gestured to Hermione who nodded. They moved towards the pensieve together, holding hands and suddenly found themselves in Harry's memory of that fateful day.

They could see the great hall, the pile of bodies, the Weasleys - all except Ron - looking numb and sitting near Fred's body. The Malfoys, Gregory Goyle and a few others surrounded by Ministry Wizards with their wands drawn out. Harry could see a large muggle weeping near Professors Sprout and McGonagall. It was Colin's father, Harry made out from the fact that he was still holding Colin's Camera.

Harry was still very uncomfortable with these memories, especially seeing Fred, Tonks and Remus lying dead. He kept staring ahead vacantly when Hermione tugged at his sleeve and motioned towards the stairs leading from Dumbledore's Office to the great hall. They saw themselves, tired and wounded walking down the stairs. They could hear Ron saying, "...would be better if we had a bite to eat first.." and hastily stopping when he saw Hermione glaring furiously at him. "Harry!!", it was Professor Slughorn who was rushing towards them. Harry could remember himself wishing that he had had the time to use the invisibility cloak. "M'Boy", Slughorn boomed. "You did it! You saved us all. A Hero... always said so". He then turned to Hermione and as he did, Harry heared the Hermione near him muttering "Good god no...". "Hermione! You too. Cleverest witch of today's generation. What a team, what a team!". Though not then, now Harry could see the hurt in Ron's eyes as he was being completely sidelined.

Harry saw Slughorn walking away and saw himself turning towards Ron whose ears had turned red. "Ron...", Harry saw himself saying but Ron had silenced him. "You could have told him it took three of us..", Ron said looking furiously at Hermione. "He never gave us time mate", Harry was saying and Hermione nodding along fearfully. Ron seemed to understand but Harry now knew - he never had. Still upset, they saw themselves were walking towards the house tables and followed them. There shouts of congratulations and everyone was patting Harry and Hermione, no one was even looking at Ron. Neville Longbottom was surrounded by a large number of girls and was winking at Harry, Parvati Patil was nursing Seamus Finnigan's wounds and giving him tender glances, and Ernie Macmillan was describing his role in detail to anyone who would listen. All of them mentioning Harry in their whispers, even Hermiones acting like Bellatrix (The story had already been told to the audiences by a much bemused Neville) - no mention of Ron or his saving Harry's life. As they walked forward, Zacharias Smith appeared and turning to Ron made what he thought was a good joke, "Hey Ron! Heard you nearly blew it in the forest... good that Harry and Hermione stuck to the task... or else god knows what". Harry saw himself furiously moving towards smith - words like "Coward..." being audible but Ron who was silent, was walking away ignoring Hermione who was calling out to him to stop.

The last straw was to come in the Former Transfiguration Classroom which now held the dead. Harry and Hermione did not want to enter - they knew what would happen. Ron would be moody on his treatment and would have asked his family if his role was something to be proud of and Ginny upset with his being so selfish (or so she had thought - she had not heard Slughorn or Smith) would end up humiliating him and hitting him with a Bat Bogey Hex - venting out her frustration and anger on Ron jeering him with, "Cannot fight a girl younger than you". Harry and Hermione saw Ron rushing out his face covered with flapping bogeys and rush past them, into the grounds. He could see himself and Hermione rushing after him but knew that by the time they reached - he would have vanished.

Harry saw Hermione kneeling down and sobbing and saw the Hermione next to him doing the same - momentarily confusing him as to who the real Hermione was. One of the sobbing Hermiones looked towards him and said "Please... lets go", Harry nodded and held her hand again. The next minute they were back in Harry's living room with Kreacher having placed two large mugs of Butterbeer and bidding them to have a drink.

After all thet had happened, they had rushed to McGonagall and had requested to be flooed to the Burrow and then Grimmlaud place but Ron was nowhere. Arthur and Molly had not been very worried - they were still mourning Fred but Ginny had not spoken a word and looked very morose and pallid. Frantic searching over the next few days had not yielded anything. Arthur had used all his ministry contacts but to no avail. Even Kreacher failed to locate Ron. Everyone hoped to see him at Fred's Funeral and Hermione even began to round up everyone to see if one of them was Ron under the effects of the polyjuice potion but except for a very angry mundungus - nothing concerete had come of it. Harry had transfered his fury on Ginny and that had put the final blow in their already fractured relationship. Strangely Ginny did not even react to Harry's mentioning her driving away Ron. It was as though She was punishing herself.

The years had passed - Harry had cleared his Auror Training and had become a pretty successful Auror. Hermione was now the Head of the House Elf Governing Laws at the Department of Regulation of Magical Creatures, House Elf Division. Ginny, a chaser for the Harpies. Though Harry, Hermione and Ginny often met at the Burrow there was always an uncomfortable silence between them usually broken by George or Molly.

Ginny had had a few relationships but most of them were volatile and lasted a few weeks at most. Harry had not dated anyone as he still loved Ginny very much but he felt even talking to her would be a betrayal of his seven years of friendship to Ron.

Hermione was clutching Ron's maroon sweater and Harry could see that she was thinking of the changes that might have taken place in Ron, if he would still be as much in love with her as she was with him. If he would be sorry for leaving everyone in such a sorry state.

Diagon Alley.
They would know very soon.