A/N- as promised, here is the next chapter. Enjoy.

Part 2- Hogwarts

Chapter 3

July 20th, 1995

When she'd entered the dimly lit kitchen mere seconds before, Hermione Granger had been the most content she'd been in what had felt like a small eternity. Despite the desperate circumstances that led him there, she'd been reunited with the man she loved, and they'd so far succeeded in their ambitious game of subterfuge against the Weasley clan. She'd even managed to begin to set the board for the red headed viper's downfall. All in all, they were exactly where they wanted to be.

That was, until she'd entered the room a few steps behind Harry, and found herself face to face with the very man she'd been sent back in time to kill.

She'd stiffened at the sight of him, and while his piercing blue eyes had first settled on Harry, they then shifted over to her. A flash of something went over the ancient wizard's face, but it had been gone too fast for Hermione to scrutinize it.

"Ms. Granger." He said softly. "My intention hadn't been for you to join us quite yet. If you wouldn't mind, please rejoin Molly and the others, and we'll fetch you when we've concluded our business." He'd raised his hand towards the door as he spoke, clearly dismissing her.

Hermione opened her mouth to protest but was beaten to it.

"If it's all the same to you, Headmaster, she might as well stay." Percy Weasley said, straightening himself up in his chair. He was seated to Dumbledore's left at the table and was wearing his official Ministry garb. Hermione was surprised to see him, given the state of his relationship with his family.

"I agree, Albus." A deep voice added from Dumbledore's right. "They both need to be interviewed."

She recognized this man at once as Kingsley Shackbolt, the man that had been meant to become the new Minister for Magic after the downfall of Voldemort in the future, albeit before Dumbledore had made his coup. The list of Order members that they could potentially ally with was very short, but his name was near the top of the list.

Dumbledore took a moment to contemplate the two men seated with him at the table, before nodding and motioning for the two teens to sit.

"What's this about, Professor?" Harry asked as he took his seat. Hermione noted that his voice didn't waver, but she could hear the trepidation in his tone.

"As you can imagine dear boy, there are a great many questions about what happened the night that your family was attacked." He began. His tone was the typical soft, sagely one that he adopted when speaking to the students of Hogwarts. Once it had been soothing to them. Now it made Hermione's skin crawl. "These gentlemen," Dumbledore said, motioning to Kingsley and Percy as he spoke, "have come here to conduct interviews with the two of you in regards to that night. To my right is Kingsley Shackbolt, an Auror with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and you already know Mr. Weasley, whom is here…"

"I am here," Percy interjected, "as a Junior Assistant to the Minister, as the representative of the office of the Minister For Magic, and to ensure that this interview is in no way coerced or compromised."

Hermione resisted the urge to roll her eyes as Percy spoke. That explained it. He wasn't there to support them; he was there as Fudge's lapdog. Still, she was surprised he was here. In the previous timeline he'd refused to even speak to his family until Voldemort had been outed in the Ministry at the climax of their brief battle.

Ironically, Albus Dumbledore also resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the young man's fervor.

"Quite." He said dismissively.

Percy opened a folio in front of him, clearly attempting to take control of the meeting, but only succeeding in sending sheets of parchment flying across the table thanks to his forcefulness. "Um… Well… Perhaps we should start at the beginning…" He stammered, growing visibly more flustered. Grabbing a quill, he nearly tipped the bottle of ink he'd set before himself. "How exactly did…"

He was cut off by Kingsley holding up a hand in a commanding gesture of silence to the younger wizard.

"Perhaps I should ask the questions, Secretary Weasley."

"I am the Junior Assistant to the Minister!" Percy said indignantly.

"Be that as it may." Albus interjected, "Mr. Shackbolt is the trained investigator and has been appointed as the chief Auror on this case. This is his interview, Mr. Weasley." The headmasters tone hardened as he finished speaking. "You would do well to remember that you are here as a guest, and as a favor to the Minister."

Percy shrunk under Albus's gaze, and surrendered.

The two teens had watched this minor power struggle play out with a sort of apathetic detachment, both now focusing on how they'd discussed handling this interview when the time came now that the shock of Dumbledore's presence had worn off a bit.

"Now." Kingsley began, his tone just as authoritative as Percy's had been, but somehow still placating at the same time. "Let's start from the beginning. Tell us what happened that night, Harry."

So, he did. Just as he'd done the night before, Harry told the story he'd rehearsed in the hospital. He'd still omitted the bits about him wounding a dementor and then killing who knows how many of them with some kind of previously unknown magic, but the story still flowed easily enough. When he got to the portion where Hermione arrived and saved him, Percy interrupted again.

"And how exactly did you, a minor, come to be in Surrey that night?" He asked, his tone accusatory at best.

Hermione was considering how to answer that without giving Percy relevant information when Dumbledore intervened.

"Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore began, turning a bit to face the young man fully. "You are well aware of the terms the Minister agreed to for this interview to take place. Any questions regarding the exact whereabouts of Mr. Potter and his friends over the past few weeks or their current location are out of bounds. Suffice to say that due to recent events, I had a few trusted individuals keeping an eye on Mr. Potter and those he holds dear as a matter of precaution."

"Recent events being this imagined resurrection you keep going on about?"

"Yes, that would be the event I was referring to." Dumbledore said, eyes sparking.

"Listen here, Dumbledore." Percy said, slamming his folio shut dramatically. "This incident, while tragic, has nothing to do with your fairytales and political motivations!"

"Regardless of my motivations, would it not be a loss to the wizarding community as a whole, if the Boy Who Lived were to perish at the hands of some fanatic or dark creature?" Albus asked him, eyes twinkling.

"That still doesn't answer how she got there." Percy said after a moment. Dumbledore sighed but indulged him.

"The trusted individual that was keeping an eye on Mr. Potter that day went straight to the Burrow when the attack began and, in a regrettable lapse in judgement, spoke of it in front of everyone there. Knowing what you do of Ms. Granger's… willful nature, especially where her friends are concerned, well. You can imagine the rest from there."

"And what of the reports of a large, black dog?" Percy asked, turning to them. Hermione didn't fail to notice it was the first time anyone had acknowledged her directly since she'd sat down. She shrugged.

"Harry had told me about a dog that had been hanging around the neighborhood in a letter earlier this summer. He'd been following him around, and dogs can be quite loyal, so I assumed he would lead me to Harry. I assumed correctly. It ran off after I cast the charm and saved Harry."

'You were able to cast a patronus?" Kingsley asked her, eyes widening in praise.

"Just the cloud, not a corporeal one." She said, lying easily and feigning embarrassment at the praise. "I started reading about them last year and Harry's given me some pointers."

Dumbledore even nodded to her approvingly, which surprised her. Kingsley took a few moments to scratch down his notes, before turning to them.

"As the Headmaster said, this incident has been quite serious. As of now, the dementors that escaped still haven't all been recovered. The Ministry is working hard to get this under control, but you should be careful when you go out. Don't get separated and stick close to someone that can cast the charm if needed." He told them. He turned back to Dumbledore. "I think this will suffice, at least for my purposes."

The two men looked at Percy, who nodded tightly.

"What happens next?" Harry asked them.

"What do you mean, Harry?" Dumbledore asked, glancing at them curiously.

"We both performed underage magic." Hermione said. "Aren't we supposed to be in trouble?"

Kingsley smiled at them warmly.

"Not in the slightest, Ms. Granger. The law makes exemptions for life threatening situations, and I'd say this more than qualified. As far as what happens next is concerned, that'll be up to us at the Ministry to sort out."

"I'll tell you what will happen." Percy barked. "There will be an inquiry! This was inside work, gentlemen, and the culprits will be found and punished to the full extent of the law!"

"I thought this was the inquiry?" Harry asked, confused.

"Not at all!" Percy told him. "The Ministry has assigned the DMLE to head up the containment, but we're not relying on them to investigate this horrendous breach of protocol!"

Kingsley visibly bristled as Percy spoke.

"As I counseled the Minister, an inquiry should be postponed until all of the dementors have been accounted for and the danger has passed." Albus said. Percy continued as if the headmaster hadn't spoken at all.

"The Minister's office has already mobilized a special task force being led by Undersecretary Umbridge, and I've just been informed this morning that an emergency session of the Wizengamot will be convened before the end of the month to address this disaster. No doubt they will launch their own investigation, and an official hearing Will. Be. Held!"

Dumbledore's eyes narrowed, and in the seat beside her, Harry stiffened. Her own mind was already churning.

"I was not made aware of an emergency session."

"If you remember, you are no longer the Chief Warlock."

Dumbledore's normally kind façade broke in that moment, his irritation at the younger many plainly evident as he scowled at him.

"Gentlemen, I don't think this is the place or time for this debate." Kingsley interjected, glancing at the teens starting at them as he spoke.

"What happens if there is an official inquiry?" Hermione asked.

"The two of you would likely have to testify. As far as we're aware, you're the only two survivors of the attack that can function." Kingsley told her, his expression growing weary.

They managed to keep themselves from visibly reeling, but only just. Once again, their plans were going out the window.

The three men talked a bit more amongst themselves, mostly bickering about this and that and Percy trying to flaunt the authority he now thought he held. Harry and Hermione chanced a glance at each other. It was quick and sidelong, but it spoke volumes between the two of them. They would have to adjust once again.

Finally, Dumbledore rose and gestured to the others to follow.

"It's time for me to return Mr. Weasley and Mr. Shackbolt to the Ministry." He said. Glancing over to Kingsley, the auror at once stepped over and distracted Percy with a question about protocol, guiding the younger man towards the door and into the hall. Then Dumbledore came around the table to stand next to him. Harry had hoped that maybe things would play out like last time, where he all but ignored him this summer, but his hope faded when Dumbledore stopped next to them. They'd stood when the others had, and now the three of them stood together in the quiet, empty kitchen.

For the first time, Harry and Hermione were alone with the man they'd been sent back to fight. To kill.

"I'm glad to see you're on the mend, my boy." Dumbledore said, his tone soft and grandfatherly. His expression was one of concern, but his eyes were bright and piercing.

For a moment, Hermione's heart began to race. They'd assumed, foolishly now in hindsight, that Dumbledore would avoid them. What would happen if he tried to use legilimency on one of them and found the protections of their rings blocking him?

"Thank you, sir." Harry said smoothly. "I've been glad to be able to rest here."

There was a somewhat tense silence, in which Dumbledore seemed to be scrutinizing them. Hermione's heart still felt like it was about to burst from her chest. Even in his old age, the headmaster radiated power. Finally, the old wizard spoke again.

"We do have some things to discuss, my boy." He told him. "But now is not the time, I think. For now, I'll leave you in the capable hands of the Weasleys." He smiled at them each in turn and Hermione felt her skin crawl under his gaze, but she didn't show it. The headmaster turned and was almost out of the door when he turned back suddenly, as if he'd changed his mind. "A word of caution, Harry." He began, suddenly seeming tired and grave. "Mr. Weasleys vigor on this matter matches that of the Minister. IF an official hearing were to be held, I will do my best to keep your involvement to a minimum, but I may not be able to prevent them from dragging you even further down their rabbit hole. My best advise would be to find some normalcy for now, and to keep a low profile." Suddenly he was looking directly at Hermione, with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "And no more excursions."

With that, Albus Dumbledore turned and left them both standing there. They heard some more light talk in the hall, then saw the telltale glow of flames on the wall and the roaring sound that accompanied floo travel. Then it was quiet again.

Without so much as twitching Harry wandlessly closed the door, while his betrothed cast a privacy charm just for good measure. As soon as it was done, the simultaneously reached out and wrapped and embraced each other. They both exhaled heavily, finally allowing their adrenaline to drop. Both were shaking slightly, and they held onto each other for dear life.

"Bloody hell that was terrifying." Hermione managed to mumble after a few moments.

"I don't think terrifying does it justice." Harry murmured into her shoulder as he held her. Finally, they pulled back and with a wave of her hand Hermione summoned a kettle and two mugs as the two sat down wearily at the table. They knew they didn't have too long, since Molly will no doubt be looking for them, but they needed what precious little time alone they could have with each other to think. A quick and particularly strong warming charm later, and the two were soon sipping on their tea as they collected their thoughts.

"So what now?" Hermione asked him, her chocolate orbs meeting his from behind her mug. "You know what will happen if there is a full hearing."

Harry ran his fingers through his hair, growling in frustration as he removed the glasses he'd been wearing. They'd not wanted to tip anyone off about their changing bodies, so he'd been wearing a pair of glasses Hermione had made for him with lenses that did nothing to keep up appearances since his arrival at Grimmauld.

'They'll call up all seats." He said after a moment.

"Including yours." Hermione said, speaking what they were both thinking. Harry laid his cup down and leaned forward onto the table, both of his hands now in his wild hair as he rested his elbows on the wooden surface.

"Seems like our plan to wait until the official session in the fall to announce my Lordship won't be happening after all." Harry said solemnly. Hermione leaned back in her chair as she thought.

"I think we can still use this to our advantage." She said after a while.

"How so?" Harry asked, too tired to try to keep up with her powerful mind.

"We let it happen. In fact, we make it happen." She said simply. Harry's raised eyebrow told her she needed to elaborate more. "We use the goblins. Let them announce it. They could say they found your parents will in a random account audit. That will account for how it was opened, and you'll publicly be granted your title and emancipation."

"Gartooth did say he would help however he could." He added. "I think we should announce the betrothal too."

Hermione looked at him for a moment before responding.

"I agree. If nothing else, it will limit the amount of overt meddling Dumbledore can do while we're at school. You'll likely get access to the lord's quarters and as your betrothed, I'll be able to stay there also." She added, a slight blush rising on her cheeks as she finished. Harry didn't fail to notice it. "Not to mention being an official lord gives you legal protections."

"He won't like me not being under his thumb."

"What choice would he have?" She asked. "He can't outright contradict wizarding laws and still hold his position as leader of the light."

"We know what he's capable of Hermione." Harry said, his tone grave. "We know he will do whatever it takes to make sure his plans go the way he wants. I don't want you in unnecessary danger."

Hermione smiled at him and reached over, brushing a hand over his cheek.

"That's sweet of you Harry, but we're both never going to not be in danger until this is over with. And I can protect myself, as you very well know." Hermione told him gently, the memory of the confrontation in the alley at the forefront of her mind. "We need to start being more proactive and less reactionary. While misguided in the execution, you getting the ring was a good start. We need to keep moving forward."

"I agree." Harry said after a moment. "I'll call our little friend this evening and have him get a message to the goblins." He leaned in then and kissed her gently, catching her by surprise. Still, she hummed in satisfaction and leaned into him, sliding her fingers into his dark hair.

They had just pulled back when the door burst open and one Ronald Weasley came barging into the room, bellowing like a fool.

"Oi you two, Mum says we've got work to…" He said, trailing off suddenly when he saw how close the two were. His eyes narrowed and the goofy grin dropped from his face.

"Yeah mate, we were just having some tea. We're coming." Harry said, rising from his chair. Hermione followed him, and the two made their way towards Ron and then past him into the hall. Harry was a few steps ahead, so didn't notice when Ron grabbed Hermione by the arm, stopping her.

"What's all that about?" Ron asked her, nodding towards the table. Hermione's eyes narrowed at him.

"We were having tea, Ronald." She told him briskly. "Now let me go."

"Just the two of you?" He asked, ignoring her command. To her surprise, the grip on her arm tightened.

Not for the first time since her arrival, Hermione was suddenly gone from Grimmauld place and back in the shabby flat in London. Fear clenched at her insides, tightening her gut and stabbing at her heart as she felt a wave of cold nausea course through her. Pain. She knew it was coming. She was waiting for him to rear back and strike her, and she would just take it because Ron was all she had left…

The ring on her finger burned hotly, snapping her out it. The flashback had only lasted a few seconds, but she'd felt like she'd been gone for hours. She glared at Ron, her expression going from irritation to naked anger.

"We had a meeting with Professor Dumbledore and the Ministry representatives about the dementor attack. They only left a few moments ago." She told him, her tone growing hard and eyes narrowing at the end. "Now. Let. Me. Go."

The way she was glaring at him made a chill run down his spine, and Ron released her as if he'd been burned. Hermione pulled away roughly and stormed from the room, muttering darkly low enough for him not to hear. His eyes followed her out of the kitchen and through the door, and that's when he really felt fear.

Standing in the doorway, his expression hard as stone and his eyes alight with anger, was Harry Potter. He didn't say a word, and he didn't need to. If Ron had been less inadequate in the magic department, he would've been able to feel the power that had begun to fill the room. As it was, he suddenly felt a heavy pressure about him, not unlike the weight in the air before a storm breaks.

She stopped as she passed through the door and raised her hand, placing it on Harry's left arm and squeezing slightly while giving him a meaningful glance. Then she was gone, having turned so suddenly her brown hair flew about her as she left and walked calmly up the stairs. Ron felt anger beginning to bubble up again, but was too confused and frightened to take any action.

In the moment she'd placed her hand on his arm, Hermione had reminded herself that she was here. That he was here. That as long as they were together, they would be ok. She'd drawn strength from him in that moment, strength he was only too happy to give her.

Harry let Hermione pass by him but kept his eyes locked on Ron the entire time, not breaking eye contact until he heard Hermione's feet on the stairs in the distance. Then he turned without a word and left a shaken Ronald Weasley standing there alone.

Hermione's touch had also been a silent command to him.

Not yet.

Early evening sunlight pierced through the now doxy free and wide opened curtains, filling the room with fiery golden light.

Harry groaned loudly as he sat down with a heavy thud onto the chest against the wall, ignoring the creaking sound it made under his weight.

Mrs. Weasley had been on the warpath after their meeting. She seemed determined to work the two of the as hard as possible. Whether it was to make up for lost time, of to simply keep them apart, he couldn't be sure.

Any and all opportunity for them to talk had been met with direct and harsh interference by the Weasley matron, who met each completed task with another one ready to start, and after a while she'd reassigned Hermione and Ginny to the kitchen to start getting things together for dinner.

Harry had to admit to himself, he was slightly concerned about the two of them being alone together, but after their talk earlier he had resigned himself to trusting in her and her strength. Not to mention he'd been preoccupied with the dark looks Ron kept giving him. It seemed Ginny wasn't alone in her suspicions regarding the two now.

As if on cue, Ron came striding over to him, a rag hanging from his pocket and smears of dirt and dust all over his clothes. Harry glanced around the room and realized that the only other person in the room was Sirius, who was rummaging through a few crates in the far corner and paying little attention to them.

"Got a minute?" The red head asked him. Harry raised an eyebrow at him but nodded. "What's with you and Hermione getting all cozy downstairs?"

To his own credit, Harry didn't immediately hex the fool out of his trainers. Instead, he remained calm.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked him. "We were just having tea, mate."

"Didn't look it to me." Ron fired back. His tone was getting harsher with each word, and while he was doing well to keep his own temper under control, he couldn't keep the glint of jealous anger out of his eyes. Harry sighed, dropping his head and shaking it for a moment before standing up.

When he rose to his full height, Ron felt a sudden stab of the fear from before. Even though Harry was still a few inches shorter than him, although not as much as he'd been in the previous timeline, Ron somehow felt like he was towering over him.

"And what did it look like, Ron?" Harry asked, his tone betraying his waning patience. Ron faltered for a moment, but pressed on.

"It.." He mumbled, stuttering a bit. "It looked like you were making a move on her."

"So what if I was?" Harry shot back. Suddenly his green eyes were hard, and Ron felt his own temper flare up suddenly, despite his growing fear.

"I told you last year. Hermione's my bird." Ron said angrily, his hands clenching into fists at his sides.

Harry was at war with himself. He'd known this confrontation would happen at some point, but he had been hoping to put it off until they went back to school. At least there they'd be on somewhat equal footing. Still, he'd been wanting to tear the red headed morons head from his shoulders since before they'd travelled through time.

The two young men stood there for what felt like an eternity, eyes locked on each other as the battle raged in Harry's mind. Somehow, Harry managed to suppress the anger that had been consuming him.

"We were just having tea mate." Harry said finally, his posture relaxed somewhat as he pushed his hands into his pockets. It took every ounce of his self-control to do it, but Harry broke away from read heads gaze and turned away from him, heading towards the door.

Ronald Weasley was known to give in to his temper more often than not, but people tended to overlook how calculating he could be. It was one of the reasons he loved chess so much. He had planned the confrontation with Harry all afternoon and into the evening.

From the moment she'd arrived at Grimmauld Place, Hermione had been avoiding him. There was no other explanation to her behavior. Every time he'd tried to talk to her, she'd either been busy or kept the conversation short, and she'd disappeared up to her room right after their meals. Not to mention she'd been not feeling well the first day or so she'd been here. It had driven him mad, not being able to talk to her. Then HE had to come. It didn't even register that Harry was only here because he'd been attacked. If anything, Ron thought the perfect Boy-Who-Lived deserved that and more. But ever since he'd come, Hermione hadn't even looked at him. Instead, all of her attention was on HIM. Ron wasn't stupid. He'd seen the little glances they would sneak at each other here and there. And they always seemed to be together. He'd decided to corner Harry to get to the bottom of what was going on between his two 'friends', but now he felt even more confused and angry.

Whatever that exchange had been, despite the fact that Harry had walked away, Ron somehow felt like he had lost.

A deep scowl set on his face as he stomped after him, intent on chasing Harry down and making him answer his question.

"We're not done!" He growled, grabbing Harry by the shoulder and spinning him around. He opened his mouth to keep ranting, intent on telling the prick exactly who Hermione belonged to but was cut off by Harry's fist slamming directly into the left side of his jaw.

Ron reeled from the blow and fell backwards with a dull grunt, landing flat on his backside with a heavy thud. He looked up at the black haired boy, Eyes wide with shock as pain blossomed in his jaw. Then Ron's eyes narrowed, and he saw red.

"YOU FUCKER!" Ron yelled, jumping to his feet and lunging at Harry. Harry sidestepped away from Ron, easily dodging his wild haymaker.

The difference between the two young men, despite both of their proclivities for giving in to the tempers, is that while Ron lost control, Harry's anger sharpened his senses instead of dulling them. Where Ronald saw red and attacked blindly, Harry experienced something akin to tunnel vision, allowing him to remain in control of his actions. He simply had much more experience in life or death battles than Ron did.

As soon as he'd planted his feet after dodging Ron's lunging punch, Harry brought up his left knee, striking the buffoon right in the solar plexus and winding him instantly before stepping back and circling away from him.

Ron collapsed to the floor, wheezing heavily. To his credit, he struggled to his feet despite trying desperately to gasp for breath. Harry's eyes narrowed at him. If Ron was this far gone, this may get uglier than he'd intended.

"She's…. mine… selfish… prick…" He'd managed to get out around wheezes. Harry's expression darkened, and when he spoke, his tone was deadly.

"Hermione doesn't belong to anyone." He bit out. "She's a person, not an object. She can spend time with whomever she likes."

Ron was losing himself in his anger. Instead of responding, her dove at Harry again. Harry was mildly surprised the moron could move that quickly despite the blow he'd suffered, so he took two steps back to create some distance between them. This time Ron threw a jab with his left that Harry dodged easily, followed by another wild haymaker that actually got a little too close for Harry's comfort.

"FUCK! YOU!" Ron yelled at the top of his lungs.

Harry decided that he'd had enough. Ron's third punch missed and when he again went for a heavy right, Harry made his move. Ron felt his blow connect, but not with his targets face. To Ron's shock, Harry had caught the blow mid strike in his left hand. With a twist of his wrist and a tug, he'd moved the blow out of his path and simultaneously pulled Ron off of his balance, breaking his stance and any chance of stopping what was coming for him. Harry put all of his strength into the blow as his right fist connected with Ron's face. He followed through, his torso twisting into it as he lifted himself up while letting go of Ron's hand at the same time.

The effect was instantaneous. Harry's punch was delivered with terrific force and thanks to the momentum he'd given it the red head was sent spiraling across the room, his feet leaving the floor as blood sprayed from his mouth. Ron's body slammed a cabinet against the wall, his bulk collapsing the wood underneath him as he landed with a resounding crash of splintering wood and cracking plaster. The trinkets on the shelves fell all around him, adding to the symphony of destruction.

For a moment, it seemed like it was over. Ron lay in a heap on the floor, blood dribbling from his mouth as he groaned in pain. He coughed once, and spit out a glob of blood that Harry was sure he'd seen a few specks of white in. Then, to Harry's everlasting surprise, Ron scrambled to his feet with something between a growl and a scream.

Harry realized then that Ron was gone, completely lost in his rage. This was getting dangerous. For an instant, Harry was distracted by the sound of feet pounding on the stairs and shouting voices, his eyes flicking to the door.

Ron saw the opening despite his anger and being the coward that he was, drew his wand. Somehow it hadn't been damaged in his fall.

Harry locked eyes with Ron right as he opened his mouth to cast the spell.

"CRU…" He began, but never got to finish as he was hit with a disarming spell and a sticking charm back to back, resulting in his wand flying from his hand and his body being propelled into the wall and stuck there, limbs splayed out comically. He'd opened his mouth to scream in anger but was then hit with a silencing charm, resulting in only being able to writhe angrily against the wall, looking like he was howling with rage but making no noise.

"That's quite enough of that, then."

Harry turned to see his godfather, still in the corner he'd been in before with his wand raised in his right hand and Ron's in his left.

"Thanks." He told him. Sirius grinned at him as he made his way over to his godson, looking like a father whose son had just won his first Quidditch match.

"That was well fought, pup." Sirius said. "Too bad this git decided to be a sore loser." He added, his smile leaving his face as he grimaced at the raging form of Ronald Weasley. "Oh, shut it!" Sirius growled at him.

Sirius hadn't noticed the altercation developing behind him, but it hadn't surprised him either. He'd felt the tension rolling off of the youngest Weasley boy ever since Harry had arrived. It had confused him a bit, since he'd known them to be friends, but he'd decided to not interfere. Then, when he'd caught on to the rising voices behind him, he'd decided again to not get between them. Even he and James had gone at each other once or twice. Fighting was normal between teenage boys.

Then he'd heard Ron wheezing about someone being his and his thoughts darkened considerably. He'd known straight off whom Ron was referring to. He'd seen the way Ron had been looking at Hermione since she'd arrived and if he was honest with himself, the obsessive, almost predatory way his eyes followed her every move made his skin crawl.

"What's going on here?" Arthur Weasley growled out as he entered the room, followed by the twins. His eyes went from Harry with his bloody knuckles, to Sirius with his wand drawn to Ron. "What happened he asked them, confusion evident on his face.

Harry thanked his lucky stars that Molly hadn't come through first. She'd likely end up in a duel with Sirius if she had.

Sirius smiled ruefully at Arthur.

"Just boys being boys, Arthur. I think they had a disagreement about a certain brunette and it got out of hand." Sirius told him. He walked over to him and leaned in closer, whispering something that only Arthur could hear.

Arthur seemed to deflate a bit, shaking his head.

"Boys!" He shouted, looking towards the twins. "Fred, get your brother down and take him to his room. George, go get your mother and send her up." He told them. "It seems we need to have a talk."

Harry had only seen Arthur angry a few times, and it had always shocked him. The man was usually so easy going it was difficult to imagine him being harsh, but the glare he directed at Ron made the color drain from his son's face. Ron's demeanor changed immediately, going from anger to what was probably an attempt to babble out excuses, despite still being silenced.

"For sanity's sake I'd advise leaving the silencing charm." Sirius added as the twins got Ron unstuck from the wall. He was struggling against them. It wasn't clear if he was trying to plead his case or to simply go back after Harry, but after a moment the twins had drug him out into the hall and up the stairs towards his room.

"We'll talk about this later Harry, but I'm sorry for Ron's behavior." Arthur said wearily. "Quarrels between friends happen, but there's no excuse to draw wands." He told him, placing an encouraging hand on his shoulder and giving it a squeeze.

With that Arthur left the room and followed after the twins. A moment later and both of them came back down, casting meaningful looks towards them as the passed by the door. Another moment passed, and the silence was split by the howling form of Mrs. Weasley barreling up the stairs like a freight train. She didn't even glance at them as she passed, and Harry was suddenly very glad that she did.

They heard the door to Ron's room open and slam shut again so hard the walls rattled. The sounds of screaming filled the halls until they stopped abruptly, telling them all that the room had been silenced.

"Let's go see what's for dinner." Sirius said jovially, pocketing his wand and striding from the room as if nothing happened.

Harry shook his head and followed him.

The two entered the kitchen to find it relatively empty, at least when compared to the usual state this summer. Ginny was stirring a large pot of what smelled like pasta on the stove, her expression sour. The twins sat awkwardly at the table, fiddling with what looked to be an extendable ear. His eyes finally found Hermione standing on the other side of the kitchen from Ginny, chopping vegetables. He felt himself relax when he saw her, but when she met his gaze, she had the opposite reaction.

"Harry!" She exclaimed, dropping the knife and coming over to him. "The twins said you and Ron got into a fight?" She asked him. She saw the blood on his right hand and reach out for him, frowning at him after she inspected it. "Go and sit." She ordered him, not waiting for him to answer her question.

With a sigh Harry complied with her order, knowing better than to argue. Sirius just chuckled at them as the two sat down at the table.

"If it isn't the new world champion." Fred said.

"Heavyweight, he is." George added.

"Didn't realize you were a boxer Harry."

"And a fine one at that."

"Very fine."

"Think ickle Ronnie lost a few teeth."

The twins were falling into their usual rhythm when the stopped dead, frozen by an icy glare from Hermione as she came back to the table with a bowl of water and a few cloths.

She sat down next to Harry without a word, dipping one of the cloths into the water in and setting about cleaning the blood from his hand.

Harry winched at bit at the roughness of the cloth on the broken and swollen skin of his knuckles. Their eyes met, and green held brown for a long moment before she returned to her work. He'd seen a mixture of emotions in her eyes and on her face. She was angry, but probably not at him. She was also worried about how this would affect their already unravelling plans, but more than anything he'd thought he'd seen gratitude. She was grateful to him for defending her. For making her feel safe.

Harry had known Hermione had been having a difficult time with being here. He'd known she would from the very beginning. Being forced to be close to people you thought had loved you but were really just using you was difficult enough for him, so he could only imagine what being near Ron had forced her to feel. To relive.

A dark satisfaction filled him at that moment. That bastard had finally gotten a taste of what was coming for him, and it was only the beginning. Everyone that had used them, that had hurt them would pay for it, but Ron Weasley's name was high on Harry's ledger, second only to Dumbledore himself.

It had been difficult for him, since coming to Grimmauld. They had fallen into the same rhythm they'd had before, and with the exception of a few moments here and there things had almost been like they had in the past. When'd he'd believed that these people were his family. That they loved them both.

But today had been an ugly reminder of the truth. Between Ginny's outburst that morning, the tense meeting with Dumbledore, and now Ron's petty jealousy leading to violence, Harry was reminded of why there were there. Why they had travelled to the past, and what they had come back to do.

Little attention was paid by anyone in the room to the youngest Weasley, who had stopped stirring the pot on the stove and now stood there, hands balled into fists at her sides as she shook with barely suppressed rage.

A/N- Another longer chapter down. This one was fun to write, especially with Harry's confrontation with Ron. We'll be picking up the pace and getting to the castle soon. Next time, revelations and retreat. As always, thanks for all of the love and reviews!

A/N 2- I was really surprised by all the follows and reviews I've gotten for This Horrible, Beautiful World. Especially the first few days after I posted it. So, let's make it official. Chapter one is officially chapter one, and it will continue!

That being said, I don't have it planned out as thoroughly as I do Noctis Umbra, so it will likely not be updated as often. I'll probably have Chapter 2 done before the next chapter of NU, but I don't want them to compete. Noctis Umbra is still the primary story I want to tell so it will be the priority.