I decided to post another chapter this week, since the story and the characters are now in place and it's all coming together. I like to be quite thorough and don't like to leap in time between chapters [one is already enough ;)], as it is often done in time-travel stories. Though I can safely say, that the story will not move to Hogwarts until chapter 15 or so. I have the story fleshed out, but promise that I won't be stretching the plot unnecessarily.
Coming up next, we have the cause of time travel, Ginny's birthday, Harry's trial (Dolores Umbridge smiling sweetly), and some friendship fluff; naturally with Hinny fluff.
I hope you keep tuning in to find out what happens next.
Reviews are welcome, they keep me going.
Thank You.

Chapter 5 : The Nightmare

He was racing down the identical back stone corridors as his heart pounded in his chest. His pants of breath were the only noises that rang out in the small space as he turned yet another corner. His eyes landed on the only door at the end of the corridor; the door he recognised to lead to the Department of Mysteries.

'STOP!' his mind screamed at him, but his feet ignored him as they pounded against the floor, leading him closer and closer to the door. It opened before he even touched it and he found himself in a circular room that he knew only too well. Another door opened for him and he ran through automatically, despite the panic that had started to flood his brain. He had half expected to see the Room of Prophecies, but the room he found himself in was much, much worse than that.

His feet slowed down as he reached the edge of the stairs. His mind fought harder as he slowly and calmly walked down the steep steps - each step composed and calculated, as if he had a purpose, as if he was supposed to walk here at this very moment in time.

He felt his eyes widen as he looked at the archway that stood on the raised dais, it's black, ragged curtain ruffling in an unknown breeze. The closer he got to it, the louder the whispering voices got; many voices all trying to talk at once, until they became an incoherent babble that he couldn't make sense of.

Finally, his feet stopped as he stood five feet away from the curtain.

The voices grew more urgent, as did his protesting mind that warned him that he shouldn't be here, that he should get away as fast as possible. He knew what was going to happen, and he dreaded it with every fibre of his being. He knew who those voices belonged to and he hoped in vain that they wouldn't seek him out.

Despite what he knew, he was still surprised to see the Sirius Black step out from behind the curtain. He looked exactly the same as he had the night he died - the same robes, the same long hair, everything was the same. Except for the eyes. The blank, empty eyes that focused on him, that sucked him in until he could see the deep hatred and betrayal that was hidden underneath, the emotions that the eyes could not unveil.

"It's all your fault, Harry," he whispered in a voice that was as dead as his grey eyes. "It wasn't my time to die, but I did because of you. If you weren't stupid enough to believe that vision, I would still be alive. If you weren't stupid enough to walk right into his trap, I wouldn't have had to come after you. I died and it's all because of you."

" Wasn't my fault... Stop... Leave me alone... I tried..." Harry sobbed.

Harry's legs trembled, but they didn't move as he desperately wished they would. He stared at the face of his godfather as his mouth let out a slew of protests and then behind him, the veil rippled again.

Harry thought he was going to be sick as he looked into the unresponsive eyes of Fred Weasley.

"We took you in. Gave you a home. Treated you like a brother. I fought for you. I died for you. If I didn't know you, if you didn't become friends with Ron, I would still be alive. I would still be with George. You killed me, Harry; caused me to die. You ruined George's life and destroyed mine."

He couldn't take it anymore. He clamped his hands over his ears and screamed and sobbed his apologies. It wasn't his fault. He tried to help them, tried to save them all!

" STOP! PLEASE! IT WASN'T MY FAULT! I DIDN'T MEAN TO! PLEASE... BELIEVE ME... I'M SORRY..."

Suddenly, a new voice pierced through the monotone of accusations. This new voice was full of emotion, of disappointment and sadness. Harry quickly swivelled around to find the source of the new voice and his heart almost stopped as he saw Ginny standing a few feet away from him with a bundle in her arms. He cringed away from the look on her face, which matched her tone of voice exactly, but his eyes still wouldn't allow him to look away.

"We're back in a world with him Harry. You can't protect me. You can't protect our baby. We will die because of you, just like everyone else did. You won't be able to protect us." Tears filled her eyes as she said these words. The bundle in her arms let out a high pitched wail, and she automatically began to rock it in her arms, her eyes still trained on Harry.

He couldn't take it anymore as his head split in pain and he lost consciousness.

Ginny wandered sleepily downstairs to get a glass of water. She was struggling to sleep again as nausea filled her stomach. She sighed as she grabbed a glass from the cupboard and ran the tap. She hadn't been sleeping very well since they had somehow travelled back in time, only getting a few hours of sleep and then laying wide awake until sleep claimed her again. She knew it was because she didn't sleep in the same bed as Harry.

Over the years, she had grown used to sharing a bed with her boyfriend, and then husband. She loved waking up in the morning to feeling his arms wrapped around her and felt comforted when she snuggled against him. She leaned against the counter and took a sip of her drink. Ginny wondered how Harry was getting on in a separate bed. He always wore a pleasant and innocent face when sleeping, which he attributed to the fact that Ginny was beside him.

She was about to take another sip of her drink when a scream ripped through the silence. The glass slipped from her fingers and smashed as it hit the hard stone floor of the kitchen, but Ginny didn't care as she sprinted out of the room. Her heart was in her chest as she raced up the stairs, as the scream carried on relentlessly. She knew that scream, it was Harry's.

By the time she reached the bedroom he shared with Ron, the rest of the people staying in the house had crowded in the doorway. Her parents, Sirius and Hermione were standing frozen in the room as Ron tried unsuccessfully to wake Harry up.

"Move!" she growled as she pushed people out of the way and shoved her way through the door. Nobody spared her a glance as they all stared transfixed at Harry whose scream still blared through the air. Ginny's breath caught in her chest as she saw what was happening.

Harry was thrashing around on his back, with his hands covering his ears like a child who didn't want to listen to what someone said, while his legs kicked the mattress and his back arched a little off the bed. His eyes were closed shut as his mouth hung open and his shriek ripped out of his throat, occasionally being broken with an awful sob. Sweat and tears mingled on his face and his entire frame was shaking.

"STOP! PLEASE! IT WASN'T MY FAULT! I DIDN'T MEAN TO! PLEASE... BELIEVE ME... I'M SORRY...," he yelled as she unfroze and climbed onto the bed with him.

"Ginny -" her mother began to protest, but she quickly shut her mouth when Ginny sent a fierce glare in her direction. Molly sent a quick look at Arthur as though to plead with him to reason with their daughter, but he merely shook his head at her and then turned to watch the young couple closely.

Hermione had started crying as her hands covered her mouth. Ron, who had abandoned his effort to wake Harry as soon as Ginny entered the room, went to stand beside her and cautiously put his hand on her shoulder. Hermione turned toward him and flung herself in his arms before beginning to sob shakily onto his shoulder. He warily and uncomfortably wrapped his arms around her.

Ginny looked down and saw that Harry was getting frantic. It could only mean that this nightmare was worse than usual. Her hand came up to stroke his cheek gently as she leaned down close to his face. "Shush, Harry. It's okay, it's not real. Come back Harry, Come back to me," she gently crooned into his ear, her hand still stroking his cheek. His screaming words continued as he sharply tried to flail his arms, causing Ginny to hold them tighter against her as though to tether him to real life.

"Ginny... Not you... not the baby... Please...," he cried out in a breathless whine that caused Ginny's heart to twist painfully. She blocked out the renewed crying behind her and Remus' question of getting Dumbledore; she just focused on trying to wake Harry up.

"I'm fine, Harry. So is the baby. Everyone's okay. Please wake up. Come back to me Harry," she pleaded as she interluded her gentle stroking with a few sharp taps to his cheek. "Come on, Harry. Wake up. Wake up for me, love." Harry's screams had stopped but now he was bawling loudly.

"Wake up Harry," Ginny said once again as she punctuated her words with a last sharp tap on the side of Harry's face. He chocked on his sobs as he jerked away from the contact. He began to drag in sharp gasps like he had just been saved from drowning in his chilling thoughts. His eyes blinked sluggishly as his mind gripped onto the reality that surrounded him and not the bleak images he had just been immersed in.

He sat up quickly, causing Ginny to move out of the way a little before he knocked his head into hers. Several of the people crowding the room gasped as Harry's eyes roamed the room until they landed on Ginny's face. With a small cry of relief, he flung himself at her, his arms wrapping around her stomach as he pressed his face into her chest and gathered in sharp, breathless gasps. Ginny wrapped her arm around his shoulder and cradled his head, running her hand through his hair.

"Shhhh, it's okay. It's okay," she whispered to him as she placed a kiss on his head and whispered more assurances in his ear.

Remus, Sirius, her parents, the twins and Ron and Hermione watched as they couple wrapped themselves around each other, ignoring them all as if they weren't in the room.

"Come on, let's go back to bed," Arthur said quietly, but firmly, said as he began to tug his wife out of the door.

"But...," she protested weakly as she looked back at the teens on the bed.

"No, Molly," Arthur gently said, "We'll talk about this later. Ginny's got everything under control." Molly glanced at the pair again before sighing in resignation and following her husband out of the bedroom.

Hermione followed, and so did Ron. He decided he would sleep somewhere else tonight - if he was actually capable of sleeping after all of this. Sirius and Remus left too, leaving the two time-travellers in peace.

Ginny began to rock him back and forth a little.

"It's not real," she stated. Harry nodded in absent agreement.

Ginny's hair was messy from sleep, her eyes slightly reddened by tears she wouldn't let fall and her face was flushed. But Harry thought she was the most stunning thing in the world as he leaned up to give her a passionate kiss. Her sparkling eyes that were filled with laughter and love and the smile that graced her lips was what made her more beautiful than all of the stars that twinkled in the universe. It was the tender look she was giving him, as well as the blissful feeling of being expecting parents that made Harry glad that she was here to chase the nightmares away.

Molly was in a state of shock as her husband led her back to their bedroom. She couldn't seem to blink or stop her tears or open her mouth and say something; all she could do was watch the image of Harry thrashing on his bed play in her mind over and over again while her heart seemed to crack like a brittle china pot. Arthur had his jaw tensed the whole way back. He pushed his memories of what he had just seen to the back of his mind and decided to instead concentrate on what needed to be done now.

Eventually they reached their bedroom and the sharp click of the door closing finally snapped Molly out of her depressing reverie.

"Oh Arthur!" she sobbed louder as she threw herself into his arms. She continued to babble nonsense as Arthur gently rocked her and whispered soothing sounds in her ear. When he felt her cries lessen and quieten down, he led her to sit on the bed, leaning away from her and angling his body so he could still look into her face. Molly began to hiccup a little as she looked into her husband's blue eyes and realised that his next words were going to be important – or something she wasn't going to like one bit.

"Molly, from now on Harry and Ginny are going to be sleeping in the same room." The tone the Weasley patriarch used clearly showed that that was what was happening, no matter what his wife had to say.

Molly sat there, staring at him for a moment as she tried to process what he had just said. It was only a few moments later that she opened her mouth and began to argue back, just as Arthur had expected she would.

"But Arthur, they can't! They're -"

"No, Molly," he raised his voice a little over hers as she began to try and interrupt him again. "Do you not see what has happened tonight? What has happened since they got here? Molly, Harry hasn't slept a full night since he got here! I hear him sometimes at night, creeping downstairs. And he is always the first one awake, with large black circles under his eyes."

"I've noticed," Molly admitted in a small voice. Her eyes dimmed like a blown light bulb as a few tendrils of guilt twisted in her stomach.

"I know you have. Molly, something happens in the future, something that Harry and Ginny have had to live through. Something so bad that it still haunts him."

Molly shivered as Arthur continued softly, "He needs her, Mollywobbles. He needs her to chase those images away. You saw how she calmed him down tonight. And I'm willing to bet that he gives her the same amount of comfort as well."

"But they're so young..." she argued back in a weak voice. She couldn't even look her husband in the eye anymore; instead she focused her sorrowful gaze on her twisting hands that lay in her pyjama covered lap. He smiled gently at her and tipped her chin up so he could look into her eyes.

"They may be physically young, but as far as Ginny is concerned she's a married adult with a kid on the way. They're both going through a difficult time - Ginny more so than Harry - and they need the comfort that only they can give one another."

Chocolate eyes brimming with sadness gazed into those of an ocean blue that were filled with persuasion, compassion and understanding. Eventually Molly nodded and folded into her husband's arms.

Hermione Granger couldn't keep still, so instead she paced up and down the small space that was available in her bedroom. Normally this would have annoyed the hell out of one Ronald Weasley, but after what had happened tonight he was perfectly happy to let her pace while he held his head in his hands and stared dejectedly at the threadbare carpet. So far they had stayed silent as they sorted through their own thoughts, but soon enough this was not enough for the bushy haired girl.

"Something happened to him, Ron. Something horrible." Her voice was full of determination, almost as though she dared him to contradict her. Ron just sighed and then shifted his head to look up at her.

"I know." He whispered to her. "I know."

"Oh really? You know?" she bit harshly at him. Her eyes narrowed with anger and, although most of him knew he deserved the upcoming lecture and insults, a small part of Ron felt that she shouldn't be having a go at him because she was upset over what had just happened.

"How could you possibly know, Ronald? You've hardly spoken to him or Ginny since they arrived! You've just glared and pouted and stormed off and acted like a child! How could you have any idea, huh?" her voice steadily rose in pitch the more agitated she became.

Ron flinched slightly at her accusations but couldn't deny them. He knew that he had acted horribly and like a child. He knew he was angering his sister and hurting his best friend; he had seen the flickers of sadness and pain in his best mate's eyes whenever he left the room, and while it had caused him to feel triumphant for a while, now all he felt was a dull feeling in the pit of his stomach that grew bigger each day.

"I know, Hermione," he said quietly, sighing heavily. "It was just such a big shock. I mean, one day everything was normal, then I find out that my best friend has knocked up my little sister and they're married and from about 9 years in the future!" He threw his hands up in the air before dragged them roughly through his hair. Hermione watched him for a moment before going to sit next to him. Both ignored the butterflies that erupted in their stomachs at the close contact. The sensation increased as Hermione gently rested her hand on his, and a hot flush rose on their faces.

"Ron," she began in a calming tone. "This whole situation is difficult for them both. They have to readjust to somehow traveling back in time, plus Ginny has to cope with pregnancy hormones on top of normal teenage hormones."

She promptly ignored Ron's grumbling of not needing to know about his sister's hormones before she leaned closer to him and dropped her voice to a murmur.

"I think Ginny hoped for her big brother to be there for her, and Harry hoped for the support of his best friend." Ron grimaced as guilt echoed around his heart, but neither said anything more for a few more moments; they were content to just listen to their own thoughts and the warm feeling of the other's body against theirs.

Eventually, Ron broke the silence again. "You know, I always wanted them to get together." Hermione's head snapped up from where it had been resting on his shoulder.

"What?"

Ron snorted, "Yeah. I always pictured them getting together. They just seem to... fit, you know. But Ginny could never say more than a few words to him before she fled the room with a tomato red face."
They both chuckled a little as they remembered the times when Ginny would run away whenever Harry so much as said 'hello' to her.

Hermione rested her head on his shoulder again, revelling in the feeling of comfort, "I always thought they would make a good couple as well."

"Uh-huh," Ron nodded before shaking his head ruefully. "But as soon as they do get together, I have to act like a real prat." She squeezed his hand slightly.

"They'll forgive you. I know they will."

"I didn't know you wanted to take after Trelawney, Hermione."

"Prat."

The morning sun rose on the quiet square of Grimmauld Place, bathing the entire street with a rosy tint as the sky slowly turned from a dark indigo, to a light blue with swirls of lavender. A milk float buzzed languidly down a neighbouring street and birds whistled a merry tune, creating a peaceful atmosphere in the sleepy road.

Unfortunately, the peace that had been found outside was not present in the Most Ancient House of Black. The majority of the people inside were irritated and groggy from lack of sleep, their eyes gritted together and a bad taste lingering in their mouths. Sirius Black and Remus Lupin were slumped in various positions around the kitchen table, bloodshot eyes downcast on a cold cup of tea in their hands. None of them had slept all night and a heavy silence had punctuated the air as they lost themselves in their thoughts.

Remus just sat with a numbing sadness weighing down in his heart. Lily and James would be turning in their graves if they knew how much their little boy had suffered so far - and how much more he had in the future. The lycanthrope couldn't help the small shiver that went up his spine as he thought about the future. Harry and Ginny had steadfastly remained tight-lipped about the future. Remus wasn't quite sure he wanted to know if Harry's nightmare was any indication of just how bad it could get.

Sirius felt a deep melancholy towards what he had seen last night, while another side of his brain just wanted to grab hold of his godson and hug him and never let go. However, the Animagus mostly felt anger and self- loathing. It was irrational, he knew, but he couldn't help but kick himself for dying when Harry needed him - even if he hadn't done anything yet. He felt so helpless and all he could do was drown in his own depression as he watched the sun rise.

This wasn't allowed to go on forever though, as soon enough a dishevelled and aged Molly Weasley walked through the door, intent on making breakfast.

"Have you been here all night, dears?" she asked quietly. It was clear from the hoarse tone of her voice that she had hardly slept a wink.

"Yes. We couldn't sleep after last night," Remus sighed as he ran a hand tiredly over his scarred face. Molly hummed in some sort of agreement and then silence reigned, only disturbed by the quiet clangs of the pots and pans.

"Poor Harry," Molly eventually commented. "Why... Why did... I just wish... Wish I could..." she trailed off when it became apparent that she could find no end to her queries.

Sirius looked up at her, "I know. I feel the same."

Molly looked into the grey eyes of Sirius Black and saw the raw pain in them as he thought about last night, saw the torment he felt at not being able to do anything about his godson's suffering. His eyes reflected the same amount of emotion that Molly's did, perhaps even more, and that was what finally convinced her that Sirius loved Harry as though he was his own - that he loved him for being Harry, not James. A small shrivel of remorse crept over her heart and she wished with all she had that she could take back the harsh words she had said and thought about him in the past few weeks. Sirius would do anything for Harry, had done everything he could up till now, and it was only at this moment did Molly realise it.

Molly opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by the door opening, revealing her husband, the twins, Ron and Hermione. Arthur gave her a small peck on the cheek before slowly sitting down and Ron and Hermione gave a quiet greeting. Fred and George had different ideas though.

"Morning All!" Fred crowed.

"Isn't a beautiful day?" George cheerily commented. They both flopped down in their seats, flashing winning grins as everyone stared at them.

Everyone just gawked at them before Ron blunted asked the question that was on all of their minds.

"What's up with you two?"

Fred and George glanced at each other again, a silent conversation hanging in the air that only they could decipher. Slowly, they turned back to the others with their broad grins slipping a little, but still plastered on their faces.

"Whatever do you mean, Ronnie?" Fred asked. Ron scowled at the nickname.

"Why are you being so chirpy? Especially after last night?" he clarified. The occupants were all giving them the same look: raised eyebrow, slightly open mouths, confusion, wariness and disbelief painted
across their features. The twin's expressions rapidly changed from cheery to completely serious.

"Last night was awful-"

"Terrible-"

"Frightening-"

"But Harry wouldn't want us to mope about."

"Yeah, it would just make him feel all guilty and angry at himself."

"So, me and Fred here decided that we aren't going to mope about-"

"Instead, we're going to be our usual happy selves because that's what he'd want us to be." They finished with a unified sanctimonious nod.

"Thanks guys." A voice came from the doorway. They all whirled round to see Harry leaning against the door frame, a gentle smile on his face with Ginny beside him, her hands rubbing her stomach. Both of them looked well rested and calm, despite the still prominent black circles under their eyes.

Fred and George flashed them grins as they moved forward to sit down. Harry clasped Sirius' shoulder briefly as he passed and Ginny continued to caress her stomach when she had sat down.

"Morning," Ginny greeted quietly.

Remus, Sirius, Ron and Hermione stared at them, wondering where the peaceful smiles that lit up their faces came from. Arthur cast a pointed look with his wife. She nodded in agreement with him - it was clear that sleeping together had done them the world of good and she could no longer deny them that comfort.

"They're right, you know," Harry spoke in the silence. He looked each of them in the eyes as he carried on speaking. "There's no point dwelling on it. It happened and we just need to move on from it."

"But..." Molly began. Harry grabbed her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "I'm fine, Molly." He gave her a small smile before turning to Sirius.

"Really."

His godfather gave him a sad smile but couldn't say anything as there was a sudden knock on the front door causing Mrs Black's portrait to start screaming abuse. Remus and Sirius jumped up to answer it and shut the old bat up, while Molly began to dish up her superb breakfast.

There were a few muffled greetings in the hallway before the door to the kitchen opened again to reveal a red-haired man with thick muscles and burns marring the skin that was available to the eye.

"Charlie!" Molly beamed in greeting as she rushed forwards and enveloped him into her arms. Arthur too stood up and clasped his son on his shoulder while the Weasley brothers grunted hellos around mouthfuls of food. Hermione rolled her eyes at their behaviour while Harry chuckled and Ginny turned a little green.

"Hey there Harry, Hermione," Charlie said as he sat down and his mother placed a plate full of food in front of him.

"Hello, Charlie," Hermione welcomed. Harry merely nodded at him, a nervous smile plastered on his face as he squeezed Ginny's hand uncomfortably under the table.

"No offence or anything, but you all look like dragon dung," Charlie commented in a nonchalant tone. "What happened?"

As one, everyone's eyes turned to Harry as though asking for his guidance. He barely controlled the urge to roll his eyes (such a thing had happened a lot in the future).

"No, no fights. Just a nightmare," he answered with a wry, humourless grin. Charlie's fork paused halfway to his mouth as his blue eyes locked on Harry's.

"No shit?" he asked in disbelief.

"Charles! You watch your language!" Molly scolded him.

"Sorry mum," he mumbled before finishing his forkful of food. Ginny swallowed thickly. "Is that what you asked me to come home for? A few bad dreams?" He raised a half-singed eyebrow.

This time Harry's eyes dropped to his own plate of breakfast as his nerves got the better of him. His mouth seemed to have fused itself shut and he had no intention of ever opening it again as long as Charlie was in the room. Hermione took pity on him and answered the dragon-tamers question herself.

"No, Charlie. I'm just going to say this bluntly." She took a calming breath before looking the older man dead in the eye and continuing in a no nonsense tone that was normally aimed at her two best friends. "Harry and Ginny are from the future. They somehow travelled back 9 years in time and now they are stuck here. They took over their younger selves bodies but to them their minds still contain all of their future memories. They are married and Ginny is still pregnant with Harry's child."

Harry's face went white as Charlie's wide popping eyes flashed to his in the amused and apprehensive silence that spread over the room. The only sound was of Ginny's shallow breathing as her stomach twisted.

"Oh God," Ginny groaned after a tense moment as she lurched to her feet and practically flew out of the room. Harry didn't even think about it before he was on his feet and chasing after her. His mouth dropped open and the look on his face was so comical that Fred couldn't help but laugh.

"Close your mouth, Charlie-boy. Who knows what'll crawl in there!"

Charlie closed his mouth but his eyes remained wide as he turned to his amused parents.

"You are not pulling my leg? So, it's... it's true? All of it? The time travel and the preg-pregnancy? he nearly chocked on the last word which caused a few laughs to ring out.

"It is, son," Arthur spoke up. Nothing more was said as they let Charlie try and wrap his mind around the fact that his baby sister was 14, married and pregnant.

"Bloody hell!" he muttered to himself as he rubbed his hands across his face. Molly was too entertained to reprimand him for his swearing.

Harry and Ginny came back a few minutes later, Ginny still looking queasy as Harry rubbed her back soothingly. They sat down, keeping wary gazes on the second oldest Weasley sibling, Harry's hand still ghosting up Ginny's back. Fred and George took it upon themselves to be the first to speak up.

"Now, now Harry dear. You've had Ginny to yourself all night after she unceremoniously kicked us out of your bedroom last night," Fred said as he grinned at the two.

"Yeah, so you please stop trying to get into her knickers? It's putting us off our breakfast," George added, an innocent expression on his face. Ginny and Harry turned an alarming shade of red, Molly and Arthur startled and Sirius spat out his mouthful of tea and began to splutter.

"We mean," one of the twins carried on. "as guys, we would normally be all up for hearing all of the gory details and asking for tips on how to please a woman -"

"But seeing as though that's our baby sister, we ask that you respect our feelings and merely keep the details vague."

Accustomed to sexual jokes and innuendos from the Weasley brothers in the future, Harry was used to giving as good as he could get. He simply said, "Don't worry. Being the only one experienced, I have plenty of tips in that area."

The Weasley brothers paled at the words. Molly was mortified. Arthur and the marauders chuckled. Hermione giggled as a blush crept on her face. Ginny snorted and then kissed Harry on the cheek.

"Leave them alone guys," Ron piped up. Although his expression was stern, his eyes glittered with amusement. "What happens between a man and his wife stays in their sordid bed sheets."

The young couple's faces snapped over to his face as everyone else suddenly became quiet. Charlie's gaze flickered between the three in confusion.

"So, you're over that now?" Harry asked his voice kept carefully neutral. Ron looked down and rubbed his hand across the back of his neck sheepishly as he began to mumble his answer.

"Yeah. After last night, I figured I was just being stupid. All I was doing was hurting you both and... Well, as long as you're happy... that's all that matters, right?" He raised his head to see Hermione looking at him, approval and pride plastered over her radiant smile.

The sight let him full of butterflies and oddly breathless. He switched his gaze to his sister and his once again best mate as his ears started to burn as though they were on fire. Harry kept his face blank but Ron could see the slight nod he gave him. The gesture made him smile - at least until his eyes landed on the furious expression on his sister's face.

"'That's all that matters'? It's taken you to now to see that you've been a prat? What, do you need something frightening to happen every time you've been a git to make you get your head out of your arse?" she snarled at him. "You've been nothing but a rude, insufferable prat that has less brains than pig! We should just ignore you and mutter scathing comments just to make you feel like we did! Maybe that's sinks through your thick head so you'll know to think next before jumping to - "

Her rant halted as Harry placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, "Alright, Gin."

"I am really sorry," said Ron sincerely.

"Better late than never, I always say," shrugged Harry, although he put forth his hand, which was immediately shook by Ron. He heard Ginny harrumph beside him. He was also pretty sure that Hermione would have tears in her eyes, now that both of them were friends again.

Ron may have been sometimes quick to anger, jealousy and insecurity among other things, but he was also loyal and caring to the fault. No matter if Ron lost his way, Harry knew that he and everyone else could always count upon one thing - Ron Weasley always comes back.

"Now, can anyone please explain this time-travel thing properly!" said Charlie, leading to a loud bout of laughter around the table.