All You Need Is Ron

by JamieParker

Inspired by the movie Edge of Tomorrow. Ron Weasley was brought up a Slytherin and so, believes that all Muggleborns are scum. But when Ron gets stuck in a time loop, he will be forced to work together with a certain, bushy-haired witch and her famous best friend. A story about love, heroism and choices. Mostly canon-compliant. AU.

5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hi there, sorry for the long wait. It's been tough just trying to find free time, let alone have time to write a fanfic. While I cannot promise that the chapters will come in fast and quick, I just have to keep updating them as long as I have time. I do my best, I promise. So to all my readers, I do apologise.

So here is chapter five. On that note, I will like to point out that upon writing this chapter, I have to refer to my previous chapters and boy, did I find quite a number of grammatical errors. I thought of editing and replacing them but I think it's better that I continue to focus on creating more chapters. Hopefully, those errors don't get in the way of the story.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but this story.

CHAPTER FIVE: ACCEPTANCE OF FATE

October 15, 1996

"Wow, scary thought, the boy You-Know-Who," said Neville quietly, as he successfully pulled out the pod from one of the gnarled Snargaluff stumps that formed this term project. "But I still don't get why Dumbledore's showing you all this. I mean, it's really interesting and everything, but what's the point?"

"Dunno," said Harry, touching at his gum shield while he and Hermione slowly released their hands from the stump. "But he says it's all important and it'll help me survive."

"I think it's fascinating," said Hermione earnestly. "It makes absolute sense to know as much about Voldemort as possible. How else will you find out his weaknesses? Oh, for Merlin's sake!" Hermione cried as one of her hair strands got up it the Snargaluff's prickly vines. Harry came to her rescue, pulling her hair away from the vines while gently stroking it into place. A slight electric charge ran throughout her body as Hermione did her best to prevent her face from blushing.

"So how was it last night with Weasley?" Harry asked as he and Neville took turns trying to squeeze out the pod.

"What?!" Hermione cried as the pod slipped under Neville's grasp and landed a few feet away.

"What Harry means is...did Weasley try anything?" Neville asked as Harry went to retrieve the pod.

"Oh, no, nothing of that sort," Hermione said as Neville raised his eyebrow. Realising that she needed to paint Ron in his usual personality, Hermione gave a scowl. "He's been his usual idiotic self. Calling me names and stuff. Until I threatened to tell Dumbledore. Nothing I can't handle."

"If you ask me, the entire thing is ridiculous!" Harry cried, much to the displeasure of Professor Sprout who gave the group a stern gaze and got back apologetic looks in return. "I tried asking Dumbledore to give Ron some other sort of punishment but the old man wouldn't budge. I mean, I get what Dumbledore is trying to do but this is Ron Weasley we're talking about here. I even volunteered both Neville and myself to join the group but Dumbledore wouldn't allow it."

"It doesn't make sense," Neville said as he successfully extracted the pus out of the pod. "I get why he wouldn't let you join, mate seeing that there's this whole business on You-Know-Who. But me? First the Slug Club, now this? Are there any clubs there will take me in?"

"Look, I appreciate what both of you are trying to do but honestly, neither one of you have ever been interested in my club before," Hermione said, as both Harry and Neville gave her mock looks of hurt. "Why Dumbledore put Weasley in the group is up to him but going forward, I would like my organisation to be filled with future members who actually care about elfish welfare. Besides, we can't take in new members just yet. All start-up school societies need to wait at least three months before we can officially start recruiting."

"But what if Weasley tries something?" Neville whispered.

"Hermione can handle him," Harry said as he beamed at Hermione, causing the familiar wave to surge through her body once more. What's wrong with me?!

"And as for the Slug Club, trust me, Neville; you're not missing out on much. I rather much spend my time with Dumbledore than with Professor Slughorn."

At the mention of Slughorn, an idea entered into Hermione's head.

"Actually, there is something that the two of you can help me with…" Hermione said as Harry and Neville listened in.

…..

"Oh, Ron. Ron. Are you okay?" cried the sweet voice of Anastasia Travers, a seventh year in Slytherin. Her shiny, brunette hair floated gently in the breeze as Ron found himself lying on a field with nothing but mountains in sight. Ron could see that Travers had adjusted her skirt to incredible high levels as her long, smooth legs rubbed against each other. She had no robes on, her top covered in a small white blouse which had the first two buttons unbuttoned, allowing for a nice look at her cleavage while her midriff was exposed due to her tying up the ends of her shirt.

"Anastasia?" Ron gulped as the witch gave a giggle before shooting him a seductive look. Dropping on all fours, the witch began to crawl towards Ron, whose eyes stared directly at her bosom, considered by most boys to be one of the largest in Hogwarts.

"Oh, can't you see he's hurt?" cried a new voice as Ron found himself staring up into the beautiful face of Daphne Greengrass whose green eyes and shiny, blonde hair reduced Ron's words to a whimper. It was no secret that while Anastasia was widely considered to be the hottest witch in Hogwarts, Daphne was a close second. It was at that moment, Ron realised, that his head was actually being supported by Daphne's legs, a thought that sends shivers throughout his body and made an important part of him stiffer than it had ever been.

"Oh, what happened?" Anastasia pouted as she placed two hands beside Ron's waist.

"My stupid friend, Tracey, broke up with him. She could never really appreciate him like I do." Daphne whispered as Anastasia suddenly whipped her head up to give Daphne a scowl.

"You mean like I do! No one cares for Ron more than me!" Anastasia growled as Daphne hissed back.

"Ladies, ladies, please! There's no need to fight." Ron said as both Daphne and Anastasia turned to look at him, their faces now back to the gorgeous, smiling selves.

"You're right," Anastasia said as Daphne gave a giggle. "Why fight for you when we can…share?"

"Share?" Ron gulped as Anastasia began licking her lips seductively while Daphne traced her fingers down his pants.

"We can take care of you, Ron," Daphne whispered as Ron felt more aroused by the minute. "Both of us. Right now. Together."

"Together?" Ron gulped as Anastasia reached for his belt.

"Pleasure us, Ron." Anastasia moaned as she unbuckled his belt.

"Make love to us, Ron," Daphne begged as Ron felt his heart pounding.

"We've been so bad, Ron."

"We want you, Ron."

"We NEED you, Ron!"

"Ron, please, PLEASE!"

"Ron!"

"Ron!"

"RON!"

"Yes, girls. I'm here…" Ron murmured with a smile before Hermione rolled her eyes. Smirking to herself, Hermione pointed her wand at Ron.

"Aguamenti!"

A jet of cold water sprayed itself over Ron's face, causing the wizard to shoot up and splutter. "Bloody Hell!" Ron wiped his face before a scowl crossed his expression. "Why did you do that for?! Why did you wake me up! Argh!"

"So the potion works. Good!" Hermione said as she handed over the blue potion bottle to Ron, whose scowl remained.

"What is this?" Ron asked as Hermione rolled her eyes again.

"Sleeping Potion, remember? I got it from Slughorn's cupboards together with this!" Hermione said as she handed over a red potion bottle. "That's Harry's Draught of Living Death. In case, we need to reset the timeline, you can just drink a drop from it. Better than throwing yourself out of the window or having to come here to smash the cabinet." Hermione said as she pointed towards the Vanishing Cabinet in the Room of Requirement.

"How do we know it works?" Ron said as he eyed the potion. "Maybe I should give it a shot."

"Trust me, it will work. You might not trust Harry but surely you trust Slughorn's judgment?" Hermione said as a temporary feeling of resentment fluttered through her. Although she trusted Harry, she still had issues with the Half-Blood Prince.

"Fine. Just let me get back to sleep again so we don't have to repeat this entire scenario of you passing me the bottles." Ron groaned as he spied his Quidditch gear on the floor. Urquhart had really put them through the motions and with him covering up for Draco as usual, the former had been particularly nasty towards Ron in the training drills. Just like how I remember it to be Ron thought bitterly before another thought struck his mind.

Ginny

In about a week's time, the ill-fated confrontation between him and his sister would take place. Ron had spent nights devising on how best to speak to Ginny, only for him to realise that he had a multitude of opportunities to do so. There's bound to be one that works Ron thought as Hermione cleared her throat.

"Weasley!"

"What?!" Ron said as he turned his attention back to Hermione.

"I asked you how far you've come in finding out about Tom's previous locations," Hermione said as she pointed towards the piles of files before them.

"I've made a list!" Ron retorted as he pointed to the parchment on top of one of the files. Hermione reached for the parchment before giving out a groan.

"It's empty!"

"No, it isn't!" Ron said as he grabbed the parchment, only to see that it was indeed, empty with the exception of a single, unfinished word, Hogwa. He gave himself a mental smack, recalling how he had been distracted with thoughts of Ginny. Not wanting to give Hermione the satisfaction of being right, Ron pointed to the watermark on the parchment which had the Hogwarts logo.

"It isn't empty. See this word, Hogwa? That's my short form for Hogwarts!"

"So? We both already know that Tom was a student here!"

"Yeah, well, maybe he stuffed a Horcrux while he was here, haven't you thought about that?!" Ron said as Hermione raised an eyebrow. Letting out a groan, Ron stood to his feet and began to pace around.

"See, uh…well, if I was Tom, you know, a wizard growing up all alone in a Muggle orphanage which I despise, I would see Hogwarts as like my home. And you've once said that he would most likely place his Horcruxes in places which have meaning to him. What better place than Hogwarts, his first real home and a strong magical fortress?!"

"Righttt…" Hermione said as she rolled her eyes. "Way to go there, Weasley. "

"Oh, and I supposed you've gotten more done than me?!" Ron cried hotly. "How's it going in the Horcrux department?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes at Ron. "I have you know that researching Horcruxes, as well as Ravenclaw artefacts, is not easy. There are hardly any books or even pages referencing Horcruxes in the Restricted Section of the Library and –"

"Hah!" Ron cried, interrupting her. "So you've hardly made any headway as well and you're accusing me of slacking off?"

"At least I put in the effort!" Hermione snapped.

"What effort?!" Ron retorted as he removed his wand. "You might as well as done something as easy as this! Accio Horcrux books!"

Before Hermione could speak, Ron raised his hand. "Shhhh, let's give time for the books to come in, shall we?"

"If you're going to act like a child…" Hermione said as she rolled her eyes once more, making Ron even more incensed.

"A child! Please, I'm so sick of your judgemental face, Granger! You think you're so smart just because -"

BANG!

A loud noise outside the door of the Room of Requirement startled the pair. Hermione gave Ron a look and pointed to the red bottle. Nodding his head, Hermione made her way towards the door, opening it a little to peek out before letting out a gasp.

"What is it, Granger?" Ron asked as Hermione pulled the door open for an unusual sight to enter. An array of books made a beeline towards Ron, who gave a yelp, as the books descended in front of him with a bang.

"What the hell is going on?!" Ron said as Hermione pointed to a note written on the top of one of the books, the thickest amongst the rest and bound in faded, black leather.

"Next time, do just ask me for permission. D." Ron read the note as Hermione opened the book, which was titled Secrets of the Darkest Art. "This note must have been from Dumbledore. But why-" Ron began to speak before Hermione gave a yelp.

"This book…it gives explicit instructions on how to make a Horcrux! But...it's a really horrible book! Really awful and full of evil magic!" Hermione said as she shut the book with a shudder before noticing the smirk on Ron's face.

"What?!"

"Summoning spell, Granger. Or did you forget?" Ron said as Hermione stared at him before letting out a groan of exasperation. Ron, however, had no intention of letting it go.

"Guess that's one for the Slytherins! Woohoo! I actually did something better than the Great Hermione Granger herself!" Ron said as he did a little dance before Hermione let out a growl.

"Fine! But do you realise what you've done?! You've summoned these books throughout the castle! Merlin only knows if someone else had seen them!" Hermione chastised as Ron glared at her.

"Oh please, you can't admit to when you're wrong! Besides, the Room is on the same seventh level as Dumbledore's office! I doubt anyone would have seen them floating about, considering how deserted this corridor always gets!"

"Well, next time think before actually doing the spell!"

"Oh for the love of Salazar, Granger, would it kill you to admit that I did something right?!"

"If you call getting lucky doing something right! I supposed you think you're right about Hogwarts being the location of a Horcrux!"

"Why the hell won't it be?!" Ron demanded as Hermione took a step forward.

"Because…have you forgotten the diary? The diary is the Horcrux linked to Hogwarts. Why would Tom want to put a Horcrux in the very place where students come to visit each day and where he intends the Chamber to be open?"

"Maybe he hid it in the chamber!"

"It would be too foolish to do so!" Hermione yelled as she threw her hands in the air. "The whole point is to separate these Horcruxes as far apart as he can so that no one can find them easily!"

"But he gave the diary to my uncle, didn't he?" Ron roared back. "Why do something like that? Why not just hide it at Hogwarts if he didn't really care much about it?!"

"Maybe that's why he came back that night. To put the diary back!" Hermione yelled as she pointed to the bag of memories. "That's why he wanted to become a teacher. To keep an eye on his Horcrux."

"I thought you said it was because he wanted to get something to make into a Horcrux. Besides, Dumbledore said that Tom had already known he be rejected for the role!" Ron cried. "So Tom knew he couldn't be a professor. There was some other reason he came here, maybe….maybe to put his other Horcrux."

"Without Dumbledore knowing? So he came all this way to the seventh floor to –" Hermione began to speak before she gasped. Her widening eyes caused Ron's anger to disappear for a moment as he stared at Hermione curiously.

"Granger, what are you…."

"Shhhh!" Hermione said, much to Ron's chagrin. Before the wizard could retort, however, Hermione gave a clap of excitement.

"You're right! How could I be so stupid?!" Hermione cried as she stared back at Ron with a smile on her face.

"Well..err…thanks for acknowledging I'm right but for curiosity's sake, what exactly am I right about?" Ron said as he scratched his head while Hermione heaved a small sigh before taking a seat on the couch.

"Now, don't let this go to your head, Weasley…"

"I make no such promises!"

"Whatever," Hermione said as she began to roll her eyes only to stop midway and softened her expression. "Look, I didn't want to say it before but what you said about Hogwarts being a place for a Horcrux does make sense. It was, as you said, a home for Tom and one of great importance. I've been trying to work out where he might have stashed one and at first, I thought the Chamber as well only that doesn't make sense. First, it would be far too foolish to put a Horcrux where another is linked especially considering if someone did find the Chamber, they would find the other Horcrux and well, realise that Tom made more than one. Besides, thinking back to that night, if someone looking like Tom were to lurk around in the second-floor bathroom, it would set off some bells."

"Not to mention, Myrtle might have seen him. Hey, maybe that's how she died and he used her to make a Horcrux!" Ron cried as Hermione stared at him incredulously. "What?"

"That…is a very, good thought, indeed! How are you doing that?!" Hermione cried as Ron gave a shrug of his shoulders.

"I've always been good at just linking things. Part of the chess brain, I suppose."

"Anyways." Hermione spoke though Ron noticed her expression looked slightly impressed. "so the Chamber would be out of the question but the thought of Tom returning back to Hogwarts kept nagging away at me. He knew he wouldn't get the job. Why go through all this trouble to come back? It must have to do with Horcruxes. So then, I started thinking about our original line of thought. That Tom came back here not to make a Horcrux but to get one. One he had already seen before. In a place where everything is hidden. On the seventh floor where Dumbledore's office just happens to be."

"Where?" Ron said as Hermione gestured wildly about.

"Here! The Room of Requirement!" Hermione said. "It's the perfect place to find items lost in Hogwarts over the years! Not to mention, a good hiding place as well."

"Granger…" Ron said as he looked about the room. "That's….brilliant! But did he take something or did he leave something behind?"

"Did you ever see a locket or a cup missing here?" Hermione said as Ron shook his head. Standing up to her feet, Hermione grabbed the items and started placing them in her bags.

"What are you doing?" Ron said as Hermione began packing up.

"Come on! Let's asked the Room!" Hermione said as she grabbed his hand.

Minutes later, an amused Ron stood outside next to the tapestry as a frustrated Hermione continued to pace about the corridor.

"Granger, as much as I enjoy you doing this, don't you think we've wasted enough time?" Ron said, earning a glare from Hermione before the witch threw her arms up in the air in frustration.

"Okay, we know the room doesn't open up to the locket or the cup but how can we know it's not the Horcrux's powers?! And if it's an item of Ravenclaw's, which is it?! The only successful thing we've found out so far is that whenever I think about Ravenclaw's lost items, the Room of Hidden Things appear!"

"So then, it must be in the Room!" Ron countered as Hermione glared at him.

"We don't even know if it's still there. Tom could have taken it out and hidden it elsewhere!"

"Or maybe he just made a Horcrux and placed it there! Like he did with the ring."

"That's because the Gaunt shack is insignificant in the wizarding world, not like this school! It would make sense to hide a Horcrux there." Hermione cried before heaving a long sigh. "But I suppose you may have a point. I mean, where else would it be better to hide something in this castle? Whatever it is, we would have to find which item of Ravenclaw would Tom mostly use?"

"Why don't you ask Professor Flitwick?" Ron sighed as he stood next to Hermione. "Isn't he the Ravenclaw House Professor?"

"It's worth a shot." Hermione replied as she and Ron entered into the Room of Hidden Things. "Okay, so we have a theory. That the Room was used by Tom in some fashion. Okay now, Ron, we need more time. So you will have to go back and tell me all about our theory here."

"Fine." Ron said as he reached into his bag while Hermione pulled out the books that Dumbledore had given them.

"The first thing you have to do is convince me to go to Dumbledore's office and retrieve these books. Perhaps when we're in there, you can –"

A loud snore broke her train of thought as Hermione turned to Ron who was now sound asleep on the couch.

Don't tell me he drank from the…. Hermione thought as her eyes travelled to the blue potion bottle Ron held in his hand.

Great.

….

October 23, 1996

As Ron blinked his eyes opened, he felt the familiar pain returning to his face. The side of his cheek where Urquhart had hit him still stung but that was to be expected. Ron recalled, while still in a daze, everything he had set out to do on this very day.

He had followed the chain of events as it happened in the timeline, not wanting to risk a deviation that may cause the latter to reset. He allowed Urquhart to hit him as he did before and despite already knowing what Draco was to do, Ron feigned ignorance and anger, arguing and insulting his cousin as he did in the previous timeline. Yet Draco was the furthest thing from his mind. So too was Hermione, Horcruxes and everything else. Instead, everything today rested on only one person.

Ginny.

As a brother, Ron always wondered why he was so overprotective of his little sister. In another life, Ron could see himself as being jealous of her. After all, Ginny was doted on more by his mother and Aunt Narcissa as both witches yearned for daughters of their own. They would often bestow gifts on Ginny and while Draco was Aunt Narcissa's only child, even he could see how much his mother cherished Ginny. Draco often cited the example of his father's study where Ginny was found wandering about when she was younger. While the boys would get a tongue-lashing by Uncle Lucius and Aunt Narcissa for trespassing on Uncle Lucius's private study, Aunt Narcissa only laughed off Ginny's misdemeanour, choosing instead to chastise Ron for allowing his sister to enter.

Such favouritism would in most cases lead to jealousy and yet, in Ron's case, he never found the need to be jealous or envious of his sister. Deep down, Ron knew why. His need to protect Ginny, to care for her, to ensure that she was okay stemmed from the simple reason that when she was younger, Ginny always saw Ron as her hero. Ron recalled with a smile, as he started to gather his surroundings, how Ginny often looked forward to seeing him, how she would run towards him and throw herself into his arms, how she would look to him for help and how, during stormy nights and bad days, she would seek the comfort of her older brother.

I can't lose you, Ginny Ron thought as he leaned to the side. Suddenly, his body felt nothing but air as Ron toppled from his chair onto the cold, concrete floor of the classroom.

"Bloody hell!" Ron cried out as he got back to his feet. He remembered distinctively that he had not walked towards the corridor where he would have encountered Ginny and Dean snogging but instead, using all of his willpower, to go back to his dormitory to sleep. Yet before doing that, Ron recalled Hermione's advice about the need to always create restoration points using his sleep and in doing so, Ron had taken a nap in this very classroom before proceeding with his plan to ignore Ginny.

"But that means…" Ron groaned as he hit his fist onto the table. It seemed that Time needed for him to confront his sister. No matter Ron thought as he made his way out of the classroom. All he needed to do was to confront that disgusting sight before talking to his sister while keeping his temper in check. Taking a deep breath, Ron walked towards the corridor and sure enough, Ginny was there, locking lips with the disgusting Mudblood known as Thomas.

Cursing under his breath, Ron slowly made his way to the couple who were both unaware of Ron's presence. Not wanting to endure a second longer, Ron gave a loud cough which caused the pair to spring apart.

"Ginny," Ron said as he gritted his teeth. His sister was now narrowing her eyes at Ron while Dean, who looked bewildered for a moment, had settled upon glaring at Ron for interrupting his intimate moment. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"What is it, Ron?" Ginny said as she crossed her arms. Don't look at Thomas, don't look at Thomas! Ron thought as he kept his eyes firmly on his sister. He could feel his temper rising and it didn't help that Ginny had the first button of her white shirt unbuttoned.

"It's about family stuff," Ron said as all of a sudden, Dean chose to speak up.

"Can't it wait? We're kind of in the middle of something, Weasley."

"Screw you, Thomas!" Ron yelled, unable to control his anger much longer. "Keep your fucking hands off my sister, you disgusting Mudblood!"

The effect of his words was immediate as Dean, not one to back down himself, rose to his full height and advanced at Ron who was now cursing himself for not being able to keep in control.

"Ron, can I talk to you?" Ginny snapped as she pushed past Dean to grab his arm. As soon as Ron locked eyes with his sister, fear surged within him. This was what happened in the previous timeline! Grabbing the red potion bottle out of his cloak, Ron flipped Thomas off before taking a sip of the deadly potion. As the darkness descended upon him while Ginny gave a scream of horror, Ron kept his eyes on his little sister before falling to the ground, dead.

…

"I played like a sack of dragon dung," Neville said in a hollow voice as Hermione exchanged a look with Harry.

"No, you didn't," Harry replied firmly. "You're the best Keeper I tried out, Nev. Your only problem is nerves."

"And that's the reason we're going to lose to Slytherin." Neville sighed as Harry let out a slight groan before looking at Hermione for help. For a brief moment, Hermione regretted following the boys to their training. There were, of course, many more important things to do especially with her search for the Ravenclaw item being a possible Horcrux. She had narrowed her choices to three items from Rowena Ravenclaw and though she had consulted Professor Flitwick, it seemed as if her search had hit a standstill. All three items were known to be long gone and the only reason she even chose those items was that their last known location was at Hogwarts.

"You'll be fine, Neville. If I recall correctly, you and the Gryffindor team did fine last year and that was without Fred, George, and Harry!" Hermione said as she placed her hand on her best friend's shoulder. She could feel Neville stiffen slightly under her touch as the wizard offered her a grateful smile. Next to Neville, Harry gave a slight chuckle.

"Oh sure, when Hermione compliments you, you feel fine. But when I do it…"

As the two boys joked and laughed at each other, Hermione couldn't help but feel the familiar tingle return to her as she snuck a look on Harry's face. Despite her mind scolding her for not spending more time in the library, Hermione knew the real reason why she attended the Quidditch training. Watching him command his team while flying through the air, Hermione couldn't help but swoon over the sight of Harry. Is this what falling in love feels like? Hermione thought as she felt her face blushing each time Harry turned to face her while flying before offering a wave. Hermione had tried her best to compose herself but nearly lost it when she spied a couple of fourth-years from her house talking and chatting about how good looking the Gryffindor Captain was. Not for the first time this year, Hermione felt the familiar growl of jealousy each time she spotted one of the witches trying hard to get Harry's attention. It even led to her being cold to him at times, a move which Hermione would often regret instantly each time Harry asked her what was wrong.

And what was so wrong about it?

Harry was her best friend. It was Harry who had saved her from the troll in their first year, Harry who had become her first real best friend. Her mother was right, Harry being her best friend and being the boy whom she knew best would be the perfect boyfriend for her. So why was she so bothered? Was it because she was afraid that Harry would reject her? Who else would Harry fall for? For a moment, Hermione's thoughts fell on Ginny Weasley but the redhead was in a relationship with Dean Thomas and it was going well. Was it because she feared that falling for Harry meant a change in their friendship dynamics? If anything, it would only make it stronger. So what was the reason why she shouldn't just tell Harry how she felt?

"Hermione, you okay?" Neville asked as Hermione got dragged out of her thoughts.

"I'm fine, Neville," Hermione said, as her heart sunk to the bottom.

Of course. God, you're dumb, Hermione! Hermione thought as she offered Neville a smile even though guilt began to gnaw throughout her body. Before she could say anything, however, an unusual sight came across the trio. A wizard was seemingly running at full speed towards them and Hermione was even more surprised to see who it was.

"Granger!" Ron Weasley yelled as the trio stopped in their tracks. Both Harry and Neville were on guard, the two wizards glaring daggers at Ron who, strangely enough, did not seem to care. "We need to talk now! SPEW stuff!"

"What?" Hermione said as Ron panted heavily, being out of breath. "Surely there's a better time…"

"No, you have to come with me right now!" Ron snapped, reverting back to his Slytherin self as he grabbed her arm. Instantly, both Harry and Neville jumped between the two, both of them glowering at the tall redhead.

"The hell is your problem, Weasley?!" Harry growled as Ron glared at Harry before releasing Hermione's arm. For a moment, Hermione thought Ron would retaliate back with a retort yet instead, the wizard's expression began to soften.

"Look, now is not the time, Potter. What I have to talk to Granger about is urgent."

"Well, then talk!" Neville growled, with no intention of leaving Hermione alone. Ron rolled his eyes in a strange Hermione-like fashion.

"It's private, Longbottom! And you're not part of the club!"

"Since when do you care so much about SPEW, Weasley?" Harry countered hotly. "For all we know, you just want us out of the way before pulling something on Hermione."

"Do you think that I would confront you three if I intended to do something like that?!" Ron snapped. "How stupid do you think I am?"

"On a scale from one to ten, I say about…Goyle." Harry replied as Neville gave a laugh. Seeing that Ron's patience was wearing thin, Hermione decided to intervene.

"Okay, we can talk here. You guys go on ahead." Hermione said, much to the shock of Harry and Neville.

"You can't be serious-"

"Are you kidding, Hermione?!"

"I'll be fine," Hermione whispered as she pulled the two wizards aside. "Look, I'm grateful for the two of you wanting to stay with me but there's no need for it. Besides, you're messing with my plan."

"What plan?" Harry asked, dumbfounded.

"I'm trying to get Weasley to slip up and tell me….if Malfoy is really a Death Eater," Hermione whispered as Harry's eyes began to bulge. On the other hand, Neville gave Hermione a suspicious look.

"Why do you care about Malfoy being a Death Eater?"

"Because-" Hermione cried in exasperation. "Because if Harry is right and Malfoy is a Death Eater, then maybe we have proof that it was him who tried to kill Katie Bell. Weasley may be his cousin but at the moment, he isn't too happy with Malfoy. I may be able to take advantage of that but nothing will work if you two stay by my side!"

"I don't know about this…" Neville spoke as he looked at Harry. Harry gave Hermione a slight frown before reluctantly nodding his head.

"We'll wait for you in the common room," Harry said loudly as Ron rolled his eyes. Neville said nothing but as he walked past Ron, Ron could see the wizard glaring daggers at him.

"Whatever," Ron grunted as soon as the pair was out of sight. Turning his attention back to Hermione, Ron grabbed her arm.

"Hey!" Hermione protested as Ron dragged her into a nearby classroom. "What's your problem, Weasley?!"

"Ginny," Ron spoke as he removed his hand away. Throwing himself onto a chair, Ron buried his head into his hands. "Granger, I need your help."

"What about Ginny?" Hermione asked as she took a seat in front of him. She was surprised to see that Ron's eyes were watery as the wizard ran his fingers through his crimson hair.

Ron let out a sigh as he raised his head. For the first time, Hermione could see the sadness lingering in his blue eyes.

"Ginny and I got into a fight before this whole time-travelling business. The fight…well…it was bad. Real bad."

"What was the fight about?" Hermione asked

"Doesn't matter."

"Ron."

"Why does it matter, Granger?!" Ron barked as he crossed his arms. "It was a fight, a stupid fight! And I've tried to change it, I've tried to change it so many times. I tried not meeting her, didn't work. I've tried not losing my temper, didn't work. I've tried talking to her, didn't work. I've been doing this for at least thirty times already! It's just not bloody working!" Ron cried as he slammed his fist against the table, startling Hermione.

"Well then, this must be one of the things you can't change," Hermione replied.

"Why the hell not? I mean, back in the original timeline, she and I didn't speak. We didn't interact. Ginny plays no important part during this year, Hermione. She and I just stayed apart. So why the hell does Time care if she and I talk or not?"

"Well…" Hermione started to speak before stopping herself. "Well, let's go through it step by step. You need to tell me first what the fight was about. What the original fight was about."

Ron hesitated for a moment before relenting. He could see Hermione frowning as she listened to what he said.

"Good grief, Weasley. Why would you say all that for?"

Ron gave Hermione a scowl. "I was pissed, all right?"

"And you don't want her to date Dean because he's a Mudblood? You're going to let your own bigotry get in the way of your sister's happiness? Not to mention you basically called her a Mudblood whore."

"Exactly! That's why I need to fix things. I didn't mean that the first time. I was just angry about…Quidditch." Ron said hastily. "This isn't about bigotry, Granger."

"Really?" Hermione whispered angrily. "Because I know you, Ron Weasley. Even though you and I have to work together, you're still the same person I've known for the past six years."

"It's not about that…"

"Honestly! You could at least stay away from terms like Mudblood. How anyone can still think in such a manner is quite frankly, mind-bogg-"

"It's about keeping her safe!" Ron snapped as Hermione's expression changed to one of surprise. "You do realise that at the end of this year, Dumbledore dies, right? That means that the war has swung in the way of the Dark Lord. What do you think Tom will do if he finds out that a Pureblood is in relations with a Muggle-born?"

"So you want Ginny to stay away from Dean so that she can be safe?" Hermione replied incredulously. "Weasley, your sister is a big girl. She can make her own decisions. Besides, Tom already knows which side Ginny is on. Do you think he's going to spare her life?

"He might. All I know is that if Ginny continues to date Dean, she might as well put a sign on her forehead that says, blood traitor." Ron replied. "So are you going to help me or not?"

"Help you with what?"

"With Ginny, dammit!"

"There's nothing to help!" Hermione cried. "You can't change the timeline, Weasley."

"Fine," Ron said coldly as he glared at her. "I knew it would be a waste of my time coming to you."

"Weasley," Hermione said as Ron made a beeline to the door. "You know that it's useless to fight against this. So stop being a prat about this and just accept it."

"She's my sister, Hermione!" Ron cried as he suddenly rounded up on her. "My sister! Do you know what that fucking means? It means she's the only real family I have left. And I should accept that my sister wants nothing to do with me? You heard what I said, right? She wants nothing to do with me. Not one bleeding fucking thing! And I'm supposed to just…accept it? Not to mention, I'm practically shoving her towards Thomas. Great job there, Ron."

"Ron…" Hermione whispered, hoping that using his first name would calm him down. "I know it's hard but it's Hannah Abbott all over again. You can't change the timeline. Like it or not, your fight with Ginny is a milestone that cannot be altered."

"Do you know what the worst thing was, Hermione?" Ron said as he ignored her words. "It wasn't what she said that was so bad. Not even how she said it. It was the way she looked at me. Like I wasn't her brother, not even someone she knew. All my life, my sister has always looked up to me, looked out for me, looked for me. I love her more than anything else in this horrible, cruel world. She's my sister, my best friend, the best parts of who I am. I was her hero. And when she looked at me, the way she looked at me…bloody hell…it was like I was a stranger. No, worse. It was like I was a monster."

Hermione could see Ron trembling all over as tears started to flow down his cheeks. There was no anger in his voice, only guilt. In all of her years knowing him, Hermione had never seen Ron looked so fragile. Instinctively, Hermione placed her hand onto Ron's.

"Why can't I change it?" Ron whispered. "How does Ginny affect the timeline?"

"Not the timeline," Hermione replied as Ron looked back at her. "You. Ginny affects you and you are important to the timeline. Not having Ginny around affected you in some way and that affects the timeline."

"So I'm supposed to just let it all happen?" Ron said as he threw himself back down onto a chair. "Just let her slap me? And for me to say all those awful things to her?"

Hermione said nothing as she took a seat next to Ron.

"I'm sorry, Ron. Really, I am. You're right. I have no idea what it must be like for you. But you can't change this, Ron. You can't. There's a reason why Time doesn't let us change the past. The only thing you and I can really do is just to move on. But I do know one thing. I know that your sister loves you, she does, Ron and no matter what she says or how she looks, that will never change."

"You said my first name twice now." Ron blurted out as Hermione gave him a bemused look.

"Well, since this timeline isn't going to happen, I guess I never really did," Hermione said as she offered Ron a smile, one in which Ron returned if only for a moment. "Speaking of which, before you go back, would you like me to get her down here?"

"For what?" Ron asked as Hermione shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know. Maybe you might want to have one last speech before you alter this timeline? Like for closure?"

"No." Ron sighed. "It will be too hard." Letting out a groan, Ron removed the red potion bottle from his robes. "Might as well get this over with."

"Ron, wait," Hermione said just as Ron was about to drink the potion.

"What?"

"Idon'tthinkyou'reamonster." Hermione whispered hastily as Ron gave her a puzzled look.

"Huh?"

"I don't think you're a monster." Hermione sighed as Ron stared confusedly at her. "Even though you are an arse and a Slytherin bigot, you're not a monster. You're just someone who made some mistakes along the way."

Ron stared at Hermione in disbelief for a long moment before smirking at her.

"Thank you, Hermione," Ron said as Hermione's eyes widened.

"You said my name!" Hermione cried in shock while Ron gave a chuckle.

"Well since this timeline won't exist, it will be like I never did," Ron replied, smirking as he drank the potion while savouring the affronted look on the face of the bushy-haired witch.

…..

October 26. 1996

It was game day. Breakfast was the usual excitable affair as the Slytherins hissed and booed loudly at every member of the Gryffindor team entered the Great Hall. Hermione glanced at the ceiling and saw a clear, pale blue sky: a good omen for Quidditch though Hermione couldn't care less about the sport. Instead, her attention was on two boys across from her at the Gryffindor table which had become a solid mass of red and gold with much chatter and excitement surrounding it.

"How are you both feeling?" Hermione asked tentatively, her eyes staring at Neville. The past few weeks haven't been kind to Neville, who was often prone to his nerves getting the better of him in many areas. While Neville didn't seem too bothered by those, Quidditch was another matter entirely. Hermione couldn't grasp what people found so wonderful about it. One good game and you heralded as a hero, one poor game and you'll be tormented by your peers. Why anyone would want to put themselves through all that was beyond her.

"Fine," said Harry, who was concentrating on handing Neville a glass of pumpkin juice. "There you go. Drink up." Hermione kept her eyes on Harry, who looked really good in his Quidditch uniform. It was then that she noticed the glint coming off the small bottle from his hand

"Don't drink that, Neville!" Hermione spoke sharply as both boys turned to her. She gave Harry an incredulous look.

"Why not?" Neville asked as Hermione turned her attention to Harry.

"You just put something in that drink."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. I saw you. You just tipped something into his drink. You've got the bottle in your hand right now!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Harry, stowing the little bottle hastily in his pocket.

"Neville, I warn you, don't drink it!" Hermione said again, alarmed. Neville took one look at Harry before eying the drink.

"Harry, what did you put inside?"

"Don't worry about it," Harry said as he gestured for Hermione to follow him. Harry then whispered something into Neville's ears, causing the boy's eyes to widen.

"Harry, we can't…"

"Neville, just trust me, alright. Hermione, let's talk."

Once she and Harry were out of Neville's earshot, Hermione hissed at him. "You should be expelled for that. I'd never have believed it of you, Harry!"

"Hark who's talking. Confunded anyone lately?"

"That was try-outs, not an actual game!" Hermione snapped back as Harry smirked at her. Despite her anger, Hermione could feel the stomach twisting at the sight of his handsome face.

"Okay, look," Harry whispered as he took out the bottle, grinning broadly. "I didn't put it in. Look." Harry slipped his hand into his jacket pocket and pulled out the tiny bottle that Hermione had previously seen in his hand. It was full of golden potion and the cork was still tightly sealed with wax. "I wanted Neville to think I done it, so I faked it when I knew you were looking."

"Why?"

"Because Neville's only problem is his nerves, Hermione. He's very good at what he does when he doesn't let them get in the way. Look at Herbology, for one thing. And we both know he's a good keeper, Neville just lacks confidence."

"That's…actually brilliant!" Hermione exclaimed as Harry beamed at her. God, he's cute Hermione thought.

"Good luck today, Harry!" cried a voice as Hermione's thoughts were interrupted. Her eyes fell on a fourth-year witch with long, dark hair and equally dark eyes who gave Harry a sickening smile. Something inside Hermione roared as she glared angrily at Romilda Vane, who seemed to be ignoring her. "I'll know you'll be brilliant."

"Thanks…" Harry said as he gave Hermione a questioning look. Instead, Hermione's eyes were fixed on Romilda's left hand which seemed to innocently brush against Harry's.

Stay away from him! Hermione thought as jealousy ran throughout her body. Before she could say anything, Romilda had walked away.

"That was weird," Harry spoke as he stared at the departing Romilda who gave him a wink. Inside her mind, Hermione's thoughts were racing as an internal discussion raged in her head.

She thinks she can steal Harry away!

Steal Harry? You've hardly even acknowledged your feelings, let alone talk to him, Hermione.

But everyone knows he's my best friend.

So? He's a free agent. You've said it yourself, Harry's never been more fanciable. Lots of girls here would kill at a chance to date him and you're his best friend but you're too scared to make a move?

You know why we can't make a move.

Because of Neville? Are you going to let Neville get in the way of your happiness? Who's to say Neville would disapprove? He's your best friend too.

I just…I just can't.

Then talk to Neville. He'll understand. At least talk to him first.

"Hermione? Are you okay?" Harry said as he gave her a look of concern. Before Hermione could reply, Neville had joined them.

"Harry! It's working!" Neville cried excitedly as he beamed at them, a wide smile plastered on his face.

"It is?" Harry and Hermione cried in unison.

"Yes! As soon as I drank it, I felt this weird sensation rising through my chest like I can do no wrong. Then I started to notice the signs. Well, first, the weather is looking good so that's always going to be beneficial to us. Then, Ginny tells me that the Slytherin Chaser Vaisey is out — he took a Bludger in the head yesterday during their practice, and he's too sore to play! And even better than that — Malfoy's gone off sick too!"

"What?" Harry exclaimed "He's ill? What's wrong with him?"

"No idea, but they're playing Harper and according to Ginny, he's an idiot," Neville replied brightly.

"Did you know about this?" Harry said as he turned his attention to Hermione.

"How could I possibly know about that?"

"Because you're working with Weasley, remember? Did he say anything about Malfoy?"

"Like Weasley would tell me things." Hermione scowled as her mind turned to Ron. Ron's fight with Ginny had been a hot topic amongst the students since it happened nights ago and while Ron didn't have much to say about the matter, it did affect the search for the Horcruxes. Most nights, Ron would appear moody and sullen and no matter how much she tried to encourage or even provoke him into a fight, Ron wouldn't change. Hermione even tried talking to Ron about trying to make amends but as usual, his Slytherin pride got in the way of that. The only good thing was that they had narrowed down the Horcrux to being Ravenclaw's diadem as the most likely object.

"Well, the good thing is that Ginny's going to be highly motivated to beat Ron this time. No holding back." Neville spoke as Harry nodded his head.

"I suppose but still…Malfoy?"

"Let's talk about it after the match, shall we?" Neville replied before turning to Hermione. "Can I talk to you about something? Harry, you go on, ahead. I'll meet you at the pitch."

"Sure." Harry shrugged as he walked away, leaving Hermione staring at Neville who was now awkwardly twiddling his thumbs.

Tell him, Hermione. Tell him right now.

Right before the game? Are you insane?

"Hermione," Neville spoke, dragging her out of her thoughts. "Look, I just want you to know that I only took a sip of the potion. I know how you feel about –"

"Neville, it's okay," Hermione said, cutting him off. "You deserve a break, Neville and besides, I don't really care much for Quidditch as I do for you."

"That's…good to hear," Neville replied with a strange expression on his face as his ears turned pink. "Well, I'm not sure how long my good luck is going to last but I'm going to make the most of it when I can. So there's something I've been meaning to ask you."

"What is it?" Hermione replied as Neville gave an awkward pause

"Hermione," Neville spoke at last. "I was wondering if maybe…I mean…if you wouldn't mind…would you like to go with me to Hogsmeade…this weekend?"

"Okay. And Harry?"

Neville's ears were now red, as was his face. "Actually, I was wondering if it could be just the two of us?"

Hermione felt a lump in her throat.

No, just no. Not now.

You have to tell him now, Hermione! He's asking you for a date.

It will break his heart.

Better now than later!

I can't! Neville thinks he drank the Luck Potion. If I say no, then he will know for sure.

You can't say yes!

I have to.

Hermione, no!

I can't lose Neville.

"Okay." Hermione replied as she felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. As Neville's face brightened up considerably, Hermione felt sick to her core. She wondered if she should just tell him that they were going as friends. That would certainly lessen the blow, wouldn't it? Yet in a cruel form of irony, luck wasn't on Hermione's side that day as Neville spoke up again.

"Hermione, just to be clear. I'm asking you…on a date." Neville mumbled out as Hermione cursed herself internally. No, she couldn't go through with this. Absolutely not. It was one thing to lie to someone but this was Neville, her best friend. The same boy she met on the Hogwarts Express and whom she had been friends with for six years.

It was all too much for Hermione to bear.

"A date?" Hermione repeated as Neville's face fell slightly.

"Yes…Hermione." Neville sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair before taking a step closer to her. "Look, I'm lousy at this. Big surprise there. And I would never ever, in a million years, try to do something like this now, especially now just before the game but like I said before, with the Luck Potion on my side, it seems like there's no better time to do this. I've always thought the world of you, Hermione. You're amazing and funny and wonderful and well, the truth is…Hermione…I want to ask you out on a date because I've had …"

"Yes, I'll go out with you!" Hermione exclaimed, not wanting to hear anymore as she threw her arms around Neville who froze on the spot.

"Let's just keep this between the two of us, okay?" Hermione whispered into his ear as she felt Neville nodding next to her. "You should go. Harry will be worried." Hermione said as she pulled away from him. Neville, still reeling from the hug and Hermione's answer, could only nod as he slowly turn to walk away, only to change his mind as he turned back to Hermione.

"Speaking of Harry…"

"We'll figure that out later."

"Of course," Neville said as he grimaced at the thought in his head. "It's just…well…I just have to know. Is there anything going on between you and Harry?"

"What? Of course not!"

"Cause if there is, then I don't want to get in between the two of you."

"Neville." Hermione sighed as she gave him a smile. There was nothing she wanted more than for the conversation to end. "Just go win us the game. We'll talk later."

"Okay," Neville said as a wide grin broke on his face before he took off towards the Entrance Hall. As Hermione watched the wizard leave, a powerful, piercing sensation struck her heart as if she had just made the worst mistake of her life so far.

…..

"Get out of my way," Ron said as he ran up the stairs of the Gryffindor tower, ignoring the puzzled looks and dirty glares of the Gryffindor students who were surprised at his presence. Yet, Ron couldn't be bothered to give a crap. He had just played the most grueling game of his life which affected him physically but unsurprisingly, emotionally as well. The sight of his sister charging towards him with the Quaffle in hand and the death glare in her eyes was something Ron never wanted to face again. Despite the dirty tactics employed by Urquhart, the Slytherin team couldn't get past Neville who surprised everyone who came to watch. Not only did Neville put on a match-winning performance, but Potter had caught the Snitch, causing Slytherin to lose by a huge score and causing Urquhart to take out his anger on the team.

All of that would be enough to send Ron back to his bed where he intended not to leave for forty-eight hours. Yet there was something he needed to do first, something of utmost importance. As he finally stumbled in front of the Fat Lady's portrait, Ron realised just how foolish he had been.

I don't know the bleeding password!

Ron's eyes caught two second-years huddled in a corner. Raising himself up to his full, intimidating height, Ron marched over. Just as he was about to open his mouth, a voice broke out from behind him.

"Weasley! What are you doing here?"

Ron turned to find himself face to face with a bright red Seamus and a slightly woozy Lavender Brown. From the sight of their dishevelled clothes and hair, it didn't take much for Ron to deduce what they had been up to.

"Finnigan," Ron replied curtly as Seamus glared at him. "I need you to call Hermione Granger. There's something we need to discuss."

Seamus cocked an eyebrow at him while Lavender, strangely enough, was staring at him with a strange look on her face, almost as if she was checking him out.

"Why? What could you possibly want with Hermione?" Seamus asked icily.

"That's none of your business," Ron replied coldly as Seamus glowered at him.

"Well, I would to help you out, Weasley because let's face it, there's nothing more than I like helping Slytherin losers like yourself. Unfortunately, I and the rest of MY house are too busy celebrating Gryffindor's victory over your team. So take care!"

Lavender gave a giggle as Seamus gave her a smirk, no doubt trying to show off for her. For a moment, Ron wondered if he should just punch Seamus. Any consequences could easily be erased by time. Yet a quick glance at his watch told him that he needed to move quickly and fast.

"Listen here, you prat, Dumbledore wants to see Hermione Granger. Apparently…something's happen to her parents." Ron lied as he savoured to look of shock and guilt on Seamus's face. The Daily Prophet constantly reported a stream of disappearances and deaths and with Hermione's status as a Muggleborn, Ron knew Seamus wouldn't dare take the risk of not believing him.

"I'll go fetch her." Lavender blurted out as her face looked slightly distressed. Ron had forgotten that Lavender was a roommate of Hermione.

"Why would he send you?" Seamus asked as he narrowed his eyes at Ron who rolled his.

"Because I happen to be around and Hermione and I are part of that stupid club," Ron said as Seamus continued to stare but did not say anything. Suddenly, the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open as Hermione came out together with Harry and Neville.

Great.

"What happened to my parents?" Hermione demanded as Ron felt slightly guilty about using them as part of his ruse. After all, his own parents had died. Yet there was still the problem of Harry and Neville who were now by Hermione's side.

"She just wants to meet you in his office," Ron said as he nudged his head, hoping Hermione would get the hint. "I have to go up there too."

"Okay then, let's go." Harry said as he ignored Ron.

Fuck

"You and Longbottom can't go, Potter. The matter is private. I'll accompany Granger to the Headmaster's Office." Ron said as he motioned for Hermione to follow him.

"We'll tag along." Harry cried defiantly as Ron let out a frustrated sigh.

"No, you can't."

"Why the hell not?!"

"Like I said, you git, it's private!"

"So then we just accompany to outside his office then!"

"Oh, for the love of Salazar!"

"WHO CARES!" Hermione bellowed out as everyone stares at her. "Let's just go!" Hermione said as she made an attempt to walk towards the stairs, only to be blocked by Ron.

"Wait!" Ron said as Hermione nearly crashed into him. "I lied. There's no news about your parents. I just wanted to get you out here because Finnigan was being an arse."

"What?!" Hermione said as she glared at Ron.

"Weasley, that was low," Neville spoke out at last. "Do you have any idea how worried she was?!"

"Yeah, yeah, worried," Ron replied hastily. "Look, we need to talk about SPEW? Okay? Now, come on, Dumbledore wants to see us."

"Ron?"

Great.

Ron turned to find himself coming face to face with Fred, George, Ginny, and Luna.

"What are you doing here?" George asked bitterly. Ron ignored his brother, his eyes falling on his sister who looked shocked to see him at first, only to glare back at him.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Luna spoke. "Ron's here to meet his sister."

"No, I came to meet Hermione," Ron exclaimed in exasperation.

"Is she your girlfriend?" Luna asked

"WHAT?!" cried several voices in unison as Ron instinctively grabbed for his red potion. Forget this, I'm repeating the timeline.

"I'm not Ron's girlfriend!" Hermione blurted out. "We just have to work together!"

"But you two do spend an awful lot of time together." Luna reasoned.

"We don't spend that much time together!" Hermione snapped. "Believe me, I rather work with anyone else than Weasley."

"Right back at you," Ron replied dryly.

"Luna, Ron would never date Hermione." Fred l spoke as he gave Ron a menacing smile. "Not after what he thinks of Ginny and Dean."

"Right." Ron sighed, averting his gaze away from Ginny. "I'll meet you at the bottom, Granger," Ron said, not wanting to spend waiting here a second longer. As he walked down the steps, he could hear the soft pattering of the witch chasing him down the stairs. As soon as he reached the bottom, Ron motioned for Hermione to follow him to the nearest empty classroom.

"Honestly, next time just send someone to go fetch me," Hermione replied huffily as she entered the classroom. "Is this about the diadem? Or Horcruxes?"

"No, it's about Longbottom," Ron said as he peered outside the classroom before closing the door.

"Neville?" Hermione cried in surprise as Ron glanced at his watch. "What about Neville?"

"You're going to have to break his heart today," Ron replied in a nonchalant manner.

Hermione's eyes widened as a lump began to form in her throat. Did Ron know about the discussion Neville and I had?

"Excuse me?" Hermione said as Ron folded his arms, his blue eyes narrowed at Hermione. "What do you mean I have to break his heart today?"

"Later tonight, Longbottom will try to get you alone with him. He will then confess his feelings to you and for some reason, try to kiss you. You, however, will tell him off. Longbottom will feel dejected because you've rejected him. You try to pacify him but unfortunately, you have to tell him that you and Harry lied about giving him the Luck Potion. Neville will then get upset that you lie to him which will then later get worse when you tell him that you love Harry instead."

Hermione gaped wordlessly at Ron for a moment. "But…how…"

Ron heaved a sigh. "Because, Granger, we've been through this five times already. The first time you came banging outside the Slytherin common room to try to get to see me. The next few tries I catch you outside of the Quidditch locker rooms and we've tried over and over again. I've had enough, Granger. It's obvious to me that you and Longbottom are supposed to have fallen apart like you did in the original timeline."

"We did?" Hermione whispered softly as Ron nodded.

"I didn't know what exactly happened of course but Pansy told me that Longbottom caught you and Potter snogging and that's what caused this whole mess."

"Harry and I kissed?"

"I don't know," Ron said as he threw his hands in the air. "I mean, Pansy tends to exaggerate, of course. All I know is that you and Longbottom split up tonight."

"But why Neville?" Hermione said and as soon as she did, a sense of guilt travelled through her. She recalled that Ron had spoken about both Harry and Neville were important to the timeline but Hermione had never specifically asked why Neville was important.

Ron narrowed his eyes at Hermione before giving her a shrug. "Longbottom gets poisoned next year. It's no big deal."

"WHAT?!" Hermione yelled as Ron glared at her to keep quiet. "What do you mean, he gets poisoned?!" Hermione cried, ignoring Ron.

"He gets poisoned but he survives so don't get your knickers in a twist," Ron replied. "Anyways, that's when the two of you patch things up."

"We do?" Hermione cried softly, the image of a poisoned Neville still fresh on her mind.

"Yes." Ron sighed. "So just get this whole ordeal over with, will you?"

"Wait!" Hermione exclaimed, her expression turning into a frown. "How does Neville getting poisoned affect the timeline? And for that matter, why is it important that Time keeps us apart? Is it because without me there, Neville won't get poisoned? And again, why is that significant?"

Ron pinched his nose as he shut his eyes. Part of him wanted to tell Hermione that it wasn't Neville getting poisoned that was important but rather who accidentally poisoned him. Ron had no intentions of telling Hermione what Draco was really up to.

"Look!" Ron barked firmly as he stared at Hermione. "I can't tell you what happened in the original timeline, not everything at least. You just have to trust me. You and Neville fighting is important to the timeline and time doesn't want us to change that. So do what you need to do, accept it and move on. And besides, this is your own fault."

"My fault?!" Hermione snapped as she glared at Ron who rolled his eyes.

"Yes, Granger, your fault. You should have told Neville this year ago. Remember our fourth year? You knew back then that Neville was starting to like you. Why didn't you say anything?"

"I didn't know if it was for real!" Hermione cried. "I wasn't going to risk my friendship with Neville for something I wasn't sure of."

Ron gave a dry laugh as he shook his head. "Please, you were hoping that Neville would just get over his feelings for you so you wouldn't have to say anything. And you call yourself a Gryffindor."

"At least I'm not some lying Slytherin like you!" Hermione replied indignantly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron snapped, his ears turning pink as Hermione took a step towards him.

"Oh, like you don't know. Seducing me with some fake story about your parents just to get the photograph back."

Ron gagged as he glared at Hermione. "Seducing you? Please. I did what I had to do. And besides, you fell for the old Weasley charm, didn't you?"

"Please. I was just feeling sorry for you. And while we're on the subject of breaking hearts, are you ever going to break up with Tracey or are you just going to use her just like you use women, Weasley?"

"What I do with Davis is none of your business, Granger!" Ron growled.

"Then stop being a hypocrite!" Hermione snapped.

"At least my relationship doesn't mess up the timeline. At least I don't lead boys on for two years before being forced to finally confront the truth." Ron retorted.

Hermione looked positively livid. "Lead boys on?!"

"You knew he was starting to fall for you. You were the one to lie to him just this morning about going on a date with him, all because you didn't want him to know that Potter never put the potion in. You raised the stakes for this when all you had to tell Longbottom that you would talk later. Or give him a hug or something. Why would you even agree to go on a date with him?"

"Because then Neville would know that he didn't take the potion. I wanted to tell him on our date itself that he and I were just going to be friends."

"You mean to say you wanted more time to figure out what to tell him," Ron replied. "Like time is going to make this better. No, Granger, when a boy like Longbottom falls for you, no matter how nicely or delicately you put it, no matter how you say it, rejection is still rejection. And it's going to hurt. What makes it worse is when you give it more time."

Hermione opened her mouth to retort but then she stopped herself, her face a mixture of anger and uncertainty.

"Granger," Ron spoke once more as his expression softened. "You remember when Ginny and I fought not too long ago? And you know how much I care for her? Don't you think I would have changed that if I could?"

"But you could. You can time-travel." Hermione replied as Ron shook his head.

"No, I couldn't. Time didn't allow me too. In the end, I had to accept it and just let the fight happen. And you know who convince me to do that? You." Ron said as Hermione's eyes widened.

"I did?"

Ron nodded his head. "You did and just as you always are, you're right, Granger. I couldn't change things. I couldn't prevent Hannah from losing her mother. I couldn't prevent Ginny from hating my guts. There's a reason why these things happen, Granger. We just have to accept it."

The pair stared at each for a long moment with neither saying a word. Finally, Hermione relented by nodding her head.

"It's just going to be so hard," Hermione whispered as Ron felt a strange emotion flowing through him. "How do you tell someone who loves you that you don't love them back?"

"There's no right way to say it." Ron sighed as he thought of Ginny. "All you have to do is remember that as long as they love you, they'll come back. Go back and talk to him now. I'll wait here until it's done."

"Now, I have to do it now?" Hermione said as Ron glanced at his watch. It's nearly time.

"No time like the present."

….

Trepidation had started to set in as Hermione climbed the steps up to the tower. Her heart was pounding in her chest. As Hermione passed by Gryffindor students, all of whom were happy and laughing in the aftermath of Gryffindor's victory, Hermione felt a piercing pain stab at her heart once more. Relax, Hermione Hermione told herself Ron says that the two of you eventually patch things up. This is all just going to be temporary. Just do it quick, like ripping off a bandage.

As she neared the top of the stairs, a sudden thought struck her mind. Harry. Ron said that Parkinson told him that she heard about Harry and me kissing. Wait, does that mean I also tell Harry about my feelings tonight?

Hermione had half a mind to turn back to find Ron, only for someone waiting at the top of the stairs to call him.

"Hermione!"

Hermione stared up at the hazel-coloured eyes of Neville Longbottom who seemed to have been waiting for her to return. He gave her a smile as Hermione felt her heart plummeting deep within her.

"Hey, Neville. What are you're doing here?"

"Waiting for you," Neville said as he ran his fingers through his blonde hair. "Is everything okay? What did Weasley want?"

"Everything is fine," Hermione said as she eyed the Fat Lady's portrait. The last place she wanted to do this would be in the Gryffindor common room surrounded by happy and excited faces.

"Neville, would you follow me? We need to talk."

Minutes later, Hermione found herself in an isolated corridor with Neville, not too far from where Ron was waiting. They were both seated on a stone bench with a portrait of a knight kissing a lady's hand in front of them. Hermione glared at the picture, the cruel irony not lost on her.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Neville asked, his face still slightly sweating. Hermione felt a lump in her throat, unsure of how to proceed.

"Well firstly, congratulations! I knew you had it in you, Neville!" Hermione spoke as Neville beamed at her.

"Thank you. I have to admit, even though I know that was the Potion working, I have to say, it felt good having the crowd in my favour for once. Really good!"

"You've earned it. You're amazing, Neville, you really are." Hermione said as Neville's ears turned pink.

"No, I'm not. It was the Potion." Neville said as Hermione let out an internal groan. She hated whenever Neville did this, always putting his achievements under as if they meant nothing. Before she could stop herself, Hermione spoke once more.

"There was no Potion, Neville. It was all you." Hermione said as Neville gave her a puzzled look.

"Huh?"

Hermione took a deep breath before explaining the events that took place earlier this morning. At first, Neville gave her a doubtful expression but after looking into Hermione's eyes and realising the truth of her words, Neville's eyes began to widen. Hermione braced herself for a scolding. Instead, she was surprised to see that Neville looked extremely happy.

"So all that was me? All those saves? Me?" Neville spoke as Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. So far, so good.

"Yes, Neville, that was all you," Hermione said as Neville began to look relieved.

"Thank Merlin!" Neville cried as he gave her a smile. "To be honest, Hermione, I was worried for a moment that once the effects of the Luck Potion were gone, you might have second thoughts about going out with me but since there was no Felix, it's all true!"

"Neville…" Hermione spoke but Neville seemed to have not heard her. Instead, Neville spoke once more, his brown eyes now holding a determined look as Hermione noticed how he had started to lean in.

"I knew I should have just said something after the match but the truth is, I just didn't know if it was the right time. Funny thing, time. All this time I've been so scared to say out my feelings when I should have done it two years ago. You remember the Yule Ball, Hermione? How pissed I was that you went with Krum? I wondered why it bothered me so much then and now I realise, it's because, well deep down, I was starting to have feelings for you. But I didn't want to ruin our friendship so I just sort of buried it deep inside me. But now, with everything happening in our lives, with a war that's coming and You-Know-Who up and about, it seems foolish to hold back. I like Hermione, more than a friend and that's why I want to go on this date with you."

Hermione felt the pain in her heart increasing tenfold as soon as Neville finished his speech. Without realising it, Hermione began leaning in, wanting to give Neville a hug. Unfortunately for her, Neville read the situation wrong, his head leaning in instead, his lips getting ever so close to hers….

"Stop!" Hermione cried as soon as she realised what Neville was doing. Instinctively, she had raised her right hand, blocking him from coming closer. Neville looked shocked at her response and as soon as her hand touched his chest, Neville recoiled back with such force that Hermione was surprised he didn't hit the wall behind him.

"I'm sorry, Hermione!" Neville blurted out, his face flushed red. "It's too soon, I know. Merlin, I'm a prat, aren't I? I'm sorry, Hermione. So sorry!"

"Neville, please!" Hermione cried out, her eyes close to tears. "Please don't apologise. You're going to make it worse."

"I'm…" Neville bit his lip in an attempt to stop, his eyes now focusing on Hermione's expression. "Hermione, what's wrong?"

"Neville…"Hermione whispered, unsure of what to say. No, she already knew what to say. It was how to say it that was bothering her. Ron's words flooded into her head as Hermione recalled how Ron had told her that it didn't matter. Either way, Neville was going to get hurt.

"Neville, I'm so sorry but I only see you as a friend. As a best friend." Hermione blurted out, her eyes turned away from Neville's face. "I can't let this go on, Neville. I'm so sorry."

Warily, Hermione turned her eyes slowly towards Neville, his expression turning from shock to being completely unreadable. Hermione watched as Neville's expression turned into a frown.

"Then why did you agree to go with me on the date? Didn't I make it clear we were going as friends?"

"You did," Hermione said hastily. "But I didn't want you to be…unfocused during the game, especially when you thought you took the Luck Potion. Neville, I care for you deeply, truly I do and it pains me to say this to you when I wish I could say otherwise but I'm not in love with you, Neville. I only see you as a best friend, a brother to me. And to be honest, I always suspected you have a crush on me, Neville, and I should have said something earlier, Merlin knows I should! But I was scared and that is no excuse but at least it's the truth."

"Then why did you agree to go on the date with me? Why not just say something or do something else?"

"Because…" Hermione said as she rubbed her hands. "Because I wasn't sure what to do or say. I needed time to figure things out. I thought maybe I could tell you at Hogsmeade, maybe make it easier for you?"

"Wow, that's funny," Neville spoke though there wasn't a hint of humour in his tone as he narrowed his eyes at Hermione. "You know for the brightest witch of our age, you sure can make some stupid decisions."

"Neville –" Hermione spoke but Neville cut her off.

"So this whole thing was a lie. You wanted to play with my feelings?! And what's worse, you knew, you knew, that for two years I liked you and you said nothing?"

"Excuse me!" Hermione cried indignantly. "Don't put this all on me. You didn't even tell me you liked me! How I was supposed to know if it was true?! For all I know, I could have been reading into things!"

"But not today, did you?" Neville growled. "This morning, you knew! You knew I like you and instead of being honest with me, you lied so that I could help Gryffindor win the game! Do you know how….wait a minute…" Neville spoke in a low voice as a thought struck him. "Were you lying this morning to help me? Was it just because of the Luck Potion or was it something else?"

"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked. "I did it for you. I wanted you to have a good day today."

Neville's face darkened considerably as he glared at Hermione. "Really? So it wasn't because you wanted Gryffindor to win? It wasn't because of Harry?"

"Harry?!" Hermione cried as she stared at him, her stomach now twisting in knots. "No, Neville, it was because of you."

"Tell me the truth, Hermione." Neville demanded as he stared directly at here. "Tell me you didn't do it for Harry."

"No, of course not."

"Do you like him?"

"Of course, he's my friend!" Hermione cried automatically.

"I don't mean as a friend, Hermione!" Neville snapped. "I mean, do you have feelings for Harry?"

Hermione hesitated for a moment. Her mind was screaming at her to lie, to say anything that would help Neville feel better, anything to salvage their relationship but no words came out of her mouth. In the end, she didn't need to say anything. The moment of pause, the look in her eyes told Neville the truth of the matter in more ways than words ever could. To her horror, Neville's face no longer held an expression of anger. Instead, his eyes were filled by a more devastating emotion.

Pain.

"Neville." Hermione finally whispered as tears began to drip down her face. Instead of replying, Neville simply looked away as he stood to his feet. Walking to the opposite wall, Neville turned to face her, his eyes brimming with tears as he heaved a sigh.

"You know," Neville spoke though he didn't look at her direction. "Harry and I actually had a discussion just now about how we were worried that Luna may have been right about you and Ron. Though I didn't believe it, it didn't mean that the thought didn't hurt. I mean, can you imagine falling for the guy who tormented and bullied you for six years? But then, a thought occurred to me that gave me some comfort. That at least, at least, if you fell for Ron, it wouldn't hurt as much as if you fell for Harry."

Hermione said nothing as she looked down, her eyes firmly planted on the floor.

"Now, I don't even have that. Everything I was so scared about had come true and what makes it worse is that I actually have to open my big, fat mouth because I thought…I thought…I was under Felix's influence. Now, I just don't know what to do." Neville whispered.

"I'm so sorry, Neville." Hermione whispered though she didn't look up. "I never wanted to hurt you. You're my best friend."

"Please stop saying that!" Neville barked so loud that Hermione flinched under his tone. "That's what's making it worse, so much worse. All my life, I've been a loser. I suck in class and I keep making the simplest mistakes all the while you and Harry get all the credit, all the adoration. But I didn't mind. You're my friends and I will always support you. But it sucks, you know. It sucks whenever my Gran talks about Harry and you but she's always so hard on me. It sucks having to speak to my parents who can never recognise me anymore. It sucks that my whole life, I've been begging for a win and now, when I thought I had one, Harry takes that too. Harry gets the fame, Harry gets the fortune and now, Harry gets the girl."

"Neville," Hermione spoke up as she stared at him. "Neville, I still care so very much for you and so does Harry. So very much."

"I know. Believe me, Hermione, I know." Neville sighed. "And I'm not blaming Harry, of course not. He's my best friend. But sometimes, I just wish, things could be better for me."

With that, Neville turned to walk away, only for Hermione to call out to him.

"Neville, wait! Wait, we need to talk about this." Hermione pleaded as Neville stopped in his tracks, though he did not turn around.

"I won't say a thing to Harry, you can if you want to," Neville spoke in a low voice as Hermione watched him lift his arm to wipe against his face. "And I'm going to stick by him because Merlin knows, he'll need the both of us. But you and I….I can't see myself being best friends with you again. I'm sorry, Hermione." Neville said as he began to turn around, only to stop himself halfway. "Goodbye Hermione Granger."

Her mind was screaming at her to say something, to run after Neville and grab him by the arm and try to make him see sense. Yet all she did was watch him walk away, step by step as Hermione closed her eyes. She could still remember the first time she met him on the train, all those years ago when Neville was just a stranger who lost his toad. With that came all the memories of Neville and her, how much they sacrificed for one another, how much they helped one another. When Neville finally disappeared from sight, Hermione buried her face in her hands as she sobbed silently in the middle of the isolated corridor.

…

October 29, 1996

"You had no choice, Granger," Ron said as he threw yet another text of Dumbledore's on the ground. Ron recalled Hermione forcing him to go to sleep once she returned from her incident with Neville. As he wasn't sent back into the past, time had restored itself once more but at a heavy cost. For the next three days, Hermione had kept all to herself and while Ron enjoyed taking a breather from having to do research, they were still on a time-sensitive mission. In the end, Ron had managed to convince Hermione to meet up in the Room of Requirement though it had taken a threat involving Dumbledore that finally got her to do so.

Hermione said nothing as she waved her wand around a Sneakoscope, muttering words while reading off a dusty, old volume that she had taken from the Library. We're never going to get anything done with her distracted Ron grumbled internally.

"What are you doing there, Granger?" Ron asked as he took a seat next to Hermione who instinctively shifted slightly away. Somehow the reaction annoyed Ron as he grabbed Hermione's wand from her grasp.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Hermione yelled as she made an attempt to grab back her wand. Unfortunately for her, Ron's reflexes were quicker as he dodged her weak attempt before placing the wand on his opposite side.

"I'm trying to work here while you're acting like an idiot, Granger. It's been three days. Get over it." Ron cried sharply as Hermione glared at him.

"Give me my wand back, Weasley," Hermione whispered dangerously as she scowled at him.

"Nope," Ron smirked as he took the wand in his hand while rising to his full height. "If you want the wand back, you'll have to get it yourself. And oh, admit you're being an idiot about all this."

"Weasley!" Hermione cried sharply as she leapt to her feet. "Give me back my wand!"

"No."

"Weasley, last chance!"

"What are you going to do?" Ron taunted as his grin got wider. "Kiss me again?"

Hermione looked shocked for a moment before a tiny smile broke on her face. She walked up towards him, her smile and eyes making Ron feel uneasy. As she leaned in, Ron could see her hazel eyes looking expectantly at him. To his ever-growing surprise, Hermione began to lick her lips.

"Granger, what are you…" Ron spoke, only to be cut off by Hermione's finger on his lips. He could feel his heart beating wildly in his chest while he caught the scent of Hermione's apple-scented shampoo from her hair. For a brief moment, Ron wondered if Hermione would actually kiss him. The thought should disgust him, of course, as it did three years ago and yet Ron recognise the feeling of expectation growing in him, almost as if his body wanted it to happen. It also didn't help that in this right moment, Hermione Granger actually look –

BAM!

All thoughts of Hermione Granger kissing him were swiftly gone from his mind as a powerful sensation emerged from his nether regions, causing Ron to collapse on the floor in pain while releasing the wand from his grasp. As he winced in pain from the impact of Hermione's knee on his groin, Ron glared angrily at the witch who was now twirling the wand in her hand while giving him a smug look.

"That's no less than you deserve, Ronald Weasley." Hermione cried icily as she threw herself back on the couch.

"What the hell is wrong with you, woman?!" Ron yelled as he slowly made his way to a seated position. "Are you out of your fucking mind?!"

"Consider it payback for when you kidnapped me the first time to come here. Not to mention all those times you were mean to me."

"Oh, go screw yourself, Granger," Ron growled. "I was only trying to help. You were acting like a whiny brat just because Longbottom decided to dump your arse. If you ask me, it was a good thing that he did."

"Oh, just shut up, Weasley." Hermione snapped as Ron glared back at her.

"Don't tell me to shut up! I honestly don't see what the big deal is. You're going to patch things up with him in the future. Consider this a break from Longbottom. Salazar knows you both need it!"

"You don't know what you're talking about." Hermione retorted.

"Last I checked I'm a boy, aren't I?" Ron replied as he felt a sense of relief at the subsiding pain between his legs. "Look, you told Neville the truth and while he may hate you for it now, sooner or later, he's going to be grateful for it. Because now, Neville can finally move on to other girls without thinking of you and him. Besides, like I said, you and Neville eventually patch things up and Neville can find himself a girlfriend and you can finally chase after your Harry."

"He's not my Harry," Hermione replied automatically as she studied Ron's expression. "Wait, you've seen the future or rather the past. Who does Neville end up with?"

Still angry at being kneed in the groin, Ron wanted to tell Hermione that Neville ended up with no one and spent the rest of his days pining over her. Yet seeing her expectant face and knowing nothing good could possibly come up from prolonging the issue, Ron relented.

"Luna Lovegood," Ron said as Hermione's eyes grew wide. "He gets together with Luna."

"Oh," Hermione replied, her face looking slightly relieved. "Well, that's…that's good for him."

"If you say so. I mean, Loony? Personally, I think –"

"-that it's good Neville found someone nice to be with." Hermione finished his sentence as Ron merely gave a shrug. "Thank you," Hermione spoke in a low whisper as Ron arched his eyebrows before giving a nonchalant grunt.

"Sorry about hitting you," Hermione said as she gave him a sympathetic look, causing Ron's expression to soften.

"It's alright. Not the first time someone's done that to me." Ron grinned as Hermione smiled back. Not wanting there to be any awkward tension, Ron cleared his throat.

"What were you doing with that Sneakoscope anyways?" Ron asked as he pointed at the device.

"Oh!" Hermione cried as she picked the Sneakoscope in her hand. "I got the idea yesterday apparently when Harry and I talked about how your brothers were sneaking in Love Potions into the school."

"My brothers are doing what?" Ron asked.

"Sneaking in Love Potions disguised as perfumes and cough potions. To be honest, it's quite ingenious actually."

"But wouldn't Filch be able to detect them?" Ron asked as Hermione shook her head.

" Secrecy Sensors detect jinxes, curses, and concealment charms, don't they? They're used to find dark magic and dark objects. They'd have picked up a powerful curse, like the one in the necklace, within seconds. But something that's just been put in the wrong bottle wouldn't register."

"The necklace," Ron repeated as he gave a slight cringe. Hermione heaved a sigh.

"Yes, Harry's been going on and on about how your cousin is now a Death Eater."

"Well, he's not!" Ron cried indignantly. "So tell Potter to mind his own damn business."

"I did, actually," Hermione replied coolly as Ron gave her a look of surprise. "I told Harry there was no way Tom would actually allow him to become a Death Eater. I mean, Death Eaters. They're a part of his Inner-circle, aren't they? And who in their right mind would ask someone like Draco to be a Death Eater? What could he possibly pull off?"

"Right," Ron spoke before changing the subject quickly. "What does this have to with the Sneakoscope anyways?"

"Well," Hermione said as she smiled at the object in her hand. "The Sensors gave me that idea. Look, even if we could prove that Ravenclaw's diadem is part of Tom's Horcruxes, you can bet that Tom would have hidden it well. Not to mention, the locket and the cup. So what we need is something that can detect Dark Magic, something like this Sneakoscope over here. I modified it using a spell allowing it to detect objects with powerful Dark Magic and since Horcruxes are part of that category…"

"…we can use it to detect Horcruxes! Hermione, you're brilliant!" Ron cried as Hermione gave him a strange look. "What?"

"You said my name," Hermione said as she grinned at Ron. "I believe that's the first time you said my name."

"Oh," Ron replied, remembering that the Hermione from the past timeline didn't exist. "Well, don't get used to it, Granger!"

"Oh, come on, Ron!" Hermione replied as Ron cringed under the use of his name. "I think since we're working together, we can at least go on a first-name basis. Besides, using your last name is just confusing since I know your brothers and sister."

"Fine but I'm not calling you Hermione," Ron said adamantly as Hermione shrugged her shoulders. "We're just partners in this but that's all there is to it. We're not friends, Granger. Don't forget that."

"And to think you nearly wanted to kiss me," Hermione said, causing Ron to nearly fall off his couch.

"What? I wanted you to kiss me?! Please, I rather be dead. Dead with no Horcruxes to keep me alive so that I can never…what?!" Ron barked as he glared at Hermione's eyes widening at a thought.

"Ron, you're brilliant!" Hermione said as she stood to her feet. "I know a way of how we might have a lead on the diadem."

"How?" Ron asked as Hermione grabbed his arm before pulling him to his feet. "The diadem is lost, Granger. No one has seen it in living memory…"

"Exactly! Isn't it obvious?"

"Yeah but maybe you should say it so I know you know."

Hermione rolled her eyes as she reached into his robes before pulling out the blue sleeping potion.

"We need to talk to someone who's dead."

…

Ten tries. It took them ten tries before finally, the Grey Lady decided to reveal everything that she knew about the diadem. Each time, the Grey Lady had shrugged them off and each time, Ron had to turn back time while trying to rectify any mistakes in anything they said that would put her off. In the end, to say the pair were shocked was an understatement. Finding out that the Grey Lady was none other than Helena Ravenclaw, the daughter of Rowena herself, was one thing but that she had actually given Tom the diadem was nothing more than a stroke of good fortune.

"Wait, so the Grey Lady knows who Tom really is?" Hermione asked as Ron stretched his arms out wide.

"Yeah, apparently, Tom managed to charm her into telling him where the diadem is before defiling it with Dark Magic. The Grey Lady was so upset at what happened that she never told anyone." Ron replied.

"But that means… the diadem is one of the Horcruxes! We did it, Ron! We know all seven." Hermione exclaimed triumphantly.

"Well, technically, this is all just an educated guess on Dumbledore's part. We won't know more until he tells Harry to get Slughorn's memory from him." Ron said

"Still, it's good enough for now. Okay, so we have Tom, Nagini, the diary, the ring, the locket, the cup, and the diadem." Hermione spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. " The diary and ring are destroyed and we definitely can't get to Nagini or Tom for now. That leaves us with the locket, the cup and the diadem, one of which we believe is here in the Room of Requirement."

"Okay," Ron said as he stood up to his feet. "What do we do now?"

"Well, the first thing we have to do is to leave this Room. We need the Room to transform into the Room of Hidden Things so that I can find the Horcrux using my Sneakoscope. Meanwhile, you need to go to Dumbledore."

"Why?" Ron asked.

"Because we need the sword of Gryffindor."

"Oh, right!" Ron exclaimed, recalling how Dumbledore had told him that the sword can be used to destroy Horcruxes. As he stood to his feet, Ron found himself to be rooted on the spot.

"Ron, what are you doing?" Hermione said as she gathered her stuff. "Ron?"

Ron said nothing as he stared blankly into space, his eyes narrowed towards the door of the Room of Requirement.

"Ron, what's wrong?" Hermione said as she took a step towards him.

"We're really doing it, huh. Stopping the Dark Lord." Ron whispered though he hadn't moved to face Hermione. "We're really going to destroy his Horcrux."

"Why else would we be doing this?" Hermione said as Ron slowly turned to face her.

"It's just…if I do this…if I go through with this, then there is no turning back." Ron sighed. "I mean, so far everything we've done has just been in theory, you know. If we find the Horcrux and we destroy it and time allows that to happen, then that means there's no turning back. It's either we destroy Tom or we die, Hermione."

"I thought that's what you wanted," Hermione said softly as Ron gave a bittersweet smile.

"All I wanted was to keep Draco and Ginny safe."

"Then this is how we do it, Ron," Hermione said as she suddenly took his hand. Instinctively, Ron wanted to pull away and yet somehow, it felt comforting to feel the witch's hand in his as Ron turned to face Hermione.

"We're just kids," Ron whispered, recalling the speech he gave Draco on the train. "We're supposed to be enjoying ourselves, learning about magic and preparing for our NEWTs, not fighting in some bloody war. Don't get me wrong, I know what I…we have to do but it's just…this is the Dark Lord we're talking about. What if we tried to destroy this Horcrux and it doesn't work? What if time doesn't let us? Sure, I can travel back in time but what if just one time, it doesn't work and I actually die for real? And I never get to talk to Ginny again? Or see Draco? I know it gets easier drinking out of the red bottle each time but that doesn't mean the thought doesn't cross my mind, you know?"

Hermione gave Ron's hand a squeeze as she stared at him. The thought never crossed her mind before but she understood why Ron would be feeling that way. For the past six years, Ron never defied Voldemort or stood to him. He wasn't part of the DA nor was he part of the Golden Trio's adventures. Ron was essentially a new player in all of this and if Hermione were in his shoes now, she couldn't blame him for feeling this way.

"You're right, Ron. We're just kids. And if things were normal, you and I would probably be off in our own lives, probably hating each other to bits while we live normal lives. But things aren't normal because of him. And they never will be. I may not know him as well as Dumbledore or Harry or even you but I know tyrants like Tom. He's cruel and evil and he treats everyone the same, even his closest supporters. Tom will never stop hurting people, Ron and that goes for you, me, Harry, Neville, Ginny and Malfoy. We're all in this together, whether anyone likes it or not. So if you want the world to be safe, then this is how we do it. Even if Time won't let us destroy the Horcruxes, then at least we'll have the knowledge of where they are and how to do it. That way, if not us, then someone in the future can finally stop him."

"You really believe we can do it? You really think we can…win?" Ron asked doubtfully.

"I believe we can," Hermione replied. "Like it or not, this is our destiny."

Ron let out a mirthless laugh. "Destiny? Don't tell me you believe in that load of Divination dung?"

Hermione made a face. "Not Divination, no! But ever since what happened with Neville and with Ginny and you, I believe that sometimes, our paths are just meant to take certain routes. We can't change what has happened or what needs to happen but we can definitely have a say in it. So let's do it, okay? Let's give it our best shot."

"Okay." Ron said as he released his hand from hers, causing Hermione to feel slightly disappointed for some reason. "Let's go save the fucking world. Shit, I've become like Potter, haven't I?"

"Honestly, Ron. Language!" Hermione chastised as she made a face while heading towards the door. As she turned the knob, Ron could see a small grin breaking out on her face.

"But yeah, let's go save the world."

…..

END OF CHAPTER FIVE

P.s, now that I've gotten all that stuff about Ginny and Neville out of the way, I can finally focus fully on destroying the Horcruxes and more importantly, Ron's and Hermione's relationship. But fair warning, the two just recently started warming up to each other. It's still going to take time.