Reparation
Do I dare
Disturb the universe?
In a minute there is time
For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.
T.S. Eliot -
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
---
Ron Weasley had never been so frightened in his life.
He stood at the edge of the small assembly, apart from his friends and mentors. The time had come. The time had finally come, and they were all about to head into this last battle together.
He glanced over his shoulder. The final adjustments were being made on Hagrid's magic repelling armor. Professors McGonagall and Flitwick were working with the Aurors and Order members on the strategy that Ron had outlined. Dumbledore would lead the attack, providing the cover necessary to get Harry to Voldemort.
They were ready.
He looked around, then saw them, tucked away towards the back. He couldn't hear what Harry was saying, but he could feel the emotion between them. It was palpable, even from this distance. Their foreheads were touching and he could see the tears slipping down Hermione's cheeks.
He looked away, ashamed, feeling as if he'd intruded on a sacred and private thing - possibly their last moments together.
Don't think that!
But the doubt comes unbidden and the fear grips him. He can hear Harry coming up behind him, then feels a warm hand on his shoulder.
"You ready then, Ron?"
He can't help but give a snort of laughter.
"I should be asking you that."
They both stare out at what will shortly become the battlefield.
"You know, Harry, I've been thinking...."
"Not one of your stronger suits."
"Just because my last name isn't Granger doesn't mean I can't rub two thoughts together. Now what was I saying?"
"You were thinking..."
"Yeah, I was thinking... Let's just chuck this whole lot, the three of us. Use all that gold you have at Gringotts and go buy a tropical island somewhere."
"Really? Anywhere in particular?"
"Someplace nice and balmy, as far away from all of this as possible. Hermione probably knows something about geography; bet she could find us the perfect place."
"I don't think I'd do too well in the sun, Ron."
"Oh, you'd adapt eventually. We'll just go pick an area where no one knows us. I'll get more freckled, Hermione will singlehandedly discover potions to cure all known diseases while collecting every book known to man and wizard alike."
"And what would I do?"
"Well, that's the best part really. You'd fly around on your broom all day, raise the fifteen kids you'll have with Hermione, and grow bald and really quite fat."
"Bald and fat?"
"It's the kids, Harry. They really take a lot out of you!"
"Right, but I suppose you'll be lean and handsome forever, then?"
"I'll have to be, what with all the beautiful tropical island girls who tend to me."
"Tend to you?"
"Well, Hermione won't let them near you! I deserve a happy ending, too!"
Ron gave a wistful smile and Harry grinned before continuing.
"Right then, so what about Voldemort? What about now?"
"Oh, him... almost forgot about him."
"Think he'll let us postpone this? Say, maybe, 50 years or so?"
"That would be good. Then you and the fifteen Potters can all have a go at him. You and the whole scary lot of nearsighted, brilliant, crazy haired, large toothed sprogs."
"Tanned, Ron. Don't forget tanned."
"He'd never stand a chance then, Harry."
"No, I don't suppose he would."
They were both silent. The impending future stretched out before them with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. But in this moment they were simply Harry and Ron, two boys who'd become best friends on a train.
Harry squeezed Ron's shoulder again, then turned to face him.
"Ron, I need you to promise me something."
He wanted to tell Harry he was being silly, that he'd make it through just fine and there was no need to ask, but he simply couldn't find the words.
"Watch out for her. Keep her safe. If... if something happens to me, you have to take care of her, Ron. She won't let you at first; she's too stubborn for that. But you have to promise me..."
"I promise, Harry... I promise."
Harry grabbed him into a hug.
"You're my best friend, Ron. I'd have never made it without you all these years."
Ron could feel the tears rise suddenly from the back of his throat.
"You'll come through this, Harry. You have to... we... we all will. You'll see!"
They pulled back from each other and swiped at their faces, embarrassed at such an emotional display. Just as they began to compose themselves, Hermione came up behind them.
"Honestly," her voice wavered as she smiled up at them, "you two are as bad as I am!"
"Hermione, I have no idea what you mean!" Ron feigned insult.
"Of course you don't," she tucked herself under his arm, then reached out for Harry. He stepped forward and she pulled them both into a hug. Their arms tightened around one another as they stood there.
"I love you both so much," Hermione's voice was muffled but curiously strong. "Don't either one of you dare think about getting hurt, or Merlin help me, I'll really give you something to cry about!"
They laughed around her and Ron felt her tighten her hold on the both of them.
"It's the three of us now. Do you understand? I don't care what happens, what you have to do, but each of us is going to make it."
"Yes, mum!" Ron asserted, and they all laughed again.
And then there was silence, and they held each other tightly.
Three of them.
A perfectly balanced triangle.
And then all too soon the moment was over, the group was assembled, and the attack began.
***
Ron Weasley had never been so frightened in his life.
He stood at the edge of the small clearing, unable to believe what he and his wife were about to attempt.
Not attempt! Do! What we're about to DO!
He tried to shake the doubt from his mind as he felt Hermione brush past him. They were both still invisible and spoke in hushed tones.
"By Merlin, Hermione... we're here! We're really here!"
He felt her grab his hand and lead him to the far edge of the clearing, to the edge of the hill where Harry would fight his final battle. They looked out over what would soon become an historic battlefield.
"Hermione, no one's up here; we should just take these things..."
Then, right at that moment, they heard it, the multiple sounds of people apparating into the clearing behind them.
He heard Hermione gasp beside him.
Voldemort and his faithful Death Eaters, dozens of them, now stood a few meters away. Hermione's grip tightened on his arm. It had been years, well, fifteen years to be exact, since she had last been involved in a life or death situation. Thankfully, Ron had more recent experience and dragged her off behind some low bushes to better mask their voices. They both knelt down as he began to note the enemies before them.
It was odd more than anything else, as he assessed them. He knew which ones would soon die, which would be captured and sent to Azkaban, and, as he gritted his teeth, which one would get away. A low growl escaped his throat as Bellatrix Lestrange shared a malevolent laugh with her husband Rodolphus. His body tensed.
"Ron, don't!" Hermione hissed next to him. "We have to let as much of this play out the way it's meant to."
He was certain she could hear his jaw drop.
"I know... I know. It sounds ridiculous considering what we're about to do here, but Ron, we're here to do one thing. Just one! And if we try to tamper with anything else, it might hinder our ability to save Harry."
"All right then, Hermione," he gave a tense sigh. He went back to observing the enemy, disconcerted at how lightly they were discussing killing his friends. He squeezed his eyes shut as Bellatrix laughed again. He remembered seeing her standing over a dead Auror fifteen years ago - one he didn't know, but who was dead nonetheless. He remembered her laughter as she saw him approaching to challenge her. A gangly seventeen year old fresh from schooling, woefully unprepared for the true viciousness involved in cold blooded death.
She'd left him alive, badly beaten with a broken arm. When he'd been younger, he never understood why she hadn't killed him before laughing and apparating away. It was only as he grew older that he came to understand why she'd done it.
She mocked him.
Through the following years, as she remained expertly hidden with nary a trace of her existence betraying her, she continued to mock him. And now, as he heard that laughter once more, it took all of his resolve not to run out and repay her for the insult.
He opened his eyes as he heard Voldemort issuing orders - telling them to kill as many as they wished, so long as no one killed Potter. He wanted that glory for himself. Of course, they were free to hurt him as much as possible, and at that admission, they all laughed again. Then, one by one, they disapparated.
Hermione grabbed him roughly and pulled him out from behind the bushes. Had they not been in their invisibility cloaks, they'd be in plain view of Voldemort himself, a mere ten meters away.
"Get ready, Ron."
They both knelt down, and as the last Death Eater disappeared, they both lay flat against the ground. Hermione held Ron's arm tightly, and he kept his gaze fixed on Voldemort, anxious to see if her theory had been correct.
Voldemort raised his wand into the air, then began speaking a string of complex incantations. A swirl of color lifted from his wand, then stretched into an ever growing ring, a brilliant luminescence on its edge.
Ron felt her shift, never releasing his arm, then she began to mutter her own string of incantations. As the ring grew, Ron began to worry. He had faith in his wife's ability, but so much rested on their assumptions. He prayed that she knew what she was doing.
Then he felt it - a bizarre tingling sensation as the ring passed over them and reached past the hilltop. The bubble that would only allow Voldemort and Harry had been established. Hermione's suspicions had been that Voldemort had cast the bubble, but the true power of it had been reinforced when he and Harry had dueled. The charm was an old and complex one, but not one that Hermione couldn't find and research. It was one of the many things she had studied before laying out her plan to him.
He had feared the worst, had feared that they'd be thrown forcibly clear of the bubble and rendered completely useless in their mission. But Hermione, his brilliant Hermione, had worked on the countercharm, and thought to bring the one thing that would make them immune - Harry's wand.
Now they simply had to wait.
***
Dumbledore led them onto the valley. The Aurors attacked first, once the Death Eaters apparated onto the battlefield. They were closely followed by members of the Order, then a select group of students who had chosen to fight. They flanked the Death Eaters on all sides and began using a volley of spells, clearing a channel for Harry to make his way to Voldemort.
As Rodolphus Lestrange attempted to attack Harry, Hermione gave the signal, and everyone shielded their eyes.
"Lumos solarum," she cried, and a magnificent flare of light blinded the enemy. Harry would reach Voldemort unscathed if it was the last thing she ever did.
Everyone pressed their advantage and attacked the enemy in earnest. Time seemed to crawl to a standstill, losing all meaning as people fought and died all around.
***
Hermione turned her head as the brilliant light engulfed the valley below.
The lumos solarum spell...
She slowly stood, then pulled Ron up alongside her. She kept a careful eye on Voldemort as she tucked Harry's wand away, somehow afraid that he might be able to sense them standing there.
She noted how Voldemort looked almost regal, but nonetheless deadly, as he stood there waiting for Harry. Small licks of luminescent green energy seemed to crackle all around him as he rose to his full power, eager for the final confrontation.
She didn't realize how utterly terrified she was until Ron grabbed her and she almost gasped aloud.
It took a moment for her to recover, and then she and Ron moved back towards the furthest edge of the clearing. Her hand was trembling as he reached over and gave it a comforting squeeze. They both knew what... who... was coming, and fear and anticipation gripped them both.
There was no turning back now.
***
"Protego!"
A resounding CRACK filled the air as Antonin Dolohov disapparated quickly enough to escape his rebounded curse.
But Hermione knew better than to think he'd simply run away.
She lowered her wand and curled her hands into fists - she was ready. She had studied him and his tactics, promising herself that he would never get the better of her again.
She felt it before hearing it, the sudden shift of air behind her. Then she brought her elbow straight up and back with deadly precision, driving it directly into his face as he apparated behind her. The loud cracking noise of apparation coinciding with the sickening crunch of his nose. He staggered backwards, blood first staining, then pouring, from beneath his hood. He ripped it from his head with a howl of fury as Hermione drove her fist into his face with a frightening growl.
As he fell to the ground she aimed her wand, then nearly screamed a slew of incantations that caused roots to pull free from the earth and bind him. He struggled for breath as they drew tightly around him. Another hex ensured that he couldn't disapparate.
In the dim light she could see the pain, surprise and fear in his eyes as she pointed her wand directly at him. She paused as he held his breath, then stunned him.
Never again!
***
Her breath caught in her throat, and she could hear Ron gasp softly.
Harry!
Time seemed to stop as he stepped into the clearing and slowly made his way towards Voldemort. She felt faint, and a buzzing filled her ears so she couldn't hear what they were saying.
Oh Merlin! Oh Lord in heaven! He's alive! He's really alive!
Her knees could barely hold her and her vision began to swim. She could feel herself slowly pitching forward, and when her instincts took over to stop herself from falling, she gasped for air.
She hadn't breathed once since she saw him.
She felt Ron's hand on her shoulder, steadying her. Then he moved closer to her. She could swear he was trying not to cry.
They were holding each other, both of them fighting the urge to run to Harry.
Voldemort made the customary bow to Harry, and Harry shouted something scathing in return. They each held up their wands, then began the duel.
***
Death Eaters, Aurors and fighters alike suddenly stopped and looked upward, the palpable energy of the duel radiating from the hilltop.
***
It had been almost an hour, but to them it felt like an eternity. They were tense with anticipation, and yet dumbstruck with awe at the spectacle before them.
Harry was magnificent.
Every hex, every curse and taunt that Voldemort would throw, Harry would counter or block with ease. Despite the spells that hit him, Harry managed to hurl something just as damaging at his opponent.
Given that they knew the final outcome of this duel, both Ron and Hermione were terribly confused. What, in the final moments, had gone wrong?
Voldemort tried to attack Harry again. Harry countered by using a simple summoning charm to drive a large stone into the back of Voldemort's head.
Hermione couldn't help but grin, remembering everything they'd gone through for him to learn that spell. She could hear Ron beside her.
"Good one, Harry," he murmured.
And then it happened... the final confrontation. It was all so quick that neither of them could distinguish exactly what was happening. Harry rushed towards Voldemort, and Voldemort screamed, and then there was a brilliant flare of lights and phoenix song and then a soundless explosion that rocked the hilltop and knocked them both to the ground.
Hermione scrambled to get up.
"RON," she said in a furious whisper. "WHERE ARE YOU?!"
"Hermione!" He crawled towards her voice then pulled himself up with her help. They both turned towards the clearing.
"Hermione? I... I don't..."
Hermione saw it as well and could barely catch her breath.
"I don't understand..."
There was no possible way to mistake it. Even from this distance, they could both see what had happened.
Voldemort was dead.
And Harry was alive and well and standing over his remains.
"But... but we didn't... Hermione? We haven't done anything... have we?"
"N-no... no, we haven't." Neither of them could tear their eyes away from the wonderful and bizarre sight before them. They slowly began moving towards Harry, as if magnetically drawn to him. Harry continued to walk towards the edge of the hill. He was now visible from the valley below.
"I don't understand, Hermione," his voice was hushed. "If Harry's alive, and Voldemort is dead, then what..."
He never had the chance to finish his question.
Ron saw it first, out of the corner of his eye. There was no familiar cracking sound, simply a shimmer, and then a solid person at the far end of the clearing behind Harry.
In one fluid motion Ron squeezed Hermione's hand. "Get Harry!" Then he ran.
Hermione had never moved so quickly in all her life.
The figure raised its wand, and Ron could hear the husky growl that had begun to utter the killing curse.
An invisible Hermione tackled an unsuspecting Harry.
Ron hurled a violent 'Expelliarmus' towards the attacker, whose wand went flying through the air.
A stunned Harry struggled to get away from some unseen force that kept scrabbling at him.
A vicious scream erupted from the attacker, who then ran straight towards Harry, intent on killing him with her bare hands if need be.
"LESTRANGE!"
Ron chased after Bellatrix while Hermione still struggled with Harry. She pushed him down again.
"Blast it, Harry, stay down!"
He stopped struggling.
"Hermione?"
"Yes! Now, please! Just stay put!"
Despite every instinct he had to get up and fight, he stayed down.
Bellatrix was snapped out of her murderous rage when she heard her name. She turned at his voice and that's when Ron saw it. All need for pretense was gone. He pulled off his cloak.
"Well look who's all grown up! Ready to play with the big boys now, little weasel?" She gave that cold and mirthless laugh then made a sudden grab for the time turner around her neck.
"REDUSEN!"
Bellatrix was thrown backwards as her time turner exploded into dust.
***
Harry tried desperately to turn around and see what had happened.
"Harry, please, don't!" She pushed his head down as she watched Ron subdue Bellatrix.
"Hermione! What is it? What's going on? Why on earth are you wearing my invisibility cloak?"
"Harry... oh Harry..."
The tone of her voice alarmed him more than anything else.
"Merlin, Hermione... what is it?! I... I beat him... it's over..."
He could hear her sobbing gently.
"Hermione, please, what's the matter? Let me look at you."
"I... I can't..."
"What? Why not?"
She took a deep breath to calm herself. He felt her arms wrap gently around him as she brought her cheek against his. Her breath was warm through the thin fabric of the cloak as she whispered into his ear.
"You know the laws Harry... we can't be seen. Ron and I can't be seen by anyone."
She drew back from him, watching his eyes go wide as he realized who she was - where she must have come from. A moment, and then his eyes grew wider as he realized why she would have traveled through time to be here.
"...no..."
She gripped him suddenly in a crushing hug.
"...oh, Hermione...." His voice was small.
***
For the briefest of moments, he considered killing her. All the pieces fell into place and he realized that she must have been the one who murdered Harry. But his Auror training asserted itself, and he subdued her like any other Auror would any other suspect. He rendered her unconscious, then bound and hexed her for the Aurors of this time period to find.
He felt as if a weight had been lifted. All these years of not knowing, and now, in the end, he had finally captured her.
He glanced over and saw Harry sitting at a peculiar angle, his face white with shock and speaking to thin air.
Alive.
Harry was alive.
A grin played across his face before he realized that he was no longer wearing his cloak. He wanted to run and crush Harry into a hug, as he was certain Hermione was now doing. But he remembered her warnings - they couldn't be seen by anyone in this time period. So he turned to retrieve his cloak and was astonished to see yet another person shimmer into existence before him.
***
Hermione stole a glance and saw Ron going to retrieve his cloak. She was still uncertain as to what would happen to the two of them now that time had been altered. As happy as she was, she didn't know what lay ahead. Would she remember any of this? Would they suddenly evaporate into memory?
Whatever happened didn't matter now. Harry was alive. Wonderfully alive.
Wonderfully in her arms.
I'm sorry, Ron.
"Harry, close your eyes."
She grabbed her cloak and covered Harry.
"We only have a few moments before the younger versions of Ron and myself come running up that hill to find you, so listen. We came back for you, Harry, because it was never meant to be us without you. Remember that. It's meant to be the three of us, always. We love you, Harry... I... I love you, and I always have."
She gently cupped his face in her hands, then gave him a soft kiss. And he kissed her back, just as he had hours before - just as he had fifteen years ago.
Oh Merlin, it's just as I remembered!
"I love you, Hermione." She saw the tears running down his cheeks. He gave her one last kiss on her forehead as she pulled the cloak off him.
He never opened his eyes.
***
Ron pointed his wand at the strange woman suddenly before him.
"Auror Weasley, it's both an honor and a pleasure." She gave him a serene smile.
He lowered his wand, his eyes narrowing as he spied the time turner she was wearing.
"Bloody hell, does everyone have one of those now? Giving them away in boxes of Choco Cheering Charms are they?"
"Hardly, Mr. Weasley. As you may remember, we don't have much time before your younger selves find their way here. I suggest you say your hellos and goodbyes to Mr. Potter while you can. I'll be here to explain when you're done."
"But who...?"
"Please. You haven't much time." She gestured behind him, where he turned and saw Harry slowly standing. Ron threw his cloak on and rushed towards him, nearly knocking Hermione over in the process.
"Ouch!"
"Hermione? Are you all right?!" Harry looked around, trying to figure out what had happened to her.
"Oh, she's fine, just can't keep a decent sense of direction while invisible, is all," Ron choked out. Hermione let out an indignant, yet amused, huff.
"Ron?"
In answer, Ron grabbed him in a bear hug, lifting him from the ground and spinning him around in an extremely unmanly fashion.
"Merlin, Harry, it's good to... to see you... after all this time," he managed to say, his voice full of emotion.
"I wish I could say the same," Harry joked, and Ron grabbed him again.
"I've missed you, mate. I really have."
"Again, wish I could say the same."
They laughed, then grew quiet. Ron spoke in a low voice so Hermione wouldn't hear him.
"I did what you asked, Harry. I took care of her, but... but she was never really mine to take care of. That's your job. It's your turn now, and you'd best do a bloody good job of it. I'd hate to have to kill you after going through all this trouble."
Harry was stunned. It was too much to take in all at once. And then he suddenly felt Hermione grab him as well, her hold tightening on them.
The three of them.
They could hear the sounds of people making their way towards them. Two sets of steps louder, faster and closer than the rest.
It was time.
"Thank you," Harry whispered. "Thank you for coming back for me."
"Well, you know, time turners - not just for hippogriffs anymore. OUCH!"
"That wasn't funny, Ron!"
"Yes it was, Hermione," Harry laughed, and they all finally laughed together.
"Here... he's somewhere over here, Ron!" The younger Hermione's voice was in the distance.
"Goodbye, Harry."
"Goodbye, Harry."
"Thank you."
Ron and Hermione let him go and walked to the edge of the clearing.
***
Ron and Hermione came running over the edge of the clearing. Ron was nursing his arm as Hermione shouted in delight and ran into Harry's arms.
Ron surveyed the area, almost certain he'd seen shapes moving through the mist, and then he saw a trussed up Bellatrix Lestrange lying on the ground. A smug grin of satisfaction played across his face before he turned and joined Harry and Hermione. They drew him into their embrace and the three of them stood together, silent and victorious.
Three - a perfectly balanced triangle.
Whole.
***
"Ron, where are we going?" Then Hermione looked up and saw her.
"Professor, it's an honor and a privilege to finally meet you in person."
Hermione's eyes widened in shock.
"Ms. DeClerque? What... what on earth are you doing here?"
It was Simone's turn to look surprised.
"Professor, have we met before?"
Hermione gave a rueful smile.
"Well, I'm guessing for you we haven't met yet. But yes, Ms. DeClerque, we met earlier today in fact. Today being exactly fifteen years from now. You gave me this." Hermione showed her the advanced time turner.
Simone smiled back. "Of course I must have. It only makes sense after everything that's happened."
"Yeah, and what the bloody hell is it that happened exactly? We thought Voldemort killed Harry. What is Bellatrix Lestrange doing here with one of those," he pointed at Simone's time turner, "when she hasn't been seen in fifteen years?"
"Mr. Weasley, Professor Granger, it's something of a remarkable case, actually. But then, when it comes to the two of you and Harry Potter, things are rarely less than extraordinary. Perhaps I should start at the beginning..."
Simone DeClerque proceeded to tell them of her role as an Unspeakable, and how she was asked to observe the events surrounding the death of Harry Potter. She told the two of them how there are those that monitor the time stream within the Department of Mysteries, and how they had noted that certain things didn't seem to correlate in his death. As far as they had been able to tell, Harry Potter should have lived.
"But... but then what you're saying..." Ron began.
"Is that Harry should never have died," Hermione finished in awe.
"From what we've been able to tell, it was all Bellatrix Lestrange. Some time after the defeat of Voldemort she somehow managed to acquire a time turner. Her repeated attempts to save Voldemort were fruitless because of the protective duel charm he had placed. Those numerous attempts to breach the bubble using the time turner alerted us. However, she was obviously not as clever as you, Professor. So instead of saving Voldemort, she resorted to her only other option, murdering Harry Potter after the duel."
"Only this time she didn't," Ron stated.
"Exactly, and now the timeline has been restored to its original flow."
"But Ms. DeClerque, Simone, what will happen to us now that everything's been fixed?"
"Professor, once you and your husband use the time turner to return, you'll slowly merge with what should have been your proper selves. You'll still have vague memories or impressions of the last fifteen years, but they'll only be amorphous thoughts in your dreams, nothing more. As I said, everything is now as it should be."
Ron and Hermione looked at each other, then turned around to peer at the three of them in the clearing, clutching one another tightly. He grabbed her hand, then turned around to face Simone. He glanced once more at Hermione, who smiled up at him.
"We're ready."
"Yes, we're ready. And thank you. Thank you ever so much."
Hermione looped the time turner around Ron and they both shimmered from one existence into the next.
***