Chapter 6: The Powers That Be

�Maybe he�s forgotten...�

Ron absently chipped away at a groove on the armrest of his chair with his fingernail, his forehead creased in concentration as if this one insignificant act required all the effort in the world and demanded all of his attention in that one moment.

�Maybe they�ve all forgotten-�

�Oh Ron, they haven�t forgotten,� Hermione said. �This is too important a matter to forget.�

He was antsy, she knew. They�d been sitting here in the Minister of Magic�s office for nearly half an hour now--Ron had insisted on arriving early for their meeting--and as if the sheer gravity of the situation weren�t enough, the wait itself was surely killing him slowly.

�We said half past ten,� he said. �Half past ten, right? That�s what we said?�

�Yes-�

�All right, well it�s now ten thirty-seven, and none of them are here.� He shot up from the chair and began to pace the room. �Bloody hell, I knew I should never have tried to go through all the proper channels,� he muttered. �Our entire history could be changing, things turning upside-down and inside-out by the second, and they can�t even be bothered to be on time to discuss what to do about it...�

She knew there was little she could do once he was on a roll like this. There was very little she could say to try and put him at ease; Ron Weasley could be a freight train once something grabbed hold of him--as this had, not surprisingly--and when that happened, there was just no derailing him.

That of course, was just one more reason why she loved him.

Still, she was nothing if not known for being one of the few people in this world with enough patience and tolerance for Ron�s bluster to at least try and talk sense into him, and apart from her and Harry (and Ron�s parents, of course), there was nobody else, really, who could claim success with that tricky feat.

�Ron, seven minutes,� she said. �That�s no reason to panic just yet. Perhaps there�s a traffic jam in the floo network-�

He stopped, and gave her an incredulous look. �Then they should have apparated-�

�Or perhaps they were delayed. Duty calls, you know.�

�Or perhaps they all lost their way to Welby�s office,� he said.

She couldn�t help but laugh. The things his mind came up with when he was upset, honestly.

�I wouldn�t be surprised if Welby really did forget the way to his office, you know,� he said. �For God�s sake, he isn�t called the Absent-minded Minister for nothing...� Again, he resumed his pacing. �Everyone knows you�re the one who�s really running the show here, anyway. The best thing that man�s ever done since becoming Minister was to appoint you as Deputy Minister three years ago.�

Hermione smiled. Even in the midst of worrying, he could still find a way to give her a compliment.

�They�ll be here, love,� she said. �Try and relax, will you?�

He shook his head. �Relax... Tell me, Hermione, just how am I supposed to do that?�

�I know it�s hard-�

�Bloody hell, yes, it�s hard!�

He sighed, then mumbled an apology.

�It�s all right,� she said softly. �I know you�re under a lot of stress. We all are.�

�I just... I don�t know what I�ll do if they say I can�t do this.� She didn�t answer this time. He must have noticed it immediately, because he said, �You do think I�m doing the right thing, don�t you?�

�It doesn�t matter what I think, Ron.�

He sat back down beside her, turning her face gently towards his. �What d�you mean it doesn�t matter?� he said. �Of course it matters! You�re my wife, I care about what you think. Not to mention, you�re the second-highest ranking official in this entire Ministry. Your opinion holds a lot of weight.�

She had been hoping all along he wouldn�t ask this of her. He hadn�t up till now, and so she hadn�t had to think of what in the world she was going to give him as an answer.

He seemed to already suspect what it might be, though. Comprehension dawned in his eyes, and he slowly pulled back.

�You don�t think I should do this.�

�That�s... not it...�

�Oh?� he said. �Come off it, Hermione, you don�t think I can read your face after all these years?�

�Ron, you don�t understand-�

He got up. �Fine. Make me understand, then.�

Damn it, why now? Why did they have to have this conversation now?

�As a Ministry official,� she began, �I think it�s an enormous risk to take.� She could practically see him deflate right before her eyes, saw his shoulders slump at her words. �Ron, you�re a high-ranking official yourself! You�ve got responsibilities here. Duties-�

�My God, Hermione, what else do you think this is, if not me trying to do my duty??� he said. �I�m supposed to be in charge of security for the entire wizarding population of Great Britain, and here something comes along that could blow the entire lid off of everything, and I�m supposed to hide behind my desk??�

�That�s not what I�m saying!� she said. �Don�t twist my words around-�

�Then what are you saying?�

She opened her mouth to respond, but in the end, she couldn�t bring herself to say what she had to say. �Forget it,� she said. �I never should have said anything-�

�No, really, Hermione, let�s hear it. Lay it all out...�

�We�ll discuss it when Welby and everyone else gets here,� she said firmly.

His eyes softened, then he said, �And what does Hermione Weasley think?�

�I told you what I thought.�

�You told me what the Deputy Minister of Magic thought.� He came closer, stopping to stand over her. �But what do you think?�

For a long time, she didn�t know how to answer him, but then it became clear to her, and she let out a heavy exhale.

�As Harry�s friend I think you�re doing the right thing,� she said softly. �But as your wife...�

He sank down so that he was at eye level to her. She reached out to touch his face, feeling his stubble graze her palm.

�... as your wife, it�s killing me that you�re putting yourself in the line of fire once again.�

He kissed her hand; she fought back tears as he did.

�You know I�m going to do this, don�t you?� he said. �Whatever happens, whatever they say... whether they approve this or not... I�m going to do this...�

She nodded.

�Harry would do the same thing for either one of us,� he said. �How can I let him down when he needs us the most?�

He was right, of course. He was right.

�I�m so sorry we�re late--oh... oh dear...�

Ron straightened immediately at the sound of the door opening. Gordon Welby stood there rather awkwardly, three other men trailing behind him: Jack, who looked harried and seemed as if he had once again gone through a night without any sleep; Ben Foster, who had been Ron�s right-hand man for years and took over as Director of the Auror Unit once Ron had been promoted; and Richard Keating, the head of the Improper Use of Magic Office, whom Hermione recognized only from seeing him at the occasional meeting with the other heads of the various divisions and offices. They each looked just as awkward as Welby did, and suddenly, Hermione was starting to feel embarrassment set in.

She reckoned there was something to that old adage of working with one�s spouse. Dangerous, that.

�Are we, er... interrupting?� Welby said.

�No!� Ron and Hermione said simultaneously.

Jack brought a hand to his mouth; Hermione was sure it was to cover up a laugh. There had to be some adage somewhere about working with one�s children as well.

�Look, I don�t mean to rush,� Ron said, �but I really can�t emphasize the urgency of this matter...�

�Yes, yes,� Welby said. �You did mention that this was quite imperative, Weasley, but I must confess, I�m still a bit unclear about the whole mess...�

Hermione could see Ron practically cringe at those words.

�Could we... could we all just sit down for this? There�s a lot to talk about...�

�Of course...�

The men sat in silence, Keating, who was sitting closest to Ron, burning a hole through Ron with his stare. Hermione watched him as he sat with his arms folded, as if he couldn�t possibly wait another minute until this whole meeting was over.

�Mr. Welby, as I mentioned to you, we have a very dire matter on our hands,� Ron said. �This time-turner theft has turned out to be no ordinary case. It�s going to have far-reaching consequences. It already has.�

�Mr. Weasley, is it possible for you less melodramatic about this?� Keating finally said. His voice was thin and reedy, a nasal tone that seemed eerily appropriate for someone who looked such as he did: all angled and bony, with skin that just hung on his frame like an old, tattered coat.

Ron turned to him, and for a split second, Hermione actually feared what he would say--or worse, do. She caught Jack�s eye, and could see he looked just as worried, and the tension only wound tighter when Ron finally spoke.

�My apologies, Mr. Keating,� he said through gritted teeth, �I s�pose the entire fabric of history being unwoven before our very eyes is not worthy of melodramatics.�

Keating narrowed his eyes and his thin, straight mouth formed what looked like a smile.

�Touch�,� he said. �But you�ll forgive me if I find an old letter from a dead man--a man who our history has found to be a traitor to our kind, no less--does not hold too much weight in my eyes.� He turned back to Welby. �There is no time-turner theft. That heathen who�s been fashioning these illegal time-turners simply must have hidden one away to spite us, but I assure you, your Excellency, I will recover it, and then this will have proved to be nothing but an elaborate hoax.�

�With all due respect, sir,� Jack said, �whether or not there has been a theft is not for your office to decide. That�s for us to determine.�

Keating didn�t seem to take kindly to Jack�s interference. No doubt he saw him as being disrespectful of those above him, but Hermione couldn�t help but be proud of her son in that moment. The grin she spied on Ron�s face just now told her he felt the same way as well.

�We will be investigating on the presumption there was a theft,� Foster said. �With matters this serious, we can�t afford to leave one stone unturned.�

�Fine,� Keating said. �Regardless, I think it�s outrageous what Mr. Weasley is proposing here. To go back in time... to break at least a dozen laws on time-turners on the word of a letter which has yet to be proven genuine-�

�It is genuine, I assure you,� Ron said, cutting him off. �History has already been changed, whether you believe me or not, Mr. Keating. There was a war that never should have happened-�

�Do you hear yourself??� Keating bellowed. �Do you hear how absolutely ludicrous this sounds? No one else remembers what you seem to be remembering, Weasley. This �original history� you keep referring to--you are the only one who remembers it!�

Hermione swallowed hard. Surely Ron would be ready to blow at any moment now. She watched him carefully, watched how his face slowly reddened, how he clenched his jaw and took in slow, deliberate breaths as if to steady himself.

�It�s quite apparent you don�t believe me, Mr. Keating,� he said. �But whether you choose to believe me or not, the fact remains the longer we sit here and do nothing, the more time you give to Voldemort�--Hermione saw both Welby and Keating cringe involuntarily at the mention of the Dark Lord�s name--�to carry out his plot against Harry Potter. And when he does, and when he succeeds... believe me, you will wish you had heeded my advice...�

�All right,� Keating said, �suppose you�re right. Suppose there is some sort of a rift in time and He-who-must-not-be-named is about to come to power in the past and destroy all we know in our present--why in heaven�s name should we send you, a high-ranking member of the Ministry to take on such a dangerous mission?�

Welby, who had been listening in silence all this time and looked ready to throw his hands up in the air, said, �He... does have a point, Weasley... We can�t risk anything happening to you...�

Ron looked at him incredulously. �Don�t you understand?? If he succeeds, something happening to me will be the least of your worries!!�

Hermione couldn�t help but shudder at his words.

�You�re worried about losing your bloody Deputy Minister of Security? There probably won�t even be a Ministry of Magic if Voldemort gains power!�

Welby looked utterly befuddled now. He kept shifting his gaze from Ron, then to Keating, then back to Ron again. Finally, he turned to Hermione.

�Madam Weasley, what do you think?� he said.

She felt Ron�s eyes on her, and she knew inside he was probably wondering if she would use this opportunity to help him or stand in his way. And by God, she was tempted to stand in his way. But in the end, she couldn�t.

�I think... the repercussions of this are just too great, your Excellency,� she said.

She looked up at Ron, who smiled and mouthed, thank you.

�I know it�s risky... I know it�s dangerous... but... it�s got to be done...�

�This was entrusted to me, Mr. Welby,� Ron said. �I know it�s hard for anyone to fathom that Severus Snape could have been working for our cause, but I swear to you--on anything that�s ever been sacred to me--it�s the truth. He entrusted this to me, and I plan on making sure I don�t let him down.� He paused, then added, �Whether or not I have your approval.�

Welby�s eyes widened; Hermione wondered if he would interpret Ron�s words as treason, but after a while, he nodded.

�You will go, then,� he said.

�Thank you-�

�Wait a minute!�

Keating, apparently, was not entirely convinced just yet.

�Aren�t we all conveniently forgetting the fact that he�d risk upsetting the continuum even further?�

Ron grinned. �So... you believe me now, do you?�

�Whether or not I believe you is moot now,� Keating hissed. �The point is, we have rules in place about time-turners for a reason. To prevent disasters such as the one you�ve been ranting about.�

�I�m not about to go mucking about in the past, if that�s what you�re worried about, Mr. Keating-�

�Nevertheless,� Keating said, turning to Welby. �I suggest we ensure that by taking a few necessary precautions.�

�What do you suggest?� Welby said.

�Well, for one thing, he can�t play hero and try to save Severus Snape,� Keating said, saying Snape�s name with particular disgust. �What�s done is done as far as that�s concerned. Saving him will do nothing to change the course of history.�

Ron regarded him with disgust. �We�re talking about a man�s life here!! Are you going to sit there and tell me we shouldn�t try to help him?�

�That�s exactly what I�m telling you,� Keating said. �I think the best course of action is to go to Albus Dumbledore and warn him of the situation. He will know what to do from there. And then you will come straight here without any further interference-�

�You�re tying my hands! I need more than that-�

�Twenty-four hours, your Excellency,� Keating said to Welby, but his eyes trained on Ron. �My office will allow him use of a time-turner, but it shall be set to expire within twenty-four hours.� He leaned in towards Ron. �Lest he get the urge to be more heroic than called for.�

Ron turned to Welby.

�Mr. Welby, surely you�ll allow me more time... what if something were to go wrong? I need to have time to react-�

�I�m sorry, Weasley,� Welby said, �but on this, I do agree with Mr. Keating. It�d be too much of a risk for you to linger around in the past. We will allow you to do this, but you shall go to Dumbledore and give him the warning: no more, no less. Is that understood?�

Ron stared at both of them in disbelief, then he looked at Hermione. Finally, he nodded.

�Yes,� he said. �Understood.�

Then he got up and walked out the door, leaving the rest of them to watch in silence. And Hermione wondered what was going through his mind at that very moment.