Chapter 7: The Portkey

He rose before the sun had even emerged from its nightly slumber; the stars had already withdrawn into the slowly-lightening sky, but the moon still hung low, screened by a thick mist of ash-colored clouds that spoke of an impending summer storm.

Ron dressed quickly and quietly, watching Hermione�s sleeping form all the while, ready to act at the first sign of movement from her that might have signified waking. Twice she had stirred, and twice his heart had nearly leapt out of his throat as a result, but both times she had only turned over to try and find a more comfortable position. He held his breath nevertheless, knowing that at any moment her arm might cross over onto his side of the bed and discover it to be empty.

And then she�d know what he was up to.

He knew he had only an hour at the most--perhaps two, since she had been really exhausted after a twelve hour day at the office yesterday--before she�d wake and reach for him. He had to make sure he was back before then so that she would never suspect that he had been gone in the first place. He hated sneaking around like this, and for a moment, he couldn�t help but remember the last time he had had to keep things from her. Guilt knifed at him as he remembered that it had almost destroyed them then. Almost. But he was older now, and wiser. And besides, she would understand once she knew everything, just as she had before.

He had to do this, though; he would never be able to live with himself if he didn�t. But there was no reason for her to know, not this. What kind of a bloke would he be, anyway, if he were to put her through even more worrying that she was bound to do already? Hermione had always been one to fret, especially when they were young, and that trait certainly hadn�t diminished over time. She would be sure to fret even more if she knew what he was about to do.

Casting one last glance at her to make sure she wouldn�t hear him moving about in the room, he threw on his cloak, fastening the clasp at his neck, then disapparated.

Seconds later he reappeared in even more darkness. He�d almost lost his balance, disoriented by the thick blackness that surrounded him, then he heard a low whisper (�Lumos...�) and light hit him sharply in the eyes, causing them to water.

Sirius Black�s face materialized soon after, illuminated by the light of his wand, looking not unlike a disembodied head, with the rest of his body still cloaked in blackness.

�Bloody hell, Sirius!� Ron said gruffly, �If you sneak up like that on someone with a weak heart, you�re liable to kill them!�

Sirius chuckled, lowering his wand arm so that light filled a small circle around him. �Well, it�s not as if you weren�t expecting me, Ron,� he said. �Besides, you�re an Auror. Aren�t you always supposed to keep your guard up?�

�Was an Auror,� Ron corrected him, �before the desk job-�

�My, is that resentment I detect? You know, most people would kill to be as high up as you are in the Ministry...�

�Delegating,� Ron said, �is not my forte. Some people are born to be officials--people like Hermione, and Percy, they�re brilliant at it... Me? I�m born to work in the field, getting my hands dirty.� He pulled out his wand, commanding it to spill light in his immediate vicinity. �Reckon the reflexes are getting rusty.�

Sirius grinned. �Must be.�

�Why are we standing here in the dark, anyway?�

The inability to see beyond a few inches in front of him was still affecting Ron�s orientation. He kept thinking he would bump into a piece of furniture at any moment and stub his toe, or worse, break his neck.

�Windows aren�t boarded up anymore, Ron,� Sirius said. �There was a nasty storm a few years ago that tore the shutters from the hinges and of course, no one ever bothered to come back and fix it, given that everyone here still thinks this house is haunted. If we turn the light on, we�ll be seen for sure.�

�I s�pose that�s what I get for suggesting we meet in the Shrieking Shack,� Ron muttered.

�Come on, let�s go over here...�

He felt Sirius tug on his arm, and he followed Sirius� seemingly detached head, twice stumbling on something he could have sworn was moving (he even thought he heard a squeal at one point, much to his horror; he just prayed whatever it was didn�t belong to the arachnid family). Finally, they got to a narrow hallway, well away from all the windows, and Sirius raised his wand to what seemed like a good spot, then conjured up a floating fireball to give them sufficient light.

�Much better,� he said. �Now... to why you�re here...�

�I�ve only a little bit of time,� Ron said. �Hermione... she doesn�t know I left...�

Sirius gave him a disapproving look.

�Don�t say it,� Ron said, before Sirius could even open his mouth. �I know what I�m doing.�

�I wasn�t going to say anything.�

�Bollocks.�

�Look, I�m the last person who should be telling you what to do,� Sirius said. �But...�

�But?�

�Don�t you think she ought to know?�

Ron shook his head. �What she won�t know won�t hurt her,� he said. �Blimey, she�s already torn up over me going back in time--I�m not going to make it even worse for her by telling her I�m going to go try and save Snape while I�m at it.�

Sirius looked at him for a long time. Ron knew he was dying to say something, but was holding his tongue out of respect for Ron�s wishes, or else in simple resignation; after all, everyone knew once Ron Weasley made up his mind about something, he could be as stubborn as all hell.

�I�m sure you know what you�re doing,� Sirius said at last.

Ron was grateful he didn�t say any more than that; the fewer guilt trips, the better.

After some more silence, Sirius said, �How�s Harry?�

�Just how you�d expect,� Ron said quietly.

Sirius sighed. �I hate it when he does this. He thinks he�s trying to be strong, but it�s just stupid. It�s stupid to hold everyone at arm�s length like this!�

�Nothing we can do about it,� Ron said. �We can�t force him to let us in. He�ll do it when he�s ready.�

�And the kids? Has Emily finally sent word back to them?�

�Came home from her honeymoon yesterday. She was in pretty bad shape, but Ginny managed to get her comfortable at least. Colm�s out of his mind with worry, of course. Luke�s been a little trooper, but he�s the littlest one, and it�s affected him the worst...�

Ron swallowed hard, casting his eyes upward to stare absently at the fireball hovering just above them.

�Harry�s been beside himself about those two, and Ginny... God, I don�t know how Ginny�s getting through this. I�d�ve had a nervous breakdown by now if anything like this ever happened to Hermione and the kids...�

Neither of them said anything for a while; the air had grown heavy and bleak.

Then, Sirius reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pocket watch, which hung on an end of a long, golden chain. �Here,� he said, handing it to Ron. �I figured it should be as small and inconspicuous as possible. If Welby and Keating see you with it, they�ll just think it�s an ordinary watch.�

Ron nodded as he took it from Sirius. He turned it over in his hand, inspecting it closely.

�It can only be used twice, Ron. Once to take you to Little Hangleton, and then once more to take you back to Hogwarts. Don�t waste either trip--or else you�re stuck with nothing.�

�Understood.�

He felt Sirius� eyes on him, watching him closely as if waiting for him to look up once again. Ron raised his head and smiled wryly.

�All right then,� he said, closing his fist over the portkey, �I guess... I have everything I need...� He looked at Sirius. �Wish me luck.�

Sirius looked as if he wanted to cringe at Ron�s words, but managed to stop himself from doing so.

�Thanks... Thanks for this... I really appreciate you doing this for me. I�d�ve done it myself, but charms was never really my specialty, and... well, I couldn�t really ask Hermione or Ginny, could I?�

Sirius sighed. �Just promise me you won�t be... reckless, Ron... All right?�

Ron couldn�t help but laugh. Sirius knew him all too well.

�Reckless?� he said, then he grinned. �When am I ever reckless?�

He heard Sirius groan just before he disapparated.

Hermione�s grip on his arm was so tight, he reckoned he�d lost all feeling in that limb a while back. But he dared not say anything. For one, Hermione would probably only get mad at him, and he most certainly did not want her getting mad at him at this point and time, and for another, he had to admit, despite the brave front he was so used to wearing, having her holding on to him like this was... comforting.

Hogwarts was misty and damp, not at all what he had expected on a late July day. The sky above was overcast: a dull gray that hinted at rain, but hadn�t lived up to its promise as of yet. Their feet sank deep into the ground as they walked across the freshly cut grass (Filch would surely have their heads for causing mud to ooze out of the ground with each step they took; Ron made a mental note to avoid him at all costs today). Welby and Keating walked behind them in silence, and Ron could feel Keating�s eyes burning a hole through the back of his head. He still hadn�t quite accepted the fact that Ron was doing this, and Ron, for his part, had given up trying a long time ago; it would only be wasted energy.

There was movement up ahead of them: three figures approaching them from across the courtyard. Ron could see Ginny�s vibrant red hair even from this distance, and in time, Harry�s signature messy locks came into focus, as did Professor McGonagall�s ever-present pointy hat, which had a new feather in the brim, from what Ron could see.

Their faces were grim, not that Ron had been expecting anything less. Of course, Professor McGonagall always looked serious and reserved, so it was not exactly a shock to the system to see her face set the way it was, but Ron had to admit, seeing Harry and Ginny like this unnerved him to his very core. There had only been a few times in their long friendship that he had ever seen Harry�s face look so blank and devoid of emotion; they had been times of great turmoil and danger, when even the-boy-who-lived--the boy who had endured every torture imaginable and managed to survive them all--showed fissures in his armour.

He and Ron didn�t speak when their eyes met; there was a silent understanding between the two friends. Ron felt Hermione lean into him, as if for support, then she said softly, �How are you?�

All eyes turned to Harry, who gave a small smile (one Ron recognized as his customary brave smile, the one he used whenever he didn�t want people to know that everything was indeed getting to him) and said, �I�m still here.�

At this, there a smattering of awkward laughter. Ron, ironically, who usually found humor in even the most grave of situations, was the only one who didn�t laugh. Instead he watched Harry closely, noting the way his eyes belied his seemingly calm demeanor. Harry must have known this, because he was doing everything not to look directly at Ron.

Welby stepped forward and cleared his throat a little too conspicuously. �Professor McGonagall, I must thank you again for granting us this most unusual request. You�re very gracious to allow us on school grounds.�

�Oh, but of course I would allow it,� the headmistress said, her voice wavering a little more than usual, Ron thought. �Given how serious the situation is... if we could be of any help at all, then of course we wouldn�t hesitate.� She turned her attention to Ron, and to his surprise, gave him a rare smile. �Professor Dumbledore will know exactly what to do, that is for certain. You can count on that.�

Ron nodded. �I know...�

Feeling Keating�s eyes on him, he turned to look at the head of the Office of Improper Use of Magic, who neither flinched, nor reduced the intensity of his stare. Without breaking eye contact with Ron, he said silkily, �And I�m sure Dumbledore will be able to handle the entire matter on his own.�

Apparently he felt Ron needed one more reminder. Ron simply responded with a cool smile.

�I�m sure he will.�

For a few more seconds they locked eyes, Ron waiting for Keating to be the first to look away, until finally Welby, perhaps sensing the tension in the air, called for both their attentions.

�Well, I suppose we�d better get to it then?�

�Wait,� Hermione said. �Mr. Welby, would you mind if I...�

�Oh of course, of course,� Welby said, laughing sheepishly. �How silly of me, of course you�d like a chance to say goodbye to your husband... We�ll give you some privacy, then...�

Hermione smiled in thanks, and gently pulled Ron by the arm to lead him a few feet away so that no one could hear what they said.

When they were alone, or at least at enough of a distance away from the others, Ron drew her into him and kissed the top of her head. �All right, you,� he said. �No mushy goodbyes, I won�t have that. I�m going to be back before you know it.� He pulled away slightly to look down on her and give her a grin. �You won�t even have time to miss me, I reckon.�

She laughed a little, but not enough to put Ron�s mind at ease.

�Hey,� he said, �I mean it. Don�t waste a single second worrying about me, I�ll be fine. And when this whole mess is over, we can just go back to our quiet little lives again.�

�I�m going to hold you to that, Ron Weasley,� she said with a reluctant smile.

She took his hand, running her fingers over his palm, then Ron closed his hand over hers to reassure her. What she said next took him completely by surprise.

�You�re going to try and save Snape, aren�t you?�

There was no anger in her voice, no accusation. She was quiet and strong, as if she had simply accepted this had to be. Without saying anything, Ron nodded.

�Just promise me you�ll be careful,� she said.

He tilted her chin up with his finger.

�I swear it,� he said. �On everything we hold sacred.�

Before he could say another word, she raised up on her toes and kissed him, quickly, as if afraid she�d lose her nerve and try to hold him back, then she walked back to the rest of the group without looking him in the eyes again, Ron following her in silence.

Welby pulled out the time-turner from the inside pocket of his cloak. The sand inside it was fine, like powder, and shimmered in the meager sunlight. Ron took it and looked at it for a long time, until Welby said, �All right, then... are you ready?�

Ron nodded, and when he looked up, he caught Harry�s eye. He gave his best friend a smile.

�I�ll be back in plenty of time for your birthday, mate,� he said.

Harry�s eyes crinkled into a smile, for which Ron was eternally grateful. Ron saw him open his mouth, but he stopped him before Harry could get the words out. He knew what they would be.

He stepped forward, taking Harry into an embrace and whispered, �I won�t let anything happen to you. You have my word.�

He took hold of the time-turner, and with everyone�s eyes on him, he spun it once, twice, three times, then all-powerful force swept him up and everything around him vanished.

The next time he opened his eyes, he knew he was in another place entirely.