Times of Trouble

A lot could go wrong, as Harry had found out.

It had been a very long and exhausting few hours at the Burrow. From the moment that Preston had knocked on the door things had gone…differently than expected. First, there had been Professor Weasley's 'guest'. Then, there had been what this guest had shared with them. And, finally, there had been the discussion over what to do next.

Now, though, everything seemed to be sorted out and Harry was quite looking forward to getting things done and hopefully returning everything to normal.

Smiling, Harry closed his eyes and slept for the first time since they'd spun the time-turner in the Dumbledores' garden six years ago.

Twenty-four hours ago…

Preston rapped loudly on the solid wooden door.

The four of them stood silently on the dark stoop for no more than a moment before the door swung open to bathe them in warm firelight.

Professor Bilius Weasley stood there looking at them in evident surprise. Then, before anything could be said, he quickly joined them outside and pulled the door mostly shut.

"Mr. Turnipseed? What are you doing here? I thought you were going back to America." He turned away from Preston to look at the others. His eyebrows shot up, "And what are you three doing here? We were told that you'd decided to transfer to Beauxbatons."

"Well, yeh see here Professor, we got ourselves in a bit of a pickle. An' we need yer help."

Professor Weasley threw a quick glance behind him at the closed front door before saying, "Well, I'm sorry boys," he nodded at Hermione, "and Miss Granger, but now is not a good time. You see, I have a gue-"

The door very abruptly swung open to show a very familiar, freckle-faced redhead.

Neville's jaw dropped and he let out an audible gasp, while Hermione's eyes widened in shock.

"RON?!" Harry shouted in surprise.

Ron smiled sheepishly, "Yes, it's me."

"But…but how? And…and when?" Hermione whispered.

"THESE are the three friends you're looking for?" Professor Weasley asked. "But these three were here years ago, and they were only eleven. I thought you said your friends were fifteen or sixteen."

Ron frowned, "They were?"

"Um, maybe yeh could move yer little discussion inside 'for those death people come on back? I don' fancy changin' again so soon. Hard on the body, don' yeh know," Preston put in mildly.

Ron looked at Preston curiously before nodding, "He's right, a bunch of Death Eaters came through before Luna and Ginny helped me sneak in the ministry."

Ron and Professor Weasley moved into the house and the rest of them followed. Harry looked around the Burrow in curiosity as he followed Ron into the sitting room. In many ways the entire house looked exactly as it had when he first stepped into it, a hundred years in the future. The main difference that he could see was the size of the sitting room, which was significantly larger in the future - most likely due to the size of the future Weasley family.

Once they were all situated on various pieces of furniture that were comfortably over-stuffed, Professor Weasley spoke.

"I'd like everyone to keep it down. My wife and two sons are sleeping upstairs and if we wake Secondus then no one will be sleeping tonight. He's only eight months old." He looked at them until everyone nodded in understanding. "Good, now, can one of you please explain just what is going on? Ronald here stumbled into my house about two months ago with a huge gash on his leg and a terrible fever. My wife, Cerine, and I knew immediately that he was a Weasley, so we took him in, but he refused to let us take him to St. Mungos. He kept saying something about You-Know-Who, Death Eaters, and the Greater Good."

Hermione frowned at Ron, "The Greater Good? What's that?"

Ron's eyebrows rose in disbelief, "The Greater Good is not a what, it's a who. Don't you remember? The only man powerful enough to cause You-Know-Who fear, but also the scariest man that isn't a Dark Wizard. Only the Headmistress has been able to stop him from taking over Hogwarts."

Harry, Neville, and Hermione looked at each other in confusion.

"What do you mean, Headmistress? Is Professor McGonagall in charge now? What about Professor Dumbledore?" Harry asked.

Now it was Ron's turn to look confused. "Professor McGonagall? As Headmistress? No…she's just Transfiguration Professor and Head of Gryffindor House. I'm talking about Professor Dumbledore."

Harry relaxed his shoulders; maybe his interference hadn't caused any changes at Hogwarts. Though this Greater Good person didn't exactly sound that good.

"Ron…" Hermione said quietly, "Why did you call Professor Dumbledore Headmistress, and not Headmaster?"

"Uh, because Professor Dumbledore isn't a bloke, at least, I don't think Professor Arianna Dumbledore is a bloke. You can ask, but you might end up a spot on the wall for Filch to clean up."

"Then where is Professor Dumbledore, I mean, Albus Dumbledore?" Harry asked quickly, fear tightening in his gut.

Ron frowned at him, "Albus Dumbledore? Don't really know who that is. I know an Aberforth Dumbledore, but he works at the Ministry. I mean…Albus could be the mysterious brother of theirs that disappeared when Grindlewald disappeared? I heard Mum talking about there being a third Dumbledore once."

"Grindlewald disappeared? But, didn't he get defeated and locked in prison?" Hermione asked.

"I'm pretty sure he just disappeared. I mean, it's pretty hard to pay attention when Professor Binns is talking, but I'm pretty sure that I heard he disappeared. "

Now it was Professor Weasley's turn to ask a confused question, "Wait, Binns is still alive and teaching History of Magic? What is he, two hundred something years old by your time?"

The absurdity of the question made the four time-travelers chuckle before Neville answered his question. "Actually, Professor Binns is a ghost. The story is that he got up from a nap in the Teacher's Lounge and left his body behind."

"Yeah, we don't think he even realizes he dead yet," Ron chimed in.

Professor Weasley let out a low chuckle, "That sounds like Binns."

"Say, if ya'll are done gossipin' can yeh continue on with why people are tryin' to kill yeh folks?"

"Oh, sure, where was I?" Ron asked.

"Grindlewald's disappearing," Hermione responded.

"Yeah, okay, well, apparently Grindlewald was conquering Germany and then he just disappeared one day. A few decades later You-Know-Who showed up and then when he disappeared the Greater Good showed up. The Greater Good took over most of Europe and was heading for England when You-Know-Who came back – which started that bloody three way war we've all been caught in for the last year."

As Harry had listened to Ron talk he'd had a realization. This was not the Ron he'd played with, talked with, and studied with for so many years. There was no Greater Good or three-way war in his world. Somehow, he had changed something when he came back here. And all signs pointed to Albus Dumbledore being the one changed.

"Ron," Harry said quietly, "There is no three-way war in the future we came from. There was just Voldemort and the Order. I…I think I changed something when we first appeared here. I think I did something to Albus Dumbledore that stopped him from becoming the man he was meant to become."

"What do you mean, Harry?" Ron asked.

Harry could feel five sets of eyes on him as he took a deep breath and began to speak, "When I first got there the Sorting Hat told me that he wanted to put Albus in Gryffindor, but that Albus asked to go in Slytherin instead. I think that if Albus had gone in Slytherin than he would now be one of the greatest wizards of all time. He'd have defeated Grindlewald in a great duel and eventually have become Headmaster of Hogwarts. He'd be the only man that Voldemort completely feared. Maybe…" he shook his head and tried to deny the thought that came to him next, "Maybe the Greater Good is actually Albus Dumbledore."

A heavy silence fell in that little sitting room – that little room that was so familiar and yet not quite the same as the future version of it.

It was Neville who broke the silence, "Ron, how evil is the Greater Good, exactly?"

"The Greater Good is breaking the barrier between the magical and muggle worlds. He's using magic to take control of muggle governments and make them submit to him. From what Hermione, er," He looked over at Hermione and blushed for some reason, "I suppose I should say my world's Hermione. Well, she said that he worked behind the scenes for years using magic and talk to get people on his side. In the countries he's taken over the muggles are second-class citizens. And if they have a magical baby then the baby is taken away and raised in a camp, where they're taught to despise and pity their non-magical parents. Only difference between him and You-Know-Who is his acceptance of muggleborns – after he's brainwashed them of course."

Hermione and Preston looked visibly sick at what Ron had disclosed and Harry didn't feel much better. The idea that Albus could do such a thing was terrible. The Albus he knew couldn't have done that, but then, the Albus that he knew in the future was a different man. The question was, how?

"How could one man become so different?" Neville asked.

They all sat there, lost in their own thoughts. Harry didn't know what the rest were thinking, but all he could do was run over every encounter he'd had with Albus here in the past to try and figure out which encounter was the one that changed him.

After an indeterminable amount of time had passed Hermione was the one to break the silence.

"I think I know what changed Albus Dumbledore. I don't know how it did, but I'm sure this is the reason." She waited until all eyes were on her before continuing. "In the future, well, our old future, there is no mention of Albus Dumbledore's siblings. And when Harry first got here he saved Arianna Dumbledore from some very nasty bullies. I think that in the original timeline no one saved Arianna. I think she ended up dead or very, very damaged. If she didn't die then eventually her injuries caused something to happen to her and probably Aberforth as well. These events somehow made changed Albus and made him the man we three remember. Without these events he never matured and learned compassion. And he was always intelligent and proud, even after just a few months with him I could tell that. Somehow, this intelligence and pride, without any compassion, led him to do what he's done in Ron's future. His name, Greater Good, supports my belief that he believes that what he's doing is actually for the best."

Harry mentally kicked himself. No wonder none of his encounters with Albus seemed climactic enough to change him. It had been an encounter with Arianna, an encounter he barely remembered, too.

Neville's brow furrowed in thought, "I think I can see that. Now, how do we fix it?"

"I don't know, but I don't think any of us can go back to the future until we do," Neville said.

Professor Weasley's lips pursed, "After listening to your stories I think Neville here is right, but I can't let any of you continue to stay here. Not with two young sons upstairs and those Death Eater people back here chasing you."

Neville frowned, "That's right, the Death Eaters. Why are they here? And how?"

All eyes focused on Ron and he turned a little pink, "Well, when we all snuck into the Department of Mysteries to get the prophecy the Death Eaters attacked. Then you three broke those time-turners and made that giant cyclone."

Hermione sighed, "Yes, yes, we remember that. Now answer the question."

Ron rolled his eyes, "I'm getting there! Jeez, some things don't change. Now, that time cyclone didn't disappear but somehow the Unspeakables got it contained within a special room. Death Eaters raided the place not long ago and jumped through to find you. Apparently You-Know-Who really wants you. A few of the Greater Good's people tried to get in also, but they were caught. Luna, Ginny and I were going to do nothing since we figured you were fairly safe in the past and would figure out a way home, but when the Death Eaters went back we realized one of us had to warn you."

"An', why'd yeh come an' not one a those girls?" Preston asked.

"Because I refused to let Ginny go alone and both of us knew that Luna would draw too much attention," Ron retorted.

"Hey, now is not the time for fights. We need to figure out where to go and how to fix this." Harry put in as Ron glared at Preston, who merely smiled calmly in reply.

"I think we should go to Donald Longbottom's tonight and the work out our plan tomorrow it's getting very late. Preston, are you coming with us?" Hermione asked.

He shook his head, "Nope, me grandpa an' grandma are prob'ly wonderin' where I'm at. Look me up if you need me." He stood up and walked over to the front door. Upon reaching it he stopped and turned around, "Oh, an' thank yeh for that information." He smiled and then left, a moment later they heard a crack as he apparated.

"I suppose you four will want to use the Floo Network?" Professor Weasley asked.

Hermione nodded, "Yes, please."

"Alright," Professor Weasley lit a fire and then took a very familiar jar off the mantle. He offered it to Neville who quickly flooed himself to his ancestral home. Hermione quickly followed, but when it was Ron's turn the sound of a baby crying upstairs started.

Professor Weasley groaned, "I'm not going to get to sleep tonight, am I? I think this will be our last child."

Ron grinned, "Oh, it won't be your last one."

Professor Weasley looked at him and raised an eyebrow, "What makes your say that?"

Somehow, Ron's grin grew wider, "Well, I forgot to mention that you're my great-grandfather." When this elicited no response Ron chuckled, "Don't you want to know my grandfather's name?"

The two Weasley's stared at each other until the Professor sighed and said, "Fine, what's his name?"

"Septimus," and with a last laugh at his grandfather's shocked expression Ron tossed some floo powder in the fire and took off.

Harry frowned in confusion, "Sir, is the name Septimus special?"

Professor Weasley shook his head in disbelief, "Do you know any latin?"

"Nope, I was raised with muggles and wasn't exactly the most studious student at Hogwarts."

"Ah, well, Celine and I decided to name our children numerically in Latin. Our two boys upstairs are Primus and Secondus."

"Okay…what number is Septimus?"

"Seven," Professor Weasley said glumly as he watched his wife come down the stairs bouncing an angry-faced baby in her arms.

Harry quickly grabbed a pinch of floo powder, "Well, um, I guess you'll need a bigger house. Uh, good luck! And, thank you!"

Harry quickly threw the powder into the fire and said, "Longbottom Estate."