Everyone always did say that Dumbledore had a soft spot for Harry Potter and his two best friends. I guess now we know why.

Ron Weasley came home from another day at the Ministry of Magic, dead on his feet after dealing with what would be called "The Milk Crisis" in later tellings of the story. He locked the front door behind him and flipped on the lightswitch in his Muggle-Wizard integrated home (courtesy of his lovely wife, Hermione Weasley) before hearing 30 some voices yelling "Surprise!"

Stowing away his wand and straightening up from his battle stance, Ron gave a sheepish smile to the room full of his extended family. Clustered around his feet were his brother George's great grand twins, Frank and Grayson who were 3 years old and already the team of troublemakers, and Teddy Lupin's 7 year old granddaughter, Dora. Everywhere else spread out in the room was everyone that he loved. Bill and Fleur were near the entrance to the kitchen, grouped with their kids Louis, Dominique, and Victoire who were all accompanied by their husbands and wife along with 5 eighth-Veela grandchildren. Charlie and George were gesturing wildly about something or other while Angelina snickered at their antics. George's son, Fred and Fred's daughter Mia were now attempting to pry little Frank and Grayson off of Ron's legs, while Mia's husband Jackson Wood took pictures. Roxanne Weasley was waving around wizarding sparklers with Lily Potter, her son Nicholas, and Ron's daughter Rose, and Rose's daughters Evelyn and Addison were passing out cups of pumpkin juice. Ginny was smacking James upside the head while Albus and Hugo snickered, completely ignoring their wives who seemed to not mind.

Hermione and Harry emerged from the kitchen holding a massive cake with Ron's face on it with words on it saying "Congratulations on 30 years as Head Auror!" Grinning broadly at the display and letting the feeling of having such an amazing family wash over him, Ron took in the picture that had been used on the cake. It was one that Harry, his Deputy Head Auror, had taken of him on his first day as Head Auror at age 34. His expression was somewhere halfway between proud and queasy and looking back at it made him chuckle. 30 years had certainly changed a lot in his life- from the birth of his grandkids, to Hermione's breakthrough in merging Muggle and Wizard science, to the fact that the Wizarding World was thriving now that there was no Dark Lord looming over everyone's head. Life was good.

Raising his glass, Ron announced, "I'd like to propose a toast to you lot, my family, for sticking by me through the numerous adventures, the continued Sunday Weasley Family Lunches, and more years in peace than I ever thought I'd have with you all. I love you, and thank you so much for this party. Now, let's eat my face!" "Cheers!" was echoed back to him from everyone in the room and Ron smiled brightly at his wife, who wagged her eyebrows at him as he stroked his auburn beard. While Ron looked every one of his 64 years old, with his white-streaked hair grown out past his shoulder blades and a beard grown out to his mid-chest, Hermione looked as radiant as ever. Her chestnut hair was still bushy and long and she kept it pulled back in a simple braid most of the time, and her bright eyes and thirst for knowledge only grew brighter over time. He loved her so much.

While everyone was grabbing slices of the Ron-cake, he felt a familiar hand clap his shoulder. "Well Ron, it looks like we finally got everything we ever wanted out of life," came Harry's voice to his right. Wizened blue eyes met aged green ones as the two brothers shared a look out onto the room full of the people they had given up their childhoods to protect.

"Every battle fought and life lost was given to this cause, right here. And not just for us, for the whole Wizarding World." replied the redhead.

"We certainly have come a long way from the two kids who were scared out of their minds trying to fight a troll,"

"Or break into the Hall of Prophecy,"

"Or fight a giant snake,"

"Or beat a giant chess set,"

"Or win a war."

A silence fell over the two as they were both lost in their own memories of a time better forgotten. Harry broke the silence saying, "The more I think back on it, the more I realize that it was pure luck that got us most of the way. If it hadn't been for Dumbledore, we both would have died the moment we stepped foot onto a battlefield. It's almost like he knew exactly what we would need right when we would need it. Every year taught me something new, fighting with you and 'Mione against Voldemort. It makes me wonder what wouldn't happened if just one thing would have gone differently. Would we still be here to see our family enjoying the peace? Or would we have lost the war entirely?"

"I don't think we can ever know the answer to that, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Getting to see the world turn into a better place, seeing my kids and grandkids grow up, stopping crime with my best friend, I wouldn't change it for anything." Ron reflected. Him and Harry bumped shoulders and shared a smile before joining the rest of the family in the time of celebration.

Chugging down the last of his cup of coffee, Ron finished sending out memos to the Aurors, letting them know that Harry was in charge for the day while he did the annual check of the Department of Mysteries. Every year since the fiasco in his fifth year, the Auror Head, the Minister, and the Head of the DMLE all flipped a coin to see which one of them had to do the walkthrough of the DoM to make sure that everything was running smoothly and that there weren't any security or safety breaches.

This year was Ron's 15th year to do the walkthrough (blame the Weasley luck), so he had the routine pretty much down. He would spend about 45 minutes in each experiment hall, checking everything over, and by the time he would be done, the day would be over. Ron went through the morning checking the Hall of Prophecy, the Brain Room (that still unnerved him), the Love Room, and the Death Chamber before grabbing a quick lunch, leaving the Thought Hall, the Space Hall, and the Time Room for after. Headed down to the Ministry cafeteria, he grabbed himself a quick sandwich and an extra to bring up to Hermione who he was almost positive forgot about lunch in lieu of her newest research.

"Knock, knock," Ron said, poking his head into Hermione's office on the Research Floor. Hermione jumped slightly, knocking a spare quill off the side of her desk, "Well, hello you. I thought you were stuck in the Department of Mysteries all day?"

"It's lunch, 'Mione. I figured you'd forget again," he replied, extending his hand holding the extra sandwich to his wife and using his other to Conjure a single rose in a vase on her desk. "I've gotta get back, but I wanted to wish you good luck," Ron told her with a roughish smile. "I love you!" "Love you too!" She called to his retreating figure as he left her office.

With a goofy smile still plastered on his face, Ron made his way back down to the DoM. His wand was scanned in with a customary "Welcome back, Mr. Weasley," and he made his way to his destination: the Time Room.

"Level 9: The Department of Mysteries, Ministry of Magic" intoned the elevator, as he waited for the doors to open at his stop. Ron walked down the obsidian hallway to the large double-doors at the end. He pulled them open and stepped into the circular room filled with doors that used to give him nightmares. Years of experience allowed him to be able to pick out the door he needed on the first try. He peered around the Outer Time Room, taking in the menagerie of clocks covering every surface before his eyes fell onto the bell jar resting on a podium in the dead center of the room. There was something absolutely beautiful and eerie about watching a small hummingbird go through it's life-cycle continuously, without ever realising that it is dying over and over. Shaking his head slightly, Ron skirted past it until he was directly in front of the wall of time turners. He consulted his clipboard, scratching out a few comments about the general maintenance and upkeep of the room as well as a line noting the distinct lack of changes that the room had gone through after fifty years.

Ron turned to leave after completing his review for the Time Room and made it three paces before he halted his steps. Looking back over his shoulder, he took a second glance at what he had thought was a blank stretch of wallspace.

Something niggled in the back of his brain, stirring up a snapshot of a memory nearly half a century prior. There was a door at the far end by the Time Turners.

After looking to his left and his right, as if searching for the other two thirds of the famous Golden Trio to ask for an opinion, Ron faced the new door head on. As if compelled, he placed his hand onto the door and gave it a firm push to open it. He took a mechanical step forward into the room. It was completely dark, as if there was simply nothing, just blackness engulfing him. His eyes turned downward and it took half a second for him to register that he was falling, and another half a second before he realised that he was never standing on anything at all. He felt a change in direction and his head snapped backwards, his vision swimming for only a moment before he passed out.