AN - AND WAIT! "I thought ADIT was completed!" You may be saying to yourself. "What the shiznit is this? Am I hallucinating?" Well, perhaps you do, but I guarantee that this block of text here - a chapter eleven, of sorts - is really in front of you! And why? Because, when I wrapped up ADIT, and as satisfied as I was with the finished project, I felt as if something was missing from the story. Perhaps because... and I'm about to let you in on a little secret here... I originally had planned on ending the fic much differently than the way I did. (gasp!) No, seriously. What I initially had in mind was that, at the end of chapter ten, after Ron returns to his sixteen-year-old life and tells Hermione how he feels about her, he was going to wake up as his twenty-six year-old self and realize that the entire thing had been a dream. The only reason I didn't do it was because I was afraid it might've been too much of a stretch. Even though, I still felt like something needed to come after the end (sorry Arabella and Zsenya). Anyhoo, here it is!

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A Draught In Time:

Epilogue

-dutchtulips-

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10 Years Later...

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Dusk. A beautiful May evening, its savory warm air and steadily rising tempatures signaling summer's soon arrival. A soft gust of wind suddenly erupted, twisting its way through High Street, ruffling the leaves on the trees and playing with the awnings hanging over the buildings. The usual Hogsmeade crowds were swelling, filling with shoppers, students, and other various witches and wizards, who'd perhaps come out for a night of drinks or dinner at the Three Broomsticks.

Blending in with the throng of people, issuing from said tavern's door after emerging from its fireplace grate, was twenty-six year-old Ron Weasley. He looked tired as he trekked up High Street, but nevertheless, there was a bright expression on his face as his eyes fell upon the store sign. The building itself was still half-a-block in the distance, but the bright green sign with the white handpainted flowers that hung over the door seemed to always be visible, even from miles away. It was a warm welcome everytime he saw it.

He'd been the one to hang it up, after all.

Ron picked up his pace, advancing towards The Gardenia. As he did so, the bundle he'd been carrying in his right arm bounced a little, and made a small noise of discomfort.

The redhead slowed his steps just slightly at the sound, and boosted the bundle higher up on his hip. "Whassamatter, Adam?" He said softly, playfully. "Getting fussy, aren't you. Don't fret... we're almost at Mummy's store."

The eight-month-old baby boy in Ron's arms looked up at his father with shiny blue eyes, and reached out to grab his nose with his tiny fist. Ron grinned. "Oh, come on, it's not that big, is it?"

Little Adam only giggled in reply.

Such a pure, innocent sound that is, Ron marveled, hoisting his son up against his side again, and quickened his pace in the direction of the bookstore. As much of a hassle as it can be, lugging the kids around everywhere, it's really all worth it, just to see them laugh and have fun.

Finally the redhead reached the shop door, as he pulled it back to step inside, Ron was immediately met with a clatter of voices speaking - adults pleasantly amongst themselves, children animately carrying on. The aisles were scattered with shoppers young and old.

His eyes scanning the floor, Ron grinned as his eyes fell upon a little girl, whose vibrant red hair was drawn back into a pair of braids. Like Heidi, Ron thought momentarily, thinking of one of those Muggle storybooks that had been among Hermione's favorites.

The little girl was sitting on the floor in front of the pay counter, across from another small girl with ebony-colored hair that stuck out every which way. They were both finger-painting on large sheets of papyrus, sharing a well of rainbow-colored ink.

"Hey... is that my Caroline over there?"

The red-haired child glanced in the direction of the voice, and grinned widely as her eyes fell upon Ron. Jumping up quickly from her place on the floor, she ran over and hugged him round the waist.

"Daddy!" She squealed, and then drew back to look up at him. "Where was you? You been gone all day with Adam!" She exclaimed, her brown eyes accusing.

Ron smirked down at his four-year-old daughter. "Us Weasley boys snuck off to have fun alone today! You Weasley girls were suffocating us!"

"Nu uh!" Caroline - Carrie - chimed back. "Me and Mummy have been having a better time than you! There have been lotsa people here today! She let me help! And then Aunt Ginny brought Holly along to play when she came to help Mummy!"

Holly, the dark-haired little girl, suddenly bounced over at Carrie's side. "Mummy and Aunt Hermy let us play with paints!" She held up her fingers, which were stained about six different colors. "See?"

Ron laughed. "Yeah, I see, all right! Where have both your mums gotten to, anyway?"

Someone then, at precisely that moment, threw their arms around his shoulders, from behind. "In the aisle right behind you."

The redhead craned his neck, and smiled when his eyes fell upon his wife. "Hey, love," he grinned, and reached over and kissed her.

"Eww, mushy stuff!" Carrie teased, and she and Holly giggled.

Hermione, too, laughed, which broke she and Ron's kiss. "Some day you girls won't mind kissing a boy, you know," she smiled, putting her arms back around her husband's shoulders.

"Boys! Gross!" Carrie made a face, and she and Holly ran off together, still giggling to themselves.

Ron rolled his eyes amusedly, and glanced back at his wife. "That's your daughter."

"As I recall, I quite remember you being there, too." Hermione smirked, and then held her arms out for Adam. "Lemme see him..." She cooed, wiggling her fingers in anticipation.

Ron smiled and put their son into his wife's arms, and the three of them walked across the floor and over to the checkout desk. "I think he really had fun at Diagon Alley today. I took him into Florean Fortescue's, and the bloke brought over this big banana sundae for him. And it got everywhere, of course!"

Hermione crossed to the opposite side of the desk, and seated Adam on top of the counter. "Ohhh... I'll bet that was a nightmare!" She moaned, and then laughed. "Thanks for lightening my load with the kids today, love. Business was madhouse for most of the afternoon."

"Of course," he smiled. "Though I'm not sure it made much of an improvement, if Ginny's had Holly here all day, too." Pause. "Speaking of which, where is my little sister? I thought she was closing up with you later tonight."

Hermione smiled enigmatically. "Aw, she wanted to slip off early, so I told her no problem. We're going to be babysitting Holly overnight, by the way. Ginny has a surprise dinner planned for Harry tonight..."

Noticing the dreamy look in his wife's eyes, Ron glanced sideways at her. "What? What is it? Am I missing something?"

"Well..." Hermione plunked her elbows to the counter, and returned his gaze. "Ginny might hang me for telling you, but... she's pregnant again."

Ron's eyes brightened. "You're kidding! Really?"

"Really!" She replied, and then put an arm around her baby son. "Little Adam's going to have a playmate before too long!"

"Harry's going to be pleased," Ron said cheerfully. "You know how he's wanted to have a big family. Wish I could be there to see his face when Gin tells him tonight."

"Yeah," Hermione grinned. "Makes me think about November before last when I told you I was pregnant with Adam! I thought your eyes were going to pop out! Or with Caroline, you looked like you were going to have an attack!"

"Hey, come on! That's not true, I was thrilled you were pregnant! I was happy..." His voice had drifted off, along with his thoughts. All this talk about babies was bringing back a memory, one that never would forget...

... Ron could only stare at her. His mouth kept opening, but no words would come out.

"I know we had a big discussion about it a few months ago, you know, about waiting... But some things you just can't plan, you know?" She went on, her voice shaky. "I really hope you're not upset, because I love you so much, and I... I've wanted to be pregnant for a long time now..."

Abruptly Ron leaned forward and put his arms around her, hugging her tightly. "Oh, Hermione, just... forget what we talked about!" Whatever it had been, he thought. "I love you! If this is really what you wanted all along, you shouldn't have been afraid to tell me!"

"I know, but I just -"

"No," he interrupted, looking at her in the eyes. "You and me, Hermione, how long have we been friends? Since forever! As long as we've known each other! And truth be told, we've probably been in love with each other just as long."

She smiled knowingly. "Yeah..."

"So why should you be afraid to tell me anything important?" He continued. "Do you think I'll hate you, or reject you in some way? I could never do that, and I never will. We've been too close for ages for something like that to ever come between what we have..."

"Ron! Ronald Bilius Weasley!"

He blinked, the sound of his full name breaking the fog from his mind. "What?" He blurted, his eyes finding Hermione as they swam back into focus.

"Off in your own little world again?" She smirked.

"Something like that," he replied. Ron paused for a long moment, gazing at his wife as she hefted Adam off of the counter and into her arms. "Hey... you know..." He started to say, quietly. "There's always been something that I... well, I've tried so many times before, but... there's something I've wanted to tell you."

Hermione looked up, curious. "Oh? What that?"

That I was twenty-six once before. That I travelled through time when I was sixteen, to this year, ten years ago, and found out that you would be my wife, and that one day we would have children.

"That I... when we were in sixth year... at Hogwarts... when I gave you that Anne of Green Gables book..." Ron's thoughts were scattered as he searched for the words.

"The beginning of everything for us, just about." Hermione was smiling serenely. "Merlin, what an amazing day."

"It's the reason why we have Carrie and Adam." Ron quipped.

She glanced at him then, looking pleased. For a moment, she didn't say anything, until - shifting Adam onto one arm - she went for the top drawer in the checkout desk. Reaching in, Hermione quickly withdrew something and, closing the drawer with her hip, held it out to him.

It was the copy of Anne of Green Gables, the very one Ron had given her so long ago. Except now it was ten years older; its leather bindings creased from a decade of use, the raised gold lettering faded just a little bit.

Ron looked up at her, half in charm, half in confusion, before she said gently, "Open it. There's something I put inside. I did it almost just to be silly, but then, when you said what you just said..."

He lifted the front cover and stared down at the top leaf, the first page on the inside of the book. And there, Hermione's delicate pen had written the words:

Caroline Grace Weasley

12 March 2011, 3.47 AM

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Adam Ronald Weasley

8 August 2014, 10.04 PM

When Ron finally managed to look back up at his wife, it took him a long moment to recover. When he finally did, all he could do was smile. "You know," he said, "When I gave you this book ten years ago, I'll never forget the look on your face. You told me that I gave you the world. But right now, you know what you just did?"

Hermione beamed at him. "What's that?"

"You just proved that you've given me the world. Marrying me, being the mother of our children... everything."

Without a word - and still holding Adam on her hip - Hermione leaned right across the counter and gave her husband a great big kiss.

"That's one of the most beautiful compliments of my life," she said, her eyes sparkling, when the kiss ended. "Is that what you'd always been wanting to say?"

Momentarily Ron's mind flashed to the ten-year-old memory; the potion, travelling through time, discovering that they would be married in the future, getting back to his sixteen-year-old self and telling her how he felt, giving her the book - the whole story he'd just moments before had been geared up to tell her.

But suddenly it all seemed to dissipate. He was here now, he knew, because he was there then. And now was the only place he ever wanted to be.

"Yeah, exactly."

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el fin (the real one, this time.)