Title: A Posteriori
Character/Pairings: Eventual Hermione/Fred, Trio centric + Sirius and the Twins!
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J. K. Rowling & Bloomsbury, et al. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Word Count: 1,608 words
Spoilers: PS, CoS, PoA, GoF, OotP, HBP & DH.
Warnings: AU, Character death (temporary!)
Summary: After all, it was a well known fact that horrible things happened to those who meddled with time. These facts were known to every single Unspeakable working within the Department with clearance high enough. These facts were written in sealed Ministry records, kept under lock and key within the deepest vaults of the Ministry. Until 1997, wherein the timelines diverged – and Hermione Jane Granger and Ronald Bilius Weasley succeeded in doing what the world had thought to be impossible. They changed history.
Notes: Props to Enigma for both main and chapter titles.

(A Posteriori: Eppur Si Muove)

The Wizarding World keeps a close eye on those who travel through time. Time turners were only given in the most exceptional cases (or if you happened to have an in with the Head Unspeakable at the Department of Mysteries, as was the case of Professor Minerva McGonagall, who merely wished to obtain a time turner for an overachieving student) and their use severely monitored. After all, it was a well known fact that horrible things happened to those who meddled with time. In mid 1994, Hermione Jane Granger (the aforementioned overachieving student) and Harold James Potter (the Boy Who Lived) successfully altered the course of time by saving themselves and Sirius Black, notorious Azkaban escapee, from Dementors (though it must be mentioned that it has been argued that they did not meddle, per say, as they had already been saved – therefore they would have had to go back and save themselves). After this incident, the Unspeakables kept a close watch on the Time room, monitoring any discrepancies occurring within the existing timeline. In mid 1996, six Hogwarts students (unsurprisingly, the names Hermione Granger and Harry Potter once again appeared) battled a dozen Death Eaters within the Department of Mysteries and destroyed the Time Room and every time turner in existence at the time.

These facts were known to every single Unspeakable working within the Department with clearance high enough. These facts were written in sealed Ministry records, kept under lock and key within the deepest vaults of the Ministry.

Until 1997, wherein the timelines diverged – and Hermione Granger and Ronald Bilius Weasley succeeded in doing what the world had thought to be impossible.

They changed history.

(--//--)

In the original timeline, Voldemort leaves Harry's broken body on the outer edges of the Burrow's wards three days before his seventeenth birthday. Hermione and Ron don't actually know how to react when they find out – their best friend is dead, had died alone while they were fooling around.

The Order grieve, but still believe that they have a chance. They mourn the Boy Who Lived and Moody uses his death to spur them on. Harry Potter will not have died in vain. Hermione and Ron are the only ones who know that the Boy Who Lived was also the Chosen One, that he was the only one who stood a chance at killing Voldemort. They don't even want to think about the Horcruxes and what needs to be done about them.

The weight of the Wizarding World is sitting on their shoulders and the two lions of Gryffindor aren't sure they'll be able to hold the weight.

They disagree on whether or not to tell the Order about the prophecy and the Horcruxes (Ron thinks they should, Hermione doesn't) and finally agree to disagree. Hermione convinces Ron to err on the side of caution because they still don't know who they can trust – Lupin would have been their obvious choice but then they remember that he'd gone undercover with Greyback's pack and might have been compromised.

They leave the Burrow on the night of the funeral – everyone is either sloshed or well on their way to tying one on, so the two teenagers find it disgustingly easy to slip out. Hermione had been preparing to leave for ages (though she'd been thinking in terms of trio, not duo) and Ron's belongings are hastily thrown into her bottomless bag. They hesitate for all of a second before taking Harry's invisibility cloak, the Marauder's Map, the fake horcrux and the note from the mysterious RAB. They can't afford to leave any clues about what they're doing. By the time Ginny reads the hastily scrawled notes left on Hermione's bed, the duo are long gone.

At Grimmauld Place, Hermione's hunch about Regulus Black pays off when they find Slytherin's locket amidst Kreacher's belongings. It's a hollow victory because Harry is still dead, but Hermione is glad that at the least, Sirius could be proud of his younger brother. Ron keeps the Horcrux at his side while Hermione scours the library for anything that could possibly be helpful. Most of the dark books have been confiscated but there is a spell that she takes note of, in case it all went to hell - which it most likely would. They spend an uneasy night in the lounge because the bedrooms have become all dusty again and don't mention their weird relationship (if you could even call it a relationship). There is no room for it now – Harry is dead, and the world is depending on them, even if it didn't quite realize it.

They wake up the next morning and Hermione decides to ignore the tear tracks on Ron's cheeks because he's doing the same for her. One rather subdued argument later, Hermione apparates Ron Side Along to Hogsmeade while under the invisibility cloak. They sneak into Hogwarts using the passage under Honeydukes and narrowly avoid being seen by McGonagall while making a mad dash to the Room of Requirement. Hermione walks in first and finds the sword of Godric Gryffindor lying on the table in front of them and thinks that this is all happening rather too easily. Ron pierces the centre of the locket while Hermione watches, wand at the ready. An unearthly shriek fills the room, followed by an odious trail of black smoke that quickly dissipates.

They exchange weary glances. One down, three to go. Ron collapses on the sofa and watches curiously as the room reverts back to its natural state, sensing that their requirements had been fulfilled. Dust motes float through the air and there are stacks and stacks of things strewn across the room – years and years of junk left behind by forgetful or apathetic students. Hermione, naturally curious, starts to dig around. When Ron hears her screaming, he jumps up, only to find that his wand is pointed directly at nothing. He stares at her like she's gone absolutely barmy while she squeals but she finally holds up a pretty headpiece – Ron thinks it's alright, but that the one Auntie Muriel has looks better. And bugger it all, he's gone and missed Bill's wedding to Phlegm because of this – Mum was going to murder him.

The brunette witch is literally bouncing as she explains that this, Ravenclaw's diadem, is most likely the unknown artefact. They try the sword on the diadem but fail (somehow, Hermione is not surprised) so they make their way to the dungeons. She has no qualms about stealing the small phial of 55 galleons per ounce basilisk venom – Slughorn certainly wasn't going to be using it for anything important. She pours the venom carefully over the intricate filigree, watching with satisfaction as the eerie voice shrieked and the black smoke disperses through the crack in the centre stone.

This leaves them with Hufflepuff's cup and Nagini and Hermione can say with complete certainty, that Gryffindor or no Gryffindor, she was not going near that bloody snake.

A day later they watch in horror as Diagon Alley is decimated. Weasley Wizarding Wheezes is thankfully sealed tight but under the protection of the invisibility cloak, Hermione and Ron watch the carnage occur. Hermione starts as Voldemort drags a sullen Neville Longbottom into the clearing – her heart starts beating in triplicate as the words of the prophecy begin to ring in her ears. Riddle taunts Neville, comparing him with Harry. Ron's eyes grow wide as he begins to catch on and they both pray for a miracle.

If Voldemort marks Neville, even while mocking him, they have a chance.

Three days later Neville joins the duo, rubbing at the scar on his chest. He still doesn't know about the Horcruxes, but Hermione and Ron think that as long as they can get rid of the cup, they won't need to tell him – and honestly, the less people that knew about Horcruxes, the better.

However, they both overlook one crucial factor – neither have told Neville that they can't kill Voldemort until all the Horcruxes are destroyed.

In the aftermath of the battle, amidst the stunned cries of the Order members, Hermione tells Ron about the spell she'd found earlier.

Their world can not withstand a third rising of Voldemort – and so they use power to rip through the fabric of time and they go back.

(--//--)

In the second timeline, they find themselves in sixth year. Harry drinks from the poisoned wine and for the life of him, Ron can't remember where the bezoar stone is.

(--//--)

In the third timeline, Dolohov avoids Hermione's silencing spell and casts the killing curse – Hermione ducks, and the spell grazes Harry on the side.

(--//--)

In the fourth timeline, Cedric Diggory appears in the middle of the crowd, the cup cradled in one hand, Harry's bloodied body in the other.

(--//--)

In the fifth timeline, Hermione and Ron finally get something right.

(--//--)

It must be noted that on September 1st, 1993 an event occurred that disrupted everything. Everything.As far as the Unspeakables could tell, the consciousness of seventeen year olds Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley merged with that of their younger selves until they retained the knowledge of the original timeline and of those that came after the original but before the current. It was with this knowledge that the future of the Wizarding world was changed one last time. With the help of a dog called Padfoot, a half kneazle named Crookshanks and two mischievous twins, Hermione and Ron attempt to steer destiny in favour of Harry James Potter.

Whether they succeed or not has yet to be determined.