Change the Future

HBP 9

"Snape was offering to help him? He was definitely offering to help him?" Ron said looking at Harry.

"If you ask that once more," Harry said, "I'm going to stick this sprout" 

"I'm only checking!" Ron said. They were standing alone at the Burrow's kitchen sink, peeling a mountain of sprouts for Mrs. Weasley. Snow was drifting past the window in front of them.

"Yes, Snape was offering to help him! He said he'd promised Malfoy's mother to protect him, that he'd made an Unbreakable Oath or something"

"An Unbreakable Vow?" Ron said, looking stunned. "Nah, he can't have. Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Harry said. "Why, what does it mean?" 

"Well, you can't break an Unbreakable Vow"

"Well done Ron that's pretty obvious" Ginny says smirking.

"Oh shut up Ginny"

"I'd worked that much out for myself, funnily enough. What happens if you break it, then?"

"You die," Ron said simply. "Fred and George tried to get me to make one when I was about five. I nearly did too, I was holding hands with Fred and everything when Dad found us. He went mental," Ron, with a reminiscent gleam in his eyes. "Only time I've ever seen Dad as angry as Mum. Fred reckons his left buttock has never been the same since." 

Rory was on Freds back as he walked into the kitchen.

"Yeah, well, passing over Fred's left buttock" Harry said as they walked into the kitchen.

"That was brilliant timing" Sirius smirks at them.

"I beg your pardon?" Fred said. "Aaah, George, Rory, look at this. They're using knives and everything. Bless them."

"I'll be seventeen in two and a bit months' time," Ron said grumpily, "and then I'll be able to do it by magic!"

"But meanwhile," George said, sitting down at the kitchen table and putting his feet up on it, "we can enjoy watching you demonstrate the correct use of a whoops-a-daisy!"

"You made me do that!" Ron said angrily, sucking his cut thumb as Fred lowered Rory down. "You wait, when I'm seventeen"

"I'm sure you'll dazzle us all with hitherto unsuspected magical skills," yawned Fred.

"And speaking of hitherto unsuspected skills, Ronald," George said, "what is this we hear from Ginny about you and a young lady called unless our information is faulty Lavender Brown?" Ron turned a little pink, but did not look displeased as he turned back to the sprouts.

"Mind your own business."

"Aww does little Ronald have a girlfriend" Rory smirks.

"Do you three just appear to be annoying" Lily asks looking at her daughter.

"Yes they do" Ron says looking at Rory and George.

"Shouldn't you be with your new husband"

"What a snappy retort," Fred said. "I really don't know how you think of them. No, what we wanted to know was how did it happen?"

"What d'you mean?"

"Did she have an accident or something?"

"What?"

"Well, how did she sustain such extensive brain damage? Careful, now!" Mrs. Weasley entered the room just in time to see Ron throw the sprout knife at Fred, who had turned it into a paper airplane with one lazy flick of his wand.